26. Ro
Chapter 26
Ro
I let myself into the penthouse.
The lights were on low and there was no sign of Tessa. I’d fended off the headache, mostly thanks to Tessa’s talented mouth. I’d spent the rest of the afternoon smiling, even as I’d had to endure a few more meetings. I was glad I hadn’t charged on with more work. If she hadn’t forced me to stop, I wouldn’t have.
Work had become a habit. Maybe an unhealthy one. I was self-aware enough to know I was fueled by my feelings for my father.
No, I was not thinking of that man tonight.
I dropped my laptop bag on the table.
“You’re home.” Tessa appeared, smiling.
Several things hit me at once. She looked beautiful. She was wearing a casual navy dress with a floral print. It had a V-neck, was nipped in at the waist, with long gauzy sleeves, and a swishy skirt to her knees. Her feet were bare, and I could see newly painted toenails in bright red. Her dark hair was in one of those messy buns women must know make a man want to yank it out.
Mostly, I realized how much I liked this. Coming home to her at the end of the workday. Having someone waiting for me.
She wound her arms around me, and I hauled her close and kissed her.
“How did everything go?” she asked.
“The deal is signed, sealed, and delivered.”
She smiled. “Congratulations, Mr. Langston.”
“Thanks.” I didn’t quite feel the burst of happiness and satisfaction that I’d anticipated, but I was happy.
“Watch out, Maldives,” she said. “There’s a hot new hotel on the horizon. We should celebrate. Go and change into something more comfortable.”
I arched a brow.
“That wasn’t code for anything, Langston. Change. We’re eating in tonight. It’s all arranged, but I need to get us a bottle of celebratory champagne.” She headed over to the well-stocked bar as I pulled my tie off.
I saw her nab a bottle of Dom Perignon and two champagne flutes. “I’ll meet you on the roof.” She darted off toward the stairs.
The penthouse had a private rooftop terrace. I guessed we were eating in the open air. In the bedroom, I changed into a pair of black lounge pants and a dark green Henley. I saw Tessa’s clothes hanging in the closet beside mine and one of her cardigans tossed over the back of a chair. In the bathroom, there were pots and bottles and makeup littered across the vanity.
In the past, I’d never wanted anyone, especially a woman, in my space. But now…
I shook my head and made my way up to the roof.
When I stepped outside, I stilled.
The sun was setting, lighting the mountains to the west in brilliant orange and pink. A fire was crackling in the fire pit. Next to it was a large, comfy outdoor chair. Not far from that, a table for two was set up and loaded with plates, candles flickering in the center of it. Tessa stood beside it and waved a hand.
“Dinner is served.”
“You organized all this?”
“It wasn’t hard.” She sat. “The staff here are excellent. And they sprang into action. Very efficient and clearly experienced.”
I moved over to her and tipped her head back. This kiss was long and slow.
When I was done with her, I liked that her eyes were glazed.
“Dinner will get cold,” she said, her voice breathy.
I sat across from her, liking the way the candlelight danced across her features. “Give me the champagne.”
She pulled the bottle from the ice bucket. I popped the cork and poured the golden liquid into two glasses.
She lifted hers and sipped, glancing over to watch the last of the sunset. “I love Windward. I’m a small-town girl at heart, but I can sure appreciate how the other half live.” She held up her glass and I clinked mine against it.
I knew she’d never leave Windward. She was rooted there, with people who loved her. It held sad memories for her, but it also held love and happiness. I’d never felt connected to any place before, so it wasn’t a feeling I understood, but I still felt a little envious.
She made my glitzy life seem…a little empty.
“Congratulations on your new acquisition, Ro. I know how hard you worked for it.”
“Thanks.”
“Let’s eat.”
We ate the excellent meal, and I enjoyed Tessa’s assessment of the Langston Denver. She’d also taken numerous notes for the future spa upgrade at the Langston Windward.
Then I saw her shiver. I realized that now that the sun had gone down, drenching Denver in nighttime, the temperature had dropped.
“Come here.” I rose and held out my hand. “Let’s sit by the fire.”
She took my hand and fluttered her eyelashes. “But there’s only one chair.”
I dropped into it. “Guess we’ll have to share.” I pulled her onto my lap.
She snuggled into me. She smelled like jasmine, lime, and other pretty, mysterious smells.
There was a basket of throw blankets resting beside the chair and I pulled one over us. The terrace was situated so it was as private as possible. There was metal latticework on either side, covered in vines, which gave us privacy from the neighboring buildings.
She pressed a kiss to the side of my neck. “I’m glad you asked me to come on this trip.”
I touched her hair. “Me too. I especially liked getting seduced in my office while on a call.”
She shot me an unrepentant grin.
I stroked a hand up her leg. “I’ve been wanting to test how smooth your skin is all day.”
She shivered. I caressed her calf, behind her knee, her thigh. My hand disappeared under the skirt of her dress.
She sucked in a deep breath. “It makes sense for the CEO…” I toyed with the edge of her panties and her breath hitched “… to want to check the quality of the work at his hotel.”
I stroked her over the lace and felt her dampen for me. My beautiful, responsive Tessa. “You’re very soft. And very smooth.”
As I stroked her, she pressed her head back against my shoulder, her hips shifting restlessly.
I kept the blanket over us, and hooked a finger in her panties and dragged them down her legs.
“ Ro …”
I loved hearing the need in her voice.
The need for me.
Her hand slid around my neck, her fingers biting into my skin. Her ass moved urgently on my lap.
I turned my head and claimed her mouth. I let her take the lead—her tongue in my mouth, thrusting deep, claiming me.
Groaning, I fought the urge to strip her naked and sink into her. My cock was throbbing painfully. A part of me was conscious that we were outside. I’d grown up with the press taking too much interest in my life. I’d seen pictures of my father in compromising positions that had made me want to bleach my eyes. I’d never put Tessa in that kind of situation.
I glanced around again. The terrace was private, but I wasn’t putting her on display. The blanket was staying firmly in place.
She squirmed, her hips moving in circles, grinding on my fingers and cock.
So damn hot and sexy.
I stroked her, then slid two fingers inside her. She gasped against my mouth.
“Is all this wet for me?”
“Yes,” she panted.
My mouth moved over hers and I kept playing with her pussy. I moved my damp fingers to rub her clit. She rocked on my hand and made sexy little noises.
“Oh God.” She bit my lip, panting against my mouth.
I turned her a little more, and my free hand pushed the V of her neckline apart. She wasn’t wearing a bra and her breasts spilled out. I sucked one nipple into my mouth. She cried out, riding my hand with more urgency.
“You are so damn gorgeous.” My voice was a growl.
She ground down on my fingers. She was close.
“No, you aren’t coming on my hand. I need to be inside this needy, little pussy.”
She moaned. “Yes. I want you inside me.” Her pale skin was flushed, and then her hands were moving between us. She shoved my pants down and freed my cock.
Fuck . I gripped her hips, tilting her forward.
“Sit back on my cock, fairy queen. Show me how much you need it. How much you love it.”
She eased back, sinking onto my cock. She took me, inch by inch, until she was sitting on my lap, filled with me.
Her little gasps and moans were making me lose my mind. I pressed my mouth to her ear, and her head dropped back. “I love how you take me, Tessa.”
She started moving up, down. Taking me deep, her ass slapping against my thighs. Soon, she circled her hips, a sexy little tease.
“This reminds me of our first night. When you sat on my cock like this and came for me.”
“I wanted you so much then,” she panted. “I want you even more now.”
My fingers dug into her hips and I hissed out a breath. She was so tight and I felt her body clamping on my cock.
She moved faster, bouncing on me, her breaths coming in pants. I pulled her head back and kissed her—hard, wild. I felt her pussy clench the second before she came.
She cried out and I bit her neck. She shuddered, a smile on her lips as she rode through the pleasure.
Watching her come triggered my climax. Hot pleasure tore down my spine. I rammed my hips up, slamming into her. Then everything exploded.
I came hard, pouring myself inside her with a raw groan.
When I could see and hear again, Tessa was sprawled in my lap, her body lax, and her breathing just cute little gasps.
I kissed her temple. Then I became acutely aware of my come leaking out of her. My hands clenched on her. Damn, I’d never gone without a condom from the moment I’d learned how babies were made. That was one decent lesson my father had drummed into me. “Shit, Tessa. I didn’t use protection.”
She gasped. “Oh, I guess we got a little carried away.” Her dark gaze met mine. “I’m on the pill, and I’m clean.”
“I am too. I can show you my last doctor’s report.”
She cupped my jaw, fingernails scratching through my stubble. “Sounds like we’re good.”
I nodded. “We’re good.” I rubbed my thumb over her plump lips. “Thanks for dinner.”
She laughed. “Any time. Thanks for the after-dinner orgasm.”
“That was absolutely my pleasure.”
She snuggled back into me, and we watched the fire crackling in the pit.
What I didn’t tell her was that this was my pleasure too. Just holding her in my arms in the quiet stillness of the night.