by Opal Carew
Her hips started to roll.
“Wait,” he said in a gruff voice. “Not yet, baby. Just wait.”
His jaw clenched. His abs and chest pressed to hers, her breasts nestling under his pecs. All of his muscles were bunched, his body as stiff as a board. She could feel his heart hammering and she bit back a grin that she could turn him on so powerfully.
“Jesus, Sylvia,” he muttered. “I knew it was going to be a snug fit, but . . . Christ . . .”
He gradually began to pump into her. One of Sylvia’s hands plowed through his hair, the other clutched a shoulder blade. She twined a leg with his. Draped the other over his lower back, tightening it so that all his hard angles were melded to her soft curves as she held him in place.
He kissed her throat as he plunged deeper. His hand slipped around to her backside and he palmed a cheek, tilting her pelvis to meet his languid thrusts. He was taking his time with her, eliciting a slow burn that she knew would erupt into an inferno any minute now.
The way he moved within her with his long, confident strokes and the love bites he left on her neck had Sylvia thanking her lucky stars she’d decided to attend the lodge’s grand opening when she’d been hedging all week. What a tragedy to have missed out on this experience. To have missed out on this man.
His pleasure seemed to be wrapped solely around hers. He could have fucked her against the back of the door the second they’d entered the condo. But, no. He’d led her into his master suite and had set the stage for seduction with the fire in the tall hearth and the many candles with wicks that had never been lit prior to this evening. He’d said she was the first woman he’d brought here . . . and she believed him.
She couldn’t explain why at first. But now that she was the beneficiary of his thorough attention to detail and fervent kisses, she had the feeling he’d been waiting for lightning to strike as much as she had.
And holy hell, did she feel the electric currents humming under her skin!
His hand squeezed her ass cheek and heat flashed through her. His fingers were strong, his skin mostly supple, though there were a few light calluses that proved the billionaire ski resort owner was no stranger to manual labor. And that excited her even more. He was a bit of a rough and tumble type, though he’d been sinfully delicious in his tux this evening.
Even more so stripped bare.
He drew her nipple into his mouth, hardening the peak. Sylvia moaned.
“You like my hands and mouth on you,” he murmured against her breast.
“And your cock inside me.”
A roguish grin played on his lips. “You want more?”
“I want it all.”
He rolled onto his back, taking her with him while they were still joined. She maneuvered her leg away from his waist to accommodate the new position and straddled him. Her hands roamed his torso, over his cut abs, up to his wide chest and broad shoulders, then down his bulging biceps. He was beautifully sculpted and highly arousing.
His hands clasped her hips and he guided her into a quicker rhythm. Sylvia easily fell into step with him, rocking against him, loving how hot and hard he was inside her. She flattened her palms against his pecs and rode him with a fast, insistent pace that matched his.
“That’s so good,” she said as her head fell back on her shoulders.
“Fuck, you look incredible on top of me. Your hair and skin glowing in the flames. Your breasts . . . Jesus, you have gorgeous breasts.”
“Stop flattering me. You’ve already learned I’m a sure thing this evening.”
He let out a humorless laugh. “Would’ve fucking broke my heart if you weren’t.”
“I doubt it.”
“Don’t be too sure.”
Warmth ribboned through her belly. Sylvia had not come to the pre-Christmas launch of the newly expanded Bliss Mountain Ski Resort looking for a man. But when high-voltage sparks flew from across a crowded room, sometimes they couldn’t be denied.
And Seth Lofton was turning out to be more than just a hunky sex god. The guy had a tender side that appealed greatly to her.
But currently, it was the sex god part of him she was fixated on.
“You want to make me come again, don’t you?” she coaxed, her lips curving upward. She was certain her eyes sparkled mischievously. It wasn’t in Sylvia’s nature to be so flirty, but he inspired lascivious thoughts.
“You know it,” he answered.
With his hands still holding her, commanding her, he raised her slightly off his lap and thrust harder. Faster. Deeper. So fantastically deep.
Sylvia shifted one hand from his chest and splayed her palm against the headboard to steady herself. Her nails clawed at the pewter-gray suede covering it and at his skin. She arched her back, finding the perfect angle. Seth hit that magical spot, rubbing it with the tip of his cock as his shaft stroked her pussy, pushing her higher and higher as her excitement escalated and all the sensations within her swelled to the breaking point.
“Seth,” she whimpered . . . begged . . . “Just like that. Right. There. Oh, my God . . . Just like that!”
“Come for me, Sylvia,” he urged. “I need to feel you come with me inside you.”
“It’s just so perfect . . .” She really didn’t want to let go.
But then Seth’s fingers grazed her cleft. The pad of one finger pressed to that small, forbidden hole. Sylvia gasped in surprise, though fire roared in her veins.
She twisted slightly at the waist. Moved her hand on his chest to his between her cheeks, clasping his wrist.
“Seth, no.”
“Yes,” he insisted.
And goddamn it, the dark rawness of his tone and the way he fucked her had her releasing his wrist and flattening her palm on his pecs again.
Because she yearned for whatever he intended to do to her. She knew he only wanted to amplify her pleasure. Make her half out of her mind with wanting him. And Sylvia welcomed it.
His cock pumped into her, his finger slipped in and the searing heat mixed with his bold thrusts made all the scorching sensations collide—and burst wide open.
“Seth!” Sylvia screamed.
“Oh, fuck,” he said in a sharp tone. “Sylvia . . . baby. Squeeze me tight.”
She milked his cock as her core-singeing climax went on and on, stealing her breath and making her heart thunder.
But Seth wasn’t quite done with her. While her nerve endings still snapped and sizzled, he flipped her onto her back. She was sprawled horizontally across his big bed, her head and shoulders hanging off the edge, her long hair cascading over the side, as he drove into her. She clutched his biceps. She was still soaring from her last orgasm as he masterfully sent her barreling toward another one.
Seth wrapped an arm around the small of her back where her spine bowed. The other hand cupped her ass cheek once more and he fucked her hard enough to awaken even more intense carnal cravings and wrench pleading words from deep within her. Until she was demanding he give her everything he had.
And he did.
“Sylvia,” he said in his sensual, arousing voice, “I swear nothing feels as good as you.”
And then he thrust forcefully and she felt his cock surge and explode as his body convulsed and he called her name. Sylvia came with him.
Chapter Two
Seth’s breathing was as ragged as hers.
For endless moments—minutes?—he stayed buried inside her and Sylvia didn’t mind in the least. She wasn’t quite ready to lose the physical connection. It’d been forever since she’d felt it. And perhaps never as strongly as now.
His skin was hot on hers and the grooves of his abs and the hard swells of his pecs felt sublime as his upper body conformed to hers. His cock pulsated within her while Sylvia reveled in the intensity of their lovemaking, still blazing through her.
Seth’s face was in the crook of her neck, his lips grazing, his warm breath keeping her skin tingling.
“You’re one hell of a fuck,” he murmured against
her throat.
She laughed softly. “Takes two to create this kind of chemistry.”
She’d say it was purely sexual, but she genuinely liked Seth Lofton. Even though she didn’t know him. Not really. She’d actually met him ages ago, but had not seen him again until tonight. And she knew for a fact that he had no idea their paths had once crossed. There hadn’t been a flicker of recognition in his eyes when they’d introduced themselves at the lodge.
Their immediate reaction to each other at this evening’s event had been strictly spontaneous and innate. Not anything she’d ever in a million years expect to happen.
Sylvia had been wandering along the outskirts of the large clusters of people because she’d yet to master the fine art of social networking, online or off. One group had dispersed to go for hors d’oeuvres at the various stations set up throughout the room, and there he’d been. Sipping champagne, scanning the holiday-decorated, gorgeous, wood-and-river-rock-trimmed lodge—and their gazes had met.
Her insides had ignited like never before. And Sylvia had literally been rendered defenseless against the magnetic lure of him.
Still was, apparently. Because disappointment washed over her and she felt a peculiar void when Seth eventually shifted away from her. He flopped onto his back and heaved a sigh.
“I had a feeling we’d tear it up between the sheets,” he said, his voice a sensuous rumble that made her toes curl. “But that . . . Fuck.” He raked a hand through his disheveled hair, and stared up at the open rafters comprising the ceiling. “That was me losing my shit so unbelievably fast because you are spectacular.”
He rolled onto his side, gave her one of his sizzling kisses, then grinned.
Sylvia’s brain all but stalled out at his excited, electric, grateful expression. His glowing green eyes.
Then he hopped to his feet and strutted toward the bathroom, taking her breath with him.
She stared at his retreating backside. And continued to incinerate from the inside out.
The man had one hell of an ass. Powerful thighs. A muscular back that tapered to a proportionate waist.
But it was more than his athletic build and engaging smile that had her all twisted up. He was one hell of a man, in general.
Her teeth sank into her lower lip.
The last thing Sylvia wanted or needed was to get caught up in a hotter-than-hell billionaire who’d only recently returned to California, after however many years of a notable absence. His family had once been a prominent fixture in the nearby coastal community of Bayfront, about a two-hour drive from the mountain.
Located south of San Francisco and bordering the wine country of River Cross, Bayfront was a beautiful sandy cove, semi-surrounded by hills that were dotted with grand mansions and manicured estates. Sylvia currently resided there in a modest apartment, having recently moved from just about every other small, artsy town on the West Coast and in the Southwest.
From what she’d gleaned during her two months in town, the Loftons had scattered with the wind over the past few years. Why Seth had decided to come home and resurrect the mountain resort, she had no idea. And Sylvia wasn’t connected enough to the Bayfront elite to be “in the know” when it came to a man of Seth Lofton’s financial and social standing.
She didn’t run in that circle. She’d only been invited to the soiree at the main lodge by resort PR people who’d reached out to the Bayfront business community for marketing opportunities. Sylvia had considered it her prime chance to meet some of the local merchants and residents—potential new clients—since she’d spent the majority of the last couple of months researching and ordering products, traveling to collect items for the décor and sprucing up the day spa she’d be launching in two weeks.
Tonight’s “get to know thy neighbors” campaign, however, had failed miserably in some respects. She’d avoided the crowds. It was a lifelong habit she evidently could not break in one outing. Even a couple glasses of expensive bubbly hadn’t helped her to just walk up to one of the many groups and introduce herself.
There was always plenty holding her back, yet Sylvia had mentally rallied a Braveheart-worthy battle cry before she’d forced herself to leave the apartment and attend tonight’s festivities. And then that impressive surge of rah-rah had promptly fled her mind when she’d been faced with two thousand or more strangers. Many of whom had eyed her with a wary curiosity because she was an outsider, particularly in Bayfront.
Seth had been different. He hadn’t regarded her as someone who needed to step into the limelight and prove herself worthy of inclusion in these prestigious cliques. His emerald irises had smoldered. His grin had been engaging and inviting. And when he’d moved in on her . . .
Sylvia sighed.
Oh, good Lord.
Her eyes closed as she recalled him boldly sauntering over to her and saying, “You look like a woman I need to know.”
Now here she was. In his bedroom. Sprawled across his bed. Naked and ridiculously satisfied.
Sylvia hadn’t even realized she’d desperately needed this kind of night with a man. Not just any man, to be exact. It had been forever and a day since she’d met one that she’d sparked with. And never so fiercely.
She hadn’t bothered with sex the past few years. Certainly not a relationship. Those were typically a no-no for her regardless of anyone triggering her hormones.
Finally summoning the strength to sit up, she pushed strands of hair from her face and eased her legs over the side of the bed. Every inch of her felt fabulous—well-tended-to, thanks to Seth’s diligence.
She dared to push to her feet. Swayed a little from her still-weak knees and giggled.
Seth had done a number on her. In a glorious way.
Snatching her bra from the hardwood floor, Sylvia slipped into the lingerie. She searched the immediate area for her thong and dragged it on. Seth had peeled her red dress off her and thoughtfully laid it out on the bench at the foot of the oversized bed, covered in the same tufted pewter suede as the headboard she’d thankfully not shredded with her French-manicured nails.
A thrill shimmied down her spine at how aggressively—how thoroughly—he’d fucked her. He’d lit her up and she was still brimming with lust.
But now she had to get a move on. As she sank onto the bench and carefully pulled on her pantyhose, she heard the shower running in the bathroom. She reached for her shoes and slipped into them. She stood just as Seth entered, a fluffy white towel wrapped low around his hips, drops of water rolling slowly down his chest.
Sylvia resisted the urge to lick her lips—and him.
He took her in from head to toe and waved a hand in the air between them. “Leaving so soon?”
“Yes.” She spared a glance toward the floor-to-ceiling windows where fat flakes fell beyond the glass panes and glistened in the pinkish-gold moonlight. She said, “I’ve got to get down the mountain before the heavy snow starts to fall.”
He smiled impishly and her stomach fluttered, something she’d become accustomed to in his presence. “Probably safer if you spend the night. And, for the record, I make a mean Denver omelet. What do you say to breakfast in bed?”
All the wicked zings he’d inspired since she’d met him returned full force. All so enticing, so very tempting.
As was the man himself.
Making it incredibly difficult for her to say, “I believe you. But I don’t do sleepovers. Especially during blizzards.”
He leaned in and his lips grazed hers. “It’s not a blizzard. But if it were, this would definitely be the best place for you to hunker down. Plenty of firewood, candles, champagne . . .” He kissed her, then added, “ . . . condoms.”
“You would have to tempt me further.”
“It was a fresh box before I broke the seal tonight. You saw for yourself.”
“Hmm, eleven more times before I have to be at work in the morning?”
Oh, God. Now she was wet again.
Well, honestly, that had happened the moment
he’d strolled back into the room after his quick shower. And if she just tugged on the ends of his towel . . . he’d be naked again.
Crap. Why’d she have to have all these issues with staying over? Because he was clearly interested in more than just one go-around.
And so was she.
But Sylvia’s hesitancy went well beyond an impromptu overnighter. It was ingrained and deep-seated, despite how titillating and appealing Seth Lofton—and his offer—was.
So she lightly tapped the pad of her index finger against his lower lip and reluctantly told him, “I need you to return me to the lodge so that I can pick up my car from the valet.”
He kissed the tip of her finger. “If you insist.” Disappointment tinged his voice, so similar to what she’d felt when he’d withdrawn from her and had left the bed.
It was a crazy notion that she’d become addicted to his searing kisses and even more scorching brand of lovemaking. So quickly. So effortlessly on his part.
Definitely amazing chemistry.
But Sylvia had plans and dreams she refused to let be derailed by one fantastically hot and sexy billionaire. Or one fantastically hot and sexy encounter with him.
She whispered against his lips, “I have to go.”
He let out a chiding groan. “Playing hard to get already, when we’ve only just met.”
“Well, actually . . .” She smiled sweetly and told him, “We’ve met before.”
“Oh, hell, no,” he insisted. “I would remember meeting you.”
“Mm, not so much.” Her mouth scrunched up before she caught it and then said, “Junior high. I was infinitely less memorable than, say, anyone on the entire planet.”
His brow furrowed. “Now that I find impossible to believe.”
“Believe it. Totally blended into the woodwork.”
He studied her a moment. Then ventured, “I’ll grant you that chances are good you didn’t have this ass in junior high . . .” His hand gave a scintillating squeeze of one cheek. “But I’d for sure remember the hair and the face.”
“Not if the hair was dull dirty-blond and the face was swallowed up by huge black-framed glasses.”
