This strange ranger had grown up strong as a result of her upbringing and was content with the paths she'd taken. She wasn't worried about what people thought about her anymore. Except for one yummy person, who'd given her a chance to prove she did indeed possess a few bold genes.
That same person shook Laura from her thoughts when he brought the elevator to a sudden stop between the fourth and fifth floors. Glancing up, she found Dale purposely pressing the emergency stop button.
"What are you—"
"You look way too serious," Wielding his body like a weapon, he crowded her into the corner and braced a hand above her head. "Dinner's over and the night's finally ours, Laura. You're supposed to be excited."
"I am excited."
"You don't look excited."
The heat radiating off him blasted right through her dress, but it was the expression on his handsome face that ignited her nerve endings. All hard lines, dark shadows and lusty promise, his expression smoldered from the fire in his eyes to his inviting grin.
"That's because I wasn't thinking about you." She shot him a sassy smile, refusing to let thoughts of Miranda interfere with the night ahead. Not when Dale gazed at her as if he wanted to eat her. "Start the elevator—"
"Not until I have your undivided attention."
"You have it."
He arched a brow, questioned her with that intense gaze.
"I was just thinking about dinner tonight," she explained. "But I'm through. Promise."
"Good." He leaned in just enough to surround her, his broad shoulders crowding out everything but the sight of him. He filled her world with the promise of the night ahead, of finally indulging their attraction.
Slipping her arms around his waist, she tipped her face upward for a taste of his lightly stubbled jaw. "We should get back to our room."
Apparently her bold genes had only needed this man and her permission to fire up.
"Now that I've got you, Laura, I don't want to let you go. Dinner was torture. All I wanted to do was touch you."
"You did touch me," she said. "I was trying to work and you were playing footsie under the table ."
"I've been waiting a long time to play footsie with you. Too damn long."
He'd always been honest about his feelings. Up front. No games. She liked that about him.
"No more waiting." Pressing full-length against him, she trailed those kisses toward his mouth as a sexy offering. "I'm all yours."
Her temperature upped a few more degrees at the sight of his face at close range, the planes and angles skewed by the distance, suddenly sharper, harder. A deep breath helped manage the feeling and treated her to another intoxicating breath of him, a hint of musky fragrance and all man.
"Excuse me if I need a little proof. All I've done is wait for you. While we worked together. Tonight You were making me crazy with that hand job under the table. Adam knew what you were doing. He kept frowning at you ."
"He kept frowning at me because the S-word kept coming out of my mouth. He doesn't care to discuss sex over dinner. But, Dale, you started the whole under-the-table thing. I had to counter. You don't think I can handle you and I'm determined to prove you wrong."
"I want you to prove me wrong. I want it bad."
Thrilled at his words, she rubbed her hips against him, riding the promising bulge she'd acquainted herself with under the table tonight, a move inspired by his earlier words.
One down, seven to go.
She sighed. He caught the sound on his lips, driving his tongue inside. Laura melted against him, drawn to his body, to the way he fitted against her. Running her hands along his face, the learned the angles of his cheeks, the feel of his stubbled jaw, the curl of his ears. This was her chance to explore, to live out the desire she'd felt for so long, a desire so dangerously out of control that she'd steered off her careful course for the future and asked this man to have a fling.
Thumbing the line of his jaw, she whispered against his mouth, "Let's get to our suite."
He growled low before stepping away and reaching for the panel, and her heart pounded so hard in reply, she could barely hear the piped-in elevator music.
They lurched into motion again, and when the doors finally opened, Laura brushed past him, her card key in hand. She didn't say a word while hurrying down the hall toward their suite but she felt him behind her every step of the way.
The Castaway Honeymoon Isle. Dale couldn't know how often she'd fantasized about him, a different fantasy for each new suite they'd constructed. But this was her favorite. The idea of being stranded on a desert island with Dale Emerson had caught hold of her imagination.
And now just the thought of her and him alone, with nothing between them except the promise of pleasure… No work, no romantic ideals. Gone were all the reasons why she shouldn't be attracted to him and only the truth that she was. Very attracted.
Dale closed and locked the door behind them, and she swept through the suite toward the lagoon, knowing exactly which fantasy she wanted to satisfy first.
"First one in gets the first orgasm," she called over her shoulder.
Bad was just an attitude, and she could have one, too.
While reaching for her zipper, she pushed through the glass doors that separated the living room from the lagoon. Moisture lay thick in the air, a combination of mist from the waterfall and temperature-controlled pool/spa combo.
Dragging in a tight breath, she stepped out of her shoes and made her way to the edge, listening to the bubbling quiet beneath the splash of the waterfall, experiencing a boldness that had everything to do with the man who pushed his way through the doors behind her.
From the corner of her eye, she caught him tugging his shoes off and smiled. Didn't matter how much this bad boy had honed his undressing skills, she could slither out of this dress in a heartbeat, long before he could deal with that tie and all those shirt buttons.
Shrugging out of his jacket as he drew near, he surprised her by dropping the jacket over her head. She brushed a lapel out of her face with an indignant, "Hey! What are you—" then broke off when she heard a splash.
Sweeping the jacket away, Laura stared at the dark blur streaking through the water. He surfaced at the opposite end of the pool, still fully clothed, water exploding as he burst from the surface and turned to face her.
Shoving his hair out of his face, he looked supremely satisfied, and she let her gaze drift over him, sitting on the underwater ledge running the rim of the pool, elbows braced against the outer edge, wearing a lot of dripping fabric and a very bold smile.
"I don't believe you did that," she said.
"I'm ready for that orgasm."
She could hear the laughter in his voice and held up his jacket. "You ruined your suit."
"I've got others." He shrugged, "But I win, so now you'll have to undress me before you can give me my prize."
He let his legs drift out before him, buoyant, all that dark wet fabric taunting her with another challenge. This bad boy might have outmaneuvered her, but no matter who got the next orgasm, they were both winners in her book.
But Dale wasn't the only one who could issue challenges.
"You'll have to watch me undress before I'll get in that water, Dale. I happen to like this dress."
"I like it, too."
Laura could feel his eyes on her, a glance that seemed to see through the blue crochet and silk lining to the bare skin below. A glance that filled her head with the memory of how she'd looked in the closet mirror with his hands on her.
"Take good care of that dress, Laura Did you know the lace catches the light when you walk?"
"No, I didn't."
"It shimmers over your curves like a waterfall. The lace hugs your bottom and makes a shadow where your thighs meet. I kept walking behind you so I could look. I wanted to touch that spot and feel if you were warm. Were you hot for me tonight?"
The simple act of inhaling suddenly required effort. "I'm definitely hot now."
Denying this man anything at the moment was beyond her and Laura thrilled to the husky sound of his voice, the potency of his intimate promises. "My pleasure."
"It will be."
No doubt.
But she wasn't above showing him that he wasn't the only one who could dish it out here with that sexy voice and his seductive remarks. She might not be as experienced at flings, but she'd devoted a lot of energy to fantasizing about him. And now that she had his undivided attention…
Turning, she gave him her back, so he could see that shadowy, shimmery place between her thighs to best advantage. Closing her eyes, she focused on the sound of the waterfall breaking the surface of the pool, refused to let nerves or shyness dull her excitement of the moment She had the floor, and here was the perfect opportunity to prove beyond all doubt that even a romantic idealist could break free of ideals for a while to engage in hot, steamy sex for sex's sake.
She wasn't looking for candlelight and roses. She wanted a good time. This man had nothing to worry about except how to get those wet pants off with an erection that would be bigger than any he'd ever had before.
That thought made her smile and Laura hoped Mr. An-Orgasm-Is-Worth-a-Thousand-Suits was ready to find out just how far she could take him.
Flipping her braid over her shoulder, she let it dangle between her breasts while dragging that zipper lower and lower. The back of her dress parted, and she eased the sleeves from her shoulders with a few provocative rolls. Too far away to hear if his breathing quickened, she did sense his gaze on her; wondered if his smile widened as she eased the shimmery fabric down, down, down…
Stepping out of the dress, she draped it over the custom-designed condom dispenser on the wall. Every themed suite at Falling Inn Bed had similar dispensers strategically located for the guests? convenience. A resort that promoted romance also promoted safe sex and made the essentials easily available.
Then Laura bent over to treat Dale to a shot of that place between her thighs he seemed so enamored of.
"I'm definitely hot" The words came out sounding sultry and inviting, a stranger's voice.
"You are hot, Laura. So, so hot."
His appreciation transformed her nothing-special bra and hose into props fit for a striptease. She wanted this man more aroused than he'd ever been, to prove she'd been worth the wait and reassure her she'd made the right choice taking a side trip off the respectable road down this sexy alley.
She didn't have nifty tricks in her repertoire like Dale did—unfastening her bra with his teeth. But she could move to entice. Her mom hadn't forced her to attend West-falls for no reason. Learning French and dance had only been two of them.
Starting up a provocative motion, she moved her hips to the rhythm of the waterfall, rolled her shoulders to the same beat. Peeling the bra straps down her arms became a ballet of simple motion, each move an erotic enticement meant to lure his gaze to the path they traveled along her skin, to invite him to imagine what he'd see if only she'd turnaround.
But not yet…
The moisture-swollen air caressed her breasts as she released the cups. She sprang free with a heaviness that proved she didn't need Dale close to become aroused. Just imagining the hungry expression on his face, the hardness of that erection she'd handled so boldly through his pants during dinner, made her whole body want.
The hose went the same way as her bra, only with a stretching of muscles as she bent to strip away the clingy silk. Inch by inch she revealed her legs, her bottom high in the air, swaying steadily, revealing intimate places she didn't think he could see from this distance but hoped he was imagining. She hoped all that wet fabric wasn't restricting that special body part she so wanted to impress.
After pulling the hose away, she stood naked, silently thanking her mom for excellent muscle tone and her dad for his obsession with physical endurance. While she wasn't exactly shy, she'd never been so bold before. Then again, she'd never had so much incentive before.
And now for the pièce de résistance…
She never stopped swaying to the sound of the waterfall when she caught the tail of her braid and tugged the band off. With nimble movements, she unwound the strands with a practice honed by years of dealing with her straight hair. Her dad used to joke that she had enough to share with her friends. Back then she didn't have many friends to share with but now she was glad for each and every strand.
Shaking the braid out, she let her hair fall around her like a shield, covering her back almost to her waist Some slithered around her shoulders to play peeka boo with her breasts and the feel of those heavy strands grazing her nipples sent waves of heat curling through her.
Was she hot for Dale? Big-time.
And she hoped the sight of her hair down was as good as he'd imagined She couldn't see his expression or gauge if his chest rose and fell on hard breaths. She had only the sight of his face in her memory and the remembered sound of that hungry growl that warned he couldn't resist touching.
When the tension became too much, she circled around, letting him drink his fill of her body as she drank in the sight of his starved expression. His gaze cut the distance between them, flaring with an intensity that she could see not only in his face but gathering his body as if it was taking a supreme effort of will not to slice through the water toward her.
For a moment she thought he might launch into motion, but instead he simply said, "Come over here, Laura."
Strolling around the pool became an exercise in bad that Laura hadn't expected. While her hair covered a good bit, she could feel every inch of her swaying breasts and bare legs. She felt the lure of the water, the urge to conceal herself from the power of his gaze, to put herself on comfortable ground again.
But Laura didn't want comfortable. She'd lusted after this man for too long, and there'd been nothing comfortable about discovering her desire had controlled her rather than the other way around. There'd been nothing comfortable about being desperate enough to have a fling with a man who was too charming to trust with even the tiniest piece of her heart.
Sex with Dale meant a chance to satisfy a desire bigger than she was and each measured step brought her closer to fulfillment, to the excitement of what would happen next They owned the night. Until the sun rose through these glass walls and painted their tropical paradise in dawn.
Anticipation made her forget to breathe. His hair a dark slash against his wet face, his soaked shirt and tie incongruous as he angled around to follow her progress.
She drew near and suddenly towered above him, feeling the power of her nudity with all that moist air clinging to her skin. He glanced up her legs, a look as potent as a caress.
She'd always felt too tall, too thin, too pale, a wispy presence people could see through unless they looked hard. But Dale's face filled with an appreciation that made a lie out of her self-image. He looked at her as if she was the most beautiful woman alive and he was the luckiest man to be with her.
Laura reminded herself that this was a sexy trick. What experienced man wouldn't know how to make the woman he was with feel like the most beautiful in the world? She couldn't let herself confuse romantic fancy with fact. They had three weeks together. No more, no less. But it was so easy to forget when she gazed into those smoky eyes…
"Come here," he said, motioning her down beside him.
She sank to her knees beside the pool in slow motion, and he tipped his head back to peer straight between her thighs, a look so hot she grew dizzy. She felt naked and ex-posed in a way she'd never been exposed before, but she didn't blush. His chest rose and fell sharply, proving she wasn't the only one affected. And when he sat up, stretched his hand outward…
He threaded his fingers through her hair with a focus that seemed wildly out of sync with the moment "You look like a goddess with all this hair."
Hi
s soft voice made her trembly and vulnerable. But she didn't want compliments. Or reassurances. Bad was an attitude that meant being comfortable with her sensuality, which meant feeling worthy of having a delicious man lust after her. The purely male smile on Dale's face was all the proof she needed.
"I'm glad you think so." She forced the words out, willed herself to sound casual, confident.
"Oh, I think so, all right." He slipped his hand between her thighs and the impact of his wet fingers against her most private places chased away all thoughts. "I knew you'd be hot."
He shot her a look of pure sex, and she braced back on her hands, arched her hips to press into his touch, another bold move that invited him to further exploration.
"Very hot," she agreed.
Caressing her with those wet fingers, he separated her skin enough to make her shiver. "Like that, hmm?"
She only nodded, her voice lost somewhere between her throat and her mouth. He replied with a gruff laugh then, in a move she never expected, he pushed her over.
She fell onto her backside and never got a chance to protest before he knelt on the ledge. He should have looked ridiculous with the water sluicing off him, the dripping tie dangling from his throat, but there was nothing ridiculous about this man, not his appearance or the purposeful way he wedged his shoulders between her knees and slid his hands underneath her.
Water splashed, trailing down her legs like ribbons of warm silk over her bare skin.
"I've got you where I want you." He pressed his fingers around her cheeks and lifted her off the pool deck toward him.
Just the sight of his dark face poised so purposefully stopped her heart in midbeat. She watched as he angled her bottom to his best advantage, then pressed his face toward her.
He lashed out with his tongue, an intimate stroke that began deep between her thighs and traveled out. Moist folds unfurled. Every nerve in her body gathered to savor the bursts of his warm breath, his stubbled jaw as it abraded her thighs.
Hot Sheets Page 7
