“U2 okay?”
“Perfect.”
He reached for a remote control and a moment later “Mysterious Ways” filled the room. She watched him move toward her, Allie’s senses bombarded by the seductive beat of the music and the mesmerizing swagger of his walk. By the time he was standing in front of her, she’d completely lost her train of thought. He offered her one of the bottles and she took a long sip.
Hudson gestured toward the dartboard. “Ladies first.”
Allie nearly choked on her drink as she recalled Harper’s oh-so-tactful mention of that same phrase. After wiping her mouth, she set her beer on the bar and took her place in front of the board. She planted her feet solidly on the floor and raised her elbow to take aim, only to have Hudson walk up behind her and snake his arm around her waist.
“Oh no, baby, from back here,” he said, tugging her farther.
She couldn’t say for sure, but she suspected he’d pulled her far beyond the regulated distance. A devious smile formed on her lips. Perhaps she’d give him something to think about during his first toss, even the playing field a bit. Her hips swayed in his grasp as she shimmied against him to the beat of the music.
Hudson groaned. “Keep doing that and this is going to be a very short game.” He gave her ass a quick smack before strolling over to the bar and sliding onto one of the padded leather stools.
Once again, she positioned her feet. Raising her right arm, she released the dart in a smooth motion, breaking out in a wide grin when it landed in the inner ring of the ten. She tossed the next two in quick succession. One landed on the outer ring of the eight and the other squarely in the nine. “I believe that’s fifty-five points for me, Mr. Chase.” She stepped aside, motioning for him to take his turn before retrieving her darts from the board.
“Well done.” Hudson took a drink from his beer before setting it on the bar.
“Thank you.” She waited for him to take his place before continuing. “It’s all in the fingers, you know.” He raised his arm, but his gaze drifted to her hands as she absentmindedly slid a dart between the pad of her thumb and her fingertips. His eyes flared ever so slightly before refocusing on the board. “How you grasp the shaft,” she added when he began to throw.
The dart slipped from his hand, landing haphazardly on the two. Hudson turned to face her and raised a brow. “We’ll test that theory later with a demonstration.” Recovering, he tossed the next two darts with milder success, landing the second on the fifteen and the third on the outer ring of the six. “Twenty-nine points,” he said, pulling his darts out in quick jabbing motions. “You’re up.”
Allie was enjoying every moment of his torment, and when her next turn yielded an inner five, a straight-up three, and a bull’s-eye, she had to fight the urge to break into a happy dance. As it was she clapped her hands together and grinned like a fool. “Yes!” she yelled. “Sixty-eight points.”
“Lucky toss,” he mumbled as she sashayed passed him.
She pulled two darts out of the board and then paused with her hand on the one in the bull’s-eye. Looking over her shoulder at him, she smiled innocently. “Do you want to get this one? See what a bull’s-eye looks like up close?”
Hudson moved into position. “Savor it. May well be your last.”
Allie leaned against the bar, sipping her beer and taking a moment to admire the view. Nothing beat the sight of Hudson Chase’s ass in a pair of tight jeans . . . except maybe naked . . . his muscles flexing . . . her heels urging him deeper. . . .
“Like what you see?” he asked.
Her head snapped up to find him grinning at her like the Cheshire Cat, and her cheeks burned crimson. Ignoring his question, she turned her attention to the board where Hudson’s dart had landed on the outer twenty. She heard a low chuckle just before he tossed the next dart. It landed on the inner fifteen, followed quickly by the third, which landed on the eight.
“One hundred and two,” he announced. “It’s all about not jerking the release and following through.”
She smirked at him. “Oh, don’t you worry, I wouldn’t dream of jerking a release.”
The corner of his mouth quirked up and he shook his head.
“Well done, by the way.” She added his score to her mental tally. “Although I’m still in the lead.” She raised her elbow, preparing to take her next turn, when he came up behind her.
“Not by much.” His hands moved over her hips before pushing between her thighs, widening her stance. “Spread your legs for me,” he murmured. Her breath hitched and she felt him smile against her temple. “Thatta girl, now you’re in the correct position.”
The hard ridge of his arousal pushed into her behind and Allie felt a hot rush between her legs. She wanted to push back, grind herself against him, but he stepped away. “Whenever you’re ready,” he said.
She raised her arm, inadvertently shifting her weight to one foot and dropping her shoulder. The dart arched upward and landed so weakly that it barely managed to cling to the board. Allie frowned over the measly three points.
“Your balance seemed a bit off.”
“Oh, really? I wonder why?”
“Try relaxing your legs.”
She raised a single brow. “I don’t think my stance was the problem.”
“Debatable, Miss Sinclair. But either way, I don’t see how this is my fault.”
“If you would behave yourself I could beat you blindfolded.”
“Is that right?” His mouth twisted in contemplation. “Wait here a moment,” he instructed before leaving the room. He returned a few minutes later with what appeared to be an airline sleep mask. As he drew closer he stretched the elastic wide and lifted the mask over her head.
Laughing, she took a small step back. “It was only a figure of speech.”
“Afraid of the challenge?”
She rolled her eyes, but when she made no further protest, he slipped the mask over her head. The room went dark and then his hands were on her shoulders, turning her in a circle.
“I’ll even point you in the right direction,” he said.
On her next two tosses she heard the darts thud against the wall, then clatter to the floor.
“I’m not familiar with all the rules, Alessandra. Does the floor count as negative points?”
She could hear the smug amusement in his voice. “Okay, you made your point. Can we get back to the real game now?” Anxious to put an end to the pointless exercise, she reached for the edge of the mask.
“Wait,” he said. Her hand froze in midair. Hudson was suddenly behind her again, his lips hovering at her ear. “Keep it on.”
“Keep it on?” Why on earth did he want her to keep the blindfold on? Oh . . .
“I want to take you further.” His voice was low and full of dark promise. “Will you let me do that, Allie?”
Her mouth went dry and she swallowed hard. When she spoke it was barely a whisper. “Okay.”
“Good. Don’t move.”
Allie heard footsteps followed by the creak of the door. And then nothing. All she could hear was the sound of her own blood rushing in her ears. When had the music stopped playing? She inhaled slowly, trying to calm her erratic breathing as she waited. And waited. She fidgeted, wondering what was taking him so long. But more importantly, what was he going to do to her? He’s probably a little kinky, too. A tremor of uncertainty ran through her as Harper’s words replayed in her head.
The door shut behind her and she jumped. Hudson was in the room. She couldn’t see him but she could feel his presence. It made her skin tingle. The sound system hissed to life and a few seconds later the hypnotic rhythm of U2’s “Moment of Surrender” wafted down from speakers above her. She listened intently, trying to decipher where he was, what he was doing. The unknown was driving her crazy.
Something brushed her hair aside and her head jerked. His fingertips—no, his lips—touched her shoulder, then her neck. “I won’t push you any further than I think you can handl
e.” His words sent a mixture of anxiety and excitement coursing through her veins. “If it gets to be too much, all you have to do is tell me to stop. Do you understand, Allie?”
Her heart pounded in anticipation. “Yes.”
“Then let’s start by getting you naked.” He ran his fingers down the buttons of her shirt, unfastening each one at an excruciatingly slow pace. When he finally finished he pushed it off her shoulders and tossed it aside. His fingertips traced the edge of her bra cup and she shuddered. Her nipples tightened against the white lace, eager for his touch, but he left them bereft and straining against the rough fabric.
“I already removed these once,” he said, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of her borrowed boxer briefs. She felt him drop to his knees in front of her as he swept them down her legs. “Don’t make me do it again.” Reaching out blindly, she steadied herself on his shoulder as he lifted one foot and then the other. “I want you ready for me to have anytime and anywhere I wish.” He gripped her hips with both hands and yanked her closer. She gasped as he nuzzled the apex of her thighs, inhaling deeply. “Turn around.”
She complied immediately and felt his knuckles brush the length of her spine. It was as if every nerve in her body sprang to attention. He unclasped her bra, then let his fingers skim her shoulders, leaving a trail of goose bumps in his wake as he slipped the straps down her arms.
The blindfold might have denied her the sight of him, but her other senses were keenly aware as he pressed in close behind her. The sound of his breathing, the smell of his skin, the heat radiating from his body. All of it was brought more sharply into focus.
His hand fisted in the hair at the nape of her neck and he pulled. Angling her head to the side, he ran his tongue up the side of her exposed throat before softly kissing the skin beneath her ear. “I want you to think of nothing but what I’m doing to you,” he whispered, his voice hot and impassioned. “Don’t feel anything but me.”
Everything below her waist tensed with need as a wave of lust and want seized her.
“Do you trust me?” he asked, releasing her hair.
“Of course.” She answered without hesitation, and as she spoke the words she realized that, despite her earlier concern, she did trust him. Completely.
He cupped her elbow and led her across the room, turning her so that her back was against the wall. “I’m going to cuff you now.”
Allie inhaled sharply. Cuff me? This was so beyond anything she had ever experienced, or even imagined. And yet she couldn’t deny the excitement pulsing between her legs.
“Give me your hands.” She held them out and he took her right hand in one of his, kissing the inside of her wrist before securing the cuff. “They’re soft, so they won’t hurt.”
She had expected some sort of metal handcuffs, but what Hudson strapped around her felt like a wide band of fabric. Leather, maybe. Something hung from the end of the cuff and she felt it brush against her naked thigh. She assumed it was the other cuff but there was something else as well; something cold, like metal. A chain? Her breathing grew shallow as longing and desire mixed with nervous anticipation.
“Hands above your head,” he ordered. His voice had taken on a hard, authoritative edge. She quickly did as she was told, and whatever was attached to the other end of the chain now dangled by her shoulder. She felt him reach for it and a moment later heard the sounds of something rough sliding over wood. The image of the beams spanning the ceiling before arching down to meet the walls flashed through her head, and at once she realized she was being chained to one of the trusses. She pressed her thighs together, shocked at the dampness she felt there over the thought of being chained to Hudson’s ceiling, completely at his mercy.
Hudson took her left wrist and brought it to his lips before lifting it back above her head and securing the second cuff. He was standing closer now, so close she could feel his warm breath on her face. So close she could lean forward and run her tongue along the soft stubble on his jaw. So close her lips could find his. She inclined her head ever so slightly but he stepped back, leaving her feeling vulnerable and exposed.
The sultry beat of the music was the only sound in the room and yet she knew he was still there, watching her. Even blindfolded she felt the heat of his stare. The thought of those piercing blue eyes drinking in every inch of her made a warm blush wash over her skin.
“You look beautiful like this,” he said. Then his arms were around her, hauling her against him as his mouth claimed hers in a deep, possessive kiss. “Remember,” he rasped over her lips, “all you have to do is tell me to stop.” He kissed her again and she went lax in his arms. “Do you want me to stop, Allie?”
“No.” Her answer was more breath than voice.
“Good.”
Allie felt him pull back and she longed to wrap her arms around him and keep her chest crushed against his. She tugged on her restraints but it was no use, and just like that, he was gone again. She heard the slow metallic sound of a zipper opening, followed by the shuffling of fabric, and she knew that he was naked. Her heart thudded faster as she waited for his return.
“You teased me endlessly for one hundred and forty-three minutes. It’s only fair that I return the favor.”
“What are you going to do?” She turned her head toward the soft voice that had crooned in her ear, but a moment later it was on the other side.
“I’m going to make you come until you can’t breathe. Until you’re begging to have me inside you.”
Hudson’s fingers glided over her rib cage and her back arched, pushing her breasts into his hands. He palmed the soft flesh before rolling her nipples between his thumb and forefinger. Her body trembled with anticipation as he kissed his way down her neck, nipping and licking his way closer to the tight peaks. She groaned when he finally wrapped his lips around one of her nipples and drew it deep into his mouth.
“Please . . .”
“Please, what?” he asked, working his way across her chest.
“Touch me.”
She felt him smile against her skin. “Oh no, baby, tonight we’re following my rules.” And with that his mouth closed over her other nipple, sucking until it grew hard and long against his tongue, then gently blowing across the sensitive skin before claiming it once again. He kept up the delicious torture, teasing her breasts with his talented fingers and lips until her head fell back on a groan. Then his teeth tugged hard on one nipple while his fingers pinched the other, and the sweet sensation echoed through her core. Pulling against the restraints, she cried out, her body convulsing and shattering into a thousand pieces.
“I love how you look when you come,” he growled. “It makes me so fucking hard.” Hudson’s thumb pressed against her chin, forcing her mouth open as he thrust his tongue deep inside her mouth in an unforgiving kiss. His hand moved between her legs and his fingers slid back and forth over her slick flesh, stroking and teasing her as he expertly worked that sensitive place between her thighs.
“Does that feel good?” he asked, slipping a finger inside her.
She whimpered and rocked against his hand. “Yes.”
His finger eased in and out, perfectly matching the music’s steady, unhurried rhythm. “You’re so ready for me, Alessandra. Open your mouth.”
She parted her lips, completely seduced by the touch of his hand. She expected to feel the sweet invasion of his tongue once again and was shocked when instead it was his finger that pushed into her mouth. “Suck,” he said in a low, commanding voice. “Taste how hot you are for this.”
Her mouth closed around Hudson’s finger and she sucked, tasting her own arousal.
“Don’t stop sucking me.” His words ignited the ache between her legs and she moaned around the fullness in her mouth. She sucked harder, then let her tongue swirl over his finger as she drew back. She heard his sharp intake of breath and a second later he lunged at her, crushing his lips to hers and sliding his tongue into her with lush, velvety strokes.
When he
finally broke their kiss her breath left her in a wordless rush.
“You taste so good,” he murmured. “My tongue knows your taste already.”
She tugged against her restraints, trying to absorb the multitude of feelings overwhelming her senses.
“Do you want to come again?”
“Please . . .” She panted, her chest rising and falling with each heavy breath.
“How?”
“You know how.”
His nose brushed against hers. “How, Alessandra?”
“Touch me,” she whispered.
“Like this?” Two fingers pushed into her on a sleek glide and she gasped.
“Yes . . .”
“You sure?” His voice was low and measured but his breath was rough at her ear.
“Yes, Hudson.” She was hanging on the edge, near mindless with her need for release. “Please, make me come.”
The tempo of his fingers quickened and she threw her head back, lost in the delicious friction.
“That’s it, baby. Just feel it. Let yourself go.”
Her body began to climb as he rolled the pad of his thumb over the top of her sex, taking her higher and higher until she fell apart in his hands.
“I’m right here,” he murmured. His arms banded around her as her knees buckled and she sagged against him. “I’ve got you.”
Her head wilted against his chest as she melted into his embrace. The aftershocks of her orgasm made her entire body shudder, and she moaned softly. Hudson slipped the blindfold off Allie’s head and she blinked up at him as her eyes adjusted to the light of the now dimly lit room. Unbuckling the cuffs, he released her wrists and moved her closer to the chesterfield. The soft leather cushions looked like heaven to her. A nice rest on the couch was exactly what she needed.
But instead of leading her to the front of the sofa, Hudson guided her to the side and folded her over the padded arm. Allie’s eyes grew wide, and any fatigue she’d been feeling was instantly erased by the sudden rush of adrenaline.
“I’ve been waiting all afternoon to bend you over and fuck you deep and hard.” His words were an erotic threat and her body responded, clenching tightly as a fresh wave of desire consumed her. He pulled her hips back with a sharp tug and pushed his foot against hers to spread her legs wide. “Grip the couch and don’t let go,” he ordered, his voice hoarse and urgent.
Remind Me Page 12
