His Every Desire (Contemporary Romance Box Set)

by Alexis Winter

When the plane takes off, and everyone starts talking amongst themselves, taking a nap, or reading, I lean into Mia. I reach up, yanking the earbud from her ear.

  She gives me a dirty look. “What?”

  “Did you ever join the mile-high club?” I ask, more just to tease her than anything else. I know the rules. No sex.

  “Yeah, with you. Remember?” she asks, eyes stretched wide.

  “Oh yeah,” I mumble, thinking back on the amazing sex we had when she flew to Charlotte to ride back to Chicago with me. That’s how awesome this girl is: she flew from Chicago, Illinois to Charlotte, North Carolina, just to fly back to Chicago with me. “Well,” I ask, snapping myself out of my daze. “Wanna do it again?”

  She scoffs, rolls her eyes, and jabs me in the ribs with her elbow.

  “Ow,” I laugh out, rubbing my hand over my now sore ribs.

  “Serves you right,” she says with a nod of her head. “I’m a lady now. I don’t do that sort of thing.”

  Her words only make me laugh. “A lady, huh?” I lean in and whisper in her ear. “So, you wouldn’t let me take you back to that bathroom, push this little dress up over your ass, and bend you over like the good old days?” I pull away enough to see her chest quickly rising and falling. “You remember the last time, don’t you?” I ask, leaning back in. “I remember you seemed to like it a lot. The way you were practically screaming my name, I thought you’d remember a little better than you do.” I pull away to see her hands on both the armrests, fingers wrapped around them in a death grip.

  She takes a deep breath, forces her hands to let loose, and then looks at me. She leans closer, so our lips are almost touching. “Oh, I remember alright. I remember how it felt when you slid into me—you had to pause so that you didn’t come right then. I remember you not being able to say anything but fuck over and over with each thrust. And I remember how you held me so tight that I had bruises on my ass and hips.” Her breath blows across my dry lips, and I have to resist the urge to lick them. Good thing I have my hands on my lap, otherwise everyone sitting around me would feel awkward by the massive erection I have going right now from listening to her words.

  I’m lost in her eyes, that memory, and the overwhelming urge to drag her ass back to the bathroom right now when her eyes fall to my lap, and her lips turn up into a grin. “Looks like you got a little problem, Sport,” she says around her grin.

  I let my head fall back against the seat. “I hate you” are the only words to leave my lips, but that only makes her laugh out loud.

  She’s going to fucking kill me this weekend. I can see it already. She’ll deny any advance I try to make, and people will end up finding me a week later, lying in bed in my underwear with a raging boner.

  Damnit.

  The flight is long after that. I find myself shifting in my seat every so often. I’d get my problem out of the way, and it’d come right back. Eventually, I have to go to the bathroom to bleed the pressure. I hate jacking off in an airplane bathroom. It feels like everyone knows what I’m doing. But maybe this is all I need to keep myself in check this weekend. I am wound pretty tight, and it’s been at least a year since my last hook-up. I’m just horny. If I can get this out of my system, I won’t try to bang my best friend, because God knows all that will do is hurt the both of us in the long run.

  The plane lands, and we get a taxi to take us all to the hotel. Everyone stands around in a big group in the lobby while Danielle and Levi check us in. They come back and hand us each a key.

  “Bennet and Maddie, you’re in room 709. Valerie and Callan: 712, Damon and Jazz: 710, Levi and I are in 711, and Mia and Trent: 713. We’re all in a row, but I did break you guys up, Valerie and Bennet and Damon and Maddie. Figured you guys didn’t want to hear your siblings, er—you know,” Dani says, causing everyone to laugh and agree.

  “I still have an issue with this,” Mia says, raising her hand.

  Everyone looks her way.

  “Not that this is anyone’s business, but Trent and I, we have a past. One that I’d like to avoid rekindling if you know what I mean.” Her caramel eyes widen.

  “Well, Mia. You’re more than welcome to get another room,” I say. “Or I could rent another room. I won’t mind being on a different floor from everyone.” I step toward the front desk.

  “No,” Mia says, placing her hands flat on my chest as she steps in front of me. “I’ll get a different room. Be right back.” She walks away.

  “Something happened between you two?” Levi asks, pulling me off to the side.

  “No. Why?” I ask, running my hand through my hair.

  “Well, last time I saw you two together, you were hot and heavy. Now you’re cold as ice.” He slides his hands into the pockets of his jeans, clearly feeling weird about having this conversation.

  I wave my hand through the air dismissing it. “That’s been a long time ago, Levi. Mia and I haven’t seen one another in over a year. And we haven’t slept together in what, two or three years now?”

  “Why? What changed things?” he asks, seemingly concerned.

  “She started dating, getting into relationships. I didn’t want to ruin anything for her.”

  His brows pull together as he crosses his arms over his chest. “She hasn’t been in a relationship in over two years?”

  “Yeah, well…” I start, but Mia is back, sticking her bottom lip out. “They’re booked solid. There are no rooms left.”

  I smile wide. “Welcome back, roomie,” I say, holding out both arms, waiting for a hug I know isn’t coming.

  “Well, now that that’s settled, why don’t we all go put our belongings away in our room, and we can meet back here for dinner and drinks at 5?” Dani asks, looking at everyone.

  Everyone agrees, and we move toward the elevator. Somehow, the ten of us manage to get onto the same elevator. We all cram inside, tighter than a can of sardines. Mia is standing right in front of me, and I can’t help but let my eyes rake up and down her gorgeous, pixie-like body. She’s short—only coming up to my shoulders, and she’s tiny—probably not weighing more than 105 pounds. Her blonde hair is cut short into a sleek bob, and she always insists on wearing a skirt or shorts, teasing me with her long, smooth, toned legs. This girl is short, but she’s nothing but legs. God, I’d love to feel them wrapped around my hips again.

  The elevator dings and everyone begins piling off. I shake the thoughts from my head as I push myself forward. We walk down the hallway in two’s, everyone with their partners, and then me and Mia. It feels like some sort of scary movie as everyone walks to their doors, inserts their keycard, and opens the door at the same time. Then, they turn her heads back and forth and say goodbye. All the couples are holding hands, or the guys are holding their woman’s hips—all looking forward to getting inside and having a few minutes alone. Everyone but me and Mia.

  We both walk in, and I drop my bag onto the floor as I dive into one of the beds. I stretch out as I roll on my back and look at her. She looks nervous as she sets her bag down onto her bed and leans against the dresser, arms crossed over her chest.

  “What’s the matter, sweetheart?”

  Her golden eyes flash over to me. “Nothing. Why would you think something is wrong?” she asks, busying herself with unzipping her bag and pulling out her clothes to put away.

  “Look,” I say, sitting up on the edge of the bed. I rest my elbows on my knees. “I know I’ve been teasing you a lot, but it was just for fun. Really. I mean, if you want to, we can ask for some tape to divide the room. I’ll stay on my side.” I hold up my hands, showing her my palms. “I swear.”

  She laughs. “That’s unnecessary. We both know nothing is going to happen between us this weekend, so let’s just try to forget our fucked-up past, huh?” She glances at me from over her shoulder as she bends down and places a pile of lacy underwear into her drawer.

  “How much underwear did you bring?” I laugh, unable to take my eyes off that drawer.

  She lets out a puff
of air. “You never know.”

  “You never know what, when you’re going to shit your pants and need that many pairs for one weekend?”

  She shakes her head as she picks up her bag and heads toward the bathroom. “You’re such a guy.” The door closing between us effectively ends our conversation. I lay back, propping my head up with my arms. Every other guy in this group is probably getting laid right now, and here I am, talking about underwear with there being a zero chance of me getting to rip them off.

  Maybe this trip wasn’t such a good idea.

  When she steps out of the bathroom, her makeup is fresh, and her hair looks flawless. She finds me sitting on her bed with my legs crossed beneath me—the contents of the entire minibar before me.

  “What the fuck? Get your nasty shoes off my bed.” She shoves against my shoulder. “What are you doing anyway? You know how much this stuff costs?”

  I shrug. “So? It’s on Levi.” I laugh as I twist the top off and hand her the bottle.

  She looks a little apprehensive at first, but then she shrugs and takes the bottle of Tequila and throws it back.

  “That’s my girl,” I say, opening a bottle of vodka and knocking it against her empty one. “To a night we’ll never forget.”

  “Oh, I know. Let’s play a drinking game,” she says, kicking off her shoes and pulling up her feet.

  “Now, you’re talking. What kind of game are we playing here?” I ask, leaning my back against the wooden headboard as my eyes take her in.

  “It’s like truth or dare. Only, this one is truth or drink. We’ll take turns asking the other person a question. You either have to answer the question truthfully or take a shot.” She smiles, proud of herself for thinking of that, but I’m a fan of late-night TV too. I’ve seen many celebrities play this game with Jimmy.

  “Alright,” I agree. “I’m first.”

  She rolls her eyes. “I wouldn’t expect anything else. Go ahead.”

  I lean forward, wanting to study her face as I ask my question. “Do you ever think of us?” I ask, and she knows exactly what I mean: not just me, but us, together the way we used to be.

  She takes a deep breath and nods. “Sometimes,” she admits. “Now, it’s my turn.”

  “Oh no! You have to elaborate.”

  “Elaborate on what? You asked a question, and I told you the answer. Sometimes I think of us.”

  “What do you think?”

  She raises one eyebrow. “It’s not your turn. You don’t get to ask the question,” she says, sticking out her tongue. “Why did you want me to come on this trip?”

  Mother fucker. Why is she better at this game than I am? I bit my bottom lip as I think of a good enough answer she may accept as the truth. “Because it meant a lot to Levi and Dani.”

  “Bullshit,” she says, pointing an accusing finger at me. “The truth.”

  I let out a deep breath as I hang my head. “Because I’ve missed you, Mia. I already told you that,” I confess, finally looking up at her.

  I see her soften as our eyes meet. It’s like we’re connecting and setting the world on fire as we do so. I’ve always gotten lost in her eyes when I look into that golden swirl of caramel.

  “Your turn,” she says softly.

  “When was the last time you were in a relationship?” I ask, remembering Levi and my conversation from earlier in the lobby. I’ve called her several times over the last few years, wanting to get together. She always had some excuse of a boyfriend, though, which meant she was lying and trying to avoid me.

  She twists the top on a bottle and pours it into her mouth.

  I laugh. “It’s going to be like that, huh?”

  She nods. “Yep, and there’s nothing you can do about it because it’s the rules of the game.”

  “Fine.” I shrug. “Your turn.”

  She shakes off the burn of the alcohol. “What were you hoping to achieve by having me here?”

  It’s not a question I would answer anyway, but I make a show of picking up a bottle, twisting off the cap, and chucking it across the room. She laughs as I drink the shot, and it nearly makes me choke. My heart skips a beat, and my lungs want to suck in a big gulp of air. But you can’t suck in any air when you’re trying to swallow something, especially alcohol. It burns like a mother fucker.

  Almost choking makes her laugh harder, and I give her a gentle nudge. She falls off the bed, rolling in laughter. I choke back my shot, pointing and laughing at her on the floor.

  When we both settle down, I look over at the edge of the bed at her still lying on the floor. In her fit of laughing, her loose summer dress managed to fly up. I’ve now got a good shot at her white lace panties, tan upper thighs, and flat stomach. My laughing dies down as I clear my throat and tug my eyes away from her body.

  She picks up on the change quickly, fixing her dress as she takes her seat back on the bed. “Your turn,” she says, drying her eyes of the tears that formed from laughing and lack of oxygen.

  Why don’t you love me? Why can’t we be together? Can I please touch you? All come to my mind, but I won’t allow the words to slip past my lips. “What time are we supposed to meet for dinner?” I ask, suddenly realizing that it’s going on five.

  “Five,” she answers, then laughs. “Ha, what a wasted question.”

  “No, Mia. It’s almost five. We should probably go.” I stand up quickly, suddenly realizing how buzzed I am.

  “Oh,” she says, standing up and taking a minute to get her balance. “Whoa, maybe we hit it a little too hard.” She looks like she’s concentrating on balancing as she slides her feet into her shoes.

  “I wish,” I mumble, moving toward the door.

  “Huh?’ she asks, chasing after me. “What did you say?’ she asks again.

  “Nothing,” I call out, walking out into the hallway without her, needing the distance and air to clear my head.

  3

  Mia

  TRENT and I head downstairs to the lobby to find everyone already grouped together, waiting for us. Levi shoots us a grin as he wraps his arm around Dani.

  “Looks like it takes a bit longer when you haven’t been together in a while, huh?” Levi teases.

  I roll my eyes and scoff. “Shit, all we did was get drunk. Ain’t that right?” I smack Trent across the chest with the back of my hand.

  He gives me a sidelong look with his cocky grin in place, but he doesn’t deny nor confirm my words. Luckily, nobody cares, and they all begin walking toward the restaurant. I let them all walk ahead while I dilly-dally in the back. I’m a little buzzed from the time we spent in the room, and now, as I watch Trent walk away from me, I can’t remember why us being together was such a bad idea.

  Everyone walks into the restaurant, but Trent waits, turning back to look at me. As I close the distance between us, he dips his head, so he can whisper in my ear. “Come on, sweetheart. We’ll never make it to the shenanigans if we can’t get through dinner.” He gives me his breathtaking smile that steals the air from my lungs.

  I lock my eyes on his. “What did you have in mind?” I ask, sucking in a deep breath and holding it.

  His gaze falls to my chest, but he quickly catches himself and jerks them back up to my face. “I guess we’ll just have to see where the night leads us.” He holds out his elbow for me to take. I know I shouldn’t, but I do. I’m glutton for punishment. I know one little touch is all it will take from him to have me on my back, legs spread, and moaning like a porn star.

  I allow him to lead me into the restaurant, but on the walk to our table, I give myself a little mental pep talk. Keep your distance, Mia. He can only hurt you if you let him. DON’T LET HIM. He’s the same guy he’s always been—he’ll take what he wants and won’t care how broken he leaves you. Keep your head in the game.

  Everyone sits at the table, leaving me to sit between Dani and Trent. I take my seat, and to my surprise, Trent slides my chair forward. I quickly look over my shoulder with a small smile. “Thank you,” I
say softly, surprised by his gentlemanly ways. This is definitely new. Maybe he has changed some—grown up a little if you will.

  “So, how’s it going with you two?” Dani leans over and whispers.

  I glance quickly at him before returning her stare. “Weird” is the only answer I can give her right now.

  “As soon as we get away from the men, I want deets.” She points her long, manicured finger at me.

  Deets? What deets can I truly give her? Already, I imagine the conversation: Oh, you know, Trent and I hooked-up on the down-low for years. He was the best I’ve ever had. Every time we were together, I fell more in love. But then college ended, and he left me brokenhearted.

  I snort out loud, causing Trent and Dani to look at me with confused expressions since nobody has said anything for me to snort at.

  “Sorry, allergies,” I say, quickly recovering.

  Dani turns her attention back to her friends, but Trent didn’t buy my excuse. He leans in so close that his scent engulfs me, and his sweet bourbon breath blows across my already overheated skin. “You’re not getting off that easy, Mia.” He lets out a soft whisper of a chuckle. “Or maybe you will.” He pulls back with his brow arched, watching to make sure I caught the double meaning there.

  And boy, did I catch the double meaning. My body feels like it’s soaked in gasoline, and Trent is the match that’s coming closer and closer to me. Any second, I’m sure my body will be engulfed in flames. I squeeze my thighs together, hoping to hold off the flood of desire washing over me. It feels like my face heats up, and I know it must be cherry red at this point because he leans back in and runs his index finger across the apple of my cheek.

  “What’s the matter, sweetheart?” He shakes his head with his grin in place. “The way your body still responds to me is going to fucking kill me this weekend. You know that?”

  Keep yourself in check. Come on. You can do this.

  My eyes flash over to him, and I offer up a sweet smile. “My body isn’t responding to anything but annoyance,” I say in a whisper.