Her eyes glazed over and he knew she was strongly considering it. And he wanted it. Bad. To watch her hike up that insane dress so he could nestle himself between her bare thighs, her arms wrapped around his body.
“I don’t know . . .”
“Give my phone number and address to your friend. Then you won’t be with a stranger. They’ll know how to track me down if you turn up missing tomorrow.”
She stared at him, conflicted desire burning in her eyes.
“I’m putting myself at risk also,” he said, hands up.
She leveled him with the cutest stare. “Oh yeah, I look like a real threat to you and your muscles.”
He grinned and then leaned in. “I saw you hide that phone in your dress. You could have a switchblade in there, too. You could stab me, leave me on the side of the road, and steal my bike. But I’m willing to trust you, too, Sarah.” He raised an eyebrow.
She laughed, the sight so lovely and sound so pure, he almost felt guilty for what he was doing. Almost.
“Okay. What’s your number?” She lifted her phone from her lap and opened a text.
Hell. Yes. He rattled his number and address off. “And feel free to give me yours if you want.”
She gave him a long look that made him chuckle and then got to work sending a text to her friend, who wasted no time rushing back over to the table.
“Excuse us,” Amanda said, pulling her friend off to the side where he couldn’t hear. He watched as the two women chatted frantically. He couldn’t tell if the bride-to-be was giving her pointers or talking her out of leaving with him. When they were done they both walked over.
“Take care of my best friend. Or I’ll call the FBI, the CIA, CSI . . . everybody.”
Reeve chuckled. “All the CSIs?”
“All of them.”
“I promise to be a perfect gentleman and get her home safely.” Reeve turned back to Not Sarah. “Listen, I’m gonna go tell my buddy I’m taking you home. Want to meet me at the front door in five?”
She nodded, a hint of panic in her expression. He wasn’t going to talk her into this anymore. He wasn’t the kind of guy that made a woman uncomfortable or feel pressured, so if she changed her mind, or didn’t show up at the door in five, that was fine. But he sure as hell hoped she did.
As soon as he filled Brad in on what had gone down, his friend’s eyes went wide. “No shit? I was certain she’d blow you off and I don’t mean in the friendly way.”
Reeve put up his hands, feigning innocence. “I can’t tell you how I do what I do, I’m just good at it.”
“I guess so. Well, damn, good luck. I have a bad feeling you’re in for some heartache with that one, though.”
Reeve scoffed and gave Brad a wave over his shoulder as he headed for the door. Heartache required a man to put his heart on the line, and that was one thing Reeve never did.
CHAPTER THREE
“I’m not kidding, if I don’t hear from you by the crack of dawn I’m sounding an alarm.”
“Amanda, twenty minutes ago your friendly advice was to say yes,” Emily reminded her worried friend.
“Well, maybe I was a little hasty. I mean, what’s with the subterfuge? If you’re not trusting him, then I don’t, either.”
“It’s not that,” Emily said. And it wasn’t. Although she couldn’t really put her finger on why she’d lied. Well, maybe she sort of could. “I just . . . I want to just enjoy this night. I want to let go, and the only way I will be able to do that is if I know it’s a onetime situation.”
“So you’re looking to fulfill a dirty fantasy?”
“Something like that.” Emily picked up her purse and shoved it under her arm.
“I can respect that, but what if it’s good? He seemed nice, and funny. What if you like this guy? Then you’ll have to tell him you’re not Sarah.”
“He already knows I’m not. This isn’t meant to go anywhere. And if things go the way I hope they do, I won’t be able to look him in the eye when the sun comes up.” She gave Amanda a wink and pushed in her chair.
Amanda leaned in and wrapped her arms around Emily, so she reciprocated, squeezing her best friend. God, she missed this. She really needed to find a way to have more of a social life.
When Amanda pulled back she stuck her finger in Emily’s face. “Be careful, wear a condom. Keep your phone close.”
“Yes, Mom.”
Amanda nodded and then grinned. “Good girl. Now go and make Becky Bradley proud.”
With a grin and a wave, Emily headed through the mass of sweaty bodies and toward the front door. Her heart was pounding, her insides tingling, and her mind racing with all of the possibilities. Never mind the fact that what she was about to do was impulsive and reckless. Something she would never have done even just a few months ago. But that was the thing: As successful as she was, lately her life had been feeling . . . inadequate. Lonely. And more than a little unexciting.
She blamed work for that. For the past six years, ever since inheriting her grandfather’s business, she’d done nothing but keep her nose to the grindstone. It had paid off; in fact, she’d managed to completely turn the fledgling business around, making it the most profitable theater chain in the Midwest. Providing an incredibly nice income for herself in the process. But money was far from everything, and something in her life needed to give before she found herself in the midst of a premature midlife crisis.
She needed to make a point of allowing pleasure into her life, while she was still young. And she was going to start right now, by walking up to the smiling hottie leaning against the wall by the front door.
“Glad you didn’t change your mind,” he said when she stepped up to him.
“There’s still time.”
His sexy laugh sliced through her lingering doubts, and she followed him out the door. It was such a beautiful night. The April air was warm and dry, and since they were so far from town the clear sky was blanketed with stars. It felt so nice she could almost convince herself that what she was about to do was a good idea.
They walked down the sidewalk and when it ended, turning into a coarse gravel lot, he turned, looked at her shoes, and held out his hand. “I’d hate for you to fall in those shoes.”
She reached out, letting his skin slide across hers. Their palms met and their fingers clamped down on one another as he led her toward the two bikes parked beside the outer wall of the bar. Walking right up to one of the sexy pieces of equipment, he immediately turned and held out his other hand.
“Give me your purse and I’ll put it in here.” He indicated a compartment on the side of his seat. Compared with the noise inside it was so peaceful out here in the dark, and the deep timbre of his voice was even more alluring.
“Okay.” She reluctantly handed it over, glad that she still had her phone tucked into her dress, just in case. She watched as he pulled a folded-up leather jacket out of the same bag and handed it to her.
“It’s nice out, but you’ll get cold on the road.”
She nodded, appreciating his thoughtfulness. And it was true: Although it was a lovely night, she was in a skimpy dress and the wind would be chilly. Pulling on the jacket, she inhaled deeply. It was such a turn-on to be surrounded by the supple, heavy material and smell nothing but leather and heady cologne.
After securing everything, Reeve hiked his leg and sat down on the bike. The way it pushed his thighs against his jeans caused her stomach to flip. Every visible part of him was firm and thick. God, could she be so lucky to find that his hidden parts were, too? Was she going to allow herself to find out? She still hadn’t fully committed to sex, but one thing was for sure, she was getting on this bike.
“You look cute in my jacket. Get on.”
She warmed at his words, but then glanced down at her incredibly tight dress and frowned. “Hold on, I have a problem. I didn’t think about my dress.”
A slow grin formed on Reeve’s face, “Oh, I did. It’s dark out, pull it up.”
&nbs
p; With that he started the engine with a quick rumble that smoothed into a popping purr. He looked over at her, waiting. His eyes grazed over her body, from head to toe. “You changing your mind?” he said, raising his voice a bit to be heard over the rattle of the engine.
“No, but . . . I don’t think this is going to be as hot as you were hoping.”
He lifted an eyebrow in question. There was only one way for him to understand, so Emily hiked up her dress, revealing her nude-colored Spanx that went from high waist to thigh. So much for perfect fantasies.
Reeve instantly let out a loud laugh and shook his head. “Oh Lord, woman. Just pull up the dress and get on the bike.”
Biting back a smile, and surprisingly not hating him for calling her woman, Emily grabbed onto Reeve’s shoulders, carefully lifted her leg over the bike, and settled herself on the seat behind him. A shiver ran through her body at the contact with him and the leather beneath her.
“Feel okay?” he yelled over his shoulder.
“Uh-huh, I think so.”
His hand dropped to the side and he indicated without words where she could rest her feet on two little metal footrests and then reached back and grabbed hold of her hands before sliding them around his waist. And gracious, there wasn’t an ounce of fat on this man. She wondered what he did for a living, because it certainly didn’t involve sitting around. But she couldn’t press for answers or he might do the same to her. Not an option, because the real her had no place in this equation. He was onto the fact that she’d lied about her name but he was playing along, which meant he knew the score and was good with it. No reason for her to feel bad.
He leaned forward and the bike gave a jolt, gravel skipping behind the wheel at her back as her chest was lurched against him. She grasped at his shirt to hold herself in place, and she could feel the vibration of his laughter under her fingers. His left arm came back, slipping against the bare skin of her leg and then squeezing her nylon-covered thigh in reassurance. They pulled onto the dark highway and he picked up speed, the engine revving beneath her. Wind whipped against her bare legs, her cheeks, and it was incredible. Exhilarating. Sexual. How was that possible? It had to be the man driving.
For a long while she just took it all in with a goofy grin plastered on her face. She watched the moonlit countryside pass by, the occasional house, and a few farms. Whenever the road curved she could feel the muscles in his abdomen shift as he lightly tilted to the left or right. On the next straightaway he let his left hand drop again, and this time he ran his fingers over her knee and then cupped it gently. Emily’s eyes fluttered shut as the touch of his rough fingers on her skin sent shivers through her entire body. She tightened her hold on him and allowed herself to relax a little further, her cheek resting on his upper back.
She’d been excited to get on the bike, but she hadn’t expected this overwhelming feeling of euphoria. Was this elation she was experiencing because of the man, the machine, the exposed elements whirring past? Certainly, it had to be the culmination of the three. This ride, this moment, was the closest she’d ever been to a spiritual experience. An awakening.
She didn’t want it to end.
The completely un-Emily thought shocked her. She needed to thank him for this. Better yet, she needed to reward herself for this complete and utter abandonment. There was only one way she could top this feeling. And just like that she knew what she wanted. How this would ultimately end. Now that she’d admitted it to herself, she felt exhilarated. Brave.
Reeve’s hand had gone back to the handlebar grips, giving her freedom to run her own hands wherever she wanted across his abdomen. The question was would she take advantage of that? She had to. A chance like this would never come again, she was certain.
Her arms wrapped around him, her right hand resting somewhere under the left side of his rib cage. Slowly she began to move her right pointer finger. Back and forth she slid it on his shirt, the cotton soft and warm against her chilled skin. He gave no indication he noticed or felt it, so she got a little bolder: This time her three middle fingers began to circle.
He definitely noticed that—she could feel it in the way his stomach muscles clinched under her forearms. Emily grinned against his back. If her fantasy played out just right, this man would take control, not the other way around. But first she had to let him know that she’d decided she wanted more than a ride home.
As if reading her mind, Reeve turned his torso and glanced back at her over his shoulder. Almost certain she’d caught a grin on his lips before he turned back, Emily took a deep cleansing breath and released all the remaining objections out through her lips on a rush of air.
After a minute of light finger strokes she very slowly slid that arm back across his abs and then moved to find the hem of his shirt before slipping her fingers beneath it. She swore the movement had her arm brushing over a rather large bulge behind his jeans and instantly his hand found her leg once again, stroking her shin up and down. As her fingertips ran up the trail of hair on his abs, his hand clamped down on her leg just enough to let her know that her touch was affecting him.
Her earlier suspicions were confirmed when he released her leg, moved a little on the seat, and then used his hand to push down on his crotch. Oh God. After he’d arranged himself he laid his arm against hers for a moment, his fingers heavy on hers through the fabric of his shirt. The message was clear. Don’t stop.
Her nails dragged back and forth over the width of his stomach, bare skin, soft hair, bare skin, repeat. She could almost swear he shivered, causing the muscles beneath her nails to flex. Her eyes squeezed shut, her imagination lingering on what he must look like shirtless. If touching him was any indication, it was a glorious sight. She wanted to touch more.
At this point she had two options. Move her hand up to explore the firmness of his pecs. Or down to explore a completely different kind of firmness. What would Sarah do?
Next step decided, Emily slowly began to move her hand back down, her pinkie resting on the stiff edge of his button fly. Even without going any further she could feel the power of him there. Knew that just inches away from her fingertips this man was primed and ready to fulfill his most basic, elemental responsibility to mankind.
And yet she hesitated.
Emily was never this bold sexually. Had never had any desire to be. And she realized she was still hung up on him making the first major move. Even for a woman with two dicks on her head, making the move to initiate contact with a real-life one was a big deal. At least for her. And so she waited. Contemplating. Excited didn’t even begin to explain what was going on in her head at the thought of touching him through his jeans, finding out how big he was.
Her cheek was still plastered against his shirt, and once again she inhaled the scent of him. Never in her life had she been so worked up, and she needed to remember that the beauty of this night was that she could give herself over to it and then walk away. Pretend it had never happened. Return to her normal, overworked life where she had to think logically and do the right thing.
Tonight she wanted to be the woman in every story she’d read in the past few months. The one adored, desired, and ravaged. She wanted to be possessed, owned, and defiled. And if she was going to go through with this, she really hoped Reeve had a filthy mouth and wouldn’t hold back, because this had to be everything she’d never have again. This would be it, her one amazing moment of depravity. Her release of inhibition and rationality.
Her finger rubbed against the flat metal button on his fly, asking him to take charge, over and over. He didn’t make her suffer long, using his left hand to lift her fingers and firmly place them directly on his erection.
She gasped the second she made contact, his hand above hers, the warm denim beneath. The fact that he’d done exactly as she secretly hoped had her body zinging. He squeezed her fingers underneath his own, pressing them around the width of him, and she swore she could feel a groan rip through his chest and reverberate on the cheek she had pr
essed to his back.
Oh God.
He held his still palm over hers for an agonizing moment, then lightly dragged it up and down once before finally letting go to hold on to the bike once more. Emily squeezed her eyes shut and sucked in a deep breath. Her face was shielded from most of the cool air, but her legs and butt were beginning to chill even though she still rested her hand on the impressive erection between Reeve’s legs. Should she let go now that he had? Stroke it? Squeeze it? She had no idea. It was nice to just touch it, though she longed to explore fully, find out what it could do. What it looked like up close and personal.
As ideas of that formed she couldn’t help the smile that spread over her face. Emily slid her palm down. With his legs spread and his jeans pulled tight, she couldn’t get a complete feel of him, but it was enough to know she wanted more. Her hand coasted back up to the tip, and she was nearly certain it felt bigger than it had two seconds ago. She liked the idea that her touch had affected him that way.
Deciding that she wasn’t quite brave enough to initiate any more intimacy, she sat up and gripped his waist with both hands. A car zoomed by in the opposite lane, making the motorcycle wobble just the tiniest bit, and yet she didn’t feel unsafe at all wrapped around Reeve. That surprised her, but everything about this man felt competent and sure. Something deep within her was certain that he would know how to handle her body as well as he handled this machine. Give her everything she wanted. Just for tonight.
CHAPTER FOUR
As they pulled into town, Reeve turned into an empty shopping center parking lot, thinking it was a damn good thing that he’d been able to keep them on the road with her hand sliding over his crotch. Her exploration of his body had surprised him a little. Especially when she’d lingered above his hard-on the way she had.
Now, as he brought the bike to a stop and killed the engine, he wasn’t sure if he would be driving her home or not. Good God, he hoped she wanted the same thing he did.
She made to let go of him as soon as the motor quieted, but he quickly lowered his forearms to rest above hers, trapping her to him. He leaned back a little and turned his head as far as he could. Her cheek was still plastered to his back, and man it felt good to have her this close.
All I Ask Page 4
