I considered myself a brave person. However, approaching Reid while he was with Vanessa’s parents and his mother was not happening under any circumstance. There was brave, and then there was reckless. A smart woman stayed at the bar.
“I’ll take a bourbon neat and a gin and tonic, please,” I told the bartender. Gin was a safe bet for keeping me on good behavior. The bourbon, of course, was for Reid because I knew he’d need it.
Turning around with the drinks in hand, I caught Reid stalking toward me with heated eyes. Jesus. If ever there was a look a man gave a woman to make her knees weak, this was it. He stared at me as if he saw no one else. It was both exhilarating and terrifying.
“I got you a drink.”
He took the cold glass and used his free hand to take mine. “Thank you. Any chance you want to take off and return to the room now?”
“Are we allowed?” Dinner had been served, the cake had been cut, and the toasts had been made. Dancing was still in full swing, but hell if I knew the protocol.
He chuckled. “I’ve done more than my duty. Come on.”
I giggled. Actually giggled like a teenage girl as I followed him through the reception and into the lobby. Once we were in the elevator, he didn’t hesitate in seizing the moment to take my lips.
Breathless.
How could a simple kiss leave me this way? But here I was, gazing into his eyes and swallowing hard at how far gone I was for this man. My stupid brain hoped for confirmation he was feeling it too, while my body argued against any sort of heavy conversation that might rob it of future orgasms.
I was team orgasm all the way.
Once we were in the room, we quickly stripped out of our clothes like it was a race, grinning the entire time. I stood naked in victory. “I win.”
He glanced up from undoing his trousers, the last article left of his clothing. “Do you? I’d argue I’m the one winning since I get to stare at your body first. Why don’t you get on your hands and knees up near the headboard, beautiful.”
He didn’t have to ask me twice. It was a position we hadn’t tried yet, and I looked forward to him taking me from behind. But once the bed shifted under his weight, I expected him to come up behind me. Imagine my surprise when I felt a wet tongue instead.
I moaned, looking down to see him between my legs. Had I ever witnessed a sexier sight in my life?
“Lower yourself so you straddle my face.”
My hands gripped the headboard for leverage as I lowered myself to his waiting lips. “Full disclosure. If you die, you die.”
He chuckled. “I’ll take my chances.”
When his mouth fastened on my clit, I nearly bucked off of him.
“Ride my mouth.”
So. Fucking. Hot.
I did as he asked, getting into a rhythm before he took hold of my hips and held me for an incredible assault of lips, tongue, and fingers.
“Oh, God.” I threw my head back and death-gripped the headboard, hoping it was sturdy enough to sustain my climax. Holy shit. A moment of blackness overwhelmed my senses, causing everything to block out except for the waves of pleasure hitting my body over and over.
As I came down off my orgasm, I realized I’d gripped my thighs together as I’d lost my mind. “Jesus, sorry.”
He chuckled, probably thankful I was letting him breathe again, and slid out from my thighs. “You did warn me.”
“I did, but wow.”
He wasn’t done. Warm hands rubbed my back, then up to my shoulders. “Do you have any idea how sexy you are? I’m addicted to touching and tasting your soft skin.”
Once again, the compliment landed, and I wasn’t sure what to do with it. But this time I didn’t refute it. Instead, I turned my head over my shoulder to meet his kiss, pouring all of my love for this man into the only way I dared show him.
Dammit, did I use the word love?
Yes, yes, I did. Was there really any doubt I was in love with him?
Great. Now I was having internal conversations with myself.
Shut up, self. Kiss this amazing man and stop questioning his motives.
“You tasting yourself on my lips has to be the hottest thing ever.”
“Mm, I wouldn’t ever miss a chance to kiss you.”
He laid his hand on my face, searching my eyes. Holy intensity. Could he read my internal thoughts? Gulp. He had no idea how close I was to blurting out my feelings.
“Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I really like you.” Lamer words had never been uttered.
But he grinned. “Good, because I really like you too.”
All talking ceased. He took my lips in a deep kiss, his tongue tangling with mine. We shifted ourselves so we were both lying on our sides, legs intertwined, bodies on fire. He leaned back, the heat blazing from his eyes as he tracked his gaze down my body.
“I need you inside of me. Now.” I could hear an unfamiliar desperation in my voice.
“Get back on your knees.”
He got behind me, parting my lips and rubbing the head of his cock along my wetness.
I bit down on my lip at the sensation of him slowly notching inside of me.
“Sore?”
“A little. But only in the best way possible.”
He groaned when I pushed back, taking him in deeper while my pussy stretched to accommodate his size.
“Oh, my.” A phrase I didn’t think I’d ever spoken but was so very appropriate for the fullness I was experiencing. He was so unbelievably deep. My hands found purchase on the sheets as I started my rhythm of pushing back, and I gasped when he reached around to strum my clit.
“Rise up and reach back to give me your lips.”
He assisted me by banding his arms around my waist and chest, holding me in position so I could arch my head back and meet his lips. Oh my God.
He took over the rhythm by digging his fingers into my skin and thrusting deeper and deeper with every stroke. When his hand reached down to find my clit, I was done for. Searing heat snaked through me. I cried out while riding the waves of pleasure. He growled in my ear with a final thrust, grinding out his own orgasm deep inside of me.
We collapsed on the bed together where I enjoyed the way he held me there, my back halfway across his chest, our heartbeats erratic, our breathing in synch.
“I didn’t believe it was possible, considering how good it was the first two times, but sex with you just keeps getting better.”
I lifted my head to flash him a smile. I’d been thinking the same thing.
The sound of the phone buzzing interrupted the moment. It was coming from the floor where his trousers lay. “It’s your phone.”
“Mm, let it buzz.” He lifted me up and to his side, tucking me in closely. “Oh, that reminds me. Aiden texted. He’s in LA and surprised Chloe there.”
“Yes, I know. She sent me a text too. She’s so happy.”
When his phone buzzed again, he cursed but made no move to get it. The knowledge he wasn’t in any hurry to break this moment filled me with contentment.
“Aiden is happy too. Speaking of which, how would you feel about me traveling to LA with you tomorrow?”
Excited. Nervous. Freaking out. “Sure.” God, I’d been hoping to act cool, but instead I’d overshot.
“I would get a hotel since I know you’re staying with your sister. Don’t worry. I thought perhaps I’d go see Aiden, and maybe we could go out with him and Chloe, but I’m not crashing your vacation. Promise.”
I wanted him to come with me. Meet my sister. Meet my niece. But then he’d see the not-so-great apartment and neighborhood where I’d grown up. “Yeah. No. I want you to go.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, no. You’re very convincing.”
Dammit, words. Why were you failing me? There was so much I wanted to say. Especially since this was an important step. A possible relationshippy step. But unfortunately, we were interrupted by another round of his phone buzzing.
“Let me check this real quick.” He jumped out of bed while I lay there and admired his impressive backside.
“Ugh. It’s my mother. She’s called twice and is now texting to say she’s leaving tonight and wants to apologize before she goes.” He took a seat on the bed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “She doesn’t often say she’s sorry.”
“Then you should go. I’ll be right here keeping the bed warm.” Frankly, I’d use the time to gather my thoughts and figure out how to tell him I was excited about the idea of him accompanying me to LA tomorrow. Maybe I could start by sharing some of my fears with him. Hopefully, he could give me some confidence about the direction we were heading.
“You certain you don’t mind?” He started gathering his clothes from the floor.
“I don’t although don’t be surprised if you get roped into more pictures.”
He cursed under his breath. “I’m leaving the jacket and tie in the room to ensure they won’t grab me for more pics. How many does the bride need?”
“I have no clue. I swear by all that’s holy that when I get married I will not be burdening my bridal party with three photographers and a drone.”
“Good to know.” He winked before disappearing into the bathroom with his clothes.
Face palm. Why? Why would I go and mention a wedding? I was the worst at this.
Reid came out four minutes later wearing his slacks and dress shirt. His hair was mussed from my fingers yanking on it earlier, making me wish he was climbing back in bed with me instead of leaving.
“I won’t be long.” He dropped a kiss on my lips before walking out the door.
After two minutes of mentally beating myself up for the inept way I’d handled his offer to come with me to LA, I went and took a quick shower. Afterward, I put on my favorite T-shirt, captioned, “I licked it first. It’s mine.”
Deciding not to waste the time, I started packing my suitcase since we were leaving early the next morning. My task was interrupted, however, by a knock on the door. When I looked through the peephole, I was shocked to see Chance on the other side. Opening the door a crack, I told him, “Reid isn’t here. He’s with your mom.”
“I know. I saw him in the lobby. I came to talk to you.”
“If you think I’m inviting you into our room, you are sadly mistaken.”
“Would you rather talk about your job at the Scarlett Letter in the hallway?”
My stomach dropped. How the hell had he discovered my secret from thousands of miles away? I opened the door to let him in and turned around so he wouldn’t be able to see my reaction.
“It was the connection to Chloe that clued me in. I knew what kind of lengths Aiden went to in order to get her out of a certain auction.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Chloe had entered an auction for her virginity in order to pay off a dangerous loan shark. Aiden had found out about it by reading messages she’d mistakenly thought were private, and the rest was wrapped up in a happy ending for the two of them. Evidently, the same wasn’t going to be said about me.
“What do you want?” I turned to face him, crossing my arms over my chest and refusing to be bullied. “Because from where I stand, it looks like it’s for your brother to be miserable.”
Irritation showed in his eyes. “Of course I don’t want to see him miserable. But are you going to stand there and tell me you’ve been honest with him?”
“That’s rich coming from you. You want to talk about honesty when you would go behind his back and cheat—”
“I didn’t cheat. Jesus, that wasn’t the point. The point was to show him the truth about Vanessa. She’d drop to her knees for me or for any other man she thought might elevate her position. And since he didn’t believe me when I told him she’d hit on me, I proved it. I’m here to protect him, even from himself.”
“Must be a thankless job. But you can rest easy. I’ll tell Reid about the Scarlett Letter tonight.” I had no choice.
“And what? Let’s play this scenario out, shall we? My brother is a good guy, and I’m sure you’ll tell him you work there because you need the money. Might even be a good sob story.”
In other words, Chance didn’t give a shit about my reasons.
“So he says he understands. And maybe you go so far as to quit your job there.”
I hated him for being a step ahead of me.
“But you’ve met this crowd. You think he’ll be able to bring you home for the holidays? Would he be able to hold his head up, aware everyone could find out like I did that you stripped illegally? He’d know people would question if you’d also been involved in prostitution because if you’d do one illegal thing, why not another? Hell, they’ll wonder if Reid paid you to be here. And how do you believe your illegal activity plays out in connection with his career in security? You suppose he’ll keep his clearance if your vocation were to be uncovered? You imagine he’ll get that promotion in Australia he put in for?”
I bit the inside of my cheek in order to keep from showing any outward emotion and tasted blood.
“So maybe you two talk it out, but what type of future are you saddling him with?”
“I repeat, what do you want?” A man like Chance always had an agenda.
“I’ll make it worth your while.”
Rage threatened to make me dizzy. “You’d pay me to break up with your brother?”
“Twenty-five thousand, and you walk away with your head high and your secret intact.”
“Go fuck yourself.” No amount of money was worth losing Reid. Yet the voice in my head was already warning I might lose him anyhow. That was, if he’d ever been mine to lose.
His lips twitched while he handed over his card. “Very well. In case you change your mind, the offer expires at midnight, Cinderella.”
I couldn’t shut the door on his retreat fast enough. But once I was alone, anxiety crawled up my throat and threatened to consume me. I needed to talk to Reid. But what could I say?
Simple. I’d tell him the truth. I stripped to fund my niece’s cancer treatment, but now that she was cancer-free, I intended to quit. And I wanted—what? That he shouldn’t be ashamed of me? Reid might not have the best relationship with his family, but he clearly wanted them to remain in his life. Look at the way he’d left to allow his mother to apologize. Did I want Vanessa and her catty bitch posse to have the satisfaction of knowing he’d traded down?
Perhaps that was the crux of the matter. With or without the exposure of my secret, I believed Reid could do a lot better than Cheez Whiz.
