Riding on Instinct

by Burton, Jaci

  Shadoe left after the first hour so she could take a break before her second show at one. He led her to the bar and she took a seat at the end spot.

  “Feel okay?”

  She grinned. “I feel great.”

  “You should. You’re the star tonight.”

  Her lashes dipped before she tilted her head to look at him. “I don’t know about that, but wow, it sure was way more than I expected.”

  “You did a great job. You were hot.”

  Her smile hit him right in the balls. “I’m glad you thought so.”

  “Everyone thought so.”

  “But I’m glad you thought so.”

  He lifted his hand to the back of her neck again. “Your tension seems to be gone.”

  Her body vibrated with her laugh. “Yes. You did a fine job taking care of that. Thanks.”

  “My pleasure.”

  She laid her palm against his cheek. “I’ll see to your pleasure. Later.”

  His nostrils flared. He leaned into her. “You make my dick hard.”

  “I hope so.”

  Her second act was as good, if not better, than the first. Like the show in Dallas, she wore the leather with the fringe and drove the guys into an even higher-pitched frenzy.

  There was no doubt about it—Desi was a hit.

  “She’s rockin’ hot as hell,” Brandon said to him after Shadoe finished up her second act.

  “That she is.”

  “You are one lucky man.”

  “That I am.”

  “I’ll bet you stay busy keeping all the guys away from her.”

  “Yes.”

  “You trust her?”

  He snapped his gaze to Brandon’s inquisitive face. “What does that mean?”

  Brandon raised his hands. “Simple question. A lot of the girls get swelled heads from all the attention. The boyfriend thing rarely lasts.”

  “We’ve been together . . . awhile. We’re doing just fine.”

  “Okay. Just checking.”

  “You looking for a date, Brandon? Because if it’s with my woman, we’re going to have a problem.” He couldn’t believe he was even having this conversation. Spence typically didn’t give a shit how many guys a girl dated. He wasn’t around one long enough to find out, or to care.

  Even though this was his cover and nothing more, Brandon’s suggestion and innuendo pissed him off.

  “Not at all, man. Just making conversation, trying to get to know one of my dancers. I’m not interested in her, trust me.” Brandon did a double-time backpedal, then made excuses to hurry off and head back to his office.

  Good thing, because owner or no, Spence was seconds from connecting his fist to Brandon’s face.

  Which wouldn’t do much good for the mission, would it? He had to keep this from getting personal, on a lot of fronts.

  Once again, Shadoe came out, this time dressed in some hot green skirt and belly-baring top that clung tight to her curves. She took her table and let the guys come to her, and they did, in droves. Spence stood guard over her while she was gracious and friendly and kept them drinking, which would probably make Brandon really happy.

  This part of it was fine, as long as the guys didn’t touch.

  Touching the girls was off-limits, especially a headliner. You could look, you could talk to them, but you couldn’t touch. There were always some guys who thought those rules didn’t apply to them, like the one sitting beside Shadoe right now. Slick, a little older, Spence pegged him right away as a regular, someone who knew all the girls, as well as all the employees at the club. He probably got granted “special favors,” like opportunities to visit one-on-one with the headliners.

  In fact, the guy nodded to one of the bouncers as soon as he took his seat next to Shadoe, and the bouncer nodded back and moved toward Spence. No doubt his intent was to distract Spence so the slick dude could put his moves on Shadoe.

  Spence had been working the grift longer than anyone. He knew the game. But he let the bouncer move up next to him, just to see how he planned to play it.

  “Your woman is popular.”

  Spence nodded. “She always has been, even before she became a headliner.”

  “Piss you off, having all these guys hang on her?”

  “I know where she sleeps at night.”

  The bouncer turned to him. “I’m Lance.”

  “Spence.” He didn’t take his gaze off Shadoe.

  “My wife dances here.”

  That got his attention. “Yeah? Who?”

  “Cheri. Tall blonde.”

  “Oh yeah. Pretty.”

  Lance nodded. “She’s lead dancer here.”

  “And how long have you two been together?”

  “Five years. We’ve been at the Wild Rose for three.”

  “Work together all the time?”

  “Hell yeah. I need to keep an eye on my investment.”

  His investment? Like his wife was property? What a dickhead.

  Shadoe coughed and his gaze went immediately to her. He crouched down, certain he was going to have to pummel the asshole sitting next to her.

  “What’s up, babe?”

  “Remind me later to tell you something,” she whispered in his ear.

  “You got it.” To make a point, he gave her a deep kiss, lingering longer than necessary. When he pulled back, her eyes were glazed and she gave him a promising smile and sigh.

  He straightened and Lance was still there.

  “What was that all about?”

  “Just keeping an eye on my investment,” he said, tossing Lance’s words back at him.

  Whatever was going on between Lance and the guy sitting next to Shadoe, it never materialized. But maybe that’s because Spence moved off to Shadoe’s right and made eye contact with the guy. Unpleasant eye contact. Long enough and hard enough that the guy grew uncomfortable and left the table. Soon after that, Lance left, too.

  By three in the morning he’d had all he could take of guys jockeying for position to be near Shadoe. She’d left the table and wandered around for a while, visiting with people at each of the tables and at the bar, but the crowds finally began to thin.

  “Let’s get out of here,” he said.

  She nodded. “I’m more than ready for that. Let me go change.”

  He was ready, too—to get Shadoe alone. Watching her parade around in tight clothes, and then strip twice, had him hot, hard, and bothered as hell. By the time she came out the back door, he had the bike engine revving.

  She cocked a brow and climbed on. “You in a hurry?”

  “Yes. Get on.”

  She did, and he broke speed records getting back to the hotel.

  She leaned in and wrapped her arms around him, her breasts pressing against his back.

  “You are in a hurry, aren’t you? You need something?”

  When he didn’t answer, she moved her hands down over his ribs. “I know what you need.” She laid her hands on his thighs and squeezed. “I wish I could reach your cock from here.”

  He groaned and hit the throttle, rocketing them through the stoplight. Good thing the hotel was only a couple blocks away. He pulled into the parking garage, took her hand, and pulled her along back up to their room, not saying a word.

  He couldn’t speak, his throat as tight as his balls. He slid the key card into the door slot and held the door open for her. She walked in and he shut the door behind them, watching her as she dropped her bag, then sauntered out onto the balcony. She cast him a knowing look over her shoulder, a glimpse of a smile, then disappeared through the double doors.

  He followed. She stood there bathed in the moonlight, visible for anyone to see.

  “Out here?”

  She nodded.

  He wasn’t going to ask twice. He walked farther out onto the balcony and grasped her wrist, pulled her into the darkness, then flipped her around, slammed her back into the wall, and put his mouth over hers.

  She wrapped her arms around him. Her lips lat
ched on to his with a hungry passion that matched his own, surprising him with its power. He expected her to be tired, to say no, to at least be surprised by his assault, not to equal his need.

  But she did. She wrapped a leg around his hip and rocked her pelvis against him.

  His cock was already hard, had been from the minute he’d tasted her mouth. Now it was a raging desire that couldn’t be stopped. He stripped off her shirt, glad she hadn’t worn a bra. He filled his hands with her breasts, then kneeled on the concrete floor and filled his mouth with her nipples. He’d wanted to taste them for as long as he’d known her, since that first day she’d stripped for him and revealed those tight nipples and perfect breasts. He flicked his tongue over one hard bud, then pulled it into his mouth and sucked. It felt like soft velvet, and she tasted like sweet cream, just like he knew the rest of her would. He couldn’t wait to go down on her, needing her flavor against his tongue. He kissed his way down her ribs and her belly, jerking at the zipper of her jeans, fumbling it like he had back when he was a teenager and inexperienced. God, how old was he, anyway? And why were his hands shaking? This wasn’t his first time. He should be suave about this, not in a hurry at all, but taking his time getting to know her body.

  Yeah, right. He yanked her jeans down to her ankles, pulled her panties off, and covered her sex with his mouth.

  She moaned, and her body jerked as his tongue found her clit. She tangled her fingers in his hair and grasped it in her fist, holding tight while he sucked the little bud, nibbled it with his teeth, licked her all over, and slid his tongue inside her creamy pussy.

  “Jesus, Spence. That’s just so . . . Oh, oh, I’m coming.” She bucked against his face and shuddered, crying out with the force of her quick, rushing orgasm.

  He really liked to hear and feel her come, to taste the juice rolling onto his tongue from her climax, to know that he brought her there so damn fast she couldn’t hold back.

  In the darkness, he heard her panting, felt the sheen of sweat on her thighs as he held on to her, continued to kiss her thighs, her hip bone, making his way back up her body.

  He kissed her breasts again, loving the way they fit into his mouth, the way her nipples hardened when he sucked them, the way her heart beat erratically against his hand as he held on to her.

  He met her mouth with his in a hungry kiss, ready to swoop her into his arms and carry her to bed. But when he pulled her away from the wall, she turned him around and pushed him against the cool brick.

  “My turn,” she said, her voice a dark, husky whisper. “Do you think I’m going to miss the opportunity to stay outside a little longer?”

  “I think you’re an exhibitionist.”

  Her lips tilted. “Maybe I am.”

  She didn’t seem to mind being naked on the balcony. Maybe she wanted people to see them. His cock jerked against his pants. Yeah, he was in a hurry to be inside her. Whether it was on the balcony, in the bed, or on the floor, he didn’t care.

  She lifted his shirt off, her hands everywhere—across his shoulders, his neck, his chest—and all followed by her sweet, hot mouth. She kissed him with wild abandon, bit him, tasted him, licked at his nipples and sucked at them the way he’d suckled hers. He shuddered as the sensation shot straight to his cock, making it quiver in anticipation.

  “Shadoe.”

  She ignored his warning plea, dropped to her knees the same way he had done. “I’ve wanted to do this.” She opened the button of his jeans, and with damned slow movements drew the zipper down, her fingers brushing his erection and making him grit his teeth. She pulled his jeans over his hips and to the floor.

  “I love a man who goes commando,” she said, burying her face against his hip, biting him there, then licking along his hip bone, heading to his crotch. “God, you smell good.” She licked his inner thigh, making his legs shake.

  Spence was a strong guy, but Shadoe made him weak in the knees. No woman had ever made his legs shake before. But when she grasped his cock in her hand and stroked him, he palmed the wall for support. And when she swirled her thumb over the crest, he had to bite down on his lip to keep from moaning.

  When she placed her lips over his cockhead and took him inside her mouth, he let out a groan, knowing he was at her mercy.

  She slid his shaft along the wet heat of her tongue, using her hand to stroke and guide her movements, closing her lips over him to create a perfect suction. Farther and farther in, then out, she sucked and stroked him, and now he wished they were inside, bathed in light so he could watch her. Instead, all he could do was feel the soft glide of his dick along her tongue, the grip of her lips as she squeezed the crest before taking him deep again, all the way to the back of her throat.

  Then she swallowed, and he wanted to drop to the floor and die right then. She had him literally by the balls. He was hers for the taking.

  She tilted her head back, her mouth filled with his cock, her warm brown eyes dark with desire.

  “Yeah, baby, suck me.” He reached down and grabbed her hair, twisted it around his hand, and used it to guide her, to fuck her mouth with gentle thrusts.

  She took everything he gave her, and then some, cupping his balls and massaging them until he knew he had no hope of holding back. He felt it churning deep inside him, ready to erupt like a boiling volcano.

  When she hummed, it was a vibration in his balls and he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

  “I’m going to come in your mouth, Shadoe. You want that?” She only pushed forward to take more of him, held on to his hips, and took away the last ounce of his control. The blast nearly launched him off his feet, sending shots of light behind his eyes as he erupted into her mouth. He pulled on her hair, holding her in place while he shot a stream of hot come into her willing throat. She dug her nails into him, which only added to the white-hot pleasure jettisoning from within him. He gave her all he had, until he was limp and sweaty and utterly astounded by this woman on her knees before him.

  He bent down and lifted her, kissed her, tasting himself on her lips. That made him linger at her mouth, slide his tongue inside to lick at hers, intensifying the flavor. Despite what he’d just been through, his cock jumped at the taste of her, the mingling of her flavor and his in their mouths.

  He was ready for more. Was she? He rolled his thumb over her nipple. It was hard.

  “Did it excite you to suck me?”

  “It made my pussy wet, Spence. Fuck me.”

  He didn’t need to be told twice. He kicked off his boots and discarded his jeans, then scooped her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.

  SHaDoe’s ENTIRE BODY VIBRATED. BEING HELD BY SPENCE AS HE carried her to the bed was thrilling. Making him come, having his cock in her mouth, and being in control like that was something she’d never experienced—had never wanted to before. But with Spence, oh, how she’d wanted to.

  Ever since she’d taken the stage tonight for the first time, had seen his heated gaze when she’d made eye contact with him, she’d known he wanted her. But it was more than that. It was the way he looked at her, burning a hole through her skin with his eyes, possessing her as his gaze raked over her.

  Spence was one gorgeous man. As soon as they’d stepped in the club, the other girls had zeroed in on him, looked him up and down in feminine appreciation. She knew the feeling, and it had only increased when she stood on stage tonight and met his eyes.

  What an incredible, empowering feeling had come over her at that moment. To be desired by a man like Spence was amazing. She didn’t understand it, couldn’t explain it, but damn had she ever been turned on. And it had lasted throughout the night. Her giddiness had nothing to do with wowing the crowd. She couldn’t care less about that. She’d done well on stage because she’d played to Spence and him alone. No one else had existed for her.

  Just like no other man existed for her right now, except the one who held her, his powerful arms bulging with muscle. So strong, so capable of such violence, and yet he laid her
so tenderly on the bed, and followed her down there to lay a kiss on her that left her without breath, without words.

  She didn’t need words. Neither of them did. Not when they had hands and mouths and their bodies to speak with. He stripped off her boots and jeans—she giggled at how they hung from her ankles—and spread her legs, placing his fingers around her ankles to hold her in place.

  “Do you think I’m going to try to escape?” she asked, propping herself up on her elbows.

  “I just want to look at you.”

  He’d turned on the bedside lamp. Soft, filtered light filled the room. Not enough to be glaring, but enough so they could see each other. Right now he looked straight on at her sex. It made her quiver.

  “I love the way you taste, Shadoe.” He crawled between her legs and took a long, slow lick of her pussy.

  She watched him, mesmerized by his tongue. “I love the way you lick me.”

  “I like making you come.”

  She was rather embarrassed by that. “For some reason, you make it easy. It’s not always that way.”

  He cocked a brow. “Really.”

  “Really.”

  Then his lips lifted. “Good.”

  Men and their egos.

  Now that they’d both had an orgasm, the sense of urgency had worn off—somewhat, anyway. But this was also the first time she’d gotten to see him naked. And oh, man, was he something.

  “Stand up by the bed,” she said.

  “What?”

  “I want to look at you.”

  He laughed, but complied.

  His body was massive, all lean muscle, no fat. Wide shoulders, narrow waist, strong thighs, and a really impressive cock. A cock that apparently liked being looked at, because it hardened while she watched. She lifted her gaze to his.

  “That’s interesting.”

  “I was hoping you’d think so.” His cock rose, then bobbed up and down.

  She laughed and scrambled off the bed to walk around him, laying her hand over the tattoo on his shoulder blade. She kissed the eagle and the word Freedom, then laid her head on his back and wrapped her arms around him.

  “Shadoe.”

  “Yeah.”