by Anthology
But the other photo caused every nerve in her body to quiver, her breasts to ache, and cream from her overheated pussy to flood her thong. She picked up a folder from her desk and fanned herself.
She could think of only one description for his body—totally ripped. Broad shoulders and a wide chest tapered to a narrow waist and lean hips. Even his muscles had muscles. Maggie had to stop herself from reaching out to run her hand over the computer screen. Imaginative sex! Already she imagined their sweaty bodies tangled on the sheets, satisfying each other in ways the men she dated couldn’t even comprehend.
One night. One glorious night. That’s what she wanted. No ties. No strings. Then she could go back to her everyday existence knowing that at least once in her life she’d had her full-bodied younger man experience. Wild sex with a man who could keep up with her desires. And under the absolute best of conditions.
She wanted to leap up, pump her fist in the air, and shout Yes! Yes! Yes!
***
Madame Evangeline read the two emails and smiled in satisfaction. She worked diligently to make sure all of the couples she paired together matched the requested specifications and stated needs. And those had covered the full spectrum of human desires. But something about these two struck a chord with her. Maybe because they were both native Texans, a description that spoke as much to the colorful spirit of the people as to their birth.
She tapped her pen against the edge of her desk, thoughts swirling in her mind before she picked up the phone. The first call she made, to the Castillo San Antonio resort, didn’t give her the results she wanted.
“I’d love to accommodate you,” the manager told her, “but only orders from above could do that.”
Orders from above? Alright. No problem.
Working from memory, she quickly dialed a direct number that few people had. In moments, a deep male voice answered. Jackson Castillo, the CEO of the vast Castillo Hotels and Resorts, and a walking advertisement for her skills as a matchmaker.
“Ah. Madame Eve. Always a pleasure to hear from you.”
“Good morning. How are you and that lovely wife of yours?”
Jack’s full laugh echoed through the connection. “I’m fine. We’re both fine. But I know when you call me personally, you want something from me. What is it that my staff apparently can’t handle for you?”
“You know me so well.” She placed the pen on her desk precisely with the folder in front of her. “Well. I could use your considerable influence with your manager at Castillo San Antonio.” The company’s brochures listed the facility as one of the newest jewels in the Castillo crown.
“With Marcus?” Eve heard the surprise in his voice. “He’s very good. We brought him in from our facility in Las Vegas because of his expertise with multifaceted resorts. I’ve never had a complaint about him.”
“This isn’t a complaint, exactly,” she soothed. “And he handled the call with the utmost courtesy.”
“But?” Jackson prodded.
“But, I truly need the Republic of Texas suite for a very special night. I have new clients who just confirmed with me, and when I went to finalize the date, he told me, very graciously I might add, that what I need is not available and I would need an alternate selection. Jackson, you of all people should know how important the right surroundings can be.”
Besides being the CEO of an international hotel and resort chain, Jackson Castillo had been coaxed into a one-night stand with one of Eve’s clients. He and Leah were now very happily married.
“I agree,” he laughed. “So what do you need?”
”One of the clients is a sixth generation Texan and a SEAL just back from an extended deployment in Afghanistan. I want to make this extra special for him. And Marcus seems to have a hold on it per your instructions.”
“Oh? For what date?”
When she told him, Jack Castillo chuckled. “It’s nice to know my managers stick so closely to my orders, but this is one I can easily fix. Leah and I are coming to San Antonio for a few days to sort of test out the place, it being so new and all. I thought she’d get a kick out of staying in that suite decorated with all the iconic symbols of Texas history”
“But—” Eve began.
“But,” Jack went on smoothly, “our plans are fluid. I’ll call Marcus and tell him to make it available for you. He’ll call you himself.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Eve.” His voice softened. “I owe you a debt of gratitude I’ll never be able to repay. If not for you, Leah and I wouldn’t be married.”
“Jackson, access to your resorts for my clients is payment in itself.”
“You know, though, that anything I can do, you just have to ask.”
“I know. And thank you.”
Smiling to herself, Eve turned back to her computer and prepared the email for Gabe Walker and Maggie Fitzgerald.
Yes, this match will definitely be spectacular.
Chapter Two
Gabe entered the lobby of the Castillo San Antonio Hotel and Resort and paused a moment to take in the surroundings. The complete Texas ambience shot a jolt of adrenaline through his system. Not only did the Lone Star flag fly on a pole outside near the curb, but a framed version of it hung behind the reception desk. He noticed the same theme repeated in other furnishings scattered around the lobby, with another large Lone Star embedded in the center of the stone floor.
“I think there’s a reservation here in my name,” he told the reservations clerk who came to help him. “Gabriel Walker.”
She smiled warmly. “Oh, yes, Mr. Walker. We’re expecting you.” She typed his name into the computer. “You’re registered in the Republic of Texas suite. And your companion has already arrived.” She took a small folder from beneath the desk and handed it to him. “Your key card. Shall I call Miss Fitzgerald and tell her you’ve arrived?”
Gabe had absolutely no idea what the accepted protocol would be in a situation like this. All of his previous one-night stands had been far less formal.
“Uh, yeah, I guess you could go ahead and do that. Thanks.”
She picked up a phone. “Let me get a bellman to take your luggage.”
“No. That’s okay.” He lifted the duffle. “I’ve got it. It’s not much to handle.” He had packed light, not expecting to wear clothes very much during his stay. He frowned. “Did Miss Fitzgerald have much with her?”
The clerk dipped her head to hide a grin. “Just a small overnight case. Oh, Miss Fitzgerald,” she said into the handset. “Your friend has arrived. He’ll be up shortly.” She hung up and looked at him. “All set. Take the blue elevator to your right and push the top button.”
“Thanks for your help.”
Should he stop at the florist shop in the lobby and get flowers? What did one bring to a prearranged one-night stand? Okay, I’ll just wing it. But as the elevator rose, smooth and silent, he experienced his first attack of nerves since the age of sixteen. What if I disappoint her? What if it turns out we’re all wrong for each other?
Don’t overthink it, dumbass. You’re here for great sex with a smart, older woman. Enjoy it.
The word “older” sent messages to his groin that made his dick harden and his balls ache. He’d wanted this for a long time and now it waited for him just a few steps away.
He walked down the thickly-carpeted hallway, paused in front of the heavy oak double doors with Republic of Texas Suite on the wall beside them, and forced himself to relax.
Here it is, Walker. Your fantasy. Don’t fuck it up.
His fantasy. He knocked softly to give Maggie warning before slipping the key card into the lock and pushing the door open.
The first thing he noticed was the living room of the suite, decorated like a room from the mid-1800s, only with modern upgrades. The second thing—which should have been the first—almost made his heart stop. A nearly-naked woman lounged on the couch, wearing the shortest, sheerest…whatever the hell it was called, that he’d eve
r seen. He hoped his jaw didn’t become unhinged when it hit the floor, or that she expected a lot of conversation right off the bat.
No question about it. I am definitely locked and loaded.
“Hi!” She flashed him an incendiary smile, her low, seductive voice hinting at her Texas heritage. “Come on in. I’ve been waiting for you.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Have you, now. All your life?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.” She laughed softly.
She rose languidly from the couch and the sunlight pouring in through the sheer curtains left nothing beneath her shortie to anyone’s imagination. If he’d ordered a dream woman, this would be her.
Oh, wait. I did. And here she is.
Gabe dropped his duffel by the door and strode over to where she stood on ridiculously high, slip-on stiletto heels.
“Well. Let’s find out.”
He grinned down at her, placed his hands on her shoulders, and bent his head. The moment his mouth touched hers, a jolt of electricity sizzled through him. Her mouth tasted every bit as good as it looked, and when his tongue slid inside, she tasted better than finely aged bourbon. She molded herself to him, her full breasts pressing against the hard wall of his chest, her slender fingers rubbing up and down his arms. He let his tongue wander everywhere inside her mouth, licking the slick, inner surfaces, drinking from her as if he’d never be able to get enough. When she glided her tongue over his, he tightened his grip on her and sucked her deep inside his mouth.
“Well,” she gasped when he lifted his head, the pulse at her throat hammering wildly. “Hello to you, too.”
His gaze raked over her, absorbing every line and curve, every dip and swell.
“I hope you don’t think that thing covers you very much.”
She smiled, a slow curve of her lips. “It’s not supposed to.” Her low, full-throated voice caressed his skin. She let her eyes travel over him, from his shoulders down and back up again. “But, I think you have too many clothes on for this party.”
Gabe’s groin tightened. A woman who didn’t play coy and still classy about it. Could his luck possibly get any better?
“I, uh, think you’re right.”
She nodded at the bar set up against one wall. “Why don’t I fix you a drink while you get comfortable?”
He laughed even as he began unbuttoning his shirt. “Isn’t that supposed to be my line?”
Her smile wavered briefly. “I didn’t mean to—”
He cut her off by cupping her cheeks and pressing his mouth to hers, his tongue sliding inside. She tasted just as good the second time as she had the first. He threaded his fingers through the rich, red silk of her curls as he slanted his mouth one way then the other.
“Your line is just fine,” he said when he finally came up for air. “In fact, I like it a lot. Come up with as many of those as you want to.”
Her smile was pure sin. “You got it, soldier.”
“First things first,” he joked, taking a box of condoms from his bag and placing them on the nightstand.
Maggie raised an eyebrow. “Confident?”
He chuckled. “Optimistic.”
By the time he gotten down to his boxer briefs, she had a cut crystal tumbler filled with dark amber liquid over ice cubes ready for him. He inhaled the rich aroma of the Jack Daniel’s blend and touched his glass to hers.
“To a great night.”
Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “And then some.” She took a slow sip of her drink then ran the fingers of one hand lightly down his chest, pausing to scrape her nails lightly over each flat nipple before halting at the waistband of his briefs.
He sucked in his breath. Just her light, feathery touch had him so hot, steam could rise from his skin. “Don’t stop now, darlin’. Go ahead. Touch it all.”
She took another sip of bourbon before sliding her open hand over the fabric of his shorts and cupping his cock and his balls. Heat flared in her eyes.
“Very impressive. Very impressive.” She looked up at him. “You know, you seem a lot older than thirty two. Are you sure you told the truth on that form?”
“I’ve packed a lot of living into my life.”
He stifled a moan when her hand left his groin and traveled up his chest again, one fingertip tracing the thin scar above his right nipple where he’d been knifed and then softly touching the scar on his shoulder where a bullet had hit.
“It certainly looks that way.” She pressed her lips to each scar.
The feathery touch sent a shiver skittering along his spine and his heavy erection flexed.
Her fingers continued to trail over his skin as she walked slowly around him, touching the muscles of his back, the curve of his biceps, and the muscles of his ass. If she kept up the light caresses, in a minute he’d grab her and throw her down on the couch. When she stood in front of him again, she gave him another slow smile.
“You’ll do, Gabriel Walker. Absolutely.”
He let out the breath he’d been holding. “Well, thank the lord for that. But I think now it’s my turn.”
Taking another deep swallow of the Jack Daniel’s, he put his glass down on the liquor tray and lifted Maggie so she sat on the bar. The color of her eyes had changed from emerald to forest green, her lips slightly parted and her full breasts moving with each rise and fall of her chest. The little item she almost wore only enhanced the shape of the mounds and the taut nipples pointing directly at him.
Gabe bent his head to place a soft kiss behind one ear, his hands sliding beneath the transparent fabric to lightly pinch her nipples, rolling and squeezing them. She caught her lower lip between her teeth and sucked in a breath, anticipation radiating from her body.
“Gorgeous,” he murmured, bending his head to pull one nipple into his mouth, fabric and all.
She moaned, a tiny sound of pleasure that made him harden more, a very slim possibility. He licked and sucked and tugged until the nipple swelled and firmed under his touch and then moved to the other one. As he pleasured her breasts, he slipped his hands beneath her shortie and smoothed them up her legs to the soft flesh of her tummy, finally easing his thumbs to the top of her slit and finding the nub of her clit.
Flipping up the hem, he took his fill, drinking in the sight of the sweet mound and the neatly trimmed, dark red curls. She whimpered again as he lightly stroked her hot button, and opened her thighs wider to accommodate him. Damn! A woman who gave him an honest reaction without waiting to be graded on her performance. And obviously, that performance promised to be outstanding.
The more he teased her clit, the louder the sounds of pleasure she made, head thrown back and breasts thrust into the tug of his lips. When he pulled his head back, she gave a cry of disappointment and reached for him. He brushed his mouth over hers, his thumbs still playing and teasing at the top of her wet slit.
He fought for control. “We’re going to finish this in the other room.”
He lifted her as if she weighed nothing and marched into the bedroom with her. Someone had thoughtfully turned back the covers, leaving the silken sheets ready for them. Gabe carefully placed Maggie on them, pulled the sheer red garment over her head, and stared down at the most mouthwatering body he could ever remember seeing.
***
Maggie looked up at him, wishing she had some idea of what his thoughts were. She raked her gaze over him, taking in every tough, sculptured inch of the man studying her. She knew from the first touch that his muscles were hard as concrete, his body honed to a condition that never came from a gym. The scars he carried were a testament to the danger of the life he lived, that of a warrior, with a warrior’s needs and desires. He might have aged a lot in his thirty-two years, but still young enough, with plenty of stamina to keep up with her all night, because she had no intention of ever giving him any rest.
She cupped her breasts and lifted them to him, wanting to feel the heat of his firm lips on her nipples again. When she widened her thighs slightly, his eyes narrow
ed and the slate gray turned the color of a storm-tossed sea. Hooking his thumbs into the waistband of his boxer briefs, he stripped them down his legs and tossed them aside.
And Maggie thought she’d died and gone to heaven.
Gabe Walker’s stomach was flat and hard, rippling with the same muscles as the rest of his body. The same midnight black hair arrowed down from his chest to a thick nest of curls surrounding a swollen and fully erect shaft, the broad head darkened with desire. A tiny drop of fluid sat on the slit and a very impressive sac hung heavy against his thighs. Touching it through his boxers hadn’t nearly given her the full sense of his size. Her nerves went on full alert and the walls in her pussy quivered and clenched. The thought of that magnificent cock inside her body made her mouth dry and her breath catch in her throat.
She let her legs fall loosely apart, reveling in the fire that flamed in his eyes and the way his nostrils flared as he caught her scent. A muscle twitched in his jawline and his cock flexed.
“Do I meet with your approval?” he asked.
Oh, god. On top of everything else he had that trademark Texas drawl, slow like thick sorghum on a hot day. And deep, the timbre of it resonated through her body. If he turned out to be a figment of her imagination, she hoped he didn’t disappear too quickly.
Maggie reached out a hand. “Come closer, big guy, and let me touch you.”
Gabe moved until his legs touched the edge of the mattress, his erection hovering over her face.
She closed her fingers around the wide thickness, extended her tongue and ran it over the head, licking the tiny bead of fluid. A groan rumbled up from his chest and he clenched his fists at his sides. She licked again, sliding her fingers up and down once. Then again.
