Page 53 of Maneater
Then, I don’t think—I just move. I wrap an arm around her waist, molding her body against mine. My other hand moves up her back, touching the bare skin there before tangling in her long, soft hair to position her head where I want her. Then I tip my head down, my lips melting into hers.
There’s no hesitation, no moment of pause or uncertainty; instead, her hands find their way around my neck as she tugs me closer, her lips parting with a gasp. I take the chance to slide my tongue between them, and she lets me in eagerly, fingers tightening on my neck. A soft sigh of a moan leaves her as my tongue touches hers, tasting her.
It’s even better than I remember.
All sweet sugar and spice, exactly like the woman herself, and it’s all I can do not to throw her over my shoulder and take her upstairs to my room. Instead, I shift our bodies, pressing her against the wall and grinding into her as I devour her mouth. I’m already hard at her mere touch, and when she feels it, another sexy sound leaves her, her hips shifting closer into mine. In response, I groan, a hand moving to her hip to adjust her, sliding a thigh between her legs, her silky dress hiking up a bit as I continue to kiss her deep, our tongues twining.
She doesn’t take a moment to overthink anything. Instead, her hips start shifting, grinding against me, and the groan that comes from me this time comes deep from my chest. My lips move down her neck, and I use my hand on her hip to move her against me, guide her, to encourage her to take what she needs. I’m out of my fucking mind with need and want, fueled by the quiet moans leaving her lips, bythe throbbing in my cock. I remember what she sounded like when she came, and I want to hear it again.
Right before the moment I break, before I take this much further than either of us would be comfortable in a public place, quiet giggles fill the room, and my body tenses against hers as I realize someone else is in here. The reality of what I just did—whatwejust did—comes crashing over me. I just pressed a guest against a wall in a room, ground my dick into her, and made her moan while I kissed her. It’s a major lapse in judgment and probably breakssomethingin the lengthy contract I signed when I became a Daydream employee, but I also can’t find it in me to care.
When I finally get the guts to look down at her, her eyes are wide and knowing, a small smirk playing on her lips.
There is no hint of shame or embarrassment present.
This fucking woman.
“I really have to get to the party,” she whispers, her voice husky.
I take a moment to avert my eyes from her and check my watch, realizing I have a meeting in twenty minutes myself that I should already be in my office preparing for. I nod before moving, making sure she has a sure footing before stepping back.
“We should do this again, though. Soon.”
“No,” I say firmly.
“Excuse me?” she asks with a laugh.
“This was a lapse in judgment. I told you, I don’t have time or space to deal with whatever you’re looking for.”
“Wild of you to assume I’m looking for anything.”
I stare at her and decide I need to nip this in the bud. Once and for all. Because I can’t have Josie Montgomery blurring my mind for the next week and a half. I’m here for one reason, and that is to figure out what thefuckis going on at this resort. Instead, I’m taking her to private breakfasts and rushing to her when an employee breaks a leg and following her into coat checks.
“I don’t think—” I begin to argue, but she ignores me, talking overme with her voice low, only for my ears, with a smile that is dangerous and beautiful and completely biting.
“You know, you play uptight asshole businessman who doesn’t give a shit really well, but I like the other side of you better.’
“Other side?” I ask, even though I know I shouldn’t.
“The bossy side of you. Quiet, demanding.” She licks her lips, then hums like she likes the way they taste. “The making me feel good side.” I fight the urge to grab myself and readjust my cock because that would be far too obvious, but her eyes and her teasing grin shift there anyway, knowing. She takes a step to the door, her eyes still on me, a playful smile on her lips. “See you around, Rowan,” she says, coy and knowing in that playful voice I so desperately want to hate but can’t find it in me to do so.
“Later, Troublemaker,” I say without thinking, saying the name I’ve assigned her in my mind. Her eyes light with pleasure before she winks, then turns and heads out the door.
I stand there for long moments, staring at the door she left, completely dazed, the way she always seems to leave me, only popping out of my reverie when someone else walks in. That’s when I turn to the bag she was moving through. A blue bag with an orange dress doesn’t quite match up, so before I can think twice, I’m opening the bag she was digging through and sliding out the wallet to find who owns it.
I won’t lie: I expect to see Jenny, Gene Michaels’s new girlfriend’s name, on the license, but I don’t. Instead, I see the woman who is with Horace. I stare at it for a beat, trying to understand what interest Josie would have with her before sliding it back into the bag, not wanting anyone to catch the VP of Operations digging through guests’ bags.
I could confront her, go right into that party, and ask what the fuck she’s doing here, because in my gut, I know it’s not to enjoy the sun and sand.
But I don’t. I know myself too well. I know if I do, I might make a stupid, rash decision, like throwing her over my shoulder and taking her to my room, the potential of her being the journalist leakinginformation toFan Magazinebe damned. Instead, I return to my office and resume work.
But later that night, after two more meetings with resorts on the other side of the world, my mind is still reeling, and there’s just one dark-haired beauty to blame.
TWENTY-TWO
JOSIE
I don’t tell Rory about the kiss right away, unsure of how to approach it. It helped that while I was showering, Rory caught a break and finally found an entry point into the resort’s cameras, which means we’ve been messing with the different live feeds to see what we have access to. She hasn’t been able to hack into the cloud for previously recorded videos, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.
