5
HE GOT A speeding ticket. He didn’t care.
Chris had turned the truck around and made it from one end of the city to the other in just under twenty minutes. Chris careened into the parking garage of the Fieldcrest Hotel, tossed his keys to the valet, jogged toward the elevator then turned back for his parking stub, before taking the stairs two at a time to reach the lobby.
Once there, he took a minute to catch his breath. Jeez, you’d think he’d never been on a date before. He wanted Jade under him, over him, any and every way he could have her. But she didn’t have to know all that the second they met again. Chris walked across the marble tiled lobby to the Hearthstone Pub. His gaze immediately picked her out of the crowd.
She sat at the bar, her hair upswept and her ankles crossed. But there was nothing prim about the way she looked. Metallic threads in the gold sweater she wore caught the low light. The deep cut neckline teased him with a hint of cleavage and her black silk pants flowed along her legs like water.
Amid the noise and hum of voices, Jade seemed utterly prepossessed, sitting patiently on the bar stool and ignoring everyone around her. Chris walked up and brushed a hand along her shoulder, both in greeting and for the pure pleasure of touching her. She didn’t even startle, as if it never occurred to her that anyone else might touch her.
Jade looked up at him and smiled. “Hi, again.”
“Hello yourself. Can I buy you a drink?”
She considered it for a second then nodded. “Sure.”
Chris looked at the bartender. “A draft beer for me and the lady will have…?”
“Maybe a shot of tequila, I think.”
He chuckled at the contradiction of her decisive tone and uncertain words. “Really? I would have guessed you were a white wine drinker.”
Jade gave him an enigmatic smile. “I’m trying new things.”
“All right. Then go for the best. Two shots of Cuervo 1800 Gold, please, and a glass of ice water.”
They sat in a surprisingly comfortable silence, not touching and yet hyper-aware of each other. Chris was perceptive to the heat from her body, the scent of her skin and the hint of uncertainty in her eyes even though she kept them averted. She glanced at her hands then around the bar, looking everywhere except at him. Jade seemed less confident than she’d been at their first encounter and he wondered what had happened.
Practicing what he preached to his clients, Chris set out to put her at ease. “I’m glad you called. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”
She finally looked up and the heat of her gaze seared him. “You’ve been on my mind as well. Last night was…hard to forget.”
He laughed, having noticed where her eyes had focused.
The bartender set two small glasses, a shallow dish of salt and a bowl of limes in front of them. Chris paid the tab then stopped Jade from reaching for a lime wedge. “This is premium quality tequila, aged to be much smoother. So we don’t need the taste killers.”
“If you say so.” She tipped her head, lifted her glass and touched the rim to his.
Watching her with veiled amusement, he knocked back the shot and began silently counting. One, two…He didn’t wait long. Jade’s eyes widened then started to tear as she dropped her shot glass on the bar top and gasped for breath. He handed over the ice water and grinned.
After several sips, the bright color in her cheeks receded and she was able to talk. “Smooth, huh?”
“I spent a wild drinking weekend in Tijuana back in college. Trust me, this is smooth.” Chris shook his head when the bartender gestured for another round, thinking she’d probably opt for a different drink next time. “Do you still want to try something new?”
Jade dropped her gaze again, a slight frown between her brows, and didn’t answer. She toyed with her shot glass, rotating it between her palms one way and then the other. Her expression fascinated him. Despite her sexual confidence and provocative outfit, her long dark lashes couldn’t shield her insecurity.
It would seem that the exotic temptress had an unexpected conservative side.
Chris stroked his fingers along her arm before offering her an out. “You said on the phone you were hungry. We could have a light dinner at the place across the lobby.” He angled his head in the direction of Shrewsbury’s. “Or would you rather go somewhere else?”
Just when he figured they’d be going to the restaurant, she raised her head and he watched her draw a deep breath. She looked right into him and in her gaze he saw both hesitation and longing; caution and white hot desire.
Whoa. Apparently he’d misinterpreted her expression. Jade was definitely a bad girl trying hard to be good—and failing.
“I’d rather go upstairs.”
His stomach clenched, as did other parts of his body, but he didn’t let his reaction show. He just nodded slowly, playing it cool. “Okay—”
“But first we need to talk.”
Chris reached out to take her hand. Her fingers were warm within his grasp and once again he felt sparks of attraction travel along his nerves. “I’m not seeing anyone right now but, when I was, I was careful.”
“Thanks for answering what I couldn’t ask.” Jade smiled at him and relaxed a little. “But the other thing we need to talk about is what you expect of…this?”
He knew better than to put up boundaries at this early stage, thereby limiting what could be. This was exactly what he cautioned his clients against. Hadn’t he recently chastised Grant about only wanting to get laid? But since she was being honest, he would be, too.
“I recently ended a relationship and I’m not looking to get into another one.”
The rest of the tension in her shoulders released along with her breath. “Great. And since there’s obviously a strong attraction between us, I thought maybe…”
“Maybe we could have some fun, just enjoy each other?”
She laid her other hand on his thigh. “And you’re okay with that, right?”
“More than okay. I told you last night I wanted you and I’ve only wanted you more in the past twenty-odd hours.”
“I want you, too, Chris. More than I expected. But what I don’t want are any…complications. Can you handle the idea of just mutual satisfaction, no promise of anything more?”
He allowed a slow grin to spread over his face. “Are you propositioning me, Jade?”
She raised their joined hands and brushed her dark pink lips across the back of his, all the while holding his gaze. “Absolutely.”
He leaned forward on his bar stool and cupped her cheek in his palm. He brushed his mouth over hers until she parted her lips and returned the kiss. He explored her mouth slowly, thoroughly seducing her in public without getting them arrested. Finally, he moved back.
“I’ll go and see if there are any rooms—”
Jade stopped him with the lightest touch on his arm. “I took the liberty of making a reservation after we hung up earlier.”
He grinned at her forthright expression. “You figured I was a sure thing, huh?”
“I’d hoped you might be.”
Chris stood up and held out his hand. “You were right.”
SHE WAS ABOUT to have a one-night stand.
The elevator doors slid shut without a sound and yet Rei heard a definite slam in her mind. Was she really going to have sex with a man she’d just met and still didn’t really know? This went beyond dirty dancing and fondling in dark corners. Slowly, the elevator began its ascent, moving her inexorably toward the point of no return.
The electronic room card burned in her hand. Of course Chris would be a gentleman about it if she said she’d changed her mind. When she glanced up at him, he was already looking at her. He didn’t speak or touch her, but simply held her gaze in the same quietly passionate way he had at the club. Then he slowly smiled.
Seeing it should have paralyzed her with self-doubt. Oddly though his smile had the opposite effect. In that instant, her insecurity vanished. She wanted this, she wanted him, and gladly threw out the imaginary key that would keep her real persona locked away. She chose “Jade” over “Rei” tonight. Jade the confident seductress. The bad girl.
Acting on pure impulse, she turned and threw herself into his arms. When he bent down and pulled her closer, she traced the edge of his lip with her tongue before sliding inside to explore his mouth. The tequila tasted better on his lips than in the glass.
Her hands fisted in the soft material of his shirt as she deepened the kiss. He pulled the clip from her hair, allowing it to tumble down her back before threading his fingers through the long strands. Holding the back of her head, he thrust his tongue in and out of her mouth. It was a blatant promise of things to come.
Slanting her mouth over his, she tugged his shirt out of the waistband of his jeans then slid one hand beneath the cotton fabric. Her fingers brushed over the light dusting of hair on his belly. He groaned against her lips when her hand grazed his left nipple and it beaded in response.
Cupping his hands over her butt, he held her against his rock hard erection, leaving no doubt as to how much he wanted her. Her entire body came alive and the rush of pleasure almost brought her to her knees. Not a bad idea, actually.
Omigod! Had she actually just contemplated…? Rei broke the kiss, her breath ragged. “How much further?”
Chris chuckled softly. “All the way, just as soon as we get to the room.”
“Until then, go stand over there.” She pushed him with a lighthearted shove.
He did as she asked, crossing his arms and resting his back against the wall, but his green eyes glowed with mischief. She felt his stare practically burning holes in her clothing as he swept his gaze up and down her body. The look was thrilling and not without challenge.
Chris grinned and dropped one hand to the waistband of his jeans. He held her gaze then looked down as he leisurely slid his hand lower. She followed the movement then caught her breath. Her eyes widened at the sight of his large hand cupping his zipper even as her belly clenched in pure lust.
But two could play that game. Rei’s usual pre-sex anxiety had been stifled by the bravado of her new persona. Feeling bold, she parted her mouth and deliberately traced her index finger across her lower lip. Watching his expression, she glided her fingers along her chest and beneath the edge of her sweater to circle the side of her breast. Her nipple hardened at the touch and as she watched his lips part, she longed to feel his mouth on her flesh.
His eyes darkened and her pulse fluttered in primal recognition. She tensed, awaiting the moment when he claimed her and suddenly liking the idea of going at it right on the carpet. If she was going to be daring, she might as well find out how far she could go. Chris seemed to have the same idea. He’d just pushed away from the wall when the elevator dinged. They had reached their floor.
“Saved by the bell, lady.”
The sigh that escaped her was more frustration than relief. “I thought it signaled the beginning of the first round.”
Chris laughed and took her hand as they counted room numbers along the corridor. “The first one, huh? Your confidence will either inspire me or kill me.”
“Don’t worry.” She slid him a flirtatious glance. “I know how to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.”
“Want to test your skills, just to make sure?”
Chris tugged her to a stop in front of their room, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. His lips pressed down on hers then his tongue slipped between them. She kissed him deeply, desperately, wordlessly expressing how much she wanted him.
Her whole body was throbbing when she finally managed to shove the electronic card in the slot and open the door. Chris stumbled inside with her, his mouth still sealed to hers, then lifted her against the wall and held her there while they kissed some more. Oh man.
The need for him was so great she trembled as she pushed at his shoulders and gasped for breath. He set her down and backed away, stripping off his jacket as he moved into the room. Rei followed, tossing her coat and purse into the closet and kicking off her shoes.
By the time they stood together in the center of the room, she had stepped out of her satin pants and he was barefoot as well as gloriously bare-chested. The faint golden light from the doorway illuminated the ridges of muscle along his torso as he held out his arms.
In the time it took for her heart to beat, she was back in Chris’s embrace. Giving in to a tactile impulse, she stroked both across his broad chest then up over his wide shoulders. Hot velvet skin stretched over hard lean muscle, the kind that spoke of active fitness instead of a gym membership.
He devoured her lips. His kiss was hungry, deliberate and thorough. Rei melted against him, letting him take whatever he wanted. She wanted him to be in control, to make her experience sex like she’d never had before and love every second of it.
Her hands slid around to the smooth skin of his lower back while his roamed underneath her sweater to fondle her left breast. She’d never been happier that her small size had allowed her to go braless. The difference in their heights hindered them, though, so without breaking contact, Chris guided them toward the end of the bed.
He fell back so that she landed on top of him and Rei wriggled up his big body to capture his lips again. She thrust her tongue deeper into his mouth while his hands groped her bottom and thighs. The hard bulge of his erection pressed against her hip and she moaned at the thought of having him inside of her.
He tugged her sweater over her head and cast it aside to expose her breasts. Lifting his head, he took her sensitive flesh into the heat of his mouth and sending a bolt of desire through her body. Rei braced her arms on the bed and gasped, her breathing as quick as her heartbeat.
His right hand slid under the edge of her panties and between her legs, making her moan aloud. Damp heat flooded his fingers as he wiggled them inside of her. Then his thumb circled her *oris as he’d done before, setting off a series of clenching ripples that had her straining for release.
When his hand stilled, it took a second to realize she wasn’t going to get what she needed. Dazed with lust, Rei smothered a groan of frustration. “What’s wrong?”
In the faint light, his expression looked sheepish. “Uh, we need to stop. In my rush to get here, I didn’t have a chance to take care of things.”
He wanted to stop? What for…? Oh.
“It’s okay. I have protection in my purse.”
Chris grinned at her. “You really did think I was a sure thing, didn’t you?”
She shrugged while returning his smile. “I was feeling unusually confident when I called you, so…”
“So, hurry up and get that condom.”
Rei rolled off the bed and scrambled for her handbag. Within seconds, she’d returned to the bed and tossed several strips of foil packages onto the comforter. Chris looked at her, then at the dozen condoms and back at her.
“Your confidence is going to kill me for sure.”
She laughed lightly at the irony. Actually confidence—a lack of fear and a sense of daring—was going to save her. “What a way to go, huh?”
Rei hooked her panties with her thumbs and yanked them down her hips. She tossed them over her shoulder and flopped onto the bed while Chris shed his trousers and underwear. She heard a tearing sound as he opened a condom wrapper. Then he was beside her again, the heat of his large body raising her already soaring temperature.
He nuzzled his mouth over her right breast, alternating wet kisses and greedy suckles, as he positioned himself between her legs. The hard length of his rigid penis prodded her most tender flesh. She shivered in response, in anticipation and need. But just when she thought—hell, she hoped—he would pin her to the bed and ravish her, she felt him tense.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have been so rough.”
His mouth had been near the crescent-shaped scar on the underside of her breast. Now she tensed as well, the sexual mood in danger of breaking. Damn it, she didn’t want to have to explain and suffer his pity. “I don’t want you to be sorry. I want…” To be treated like she was normal and healthy.
“What, Jade?”
Hearing the name was all it took to give her the courage to say something she’d never dared to before. “I want hard, fast, furious, mind blowing sex.”
Even in the dim light she saw the bright gleam of his smile. “Whatever the lady wants.”
All rational thought vanished in the haze of lust along with any insecurity or self-consciousness. Rei opened herself to him, hooking her ankle over his calf and giving him freer access to her center. The tension in the muscles of his arms and back were her only warning before he pushed himself into her tight, wet passage.
She gasped, arching her hips as her body adjusted to his thickness and length…. And then he moved. Oh how he moved, plunging and withdrawing at a deliberate pace set to slowly drive her crazy.
When he levered himself onto his elbows, she raised her head to watch. It was incredibly erotic to both see and feel his thick shaft as their bodies joined and separated. He pulled back, inch by inch, then slowly squeezed forward again, making her shudder with the fulfillment of it.
She let her mind shut down and instead listened to her body telling her what it needed. And right now it, she, needed everything that Chris was doing to her. Again she experienced the first wondrous aching in her belly. Chris must have felt it also because he quickened his pace, increasing the glorious grinding pleasure.
Wrapping her legs tightly around his thighs, her hands clutched at the sweat slick muscles of his back. She barely recognized her own voice. “More, Chris. I want more.”
He didn’t need her encouragement. Slipping his hands beneath her hips, Chris drove into her, each stroke stimulating her more than the last. Feeling wild and wanton, she reveled in the hard, fast thrusts. She’d never felt so out of control and she loved the freedom of it. Her body was on fire, her vaginal muscles clenching around his pulsating shaft.
He filled her again and again as she writhed beneath him, urging him on with breathless moans and restless hands. The pleasure became so intense that her climax was all but ripped out of her. He pistoned his hips, driving heavily into her heat. Her body clenched around him as a guttural moan ripped from his throat, and he exploded inside her.
Breathing hard, Chris dropped his head to the mattress but carefully supported his weight on his arms. Rei lay beneath him with her eyes closed, her body languid but her mind racing. Wow, the saying was true, she never knew sex could be like that. When she’d decided to seduce a stranger, she hadn’t anticipated how it would make her feel.
Desirable, powerful and, oh, so sexy. With Chris, she’d been able to ask for and get exactly what she wanted, without a single worry about what he thought of her. In fact it had been incredibly liberating to let him take her while she simply let herself enjoy the experience.
But she’d felt something else as well, an unexpected connection. Why had this man been able to satisfy her, more than satisfy her, in ways that none of her past lovers ever had? Why did she feel as though she could relax and trust him when logic deemed it entirely too soon?
And what happened now? It would be a mistake to let down her guard, to allow this encounter to be anything but physical. She had no idea what she would be facing in the coming weeks. But she knew from past experience that she couldn’t expect him to stick around.
CHRIS DIDN’T usually indulge in casual sex, but he might just have to change his mind on the subject. Something about Jade’s asking for “fast, furious and mindless” had freed his more primal urges. He’d wanted not only to protect and pleasure, but also to dominate and impress.
Beside him, she whispered softly, “Wow, I never knew it could be like that.”
He grinned at the ceiling. She sounded pretty impressed. He turned his head to press a kiss to her temple. “A lot depends on the chemistry you have with your partner.”
“I guess I’ve never had the right partner before.”
She leaned over to trace the edges of his mouth with her tongue. He parted his lips, inviting her to go deeper, but she seemed content to slide her mouth slowly across his. He gently nibbled on her plump lower lip until finally she thrust her tongue forward and explored his mouth.
She shifted on top of him, brushing her soft lips over his neck, making him quake as desire burned along his nerve endings. The universe narrowed to the places where their bodies made contact. He felt the heat of her skin against his, the rasp of her pebbled nipples on his chest and the rough silk of her pubic hair brushing his belly.
There was no way he was ready, not yet anyway. But, oh man, the way she was wiggling felt good. He’d just have to slow her down so he could recover and then—she’d moved down to take his left nipple into her hot mouth. The wet tugging sensation sent a bolt of lust right to his groin.
Her tongue blazed a hot, wet trail from his chest, along his abdomen and down to his groin. She eased lower, nipping his belly, licking his thigh and finally darting her tongue over his cock. He dragged in a breath, gasping at the shock of that wickedly intimate kiss.
“So, Chris, when do we start round two?”
He was fully erect and more than aroused. He closed his eyes briefly, lost in the sensations her touch elicited. Then he felt her mouth gently sucking the tender flesh in the crease of his hips and discovered a new erogenous zone.
“Right now.”
He pulled her roughly into his embrace and claimed her mouth, kissing her long and hard, a kiss she returned with equal enthusiasm. Pressing his body to hers, he rubbed one thigh in between her legs, stroking her. He breathed in the musky scent of her desire as he felt the dewy soft folds of her labia against his skin.
Already he was rock hard. He hadn’t thought it was possible so soon after the last time. Reaching out blindly, he grabbed another condom off the strip without losing contact with her lush mouth. As soon as he’d protected them, Jade got to her knees and swung one leg over to straddle him.
A slow ragged sigh escaped her throat as she sank down onto his rigid shaft. Flexing his hips, he slipped easily inside, burying himself to the hilt. He thrust into her, slowly, deliberately. She rocked her pelvis back and forth to increase the friction until he couldn’t distinguish his moans from hers.
Then, arching her back, Jade braced both hands on his thighs, changing the angle of penetration. He grunted as the new position increased the pressure on his cock and intensified the pleasure. She tossed her head back and laughed, but her laughter quickly turned into squeals when he pressed his thumb to her *oris.
The erotic massage to her most sensitive core sent her into a frenzy. Chris lay beneath her, sweat drenched and grinning while she rode him like a thoroughbred at Bay Meadows racetrack. He felt the change inside her, felt her body tighten around his shaft, and he increased the pace.
She continued to ride him and he rode the storm of mind-blowing sensations as she came hard, and then came again. Pushing deeper, pumping harder, he called out a moment later and shuddered over the edge of his own release.
His heart thundered in his chest and he lay beneath Jade’s glistening body, gasping for breath. Her skin smelled of flowers and satisfaction. Exhausted and spent, Chris wrapped one arm around her waist and gently rolling her off him. Tucking a pillow under her head, he kissed Jade’s love-swollen mouth then dragged the comforter over them.
Yep. There was definitely something to be said for finding the right partner.
HE MUST HAVE drifted off because he awoke to hear the jangle of a key ring. Chris opened his eyes. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed the sun was barely approaching the horizon. Then he turned over to see Rei fully dressed and pulling on her coat.
So, this was it. Whatever they had started was already ending. It shouldn’t have bothered him.
“You’re leaving?”
His sleep-roughened voice seemed to startle her. Poised beneath the entryway light, he saw the resolve in her expression. “Yeah, I am. Why don’t you get some more sleep? Check out isn’t until eleven o’clock.”
“Why don’t you come back to bed and not sleep at all?” He tried to keep it light but his chest tightened at the thought of her walking out. “Were you even going to say goodbye?”
She dropped her gaze and at least had the decency to look embarrassed. “I have to…I’ve got to go.”
Pushing the covers aside, he swung his legs off the bed. “If you’ll hang on a minute, I’ll get my clothes and buy you an early breakfast.”
“Thanks, but no.” She moved closer to the door.
As he approached her, he saw her eyes roam over his naked body and seized on the attraction between them. “Listen, I know this was probably supposed to be a one-time deal. But it doesn’t have to be.”
She shook her head before he’d even finished the offer. “We agreed, Chris. So I don’t think we should plan on dating.”
“No, not dating. More like…seeing each other.” He kept his hands at his sides with an effort. He wanted to touch her, to connect somehow, but didn’t think she’d welcome it. “We don’t have to make any promises, just be open to the possibilities and in the meantime have some good, safe fun.”
The corners of her mouth lifted in an odd smile. “What makes you think this is safe?”
“The lack of illusion and the absence of commitment. We can simply enjoy each others’ company, explore our desires and take our time deciding about the rest.”
He caught the sudden anguish in her expression before Jade reached for the handle and turned away. “Thank you for a wonderful night. I’ll never forget it.”
Chris grabbed the edge of the door, careful to keep his naked body out of view. “Wait, I don’t have your number. How—”
“I’ll call you.” She threw a quick smile over her shoulder and slipped through the opening.
“Jade—”
Chris raked both hands through his hair and sighed.
She was gone.