Chapter 17
When they reached their room, Grady closed the double doors behind him. He swept her into his arms, enjoying the soft feel of her body as he held her close. He was ready to be with her now, forget the negligee.
Chelsea put her palms on his chest and gently pushed him a step away, her fingertips sliding down his arms, causing him to vibrate with need.
She tipped her head up to meet his gaze. “I’m going to change into something more…comfortable.”
As she walked toward the bathroom, she looked over her shoulder and gave him a seductive smile, then disappeared into the bathroom.
Grady groaned as Chelsea slipped away from him. He stood there, not knowing what to do. He hadn’t brought anything sexy. Maybe he should have bought silk boxers. He’d never worn them before—would she like it if he did?
He didn’t want to take off all his clothes and be naked when she returned—it felt too presumptuous, even though they’d been intimate before.
Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed, blood thrumming through his veins. His jeans felt too tight, and his light sweater’s neckline seemed to be strangling him.
His heart beat faster as he waited, and he bounced his knee, so much anticipation coursing through him that he felt jittery. Was she ever going to come back into the bedroom? It felt like it had been at least fifteen minutes, but it had probably only been five or so.
Any minute now—the wait was driving him crazy.
Now in her negligee, Chelsea’s breath quickened as she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She piled her hair on top of her head in a messy bun. Several strands escaped and framed her face. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes seemed brighter.
Maybe it was because the emerald-green shade of the negligee complemented them.
The satin shimmered, and the lace-trimmed bodice that barely covered her breasts rose and fell with each breath she took.
The lacy hem reached to the tops of her thighs, and her movements revealed the tiny scrap of panties beneath the negligee.
She went to the hot tub in the corner. It was set into red stone, as if it had been carved into the walls that curved around it and rose to the ceiling.
Potted plants sat on shelves cut into the stone at varying heights, creating the illusion of a desert grotto hidden away, a secret from anyone who passed by.
Chelsea dipped her hand into the 100-degree water. It would feel wonderful once they were in it.
Although she wasn’t sure Grady would be able to make it to the hot tub once he saw her in the negligee.
She inhaled, straightened her shoulders, and moved toward the door. She opened it and froze in the doorway, for a moment unable to move.
he perched on the edge of the bed, fully clothed. The navy-blue sweater he wore didn’t do him justice. He filled it out, and it looked good on him, but she wanted to see his fit body. She wanted him naked.
Chelsea braced one palm on the doorframe and the other on her hip and struck what she hoped was a sexy pose.
Grady slowly stood and stared at her, his eyes lit with a fire within. She saw his throat work as he swallowed.
She couldn’t think of a single original thing to say.
Instead, she gave him a seductive smile and crooked her finger, motioning for him to come closer.
She felt suddenly bold and powerful. She had caused the desire in his eyes and on his handsome features.
Her heart pounded faster as he slowly walked across the expanse of tile between them.
In just a few steps, he reached her but didn’t touch her. He held her gaze, heat flaring in his eyes, and his expression pained. “You are the loveliest woman I’ve ever known.”
She didn’t know what to say, couldn’t even find her voice to speak if she tried.
Grady moved so that they were only inches apart and traced a finger from her throat to the deep V of her negligee, stopping between her breasts.
A shiver ran along her limbs. Her eyes started to close as she waited for him to touch her in more intimate ways.
He raised her chin with his fingertips. “Look at me.”
She stared into his eyes, which she’d always thought of as fire-ice blue. Fiery, heated, but an intense blue shade that drew her in.
Grady lowered his head, his mouth hovering over hers.
He grasped her waist and caught her off guard when he pulled her to him so that their bodies were flush against each other.
He grasped her wrists, bringing her hands behind her back in the firm grip of a man who knew what he wanted. He made it clear that he wanted her.
He held both her wrists in one hand, capturing them in a way that she knew she couldn’t get away if she tried.
She wasn’t going to try.
Grady pressed her closer to him and kissed her hard and long. Vibrant shockwaves shot straight between her thighs and tingled throughout her body. She melted in his arms. If he hadn’t been holding her so tightly, she might have slipped onto the floor.
She kissed him back, hungry for him and needing him now. She tried to pull her wrists away so that she could slide her arms around his neck and climb him, wrapping her legs around him.
A low growl of need rose in his throat. He had never been dominating when they’d been intimate. He always touched her in sensual ways but never controlled her. This turned her on more than she could ever have imagined.
Grady slid his lips down, traveling along the curve of Chelsea’s neck. He kissed the hollow at her throat, and she moaned. He cupped one of her breasts with his free hand and rubbed her nipple through the satin. It felt so incredibly good, sending tingles throughout her body.
He moved his fingers to the deep V of her neckline and slid them beneath the fabric, slowly, sensually.
The haze of desire made her feel lightheaded. He captured her bare breast in his large palm and ran his thumb over her nipple, and she gasped. It felt wildly intense, and the hard nub felt even more sensitive than it had before.
The next thing she knew, he had pushed aside the satin. He captured her nipple with his mouth, lightly biting and sucking.
This time, her knees did give out on her. He held her to him and shifted so that he took her wrists with his other hand, allowing him to push aside the satin covering her other breast.
“Grady.” His name came out in a harsh whisper. “The hot tub.”
A low rumble rose from his throat, and he raised his head. Her exposed wet nipple felt tight and cool.
He released her wrists but kept her close to him, nuzzling the curve of her neck and kissing it. “I don’t know if I can wait.”
Chelsea shifted and cupped his face in her palms. He looked into her eyes, and she gave him a soft kiss. She took his hand in hers and led him to the hot tub, pausing just long enough to turn the jets on low. The surface began shifting, bubbling.
They stood together on the plush rug in front of it. She pushed Grady’s sweater up his tight abs, and he pulled it over his head. He wasn’t overly muscular, but well-built and gorgeous.
Her hands trembled as she worked the button on his jeans and looked up at him as she undid it.
He looked down on her with smoke in his gaze, his eyes looking almost gray.
He toed off his shoes and knocked them aside, close to the sink.
She tugged his jeans and boxer briefs down, lowering herself so that she knelt on the rug.
She bit her lower lip as he stepped out of his jeans and kicked them away. His erection was right there, in front of her mouth. She had to taste him—she needed to.
Chelsea slid him into her mouth and took him to the back of her throat. He caught his breath as she sucked, then eased her head up and teased him with her tongue. She moved up and down, and he groaned. He caught her by the nape and guided her up to stand in front of his beautiful body.
Grady looked into her eyes. “If we don’t stop right now, we won’t make it to the hot tub.”
She smiled. “All right.” First, she pushed one strap of her negligee from her shoulder, then the other, and the satiny mass fell to her feet, baring her, all but that itty bitty scrap of fabric.
He clenched his fists at his sides, and he didn’t look like he was breathing. She slid down the satin panties and let them drop on top of the negligee. She stepped out of both and held his gaze.
A groan rumbled out as he took her in. “Chelsea, you are driving me out of my mind.”
She gave him a little grin. “Good.” She took the two steps up to the hot tub and slipped into the water and onto a stone seat that rounded the wall. It felt blissfully warm, and her whole body relaxed. She moved just enough that she was close to one of the jets.
When Grady stepped into the pool, his muscles flexing with his movements, she sucked in her breath and tensed again from excitement and need. Yes, he was beautiful.
The water rippled as he eased into it and slid next to her. She hooked her leg over his thigh, feeling the water bubbling over her center, stimulating her. Not that she needed stimulation. Just looking at Grady filled her with desire.
He caught her by her waist and shifted her so that she straddled him. Her breasts were now out of the water, and he stared at them with hunger in his gaze. She braced her hands on his shoulders and smiled when he looked at her.
“I can’t wait, Chelsea.” His voice sounded rough, as if it took everything he had to restrain himself.
“I can’t either.” She wrapped her fingers around his erection as she rose in the water.
His fingers gripped her waist as she moved him to her center. She slowly sank down on him, her eyes widening as he filled her, large and deep. She let out a soft moan as she wriggled in his grasp, her core gripping his erection.
She moved up and down, feeling more friction from the water. It felt good, made the experience different, but exciting, too.
The sensations felt unbelievable, and she could hardly bear the intensity of it. His breathing was harsh, and he matched her movements, thrusting hard every time she came down on him.
An oncoming orgasm built within her, the sensations almost too much as she rode him hard. She could come right then and there, but she wanted to draw out the moment, the sensations, the feel of him between her thighs. But his thrusts had deepened, and it was more than she could take.
Her orgasm exploded inside her, and she barely kept in a scream, her body vibrating, her thighs trembling around him. She kept taking him in and out, drawing out the sensations. Then he gave a tense growl, as if holding back a shout in the same ways she had barely kept from screaming.
A few strokes more, and then she collapsed against him, his breathing as hard as hers, his wet chest rising and falling against her cheek. The water flowed and bubbled around them, teasing her sensitized body.
Chelsea let out a shuddering sigh. After a moment, she rose and smiled at him. “We’re going to have to do that again.”
“We have two more nights here.” He stroked her damp cheek. “I think we’ll have no problem finding another opportunity.”
“Or three. Or four.” She wriggled on his lap, and he groaned, still inside her.
“Give me a moment to recover.” He drew her tight against him and lightly bit her between her shoulder and the curve of her neck. He moved his lips to her hair. “I’m right where I want to be. With you.”
Warmth flowed through her as he echoed the feeling in her heart. “I’m here for you. Only you.”
He gave her a soft smile as he looked into her eyes. “You are the whole package. Intelligent, fun, loving, and beautiful. Right now, I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
She smiled, hearing the genuineness in his tone, seeing it in his eyes. She was in love with him, but she wasn’t going to tell him yet. She needed to give their relationship time and not rush into anything.
Chelsea sighed and snuggled against him, her wet flesh against his in the churning water. Feeling like she was the luckiest woman in the world.