Nothing is going to happen, I tell myself. That would be the height of inappropriateness and… and it would just be sowrong!
“You’re looking a little flushed there, Charlie. You okay?” Miles is watching me with a look that tells me he knows damn well what is going through my mind right now.
“Fine.” I keep my answer short and sweet since I seem to be experiencing some difficulty controlling my breathing.
“If you say so.” The smirk is still there, a dirty salute to promises begging to be kept.
I’m just not sure who will be doing the begging.
He turns his attention to the display above the doors, watching the numbers rise.
I should make something clear. I am, by no means, a prude. Ilovesex and I’m a firm believer that an orgasm a day keeps the stress at bay. But—but, not butt,thatis a no-go zone, sorry, boys—I’m the first to admit, I’m not the most adventurous in that area and I have never been with anyone whowantedto experiment.
In college it was clumsy fumblings, get it in and out before a roommate walked in on us. And, after? Well, there hasn’t actually been many after. Relationships never worked out well for me. There was too much drama, too much turmoil. When I discovered my first post-college boyfriend was cheating on me, I was devastated. When I discovered that he was cheating on me with his girlfriend andIwas actually the other woman, I was livid. I found myself wallowing in bed, wavering between heartbreak and hatred with a pint of ice cream and a bottle of five-dollar wine. Sucking down that wine in a bed strewn with dirty tissues and melted ice cream all over the sheets was the moment I realized history was repeating itself. How many times had my mother locked herself away, crying over some idiot who had broken her heart, only to dust herself off and find herself in exactly the same situation months later.
I decided right then that wasn’t going to be me. Those emotional extremes that only served to remind me of my turbulent childhood weren’t what I wanted. Stability and balance was what I needed to find my peace, and that is what I crave more than anything.
So, why am I standing here next to a man who is everything I shouldn’t want and, instead of running away, I’m desperate for him in every way.
I want to break every one of my rules for him and with him. I want that strange, little, cussing human of his to like me, because she came from him and every part of him is important to me. Even the parts that terrify me.
The elevator doors ding open and we both step out of the small space. I turn to head toward room 1514, but Miles stops me, taking hold of my wrist lightly.
“I would never expect you to do anything you don’t want to. You know that, right?”
His thumb is rubbing slow circles over the tender flesh of my wrist and he’s looking at me so sincerely. I know he’s being honest, and I don’t have a moment of doubt that, while he may push my boundaries in many different ways, he will never exploit my trust.
“I know.”
“Good, because it was just a stupid joke. Our first time together isn’t going to be during a few stolen moments at your work party.” He places a kiss on my forehead, then moves his mouth to my ear, lowering his voice to a husky whisper. “We’ll need all night for everything I have planned. Now…” Taking a step back, he nods in the direction I was heading. “This way?”
Ignoring the flush of disappointment that courses through me—what iswrongwith me?—I murmur a quick affirmation and a few minutes later we are entering the hotel room.
“I’ll just be a minute. Grab something from the minibar if you want, no one will ever know.” I race to the large mahogany desk on the other side of the room, and using an app on my phone, I quickly scan the document I need and email it.
Duty done, I turn back to Miles, eager to get back to the party and enjoy the rest of the night.
He’s standing in front of the full-length window that spans an entire wall of the room, his eyes glued to the view. The city below us is lit up and glowing. It’s truly a sight to behold.
“It’s so beautiful.” I move to stand next to him.
“It is,” he agrees, but when I look up at him, his eyes are no longer on the vista below us.
I want to kiss him. I want to do a lot more than kiss him, but it seems like a good place to start. So, just like with everything else involving this man, I give in to the urge and take hold of his lapels, pulling him down until we are eye to eye.
“Don’t let me regret this.” It’s a plea, for more than just this moment, but a pointless one. I couldn’t stop any of it from happening, even if I wanted to.
And, let me make it very clear. I don’t.
His eyes dance over my face, as if reassuring himself of my intention and then his mouth is on mine, his tongue licking along my bottom lip, seeking entry. I open for him, ready to taste him. I’m desperate to feel his tongue, his mouth, on every inch of my flesh and I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer, as close as I can get.
He turns us around, pushing my back up against the window and pressing the length of his body into me, until I feel the obscene thrust of his cock against my stomach. The need to grind my body against his is urgent and consuming, and when I hear the low growl he emits, I do it all over again.
His hand threads through my hair and he pulls back sharply, exposing the curve of my neck to his greedy mouth. He bites and sucks, using his tongue to soothe the sting.
“Are you sure?” His lips move against the skin of my throat and it tickles. I try to find a way to tell him I have never been more sure of anything in my life, without actually saying the words, because he has rendered me speechless right now.
Instead, I simply nod and begin undoing the buttons on his shirt, but he stops me and takes a slight step back.