Chapter 2
2
Saint moved away from the window in his hotel room when huge bolts of lightning flashing across the sky made standing in front of it unwise. He was not surprised the airport had closed. There had been reports of a tornado in Baton Rouge and as far as he was concerned, that was too close for comfort. He felt bad for all the stranded travelers who had attended the summer music festival that was held every year in August in New Orleans.
He thought of one such traveler and checked his watch. The woman who called herself Angel had less than ten minutes, but he honestly didn’t expect her to come. Even if she had intended to do so in the beginning, chances were when she’d left the bar she had changed her mind. Why wouldn’t she? She knew no more about him than he knew about her.
But then...wasn’t that how a hookup was supposed to work? Even with her boldness, he suspected she didn’t have casual sex on a regular basis. He had seen the look in her eyes when she’d said she was no longer in an exclusive relationship. There had been pain in their hazel depths, and he had a feeling it was not only deep but was also rather recent.
He didn’t know Angel’s story but guessed it was pretty much like his. She said that she was no longer involved with anyone, and neither was he. He wondered how long ago it had been for her. It had been close to a year for him. But there were times when it felt less than that.
He was told that time eventually mended broken hearts. He hoped like hell that was true. Eleven months ago, his girlfriend, Mia Givens, had turned down his marriage proposal for the second time in four years saying she could see no reason for them to move past being an exclusive couple.
He’d seen plenty of reasons. They were getting older, and he felt they should want more. He wanted them to settle down permanently and, more than anything, he wanted a family. Then there was the issue of her getting a big promotion at work that would require her to move to Florida. She’d wanted him to quit his job and pack up and move with her—without any type of marital commitment.
Mia had told him she wasn’t ready to get married. Her career came first and at the moment neither marriage nor children were on her radar—and she wasn’t sure they would ever be. He’d been smart enough to know when to cut his losses and move on. In the end, she’d moved from Seattle to Florida without him.
Mia had taught him a lesson he would never forget. Never give your heart, body and soul to any woman. Okay, he would delete the thought of not giving a woman his body, since he had no problem sharing that part of himself with the woman he’d met tonight. She would be the first one he’d thought about sleeping with since Mia.
Checking his watch again, he saw Angel had five minutes. He drew in a deep breath, reaffirming his suspicions that she was a novice at this. The same thing held true for him, since he’d never indulged in a one-night stand before, either. However, some of his friends had. According to them, the exchanging of information was a no-no. There was no need when the affair would only last the night and chances were the couple involved would never see each other again. Their hookup was about appeasing a sexual hunger, which undoubtedly was something they both had.
That much had been obvious with all the heat and sexual energy radiating between them. He could only speculate about the reasons for what might or might not happen tonight. He honestly didn’t think it had anything to do with his ex-girlfriend. Saint was convinced his only reason for wanting to lose his mind in lust for a few hours with a woman he didn’t know was due to the personal stress he’d been under lately.
Being an only child wasn’t easy, especially when you had parents who wouldn’t accept that with an older age came limitations. The trip he’d made into Catalina Cove this time had been to check on his father, who had gotten injured while, of all things, parasailing behind a boat. A man in his sixties had no business doing such a stunt, and Saint was glad the injuries weren’t as bad as they could have been.
It was just six months ago when his mother had nearly cut her finger off with a knife she’d purchased from one of those cooking shows she liked watching on television. She’d been convinced she could chop the vegetables with the same skill and speed as she’d seen the chef on the show do. Not only was she proved wrong, but she’d needed several stitches as well. He’d rushed home after his father called saying his mother was a difficult patient. Not surprisingly, his mother had called last week claiming the same thing about his father.
More than once he had discussed the possibility of their moving to live with him in Seattle. They refused to even consider the idea. Catalina Cove was where they were born, and it was where they wanted to die. That meant he would eventually have to move back home to a town he felt he’d outgrown. He had built a life in Seattle. He liked it there, rainy days and all. He would admit things had been hard after his breakup with Mia, but once she’d moved away and he didn’t have to worry about chance encounters, he’d been adjusting to their breakup.
Saint moved toward the bed and was about to sit on it to remove his shoes, certain the woman wasn’t coming, when suddenly there was a knock. With his heart pounding in his chest, he walked to the door and opened it.
The sensuousness of her scent caught him immediately. There she stood, looking more beautiful than before. Without the clip holding her hair back, a mass of curls flowed freely around her shoulders, making her look younger and more carefree. She had changed out of her sundress into a formfitting minidress and wore a pair of stilettos. Both shoes and dress were blue, and at that moment he would describe them as shocking blue. Then there was that low dip in her neckline that brazenly revealed there wasn’t a bra covering her breasts. Not that he was complaining. And he didn’t miss the bottle of wine and wineglasses she had cuddled to her chest.
“Hi,” she said, flashing him a grin that made him even more aroused.
“Hi, yourself. Come on in, Angel,” he said, taking a step back.
“I think I will, Saint.”
And she did.
Zara placed the bottle of wine and glasses on the table before turning around to Saint. Lord knows she’d tried talking herself out of coming here but it hadn’t done any good. She couldn’t stop thinking about the vibes she’d felt between them when they’d met. Everything about him made her body tingle. Then there had been the unexpected wildness in his taste when she’d boldly glided her tongue across his lips. That hadn’t been enough and now she wanted the whole shebang. And his masculine scent was just as arousing as the rest of him.
He was leaning back against the closed door as if trying to figure out what to make of her. Did he assume this was common behavior for her? Should she explain spending the night in a stranger’s room wasn’t the norm for her? Especially when she knew what would be taking place in that bed? Little did he know, due to her recent experience with what was supposed to be a love connection—one she’d assumed would last forever—she’d placed getting involved in a serious relationship on her Never To Do Again list.
When he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, her breath stuttered when she saw how aroused he was. There were some things a man couldn’t hide and from all appearances, he wasn’t trying to. Drawing in a deep breath, she said, “I told you I would come.”
He held her gaze and said, “And I’m glad you did.”
The rich huskiness of his voice had desire warming her to the core. She needed to break eye contact with him, so she looked around and noticed his room was identical to hers. When she returned her gaze to him, she felt the need to say, “Just for the record, I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“Neither have I, Angel.”
Did he expect her to believe that when he seemed so accepting of what was happening between them? But then, wasn’t she? “Then why do you think we’re doing it now?” she asked.
She watched as he slowly moved away from the door to come stand before her. That masculine scent, which had affected her before, was tantalizing her again now. It was filling her nostrils and making her feel somewhat lightheaded. “I think the foremost reason is that we’re hot for each other, Angel. I felt your heat the moment I saw you, and there’s no doubt in my mind that you felt mine.”
He was right. She had felt his—but still. “I haven’t slept with a guy for seven months, and he was my steady boyfriend.” There was no need to tell him that although she and Maurice hadn’t been intimate for that period of time, she’d only discovered his betrayal four months ago. She hadn’t suspected a thing because he’d taken more business trips and so had she.
“We’d dated exclusively for two years,” she added.
“It’s been twelve days short of a year for me, and I was in an exclusive relationship as well. We were together for four years.”
Four years was a long time, Zara thought, and figured he had to still be hurting. Maybe not to the same extent as she was since his wasn’t as recent. Since she didn’t know the details of why he and his ex-girlfriend had broken up, she might be all wrong in assuming he was still going through pain. He may have very well managed to get on with his life.
It didn’t really matter and Zara pushed all thoughts of his ex and hers from her mind. His closeness was causing sexual hunger to stir in her midsection, and a need to be close to him was hammering away at her senses. Taking a step closer, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You know what I think?”
His penetrating gaze held hers, making her pulse flicker and leap. “No, what do you think?” he asked.
“Their loss is our gain.”
The spread of a smile across his lips was just as arousing as the rest of him. Regardless of what he called himself, she had a feeling this man was no saint. But then, she was no angel. “I totally agree,” he said in that husky voice she loved. “Now, will you tell me the remedy to not tasting you, Angel?”
Her body grew heated. “Yes.”
“Okay then, what is it?”
“This.” Leaning up on tiptoes, she pressed her mouth to his.
Saint couldn’t remember ever feeling this consumed with desire while kissing a woman, or more precisely when a woman kissed him. He was letting her take the lead for now and thought she was doing a pretty good job of it. It was as if she was putting all she had into it, and every single cell in his body was responding in kind.
He liked her taste, and the sensuous movement of her tongue was driving him toward the edge. Never had he engaged in a kiss so energetic, so vibrant and so damn erotic. When she released his mouth and he gazed down at her, the depths of her hazel eyes basically told him everything he needed to know. She’d enjoyed the kiss as much as he had.
“So, what do you think, Saint?”
Her arms were still wrapped around his neck and his were around her waist. It didn’t take any time for him to reply. “I think that your taste is as stirring and electrifying as you are. Had it lasted any longer I wouldn’t have been able to hold myself back.” He wondered if she thought he wasn’t holding back now, if the hard erection pressed against her middle was anything to go by.
“I don’t want you to hold back anything tonight. I don’t want you to act like a saint because I have no intention of behaving like an angel. Understood?”
Yes, he understood. For whatever reason, they were both dealing with their own personal disappointments that included broken hearts, life burdens and overall stress. Tonight they would kick back, erase everything from their minds and concentrate solely on pleasuring each other.
Saint definitely didn’t have a problem with doing that. He needed it. She would be the first woman he would make love to since his breakup with Mia. Although he felt he had moved on, there were some days when he truly wondered if he had. “Yes, I understand.”
He lowered his mouth to hers. The moment their lips locked again his tongue went into action. The last time she had dominated the kiss. Now it was his turn. Desire was sweeping through his body, and he channeled every ounce of passion stirring inside him into their kiss.
Saint drew her closer, needing the contact. He convinced himself that was the reason his hands had moved from her waist and were resting firmly on that ass he’d liked looking at when she’d left the bar. He’d sat there a full ten minutes after she had walked out just thinking about all the things he wanted to do with her—naked and in the flesh.
When he deepened the kiss, the erotic moans she began making stirred a need within him. To him, nothing was headier than a woman’s response to a kiss. When breathing became a necessity, he broke off and her last moan was in protest. That was when he swept her into his arms and moved toward the bed.
When he reached it, he placed her in the middle of it. Then his hands were all over her. The way she’d returned his kiss had fired up his blood, and molten heat had begun escalating all through his body. He needed to touch her and was glad she was just as anxious as he was to satisfy this sexual need between them.
Quickly pulling back, he reached out and gently cupped her face in his palms and stared into the depths of her eyes. The last thing he wanted was to come across as pushy. Leaning closer, he asked, “Are you sure about tonight?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
He took note of her kissed swollen lips and flushed cheeks, the way she was breathing, which was erratic like his. Lowering his arms, he took her hand in his and whispered, “I believe there’s a reason we met tonight, Angel. Two strangers with broken hearts. We have healing to do and tonight could be a start.”
Her hazel eyes smoldered back at him. “I think you’re right, Saint.”
To prove that, he again captured her mouth with an intensity that hopefully gave her a preview of what was to come. He loved her taste and had no problem ravishing her mouth to let her know it. This time she was the one who broke off the kiss to whisper, “Make love to me.”
He pulled back and in a frenzy began removing his clothes while watching Angel remove hers. Within moments their clothes were in a pile on the floor. He then sheathed himself with a condom and had gotten even more aroused seeing the look on her face as she watched him. When he joined her on the bed, his tongue went into action and after kissing her again, he began a journey to lick every inch of her skin, starting at her neck.
By the time he’d reached her breasts he was convinced he had located at least two of her hot spots. Namely, her neck and the center of her chest. Her moans were a dead giveaway. When he reached her breasts and slipped a nipple between his lips, he knew he’d found a third. He’d never known a more passionate woman in the bedroom. The thought of that was consuming him, making him feel a yearning that was causing his entire body to ache.
Finally finished with her breasts, he leaned back on his haunches to stare down at her. She was beautiful. Stunning. From the top of her head, past her breasts to her stomach with a colorful tattoo of a pelican taking flight right above her navel. Then his gaze drifted to the area between her legs. The gorgeous sight made his erection throb and his tongue feel thick in his mouth for wanting to taste her there. He released a deep, guttural groan at that very thought. Easing toward her, he kissed her all over her body again, starting with her mouth but bypassing her breasts as his concentration was on moving south.
He licked her pelican and loved how the texture of the tattoo felt against his tongue. Her moans continued. Glancing up, he saw she’d closed her eyes. Spreading her thighs apart, he slipped them to his shoulders and buried his head between her legs. The moment his tongue tasted her there, he growled low in his throat; her scent and taste were rocking him to the bone.
Zara nearly shot off the bed the moment Saint’s tongue contacted her flesh. When he deepened the invasion and claimed her clit, like he had every right to do so, her hands grabbed hold of the bedcovers. She couldn’t stop the moans flowing from her lips. The way he was kissing her down there set off sensations that were bound to overtake her mind and senses. He was gobbling her up like she was a meal he’d gone without and was intent on getting his fill—the more he tasted, the more he wanted.
When he lifted her hips for his tongue to go deeper, she felt herself losing control. Unable to help herself, she pushed her body against his mouth. Suddenly, something within her exploded and she screamed out his name.
Wow. She’d never had an orgasm of such magnitude. Her ex hadn’t been into oral sex when it came to her, but didn’t have an issue when it was performed on him. She’d thought that was outright selfish of him, and when they couldn’t reach an agreement on it, they’d decided to omit it as part of their lovemaking. But now she saw what she’d been missing. Saint definitely knew how to use his tongue and had no qualms about doing so. In fact, he seemed to downright enjoy it, and she was glad she was reaping the benefits. She felt as if she’d had an out-of-body experience that had claimed her very existence.
Before pulling his mouth away, he gave her womanly core one last long, deep lick. Zara knew when he lowered her legs from his shoulders, but she didn’t have the strength to open her eyes.
She heard shuffling sounds and felt movement. “Angel?”
It was at that moment she forced her eyes open to stare up at him. The dark eyes looking down showed concern. “You’re alright?”
Unable to speak, she nodded.
“Now I’m going to give you a stormy August night that I hope you’ll always remember. Allow yourself to let go for me.”
She thought if she was to let go any more than she just had, she would probably die from pleasure. She could feel sexual energy flowing between them, hot, raw and carnal. Gazing up at him made her aware of the male power and strength of him, and she saw deep, sexual need stirring in the dark depths of his eyes.
Feeling and seeing all of that sexual hunger was making her ache with desire. She needed him to take the ache away. As if he understood, he slid inside her, stretching her wide, and going deep and then deeper. When he’d gone to the hilt, he paused and leaned down and took her mouth.
Then it was on.
Saint made love to her in a way she needed. Thrusting hard into her over and over again, while his mouth made love to hers. She was aware of how deep his shaft was going inside her, almost reaching her womb. No man had made love to her this way, without any inhibitions. Each thrust rubbed her clitoris, sending a riot of sensations escalating through her.
Digging her nails into his shoulders she moved her body, determined to share in this mating, and he began riding her harder and harder. Suddenly, something snapped inside her, and she screamed his name. Seconds later she felt his shoulder muscles tighten beneath her fingers and he hollered the name Angel.
At that moment she knew he’d done just what he’d said he would do, give her a stormy August night to always remember.