Riches and Romance (1001 Dark Nights)

Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Nina looked out over the beautifully decorated lanai and wished she was in a good place with JT because this island was seriously romantic. But they weren’t here for romance. He was holding court with a group from his leadership team and she’d spent the last few hours trying to get to a mental place where she could be cool and collected. It had been a full day since she’d learned he’d lied to her, and she wished that knowledge made him even a little bit less attractive. He was dressed in slacks and a white button-down sans tie for this welcome cocktail party. Before they’d come down, she’d been forced to watch him walk around without a shirt on as he’d listened to Deanna go over a seemingly endless list of notes she’d made concerning the cocktail party they were about to attend. JT’s assistant hadn’t cared that they’d been running late and he needed to get dressed. She’d simply followed him around the big suite while he’d changed and stood outside the bathroom door when he’d needed some privacy.

Now Deanna was the one standing beside him, a glass of wine in her hand because Nina couldn’t make herself do her damn job.

“I give it a month and the English chick is back in London,” a woman said to her right.

Nina went still. There was a large potted palm tree between her and whoever was talking. It concealed her and allowed her to listen in.

“I don’t know. I think she’s pretty,” another feminine voice said. “She actually reminds me a little of Ava Malone.”

“Only because she’s British,” the first woman argued. “She definitely doesn’t have Ava’s instincts. If someone like Deanna got her claws into David Malone, Ava would have sent her packing long ago. I don’t know what’s happening, but I suspect Deanna will get rid of the Brit in no time at all.”

Unfortunately, she wouldn’t have a chance to set Deanna straight because in a couple of days she would be back on a plane to the States, and on another one to England not long after that. She didn’t have a reason to stay behind.

“Would you like a drink, Ms. Banks?”

She heard a sharp gasp and turned. The gasp had come from the gossiping women while the question was from someone who should have known better. The CIA operative named Drake stood in front of her, dressed in his server’s uniform, a tray of drinks in his hand.

Even as she could hear the women moving away, she sent Drake a look to let him know she didn’t appreciate the interference. But she could use a drink. “Yes, I’ll take a martini. Gin. Up with a twist.”

It looked like she would need it.

He frowned and tipped his tray her way. “But I have pina coladas.”

“Then you’re useless to me.” She glanced back and JT was busy listening to an older man talk about the best golf courses. All three of their suspects were in the room, and it didn’t look like they would be going anywhere. She could take a moment to check in with her team.

She strode toward the back of the large room to the big bar where Sandra Croft was mixing drinks. Luckily, everyone in the group seemed to be busy with their conversations. There were waiters winding through the party with drinks and appetizers, and no one was sitting at the bar. Sandra looked up from her blender and smiled Nina’s way, sliding a martini glass in front of her.

They were alone with a good fifty feet between them and the party, so she hopped onto a barstool. “Thank god. I was worried I would have to drink those overly sweet things.”

Sandra gave a prefilled container a nice shake and poured the drink over the twist of lemon that completed Nina’s favorite cocktail. “I know what you like. I also know that you and the mister don’t appear to be getting along.”

“Yeah, I noticed that, too.” Drake had followed her though he still had a tray full of pina coladas he’d been offering the guests. “I thought you were supposed to be engaged.”

“And I thought you were supposed to be discreet,” she shot back. “I was listening to that conversation.” She looked to Sandra. “They were gossiping about my chances of surviving Deanna.”

“Oh, I think they would be surprised at what you could do to that one.” Sandra went to work pouring out some more drinks. “Though I think they’re wrong about the assistant. I’ve been watching her all night. I don’t think she’s into JT. I think she’s into her job, but not her boss. She doesn’t look at him that way.”

“There’s a way to look at someone?” Nina asked.

“Yes,” Sandra said with a chuckle. “It’s this look of complete longing and desire. If you want to know what it looks like, I’ve got a mirror for you.”

Nina rolled her eyes and took a long drink. “You’ve been talking to Taggart.”

Drake frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Talking. Conversing. It’s when two or more people exchange words,” Sandra said. “In this case it was on a conference call. Hutch was there, too. That boy can eat. I thought he kept that candy on his desk because he wanted the kids to like him. I don’t blame him. Tag’s twins can be mean and bribery works with them, but he can pack away the sweets.”

Drake raised a brow. “I was asking what you meant by Nina’s got a look of longing. Because she better not be longing for the billionaire. Not in real life. Is that why you’re not over there doing your job? You know they’re all gossiping about why you and your fiancé have been so distant.”

“She’s been here for all of four hours,” Sandra shot back. “Leave her alone. Do you know who isn’t doing his job right now? It’s you. People won’t wonder why the new girl is sitting in the back talking to the bartender, but they might wonder why the new girl, the bartender, and some random waiter are having a meeting. Go, little boy. Serve drinks.”

Drake’s jaw tightened, but he picked up his tray. “I’m not joking, Blunt. Don’t fuck this up with feelings.”

Sandra shook her head. “He’s a little asshole, but I’ll get him in line in the end. Now tell Auntie Sandra what went wrong with the billionaire. Was he bad in bed? Because I wouldn’t be surprised. That boy is so pretty he doesn’t have to be good in bed. I’m working on that with Drake, too. Pretty boys need to try harder.”

“He’s incredible in bed,” she replied before Sandra’s words really sank in. “Wait. What? You’re sleeping with the…” She lowered her voice. “You’re sleeping with your young coworker?”

What she wasn’t saying was you’re sleeping with the CIA guy who could turn out to be truly dangerous . And also happened to be young enough to be her son.

Sandra shrugged. “There’s actually not a lot to do here, and Hutch and I decided it would be an excellent way to keep track of him. One of us had to do it and Hutch was surprisingly whiny about his personal sexual preferences. So I took one for the team. Why? You want him? Because he’s not great at oral yet.”

She choked on her gin but managed to get it down. Working with Sandra was always full of surprises. “No. You should keep that going. It’s obviously working since he’s out peddling pina coladas and we’ve got a chance to talk. Is everything in place?”

“Of course it is,” Sandra replied. “Hutch is watching us right now. He says hi and he wants to know why you broke it off with the hottie, too. He’s in my ear, but he’s also got eyes on us.”

So Hutch had taken over the security system. She’d noted the multiple cameras that covered the resort. She’d also made sure their suite with one bloody bed was bug free. “How does Hutch feel about the rest of the staff?”

“He ran reports on everyone working at the resort. They’re all solid, almost all local,” Sandra said. “With the exception of a couple from the mainland, but they’ve all been here for six months or more. I feel comfortable the other side doesn’t have any plants on staff. Now stop evading the question.”

She should have known Sandra would be a bit like a hound who’d caught a scent. She wasn’t about to let it go. “We have a difference of opinion. We ran into a spot of trouble, and we didn’t agree on how to handle it. He tried to call off the mission.”

“Ah, so shit got real and he got scared. I’m going to assume it was fear for you because he’s a man and he doesn’t understand that we can shoot guns, too.”

“I don’t think it’s the shooting part that he minds, but he does seem to take exception to my getting shot,” Nina explained. “Apparently he finds my job distressing.”

Sandra’s eyes rolled. “And he broke it off with you over that?”

He hadn’t exactly broken things off. He’d tried to talk to her. It had been a lucky thing for her that they hadn’t been alone on the private jet or she wasn’t sure what would have happened since every time the man looked at her she threatened to melt. “No. He tried to stop the mission or leave me out of it. I broke it off with him.”

“But you’re here so you obviously won that fight. Why break it off with him? Unless he’s a sore loser. I kind of thought you were into him.”

“I was. I still am.” Nina glanced back over her shoulder and he was nodding at something Jordy was saying. Deanna stood at his side, yawning as though she was bored as hell. “But he lied to me. He knew who I was and pretended not to because he knew I wouldn’t sleep with him if I’d known we were going to work together.”

“But you probably would have,” Sandra pointed out.

“No, I wouldn’t.” She’d thought about this all night long. She’d sat up in her lonely bed and wondered if she would have been able to resist him if he’d decided to seduce her. Would she have turned down those lips on hers? Told him she didn’t want those big hands on her body? Perhaps not, but the choice had been taken away from her and the choice was the whole point.

Sandra shifted and looked around her. “You sure about that because he’s pretty hot.”

She didn’t need to go there. Deflection was her friend, and the truth was she needed to do her job. “Do we have any information on our pickup man?”

Sandra looked like she wanted to argue but she merely sighed and moved on. “We know he’s on the island.” She glanced to her right, nodding. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

Greg Hutchins eased behind the bar. He was carrying a tool kit. He was not much older than Drake, but somehow he seemed more mature. There was a calmness about the man they called Hutch that she found soothing. “I need to move the camera over the bar. It’s not getting the coverage I want. I thought I could bring our friend up to speed while I work. No one should question it since it’s my actual job.”

Sandra went to work on another batch of pina coladas. “Anything new?”

He went up on his toes and started playing around with the small camera that covered this section of the bar. “Yeah, he’s definitely here on the island. Our spy came in on a fake passport. He flew from Seoul, but we think he was in North Korea last week. I got off the phone with Tag a few minutes ago and he’s found some interesting tidbits in the world of banking. Looks like the assistant recently took out a five-thousand-dollar loan, and yet that money isn’t in her account. She’s either got a secret one we haven’t found yet or she made a big purchase in cash.”

“Or she hired someone for a job they don’t want on the books.” Like running them down the night before.

“That’s what I was thinking,” Hutch said. “But I also know the other two have some very complex monetary situations. They’re both old money, and old business money at that. I’m going to have our forensic accountant take a look at it, but I think we’re going to ID our suspect in person before we track them down financially. I’m taking the late shift the next couple of days and if I see anything, I’ll give you a call. Sandra and I are in constant contact, and we can’t seem to ditch the kid.”

“Apparently Sandra’s giving him lessons,” she replied wryly.

Hutch frowned Sandra’s way. “That was her choice. I tried to tell her I could plant some bugs he’ll never find, but she chose to go this way. You know he’s young enough to be your son.”

Sandra rolled her eyes. “My daughter is way older than Drake. You have to get them young, Nina. You’re right to dump that pretty boy. He’s what? Thirty-two? You know what they say about old dogs. My little puppy there is learning lots of new tricks.”

Drake set his tray down. “Tricks? What new…” He flushed. “Seriously? I didn’t think we were going to talk about that. Like that’s private.”

“Not if I get you in a club it won’t be. I think you’ll like a little humiliation play.” Sandra replenished his supply of fruity cocktails.

“I will not,” he said in a way that made Nina think he might. He picked up his tray and turned. “People are talking, Ms. Blunt. And they’re watching you.”

Then it was time to go. She picked up her martini and turned, bumping into a mass of muscle.

“Hey, I think we’re about to go in to dinner.” JT loomed over her. “We should probably sit together.”

“You should definitely sit together,” Drake said under his breath before he stalked off.

“He’s a handful, but look at that tight little ass,” Sandra said with a sigh.

JT’s eyes widened.

Nina found she couldn’t hold out on him. She’d hated not talking to him all day. She’d gotten used to their friendship, to the easy way they seemed to fit together.

It was only a few more days. She could survive being close to him. She slid her arm through his. “Come on. Take me to dinner where your assistant will shoot daggers my way, and later on I’ll tell you all about Sandra and her May-December romance.”

“I’m not that old,” Sandra groused. “May-October, maybe…”

“I’m going to need that story,” JT said, his free hand coming up to cover hers. His voice went low. “But he’s right. I do think people are talking about us. I think I’ve come up with a way to stop them.”

“Holding hands should help.”

“Or we could give them something else to talk about. I mean, that’s kind of our job, right? I’m supposed to distract them so you don’t seem threatening in any way, so they think you’re only here because I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving you behind.” He’d stopped right at the edge of the crowd and she found herself being turned from his side until she was standing right in front of him, looking up into the greenest eyes she’d ever seen.

All day she’d managed to keep some distance between them, but she was now reminded of how much chemistry they had. Her body didn’t care that he’d lied to her, that he’d tried to get her kicked off her own op. Her body only remembered what it felt like to be skin to skin with him.

His hands came up, cupping the sides of her face. “It’s for the mission.”

She found herself nodding. Yep. For the mission.

He lowered his head and his lips were on hers.

The whole world seemed to drop off, and all that mattered was the heat that flashed through her. His fingers wound in her hair and she felt surrounded by him. He turned the kiss deep and utterly carnal, his tongue surging into her mouth and coaxing hers to dance.

One of his hands moved down her back to her waist, pulling her in even closer so she could feel the hard planes of his chest against her breasts, crushing her deliciously to him.

He kissed her one last time and then whispered. “That should do it. I think if I kiss you like that a few more times, there won’t be any doubt as to how much I want you, how much I am unwilling to give you up. For anything.”

He moved to her side again, and there was a lazy smile on his face as Deanna stood staring at them, one hand on her hip.

“If you’re done, we should go in to dinner,” she said, her irritation plain.

“Oh, I’m not done. Not even close.” He brought Nina’s hand up to his lips. “But I’ll behave for now.”

His fingers tangled with hers and he started toward the dining room.

She suddenly had the unnerving feeling he wasn’t talking about the mission at all.

She took a deep breath because if JT had decided to fight dirty, she wasn’t sure she could win.

It was all about sex. That was how he would get to her.

Dinner had flown by. He was sure it had all been delicious, but it hadn’t mattered. It could have been undressed kale salad with a bit of dirt clinging to it for all he’d tasted the food. All he’d been able to think about was her, but then that was pretty much his whole life right now. Nina twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

He wasn’t sure how he would get through the next few days without making a complete fool of himself since everyone could tell how crazy he was about her.

And everyone could easily see she wasn’t that into him.

“I think dinner went well,” Nina said, emerging from the smaller of the bathrooms. She’d taken it over before he could convince her to stay in the master bedroom.

“Did it?” He hadn’t gotten ready for bed. He’d walked in, wanting to talk to her only to have her disappear, but that was what she’d been doing since the moment she’d found out about his lie.

She hadn’t walked away because he’d acted like an ass about her job. She’d walked because he’d lied to her.

She’d brushed out her hair and taken off her makeup. She was gorgeous with makeup, and she was gorgeous without it. He was rapidly discovering he liked every single version of the woman in front of him. He wanted her whether she was wearing a sexy cocktail dress or the cotton pajama bottoms and tank top she had on now.

“I learned a little more about our suspects, though I don’t think at this point it matters,” Nina said, keeping a careful distance. “Hutch is staying up and he’ll be monitoring the security feed. Sandra is monitoring Drake since they’re worried the tech might disappear if we let him roam.”

“Can’t have free-range operatives,” he murmured. He’d thought about this all day, thought about how to reach her. “I hated today.”

She flushed, her skin going a sweet pink that let him know she wasn’t cold even under her chilly exterior. “I’m sorry. It should be over soon. The North Korean operative is on the island. I’m fairly certain this won’t take the whole week. Then we can be done.”

That was what he wanted to avoid. “I didn’t hate working with you. I hated not being close to you. I hated the fact that you’re frowning and it’s my fault.”

“It’s certainly not your fault.”

“Nina, I lied to you. I thought it didn’t mean anything at the time, and I’m going to be honest. I still don’t fully understand why it hurt you so much, but I want to. I want to understand everything about you so I don’t ever hurt you again.”

She seemed to suddenly find the floor endlessly interesting. “You won’t hurt me again.”

“Because you won’t give me another chance?” There seemed to only be silence between them. “I didn’t say this before but I’m sorry. Whether or not you’re willing to give me a chance, I am so sorry I hurt you. You’re important to me. Your happiness is important to me and the fact that I was the cause of your unhappiness is killing me.”

Her eyes came up, searching his. “Why?”

He would give her nothing but honesty from here on out. No matter how vulnerable it made him. “Because I’m pretty damn sure I’m falling in love with you. I think you’re the one for me and I think I’ll be lonely for the rest of my life if I’m not with you. It’s funny. I was lonely for a long time after Mike went into the Navy. I was used to him being close. He was always there. Since the moment we were conceived, my brother was next to me. I hate the fact that I didn’t see he needed so much more. I’m worried I’m making the same mistake with you.”

“I wouldn’t say I need more. I merely believe…I don’t think this can work between us.”

“Why?” he asked, desperate for the answer. “If you don’t want me, I will back off. It will kill me, but I don’t want to be that guy who tries to force his way into a woman’s life. But if it’s something else, I think we should talk about it.”

She hesitated for a moment. “It’s too much, too fast.”

“What should it be? How much time do you need because I’ll give it to you.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know that we can go back,” she admitted.

He couldn’t let her go. Not without one last try. “But sometimes things happen fast. We can’t shove them to the side because they didn’t happen on some timetable.”

“I’m going home to England when this job is done. I can’t…I can’t give up my career and let you pay for everything. It’s funny because I literally read these books all the time where that’s the happily ever after, but I’ve realized it’s not for me.” Before he could object, she held out a hand. She moved to the couch farthest from him and sank down. “I know you haven’t asked me to do that, but I think that’s what it will come down to. You’ll want me to travel with you. You’ll want me to host your dinners and do much of what I did tonight. I think I would lose myself in that kind of life.”

He hated the hollowness in her tone. “Okay, so we take a step back. You go home to England and maybe we talk. We slow things down.”

She stared at the glass doors that led to the balcony. “I don’t think we can go back. Tonight proved that. When you kissed me, I forgot every reason I was angry with you. None of it mattered.”

Frustration welled up inside him. “I don’t see how that’s a bad thing. I think it proves we can work.”

“It proves that I can’t think straight when I’m around you.” She turned his way. “I don’t know that I’ll be able to stay away from you.”

“I don’t want you to.” He moved to the sofa she was sitting on. “I’m not demanding that you stay here. I’m telling you I’m willing to take anything you give me. I’m willing to slow down and I’ll force myself to only call you once a week.”

“But I don’t think I’ll be able to leave if I give in.”

That was exactly how he wanted it. He moved in closer to her, letting his hand move over hers. If he could just get her in his arms, maybe all her doubt would be eased. Maybe what he really needed to do was take control. “Nina, you have the choice, but I think you’re stuck in an analysis loop. I think you want something that you can’t ask for.”

She looked down at the place where his hand covered hers, but she didn’t move away. “I don’t think I should ask for it at all. I think I should walk away, but I can’t make myself do it.”

He leaned in. “All you have to do is tell me no. Tell me to stop and I’ll sleep on the couch tonight.”

There was such longing in her eyes as she looked up at him. “This won’t solve any of our problems.”

He thought she was wrong about that. He believed if he could get her in bed, he could remind her of all the ways he could take care of her. It went past sex. He could make her feel loved and secure. He could show her that he would put her first.

It was a startling revelation that he’d finally found a relationship that came before his familial responsibilities, beyond the company he’d devoted his life to. If he pursued this thing with Nina, he might still have a passion for his job, but she would be first in his soul.

It should have scared him. In some ways it did. He’d lost a lot of people he’d loved, but he also knew that if he closed himself off, he would never have this warmth in his heart, never have this certainty that this woman made him feel complete in a way he never would if she walked away. He would always take this chance.

“Let’s take one night at a time,” he cajoled.

“I’m going to leave at the end of this job. I have to.” But she’d turned and her whole body seemed to have softened as though she was giving in even as she said the words. “I have to.”

He intended to show her she could be his and not lose herself. “Like I said, I’ll take whatever you will give me.”

“Liar. You’ll take everything.” Her hands came up and she drew his head down. “The question is will I let you.”

His lips touched hers and he didn’t care about anything but the feel of her in his arms. She was soft and sweet and she’d gone gloriously submissive.

They’d talked a lot about play, but he’d never spanked her. He kissed her long and deep, and then pulled back and hauled her over his knee.

A shudder went through her. “Yes. God, yes.”

It had been a long, rough day, and she needed an excuse to let out all that tension.

He needed this, too. Needed it like he needed air to breathe.

He dragged the pajama pants down, exposing her round, perfect ass. He let his hand run over the globes, loving how soft her skin was, anticipating how pretty it would be when it had a nice sheen of pink. “I’m going to give you fifty. Will that be enough?”

“If it’s not I’ll beg you for more.”

He would love to hear her beg, but he wouldn’t deny her. “Your safe word is a simple no, but I won’t make you say it. I’ll give you what you need.”

He placed his left hand on the small of her back and brought his right hand up and down in a short arc that sent a loud smack through the room, followed by the sweet sound of her moan as she held on to him.

“That’s exactly what I need. Please, JT.”

This was what they both needed. To be together. To connect in a unique way that spoke to them both. He let instinct lead him, counting in his head as he lovingly smacked her ass over and over. He was careful, peppering the smacks across her skin, trying not to miss a single inch.

He slowed as he approached fifty. His whole body was ready for sex, but he didn’t want this to end. The minute they were done, she would go back to being wary. He needed to make this last so they had time together, time to change her mind.

He stroked the flesh he’d slapped, feeling the heat trapped in her skin as she sighed and rubbed her cheek against his leg.

He let his hand ease between her legs and found the warmth of arousal he’d hoped to find there. Her pussy was slick and ready. He stroked her there, drawing out even more arousal. The spanking had done its job. It had relaxed her and gotten her ready for sex, but he wasn’t ready to stop playing yet. Her legs were still trapped in the pajama bottoms, but he could find what he needed.

He caressed his way over her pussy, parting the labia and massaging the silky skin there. He slipped a single finger inside, fucking her gently.

“Oh god,” Nina said, her breath picking up again.

“I missed you last night. I missed you like crazy.” He hadn’t known he could miss someone when they were physically with him, but he’d felt every moment of the distance between them like they were miles.

“I missed you, too. I’ve gotten used to sleeping with you,” she admitted.

He’d gotten used to waking up with his arms wound around her, her hair tickling his chest. She seemed to like to sleep with her head on his chest. He would wake up and just lie there until she stirred.

He continued to stroke inside her with his middle finger while he let the pad of his thumb find her clitoris. Like the rest of her pussy, it was ripe and ready, her spanking having prepped her for pleasure. Every soft moan that came from her let him know he was hitting all the right spots.

His cock pulsed, but he ignored it, concentrating everything he had on her. It would be his moment soon enough.

Her whole body stiffened and released as a fresh rush of arousal coated his fingers. She went limp over his lap.

He hated the thought of waking up without her, of spending a single day without her voice in his ear, her body in his arms.

She eased off his lap and managed to get to shaky feet. He worried for a moment that she would step away from him, but she merely kicked off the PJ pants and dragged the tank over her head, revealing the body he was crazy about. He took in her graceful curves and the way her nipples puckered.

“Tell me what you want from me,” she said, her voice thick with some unnamed emotion.

Everything. He wanted her heart and soul, but she wasn’t ready to give them to him, might never be ready for that. “You. Only you.”

She shook her head. “Play with me, JT. It’s all I can do now.”

He heard the weariness in her voice and felt it in his soul. If that was all she could give him, then he would take it. “What do I want? I want you on your knees. I want my cock in your mouth. I want you to suck me until I tell you to stop and then I want you to ride me until I can’t fuck you anymore.”

He would worry about the rest tomorrow. Tonight he would let everything go. He would be with her. They had days on this island. He would be patient and win her over the same way he’d done it in the first place—by showing her how he felt, by binding her in pleasure and intimacy.

He stood up and had her in his arms in an instant, easily hauling her up.

Her arms went around his neck as he carried her to the bedroom. “No one’s ever carried me before.”

He would do it every day. Her feet didn’t need to hit the floor.

“Except emergency services, but I don’t think that should count,” she said in a dreamy voice.

He did not need to hear that, but he wasn’t letting fear rule him. Besides, everything Big Tag and Alex had said to him he’d taken to heart. “That doesn’t count in any way.”

“Well, the nice lads who took me to hospital certainly didn’t do that first part,” she said on a sigh. “And I didn’t want to see either of them naked.”

That was also a good thing. He set her on her feet and dragged his shirt over his head. Her hand came up and touched his chest. His breath caught at the feel of her hand on his skin. It trailed down his chest to the buckle of his belt.

She dropped to her knees in front of him. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to get this cock in my mouth?”

He’d held her off because he’d wanted to give to her, but perhaps that had been a mistake. He sucked in a breath as she carefully unzipped his slacks and dragged them down his thighs. He’d taken off his shoes and socks when they’d gotten back to the room, so it was easy for her to toss his slacks aside.

Yes, it had been a mistake to not let her give to him. There was an eager look in her eyes that sparked his own need further. When she pulled down his boxers, his cock sprang free, hard and wanting everything she could offer him.

“Touch me.” He growled out the command, satisfied with how she immediately obeyed, her hand reaching for his cock and gripping him. “Yes, that’s exactly what I want. Stroke me.”

She did as he requested, her eyes on him. Her hand moved up and down his cock. He was hard, but the feel of her soft skin grasping him made him even harder.

“Lick me.”

Her lips curled up as though she knew that despite the fact she was on her knees, she was the one with all the power here. It was the beauty of the exchange. They both got what they needed. He got to pretend he had control and she got to understand exactly how much he wanted her. Needed her.

Her tongue came out and swiped across the head of his cock, sending heat flashing through his body. He watched as she sucked him between her lips lightly. It was a teasing caress. She settled back on her knees and drew him in again. His dick disappeared behind her lips, sinking into the silken heat of her mouth. She found a rhythm that threatened to send him over the edge. She pulled at him, giving him the barest scrape of her teeth. The tiny pain lit him up and he fisted her hair, gently guiding her on and off his cock.

He let her continue until the heat got to be far too much, until he could feel his balls draw up and prepare to shoot off. He wasn’t doing that in her mouth. He wanted the hot clasp of her pussy.

He tugged on her hair and stepped back, grabbing the condoms he’d put in his bag in a burst of optimism. With shaking hands, he rolled one over his cock and then moved back to her, offering to help her up. The minute she was on her feet, he pulled her into his arms and set his lips on hers. He didn’t play around. He immediately coaxed her mouth open and let his tongue surge in as he turned and moved her toward the bed.

They crashed down, their bodies molding together like they’d been made for each other. He felt the soft mattress as he settled against it.

He kissed her again and then let his head fall back. “I told you what I want. Don’t make me spank you again.”

Like that would happen. He wouldn’t have the patience to start over, but he didn’t want to stop the play.

She smiled like she knew what had just gone through his head. She kissed his jaw and then straightened up, straddling his hips. He could feel the heat of her pussy right where he needed it. “I believe you told me to ride you until you couldn’t fuck me a second longer.”

She rolled her hips and he hissed as pleasure swamped his every sense. She moved over him, rubbing against him and making him groan in a mix of frustration and bliss.

“Stop teasing me,” he managed to growl. Maybe he could spank her. And then fuck her senseless.

She shifted and he was right where he wanted to be. She lowered herself onto his cock, inch by glorious inch.

He let his hands find her hips, helping to guide her up and down. He slammed up, thrusting deep inside her and watching her as she moved over him with sensual grace. She was the single sexiest woman he’d ever seen, and it was about so much more than her gorgeous face and body. There was a glow about her that drew him in again and again.

She shuddered above him and let out the sweetest moan.

It was his turn. He flipped her onto her back and took complete control. She wrapped those long legs around his waist as he slammed into her. It wasn’t more than a few hard thrusts before he was careening over the edge, his whole body alive with pleasure.

He dropped down, letting her have his full weight. She merely wound her arms around him and held him tight.

They lay that way for the longest time, unwilling to break the connection.