CHAPTER FIVE
Not surprisingly, Alli and I battled over my attire. We settled on a peach strapless high low dress, which we agreed was date appropriate but didn’t scream, “Let’s skip dessert.” I repurposed my nude pumps and fluffed my hair nervously in the mirror.
Blake knocked on the door at eight o’clock on the dot. He wore a simple white collared shirt rolled up at the sleeves and dark blue jeans. His normally wayward hair was smoothed carefully to the side, though it rebelled here and there in a way that was still sexy and fashionable. I’d spent the past several hours trying to predict what the night would bring, and now I couldn’t keep my thoughts remotely clean.
After a few moments of shameless ogling, I found his gaze trained on me, a mirrored reflection of raw appreciation. A rush of emotion hit me—butterflies, carnal desire, and an unsettling premonition that I could be getting in way over my head with Blake Landon. The man was sexy, rich, and confident, and my hormones had absolutely no willpower in his presence.
“Hi.” I held onto my clutch like a life preserver.
“Erica.” A hint of a smirk curved his lips.
“Blake!” Alli joined me at the door, giving Blake the once-over. “You guys look so cute!”
“We’re not going to the prom, Alli,” I mumbled, though it felt that way a little bit. Except the hottest boy in school was at my doorstep, and that didn’t seem quite right. Sure, I cleaned up nice and attracted my fair share of hot guys, but I’d taken myself off the market months ago to focus on work. I’d forgotten what it felt like to be physically appreciated like this. In fact, I wasn’t sure if anyone had ever really made me feel like this, and all Blake and I had done was kiss.
Blake offered his arm to me and motioned for our retreat. I hooked mine in his, and he led us down the hall.
“You kids have fun!” Alli called after us.
“I’ll have her home by morning,” Blake said, winking back at her.
I rolled my eyes at the idea.
Once in the elevator, Blake hit the number forty-five, the highest number on the grid, and we began our ascent.
Confused, I asked, “Where are we going?”
“The top floor.”
“What’s up there?”
“Uh, my room, actually.”
My excitement wilted. “Subtle, Blake.” I yanked away and crossed my arms. Perfect gentleman, my foot. God, I’m so na?ve.
Blake laughed. “It’s not what you think. Trust me.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You’ve given me no reason to trust you.”
“I’ve heard that takes time, so maybe there’s hope yet.”
The elevator doors opened and led me to the end of the long hallway where he slid his key to gain entrance to the room. I followed him in, awestruck by the sprawling suite that could only be described as a modest palace.
We walked through an ornate entryway, and before us, a floor-to-ceiling wall of windows showcased the Las Vegas skyline. The sun had set moments earlier behind the silhouette of the barren mountains, imbuing the sky with gradients of gold and amber, while every major landmark on the manmade strip before us mimicked nature’s brilliance. A million little lights brought the night to life in this wild, addictive city.
“I thought this might be a better view than the restaurant,” he said quietly.
“It’s breathtaking.” My eyes scanned the horizon, thrilled by his choice. For the second time today, a giddy excitement bubbled inside me thanks to Blake. Still, I tempered my outward display, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of wowing me so easily.
“I’m glad you think so.” He guided me toward our table for two by the windows.
The two-story suite was draped in luxury and elegance. The motif featured warm washed out tones among a variety of textures, from upholstered mohair walls to cool cream marble surfaces that contrasted with the sleek and tastefully integrated modern electronics.
I coolly catalogued the suite’s amenities until a server delivered a champagne bucket from one of the adjoining rooms.
“Madam?” The server offered up a chilled bottle of Cristal Rosé.
“Please,” I replied.
He expertly filled our flutes to the brim.
“I took the liberty of ordering for us.” Blake tipped his glass to meet mine. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“I’ll let it slide.” In truth, I was relieved. I couldn’t think straight around Blake let alone figure out what kind of food I could eat gracefully in his presence.
“So, tell me more about Erica Hathaway.”
I sighed. Here we go. “What do you want to know?”
“What do you do for fun?” He licked his lips.
My body clenched from my fingertips gripping the chair’s edge to the heated center between my legs. My defenses were wearing dangerously thin around Blake. Why had I ever agreed to this? Well, I hadn’t, but I hadn’t exactly refused either. Regardless, here we were, and thus far everyone was on their best behavior except my libido.
“To be honest, not much, at least lately.”
“So you’re a workaholic?”
“You could say that.”
“Well, we have that in common.” He leaned back into his chair and gazed out into the horizon.
“Oh? It seems like you do well enough these days to take a more relaxed approach to life.”
“My life is hardly a vacation, if that’s what you’re implying.”
“I see no reason why it shouldn’t be.”
“Then I suppose you don’t know me very well.”
“Enlighten me,” I said. “A little bird told me you used to be a hacker.”
Over the rim of my nearly empty champagne flute, a grimace flashed across his face, then disappeared.
“You shouldn’t believe everything you read online.”
“No?”
The server brought our meals, two perfectly cooked rib eye steaks atop a bed of asparagus and sautéed mushrooms. My heart sang for a moment and I thanked the server, who disappeared as quickly as he’d arrived, leaving us alone once more.
Famished from the intense day, I ate, enjoying each divine bite. “You aren’t interested in sharing your life story, I take it?”
He paused before answering, intently focused on his meal and avoiding eye contact. “You’ve read the cliff notes already. What more is there to tell?”
“How else will I know how to become insanely successful unless you tell me all your secrets?” I searched his eyes, wishing he would tell me more, something I couldn’t find online.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I developed banking software, sold it, and now I invest in other, mostly successful, ventures to kill time. Satisfied?”
“Not really,” I said truthfully.
“So how involved is Alli in your business?”
I wanted to know more about Blake’s infamous history, but I decided to circle back to it later since it seemed to be a touchy subject, and he hadn’t really started grinding my gears yet.
“She was my inspiration for the site actually. After three years I think I’ve finally completed my fashion education with her, even though she still insists on dressing me half the time. Anyway, now she does our marketing. She’s responsible for making the connections that have resulted in most of our paid accounts.”
“You said her involvement was dependent on financing though.”
“Alli’s parents are expecting her to get a job that pays more than we do, so she doesn’t have much choice until we get financing or grow more quickly. She’s been interviewing in New York, so I imagine that’s where she’ll end up eventually if things don’t work out here.”
“How are you financing the site right now?”
“Honestly?”
“You’re not pitching me. I’m just curious.”
“We supplement the site income with my inheritance, which, thanks to all this wonderful education, is finally dwindling.”
“I’m sure you’re not the first one to leverage your personal finances to follow a dream.”
The champagne warmed me, a welcome relaxation in the presence of someone who had a habit of winding me up. He was being surprisingly sweet, though. At least when we weren’t talking about him.
When we finished, Blake tossed his napkin on the table and topped off our glasses, emptying the pricey bottle of pink bubbly. He grabbed his glass, stood, and reached for my hand. Tentatively, I accepted it, and he led us to the bright white leather couches on the other end of the expansive main area. I sat, and he took a seat next to me, sliding his knee alongside my leg to face me.
“So you’ve graduated and now you’re talking to Max. What’s next?”
“That’s the million dollar question.”
“Or the two million dollar question, in this case,” he said.
“Right. I don’t exactly know. I have to move out of the dorms next week, so I suppose I have to figure out my next move pretty quick.”
“You strike me as someone who will make it work, one way or the other.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, fingering my dangle earring before dropping his hand onto the back of the couch.
My breathing quickened, and I felt certain he noticed.
“What do you want to do tonight?” he asked quietly, his gaze traveling over me.
As if the gauge of his stare had direct control over my body temperature, I flushed, my skin becoming unbearably heated. I wasn’t so na?ve to believe that the night wouldn’t end in Blake’s bed, but I was losing the battle a little faster than I’d planned to. I’d wanted other men before and had them. Detached and focused on the physical, I could almost always keep things on my own terms. But nothing about being with Blake felt detached now.
“How about another drink?”
He hesitated. “Sure, but if you can’t walk by the end of the night, I’d rather that be because of me.”
Oh God. The visions that his words invoked overtook my better judgment.
“How about a tour?” I said, barely able to utter the words.
“Of Las Vegas?” He raised his eyebrows.
I laughed. “How about we start with the suite.”
“Is that what you want?”
Something shifted in the air between us. My smile slipped when I saw the hunger burning in his eyes. My need to have his hands and mouth on me had become singular and overpowering, and I cared less about the repercussions of acting on that need with each passing moment.
I nodded silently and stood with him. Without delay he threaded my hand with his and guided us one by one through the massage rooms, butler pantries, and guest bathrooms as obscene as the price he must be paying for this place.
We wandered up a gold-railed staircase to the second floor and into the master bedroom, another corner room with floor-to-ceiling windows. He stopped at the doorway and I left him, walking to the edge of the room.
“I could get used to this view.”
“Me too,” he murmured.
He was close enough to touch me now, but he didn’t, playing this gentleman promise out to a maddening degree. In this tense middle ground, I waited for him, wanting him to set things in motion, but with each passing second the tension and the sexual energy between us became increasingly palpable.
I let out the breath I had been holding in. F*ck it.
Emboldened by the champagne, I found the sheer hem of my dress, collected the layers in a bunch. I pulled it over my head, leaving me bare-chested, clad only in my panties, heels, and liquid confidence. The glass cast back my reflection, and Blake came into view behind me. The heat of his body radiated onto mine, my skin already aflame, as much from my own self-consciousness as my growing desire.
He touched me then, his thumb blazing a trail down my spine, to the waistline of my panties. He skirted the edge of the lace to my side where he seized my hip in a firm grasp, pulling us together suddenly. My breath hitched at the sudden contact, panic laced with desire.
My head rolled back onto his shoulder, and I could feel desire winning. His lips began a path of sweet torment, tasting and nibbling my over-sensitive skin from my ear down my shoulder. One hand flexed at my hip while the other caught my breast. My flesh overflowed from his grasp, and my nipple hardened under his touch. My body was on fire for him. My senses inflamed, lust coursed through me until I was nearly blind with need.
“Tell me what you want, Erica.”
My mind rambled a string of silent pleas. I arched slightly, feeling his hard length straining against his jeans and into my backside. I covered his hands with my own. He stilled, releasing me so I could turn.
I stood and faced him, shameless and weak under his gaze. Now solidly green, his eyes smoldered, melting me from the inside out. Our bodies barely touched, and I ran a hand down his chest, slowing above his belt. God, he felt amazing, hard and warm. I lifted on my toes and pressed a shaky kiss to his lips, my mouth opening to his. He kissed me back eagerly but otherwise held back. His body tensed with restraint, barely reined in.
“I want you, Blake,” I whispered.
My knees weakened a little. He caught me up to him, stealing my breath with a kiss, urgent and warm. Reveling in the velvet strokes of his tongue, I blindly made my way down the buttons of his shirt, the hard curves of his abdomen tense beneath my fingers. I reached for the button of his jeans and unhooked it.
“I want this too.” I smirked.
Blake’s eyes widened a fraction. I gave his bottom lip a playful bite before kissing my way down his torso. His olive skin stretched tight over his muscles. Crisp light brown hairs dusted across his chest and down the center of his well-defined abs.
On my knees, I stared up at him. He was all I’d imagined and so much more. A prime specimen of a man. Beautiful. I traced the impressive outline of his cock before tugging his jeans and boxer briefs down just enough to release him. When he sprang free, I held him in my hands. His flesh was hot on my own, burning with primal need. He sucked in a sharp breath as I circled him gently.
I was wet with anticipation, but as much as I ached for him, I needed to taste him first, to own him. I started shallow and soft, taking him farther and with more pressure until he cursed, driving his fingers through his hair. I pumped him with my hand while the other lay flat on his stomach, moving in time with his labored breaths.
“Erica, Christ. Come here, wait—”
He became inexorably harder, thicker. After a few deep strokes that hit the back of my throat, he cursed again, and I knew he was close.
Before I could finish him off, he hauled me to my feet looking like he’d past the limits of his control.
“My turn,” he said, his voice so raspy and raw, it almost sounded like a threat. He scooped me up into his arms and effortlessly tossed me onto the bed.
Blake stripped me of my lace panties and set his hands on my knees, coaxing them apart. I relaxed and he opened me, exposing me to him completely. Embarrassed and emboldened at once, I felt my cheeks heat.
He lowered to me and the sensation of his mouth between my legs overwhelmed everything. I whimpered.
Sweet Jesus, he had a gifted mouth.
He tongued my wet, quivering sex with the expert skill that he’d used on my mouth, flicking and taunting and sucking.
He moaned, vibrating my * as he sucked me. My walls clenched deliciously and I clutched at the silken fabrics beneath us. The energy in my core climbed with an alarming speed.
“You taste so good, baby.”
The feeling of his breath on the sensitive tissues followed by the determined strokes of his tongue over the tight bundle of nerves pushed me over the edge. My mind left me and I came hard, letting the orgasm ripple through me.
My breathing was ragged as I tried to regain my senses. Under heavy eyelids, I watched him undress fully before me. Despite my very recent orgasm, my desire for Blake had barely waned. I ached for him, to have him inside, finishing what we’d begun.
Blake climbed onto the bed, and I panted softly, scorchingly aware of Blake’s approach. His cock bobbed gently, long, broad, and hard as stone. He rolled on a condom and the thick tight muscles of his thighs parted my legs around him. I hitched my leg high over his hip and arched, urging him into me eagerly.
He grasped me by the hip and stilled my effort. We were barely connected, the head of his penis notched at my entrance.
I whimpered his name, desperate for him. He bent to find my mouth, and our tastes mingled with the heady scent of my arousal. The act seemed too intimate, too raw under the circumstances, but heightened my already blinding need for him.
I struggled against his grasp, wild to have all of him. He loosened his hold and he pushed inside me. I uttered a small cry into his mouth, shocked at how completely he filled me. I relished the deliciousness of the sensation. Nothing felt more right than the achingly slow drive of his body into mine. My body stretched to accommodate him, and the bite of his entry soon gave way to a deeper hunger.
He moved in deliberate and measured strokes, filling me and holding back with painstaking pauses, rotating satisfaction with an impossible longing, each movement bringing me closer to the edge. The promise of release beckoned, but he kept me wanting more. He drove me crazy with need while he took my mouth in slow, deep kisses.
“Blake, please.” My voice cracked.
“Trust me,” he whispered into my ear.
He slowed his pace until I thought I would die of frustration. Then without warning, he grabbed my ass and drove hard into me. By the second punishing thrust I found my voice, though I barely recognized it when I screamed. Relentlessly he claimed new depths of my body, giving me everything I had damn near begged him for. And I took it all.
“Oh my God, Blake.” A storm raged inside of me, my body responding uncontrollably to his. I gripped his hair by the root and clung to him.
My climax pulsed through me. I clenched around him, my whole body shuddering as he became impossibly bigger, pounding out his own release in time with mine.
He collapsed onto his elbows above me, brushing soft kisses over my cheek and neck while my arms and legs tangled around him. Gradually our breathing slowed, our bodies cooled, and we returned to ourselves.
I sighed. “I didn’t know.”
He smiled and kissed me. “Know what?”
“That…it could be like that.”
His smile faded and his lips parted slightly as he ran his thumb over the curve of my cheekbone. My chest ached at his closeness and the wonder I thought I saw in his half-lidded eyes.
He gave me a chaste kiss and pulled away. He stood and disappeared into the en suite bathroom. I got a little thrill worshipping the back of him, his ass perfectly sculpted like every other delicious inch of him. Everything about Blake had become too much, an onslaught to my senses, a train barreling through my better judgment.
And I was loving every minute of it.