by J. A. Coffey
"What do you want from me?" she asked, flustered by the intensity in his bright eyes.
His lips quirked and he rose from the bed. "Well, we can continue talking," he offered. "Or...we can finish our little game." He began to slowly undo the buttons of his shirt, exposing his hard, muscled torso within minutes.
Athena looked her fill at the expanse of his well-defined chest and muscular arms then swallowed. Involuntarily, she flexed her fingers, wanting badly to touch him. For the first time, she was seeing him clearly, not confined by darkness, shadows, or clothes, and the sight of him did something funny to her belly.
"So..." he continued softly, his voice like dark velvet. "Which is it?" As he spoke, his fingertips ran along her exposed thigh, and her legs fell open. He trailed his fingers up further and she briefly closed her eyes, tucking her lower lip between her teeth.
Words escaped her.
Her breath came out in shallow pants, and she could only stare up into his smoky gray eyes, too distracted by his touch. They stared at each other with an intensity that was electric, and all she could do was jerk her head up and down.
He had his answer, her body giving in to his tantalizing touch. She wanted him, wanted to feel him inside her one last time. Before they ended whatever this was between them.
With a feather-light touch, he brought his hand higher, directly up to the swollen, heated nub between her thighs, and began rubbing her with gentle, slow strokes. Her eyes drifted shut and she jerked then gasped at the sensation, her muscles winding tight at his steady caress.
"Look at me, sweetheart," he commanded softly.
She opened her eyes and found him sitting beside her, his strong body braced over her. Through her haze of desire, she could see the stark need that strained across his face and darkened his light eyes. For a moment, she was lost in the beauty of really seeing him, of stealing a glimpse into his darkest desires.
He slipped a finger into her, moving it deliciously in and out with slow, lazy strokes. A low moan escaped her parted lips, and she couldn't stop her hips from lifting up to meet his teasing finger.
His own breathing was harsh and shallow as he continued his tender probing, his brilliant gaze piercing into her. As if he was trying to steal a glimpse into her soul. He slid a second finger into her, and she was lost in the intense pleasure he was building inside her. She drew her legs up higher and gasped from the incredible sensation of being stretched and filled.
"You feel good, sweetheart," he murmured softly, staring intensely at her. He leaned down and kissed her, and she didn't realize how desperate she was for that small contact. Moving his lips eagerly over hers, he drank in her gasps and sighs, lapping at her full lips. A small whimper escaped her when he pulled away, his harsh, flushed face hovering inches above hers. "You're mine now, Tena," he whispered. "Say it."
"Yes," she gasped. "I'm yours."
Fierce satisfaction flared in his stormy eyes. She didn't know what that had been about, but at that moment, while he had her literally wrapped around his fingers, she would have agreed with him on anything.
Her greedy body clenched around his retreating hand, wanting every long, steady stroke. He pushed open her robe until her body was fully exposed to him, then captured her lips again with a kiss that left them breathless, yet desperate for more.
Instead, he trailed his lips along her jaw and down her neck until he brought them to her nipples, pulling eagerly at the hard buds. A wave of sensation coursed through her, and she arched her back, trying to get more of him. She wanted desperately to touch him, to hold his head to her throbbing, aching breasts, but her bound arms jerked back above her head.
He moved down her body, kissing and licking all over her sweet spots, stopping only when he was between her legs, his mouth covering her heated flesh. Her thighs clenched and trembled with every lick and roll of his tongue. She writhed at the intensity of her desire. Whimpers of pleasure escaped her as the pressure in her belly grew, along with her desire to touch him.
With a slip of his finger, he catapulted her into new heights. Her inner muscles clenched violently around him as he continued his slow lick, and she released a throaty moan. With a sharp gasp, she jerked her arms down again, and to her vague surprise, the ties loosened and fell from her wrists. Grabbing fistfuls of his hair, she threw her head back and gave in to her desire with a gut-wrenching scream.
*****
Athena's body throbbed in the quiet aftermath of Davie's repeated possession.
They'd gone at it as if their bodies had been starved for each other. He'd taken her in every position imaginable, each time as intense and fiery as the last.
Now they lay together on the large hotel bed, her back to him, his arm wrapped securely around her waist. Sometime during their lovemaking, he had stripped her of the robe-her last barrier between them.
Ugh. She balked at the word. Lovemaking. She may have always been in love with him, but she was just a good time. Another in a long line of women. How could she compete with all those he'd had before her? How could she compete with women like Lisa?
But Athena didn't want to be like those women. She didn't want him to treat her as if she was just like any of them. She loved him too much to settle for that kind of shallow attention.
She shifted, needing to put some distance between her and the sleeping man behind her so she could sort through her unstable emotions. But at her slight movements, Davie tightened his arm around her and pulled her back against him.
"Where do you think you're going?" His morning voice was gruff with sleep, but it still had its usual effect on her.
"It's time for me to go," she whispered.
"So you were just going to leave me here alone, in bed? Again?" he asked, his low tone playful. "You really need to work on your bedroom etiquette, sweetheart."
She ignored his teasing. Her emotions were strung too high for lighthearted pillow talk. "I'm sorry. I don't know what the protocol is for this kind of thing," she said stiffly. "Should I tell you how great you were? That you're the best I've ever had? You already know that, so let's skip to the part where I leave, and we can avoid the awkward goodbye."
He tensed behind her then turned her on her back.
"Hey, where the hell is all this coming from?" he asked, frowning down at her. "Why are you acting like I've treated you like a piece of ass? I don't want you to leave. We're great together, and after what we've just shared, you can't deny that."
Athena searched his face, afraid to believe him. Yet scared not to.
"What do you want from me?" she asked quietly. "More sex? Because I can tell you right now, I'm not interested in becoming a Carrone mistress."
His gray eyes burned with suppressed anger. "I'll pretend you didn't say that," he snapped.
Knowing his past, his own family situation, she knew she'd gone too far. "Okay, fine. I'm sorry." She didn't want their parting to be bitter and angry, but how could she tell him what was in her heart without looking foolish for having those feelings in the first place? "I just don't want to be a notch in your bedpost, Davie. I know you're not a one-woman man, but I've never been good at sharing."
He was silent, the frown on his face fading away, replaced with an intensity that made her breath catch.
"Good. Because I'm not sharing you," he murmured gruffly. "Contrary to popular belief, I don't keep hoards of woman stashed away. And I certainly don't go around sleeping with every woman who happens to sneak in my bed. With you, though, it's different. I want you. Here. With me."
Athena's eyes misted, and she closed them briefly, not sure how to handle the sudden overwhelming emotions. He touched his lips with hers in a light, tender kiss.
"You're mine, remember?" he said softly against her lips. "And I'm yours. Say you'll stay with me."
For how long? She immediately dismissed the thought. She wouldn't think about that now. She would just enjoy the moment while she had him.
He pulled away, waiting for her response. Tension r
adiated from him. If she had any doubts about his feelings for her, they were gone now, replaced with a happiness that made her heart swell. Whatever he felt for her, it at least went beyond just sex, and that gave her hope. Whatever this was, wherever it went, she would just enjoy every minute of it.
"Is that a yes?" he prompted.
She looped her arms around his neck, a small smile touching her lips. "Yes. I'll stay."
Relief flashed in his eyes, and he gave her a quick kiss. "Sweetheart, you really know how to make a man sweat."
"I don't mean to," she said, running her palm over his broad back, enjoying the heat emanating from his skin. "It's just things didn't really start off...right between us. And so much time has passed, so much we don't know about each other yet."
He brushed a finger along her chin, his bright eyes taking on a warm glow. "We have all this week to catch up. Fourteen years is a long time, but I've always cared about you, Tena. That's never stopped."
Athena's heart skipped at his words. And I've never stopped loving you. But she didn't dare say those words. Not yet anyway.
"I admit I've stalked you a bit online." Embarrassment made the corner of her lips twitch nervously, and she briefly glanced down at his chin only to find him grinning down at her. "Does that make me creepy?"
His grin widened, and a mischievous glint came into his eyes. "Yeah."
She frowned. "You're supposed to say no."
"But it's a cute creepy. And I give you permission to stalk me anywhere." He leaned in, and kissed her cheek. "In my office." He placed another kiss on her jaw. "In the bedroom." He kissed her neck. "In the shower."
She laughed and grabbed his head. "I think you're confused on how stalking works."
His sensual lips pulled into a lopsided grin. "If it keeps you close, I don't care how it works."
She pulled him down for a long, deep kiss, loving the sound of that. She also loved the feel and taste of him-the way his muscles bunched under her stroking palm, the way his lips sucked and pulled at hers. She tightened her arms around his neck, wanting it to last forever, but he pulled away and chuckled at her agitated moan.
"See how good we are together?" he murmured. "How could you even think about leaving?" He trailed his lips along her jaw and down to nibble on the side of her neck, lingering on the sensitive spot for a moment.
She sighed.
"And just so you know," he added, "I don't keep notches on my bedpost." He brought his lips close to her ear, nibbling on the tip of her earlobe, then whispered teasingly, "That's what my belts are for."
She gasped in mock outrage then punched his arm. He fell back laughing, and she took advantage. Straddling him, she leaned down and rained light kisses on his chest and up his jaw. She kissed him with all the love and passion bursting inside her-forgetting everything and everyone and concentrating only on him. And their moment right now.
He ran his hands over her waist, down her hips until he gripped her ass. Hard. She gasped at the slight sting and the sharp pleasure of his blunt fingers digging into her flesh. Reaching behind her, she looped her fingers through his and pulled his hand away. She jerked his arms above his head, biting her lower lip to keep from smiling at his surprised expression.
"It's my turn now," she murmured.
Chapter Twelve
"Who were you talking to, sweets?" David asked, stepping out of the bathroom, wrapping a towel around his waist.
"Anthony." Tena tossed her phone on the nightstand. "I was telling him about what happened last night."
David paused on his way to the closet and looked at her. She sat on the bed, wearing only the pale gold hotel robe. Though he would love to stay in bed with her, it was already late, and he needed to get to his office and clear up this thing with Judith. He also needed Tena to get dressed and come down with him, but the mention of her brother drew his interest.
"What did he say?" he asked coolly.
She tucked her feet beneath her. "Not much, really. He didn't seem all that thrilled to know I had spent the night here, but I think he's happy it's over." She brushed her hair back from her eyes. "He also wanted me to thank you for stepping in."
David grunted. I'm sure he does. He turned away from her, not wanting Tena to see the annoyance on his face. "Where is he now?"
"Somewhere in California," she said. "But who knows. He does a lot of moving around."
That was inconvenient. David wanted to have his talk with Anthony soon, and now it looked like he would have to wait until he was back in Vegas. Though he had already decided not to tell Tena about her brother, it bothered him to know he was starting their relationship with secrets. He didn't want that. He wanted them to be completely open and transparent with each other.
With suit in hand, he made his way back to the bed only to find his computer on Tena's lap, her head bent over it. "What are you doing?"
She didn't look up from the back of the laptop she now had exposed. "I'm putting in your hard drive," she explained. "I figured if would be of better use to you inside."
He began dressing and she continued working meticulously over his computer. Her slow, careful movements were like watching an operation.
"You look like you're performing heart surgery."
She flashed a quick smile. "Actually, this is more like brain surgery," she replied, her movements still careful. "The hard drive is like the brain, it tells the computer how to operate. Like the human body, a computer can survive without the brain," she said slowly placing the hard drive into its slot.
David grinned over her practical explanation. "When did you get all Bill Nye on me?"
"The Science Guy?" She laughed. "I think you mean Bill Gates and believe me, it didn't happen over night!" She glanced up at him, a soft look on her face. "But someone once told me, in so many words, to choose my own destiny. And I did. That meant I had a lot of self-teaching to do."
He stopped his brisk movements of buttoning his shirt and stared down at her bent head again, remembering when he'd given her that advice. He hadn't meant for her to trade one life of crime for another, however.
"Anyway," she added, "I have to be really careful with this or everything will be erased from your hard drive. You'll be screwed and hate me forever."
Actually, it would be more like one hell of an inconvenience, David thought wryly. Their files were all backed up on their main server in case a laptop decided to go brain dead, and she had to know that or she wouldn't have thought to take Gabe's hard drive. She was obviously looking for some reassurance from him that he had forgiven her.
When he didn't immediately respond, she glanced up. He couldn't resist teasing her.
"Well, maybe not forever."
She narrowed her eyes then returned her attention back to the computer. Within minutes, she was done and stuffing his laptop back into his bag.
She sat on the bed with her legs now crossed, simply watching him as he finished dressing. He grinned.
"See something you like?"
Tucking her lower lip between her teeth, she nodded.
He walked over to the bed, and she rose to her knees. Standing in front of her, he brushed aside her bangs, wanting to see her beautiful dark eyes. There was an unfamiliar tightening in his chest, and David shook his head, ruefully. Now he was starting to understand Gabe's obsession with his girlfriend.
Having Tena near made him feel different, made him feel...exceptional. He didn't know where all this would lead and didn't have an end date. All he knew was that he wanted her with him.
"What are you smiling about?" she asked quietly, looping her arms around his neck.
"Nothing." He slanted his head to kiss the soft spot just above her collarbone. "Just a mild case of heartburn."
She clutched the open ends of his button-down shirt. "Hmm, you should get that checked out."
He flexed his fingers around her waist, loving the way she trembled from his touch. "Nah," he said, trailing his lips up to hers. Their tender kiss soon turned fierce an
d hot, as if they hadn't just made love a short while ago.
He pulled away with a growl, his heart thudding in his ear. "There's no time."
She moved her hands inside the opening of his shirt, her head resting on his shoulder. "Okay," she murmured, lightly brushing her lips across his neck.
He chuckled softly. She knew what she was doing. Purposely driving him crazy. "What am I going to do with you?"
She shrugged daintily. "I can think of a few things, but I guess even the boss can't take a day off."
David hugged her close then released her with a heavy sigh. "Not today, anyway."
She sat on her haunches and frowned. "Do you really need me to go down with you?"
"It won't take long. I just want you to take a look at a photo and verify it's the same woman you saw Monday night." He finished buttoning his shirt and wondered at her sudden agitation. "What's wrong?"
"I need to go home and change first. I can't walk into your office dressed in that." She motioned to the black dress still draped over the small sofa. "I don't even have underwear. What would your employees think?"
He didn't give a damn what anyone thought, but it obviously bothered her. Then again, he remembered what the skin-tight dress did to her figure and didn't like the idea of anyone else admiring her body.
"You don't need to leave. Just go downstairs to one of the boutiques and buy yourself something. Have them charge it to my account."
She gave him the longest are-you-kidding-me look, and he couldn't help but laugh. "What now?"
"What now?" she echoed, incredulous. "First, let's pretend you didn't just offer to buy me clothes. Do you really think I could just go down to one of your fancy shops and they would help me buy clothes under your account? Dressed like a hooker, mind you."
He frowned thoughtfully. "You're right. No one would believe that. They'd take one look at you and wonder why I'd spend good money to cover you up."
He caught the pillow she threw at him and laughed.
"I'm serious, Davie! They'll have security on me before I even get through the glass doors."
