by Nana Malone
Chapter Six
Alec woke to the scent of roses and a stiff body. He sucked in a deep breath and groaned as his body stirred. Jaya. He couldn’t help the smile spreading across his face, unable to remember the last time he had sex that actually touched him. That’s because it’s been a while, buddy. Usually, after he met a woman, he forgot her name in minutes, but Jaya’s name wasn’t one he’d ever forget.
As soon as possible, they needed to do that again. Even while his brain registered the need, his body responded with a surge of lust rushing through his veins, accompanied by the vivid imagery of the previous night. He licked his lips and could still taste her on them—her sweet juices as he circled his tongue around her clit. The way her hands stroked though his hair, then clenched while her body shook in orgasm. The way she’d responded to him, like his every action turned her on, like she’d been made especially for him.
Usually, he couldn’t wait to get a woman out of his bed and sight after they had sex. But she wasn’t just any woman. And he knew that before he slept with her. A brief flush of regret washed over him when he remembered how hard they’d gone. Once he had a taste of her, there wasn’t any going back. What they’d done together would shake him for longer than he cared to think about. Each time he reached for her, she’d been more than willing. She hadn’t wanted gentle. The mere thought of her curved form braced against the glass while he smoothed his hands over her ass and up her back as he slid inside her, stroking her g-spot, was enough to bring him to the explosion point. Damn it.
The blood pumping through his lap woke the-not-quite-sleeping soldier. Taking his cock in his hand, he meant to just shift him out of the way so he wouldn’t wake Jaya, but the moment he touched himself, the urge to stroke was too strong. Wrapping his fingers around the base, he gave a slow, gentle glide down. Then a firmer grip flowing up over the head. Just the way he liked it. “Ahhh.” He expelled a long slow breath. Except it wasn’t as satisfying as he hoped. He needed more. He needed her.
A good guy would have let Jaya sleep and headed to the bathroom for a nice, icy shower or at least tried for an easy empty release. But that wasn’t him. He was a Westhorpe, after all. Men in his family were renowned for their low impulse control. He wanted her. Needed to feel her slick heat around him. Condoms were an unbreakable rule, but Jaya made him wish they didn’t need formality. Just the mere thought of her hot heat molding around him as she panted his name made his cock pulse.
Unable to control himself any longer, he reached for her. His arms only pulled in bedding. The sheets on her side of the bed were still warm. Cracking an eyelid open, he was surprised to find that it was already morning, with bright sunlight filtering through the drapery, bathing the suite in gold.
“Jaya? Are you still here?”
No one answered. There was no sound of the shower, no blow dryer, no running water. Just silence.
What the hell? She'd fucked him and then left? Sitting up, he couldn't believe what had happened. Sure, he had more than one one-night stand in his life. Hell, he’d had more than one in the last month. Then why did he feel empty? Throwing back the covers, he did a more thorough scan of the suite. She was definitely gone. Damn.
He hadn’t even gotten her number. Her real number. Not the bullshit one she gave him on her business card. Right. Because that's what you did with a one-night stand. Called them later. Dumbass. He knew better.
He told himself all kinds of lies to make himself feel better. Like if she wanted to use him and bounce, then good for him. The last thing he needed was any kind of entanglement. As soon as he brought back his prodigal brother, he was out of here. Back to Durban. On to the next adventure. Or maybe he needed to put that expedition together to finally make it from the tip of South Africa to the top of Tunisia. That was his ultimate goal.
Maybe it was time to speed up his plans and do something he wanted. With this quick errand for Adele, he didn't need to work for the next year if he didn't want to. That’s where his focus should be. Not on some woman he’d seen twice and used up his stash of condoms with. Letting her get under his skin was a mistake. She’d done them both a huge favor by ducking out.
Naked, he strolled into the kitchen following the smell of the delicious nutmeg coffee. He liked chick coffee, so sue him. Before he could pour the life-giving nectar down his gullet, he slid on something. Frowning, he stared at the two rectangles of plastic at his feet. Bending down to scoop them up, he grinned. She’d left her license and credit card. Gotcha.
Maybe it was a little premature to call it game over with Jaya Trudeaux. He tapped the cards against his palm while he waited for his coffee. After all, they owed it to themselves to see if last night was some kind of aberration.
And unlike most women he slept with who left behind souvenirs, he doubted she'd done it on purpose. Given her evasion technique with the business card and that he woke to an empty bed, she was one lady who didn't want to be found.
Well that was just too bad. It was his civic duty to get her belongings back to her. What was a guy to do? Besides, it didn’t sit well with him to be left behind. He was the one usually sneaking out of women’s apartments in the middle of the night. True, he also never brought anyone back to his place. It was too easy for someone to see part of him he wasn't willing to share.
He completely ignored the burn in his chest every time he thought her name. He wasn’t going to look for her because she’d gotten under his skin. Things like that didn’t happen to him. She was just a woman. The one woman he’d ever gone after. But it didn’t mean anything.
With a renewed zest for the day, he hurried to shower and throw on some clothes. He had a breakfast date to make.
