by Casea Major
The intensity in his blue eyes overwhelmed her, and a warmth like honey spread over her body. She turned her head. This guy is going to break my heart. “I’ve never wanted a man like I want you.”
He pushed a strand of hair from her face. “Jesus, you’re beautiful. Will you promise to see me again?”
“I promise.” She pulled him down and kissed him. She spread her legs and bent her knees. He fingered her slit, spreading the wealth of wetness to the top of her sex and back again. A soft whimper escaped her. He stretched her opening with three fingers, as his thumb worked magic circles around her clit. Pleasure pulsed inside her as he stroked his fingers in and out, and she couldn’t suppress the small sighs that escaped each time he hit her G-spot.
She swallowed hard. Tension wound inside her, concentrating into a tight mass that bridled for release. But she resisted, unwilling to let go of the moment.
Robert removed his fingers and reached over to grab a condom from his supplies. After rolling it onto his cock, he positioned himself above her. He thrust with one heavy, devastating stroke.
Stifling her cry of pleasure with a long wet kiss, he pumped in and out of her with increasing intensity. She wrapped her arms around him.
With him inside, all of her senses heightened. His perspiration mingled with his earthy scent, and she inhaled. The soft cotton bed linens caressed her back as he rocked against her, and the sound of his husky voice pressed in her ears. “Oh baby, you feel so good. I can’t hold it much longer.”
He leaned forward, driving deeper inside. She opened her eyes to find him staring down at her with a look of love and desire. Silently, she offered her heart along with her body, and he took it all, and she knew he gave her all he had in return. Not breaking his gaze, she met his pace, pushing back hard against him. The pounding of her heart matched the thrust of his hips. Her world narrowed to his blue eyes and the indulgence of his presence inside her. Wave upon wave of her orgasm spasmed in her core. “Ahhh. Oh God.”
Robert thrust hard and deep one final time then released in a pulsing shudder. His heavy panting and deep moans washed over her. A tenderness she’d never felt for any man welled up and filled a place she hadn’t known was empty. She never wanted to be apart from him. Mare grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his body down to rest against her. Oh my God, I think I could love this man.
He rolled over, taking her with him. She lay in his arms and stroked his chest. Then they made love again. And again. All night long, they took their fill of each other. Marveling at the man’s stamina, she finally collapsed against him, sated and sore but unable to sleep. Apparently, Robert couldn’t sleep either. He didn’t speak, but his fingers lightly traced her arm.
Her mind whirled in a backdraft of thoughts and emotion. So much had happened, but she wanted to be with him.
Outside in the distance, a rooster crowed. “Shit,” they chimed together.
He kissed her. “I have to go back to my room. The guide said I have to be there by the third cock crow.”
She threw her head back against the pillow and blew out a sigh. “I know. Victoria told me the same thing.”
His face drained of color. “Victoria?”
“My personal concierge. Wasn’t that who you were talking about?”
The rooster crowed again. He gave her one last kiss, jumped up and grabbed his clothes. “I’ll meet you in the lobby.” He sped, naked, out the door, the sound of his barefooted steps fading against the stone.
She laid there reliving their last moments, still feeling the length of him inside her.
The rooster crowed a third time. The shadows cast by the lamps traveled across the room as if the light from a tiny sun had risen and set in a single breath. If she hadn’t been paying attention, the subtle change might’ve escaped her notice.
She couldn’t wait to see him. Mare rose from the bed and freshened herself with water from the porcelain basin. She slipped on her jeans and a fresh shirt, brushed her teeth and hair, and hobbled down the hall. Her ankle still ached mildly, but the swelling subsided.
Humph. Car dealerships. He’d missed his calling.
The elevator door sat right where she expected it to be, and her shoulders sagged in relief as she stepped in. All in all, it had been a great day, even if she’d twisted her ankle, been slapped, groped, and almost stabbed by a sadist. She couldn’t wipe the stupid Mustang convertible grin from her face.
The lobby remained quiet, but the first rays of daybreak filled the sky outside. She walked to the front desk.
A young man with blonde hair and sky-blue eyes stepped to the counter. “May I help you?”
“I need to check out.”
He smiled. “Name?”
“Marianne Caldwell.”
He typed it in almost as fast as she said it. His brow furrowed, and he retyped it. “C-a-l-d-w-e-l-l?”
“Yes. And can you tell me the room number of Robert….” Shit. She didn’t know his last name.
The desk clerk hadn’t heard her. “Ms. Caldwell, I don’t have you checked in for last night. Apparently, we’ve been trying to reach you. Your match canceled at the last minute.”
“What? Well, here I am.”
He stared at her with narrowed eyes and a wrinkled brow. “Hmm…what was your room number?”
“Well, the rooms weren’t exactly numbered, but it was on the thirteenth floor.”
“You mean the fourteenth floor?”
“No. The thirteenth.”
“Well, technically the fourteenth is the thirteenth, but we skip the unlucky numbers as most hotels do. Too many superstitious people.”
“No, my personal concierge, Victoria, took me to the thirteenth floor.”
The clerk stared at her as if a big booger hung from her nose. “We don’t have a personal concierge for each guest. The concierge’s desk is there, and his name is Seamus. Big Irish guy. There’s no Victoria here.” He pointed across the lobby to a granite-topped counter similar to the one in front of her.
She turned and stared distractedly in the direction of her elevator.
“Ms. Caldwell…as I said, since we have no record of your stay, I’ll refund your deposit. If you wish to reschedule, contact 1Night Stand.”
She nodded to the man, but a sinking feeling hit her stomach. Was Robert not real either? Did he not exist in her world? She walked to the seating area in front of the main elevator bank, but even as she sat down, she knew in her heart he wasn’t coming. Still she waited there until her airport shuttle arrived at eleven-thirty.
Epilogue
Mare stared out the window of the 747, her half-finished market analysis darkened behind the screensaver. Normally the business trip would’ve been a fun adventure. But in the last seven days, nothing had been fun. Life seemed empty and miserable. How could a few short hours with a total stranger bring her from the heights of joy to darkest despair? The whole affair seemed ridiculous now.
The flight attendant’s voice rang overhead through the cabin.
She tuned the woman out as she turned off her laptop and slipped it into its leather carrier. The flight had seemed quick at least.
The plane taxied to the gate, and the doors opened. She slung her purse/computer carrier over her shoulder and grabbed her barely touched Starbucks from the side of her chair.
The cruel irony of her circumstance wasn’t lost on her. The fact she sat within a cab ride of Robert stung her heart. Somewhere in this city of eight million people, he probably sat in his office making deals for Buicks or Chryslers, and she had no way of finding him. If he existed at all, that is.
With slumped shoulders, she dragged her overnight bag along the thin carpeting toward the terminal door.
A perky flight attendant smiled. “Have a great stay.”
Not even able to make a snide comment, she pretended she didn’t hear.
The flow of people stopped as a group of Asian tourists bombarded a souvenir vendor. Why did they set those kiosks right in the middle of t
he damn floor? She stood waiting for the crowd to thin, absently glancing at the stupid porcelain bells and thimbles, the shot glasses and T-shirts….
Her jaw dropped. Her laptop and latte splattered over the floor, but she didn’t care. It was her calendar; it was her guy on the cover. Rob MacKnight, Ladder Company 146. He was real. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she ran for the door.
It only took two phone calls to get directions to the station. Of course it would cost a hundred dollars for the cab ride and she would have to purchase a new laptop.
Hope filled her heart as the cab stopped in front of the fire station, fear too, if she were honest. Just because he existed didn’t prove he wanted or loved her. But now she could know for sure.
She peeked in through the open garage door and around a giant fire engine.
A burly guy with a buzz-cut stepped from an office behind a big window. “Can I do somthin’ for ya?”
She recoiled at the harsh sound of his voice. “Umm…Is Robert MacKnight on duty today?”
“Yeah. You need to see him?”
She nodded, afraid her voice would crack.
He eyed her up and down then picked up a walkie talkie. “Hey, tell Mac he’s got a ten-ten here to see him.”
“No shit? Really? I may have to see that myself,” the voice crackled from the radio.
“He’ll be right with you. You can wait here in my office. Are you an admirer?” He walked around a heavy oak desk and lowered into a squeaky office chair.
“Admirer?” She followed him in and sat in an aluminum chair next to the desk.
“Yeah, evah since that damned cover came out, hardly a week goes by without some chick coming to look for him.”
“Oh, the calendar. No, I met him a few days ago on a trip.”
The man’s eyes narrowed then widened, a big smile crossing his face. “You don’t happen to live in….”
“Dallas?”
She looked up to the doorframe. His blue eyes sparkled, and his face dimpled. Dressed in loose-fitting blue jeans and a tight navy T-shirt with the Department logo over his heart, he looked better than he had the first time she saw him. He jerked her from the chair into his arms and kissed her deeply.
Robert pulled his face from hers and stared into her eyes. “I missed you, baby. I waited in the lobby all day and finally convinced myself you weren’t real.”
She poked him hard in the chest, jamming her finger against the wall of muscle. “I waited for you in the lobby then had to catch my flight, and I’m still not sure you’re real. Without your last name or a phone number I knew it would be impossible to find you.”
“Tell me about it. I guess we were a little unprepared. I went nuts in the lobby and demanded your contact information. I thought they were gonna throw me over the falls. Finally, I emailed Madame Eve, and she said she had no record of you.”
“Falls? What falls?”
He rolled his eyes. “Niagara, where the resort was.”
She rubbed her forehead and exhaled in confusion. “I wasn’t in Niagara Falls. I was in Vegas.”
“Las Vegas?”
She nodded.
“Holy hell. I don’t know what the fuck happened. I can’t make sense out of it.” He held her tightly against his chest. “I’m just glad you’re here now. That’s all that matters. Some guardian angel looked out for us.”
Mare thought of the beautiful woman who showed her to her room. “Victoria.”
He shuddered like a chill wind passed over him. “Yeah. Victoria.”
“So what’s a ten-ten?”
He pulled back and smiled sheepishly. “It’s just a code for us guys when a lady comes to visit. It’s the highest possible compliment. Normally, you would’ve never gotten past the gatekeeper, but I’ve been a little pissy the last few days. I’m sure Doc thought you would cheer me up.” He held her arms out and eyed her up and down. “What the fuck happened to your clothes?”
“Starbucks has a new line of apparel.” She peered down at the dress splattered with vanilla latte. “I spilled my coffee. I should change.”
Robert rubbed the back of his neck. “Jesus. You’re just a disaster waitin’ to happen.” A devilish grin spread over his face. “What hotel you stayin’ at?”
“Trump Tower.”
He licked his lips. “Then let’s go get you checked in and get you outta these clothes.” He yelled to a guy waxing the fire engine. “I’m taking the rest of the day off.”
The guy nodded and saluted in jest.
Robert grabbed her bag, placed an arm around her shoulder, and led her outside. “So how did you find me?”
“I’m in town on business and saw your pretty-boy face on the cover of a calendar. Car dealership, huh?”
“I told you—that’s how I make a livin’. This is what I do to make me happy.”
Wonder filled her mind. What kind of man volunteers his life to be a fireman? She had misjudged him with her preconceived notions and romantic visions. But he fulfilled her every desire, and she could finally see him as the treasure she sought. She flattened her palm over the logo across his heart. “You really are a hero, and you’re my knight in shining armor.” Her heart raced, and she pulled him to her lips. Right before she kissed him, she whispered, “I missed you.”
Robert dropped her bag, lifted her off the ground, and returned her kiss.
She sighed dreamily. “Are we taking a cab or the subway?”
He gave her that cocky grin she loved so much. “Cab, so we can play suck-face in private on the way.”
She giggled and rolled her eyes. “You are soo romantic.”
“Yeah, Dallas. I am.” He trailed kisses along her jaw and down her neck.
Goose bumps rose over her body.
“And I intend to show you”—he kissed her—“just exactly”—another kiss—“how romantic I can be. But this time it’ll take more than just one night.” He swept his arm around her waist and swung her in a circle on the sidewalk. Bending her back in an elegant dip, he gave her a long, luscious kiss. “It’ll take a lifetime.”
~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~
Prior to becoming a writer of romantic fiction, Casea Major worked in the legal field for a non-profit dispute resolution company for ten years. She is now a full-time mom to three preschool children with whom she and her husband live happily...most of the time. When she isn't chained to her laptop, she enjoys Cary Grant movies and crocheting.
http://caseamajor.wordpress.com
Table of Contents
Title page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Epilogue
~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~
