One Night to Risk It All(34)

“I have garlic breath,” she said when they parted, breathing hard and hoping it wasn’t too offensive.

“I probably do, too.”

“Well, I didn’t notice so I guess we’re good.”

“Stop talking, Rachel.”

She nodded. “It would be for the best.”

She moved away from him and away from the table so it wasn’t between them anymore. He rounded it, pulled her to him and kissed her like he was starving. She wrapped her arms around his neck, clung to him.

He tightened his hold on her, propelling her backward until she was pressed up against the rough stone wall of the hotel. “I need you,” he said, kissing her cheek, her neck, her collarbone. “Rachel. Theos, how have I survived this long without touching you?”

She wanted to cry, and she wanted to come, and she couldn’t figure out, in the end, which need would win out. It all felt too big for her, too much. Too much for a girl who was used to hiding in her shell, to feel stripped and exposed like this.

But she couldn’t stop. She couldn’t.

She pulled his shirt open, not caring that it scattered buttons everywhere, not caring that she could hear the sounds of traffic below, that they had nothing to cover them. She pushed his shirt off his shoulders and ran her hands over his chest, the hard muscles, the rough hair.

“You’re so hot,” she said.

“We’ve had this conversation before.”

“I know, but I have to say it again because it’s all I can think about when I see you. When I touch you. You make me... Alex, I don’t understand this. I didn’t think this was how I was. Not anymore. I thought it was gone.”

He dipped low and kissed her, forcing her head against the wall, the hard surface behind her the only thing keeping her from melting into a puddle on the ground. One of his hands slid low, down to her thigh. His fingers dug into her skin, his grip tightening as he lifted her leg and held it up over his lower back, bracing her with his hand and the wall behind them.

He moved against her, the hard ridge of his arousal hitting her in just the right spot. She tightened her grip on him and moved with him, amping it up, pushing herself closer and closer to the edge.

He pressed a kiss to the center of her breasts, his tongue tracing a line down to the edge of the fabric of her dress. Then he continued down, still holding her leg as he lowered himself, draping her thigh over his shoulder as he settled onto his knees.

He pushed the skirt of her dress up, exposing her to him. “Remember, I told you I liked foreplay, but that first time...I took you too fast. I need to make up for it now.”

“I... Oh.” He slid his finger beneath her panties and stroked her where she was slick and so very ready for him.

She could feel his breath against her skin, hot and tantalizing. He ran his finger over her flesh, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. “Good, baby?” he asked.

“You told me not to talk,” she said. “And now I can’t. So don’t ask questions. It’s not fair.”

“What’s not fair is the fact that I’m shaking,” he said, tugging her panties to the side, leaning in closer. “You do that to me, you know?”

She’d suddenly forgotten how to do anything but lean against that wall. “I didn’t... I—”

Then his lips made contact with her bare skin and she couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, and she definitely couldn’t speak.


His tongue slid over her slick flesh, teasing her clitoris, sliding down deep inside of her. She flattened her hands against the wall, trying to find something to hold on to. Her fingers scraped against the stone, the rough surface biting her knuckles.

He moved his hand, his large palm cupping her butt, pulling her harder against his mouth as he intensified his attention on her body, his lips and tongue working dark magic on her, driving her closer and closer to the edge.

She put her hands on his shoulders, clinging to him, in an attempt to keep herself anchored to the earth.

He slid a finger deep inside of her and she tilted her head back, the stars in the darkening sky blurring, then he added a second and everything seemed to combust, the bright lights overhead bursting into a million fireworks.

He released her then stood, his body pressed against hers as he kissed her deeply, the evidence of her own desire on his lips. “Inside,” he growled.

She turned away from him and fumbled for the door into the room. He slid it open and he walked in behind her, sweeping her hair over her shoulder, his lips on the back of her neck as they walked inside.

Then he gripped her shoulders and turned her to face him, kissing her lips. “Can’t wait,” he said, tugging at her dress until he slipped it from her body, then pulling her panties down her legs, while she worked on the closure to his jeans. He stripped them off, along with his underwear, leaving him blessedly naked.

He gripped her thighs and tugged her up so that her legs were wrapped around his waist before lowering them both to the carpet. The door was still open, the traffic noise and ocean breeze coming into the suite, but she didn’t care.

There was nothing but this. Nothing but Alex.

“Please, Alex,” she said. “I need you.”

He positioned himself and slid inside of her, filling her, stretching her. She felt right for the first time in weeks. Or maybe more truthfully, she felt right for the first time in eleven years. More herself.