Chapter 24 A Big, Hard Problem
A Big, Hard Problem
Eric
The cool night breeze does nothing to calm the fire beneath my skin as we hurry toward the building. After weeks of dancing around each other and a kiss that nearly stopped my heart, we’re finally doing this.
I glance back at Darcy, and the sight of her—cheeks flushed, lips still swollen from my kiss—nearly makes me stumble in the grass.
“Careful, Captain,” she says with an arch glance. “Don’t hurt yourself.”
I tighten my grip on her hand. “Trust me, I’ve never been more motivated to stay injury-free.” Her laughter is low and sexy as we burst through the hotel doors.
Mercifully, the lobby is empty. I give a quick nod to the night clerk, who barely glances up from his computer screen.
Darcy slaps the elevator button, and when the doors slide open, I usher her inside, feeling like a teenager on prom night. The doors close with a soft ping, and we’re alone in the small space, the air electric between us.
I hit the button for the top floor, and as soon as the elevator lurches upward, I can’t wait another second.
I back her against the wall, one hand braced beside her head, the other sliding around her waist. I dip my head and capture her mouth again, kissing her like a starving man.
And Darcy makes a small, desperate sound against my lips that sends a jolt straight to my cock.
This. I’ve been craving this since the moment I read her errant DM. And now we’re really here—my palm skimming down her side, feeling the curve of her waist, the flare of her hip. Reveling in the fact that I can finally touch her the way I need to.
I press closer, pinning her gently to the wall with my hips, unafraid to finally let her feel exactly what she’s been doing to me.
“Eric,” she gasps when we break for air, her hands now tangled in my hair.
“Hmm?” I trail kisses along her jaw, down the column of her throat, breathing in the scent of her perfume mingled with salt air.
“We’re there.”
My head pops up, and I see that the elevator doors are yawning wide open. “Hallelujah.”
With all the gallantry that a desperate man can muster, I steer Darcy out of the elevator and toward the door of her suite.
But when we reach the door, Darcy has trouble unzipping a tiny pocket in her sundress, where she’s stashed her key card.
And after her second unsuccessful attempt, I realize her hands are shaking.
“Hey.” I catch her hand in mine and kiss her palm. “You solid?”
“Yes,” she says breathily. “Promise.”
“If I do anything you don’t like, just holler. I can be… a lot.”
She looks me dead in the eyes. “I’m counting on that, Captain. If we’re doing this reckless thing, let’s do it right.”
Anddddd now I’m impossibly hard.
“Just as soon as I get the damn door open,” she adds, fishing for her pocket again.
But I’m done waiting. So I catch her with one arm under her ass and scoop her up into the air. She lets out a little squeak of surprise. But I’m already aiming the pocket of her dress at the door scanner.
Beep! We’re in.
“Damn,” she says as I storm into the room and deposit her onto the ottoman. She looks up at me, slightly stunned. “Good hustle, Captain.”
I strip off my shirt and kick off my shoes. “That dress is nice, but it would look even better on the floor. Just saying.”
My words are a little brusque. But Darcy doesn’t back down from the challenge. Her hands fly back, and I hear the sweet sound of a zipper lowering just for me. “Is this what you want?” she asks, lowering the dress to reveal a lacy, almost inconsequential strapless bra.
“Hell yes. Wow.” I almost swallow my tongue as I take in the sight of her dusky nipples peeping from behind pink lace. “Fuck.”
My babbling makes her eyes widen slightly. But I can’t seem to control my reaction to her anymore. So I kneel down in front of the ottoman. “Keep going,” I urge, leaning in to kiss her shoulder. And then her collarbone. “There are so many things I need to know about you.”
“Like w-what?” She shivers at my next kiss.
“Do you blush easily?” I ask, kissing her neck.
She tilts her head to give me better access. “You know I do.”
“Everywhere?” I ask. “I’m going to make you blush all over.” Just the idea makes my cock twitch. “And then there’s your red hair…” I mumble, kissing her throat. “I’ve wondered if…”
“Yeah?” she asks before I can even finish the thought. We’re racing along here, like my car. Zero to sixty in five seconds. She’s lying back now, no hesitation.
“Oh yeah.” My voice drops another register as her fingertips brush across my shoulders. “Ever since you sent me that damn text…” I move over her, kissing my way across her chest, pausing to rub my lips over the lacy bra cups. “You’re so fucking pretty.”
She gasps when I tongue her nipple through the lace. I play with her, pebbling her nipples with my thumbs and my tongue, until her breath stutters again. Every reaction cranks me higher. I kiss a trail down her tummy and tug the fabric of the dress down over her hips.
More pink lace comes into view, and I hiss. Fuck. The hottest little V of auburn hair peeps through the lace, making me groan. “Oh yeah. Thank you, Jesus.” I chuck the dress across the room and grasp both of her knees. I part them handily and lean in to brush a kiss across her lace-covered mons.
“Eric,” she gasps, and the muscles in her legs clench needily.
My body was smoldering before she made that sound. Now it’s an open blaze. The way she says my name practically undoes me. I remove one of her sandals and then toss her smooth leg over my shoulder. She hurries to kick off the other shoe and match me on the other side.
With a happy hum, I kiss her inner thigh and run my nose along the lace again, right where it counts. Her fingers thread through my hair, urging me on. But I kiss her body slowly, reining myself in a little longer. I’m eager to unleash myself like a beast, but I make us both wait.
She lifts her hips and lets out an impatient huff, and I slip my thumb beneath the gusset of her panties and pass it over her slicked skin.
“Oh God,” she whispers, her fingers tightening in my hair.
I lower my smile to her pussy and push the panties out of the way, tasting her for the first time.
We both moan. And honestly, if I weren’t so focused on making her scream, I might feel a little stupid right now.
We’ve known each other for years. She’s been right in front of me this whole time.
We’ve traveled the continent together, rolling our luggage politely beside one another in every airport terminal and five-star hotel along the way.
When we could have been doing this.
How stupid am I?
I lift my startled gaze to find her propped up on her elbows, staring back down at me with wonder in her pale eyes. Like she can’t believe this is real, either.
Focus, Tremaine. I grip the panties in both hands and tug them off her body, tossing them aside. “Lose the bra,” I rasp, scrambling to my feet and undoing my belt, too. I shove my shorts and boxers off my body in one quick motion.
The low sound of thunder rumbles outside the building as I face her again, wearing nothing but a very ambitious erection. It might as well wear a billboard advertising how desperate I am for her.
But I’m not ashamed. Not tonight. I’ve already spent too much energy trying to stay in control of my life. Tonight will be different. Raw and real. No strategy, no game plan, just pure instinct.
“Eric,” she whispers, staring up at me. “Come here.”
As if I could resist. I sit on the ottoman and lift her onto my lap, so she can straddle me.
Then we’re enmeshed again, our kisses as deep as a midnight dream.
Skin to skin, both of us with questing hands.
The only sounds are our heavy breathing, the occasional click of teeth, and the first raindrops hitting the windows.
With my tongue in her mouth, I slide a hand down her ass and between her legs, and we both moan at how wet she is. “Need you,” I rumble into her mouth, knowing this is all happening very fast.
Darcy’s energy matches mine, though, beat for beat. There’s a crack of thunder, and our kiss deepens again. Like we both know we shouldn’t slow down and think this through. It’s rare and perfect just like this.
“I need…” I say, but then I kiss her again before I can speak the word condom, even as it dawns on me that I didn’t pack any. And now we have a problem. A big, hard problem.
“The basket,” she pants.
We break apart. “What?”
She dives off my lap and pounces on the stupid gift basket we ransacked earlier. She shakes it upside down and then sifts through the tchotchkes and souvenirs before her hand closes on something small and round. “I knew it. Condoms inside a fancy gold… thing.”
Holy hell. “I take back every negative thing I ever said about the Wedding Experience.”