Dane

by AC Arthur

  “Money is always a proper motivator,” she replied.

  “So you bribed someone for a key to my room,” he said. “After you hacked into all the hotels in the area to find out where I was staying.”

  During their dinner on the yacht, Zera had finally admitted that was how she’d located him. Dane had been surprised and intrigued. He’d never really given much thought to what her profession was when he’d first met her. At this point, he wondered how else she was using the unique skillset of being a hacker.

  “Yes and yes,” she answered, this time with a shrug. “I guess that means you’re one hell of a lover. If a woman’s willing to go through all that trouble to find you.”

  Dane wasn’t the type to brag about his prowess, even if he did know how to keep a woman pleasured. He recalled that each time he had been with Zera she’d been pleased. They both had been. He also recognized a brush-off when he heard one.

  She stood from the chair and walked toward where Dane was still seemingly rooted to the spot by the table.

  “During our text exchange you said you couldn’t stop thinking about me,” she said, her voice lower, huskier.

  She wore leggings that sculpted her long, lean legs. A white tank top that was equally as tight, was covered by a shirt that she’d left unbuttoned. The polka dot tennis shoes she’d worn the night he’d seen her at the museum added a touch of whimsy to the otherwise sexy as hell outfit. Dane’s fingers clenched at his side as he anticipated the moment he would finally get his hands on her.

  “If you don’t recall, I saved the text messages,” she finished when she was standing directly in front of him.

  Dane removed his suit jacket and loosened the tie at his neck.

  “Hunting me down and saving my text messages,” he said. “I guess I should be flattered.”

  She reached up and finished undoing his tie, slipping it from his neck with a slow and seductive motion.

  “No,” she whispered, her fingers going to the top buttons of his shirt. “You should be ready.”

  Zera stood even closer to him now, so close that her breasts brushed against his chest. Dane kept his arms at his sides, even when she had completely unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it down his arms, letting it drop to the floor. He did not move when she lifted the undershirt he wore up and over his head, dropping it so that it joined the other garment on the floor. When her palms flattened on his bare chest heat soared throughout his body, pooling in the already pronounced throbbing of his dick.

  Dane closed his eyes when she leaned down to drop soft kisses over his pectoral muscles. He let himself think back to all the times she’d put her mouth on him in the past. Damn, he really enjoyed her mouth. It was such a talented and uninhibited mouth. He could easily let her continue to do whatever she wanted with it because he was fairly certain he knew how it would end. But as Zera begin to kiss lower down his abs, her hands touching his arms lightly as she moved, Dane opened his eyes. He wrapped his fingers around her wrists and took a step back away from her. When she looked up at him in surprise, her lips parted, tongue peeking between the rows of perfectly white teeth, he almost groaned with regret.

  “The other night you said you did not want to be part of another affair,” he told her because he needed to be sure. She needed to be sure. From this point on there was no going back and Dane prided himself on never doing anything a woman didn’t want to do. He did not do mixed signals or miscommunication. She was either all in for this interlude, or all out. There was no middle ground.

  “And tonight you’re here, doing this,” he continued, his words now coming through clenched teeth.

  She licked her lips and Dane’s dick pressed painfully against the zipper of his pants.

  “I’m where I want to be, doing what I want to do,” she stated.

  For a few silent seconds their gazes held, but they did not move.

  Then Dane released her wrists. He undid the buckle of his belt and the button of his slacks, before pushing the zipper down. She swatted his hands out of the way at that point, pushing his pants down his legs before rubbing her cheek over the bulge of his dick still covered by his boxers. As if knowing it was being summoned, his dick poked through the slit of his boxers and Zera sighed, before breathing over the turgid crest. She quickly pushed the boxers down to his knees, before wrapping her long fingers around the base of his cock. Dane thrust his fingers into her hair, pushing through the thick mass until the band that had been holding it back in a ponytail snapped free. He buried his hands in the dark tresses and braced himself for the jolt of pleasure he knew was coming the moment her mouth closed over the head of his cock. But she didn’t take him that way, not just yet.

  Instead she stroked him from the base to the tip, holding him tight. The warmth of her palms and the feel of her breath whispering over his length had Dane clenching his teeth to the point in which he thought he might actually crack one from the pressure. He wanted to toss his head back, close his eyes and moan with the anticipation of release, but instead he watched her. Her lids were lowered as she stared down at his shaft as if memorizing its shape, length, and feel. And when a drop of pre-cum appeared at the tip, her perfect tongue snaked out to swipe it away. His fingers tightened in her hair and her name tumbled from his lips.

  She looked up at him then, triumph clear in her gaze. He wanted to warn her to stop toying with him, but he refrained. His turn would come soon and he would make her pay. For now, he’d let his little uninhibited vixen have her fun.

  Zera loved the feel of his hands in her hair, even when he wrapped the strands around his hand and tugged so that her scalp stung just a bit. The quick jolt of pain heightened the pleasure of feeling his thick length between her lips. She held him steady, her palms damp from the saliva that now coated his dick. The way he slipped inside her mouth, pushed back to touch her throat, then slid out once more had her pussy pulsating and her nipples tingling. She relaxed her throat muscles in time for his next thrust and tilted her head back slightly. He moved in deeper as her tongue glided slowly against the underside of his dick.

  Dane groaned and Zera continued to work his dick in and out of her mouth. She knew he loved this. She recalled how he used to get off by watching her through partially closed eyes as she gave him a blow job. He’d told her once that he’d never seen anyone as sexy as her. The words, the memories, all of it had stuck with her through the many nights she’d spent alone since then. And she missed it. She missed him.

  His fingers left her hair to slide down to her face. His thumbs brushed over her cheeks and then down to her lips that were still wrapped around his dick. With one hand he grabbed himself, slipping his thickness out of her mouth. Zera kept her lips firm so that their connection broke with a popping sound. He rubbed the moist tip over her chin, then along the line of her jaw, telling her to “Look at me,” while he did. She looked at him, falling deep into his dark gaze the same way she had before. His lips were parted so that she could see his teeth. His eyes were open wide now, the muscles in his chest bulging so that he appeared like a dark god standing before her.

  “Did you miss this?” Dane asked while moving his engorged dick over one cheek and then the other.

  The warmth of his skin against hers caused Zera to shiver. Her lips trembled as she responded, “Yes.”

  “Tell me,” he insisted, this time tapping his length over her lips while he waited for her to respond.

  Zera swallowed. She wanted to lick him again, to take him deep and suck hard. Instead, she opened her mouth and breathed over the tip of his dick before whispering, “I missed this.”

  Her tongue snaked out at that point, licking yet another drop of pre-cum. She savored the taste, closed her eyes and moaned.

  Dane moved back at that moment. He bent over and tucked his hands beneath her arms, bringing them both to a standing position. He held her gaze as he removed the shirt and the tank top she wore beneath it up and over her head. His hands were warm as they reached around to her back
and unhooked her bra. Zera simply did not move. She let the bra slide down her arms and fall to the floor. Her breasts felt heavy and ached for him to touch them, but Dane’s gaze never faltered from hers.

  His hands moved down to the ban of her leggings. He pushed them down past her hips, his crafty fingers hooking the thin strap of the thong she wore and dragging them down as well. He moved down like her clothes, keeping his head tilted so that he could continue to stare up into her eyes, until his face was just a breath away from her mound. Her legs shook as he untied her tennis shoes and lifted one leg, then the next to remove them, her leggings and the thong. When he was finished and she thought he would look away from her and at least drop a moist kiss on her now throbbing center, he did not.

  Dane stayed down, removing his own shoes, socks and then standing to push his pants and boxer briefs down and off. He was naked and so was she, but Zera had no clue what to do next. Should she step closer to him? Maybe take his dick in her hand and guide him to where she desperately needed it to be? Should she push him back to the couch and straddle him as she’d done while they were fully dressed on the yacht? Or…

  He picked her up. With one arm around her waist, Dane lifted her off the floor. Zera’s hands instantly went to his chest, her breathing coming in quick pants. He was going to carry her to the bed, lay her down and drive into her hard and fast. Yes! That’s exactly what she needed to work off the adrenaline that still pulsed through her veins. And to clear her mind of all the thoughts that were running through it as a result of the adrenaline rush.

  She was startled when he only took a couple steps and her butt met the cool surface of the table as he set her there. He put a hand to her cheek and tilted her head back seconds before his lips crashed down over hers. His mouth moved hungrily over hers and Zera struggled to keep up. He was pushing her back while they kissed, until she lay flat on the dark wood-colored table. Ending the kiss, Dane sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and Zera dug her nails into the skin on his shoulders. When he released her she was breathless. She propped herself up on her elbows as he moved lower, flicking his tongue over her taut nipples. Zera’s head fell back at the connection and she clenched her teeth in anticipation. But Dane did not suck her breasts the way she wanted him to, the way she’d remembered him doing so masterfully before.

  He moved lower. His hands splayed over her, easing slowly down her torso. A finger circled her navel and another traced the outline of her mound. Zera’s whole body trembled as he bent down, this time lifting her legs to drop one over each shoulder. She had only seconds to grasp the edge of the table and hold on before his fingers parted her now moist folds and his mouth suckled greedily on her clit. Her back arched and her toes curled, sound dying in her throat, as he continued the delicious torture. When her thighs would not stop shaking no matter how much she willed them to do so, Dane placed his palms on both thighs and moved from her clit to lick up and down her center.

  Zera felt like screaming out in pleasure, or possibly spontaneously combusting at the pent-up passion that had lay dormant for far too long. He pressed two fingers inside of her and Zera bit her bottom lip. He pulled those fingers out and she cursed.

  “Look at me!” he commanded.

  She lifted her head so that she could stare down at him. His lips were glossed with her essence, beads of her moisture clung to his mustache and the chin portion of his beard. He dipped his head again, this time pressing his tongue into the opening his fingers had just vacated. She moaned long and loud before her hips lifted from the table to pump against his mouth.

  Zera wanted to close her eyes to the ecstasy, but she dare not. She wanted to yell at him to just hurry up and fuck her for goodness’ sake! But she did not. That’s not how it worked with Dane. He always wanted more, to push further, go the extra mile, every time. She had to prove that she could go the distance with him, every time. So she continued to pump and he continued to thrust his tongue in and out of her, but when a finger lightly brushed her anus she lost the battle. Her climax came fast and hard, her guttural moan was deep and loud. His satisfied groan as he continued to lick every bit of her release was her reward.

  But Dane was not finished.

  Zera had no idea when he’d retrieved a condom, but she heard the tearing of the packet and managed to see through her sated haze in time to watch him smoothing the latex over his thick erection. Before she could blink, he was inside of her, buried to the hilt, and holding still as if waiting for her to acclimate herself to his presence. That wasn’t easy. He filled her and not just physically. From the moment he’d walked into this room she’d felt him, snaking into her life and winding himself completely around her so that she could only think of coming to him when she’d needed a place to go. This was her shelter, Zera thought as her muscles tightened around his length. He whispered her name and she lifted her gaze to meet his. It was there in the darkness of his eyes, the clenching of his jaw and the sheer strength of his physique. He was her safe haven when she never thought she needed one.

  Dane began moving slowly, a dance that was familiar and yet this moment seemed totally new. He circled his hips, pressing into her from different angles before thrusting so fast her breasts jiggled and she had to hold on to keep from sliding completely off the table. That was the best, the force, his length, his girth, him. Just him.

  Her second release was quick and fast soaring through her like a burst of fireworks.

  “Yes,” Dane whispered as her body tensed and her release seeped out of her.

  He did not stop moving inside of her, not until minutes later when his own release claimed him. He tensed over her, his fingers digging into the skin of her thighs as he turned his face so that the scrape of his beard and his lips brushed over her ankle.

  Time stood still, but then it didn’t. Zera knew the moment Dane recovered from his release because something slipped away from her. It wasn’t something physical, but a feeling, a presence, just left. She looked at him and watched as he moved his hips to pull out of her. He put her legs down slowly and stepped back to stare down at her.

  She figured she must look strange laying on top of a table where he’d maybe had a meal at some point. But then, she hadn’t been the one to select this location for their tryst. Zera pushed herself up until she was sitting on the table, her legs dangling from the sides. She wanted to say something clever, or at least cordial, but she didn’t know what.

  Dane extended a hand to her and said, “Come on. Let’s get a shower.”

  So words weren’t necessary. She was good with that for the moment because she really did not know how she was going to explain her “not another affair” status from just two nights ago, to “yeah, I’ll let you fuck me on your table” just a few moments ago. Silence was good. She had things to think about anyway, so if Dane just wanted to crash after their shower, she wasn’t going to argue.

  Forty minutes later they lay in the bed, lights out. Zera allowed herself to relax in Dane’s arms, to close her eyes and not feel the intense fear she’d felt when she’d been running for her life. Things had gotten very serious, very fast and she had to figure out what her next step was. But damn she was tired. She had to sleep first.

  Zera had just closed her eyes and settled into Dane’s warmth, when he said, “Now you can tell me why you really paid someone to let you into my room.”

  Chapter 7

  Dane frowned as he once again checked email on his phone. He’d been doing this multiple times a day for the past week. The message he was looking for had not come through. Which meant the questions he had still went unanswered.

  Slipping his phone back into his front pant pocket, Dane put the car in drive and pulled out of the parking spot. After about a mile, he was stopped in traffic and he drummed his fingers over the steering wheel, his mind circling back to the call he’d been forced to make a week ago.

  Dane had been standing on the balcony at the hotel the morning after sleeping with Zera again.

  “Hi. It
’s Dane. I need you to do something for me. You can invoice me and I’ll pay you, but I don’t want this on the books with D&D Investigations.”

  D&D Investigations was a private investigation firm which was started by Dane’s ex-Navy SEAL cousin, Trent Donovan and former homicide detective, Sam Desdune. There are two locations for the company, one in Los Angeles where Trent, his wife, Tia and their son Trevor live. And the other is in Greenwich, Connecticut where the Desdune family, and now Bailey and Devlin live.

  “Whoa there. Let’s start with, hi Bailey, how are you today?”

  He’d held the phone to his ear with one hand and ran a hand down the back of his head with the other.

  “Hi, Bailey. How’s married life treating you?” he asked, his voice just a little more restrained than it had been when she’d first answered her phone.

  “It’s an adjustment,” she replied. “But I’m still up for the challenge. Besides, it’s been nine months and we haven’t killed each other yet. So I’m counting that as progress.”

  She chuckled and Dane couldn’t help but join in. Bailey was married to Trent’s best friend and Navy SEAL Devlin Bonner, the man who killed Dane’s mother. Even thinking about that now it seemed odd to not want to break Dev’s neck in retaliation. But the circumstances that night at the Karing for Kidz Foundation’s annual fundraiser had been extreme. And if Dev hadn’t taken the shot, Dane would have been forced to. Later, Dev had told Dane he’d done him a favor so that Dane would not have to carry the guilt of killing his own mother. Dane had to be grateful to the guy for that.

  “That’s a good thing,” Dane replied. “And no baby on the way yet, I presume.”

  “Oh no! You will not join in that party, Dane Donovan,” Bailey said. “Dad, Brandon and even Brock, are on what they call the ‘Bailey Baby Watch’. It’s insane.”

  She was probably right, but it was cute. To have a family who loved that much and wished only for happiness, prosperity and pro-creation, was a blessing. Right?