Her friend snorted. “Remember, I have your picture.” She slid out of the booth, hitting him with her briefcase hard enough to be deliberate, and stomped off, with only one backward glance at Stacia. “Call me tomorrow.”
Stacia sipped her drink. “She’s a little protective.”
“A little? More like a mama bear looking to maul me. Any particular reason why I’m on her hit list, when you came over to me?”
Stacia pulled away from him and reached for the drinks the waitress so thoughtfully replaced. “It’s been a rough week, well, year really. I’ve neglected my social life and I thought it was time we get reacquainted.”
Bingo! She was crazy. That made a lot more sense, more like his usual type of woman. “Is that what tonight is all about?”
“No, I’m just tired of being the good girl, the responsible one. It’s time I cut loose and enjoy life. Other women see what they want and go get it. Why can’t I?”
He nodded, unsurprised. Her response was so typical, it was a stereotype. Good girl wants to go bad just once, cut loose with the bad boy. And he was definitely the bad boy in the script. Normally, he would have cried off, uninterested in being used for a fling. Dealing with the tears and recriminations the next morning from the sweet, innocent flower was a major turn-off. His cock definitely was not interested in walking away from Stacia, no matter what the risk was, or the morning-after tears. He could always leave while she slept.
Deciding to play along with the fantasy, he cocked his head. “And what do you want?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” She glanced up at him from under her eyelashes.
He pulled his arm back and took a deep sip of his scotch. “No offense, darling, but I’m not in the market for a woman right now. My life’s in the crapper and I can’t afford any other complications.”
She frowned, her forehead wrinkling, and she traced the condensation on his glass. “I’m not looking for anything long-term or serious. I just want to have some fun. You’re alone. Looks like you could use a friend. A distraction at least. Here I am!”
He shook his head, charmed by her innocence and dogged determination to seduce him, despite his vow to steer clear. What could one dinner hurt? Besides, she clearly needed someone to watch out for her and who better than someone who’d sworn off women? Maybe this good deed could refill his karma bank, putting him on the credit instead of debit side.
“What the hell. Dinner, Miss Stacia?”
*
Dinner and severaldrinks later, Stacia toyed with her lower lip in the elevator at the hotel. Was she having second thoughts? Was he? She caught his eye and her lips curved in a flirtatious smile, eyes lowered as she studied him. The ball was in his court. Was he up for this? She leaned forward and took his lips in a sweet kiss, her hand sweeping his chest to steady herself, then lower to the evidence of his arousal.
“Are you happy to see me or is that your cell phone?”
He grinned and held up that device in his other hand. Game on.
Seconds later, the elevator doors opened with a ding. Stacia stumbled out, her heel catching on the lip of the hotel carpet. Jason’s firm hands steadied her, his strength sending a tingle down her arms. She sucked in a breath at the sudden heat where he gripped her arms. The hallway tilted slightly, whether from anticipation of the night ahead or the Southern Comfort sours she’d consumed prior to dinner to maintain her courage. Right now, she was riding high, no false help needed.
His hands slid down her back, guiding her down the hall. They slipped a little further, caressing her buttocks. A delicious shiver coursed through her, eager anticipation of the night ahead. She’d picked the right man for sin.
As if feeling the weight of her stare, he flashed a thousand-watt smile and put his arm around her. “Are you sure, Stacia?”
She clutched the front of his leather jacket with both hands and tugged him to her, stumbling back against the hotel wall with the force. Sliding her hands up and around his neck, she held on as he kissed her, a deep, drugging kiss. “Does that answer your question?”
He groaned and hauled her close, pressing her into the wall with his body. The evidence of his desire pressed against the vee of her thighs. Her panties grew damp as his tongue plunged and took, teasing a response, igniting her desire.
After several long moments, he pulled away and leaned his forehead against hers, his breath ragged. She ran her hands under his shirt to the corded, warm muscles beneath until he tugged her hands out.
“Hang on.” His voice was coarse, rough with an edge to it. He turned from her and yanked out the room key card. His hand shook slightly as he tried to insert the card into the slot. A devilish thought occurred to her and she pressed her front to his back, wrapping her arms around him. She stroked her hands down to his stomach, then lower still to cup him, caressing him through the denim.
He dropped the key and cursed quietly. “Stop that! Let me open the door.”
She laughed, reveling in the thought that she could affect him. She, the shy flower, the responsible one, the one her father called an old lady. If only he knew what she was doing now, he would be appalled. Who knew being a bad girl could be such fun? If she had known this years ago, maybe her life would have been different.
He gathered her wandering hands and tugged her around to his front, holding her firmly in place, her hands clasped in one of his. Finally, he opened the door and tugged her inside, slamming it shut behind them. In one quick move, he pinned her to the wall and covered her mouth with his. Sensations threatened to overwhelm her, heat spreading from his mouth, his hands, his body, kindling a desire deep in her core.
She speared her fingers into his hair and tugged him closer, moaning her pleasure into his mouth. He slid his hands down to cup her ass, settling her firmly against his erection. Stacia wrapped a leg around his waist, tilting her pelvis to seat him more comfortably. She moaned at the thought that someone like him could desire her. She ruthlessly pushed the doubts away and focused on feeling, on sensations, on drowning in the moment.
Before she could fully absorb the thrill of knowing he wanted her, he lightly stroked his hands up her sides and cupped her breasts, fire licking her nerve endings. Her shirt slipped off her shoulders. A cool breeze hit her heated skin and she shivered with the immediate chill. He flicked his thumbs across her nipples, sending desire shooting right to her core. She dragged her mouth from his with a gasp and glanced down at her gaping blouse and the front closure bra open and framing her breasts.
Damn, he really was smooth. Sensations swamped her, centered at her nipples, which had never been so sensitive.