She smirked and reluctantly extricated herself from his grasp. “Not that kind of treat. Is your mind always in the gutter, Mr. Logan?”
He grabbed her hand as they strolled toward her house. “Yep, it’s set up permanent residence there. I could sell you a time-share if you’d like.”
“No need. When you’re around, I already have one.”
He chuckled and lifted her hand to his mouth for a quick kiss. “Ah, I always knew there was a dirty girl beneath that Southern belle facade.”
Once they made their way back into her house and into the kitchen, Aubrey set down a plate of cookies and a glass of milk in front of Lex. “Here you go.”
He traced his finger along the top of her table, examining the contents sandwiched between the wood base and the protective varnish. “This is really cool. Are these your postcards or did you buy the table like this?”
She sat in the seat across from him and followed his gaze. “They’re mine. I decoupaged—sealed them—onto the table. My dad used to send them to me when I was kid and he went on all these business trips.”
“Wow, you kept them all?”
She shrugged. “He always told such great stories of the places he visited, I was jealous. I saved them, promising myself that one day I would see the world like him.”
He glanced up at her. “So have you?”
She broke her cookie in half and sighed. “No, not really. In high school, I thought I’d become some jet-setting journalist. I was so ready to get out from under my parents’ rules. But then . . .”
“Your sister.”
She nodded. “I couldn’t just leave them. I’m the only kid they had left. It would have broken my mom’s heart if I had bailed. So I adjusted my plans. I got the degree I wanted, but searched for jobs that would keep me local.”
“But you kept the postcards? Aren’t they just a reminder of what you gave up?” His evaluating gaze caused her to shift in her seat. It was as if he could see right through every layer she’d constructed right down to her most precious, private thoughts.
“They were cheap decoration,” she said, wanting the conversation to be over. “Now eat the damn cookies before they get cold.”
If he recognized her deflection, he didn’t comment on it. He raised a cookie in salute and dutifully bit into it. She followed suit and, and he didn’t say another word until he had polished off the whole thing. “Holy god, these are good.”
“Right? My grandmother won prizes at fairs with this recipe.”
“I can see why. But just out of curiosity, why the hell are you baking at midnight anyway? Not that I’m complaining.”
“Cooking relaxes me.” She sipped her milk. “And Gran’s chocolate chip cookies have magical properties—guaranteed to fix a crappy day.”
He smiled and grabbed her hand. “I know a few other ways to fix a crappy day.”
“Too bad you promised not to make a move on me,” she teased.
“Did I say that?” he asked, the picture of innocence.
“Mmm-hmm.”
“I’m an idiot sometimes.”
Lex helped clean up and then followed her to her bedroom. She knew he would keep his promise if she made him. But she also saw the look in his eyes as he watched her in the kitchen. He was hungry for more than cookies, and so was she. There was no way she would be able sleep next to him all night, knowing the thrill of his touch was only a breath away, and not jump him. She knew that, but he didn’t. Her lips curled into a smile.
Chapter 11
Lex leaned against the doorjamb and crossed his arms while enjoying the view. Aubrey readied the bed—fluffing pillows, arranging sheets, looking like sin on a fucking platter. Her camisole was so thin he could see the shadows of her nipples peeking through the fabric, and it was taking everything he had not to stride over and take one of them in his mouth. How could he have promised not to make a move? What had he been thinking? Stupid. He’d picked a fine time to try out the gentleman role. It didn’t suit him.
She came around the edge of the bed. “Is one pillow going to be enough? I think I have an extra in the hall closet.”
“One’s fine.”
“Great.” She hooked her thumbs in her pajama pants and slid them down her legs, revealing tiny white cotton panties underneath.
He coughed. “Um, what are you doing?”
She lifted an eyebrow. “I’m getting ready for bed. I can’t sleep in pants, too hot.”
Something was definitely too hot. She stepped out of the pants and bent over to pick them up. His eyes scanned the perfect curve of her ass. His hands flexed as he imagined taking her over his knee and spanking her butt red for teasing him like this. “You’re going to make me lose my resolve to keep my promises, babe.”
“I didn’t know you were such a stickler for keeping your word,” she said as she slipped her fluffy socks off and tossed them into a laundry hamper across the room.
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, trying to will away the erection that was threatening to appear. “I’m trying to do the right thing for a change.”
“Good for you.” She smiled brightly and sat on the bed, scanning him from head to toe, taking time to pause at strategic places. His muscles tensed as if her gaze had been her fingers moving across him instead. “Are you going to wear your jeans to bed?”
“’Course not.” Any blood left in his brain headed straight south as he imagined lying next to her with only a whisper of cotton between them. He shoved his hands in his back pockets. “Although it might not be a bad idea.”
She laughed, causing her chest to bounce, which only made her breasts look more enticing. Her voice held challenge. “Don’t trust yourself?”
He gave her a wry smile and peeled off his shirt. “It’s you I’m worried about. You can’t seem to keep your hands off me. I mean, you assaulted me at the zoo—in front of children, no less. Then, you took advantage of me at your office where anyone could have heard us. You clearly have no self-control.”
She turned down the comforter and tucked her smooth legs underneath. He wanted to park himself right between those soft, silky thighs. She didn’t need blankets to stay warm. He’d be more than happy to provide that service. But her gaze sparked with determination. “Oh, believe me. I have more self-control in my little finger than you have in your entire body.”
He unbuttoned his jeans and stripped down to his boxers. “Uh-huh. I saw your self-control in the office today.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter because I would never ask you to break a promise.” Her hands went to the hem of her camisole. She lifted it up and over her head, revealing the precious flesh underneath. Every muscle in him seemed to lurch forward and tighten. She tossed the shirt to the floor, and her tone turned cloying. “It’s too bad though. Nothing tops off chocolate chip cookies, like . . . well, never mind.”
Cruel. That’s what she was. And hot. So damn hot. He forced a shrug. “You’re not going to win by flashing me tits. I see those in the audience every night.”
She gave a slow smile. “I’m not trying to win anything. I told you—I’m just warm.”
“You totally suck, Bordelon,” he said and stalked to the other side of the bed, knowing that the now obvious swelling in his crotch betrayed his previous denials.
She nodded somberly. “True. I do suck.” Her tongue swept out and wet her lips, punctuating her point. She appeared to be fighting off a grin.
“You’re a fucking sadist is what you are.” Lex rubbed his hand over his face. How could this be the same girl who had curled in his lap earlier? Her combination of innocent and dirty might just kill him. He climbed onto the bed next to her, the coolness of the sheets a startling contrast to the heat racing through his body. He met her gaze, her eyes full of invitation. She smelled of chocolate and femininity and arousal. His last shred of promise-keeping burned in
to a pile of ashes. “To hell with my word. You win.”
He leaned in to kiss her, but she turned her head so that his mouth landed on her cheek.
“Good night Lex,” she said, all sweetness and light. “I appreciate you being so concerned about me getting some rest.”
She flipped onto her side, leaving him with a view of her bare back.
He groaned and dropped his face onto the pillow, wishing it were a wall he could beat his head against.
She yawned. “Why don’t we spoon? That will help me fall asleep faster.”
Damn her. No, damn himself for making stupid promises. He moved closer and slid his arm around her, tucking her against his torso. His erection nestled perfectly into the curve of her ass and hardened to the point of pain. She snuggled against him. He bit the inside of his cheek, trying to draw his attention away from the incessant throbbing in his shorts.
A sleepy, contented sigh escaped Aubrey’s lips.
He parked his hand on smooth plain of her belly, afraid to move either too far up or down. Knowing that the perfect rounds of her breasts lay inches north and that his personal version of heaven lay inches south was almost too much to bear. He squeezed his eyes shut and attempted to think of something else, anything else, besides Aubrey. Ha. Right. All he saw behind his closed lids was her, lying naked beneath him, her head tilted back in bliss as he buried himself deep inside her. He grimaced. How was he supposed to sleep? Chinese water torture seemed preferable to a night of lying next to his sexy reporter without touching her.
Aubrey huffed. “I can’t get comfortable in this position.”
The break in the silence made him jump. “Huh? Oh, sorry. Do you need me to move?”
“Yeah, I think so.” She grabbed the hand he had resting on her stomach, and moved it down. His whole body tensed as she tucked it underneath the band of her panties. His fingers brushed across her smooth skin and then revealed how bad she was at faking hard to get. Searing hot and soaked. She was as ready for him as he was for her. “I seem to have a little problem keeping me awake.”
“Is that right?” he asked, his voice coming out deep and strained. Every molecule in him wanted to explode. He moved his finger inside her, forcing himself to go slowly, to be patient, to make sure she would get as much pleasure as him. “And what do you think I should do about that?”
A murmur escaped her lips and she arched against him, inadvertently stroking her backside against his hard-on. “You could fix it.”
He removed his hand from beneath the cotton and rolled her onto her back. The moonlight shining through the curtains lit her body with an ethereal sexiness—all silver light and curves. Lex didn’t know if angels existed, but if they did, this is what he imagined one looking like. He shifted onto his elbow, staring at Aubrey’s beautifully feminine body, wanting to taste every part of her. “You play the tease pretty well, reporter girl.”
She gave a smile that made him ache.
“I should make you pay for that,” he said, trailing a finger around one of her nipples. It responded immediately, tightening into a hard point.
“I’d like to see you try.”
“You’re playing with fire, gorgeous.” He dropped his head and drew his tongue across the stiff peak. Her body lifted seeking more of his mouth. “Mmm. I bet you taste this good everywhere.”
Her eyelids fluttered as he gave equal treatment to the other side. “Maybe you should make sure.”
He untwisted himself from the tangle of sheets and shifted until he was above her. He guided her arms above her head. “Hold onto the headboard unless I tell you otherwise.”
Her gaze flared with heat, and she followed his instructions. The sight undid him a little. Lex loved sex—vanilla, kinky, and everything in between—but seeing his good girl reporter so readily respond to the whisper of kink, like she wasn’t just curious but hungry for something a little different, made desire burn hot in his veins.
His mouth pressed against the curve of her neck, her shoulder. Kissing, licking, and throwing in the occasional nipping bite to test the waters. When she didn’t flinch, he took the pain a little deeper, running her nipple between his teeth. She dropped her head back with a moan, giving him full access and asking for more.
Fuck, yes.
He drew his mouth and tongue along her cleavage, tracking down to her navel, and dragging his nails along her flesh. Her skin heated under his touch just as he had imagined that first day he met her. Rosy pink and sexy as hell. He eased down farther, the scent of her arousal calling to him, and guided her knees up. He trailed kisses and bites along her inner thighs, relishing the softness of her flesh and the fever of her response. She quivered underneath him as if ready to break apart. He halted his descent centimeters before reaching his destination. Her knuckles went white against the headboard.
“Please,” she begged, her voice barely a whisper.
“I told you I’d make you pay. Maybe I’ll spend all night just kissing you everywhere except the place you want most.”
“Oh, god, you weren’t serious, were you?” she asked, an edge of panic sharpening her voice.
He chuckled and then used the tip of his tongue to answer her question, tasting her sweet arousal. She twined her fingers in his hair and drew him closer.
He backed off. “Hands on the headboard, gorgeous. You don’t get to control this. Let me make you feel good.”
She groaned but listened and locked her hands around the headboard again. He lifted her legs over his shoulders and pressed his mouth against her. Her sweet flesh tightened beneath his tongue, and she gave the softest, sexiest sigh he’d ever heard. Yes, this. He took his time tasting and nibbling, rasping his tongue against her burning softness and feeling her writhe against him. She arched and dropped her hands to the bed, digging her nails into the mattress. He let the transgression go. Nothing was hotter than a woman gripping the sheets for dear life.
He pulled away for a second, rubbing his stubbled cheek against her inner thigh and relishing the view of her swollen, damp flesh.
“Oh, please don’t stop.”
He drew a finger over her center. “You have the sexiest cunt, Aubrey. So pretty and pink and wet.”
“Lex,” she gasped.
“Hmm . . .” he murmured, kissing her right on her clit.
“It’s just—”
He lifted his head. Even in the dark he could see the flush creeping up her form. “It’s just what?”
“The things you say . . .”
He smiled slowly. So no one had ever talked dirty to the pretty reporter? Her lovers had probably all been polite and sweet and romantic. Screw that. He slid two fingers inside of her, stroking her in a place that made her moan. “I would apologize, but I can feel you getting wetter anytime I say something filthy to you. Maybe I should tell you how much I fucking love eating your pussy. Or how I stroked my cock to thoughts of you that afternoon after we went to the zoo. That I came while I imagined tearing those little white shorts off you and fucking you right there with your cheek pressed to the grass.”
Her body clenched around his fingers and her back curved. “God.”
“You’re fucking sexy, Aubrey, and someone should’ve told you that long before now.”
Unable to go another moment without tasting her again, he dipped his head low and gave tribute to her most sensitive spot. She writhed and an expletive slipped past her lips. That’s what he liked to hear. The businesswoman losing her polish. He dragged his tongue along the sides of her clit, and her muscles went taut beneath him. That was all it took. Her hands balled in the sheets, gripping tight as she tipped over into climax. Cries of release reverberated against the walls as he held onto her. The sound of her voice alone was enough to send his aching need into overdrive.
Breathless and hoarse, she reached his shoulders. “Come ’ere. Please, I need you.”
&nb
sp; As fast as his raging erection would allow, he climbed off the bed, shucked his boxers, and grabbed protection out of his discarded jeans. Before he could get the thing open, her hands clutched his wrists and yanked him down to her. Their mouths crushed against each other, kissing full and deep, the luscious taste of her arousal still fresh on his lips. Her arms banded around his waist, securing him on top of her, but he had other ideas. After seeing her bend over to undress earlier, he wanted to get his hands on her curvy backside. He gripped her hips and rolled her until she was above him. Her hair created a halo of darkness around her face as she stared down at him. Beautiful and sensual and innocent all at the same time. He could spend years cataloging every perfect inch of her. Kissing. Tasting. Stroking. But he didn’t have years, only days.
An unfamiliar longing punched him in his gut.
***
Aubrey shivered as Lex ran his hands along the curves of her ass and the small of her back. His blue eyes scanned her face as if he could read every thought that passed through her brain. She hoped that wasn’t the case. In the last few minutes, her mind had gone irrational, imagining more than sex with the handsome rock star. The feelings that bubbled below the surface were nothing short of ridiculous. She squeezed her eyes shut.
The crackle of a condom wrapper brought her back to reality. Lex shifted underneath her, and she allowed her physical reaction to overpower the mental one. Her hips tilted upward, and he nudged against her already sensitive sex, finding her center. She moaned as he slid deep, savoring their perfect fit. That sensation would never get old.
The hard lines of his face spread into a smile. “You are so much better than sleep.”
She laughed. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
He rocked forward, penetrating her with his gaze as much as his body. She tried to look away but was hypnotized by their connection—a soul-deep intimacy crackling between them. A shimmer of fear swirled into her pleasure. What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she just shut down her brain, her heart, enjoy the moment for what it was? As if sensing her mood shift, Lex clutched her hips against him more tightly. She forced her eyes down, away from his stare. Stop thinking.