16. Alyx
Chapter 16
Alyx
T win bands of hot steel held her tight and secure. She stretched slowly. The pillow beneath her head shifted and a warm hand closed on her breast.
Awareness jolted through her sleep-fogged mind. Her eyes flew open to face the wall of their guest room at the Hamilton house—the Napa Valley estate where they stayed. She lay on her side, pillowed against Daniel’s shoulder. His body pressed up against hers, wrapping her up, and his hand had possession of her breast. The thin T-shirt she slept in was hardly a barrier and her nipple pebbled against his palm.
When he squeezed, his thumb rolling over the hardened tip, she had to swallow back a groan. His erection tucked against her bottom, long and stiff.
Two disparate desires collided. She needed to extricate herself from his arms and that was the sensible choice. But when he shifted, turning onto his back and pulling her around to face him, the urge to stay right there and explore the passion his kisses filled her with overrode good sense.
He massaged her breast and slid his other hand down her hip. When his fingers splayed against the waistband of her shorts, she made a little noise. His body stilled against her and she twisted, her gaze colliding with his sleepy, long-lashed eyes.
Get up and move away. The sober advice chirped into her mind as though delivered by Jiminy Cricket. Dropping her gaze to his lips, she licked her own and his hand glided up her back to catch the back of her neck.
Move away , she reminded herself sternly, but she didn’t listen. His gaze was like a caress on her face, his body, lean and hot where it pressed into hers. He held her captive as he stroked his thumb across the nipple, teasing it through her T-shirt, and she lunged into him, meeting his mouth for a kiss that burned through her barriers.
His tongue teased the seam of her lips and she opened for him. Excitement thrilled to every nerve ending as he stroked her hair and down the line of her back. Somehow she sprawled across him, almost grinding against the rigid length of his cock. The kiss broke for a hesitant second. Alertness filled his blue eyes. Alertness, and something far more decadent.
Want.
“Alyx.” His husky voice wrapped around her name and she sighed, a ribbon of need tightening in her belly. He stared up at her as his hand left her neck, slid down her spine and dipped below the edge of her shorts. The contact sizzled where his fingertips stroked her skin.
“This is a bad idea.” She breathed the words, fighting the urge to squirm, because movement reminded her of their precarious position.
But her body hummed with every light caress. He palmed her breast, petting it in a slow circular fashion that just ratcheted up the need boiling inside her.
“It doesn’t have to be.” He lifted his head, catching her lower lip in a sucking kiss as he traced the line of her bottom. Flesh against flesh and she wanted more. Her knees clamped on his hips and she tried to push herself up.
The slow motion only served to intensify the heat between her thighs, the rigid throb of his erection teasing her through their clothes. She knew he took care of his body. She’d seen the hard plane of his stomach, the golden smoothness of his shoulders, the fine—almost baby-fine—sprinkle of hair that circled his nipples.
Arched above him, she savored how his hand slipped down to the hem of her shirt. Even the most casual graze against her firing her nerves. It was time to stop. They were both awake. Both aware.
But he pushed her shirt up, then his hand caught her breast, his thumb and forefinger rolled her nipple. She tipped her head back. Raw desire pulsed through her, igniting a liquid heat in her blood that threatened to boil over. He pushed her shirt higher and she watched him staring at her. He studied her breasts, and it took everything she had not to sit up straighter, arch her back and offer them to him.
Thank God he didn’t need the offer. One moment she straddled him and the next she lay on her back, legs wrapped around his hips as his golden head dropped to her chest. His breath warmed one nipple. Her sex clenched and she thrust her fingers into his hair.
All thoughts of pushing him away evaporated.
“I want you.” His murmured words echoed her own thoughts and then his lips closed over one aching, turgid peak and she gave up any pretense. Her back arched, thrusting the bud into his mouth, and he grazed the sensitive tip with his teeth before latching on to it in a hard suck that pulled all that aching, wanton need to the forefront. His hips ground to hers, teasing her through their clothes with a mock thrust. She stroked her nails down his back, found the hem of his shirt and glided them back up the warm heat of his skin.
Electricity pumped through her, like summer lightning rippling through her body. Somewhere between the first touch of his lips to her nipple and his wet kisses tracing a path to the other, her shirt hit the floor and so did his. He surged up and caught her mouth in a kiss that demanded as much as he gave. The light hairs on his chest tickled her breasts and she hitched her legs higher, wrapping them around him. His tongue stroked hers, swirling, teasing and tasting. The hot, rich spicy scent of his masculinity filled her, imprinting on her soul. When he slid his hand beneath her waistband, she held her breath.
He lifted his head as two of his fingers glided along the damp seam of her pussy and she didn’t even try to suppress the moan. A possessive smile lifted the corners of his mouth and his blue, blue eyes darkened.
“You are so wet,” he whispered. The raw declaration sent another flood of heat through her and she pushed her hips up, grinding against those fingers exploring her folds. He cupped her pussy in his palm and began a slow back-and-forth glide against her clit.
Weeks of drugging kisses, casual touches and wonderful company left her primed for the wildness threading through her. She fisted a hand into his hair and dragged him upward, and he caught her mouth in another kiss as a finger slid inside her. She bucked against his hand, wanting—no, needing—more. Her body hummed, her heart shattering the restrictive bands she’d encircled it with.
He drove her higher, thrusting her over the peak, and pleasure exploded through her. She drifted on the eddies of the pleasure he’d given her and she ran her hands up and down his back. She wanted more. She wanted him inside her, filling her, and she rode his hand with a demand of her own.
Petting her through the orgasm, his kisses grew less feverish. He teased her, nibbling at her lips and tracing a path to her ear. When he latched on to her earlobe, a fresh wave of tension coiled through her. “Daniel…” she exhaled on a whisper, barely able to contain the emotions boiling up inside her.
“Shh,” he soothed, his breath warm as he traced his tongue around the whorls of her ear. His hands continued to pet, to stroke, and when she caught fire again, he caught her clit between his thumb and forefinger. The barest of pressure and she imploded all over again, her head arching back, and he covered her mouth with his to swallow her cries of pleasure.
Cool air rushed against her breasts, tightening her nipples. She opened her eyes to find him sitting. He dragged her shorts and panties down and tossed them off the edge of the bed. His own shorts slid off his hips and she lifted up on an elbow, drinking in the glorious sight of him.
His cock jutted, thick and full. He reached across her to the nightstand and she dragged her fingers down his chest. She wanted to touch him. Bad idea or not, she didn’t know and frankly, she no longer cared. His muscles jerked and jumped with every touch and he fumbled with a curse. His wallet slid off the bed and she slithered along him as he chased it. She bit down on his shoulder, his hot skin salty with a gleam of sweat. She found his nipple and swirled her tongue around it, remembering what he did to her.
A low groan vibrated through his chest. “You’re killing me.” He laughed, but he didn’t pull away as he came up with his wallet. She barely noticed the tinfoil in his hand as she taste-tested her way across his chest. His abdominal muscles rippled and she inched lower. One tentative touch of her mouth to his erection and he jerked, pulling away and lunging up to catch her hands.
“You do that and I will come in about thirty seconds,” he warned, his face tight. A vein throbbed in his forehead and his blue eyes were dark with a need she understood only too well.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” she teased, stroking the hard length of him with her palm from balls to tip and back. He hissed out a breath and buried his face against her neck. He bit her, the lightest grazing of his teeth, then he sucked at her skin and a fresh riot of sensations broke out over her.
“It is when I want to come inside you.” The rawness undid her. The strength of his touch, the naked vulnerability in his words and the passion in his eyes seduced her objections. She lifted her hands in surrender, tipping her chin back and thrusting her breasts toward him.
“Thirty seconds,” she advised, a playful grin tipping her lips. “And then all bets are off.”
Her heart hiccupped as his full lips turned in another devastating grin. He ripped the foil on the package and she watched as he rolled the condom into place. The ache between her thighs became a demanding pulse. She was hardly a virgin or inexperienced and at the same time, she wasn’t sure she’d ever wanted someone as much as she wanted him.
Drinking in the sight of him, she scraped her teeth over her lower lip even as she savored how gorgeous he was. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to skate her fingers over every muscle, explore every twitch, drown in the contact of his skin against hers. All the reasons they shouldn’t do this evaporated.
The words “no sex clause” whispered against the back of her mind, a taunt? A tease? Or just a reminder? Dragging her gaze back up to Daniel’s, Alyx forgot how to breathe. The clause made sense when she didn’t know him.
That was then … Right? We don’t need that anymore, do we?
“Alyx,” he exhaled her name like a caress. The look in his eyes shredded what was left of her reservations. This was Daniel.
“I’m here,” she promised, cupping his cheek in her palm. The warmth of his skin reminded her that they were wrapped up in each other. The stubble decorating his jaw prickled at her palm. Reality and fantasy twining together.
“Any second thoughts?” He searched her face. “If you have them…”
She pressed her fingers to his lips, understanding what he wasn’t saying. “No,” she said, whispering in the same hushed tone he used. “I have no second thoughts, not right now. I want this…I want you.”
It was true. She didn’t. Maybe that wasn’t the best idea or even a good idea, but she didn’t want to focus on any of that. She just wanted to be with him.
He closed his eyes briefly. “Thank fuck.” Then he tumbled her onto her back. As he settled between her thighs, he kept his gaze locked on hers. It left her bare, open, and utterly exposed. The way the muscle in his jaw ticked as though it was taking every ounce of his control.
Fire burned in those stunning blue eyes, fire and something more. Something she’d never seen in anyone else’s eyes before. It buffeted her in a way she couldn’t explain and didn’t want to at the moment,
As he slid into her, she fisted his hair. The tension winding tighter and tighter within her left her shaking. As his cock stretched inch by inch, a laugh escaped. It wasn’t just the raw, unvarnished emotion from him but a heady inescapable one from herself. She twined her legs around his hips and tugged his head down.
He thrust into her, stretching her as their mouths collided. Locked in a duel of tongues, he drove into her over and over. She raced her hands from his hair to his ass, then dug her nails into those taut cheeks that flexed with every surge.
“You feel so good,” she admitted in between deep, biting kisses and his huff made her laugh again. The sounds just had her inner muscles clamping and his breath hissed out as he tightened his arms around her.
They came together, over and over, when he rolled onto his back, she arched above him. It took little encouragement to get her to roll her hips as she rode him. She was torn between just sinking into the motions and watching him as he gazed up at her.
Need and desire eddied up, and she stretched to the point of breaking. Between his thrusts and her hips rolling, she hit her clit with just the right amount of pressure that her vision blurring.
“Right there,” she gasped out and dug her fingers into his shoulders.
“I have you,” he said, tumbling with her again. She was sure there were more words, but she didn’t hear them as she came apart and his shout followed her.
* * *
DANIEL
They collapsed together, tumbling as he chased her pleasure with his own. The feel of her muscles trembling and the squeeze of her around his cock was so goddamn decadent, he wanted to repeat it immediately. Even after their release, they clung together, skin sticky with sweat and heat.
She wasn’t the only one trembling. His mind pitched between stirring to kiss her again and just lying there, savoring the warmth of her body nestled against his. They’d certainly violated the no-sex clause. That thought and that thought alone nudged him into action.
He shifted, peeling himself upward. Her eyes opened, revealing lazy pleasure, and he gave in to the temptation of her plump lips, swollen from his kisses, to taste her again. She slid warm arms around him and nuzzled his lips, soft, open and willing to his invasion.
Need thrummed through him and his cock twitched. They were going to need another condom. A box of condoms. He would invest in a damn condom company. He traced the liquid kisses across her cheek and nibbled at her earlobe. The soft flesh tasted sweet—the delicate, feminine citrusy scent of her filled his nostrils. He inhaled a long, drugging hit of it and sighed against her.
So many things he wanted to do to her—and with her. A knock on the door rapped reality back into their sensual interlude and he lifted his head, glaring at the door. “What?”
Her body clenched around him and his gaze swooped down to her suppressed giggles. The desire in her eyes lightened to amusement and he couldn’t help but grin.
“Mr. Voldakov—Miss Dagmar—” He heard a man clearing his throat. “Breakfast is served in the atrium.”
Daniel groaned. She nibbled his throat.
The man at their door coughed lightly. “Please pardon the intrusion, but the presentation will begin in a few minutes.”
Presentation.
Breakfast.
Their Napa Valley hosts.
He just didn’t give a damn.
Her voice was a throaty whisper in his ear. “We go home tonight. We can afford to go down and be seen.”
He grimaced. He had no desire to leave this room or this bed in the foreseeable future. A shuffling sound in the hallway warned him that the man waited for a response.
“We will be along shortly,” he grumbled. He scowled and at Alyx’s arched brows, he tacked on, “Thank you.”
“Very good, sir. Thank you both.” The man at the door left, and Daniel decided to ignore him. He wanted to play with her breasts and see how many licks it took to get her to gasp again, but she gave him a little push.
“No, no. We have to go down, remember.”
“I would be happy to go down on you.” He grinned and she rewarded him with another throaty laugh. She kissed his chin, his cheek, and then the corner of his mouth. He slanted his head, taking the kiss and drawing on her tongue as she darted it against his. Her nails glided down his spine and his cock twitched again. Just a few more minutes and he’d be more than ready. But her nails were sharp when she pinched his ass and he lifted his head to find her amused gaze, albeit fogged with desire, staring up at him.
“We have to shower and get dressed.” But her smile held the promise of more.
“I don’t want to.” It was probably the single most petulant thing he’d ever said, but she was already wiggling out of his arms. As she slid off the edge of the bed, he felt bereft.
“I know, but we go home after the presentation. Depending on how fast you drive, we could make it in time for a long—long nap.” Her saucy little wink eased the disappointment at having to get up. She sashayed to the bathroom, completely unabashed at her nudity. At the door, she glanced back. “Aren’t you coming?”
His brows rose as he removed the condom and tied it off.
“They seemed to be in a hurry. We could save time and water if we showered together.”
The disappointment ballooning in his gut punctured with a fresh wave of heat. He lunged off the bed, dropping the used condom in the trash and snagging another foil package off the nightstand before he caught her. Picking her up, he carried her into the shower and pressed her against the cool tile, mouth fixing against hers. Somewhere between kissing her and soaping her breasts, she wiggled an escape and teased his cock back to full life.
They were late for breakfast.
Daniel didn’t give a damn.