Sin City Lights (Sin City #1)

Chapter 6

Eve

What kind of car did Adam drive?

Eve couldn’t wait to see. So much could be learned about a person from their choices: cars, clothing, home décor, and even food.

“There he is,”

Adam said.

Well, she’d learn nothing today. She almost laughed, watching Charlie pull up in the red Eleet limo. She couldn’t say she blamed Adam, however, since he still had that monster credit.

“Hello again.”

Charlie smiled, glancing questioningly at the yellow straw beach bag she held. “No luggage?”

Adam shook his head. “All taken care of, Charlie. Just drive us there. By the way, thank you for this. I know you’re off the clock.”

“No problem. For you, sir, anytime.”

Charlie was sincere, she realized. Was there anyone who said no to Adam Larssen?

He was the perfect gentleman, lightly placing his palm on her lower back as she entered the car. Instead of sitting beside her, he eased himself onto the opposite sofa bench. She felt relief but also, oddly, disappointment.

They’d barely gotten settled before his cell began to chime email alerts. He ignored the first one, but the second tone sounded different, eliciting a frown as he pulled the phone out of his pocket.

“I need to answer this,”

he grumbled.

She watched him swiftly tap out a reply, long fingers flying over the lighted screen, jaw tight, lips pressed together. His brow furrowed as he hit send.

Whoa.

She didn’t envy whoever was on the receiving end of that one.

He tossed the phone beside him in obvious annoyance. “Sorry about that.”

“No worries.”

His eyes met hers, full on.

Her heart flipped. It had to be the limo lighting because their sapphire hue seemed darker than she remembered.

His frown had disappeared. His mouth wasn’t smiling, but his eyes definitely were, and in them, she read interest, curiosity, and something else, something so primal that her body instantly reacted, wild tingles shooting everywhere.

Wetting her lips, she looked away and out the window, only to see the Mile High Club slide by.

She glanced at Adam.

He was inside her thoughts again because that smile of his was knowing. “We have time to play five questions.”

“Five questions?”

“Not enough time to play twenty.”

Eve tipped her head. “Is this a get-to-know-you thing?”

“It would help if we are to spend the weekend together. Long version, not just yes or no. We can ask the other fifteen over the weekend.”

She gave him a pointed look. “I guess this is my chance to find out all the info you left blank in your client profile.”

He shrugged. “Privacy is a rare commodity these days. I guard what I can.”

“OK, then, who’s going first?”

“Ladies, always.”

She got distracted by his forearms. Muscular, tanned, and, because he was so blond, the hairs were barely visible. But very visible were the veins. Good grief, the man hardly had any body fat. It was so obvious that he saw the inside of a gym regularly and lifted—

“Eve?”

she heard him say in a bemused voice. He pointed with two fingers. “My eyes are up here.”

Oh…touché.

“Ask away,” he said.

What happened to your wife?

Nope. She needed to go with something far less personal. “Where were you born?”

A wasted question, she belatedly thought. With those looks, the odds were that he came from North Dakota, Minnesota, or thereabouts.

“Alaska.”

Well, she hadn’t seen that one coming. “Alaska?”

He nodded but provided no more information. “You?”

“Nowhere,”

she told him with a wistful little smile.

He arched an eyebrow. “Nowhere?”

“I was born on a ship, in international waters. My birth certificate reads, At Sea.”

Adrift from birth.

She decided to offer a bit more, hoping that he, too, would open up a little. “My mother worked on a cruise ship. She was scheduled to return to the States to have me in a US hospital, but I had other ideas.”

Adam smiled. “You came early?”

She looked at his face to see if he meant that as a double entendre, but his eyes only showed genuine interest.

She nodded. “That’s me. Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable.”

His eyes narrowed. “Except for when you meet with me. Then, it’s late or not at all.”

Oh, he was still upset by that. Why did that give her satisfaction?

She gave him an apologetic look. “That is unusual for me.”

“Eve,”

he said, his voice low, “everything about you is unusual.”

The look he gave her made Eve feel all warm inside. “Your turn. Second question.”

“Do you have siblings?”

“No. You?”

He nodded. “Three. Two brothers and a sister.”

She could only imagine what that family gathering looked like.

“I am the oldest,”

he added with a little smirk.

“Nooooo…”

She couldn’t hide the sarcasm. “Really? I never would have guessed.”

Everything about him spoke of confidence and self-assurance, all with a touch of cockiness. And she could see him being a perfectionist too—the poster child for Firstborn syndrome.

He laughed. “What is your favorite place you’ve traveled?”

“That’s a tie. Dubrovnik and Prague.”

“Putting them on my list. I’ve never been to Croatia or the Czech Republic.”

“You have an aviation company, and you’ve never seen Prague? A shame.”

“Too many fires in the office I have to put out. I take flights as captain only when no one else is available, so I don’t fly as much as I’d like. When I go international, it’s usually to London, Paris, or Rome. Tokyo, occasionally. The usual tourist traps.”

“I could think of worse destinations.”

“True.”

He glanced out the window. “We’re almost there. Next question?”

They reached the airport gate, and Charlie lowered the window to punch a code on an access keypad. With a metallic clunk, the gate doors jerked open and slowly began to part.

The limo rolled across the tarmac, heading toward a big, shiny jet, its royal-blue belly offset by blue and gold striping.

Time for conversing was over, but Adam tossed her one last question.

“What’s your hidden talent?”

Several sprang to mind, and she wanted to try every one of them on him. She shoved those thoughts away, opting for G-rated.

She looked him in the eye. “I can tie a knot in a cherry stem with my tongue.”

?

Eve shouldered her yellow straw beach bag, gripping the stair rail of the sleek Gulfstream G550.

On the tarmac, Adam circled the plane, pausing often, scrutinizing everything from nose to tail. The draft ruffled his hair, and his shirt and pant legs fluttered. So did his tie. She couldn’t understand her never-ending fascination with it and with grabbing it to bring him down to where she wanted him.

She wanted him.

Eve had never been one to lie, least of all to herself. And the truth was, she had wanted Adam from the very first moment he’d picked her up in the dark and carried her to his bed like some modern-day Prince Charming.

The admission scared her to death.

As a little girl, she had watched Disney stories with an open heart, believing in fairy tales and happy endings, convinced that somewhere in this world, a boy was growing up, unaware that he was destined to be hers. Inevitably, he showed up in her daydreams, tall and blond and looking exactly like…

She settled in the wide tan leather seat and looked out the oval window, watching him shake hands with a shorter silver-haired man in a similar uniform, except that he had three gold bars on his epaulets. Adam told him something, and the older man looked up, scanning the windows until he spotted Eve. He nodded and gave her a warm, fatherly smile. She liked him immediately.

An attendant closed the luggage compartment. Adam stopped to acknowledge the man, exchange a few words, and hand him a tip.

The older pilot climbed the stairs and strolled past the service area into the cabin.

“Good mornin’, little lady. I’m Ted Sims.”

She instantly loved his soft smile and lazy drawl.

“Eve Layton. Nice to meet you. You’re from South Carolina?”

“I’ve been accused of that.”

He winked.

“I have a friend who is from there. He talks just like you.”

“Watch out for him.”

Ted’s kind brown eyes twinkled. “Have you flown in one o’ these birds before?”

She nodded. Her clients traveled private, quite a bit. “Never in one as big as this one, though.”

“She’s a beauty, isn’t she? Just took delivery last month. Largest one in the LarsAir fleet, so far. Fastest too. You’re in for a treat.”

Ted went through a safety briefing, also taking her to the lavatory and showing her where she could find drinks and snacks. “There’s no flight attendant today, so feel free to come up to the cockpit if you need anything. Enjoy the flight.”

He picked up a sheaf of papers off the polished mahogany storage cabinet, then headed to the front.

Eve lingered in the aisle and was surveying the long row of crystal glasses in the cabinet when Adam climbed the steps and breezed in. She watched him open a small access door on the polished wood service area panel, revealing a small red switch. He flipped it, and the cabin door smoothly folded in.

He pulled it all the way shut, then pressed a lever to lock it with a metallic click. “We’re good to go. Flight should be around five hours. I had them set up the bed for you in the back in case you’d like to sleep.”

His eyes met hers, and it was clear what he was thinking. “Come, let me show you… It’s right behind that partition.”

It was large for an airplane bed. Crisp white sheets, two fluffy down pillows, blankets with diagonal gold and royal blue stripes and the LarsAir logo in the corner. It was inviting and cozy, and she hadn’t slept in twenty hours. She couldn’t wait to get between those sheets.

His gaze flicked to the shuttered oval window. “They forgot one. These need to be open for takeoff.”

He leaned over the bed to lift the shade. His navy-blue tie dangled, pointing directly to the mattress as if indicating what she should do with him. The impulse to lie down and use that tie to pull him on top of her was almost irresistible.

But resist she had to, and resist she would.

She was a mermaid.

Her body undulated languidly under his hands.

One was at her nape, kneading, while the other slowly moved down her back, the tips of his warm fingers barely grazing her fevered skin. A million sensations fired along her nerves, like mini sparklers.

His fingertips were up and down her arms now, slowly, slowly, barely grazing, and she whimpered, needing a firmer touch.

He took it slow, as if he had all the time in the world to do this. His fingertips glided along her spine, making her jerk violently as they reached her lower back. Around and around at her tailbone he traced, then lower.

One fingertip dragged along her naked backside, just skimming, not invading, until he reached the heat at her entrance.

Everything tingled and pulsed there.

She was drenched.

At long last, he pushed in his finger, going deep. She backed into his hand, whimpering, feeling the overwhelming need for more. He surely knew exactly what she wanted and what to do to drive her wild, but he wasn’t doing it.

She thrummed with want. It overwhelmed her.

He turned his hand, thumb almost there, but still, he didn’t touch her where she desperately needed him.

She wanted to scream her frustration but couldn’t get her throat to make a sound. Her hips began to buck, silently begging for more pressure.

More of him.

Her body was no longer hers.

It was all his.

His fingers left her, making her feel abandoned and bereft. But then, his body was there, right behind her, and he was huge and hard and hot, lifting her hips with his powerful arm, pulling her to her knees.

“Tell me you want me,”

he whispered.

I want you.

She tried to say it but couldn’t speak.

His mouth was at her ear then, his soft lips caressing, his breath coming in harsh pants, fanning her cheek. “Talk to me,”

he whispered hotly.

He held her fast, her body trembling so badly, and he thrust against her thigh once, showing her exactly what she was doing to him.

He wanted her.

I want you.

The words were soundless on her lips.

His arm slid out from under her, and he positioned himself behind her, his large hands on her hips, gripping tight.

She held her breath. Trembled in anticipation.

Waiting.

The feel of him probing and sliding caused such an ache that she thought she’d break apart if he didn’t fill her.

She wanted him to give her that.

Why didn’t he?

She moaned.

“Eve,”

he whispered achingly.

His fingertips gripped her upper arm. Stroking.

Stroking again. Adam and stroking.

“Eve.”

Her name whispered by him again was enough to send her.

She bucked into the mattress wildly, coming and coming and coming, the waves so tall, she barely could crest them.

His hand squeezed her upper arm, fingertips digging hard. He held her as if to guide her through it all, his breath hot in her ear. “ Eve…”

Finally, finally, she stopped convulsing.

Adam was there, pulling her close, rock solid and sure against her back, kissing the top of her head.

“Eve. Wake up. We’re here.”

Her eyelids drifted open.

Adam was behind her, holding her against his solid body, his raging need evident against her lower back.

He was fully clothed.

And she…

Oh my God.

She’d dreamed it all. The only real part had been Adam waking her and saying her name.

And one other thing was real.

The evidence was there, in the telltale, tingling feeling and the tugs still pulling in her lower belly.

Again, she had orgasmed with him, fully dressed, beside her.

Except that this time, she’d done it in her sleep.

?

Adam

The woman was sexual napalm.

He’d never be able to board that plane again without flashbacks of what he’d witnessed.

Adam signed the reception papers, handed over his black Amex for room incidentals, and heard the receptionist speak, but his brain was still on the G550, watching Eve come straight off the bed from only one touch and the sound of his voice.

To say he had been stunned was an understatement.

Had she been dreaming? Jesus. He’d never witnessed, let alone heard of, a woman climaxing in her sleep.

He’d had to go posthaste back to the cockpit and mess with the flight log for far longer than necessary just to be able to emerge from the plane decent for public view.

He glanced behind him. Gorgeous in a bright yellow sundress, Eve sat on the round green velvet ottoman in the middle of the lobby, killer legs together and slanted to the side. Her delicate fingers wrapped around a champagne flute with a fat strawberry parked on the rim. She sipped, looking at newly arriving guests but didn’t seem to see them.

She looked so serious. At least she’d stopped looking embarrassed. He hadn’t known what to say to help with that, so they had spent the ride to the hotel mostly in silence, now and then exchanging pleasantries with their very jolly and talkative limo driver.

How in the hell was he going to comply with her terms of not touching her the way he wanted to this weekend? Never had a woman responded to him as she had, and he needed to explore a little more. See what this attraction to her was because he sure as hell didn’t understand it.

She evoked feelings.

He didn’t do feelings.

Feelings were for people who had time and emotional space, and he had neither. She’d gotten to him somehow, and it would serve him well to have her already, to put an end to this obsession.

“Here you are, Mr. Larssen. You have four keys to your suite. Breakfast is at Seven restaurant, 7:00 to 11:00 a.m. Your information packet contains a map of the property, local restaurant recommendations, and your Wi-Fi password. Your luggage is being brought up, but you must be there to receive it. Do you need an escort to your room?”

An escort.

Adam almost snorted. “Thank you, I’ve got it handled. I stayed in the same suite last time around.”

“Very well, sir, welcome back to the Ritz-Carlton. Enjoy your stay with us.”

“That, I always do. Thank you.”

He took his champagne off the reception counter and downed it in two swallows. His stomach growled, protesting the alcohol on empty. He needed food, a change of clothes, and a shower, not necessarily in that order.

He set down the empty flute, gathered up the key cards and paper packet, and turned, only to see Eve wrap her lips around the huge strawberry. Her cheeks hollowed as she sucked it into her pretty little mouth.

He groaned under his breath.

Christ.

That shower would have to be ice cold.

Eve

The hallway seemed endless.

Clutching her two key cards, Eve walked at Adam’s side, taking two steps for each one of his. They’d passed blue door after blue door and still hadn’t reached their rooms.

He seemed in a hurry, and keeping up was a challenge, but she didn’t ask him to slow down. She wanted to go to her room, take a hot shower, slip into fresh clothes, and get some alone time, away from Adam and his blatant masculinity that made her thrum with what could almost be described as stress.

She felt on edge around him. The man seemed to have no off button, and she just wanted a break. And, no, it wasn’t because all she could think of was that she’d have to see him almost naked at the beach.

She didn’t want to see him naked.

I need you naked.

Her words that first night sounded so clearly in her ears.

She had a good idea of what he looked like underneath his clothes. And that idea becoming reality would be her undoing. Deep down, she knew there would be zero chance of being able to resist him. She had already broken her resolve by letting him kiss her in the hallway at Mile High.

His looks were just the tip of the iceberg, to use a Nordic pun.

She sensed that Adam Larssen was much more than the gorgeous man the whole world saw, and if his inside was anywhere as beautiful as his outside, she was done for.

But no way would a man like him want her for anything than what he’d paid to get. The truth was, she didn’t think she could ever become more to him, given her profession. And if she fell for him, she knew she’d be the one to end up crushed.

At long last, they reached the end of the corridor, and Adam stepped up to double blue doors. The gold plaque read “Sapphire Residential Suite.”

He raised a key card to the electronic lock.

Eve’s eyes widened. She glanced back at the doors they’d left behind. “Which one is mine?”

He smirked. “You’re looking at it.”

She frowned, feeling her cheeks grow hot. “We had an agreement. Two rooms.”

“And I’m fully compliant, Eve. Your room—”

he touched the card to the lock, and it hummed open “—is in this suite.”