Tall, Dark and Irresistible

by Erika Wilde

  She felt so goddamn good, so utterly perfect . . . yet so small and delicate pinned in place beneath him, and he wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle the rough, dirty, uncivilized urge he had to release all the intensity brewing inside of him to mark her as his. Yet the thought of hurting her had him clenching his teeth and trying to calm the raging need coiling tighter and tighter inside of him.

  As if she knew he was struggling with his conscience, she slid her hands down to his lower back, digging her fingers into the muscles there as she lifted her knees higher until they hugged his hips, causing his dick to lodge impossibly farther inside her. He groaned and struggled to breathe. The position she’d just offered was so goddamn hot, so intimate, so inviting . . .

  “Do it,” she said huskily, her eyes filled with lust as she moved her hands lower so she could grab his ass and haul him closer, if that was even possible. “Fuck me as hard as you want. As deep as you need. I’m not going to break.”

  There was a plea in her voice that shattered his control and made resisting her absolutely futile. Tightening his hold on her shoulders, he stopped thinking and started feeling . . . everything. Starting with the narrow clasp of her sex as he withdrew to just a few inches below the head of his dick, and the welcoming squeeze of muscles as he slammed back in, wringing a gasp of shock from her.

  And from there, he let loose, his hips thrusting and picking up speed until he was driving into her with such power and force he felt her entire body vibrate beneath him every time he pounded into her. The needy, mewling, encouraging sounds she made assured him that she was experiencing all pleasure and no pain.

  “Give me your mouth,” he ordered, but she seemed too delirious to comprehend the command. Tangling the fingers of one of his hands in her hair, he tugged her head back so that her parted lips were offered up to his and her hazy blue eyes stared up at him with a startling display of emotion and desire. Feeling as though he was freefalling into something exciting and scary as hell with no net to catch him, he pushed the sensation aside and claimed her mouth in a greedy, possessive kiss, his tongue thrusting with as much fervor as his bucking hips.

  He ground hard against her clit with each downward stroke into her, until the friction finally had her body quaking and her pussy pulsing hot and tight around his cock as she succumbed to her own orgasmic bliss. Before she had a chance to recover, and while the last reverberations of her release milked his shaft, he threw his head back, groaned, and climaxed long and hard inside her.

  As he gradually came out of his lust-induced fog and glanced down at Peyton’s face, the sated smile she gave him made his heart tighten in his chest, and he wasn’t prepared for the flood of emotions that washed through him. Had anything felt so good or so right as this intimate moment with her? Not in a long time, he realized, and it wasn’t all about the sex and release, but the honest connection between them that he knew from personal experience could crush him if he allowed himself to get too caught up in something that had a definite expiration date.

  As much as he enjoyed everything about Peyton, he didn’t believe for a second that she’d ever stay in San Diego when she loved her life in New York. And he knew better than to ever ask her to give up something that important to her to be with him. He’d learned that lesson with Amanda, and it wasn’t one he was willing to repeat.

  Chapter Eight

  “Hey, nice of you to show up at work.”

  At the snarky comment, Leo glanced up from the contract he had open on his computer screen for a new client Prestige Car Services had acquired, watching as Eric strolled casually into his office. It was Wednesday morning, and the first day Leo had come into the office since agreeing to stand in as Peyton’s boyfriend the previous Saturday, as well as her mother insisting he stay in the guesthouse for the week. Which also meant her parents were more aware of his comings and goings.

  This morning at breakfast he’d brought up his “client meeting,” and Tawny had waved her hand at Leo and told him that she and Peyton would go shopping at the mall and spend some girl time together. Peyton had assured him that she’d be fine and that she’d see him later that afternoon.

  “I’ve been in touch every day and working on my laptop, so don’t give me any shit,” he said to his best friend. Nothing had slipped through the cracks business-wise during his time with Peyton, so he wasn’t about to let Eric bust his chops.

  “That’s the fun part about me being your partner. Having the right to give you as much shit as I want.” Eric grinned and dropped into the chair in front of Leo’s desk. “How’s the whole temporary boyfriend gig going, anyway?”

  “It’s fine,” he said, deliberately keeping his reply vague. He wasn’t about to kiss and tell with Eric and give his friend any ammunition to ridicule him later, once this whole fake relationship was over and Peyton was gone again.

  Leo couldn’t say that he’d hated shacking up with Peyton, and even pretending to be her loyal, affectionate boyfriend in front of her mother and father hadn’t been a hardship. Truth be told . . . he liked her parents and found them easy to be around and talk to. They’d accepted him so completely and he couldn’t deny that he was dealing with a level of guilt over deceiving her mother and father, even if Peyton did plan on orchestrating a fake breakup a few weeks after she returned to New York.

  She hadn’t even left yet, and a part of him was already dreading Sunday and saying goodbye to her. He hadn’t expected to feel so comfortable around Peyton so quickly, and it honestly seemed as though they’d been dating for the past nine months, instead of just a handful of days.

  They just clicked and had more in common than he ever would have thought. They had the same interests in movies, and they both were fans of The Big Bang Theory, which they’d spent the evenings watching and laughing their asses off before Peyton got frisky and shifted his attention to more pleasurable pursuits—which was quickly depleting their stock of condoms. He’d even discovered that they both had a competitive streak when they’d played a game of cards with her parents the night before.

  They’d filled the past three days going to the beach and having lunch there and strolling hand in hand through Seaport Village while adding more real-life selfies of the two of them to her private Facebook page. They’d caught the latest action movie at the theater, where he discovered Peyton’s love of buttered popcorn (who knew someone so tiny could go through a large bucket of the stuff?), and in the afternoon they spent time swimming in her parents’ pool.

  Hanging out with Peyton was relaxing and fun, but his time with her had also given him a glimpse of the dynamic with her parents and just how much Peyton’s mother fussed over her and lamented how much she missed her daughter and wished she lived closer—to the point that it was usually Carson who changed the direction of the conversation when he realized Peyton’s shift in mood as she tried to convince her mother that she was happy in New York.

  “You ready to put a ring on her finger yet?” Eric teased, pulling his thoughts back to the two of them.

  “Ha, ha,” Leo replied, his tone laced with sarcasm. “She’s leaving for New York on Sunday, where she lives, if you’ve forgotten. There is nothing real about this relationship,” he added, wondering who he was really trying to convince.

  Leo changed the subject to the contract opened up in front of him so he could discuss the terms of the deal they’d brokered with an investment firm in Chicago who regularly did business in San Diego and wanted a car service on retainer for their executives. The next hour passed quickly as Eric also brought him up to speed on the low-mileage Mercedes G-Class SUV that that they were seriously considering adding to their fleet of vehicles.

  Once they were caught back up on all business-related items, Eric headed out for a lunch appointment and Leo stayed in the office to return a few calls and go through some applications that had come in for the new driver they were looking to hire.

  The ping of an incoming text on Leo’s cell phone a while later had him glancing at the not
ification on the screen, a part of him hoping that it was a note from Peyton. Instead, he saw his brother Dylan’s name and number and the first line of a message that read, I know you’re busy hooking up with your new girlfriend, but—

  Leo rolled his eyes at that glimpse into Dylan’s text, and in order to see the rest of the tongue-in-cheek comment his brother had sent, he unlocked his phone and tapped on the icon.

  I know you’re busy hooking up with your new girlfriend, but this is just a reminder so you don’t forget. That baby reveal thing at Mom’s tomorrow night for Aiden and Daisy is at seven.

  “Shit,” he muttered beneath his breath, because he had forgotten all about the family dinner that was also when Aiden and Daisy were revealing the gender of their baby, which they didn’t even know yet and would discover along with everyone else when they cut open a cake and saw either pink or blue inside. Leo was genuinely happy for the two of them, and he wouldn’t miss the small, intimate get-together. But that meant figuring out what to tell Peyton’s parents about him being out for the evening tomorrow night without their daughter.

  Before Leo could respond, his phone pinged again, showing another text from Dylan. I already told Mom that you have a plus one, so no need to ditch your girlfriend, because she’s expecting Peyton to be there, too.

  Leo frowned at his phone. Seriously? His brother couldn’t keep his big mouth shut about Peyton? Thanks, you asshole, he typed back, because there was no doubt in Leo’s mind that Dylan had deliberately dropped that bit of news to their mother, who’d been hoping that he’d get back into the dating game after Amanda.

  Did you tell Mom the situation? Leo asked, needing to know what he was walking into and if his mother was aware of what Peyton had done.

  No, she was just so excited that you’re dating someone again that I couldn’t bring myself to burst her bubble and tell her it was all fake. Dylan followed that up with a laughing/crying emoticon.

  You’re such a jerk.

  That’s what little brothers are for. To be a pain in the ass to his siblings.

  Job well done. Leo added a sarcastic clapping emoticon. Does Aiden know the situation with Peyton?

  I haven’t had a chance to tell him yet, but I figure we can have a good laugh over it at your expense when he does find out.

  Yeah, total jerk. Don’t say anything about this temporary arrangement with Peyton. I’ll introduce her as a friend from New York. No sense getting the family all excited about a woman who won’t be around after Sunday.

  You are seriously such a killjoy. But okay. My lips are sealed.

  Leo exhaled a relieved breath as he tapped out his reply. Thank you. Are you bringing Serena? Leo asked of his brother’s lifelong best friend, who was normally his plus one at family get-togethers.

  Of course. She’s excited to be an honorary aunt. Swear to God, she’s got baby fever going on and Aiden getting married and having a kid is just exacerbating it because she’s feeling like her biological clock is ticking and she’s missing out. He added a hilariously laughing emoticon. She needs to get married already, but unfortunately she keeps attracting guys who end up being such assholes and douchebags.

  Leo smirked to himself, because his brother was so obtuse when it came to Serena and the wistful way she looked at him when she thought no one was looking. Maybe you should just marry her.

  Har, har. You’re such a comedian. Marriage, to anyone, is not in my foreseeable future, thankyouverymuch.

  Leo sighed in agreement. You and me both, brother. See you tomorrow night.

  After sending that last text, he stayed a few more hours at the office, then headed back to Peyton’s parents’ place around four in the afternoon. As he walked around the side yard that led to the guesthouse, he saw Peyton reclining on a lounge chair, sunglasses on and her e-reader in her hand. The beauty of living in San Diego was the near constant eighty-degree weather, and clearly she was enjoying basking in the sun.

  And he was enjoying all the smooth, lightly tanned skin on display, he mused as he watched her set her tablet on a side table and take off her sunglasses, then glance his way with a happy smile as he approached her. Instead of wearing the modest one-piece swimsuit she’d worn the past couple of days when they’d hung out at the pool together, today she had on a bikini that accentuated her curves. Little triangles of bright red fabric covered her breasts, matching the material of the bottoms that were held together with ties on each side of her hips.

  Reaching her, he resisted the urge to tug on those strings to release the bows and instead braced his hands on the metal frame of her chair by her head, leaned down, and kissed her hard and deep, bypassing any kind of sweet, seductive tactics. He kissed her like she was really his girlfriend and claiming her soft, lush mouth was his right and privilege. Not that she complained. No, when it came to their physical chemistry, they were always on the same page and perfectly in sync.

  She gasped in surprise at his aggression but instantly yielded to the firm press of his lips against hers, welcoming the dip and swirl of his tongue into her mouth. She grabbed the front of his shirt, twisted the material in her fingers, and tried to pull him closer. He groaned and his dick responded accordingly. As much as he wanted to lay his body over hers and do dirty things to her in that sexy bathing suit, and out of it, her parents were home and could easily come outside any time. He wasn’t keen on getting caught with his pants down with their daughter.

  Knowing he had to stop while he still could, he lifted his head, watching the flutter of her lashes as she opened her eyes and stared up at him with desire darkening her gaze. “Are you trying to tempt me into doing indecent things to you out in your parents’ backyard by flaunting your gorgeous body in this bright red, itty bitty bikini?” he asked in a husky murmur.

  She smiled coyly as she released his shirt, but still touched him by splaying her hand on his chest. “Maybe.”

  “Maybe?” He arched a brow at her impudence. “Well, maybe I ought to turn you over my knee and spank your ass for being so fucking brazen.”

  She laughed, but the blush staining her cheeks told him that she wasn’t opposed to the idea, which he found intriguing.

  “I bought it while I was with my mom shopping today. Couldn’t resist. Apparently, it worked like a charm to get your attention.”

  Still leaning over her, he held her gaze and replied honestly. “Pixie, you don’t need to wear a bikini to get my attention. Trust me, you already have it.”

  As soon as the words were out, he realized just how revealing they were. And the soft, intimate look in her eyes told him that this thing between them was heading in a dangerous direction. Like emotions were getting involved and they were on the cusp of crossing that definitive line when neither one of them could afford to let that happen.

  He sat down on the lounge chair next to hers and shifted the conversation to more mundane things that didn’t threaten the walls he’d built around his heart. “How was your day?” he asked.

  She tipped her head to the side, her expression a little bit sassy. “Pretty damn good.”

  He braced his forearms on his thighs to lean forward and grinned. “Yeah?” The question invited her to share.

  “Well, it started off with not just one but two fantastic orgasms,” she said cheekily, and he agreed that waking up Peyton this morning with his mouth doing sinful things between her legs, along with the sound of her crying out his name as she came, had been a great way to start the day. “And I had a really good time with my mom today, and not once did she bring up how much she missed me and how much she hated me living so far away, so it was a nice, guilt-free day with her. And my most exciting news is that I have a Skype interview on Friday for a designer and stylist position with a fashion house in New York.”

  Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, and Leo desperately tried to ignore that punch-in-the-gut feeling in his stomach that reminded him once again that she was going to leave soon. “That’s great news.”

  “They wanted to int
erview me in person, but when I told them that I was in California until next week, they asked if I could do it by Skype because based on my resume, I’m qualified for the position and exactly what they’re looking for, and they need to hire someone as soon as possible and it’s down to me and another candidate,” she told him, everything coming out in a rush of excitement. “Best part? They’re offering a better salary and benefits than my previous job.”

  She was so giddy, and he was genuinely happy for her, because this was what she wanted. Even if it did leave him feeling conflicted.

  “What about you?” she asked, turning to her side on the recliner so that she was facing him, which also drew his gaze to the way her breasts pressed together and nearly spilled from those little scraps of material. “How was your day at work?”

  “Busy,” he said, clasping his hands between his knees. He was actually nervous about what he wanted to ask her, because this meant introducing her to his family, and the last woman he’d taken home to meet them was Amanda. “And something came up that I forgot about that I have to go to tomorrow night. It’s a gender reveal thing for my brother and his wife, who are having a baby in a few months. It’s at my mother’s house.”

  “Well, we could tell my parents that you have a business dinner with a client,” she suggested before he could invite her along, giving him an excuse for his absence.

  He exhaled a breath. “Actually, I’d like you to go with me.” Her eyes widened in surprise, and he went on. “My idiotic brother Dylan told my mother that I’d be bringing my new girlfriend.”

  “If it makes you feel weird or uncomfortable, I don’t have to go, Leo.” Her voice was soft, her reply giving him an out.

  Weird and uncomfortable were the last words he’d use to describe how he felt with Peyton, and bringing her to his mother’s wouldn’t change that. Being with her felt all kinds of right, and a selfish part of him wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. “I really want you to go with me tomorrow night, and not just because my brother said I’d bring you,” he said, his tone sincere. “I’d like you to meet my family.” Another surprising truth.