Chasing Mrs. Right (3 page)

“Hawaii.”

Totally not the answer she expected. “What?”

“I considered Hawaii. Or maybe Florida. I’ve seen enough of the world to know that I wanted to be in the States.” He shifted, looking uncomfortable, as if he’d just shared something he hadn’t meant to. “What about you? Have you traveled?”

“Not as much as I’d like to.” She shrugged. It was the great irony of her life that she’d spent so much time wishing to be anywhere but Spokane, and this was exactly where she’d stayed. “I go where my work is, and right now, my work is in Spokane. Business is slowly expanding, though, so I hope there will be more opportunity for traveling in the future.”

Despite her general distaste for everything involving weddings, she’d put out an ad in a local magazine to drum up business. In this economy, weddings were one of the few areas of party planning that hadn’t taken a hit. If she wanted to keep her lifestyle, she had to do more than plan sweet-sixteen bashes and corporate parties.

“Do you like your job?”

She started to give him a generic answer, but he actually looked interested. “There are days when I want to light my office on fire and walk away without looking back, but they are few and far between. Most of the time I love it.”

“Tell me about it.”

Yeah, she didn’t think so. Though Roxanne had wanted to know more about this guy, she didn’t particularly want to share more about herself. Even giving him those few details, she felt strangely vulnerable. Besides, what more did they really need to know about each other? He was obviously interested in her, and just sitting next to him was some of the best foreplay she’d ever had in her life.

She gave his thigh a squeeze and bit her lip. “I don’t think I will.”

He tore his gaze away from her mouth, but it seemed to take a lot of effort. “Why not?”

This was her last chance to pat him on the head and walk away. In the twenty minutes they’d been here, this man had already managed to connect with her on a level she wasn’t completely comfortable with. If she didn’t leave now, this entire thing could backfire.

But then he twined a lock of her hair around his finger, his thumb running along the strand and making her want him to touch other parts of her body the same way.

She swallowed, trying to reclaim her bravado. “Let me ask you something, and I’d like you to be perfectly honest. Sound good?”

“Sure.”

“Ideally, how’s tonight end for you?” When he stared, she snapped her fingers in front of his face. No way was she giving him time to come up with some careful, PC answer. She wanted the truth. “Answer. Now.”

She got exactly what she was looking for. He met her gaze directly. “With you bent over the nearest available surface and me fucking you until we both forget our names.”

Chapter Three

For a second, Ian thought he’d misread the situation. Her eyes went wide, something flaring in their green depths. Disappointment soured the whiskey in his stomach, but he tried to sit back and look as nonthreatening as possible—which wasn’t easy since he couldn’t quite make himself break the physical contact between them. Yes, she was gorgeous, and yes, he wanted her just as he’d told her—naked and bent over the nearest available surface.

But it was more than that.

Ian wanted her naked and wrapped around him because merely touching her kept the darkness inside him at bay. Made him feel at ease for the first time in as long as he could remember. How much better would this strange connection between them work if he could touch more of her? Not to mention she was the most interesting woman he’d met in years. He wasn’t ready to let her go. Not yet.

But if she didn’t want this, he could and would control himself. After all, he’d done enough damage to this woman tonight, between bowling her over and getting her cut up from the asphalt.

It’d serve him right if she told him to fuck off and walked away.

But she smiled at him as if he’d just given a really brilliant answer. “Wonderful.”

Ian held his breath, barely daring to hope she meant what he thought she meant. He felt like her damn hand was imprinted on his thigh, bringing both peace and a nearly overwhelming
need
, but he still didn’t move. He couldn’t afford to misread this situation. “And that’s wonderful because…?”

She rotated her body away from the door and scooted closer to him on the couch, her pink skirt riding up until it would take the barest of nudges to see if she wore panties under it—something he’d been dying to know since he first knelt in front of her. She moved her hand farther up this thigh, the contact burning through his jeans and making his cock throb. When he swallowed, her grin widened. Oh, yeah. The little brat knew exactly what she was doing to him.

That she could switch so easily from drawing out things he never meant to say aloud—like the fact that he spent considerable time fantasizing about taking off and never coming back—to this level of teasing only made her
more
enticing.

She drummed her nails on his thigh, each little contact stoking his need for her higher. “It’s wonderful because I want the same thing. So why don’t we skip the small talk?”

“Get right down to business, you mean?”

“Honey, if it feels like business, you’re doing something wrong.”

Moving slowly, Ian hooked a hand around the back of her neck and drew her closer. He stopped just short of kissing her, enjoying the way her breath stuttered and her nails dug into his jeans. Here, this close, their breath intermingled, and the faint scent of the whiskey they’d both drunk teased him. He wanted to taste her, to explore her mouth and take his time.

She took the decision away from him, closing the last bit of distance between them and nipping his bottom lip. That small pain was like a match igniting his desire. Helpless to resist his need for her, he abandoned his plan to take things slow. Their lips met, and there was no teasing, no beating around the bush. She opened for him immediately, her tongue swiping his, taking as much as he could give. It made him wonder if her boldness would extend past kissing.

The pressure in his chest loosened another notch. It was more than the promise of sex, more than just physical need driving him—

No, he wasn’t going to ruin this by thinking too much. She wanted him. He wanted her. They’d figure the rest out as they went.

Even knowing going down this path might end horribly, Ian pressed her palm against the bulge in his jeans, letting her feel how much he wanted her. She broke the kiss long enough to say, “Is that a giant freaking banana in your pocket, or are you as ready to get out of this club as I am?”

He laughed and reclaimed her mouth. Though it could be chalked up to them having just met, he suspected he could know this woman for years and still be surprised at the things that she said.

She stroked him through his jeans as he slid his free hand up her leg, desperate to have the answer to the panties question. When he hesitated at the hem of her skirt, she gave a breathy moan he felt more than heard. He traced the path of skin on her thigh just south of the hemline, and she tilted her hips as if inviting him to take more. That decided it. Ian slipped his hand beneath her skirt and groaned when he found her bare. She was hot and wet and more than ready for him.

As he stroked her tongue with his, he worked her with his fingers, zeroing in on her clit, unwilling to move from this spot until he felt her come apart in his arms.

…

If he kept it up, Roxanne was going to explode right here, on a couch in the middle of a bar. Sure, their backs were to the wall, and thanks to a few well-placed shadows, she was pretty sure no one could see, but all it would take is for some server to wander over and they’d get an eyeful.

She loved every second of it.

“You are so goddamn wet.” He made an appreciative noise deep in his throat and thrust two fingers deep within her. Roxanne angled a little farther away from the rest of the bar and opened her legs wider, giving him better access. Oh God, that felt good. Too good. Too much. Not enough. She didn’t even know anymore.

She broke the kiss and gasped as she went under, the orgasm crashing into her with the strength of a hurricane-force wind. He tucked her face against his neck, his fingers drawing out the aftershocks until she was a shaking mess.

And she wanted nothing more than to do it again, even with the voice inside her screaming warnings. Even though all he’d done was work her until she came, it felt like a whole lot more than sex. Maybe it was because she knew he had a past that haunted him, just like she did. They were like messed-up kindred spirits.

Knowing that sent another shock of fear through her, dampening her afterglow. But then she raised her head to find him looking at her with the smuggest, most satisfied male expression she’d ever seen. He leaned forward and spoke in her ear, his voice carrying a growl that sent a bolt of need through her so intense that it was everything she could do not to grab his hand and press it back between her legs. “I’m dying to taste every inch of you, and you
will
be coming on my mouth tonight.”

Oh. My. God.

Screw worrying about future problems that she’d never have to deal with. They had to get out of here—right now—or she was going to unzip his pants and climb onto his lap, and then they’d both end up in jail for public indecency.

“Let’s go.” She inched her skirt down and pushed to her feet, wobbling in a way that had nothing to do with booze. “Come on.”

His gaze raked up her body, as if memorizing the path some part of his body would take later, and he rose with a predatory grace. “Go.”

There was a threat and a promise in that one word. From the way he moved, he was going to take her when he got hold of her, regardless of where they were.

Oh,
hot damn
.

A bolt of pure desire shot through her body as she backed away, bumping into a chair as she did. She ignored the pain radiating through her hip and kept moving, stopping just inside the elevator doors.

“Come get me,” she mouthed.

His eyes flared and he started making his way to her, but the doors slid closed before he could get there.

Holy. Crap. Roxanne took a shuddering breath. As the elevator descended, she smoothed her hair back and tried to look like she just hadn’t had a top-five orgasm in the middle of a club with all her clothes on. What to do when she reached the ground floor? Should she bolt? Would this man really put that much effort into chasing her? And if she ran, where could she go to make sure he found her?

Five floors left.

Obviously, she was putting too much thought into this. She’d just walk out the front door. If he caught up with her, he caught up with her. If he didn’t, well, at least she got a fantastic orgasm out of the deal.

Oh, the lies she told herself to be okay.

The numbers ticked down.

Two floors to go.

One.

Roxanne tried out a smile in the reflective surface of the doors, but it looked shaky at best. Then the doors rolled open and there he was, leaning against the wall across from the elevator as if he hadn’t just sprinted down ten flights of stairs. A slow smile spread over his face at the sight of her.

For a second, she just stood there. But then the doors tried to close, jarring her out of shock. Damn. She was most definitely in over her head. There was only one thing to do about it—brazen her way through this and deal with the consequences tomorrow. She walked toward him as if she owned the place, stopping just out of reach. “Impressive.”

“I live to please.” Damn, he didn’t even sound out of breath. She would have been a panting, sweating mess if she’d done the same thing.

“That remains to be seen.” When he reached for her, she jumped sideways and slid past him and out the front door. A giggle escaped her throat as he cursed. She made it three steps down the sidewalk before he hooked an arm around her waist, spun her around, and lifted her clean off her feet. Another laugh slipped free.

While one arm branded her lower back, keeping her plastered against his chest, he looped the other under her ass and lifted her until their mouths were even. “You like being chased.”

A fact she hadn’t known until a few minutes ago. She looped her arms around his neck. “Maybe.”

He looked around. “You have a car around here?”

“Two blocks east and a block south, on Washington and Second.”

“Good enough.” He tossed her over his shoulder.

“Holy shit.”

He slid a hand up her skirt. “Careful there. If you move too much, I might drop you.”

She froze, a whimper escaping when he pushed two fingers into her. “That’s not fair. Someone might see.” Heat shot through her body at the very thought.

“Think so?” He pressed a kiss to her bare thigh as they rounded the corner. They reached her car all too soon, and he took his time sliding her down his body. As soon as her feet touched the ground, he pressed her against the car and took her mouth.

God, the things this man did to her, and they’d barely gotten started.

She unbuttoned his pants and took him in hand, needing him to feel as out of control as she did right now. He rested his forehead on hers, his eyes closed, his breathing jagged. When was the last time he’d been with someone? She decided it didn’t matter. He was here with her, fighting for control exactly the way she was.

He stilled her hand with his own. “I need you.”

Roxanne smiled, doing her damnedest not to acknowledge how deeply his words rocked her. Because, even though she should really know better, for a second she almost convinced herself he wasn’t talking solely about sex. But that’s all this was—all it
could
be. “Then take me.”

“I know somewhere we can go. Unlock your car.”

“You think we can actually last long enough to make it to wherever you’re taking me?”

He grinned, the flash of humor surprising her just as much as the last one had. “I wouldn’t take that bet.”

“Me either.”

Chapter Four

Roxanne made him drive so she could have her hands free. Or, rather, so she could have her hands full of him.

“You’re really tempting fate right now.” He inhaled sharply as she stroked him. “Or is it your goal to have me drag your ass into the backseat before we get three blocks?”

“Hmmm?” God, he felt good. She ran her nails lightly along the underside of his cock. “I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The veins on his arms stood out, and his knuckles were white in the passing lights. “I bet you don’t.” She went to unbuckle her seatbelt, but he stopped her with a hand on hers. “Keep it on.”

“You’re joking.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

No, he looked like a man about to lose control, his eyes wild and his body tense, as if he didn’t trust himself. And yet he was still managing to worry about her buckling up for safety. She didn’t know whether to find that endearing or annoying. “Okay, fine.”

The seatbelt would impede what she wanted to do, but she’d work around it. Having him this close and available was too much temptation to resist. Roxanne slid down in her seat, thankful that the center console wasn’t huge.

“What are you—” He gave a muffled groan when she squeezed his cock on the upstroke. “
Christ
.”

She decided she liked the way he sounded when he was losing control, so she swirled her finger around his tip again. She stroked him, spurred on by every harsh breath and every curse that came out of his mouth. So into watching what she was doing, she actually startled when the car stopped and he fisted his hands in her hair. He allowed her two more pumps before he pulled her hand off him and drew her into a kiss that was so desperate it curled her toes.

“I can’t wait any longer.”

Well, hell, she wasn’t all that interested in waiting either. She glanced out the window. They’d barely made it three blocks. No way would they manage to get wherever he was taking them. “How far away are we?”

“Too far.”

Yeah, she thought so, too. A slow smile spread over her face. “There’s a little hotel just around the corner. Take a left, and then a left on Monroe. It’s on First.” It’d take all of two minutes to get there. In the meantime…

She dug through her purse, coming up with one of the condoms she’d shoved in there a few weeks ago. After rolling it over his cock, she unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed into his lap. He opened his mouth but anything he might’ve said dissolved into a low groan as she sank onto his length. When his hands fell to her waist, Roxanne laughed. “Drive, cowboy.”

“You can’t seriously expect me to drive while you’re doing that with your hips.”

She sucked on his earlobe, dragging her teeth over the sensitive skin. “Drive, or I stop what I’m doing.”

“Jesus Christ.” He maneuvered her to one side and took a deep breath that came out totally uneven. “Okay. I can do this.”

“Better hurry. This feels so damn good, I could come right now.”

He gripped her chin, forcing her back until she could meet his eyes. Gone was the slightly desperate man she’d had so much fun prodding, replaced by something else entirely. Something dangerous. “You will hold off until we’re at that hotel.”

“And if I don’t?” Pleasure already spiraled through her, spiking from the nearly bruising force of his fingers, from the fact they were in the front seat of her car, in the middle of the street. “What will you do then?”

“Then I call a cab, and I go home without finishing this.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Then call my bluff.”

She froze, her entire body pulsing at the very idea. If she only got one night with him, she’d be damned before it was cut short. “Hurry.”

“That, I can do.” He tucked her face against his neck and threw the car into gear. Despite his free hand urging her on, fingers digging into her ass, he didn’t speed through the streets. She shoved his shirt up, needing to feel more of his skin against hers. With each down stroke, her clit rubbed against him, the sheer pleasure threatening to overwhelm her.

No, no, no. She couldn’t come. Roxanne tried to pull back, to slow down, but he held her in place, forcing her to keep up the rhythm. “Charming, I—”

“Almost there.”

Oh God. She was going to come, and then he’d leave. “
Please
.” Even as she begged, her hips kept up the rhythm guaranteed to send her over the edge. It was too good to stop, no matter the threat hanging over her head.

He cursed and pulled into the hotel’s tiny parking lot. Within seconds, he parked and shut off the car, and then both his hands were on her hips. “Come for me.”

As if her body had been waiting for his command, her orgasm rocked her to her very soul. And then it kept going, wave after wave hitting as he moved against her, prolonging the pleasure until it damn near hurt. She slumped against him, shaking so hard she was pretty damn sure she wouldn’t be able to walk the distance it would take to get a room.

He kissed her forehead, the intimacy of that tiny move rocking her nearly as deeply as the orgasm had. Hadn’t Marilyn Monroe said something about a real lover being able to thrill you with a forehead kiss? This didn’t feel like a thrill. This felt like he’d reached past every single one of her barriers and touched her damn soul.

He spoke, drawing her out of her spiral. “Wasn’t that worth the wait?”

“I can’t feel my legs.”

He ran his hands up the outside of her thighs, drawing out a sigh. “I think you’ll recover just fine. Which is good, because I’m just getting started.”

She belatedly realized he was still hard inside her. “Holy shit.”

“You’re welcome.” He lifted her and set her back in the passenger seat. “I’ll get us a room and be right back.”

She nodded, watching as he cleaned himself up and got out of the car, wondering what the hell she was getting herself into.

…

Ian took in the hotel room in a single glance—couch, chair, king-size bed. Typical hotel, though the view wasn’t too shabby. He’d originally been planning on taking her to the house he’d bought before moving back here, but this would do. Besides, the damn place was still in pretty rough shape and didn’t have a single piece of furniture in it—not exactly the best place to bring a woman he was intent on taking again and again until they were both too exhausted to move.

He guided her onto the bed and pulled off her heels. How the hell could she walk in those things? He appreciated how sexy they looked, though. When he tugged on her bunched-up skirt, she lifted her hips. “Zipper.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He had the skirt off in record time, quickly followed by her shirt and bra. Naked, she stretched out, giving him an eyeful. And what a fucking eyeful it was. Impossibly long legs, a flared waist that perfectly fit his hands, breasts he could spend all night worshipping. Christ, she was something else.

“Like what you see?”

“You know I do.”

She twirled her fingers. “Your turn. Lose the clothes.”

He stripped off his shirt, all too aware of her eyes on him.

He worked out almost compulsively—it was only thing that quieted his thoughts when they started spinning out of control. So he ran or lifted weights until everything disappeared, until he could only concentrate on the next rep, the next mile. And then he worked out some more.

He still couldn’t believe he’d told her about sweating away his demons. He didn’t tell
anyone
that stuff. Admitting to his many weaknesses was too personal to do with friends, and he didn’t like to worry his family. He was dealing with it—more or less—so there was no need to scare them over something they couldn’t control.

Ian reached down and hooked the back of her knees, toppling her back onto the bed. He ran his fingers over her stomach and circled his thumb over her clit. She rocked against him and he closed his eyes, trying to remember all the reasons why unprotected sex wasn’t an option. His cock wasn’t listening. “I don’t suppose you have more condoms?”

“I’m on this newfangled thing called birth control. Since I haven’t been with anyone since the last time I got tested, I’m good there, too.” She patted his arm. “I promise you’re safe from big, bad me. You?”

He didn’t want to admit how long it had been for him, but that didn’t stop his instinctive balking at the idea of putting this woman at risk. Even after the short time they’d spent together, he found himself wanting to… Hell, he wasn’t sure what he wanted. “I wouldn’t have let it get this far if I wasn’t sure I was safe.”

“Then why are we wasting time talking about this?”

Fuck, yeah.
He slid an arm under her waist and lifted her hips, then shoved into her, sheathing himself to the hilt. “Christ, you feel good.” Even better than in the car. Having her wrapped around him like this, her hips rising to meet his thrusts, silenced his demons completely. For the first time in as long as he could remember, his entire world narrowed down to the present.

The past and all its shadows had no place here.

He focused on her completely. On the way her back arched with each stroke. On the hazy look in her eyes. On how her very scent drove him wild. He was close. Too close.

Needing her to finish again before he let himself go, he circled her clit with his thumb again. She thrashed as a keening sound came from her throat. “
Charming
.” She threw her head back, her entire body going tense. Then and only then did he give into the need to pound into her, pressure building until he finally let go completely. His release shot through him, taking with it all his tension and worries and thoughts.

He slumped next to her, their breathing harsh in his ears. “Jesus Christ.”

She laughed hoarsely. “That about sums it up.”

He lay there, listening to their harsh breathing for a few seconds. “My name is Ian.” She frowned and opened her mouth to say something, but he beat her to the punch. “Next time you come, you’re going to say my name.”

She looked down for a long moment before meeting his gaze. A small smile pulled at the edges of her lips, making him want to kiss her all over again. “I think I can manage that.”

“Good.” Suddenly exhausted, he let his eyes drift shut. She wasn’t close enough, though. He pulled her against him so her back was against his chest. For a second, she tensed up, but just when he was about to let go, she relaxed with a sigh. The tension in his shoulders was gone, which felt strange because it had been there so long he’d actually gotten used to it.

He’d be happy about that in the morning. Right now, he just wanted a little rest.