Chapter 14
Eli watched her sleep. It comforted him in a way he didn’t expect. He had never been into staying over for the night. There was a reason he rarely dated women on his island. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember the last time he had a date. He had plenty of encounters, but he hadn’t been out to dinner or the movies in…well, almost forever.
Crysta was altering things and he wasn’t sure he liked that. He didn’t like change that much. Joe had laughed at him and told him it was part of life. Eli thought he’d had enough change early in life to last a lifetime.
Now though, he was thinking that he’d been rash saying they shouldn’t be involved. It would cause problems, but he had seen her reaction to the spanking. The woman was made for submission. He’d never had a woman that responsive, and he had only been teasing. Getting her to submit would be sweet. They could deal with the complications
She was lying on her stomach, so he brushed her hair over to the side. There was so much he loved about her. She had a belly ring he didn’t know about. He’d been surprised at the lack of tattoos because it seemed to fit her live in the moment attitude. And damn, he loved her back. He’d been a lover of all things women from the time he hit thirteen but with Crysta, he seemed to love just about everything about her body.
He leaned over and kissed her back, right at the base of her spine. She shifted. This close, he could smell her flesh. Damn, the woman was intoxicating. Had there ever been a woman who called to him like this? Eli was pretty sure there hadn’t been anyone like her in his life. And that was a little unsettling.
“Having fun down there, St. John?” she asked him. Her voice was still sleepy and it made it even huskier.
“I am.”
He kissed her again, scraping his teeth against her skin and moving just an inch closer to that magnificent ass. He wanted to spank her again, but they hadn’t talked about submission. They hadn’t even discussed what would happen tomorrow.
Eli pushed those thoughts aside. Tonight was about pleasure, and they would deal with those feelings tomorrow.
He pulled back and rolled her over, slipping between her legs. He needed another taste of her. Settling his mouth against her, he slid his tongue between her pussy lips. Bloody hell, she was already wet. The taste of her rushed through is blood. Sweet, sassy…like the woman herself. He added a finger, easing it into her damp passage as he took her clit into his mouth. She moaned, long and loud…and it was his name. The sound of it in the dark room touched something in him and he knew then, right then, he needed to be inside of her. He moved from her, grabbing another condom wrapper. He ripped it open and realized his hands were shaking. She apparently noticed his problem and took the condom from him.
“Let me,” she said, her voice husky with her arousal. She sat on the edge of the bed and rolled it down his cock. Fuck, it was probably one of the most erotic things he had ever seen in his life—and he’d seen a lot. But watching her long fingers slip over his cock almost had him coming right there and then.
He eased her back onto the bed, wishing he could take more time with her, but knowing that again, he needed her. Last time was fast and furious. This time, though, he was slow, methodical. He kissed over her skin, tasting her, sliding his cock in easily. He took her up and over into her orgasm, slowly.
Eli watched, delighted as her eyes went blurry with pleasure as she sighed his name. And again, he took her, wanting to feel those tiny muscles dance over his cock. He didn’t stop after two, but when she came a third time, he joined her in ecstasy.
* * *
Crysta woke early,before the sun. For a second, she couldn’t seem to figure out where she was. Her surroundings were odd, not her room back in Virginia or even her room at the ranch. Then, in a rush, she remembered she was in a hotel room on Oahu. She shifted and ran into something solid and hard.
Eli.
She shifted so she could see if he were awake. He was sleeping so she felt free to watch him. The longer she stared at him, the more she wanted to touch him. She curled her fingers into her hand, trying her best to control the urge to slip her hand over his flesh. She knew if she gave into her need, they would end up making love again. They had agreed to one night, and that was what she would have to live with. It might make her a cold-hearted bitch, but she needed some time away. It was self-preservation.
She tried her best to be as quiet as possible as she slipped into the bathroom. After relieving herself, Crysta looked at herself in the mirror, trying to come to grips with the night before. It wasn’t anything monumental. It was just sex. Really great sex. Okay, it was sex on a level she hadn’t expected. There was a link between them after just one night in bed. She might be the only one who felt it, but she could admit to herself that it was the first time she felt this kind of connection with a man outside of playing. She just never thought she would be able to do that.
She started the shower. She’d gotten no sleep. They’d made love several times, each time just as incredible as the time before, but now, she felt drained. Her emotions were all over the place, and she wasn’t sure she could deal with it.
After stepping into the shower, she stood under the spray realizing that she would have to put on that brave face tomorrow. There would be no way around it. But right now, alone in the shower, Crysta gave in and cried.
* * *
Eli openedhis eyes and instantly winced when the bright sun blinded him. Damn, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept this late. Of course, he’d been up the majority of the night making love to Crysta.
Crysta.
He reached for her but found the bed empty. He frowned and listened for her, realizing she was out on the balcony. She was on the phone and laughing. God, he loved that laugh. He watched her as she continued to talk. Eli was sure that a psychiatrist would have a field day with his behavior. He couldn’t help it. He liked watching her. And he was doing it again while she was on the phone with her father.
Sick, St. John, real sick. Lusting after a woman while she was having a talk with her father was probably the weirdest thing he had ever done.
And that was saying a lot.
He was going to go out onto the balcony but realized he was naked. He slipped out of bed and went to his room. He needed his boxers at least. After relieving himself and brushing his teeth, he found a pair in his bag.
Before he walked out there, he reminded himself of their agreement, even if they hadn’t been that strict about agreeing to it. It wasn’t going to last. It couldn’t. As both of them agreed when they were done, it was only one night. It was to let off some steam.
But it hadn’t felt that way. He didn’t want just a roll in the bed with Crysta. The Dom in him wanted her submission. Complete submission at that. He wasn’t in for a bit of play. He wanted it all. Or at least for a little while. Fuck. He didn’t know what the hell he wanted.
There was so much to worry about. The ranch, the work they had to do together, and she wasn’t there forever. He knew at the end of the six months, she would be on her way back to the mainland. Something told him if they partnered up, it could cause problems on the ranch.
“Deep in thought, St. John?”
He glanced back over his shoulder at her. He realized at that moment, she made him vulnerable. He couldn’t remember wanting a sub as his own so badly…ever. And now, this woman who could cause more problems than he could list, was pulling at needs he didn’t know he had. He frowned.
“No. Just. A lot on my mind.”
She nodded. “About last night…”
“Yeah,” he said, trying to think of a way to say they needed to just let it go.
“I think it best if we just chalk it up to hormones.”
“Yeah…wait, what?”
“Listen, I understand what our problems are and involving sex, well, that’s just going to cause more problems.”
“That’s true.” But he didn’t like it. Sure, he had been trying to come up with reasons that they shouldn’t be doing this, but now that she had said it, it irritated him.
“I really had a fantastic time last night, but I honestly think we need to be careful. I don’t want to jeopardize the working relationship we have. I did that once before and I don’t want to do that now.”
“Is this about that bastard, Ashton?”
She frowned. “What about Ashton?”
“The ex. The one you caught cheating. Is this about him?”
“Yes, we worked together, but that had nothing to do with the problems we had. It made working together impossible.”
“And so you left?”
She shook her head. “No. I handled it. He didn’t and his behavior got him fired. While he was an ass to me and I wouldn’t wish him on my enemies, he was an excellent teacher. I just…the ranch is so important and while I felt I failed Joe as a niece for a lot of my life, I know his one wish was that the ranch be yours. He wanted you to run it and I want to make sure I do everything in my power to help with that.”
He didn’t know how to respond. She was thinking of Joe, and that was one thing he couldn’t fault. While he might have had misgivings about her to begin with, she had definitely pulled her weight and she had loved Joe.
He nodded.
“Now, I’m supposed to go to lunch with May and Dee. They’re going to pick me up.”
She stepped forward, cupped his cheek, and kissed his other one. He could smell the fresh air on her skin. He didn’t give into the need to turn his head and kiss her mouth. He watched as she walked around the corner to her room, then let out a breath.
She was wrong for him, and she had been right about the ranch. On top of that, they had never engaged in play, just fast and fun sex.
And Eli was damned sure he was in love with her.
Fuck.