Worth the Risk: A Contemporary Romance Bundle, page 61
“Then I’d move up to your throat, to that small hollow right there where your pulse beats. And I’d lick that, too. Along your neck, up to the curve of your jaw, and then…then I’d slide onto your lap and take your face in my hands, and I think I’d kiss you for a while.”
His hands gripped the arms of his chair. His face remained stoic, but she could tell it took an effort to do so. The crotch of his cotton pants bulged very satisfactorily, but Kendall found she couldn’t take satisfaction. The sight had her swallowing heavily and shifting in her seat.
“I’d open your mouth with mine,” she continued, “and fill it with my tongue. In and out, slowly, faster, however you wanted it. I’d let you put your hands on my hips to pull me closer to you, and I’d feel the rise of your cock against me through my clothes.”
“We’re wearing clothes?” His voice was hoarse.
She grinned wickedly. “I am. You’re not.”
He gave a small, nearly infinitesimal shudder.
“I kiss you some more, until you plead with me to let you slide inside me.”
Now, at last, she’d said the wrong thing. His eyes narrowed. “I don’t beg.”
“I said plead. That just means saying please.”
He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t beg.”
But his cock still looked hard and his face was still flushed with arousal. She hadn’t lost this one yet. Kendall got up from her chair and went over to him. She lifted one knee until it pressed on his thigh. She let her glance fall to his erection.
“That says you do.”
He glanced down too, then back up at her. His mouth spread into the familiar cocky grin. “That thinks for itself. That doesn’t mean anything. The breeze could blow the right way and I could get hard.”
For an instant, self-doubt swept through her. Had she read him wrong, after all? She began to move away, but his hand grabbed hers before she could. In seconds, he’d stood so fast he knocked over his chair. He grabbed her wrists, both of them, hard enough to hurt, and she gasped. Then she found herself flat on her back on the table with Zane Vincent on top of her.
He nudged himself between her legs. His hardness pressed against her. She knew better than to struggle.
“Two can play this game, Kendall. And let me just see what you’ve been flashing me.”
His hands were so large he could easily hold both her wrists with one of them. He used the other to reach down beneath her skirt, up her thigh, to touch her through the damp silk of her panties. His thumb rubbed across the mound of her aroused clitoris, and a sigh hissed out from between her teeth. His face switched from cocky assurance to stunned lust as he slipped one finger beneath the lacy edge of her panties.
“You’re so wet.” His deep voice caught on the words.
She had to move her hips against his questing hand. She couldn’t help it. His touch felt so good. He slid a finger completely inside her. Kendall let out a small cry and closed her eyes at the look of burning sensuality on his face. His thumb pressed her clit while his finger slid in and out—just the tip, when she wanted the entire length.
“Kendall, do you want me?”
She bit her lip and refused to answer.
He slid his finger in deeper and caressed her clitoris gently. “Look at me.”
Against her will, her eyes opened. His face was open and honest, his eyes searching hers. “Do you want me?”
She nodded, still unwilling to try to speak for fear she wouldn’t be able to.
“Then say it.”
She opened her mouth, aware he was using her ploy against her, but willing to do anything so long as he kept stroking her that way.
“I want you.”
“Say my name.”
“Vincent, I want you.”
“No, Kendall. Say my first name.” He slid in, then out. His fingers pinched her wrists above her head.
“Zane,” she managed to say. “Zane, I want you.”
“Say please,” he whispered as he bent to nuzzle her neck. “Say Zane, please make love to me.”
She gave him the words he wanted and cried aloud again as he withdrew his fingers. Then he let go of her wrists to slide down his pants and, in mere seconds, he was on top of her, his cock sliding inside her with no resistance and his mouth crushing down on hers.
She came almost instantly, with a rising crescendo of sensation that splintered her to pieces. She moaned his name into his mouth. Her arms slid around his back to guide him to her.
“Kendall,” came his whisper in her ear.
She came again, hard on the heels of the first one, which she’d never done before with any man. Just after that, she felt him tense, and he thrust into her one more time. He cried out his release, and the sound triggered a third, milder burst of contractions that had her gasping.
They lay there for a time, just breathing. She’d been right about one thing. He did engulf her.
He lifted himself up on his elbows. His tawny cheeks were flushed. He bent and kissed her, softer this time, but with no less heat. When he pulled away, he took her hand to help her sit up.
She felt sticky and sweaty, but also completely fulfilled. “Wow.”
“Don’t tell me you faked it.”
She shook her head and smiled. “Hell, no.”
“Good. Me neither.”
He ducked too fast for her to swat him.
Chapter 8
He slipped out of bed early in the morning, and she felt an instant sense of loss. She pretended to stay asleep until the door clicked shut quietly behind him, and then she rolled onto her back to stare, wide-eyed, at the ceiling. He hadn’t said goodbye.
Kendall sighed and didn’t even try to fight the slow rise of disappointment. He’d snuck off like a guilty thief. Without so much as leaving a note. So much for not being interested in one-night stands.
There was no more use staying in bed, though the sun was barely up and she was still dead tired. The pillow and sheets smelled of him and of their lovemaking—there could be no more sleep for her until they were changed. She swung her legs out of bed and made a low noise of resignation when she realized it wasn’t just the bed that had been scented with eau de Zane. Her entire body smelled of him.
She lifted her wrist to see if she could at least catch a whiff of her own perfume, but the flowery scent was masked by the richer, musky odor of Zane. And sex, she had to admit that. She reeked of it.
Normally, the smell would have made her interested in diving back for seconds, but since her partner had disappeared without a word, another round seemed unlikely. That thought made her grumpier than the fact he’d gone. Post-coital regrets she could understand, but the sex had been damn good. No repeats of that kind of lovemaking seemed vastly unfair.
She sighed again, louder this time, and punched the bed with a sulky fist. Shower, then breakfast. See what was on the list of activities for the day. She wouldn’t think about Zane…yeah, right. And she wouldn’t breathe either.
She padded to the bathroom and ran the shower hot, then soaped and scrubbed luxuriously. She took care of everything else—hair, teeth, necessaries. When she walked, naked, back into the bedroom, she had to clutch the doorjamb in shock.
He’d brought her breakfast on a tray. And flowers. He’d laid the bright yellow blooms end to end on the neatly turned-down bed. They were in the shape of a heart.
She blinked and felt an absurd rush of tears clog her eyes and throat. “I thought—”
“You think too much.” Zane crossed the room to pull her into his arms.
His mouth on hers held a hint of the strawberries and cream she’d spied on the breakfast plate. His hands were warm on the bare, damp skin of her back. She reached down and pulled the white T-shirt out of his waistband, then up over his stomach and chest. He stopped kissing her long enough to pull the shirt over his head, then threw it on the floor.
His mouth closed over hers again. His tongue quested, and she returned the kiss with equal fervor. With as little effort as if he were lifting a pillow, Zane lifted Kendall and settled her legs around his waist.
Her damp curls brushed his belly. His hand gripped her firmly beneath the curve of her ass. She had no fear of falling, not with Zane holding her.
He held her that way for what seemed an impossibly long time. She curled her arms over his shoulders and hooked her ankles behind his back. Her sex pressed deliciously against him as the bud of her clit swelled with passion.
“This would work better if you were naked,” she murmured and pulled apart just enough to be able to look into his eyes.
“I only have two hands.” Zane brushed his tongue across her lower lip, then tugged the soft flesh between his own. “Unless you want me to put you down.”
She ran her hands over the bulge of his biceps. “No. Walk me up against that wall.”
“I like the way you think.” He did as she ordered until her back pressed firmly against the faded wallpaper.
Propped that way, she was able to let go of his arms to slide her hands into the edge of his waistband. She pushed it a little, then a little more.
“Wiggle your ass,” she told him.
He laughed, but did. His pants fell to his ankles. All at once his hot length was pressing against the crease of her buttocks. She pushed herself away from him for a moment, and he slipped between their bodies. The head of his cock nudged her clit, while the rest of it nestled in her slick folds.
“Damn.”
She nodded and pressed her forehead to his. Her arms went back around his shoulders. “Make love to me this way.”
He shifted a bit, just enough, and slid inside her. She couldn’t stop the cry that burst from her throat as he buried himself to the hilt. He pulsed rapidly inside her and filled her completely. Slowly, she rolled her hips to grind her clit against him. It was impossible for him to thrust in and out, not without losing his grip or his balance, but the slow, teasing grind was enough to make both of them begin to groan.
“I have to sit down. Sit or fall.”
She looked over his shoulder to the bed strewn with petals. “The bed?”
He nodded and seized her mouth for another kiss. “Yeah.”
It took only two steps for him to turn and lay her down. The flowers crushed beneath her and gave off an intoxicating scent that made her head spin. He covered her with his body and began to move. His thrusts were deep but slow, with a little twist of the hips that teased her clit until the first rapid flutters of climax began to fill her.
Their eyes locked. Zane thrust again and her orgasm burst through her, hard enough to make her claw at his back. Splinters of pleasure rocketed through her, piercing her, spreading throughout her entire body. Kendall cried his name and he answered with hers.
He began to shudder. She put her hand on his chest. “Wait.”
His look of confusion lasted only a second because she pushed at him until she could roll over and be on top. She eased herself back down his cock and settled on his hips for a moment. With her clit sensitive in the aftermath of orgasm, she gasped a little when she leaned forward to kiss him and felt the drag of herself on his skin.
She reached for his hands and he gave them. Their fingers entwined.
Kendall began to move, to rock, and at last to use the strength in her thighs to lift up and down on his erection as his hips rose to meet her thrusts and his cock grew impossibly huge inside her. It stretched her and she took him until finally his entire body clenched and shook with the force of his climax.
After a few seconds, she rolled off him and snuggled into his side, her head resting perfectly in the crook of his shoulder. Her hand fit just right on his broad chest, and she draped her thigh over his.
For a while, neither spoke. Kendall drifted, tired from a night with little sleep and a morning of completely fulfilling sex. Zane’s hand stroking her hair soothed her.
“The smell of these flowers is making my head hurt,” he said after a few minutes.
She smiled against his skin. “You put them there.”
He shifted a little. “And they’re staining the sheets.”
She didn’t move. “I’ll make sure they go on your bill.”
“You’re too good to me,” he said wryly.
“Hey, what can I say? I’m just that nice.”
He pushed up on one elbow to look at her. “You are nice, Frasier. Nicer than I thought you’d ever be to me.”
And for that, all she could do was kiss him.
Chapter 9
She’d never given herself up so completely to a man before. They made love when they awoke, this time in the shower built so perfectly for two. He fed her strawberries and waffles, and wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin when syrup made her lips sticky. He even combed her hair. Most of all, he talked.
She’d never been with a man so open about himself. His honesty encouraged her to be the same, and by the afternoon they’d spent the entire day in the room, making love and getting to know each other. She couldn’t recall ever being so comfortable with anyone in her life.
“Only a few days left,” Zane said at last, when they’d both agreed it was time to get up and hit the beach.
“I don’t want this vacation to end.” Kendall sighed.
“Can’t get enough of me, huh?”
She shot him a glance, but his face showed he was teasing. “Maybe.”
He reached to tug a long strand of her hair. “Kendall, a few days ago, you hated my guts. What happened?”
“Good question.” She considered. “It’s usually not hard to hate someone you don’t know. In fact, it’s a lot easier. I guess, when I got to know you, I learned I didn’t need to hate you.”
“I do blame myself, you know.” His words were quiet.
She sat up to look into his eyes. “Zane, you weren’t even aiming at him. His arrogance got him killed, not you.”
He bit at his lip, but nodded. “I know that. But…”
“But it’s easy to blame yourself. I know. I could’ve stopped him. Should’ve. But I didn’t. And I blamed myself for that, too.” She laughed a little. “See, we don’t need to see Dr. Marge anymore. We’re all fixed up.”
He took her hand and brought it to his lips to kiss each knuckle. “Kendall, do you think if we still act crazy, they’ll let us stay?”
“We’re not crazy,” she scoffed.
“Oh, I’m crazy.” Zane winked. “Crazy for you.”
His silly words made her heart thump. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
He put his hand behind her head and pulled her down until she kissed him. “I’m serious.”
She let her tongue flick against his lips. “So am I.”
They didn’t make it to the beach after all.
Chapter 10
The next day, Zane convinced her to take the tour of the island with him. Kendall wasn’t interested in seeing all the places the former owner had taken drug deliveries, but she agreed to go when Zane promised her it would be fun.
“It better be,” she grumbled good-naturedly. “I only have one day left to sit on the beach and bake myself to a decadent golden brown. It’s cold back home, you know. February is a nasty month.”
He took her hand. “I promise you, it’ll be fun.”
She spied the glint in his gorgeous eyes, and heat curled in her belly. “I think I know what you have in mind. Naughty.”
“That’s what you love about me though, isn’t it?” he asked with a sly grin.
He left her to head for the front desk to sign them both up for the trip, leaving her bemused. Love? Surely it was too soon for anything that serious.
He didn’t give her time to contemplate it because he was back in a minute. “C’mon, they’re leaving from the driveway. We almost missed them.”
By silent consent, they dropped each other’s hands when they got in view of the bus. There was nothing illegal about what they’d been doing. Not only were they not working, they didn’t work for the same office or even in the same district. All the same, advertising the fact they’d been humping like rabbits for the entire week didn’t seem like a smart thing to do.
Steve and Stella had snagged seats near the front, but Kendall didn’t see Jean and Kevin. Maybe he didn’t want to try the hike. She and Zane went toward the back of the bus and sat down.
“I feel like I’m back in high school,” she mumbled as they slid into the worn industrial-green seats. “Minus the zits and plus the tits.”
His low chuckle burst out. “I can’t believe that.”
“What?” She nudged him with her elbow. “That I had zits?”
“Nah.” He gave her breast a surreptitious feel. “That you didn’t have tits.”
She giggled, just like in high school, as the bus began to move. It bumped along the cracked and breaking pavement until the road became dust. A flock of squawking chickens scolded them as they left the hotel compound. A few leaning, decrepit huts marked where the former servants had lived while the drug lord and his cronies dined and slept in comfort just inside the estate walls. Kendall didn’t like seeing Corazon del Mar in such disrepair, but she was glad the staff was no longer segregated.
The island was tiny, but the poor condition of the roads made the bus trip last thirty minutes. At the end of the bumping, twisting trip, Zane had begun to lose the color in his cheeks.
“Are you all right?” she asked him in concern.
He nodded, jaw clenched so tight she saw the tic of muscles in his cheek.
He didn’t look all right. Kendall pawed through her bag and took out the most important things. Then she handed it to Zane.
“If you need this…”
He shook his head violently, but still didn’t speak. Kendall patted his arm, uncertain of what to do. The bus bumped to a stop, and Zane was on his feet and down the aisle before any of the other passengers had even stood. Kendall wasn’t so lucky. She had to wait until all the rest of the people had moved off the bus before she could get out.
She found him sitting, head in his hands, on a large wedge of rock that stuck out of the untamed foliage. “Hey.”
