by Gail Hart
“My sweet, hot Katie,” he whispered.
She ground her crotch against his hand, craving more sensation. “Kathryn.”
“No, Katie. I get to call you Katie in bed.”
“But we’re not in bed.”
“Don’t be so literal. Anywhere I make love to you counts as ‘in bed.’”
“Then we’re going to do it right here?” A full body shudder ran through her.
“Yes, ma’am. If that’s okay with you.”
So this was the meaning of up against the wall. After years of in-bed-in-the-missionary-position sex with Jeff, the idea excited her beyond reason. She drew in a sharp breath. “Oh yes, please. Right here and right now.”
He rose and unbuttoned his jeans. “Then unzip me.”
“But my hands are tied.”
“So use your teeth.”
She knew her eyes must have been as wide as saucers. Could she even make this work? If not, it wouldn’t be for lack of trying. He grabbed her under the shoulders and helped her to her knees in front of him. Leaning forward, she managed to get the zipper’s pull tab between her teeth. The task wasn’t easy since she didn’t have much leverage, but with four or five jerky pulls, she maneuvered the pull tab to the bottom of the zipper. Steve spread the flaps of his jeans. He wore neither boxers nor briefs, and his swollen penis sprung free, bobbing and waving in her face in all its potent glory.
She felt as if she might die, literally die, if she didn’t have him inside her soon. Though she had trouble keeping her balance without the use of her arms, she leaned forward and took his cock into her mouth. The head was smooth against her tongue and tasted of salt. He groaned and squeezed her shoulders. She took him as deep as she could, swirling her tongue around him, sucking and savoring the hot, pulsing feel of him against her cheek.
Then he eased away. “Stop,” he gasped, his voice rough with need. “If you keep that up, I won’t be good for anything else.”
“That would be bad,” she agreed with a shudder. The sharp throb between her thighs was damn near unbearable.
He pulled her to her feet and stepped out of his jeans. After tearing a condom from its foil packet, he rolled it on. Then he grabbed her bare butt cheeks, lifted her off the floor, pressed her against the door, and thrust inside her. She looped her bound arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist, breathing hard. She didn’t care that each rough stroke into her slick channel made her backside bang against the door. No man had ever filled her so completely. She teetered as long as she could on the edge, wallowing in the anticipation, until she couldn’t hold herself back any longer. When she came, it wasn’t the gentle kind of climax she was used to but the tidal wave, fireworks, earth moving kind she’d thought only happened to other people. She shrieked and felt his orgasm mingle with hers. Then she collapsed against him, her screams gradually reducing to moans.
Still holding her up, and still inside her, Steve cradled her head against his chest. God, he was strong. “Are you satisfied, Katie?” he whispered in her ear, his tone smug.
She wanted to make a witty comeback, but she couldn’t get her brain to function. All she could manage was a breathy, “Oh God, yes.”
“That was amazing, but we can do better.”
“How?” Her pulse raced at the possibilities.
“By slowing down. For starters, I want to see all of you.” He set her on her feet and untied her hands, then he pulled at her zipper. Her dress fell away, leaving her naked. He touched a breast. “Oh yes, these are my beauties.”
She was hit with a full body tingle that had as much to do with his words as his touch. Not to mention with the way he stared at her ordinary, average-sized breasts as though they’d suddenly grown to Playboy centerfold proportions. Her boy toy was a much bigger rush than alcohol—and would give her a much worse hangover if she let herself get carried away.
“Enjoy them, sweetie.” Kathryn’s voice was thick with lust. His pleasure would be hers too.
“Count on it.” Steve lifted her by the waist and crossed to the bed in three long strides. He laid her on her back and stared down at her as he began unbuttoning his shirt.
She stretched her arms up. “Come to me, you beautiful thing.”
With a smile that turned her bones liquid, he ripped open the last two buttons, tossed the shirt away, and lay on his side next to her. One hand settled in the valley between her breasts, but he made no move for her nipples. Instead, he stuck his tongue in her ear, setting every nerve in her body on fire. She wriggled in delicious agony.
“You are so hot,” he whispered. “I’m going to make you come like a rocket.”
A small mewing sound escaped from her throat.
His mouth began a journey down her body, nibbling on her earlobe, cheek, neck and collarbone. She arched into him and moaned louder, desperately needing his heat to surround her tight bud. Finally his lips found a nipple. He pulled at it with his teeth and then flicked at the rock-hard nub with his tongue. She grabbed his shoulders, her nails digging into his flesh. He switched breasts. The ache between her legs grew so intense it was painful. She managed to gasp out, “What else can you do with that tongue?”
Rather than words, he answered her by sliding her legs wide and positioning his head between her thighs. Just what she wanted—a man of action. His warm, velvet-soft tongue flicked at her clit, making it swell even more as he honed in on the most sensitive spot. She grabbed his head and pulled him closer, wordlessly demanding more pressure.
He gave it, but only briefly. Every time she came close to shattering, he moved his mouth away, then brought it back to build her toward another crescendo, only to remove it again at the last moment. The sadist. Finally she snarled, “Will you just get on with it?” She writhed, close to homicidal with frustration.
His voice was cool and she sensed he was on the verge of laughter. “Ask nicely, Katie.”
She knew when she was beat. “Please, please, please,” she begged.
“That’s better.” He returned to laving her aching sex with his tongue, but this time he added a finger to the mix. In an instant warmth turned to heat turned to fire and her body dissolved into a shivering, shuddering mass.
When Kathryn’s body stilled, Steve propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at her face, his expression full of both heat and warmth. “You are awesome, lady.”
She stretched out like a cat. A Cheshire cat, all smile. “Would you believe my colleagues call me the Ice Queen?”
His mouth dropped open. “Ice Queen? Nothing about you is cold. People really call you that?”
“My enemies do. My allies call me Wonder Woman.”
“Wonder Woman fits. How many times can you come in one session?”
“I don’t know. My previous limit was one,” she admitted.
His eyes widened. “Get out of town! Really?”
“I swear. You make me feel things I didn’t know I was capable of.” And that fact scared the living daylights out of her.
He cupped her cheek with his free hand and leaned forward until their noses touched. “We do that to each other. Admit it, we’re great together.”
She let out a small sigh. “In here, in bed, absolutely. Out there, in the real world, not so much.”
He frowned. “What are you talking about? The age difference? No one gives a damn.”
“Sure they do. You saw how Murph reacted last night. He thought you were making a complete ass of yourself. And my colleagues at the firm wouldn’t take it much better.”
Steve tossed his head back and his frown deepened. “I’d never let Murph give me crap about you. He’s a good friend, and there’s no one I’d rather have my back in a dogfight, but he’s an overgrown kid. There’s no way I’d listen to anything he had to say about my personal life. Do you let your business colleagues run your personal life?”
Actually, she did, a lot more than she wanted to admit. She shrugged. “Let’s not ruin a perfect night by fighting.”
To her relief, he let it go. He leaned forward and traced her lips with his index finger as his mouth slid into an impossibly sexy grin. “I can think of a lot better things for us to be doing in this bed.”
“Yeah, like sleeping.”
He lowered his hand to her breast. “Not what I had in mind.”
“I need a rest. You’ve totally wiped me out.”
“Totally?” He slid a finger inside her and found her clit. “That’s not what your body says.”
He was right. She was still wet, and his finger on that sensitive, swollen spot made her tingle all over again. “Please, not yet,” she said, but her voice didn’t sound convincing even to her.
He sat up, reached for the bedside table, and put on another condom. “We aren’t done testing your limits sexually,” he murmured. “Though I’m not sure we’ll ever be done.” He lifted her onto his lap facing him and maneuvered her so he could impale himself on her, thrusting deep into her core. A burst of heat surged through her and her protests died on her lips. Oh yes, it made sense to listen to this kid.
* * *
Kathryn stared out the window of the taxi, barely registering the scenery rushing by, or Steve’s arm resting across her shoulders. Shoulders that grew progressively tighter the closer they got to the airport. Usually the last twenty-four hours of a scuba vacation, when it was unsafe to fly, were tedious. This time she’d loved every minute, even the few spent out of bed. Though she’d misplaced her hard copy of the To-Do List, the electronic copy on her smart phone showed they’d made it through about two thirds of her fantasies. He seemed to know what she craved instinctively.
But now her enchanted moment was over. She’d begun mentally preparing for reality and the challenge ahead, one that would demand every ounce of her concentration.
Oblivious to her mood, Steve kissed her neck.
God, that felt good. If only she could keep him. But the idea was absurd. Playtime was over. With the formal discussions that would decide her fate at Brubaker & Whitley just around the corner, she needed to stay focused. She couldn’t afford the luxury of a full time or even a part time boy toy.
She’d tried to make a clean break with him at the hotel, but he’d insisted on coming along to the airport. Everything he did made it clear he didn’t want to let her go.
She couldn’t deny she’d miss the pleasure he gave her. He’d made her feel like a real woman for the first time since Jeff left. But she didn’t have time for a relationship—did she?
Steve’s voice in Kathryn’s ear startled her out of her trance. “Hey, where’d you go? All of a sudden you’re a million miles away.”
She blushed. “Only a thousand. I was thinking about what I need to do when I get back to the office.”
“Bad idea. Vacation’s already too short. I won’t have you checking out early on me.” He reached over with his free hand, and she assumed he planned to cop one last feel. Instead, he took her hand, laced his fingers through hers, and gave a gentle squeeze.
The innocence of the gesture touched her. God knows Steve was a man in every possible way, but even if he hated to admit it, he still had a lot of Stevie’s sweetness. She relaxed against his chest and gave his hand an answering squeeze.
The cab pulled up in front of the airport and Kathryn and Steve climbed out. Kathryn paid the cabbie and walked to the back to collect her luggage. The cabbie lifted her bags from the trunk and set them down on the pavement.
“You travel light for a woman,” Steve said. Aside from her dive bag, all she had was a rolling bag small enough to fit into the overhead compartment of an airplane.
She felt she ought to object to the remark on grounds of sexism, but the truth was, she was proud of her ability to pack light. The girly-girls he usually traveled with would probably have needed that much space for their shoes. “I do a lot of business travel, so I’ve learned to pack efficiently.” She started to reach for her dive bag.
He grabbed her hand to stop her. “I’ll get that.”
“I can manage by myself. It’s got wheels.”
He frowned and snatched the handle. “Let me be a gentleman.”
She smiled her amusement. “If you insist.”
They walked into the terminal, stopping in front of the large ceramic mural next to the security screening entrance. To their right, passengers were lining up at the American Airlines counter. She was glad the terminal was crowded. The public setting would make this easier, keep things from getting maudlin.
“Good-bye, Steve,” she said. “This has been the best vacation of my life, thanks to you. I’ll never forget it.”
His eyebrows knit together. “That sounds suspiciously like a kiss off.”
“Nothing as harsh as a kiss-off. Just a fond good-bye.”
He glared at her. “As in, good-bye and have a nice life?”
“Good, you understand.”
He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. “No way, Kathryn. This isn’t the end; it’s just the beginning. I intend to keep seeing you in D.C.”
She shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Steve, you’re not being realistic. We live in very different worlds. You wouldn’t fit in with my friends, and I wouldn’t fit in with yours.”
He snorted. “Puh-leeze. If you want to blow me off, you’re going to have to give me an actual reason, not spout a bunch of dumb-ass clichés.”
She felt herself blush. “Okay, I could have put that better, but you know I’m right.”
“You’re not right, and I’ll prove it to you.”
“I don’t think...” Kathryn began.
“Yes, you do. That’s your whole problem, you think too damn much. I’m crazy about your brilliant mind, but sometimes you need to give it a rest.” He backed her against the mural, lowered his head, and kissed her, gently at first, then with increased intensity. As his tongue teased and played, heat built up and throbbed between her legs. She wrapped her arms around his neck and melted into him. For a moment she didn’t exist as a person with a mind, only as a ball of pulsing nerve endings.
It was the kind of kiss she wished could last forever, but eventually Steve pulled away. His smile was smug. He’d obviously felt every bit of her body’s response to him.
Kathryn shook her head, disgusted with herself for her weakness. “What was that supposed to prove? That I want you? Well, that’s a no-brainer, but it doesn’t have anything to do with whether we should keep seeing each other.”
“Really? Explain that one to me.”
“Sure, we had some of the hottest sex on the planet, but you can’t build a relationship entirely on lust.”
He touched his nose to hers and spoke in a gentle tone. “You can’t dismiss me that easily. There’s more between us than lust, and you know it. We have fun together. We make each other laugh.”
She directed her gaze over his shoulder, avoiding eye contact. “Just because we screwed each other’s lights out...”
He winced at the crude remark. “Not screwed, made love.”
Her expression mocked him. “Made love? Surely you’re not saying you love me.”
A touch of color rose on his cheeks. “Maybe not yet, but we have a shot at falling crazy in love if you’ll give us a chance.”
Panic welled up in her stomach. She spat out, “Stop acting like a child.”
He smiled a slow, sexy smile. “You don’t have a logical comeback, so you’re resorting to bringing up our age difference. I must be winning.”
He was right, damn it. “Look,” she said, trying another tack, “I already told you, for the foreseeable future, I need to focus on winning the president’s job and consolidating my position. I won’t have time for a man, especially one people would think is unsuitable.”
He gave his head a small shake. “Talk, talk, talk. You’re so full of it. You’re not pushing me away because you don’t have time for me or you’re worried about what people will think. You’re pushing me away because you’re gutless.”
Her f
ace grew warm with indignation. “Gutless? I swim with sharks, and I took on the founder’s son for control of a multi-million dollar business, and you have the nerve to call me gutless?”
“You may not be afraid of sharks, on land or in the water, but you’re scared to death of how I make you feel.”
Because in her experience, whenever she felt so much for a man, she ended up getting hurt. She didn’t want to care for her boy toy. The men she cared for had always left her, starting with her father. But she had no intention of admitting that. She pushed free of him. “Look, I have to get in line now, or I’ll miss my flight.”
He flashed her the Steve smile. “I’ll let you go catch your plane, Katie, but I won’t let you go. This isn’t over, not by a long shot.” He turned and swaggered away.
* * *
Waiting behind Murph in the line to go through the airport metal detector, Steve stuffed his hands in his pants pockets and scowled. This sucked canal water backward. How had things with Katie gone south so fast?
He normally didn’t use the tacky phrase “she needs to get laid,” but in Katie’s case it was the God’s honest truth. She’d so obviously withered up and dried out inside during her year alone. She was a whole new woman after lovemaking, softer, gentler, happiness radiating off her in waves. A woman as passionate as Katie needed to be made love to on a regular basis. Made love to, and loved, and treasured. And he was ready, willing and able to do all three. But she was afraid to let him.
Murph walked through the metal detector and Steve prepared to follow. He emptied his pockets into the container on a table, pulling out his wallet, passport, loose change, and... oh shit! Katie’s blue silk panties. He tried to snatch them back before anyone noticed.
Too late. Murph had reached over from the other side of the machine and scooped up the incriminating evidence. Murph twirled the panties around on his index finger and leered. “Taken up cross dressing, Tyler?”
Steve stepped through the detector and swiped at the panties. “Get real.”
Murph pulled the skimpy scrap of silk just out of Steve’s reach. “No, you’re not the type. These must be a war trophy. Souvenir of your big score.”
