Erotica- So Not A Cowboy/ Spanking (2 page)

She couldn’t find the strength to face him. “I think so.” Heat seared her face. “I’m so embarrassed.”

He wet a wash rag and handed it to her. “Been there, done this.” To her relief, he left the room and closed the door.

Gawd, what he must think of me.
She was never going to drink another Oh My Goddess. Maybe she wouldn’t ever set foot in the Tiki Lounge again. Maybe she could just drown here in this strange man’s shower and end all of her problems.

He tapped lightly on the door. “There are extra towels in the linen closet. Feel free to grab a shower. It’ll make you feel better, trust me.”

Trust him?
She didn’t know him. How could she strip naked and take a shower? “I just need to go back to my place,” she protested, holding her still uneasy stomach. “Or die.”

He chuckled, the sound rich and rumbly. Sexy. “I’ll find you a pair of shorts and a T-shirt to change into.”

“This dress is….” She glanced down and discovered she’d managed to tear a side seam in her squirming around during the night. It was slit up the side almost to her waist. “Oh damn.”

Her face flamed even hotter knowing he’d seen so much of her. He could have seen even more if he’d undressed her, which, thank God, he hadn’t. She took a second to determine whether he’d done the
naughty
with her. She didn’t think so.
Again, thank God
. What an absolute idiot she’d been.

“Shorts and T-shirt?” he asked, interrupting her miserable musings.

“Yes,” she answered in a wary squeak.

A half hour later showered except for her long hair, dressed in his borrowed jogging shorts that hung baggily on her and a T-shirt, Mandy drew in a steadying breath and emerged from the safety of the bathroom. She followed the smell of coffee to the kitchen. Her handsome host wore cut-off jean shorts, no shirt and no shoes. He was tanned male perfection with a hairless chest and just enough upper muscles to show he worked out in some way. His legs were long and his thighs muscled, but not overly so. She liked the whole package. Although his collar-length, blond-brown mixed hair could stand a trim.

When he sensed her presence, he turned and those sky blue eyes found her. “Better now?” He nodded at the coffee pot. “Want some?”

“Normally I’d say yes.” She held a hand over her queasy stomach. “Think I’ll pass on it this time.”

He leaned against the marble-topped counter and studied her while sipping from his coffee cup. “I’m Erik Mallory, in case you were wondering.”

“Mandy Weatherford,” she responded then walked over to sit on one of the bar stools by the island in the middle of the kitchen. As she settled in place, she noticed how his gaze had zeroed in on her breasts. She hadn’t worn a bra or panties with the skimpy dress last night and now she felt almost naked in front of him. For sure her nipples had hardened with his intense scrutiny and she tried to pluck the white T-shirt more loosely around her.

To give him credit, he forced his gaze away from her and concentrated on his coffee again. She relaxed a bit. “I don’t even know what to say to you about last night…about bringing me here…about, well anything.” She ran a finger along the edge of the butcher block top. “Nice place.” Didn’t that sound really lame?

“It’s okay. I’m just renting it for a week. Needed some time away.” He glanced at her, one brow raised curiously. “The bartender made it sound like you don’t live here on Maui all the time.”

Awkward conversation. She needed to go back to her place. “I travel a lot; don’t really have a permanent home. But I’m thinking about changing that.” Why was she telling him this? Why would he care?

“Sales?” he asked, setting his cup down to focus on her alone. His gaze moved over her, brushing longer on her breasts once more.

“Would you please stop that!” She fought covering her excited nipples. “I’m not ogling you.”

He chuckled and amusement danced in his eyes. “You sure did some serious ogling when you walked into the room. I saw your face reflected on the coffee pot.”

She hated that he’d caught her but at least she hadn’t been actually drooling. “Fine. We’ve both been ogling one another, but I’m done with that.” She eased off the stool. “Actually, I need to get back to my place. Unfortunately, I have no idea where I am right now or if I can walk there from here.”

“I’ll drive you.” He straightened but didn’t look ready to move more than that. “Are you sure you’re up to leaving now? You’re welcome to hang out here with me for a while. I don’t have any plans today. Other than scoping out the beaches, looking for some good surfing spots.”

“Surfer. I knew it.”

He gave her an irritated glance. “You say that like it’s something distasteful.”

“Not really. It’s just not something I’ve ever been around. I always thought it was a California kid’s thing.” Boy, that sounded stupid and like she was putting him down. “Sorry. I’m just a good ol’ girl from the Midwest.”

He leaned against the counter, crossing his legs at the ankle. Relaxed. “I
am
a California kid, grown up.” He gave her a crooked grin. “Most of the time anyway.”

She was back to checking him out, fool that she was. What had happened to swearing off men? Whatever. Her hands practically ached to smooth across that gorgeous chest. He had a lot of things going for him and no doubt had women falling all over him wherever he went.

“I probably messed up your plans for last night.” She flicked her gaze back to the butcher block bar, much safer territory.

“Didn’t have any plans.”

“Still…I’m sorry to have caused you so much trouble.”
Trouble. Drew
. She’d spend the day standing with a very sore bottom if he ever found out about this. “Good thing he won’t find out,” she muttered.

“Huh?”

She blinked at him; saw that he was staring at her…at where she’d moved her hands to, her bottom. She immediately moved them back to the counter. “Nothing.”

He looked curious for a second but didn’t press her. Instead he said, “Why don’t we go lie down and discuss how much trouble you are.” He winked at her.

Go lie down together.
“In spite of how I behaved last night, I’m not easy. I don’t fall into bed with every man who catches my eye.” At thirty, she’d been in and out of several relationships, but she didn’t really play around. Although she couldn’t believe how strongly this man attracted her. She was almost willing to make an exception in his case. Almost.

He strolled toward her, looking yummier with each step he took. “So I caught your eye?”

“Well, ummmm.” He moved next to her, cupped her face and leaned close. He smelled so good, all musky man. “What…what are you doing?” she squeaked. Her heart raced and her clit was dancing in anticipation.

“Something I wanted to do from the moment I saw you last night across the bar. Kissing you.”

She thought about objecting, really. But what was the point? She wanted to taste those sensual lips of his, too. One touch and she was a goner. He had the softest lips, the most skillful tongue. She was lost to the wonder of this man.

Somehow her clothes disappeared, his shorts, too. Then she was on the tiled floor, legs spread wide, heart pounding as she watched him reach into a drawer. An instant later he’d slipped on a condom—who kept condoms in a kitchen?!—and knelt between her legs. Her conscience was screaming out warnings about being an idiot, about not knowing him, about….
Shut up!

The look on his handsome face was so tender, so filled with longing and yet he wasn’t just driving into her to satisfy his needs. Chad would have been. Now that she thought about her ex-boyfriend, he’d seldom considered what she wanted. She hadn’t resisted him, because she liked sex. But she had a feeling if she actually said ‘No,’ Erik would back off. Chad wouldn’t have.

“Are you okay?” Erik’s face was tight with strain. He bent over her, one of his hands playing with her delighted clit and palming her mound. His cock head was at her entrance, pulsing against her tingling lips. “I know this isn’t all that romantic, but….”

She reached up and stroked his beard-roughened face. “Less talk, Surfer Boy, more action.”

“Thank God.” He grinned and buried his rod in a single long, strong stroke. His balls rubbed against her. “Soooo good.”

He filled her so well, perfectly. She flexed her inner muscles and took pride in his quiet groan. The look of pure pleasure in his expression made her bolder. She pulled him down, cradling his head between her breasts. Her fingers threaded through his soft, thick hair.

He pumped steadily but finally moved his hot mouth to one breast and then the other, licking and gently biting each nipple until she was crazy with desire. All the while he worked her, she worked him as well. She arched up to meet his thrusts. They moved together as if they’d done so forever. She didn’t hold anything back from him. He wouldn’t allow it.

She struggled toward release; her head rolling side to side, breathing in ragged pants. “Oh, oh, oh, oh!” She bowed her body upward a final time, holding still. Obligingly he held still, too, waiting for her. Then it was there. Her body exploded in climax.

The moment she steadied again, he threw his head back and thrust desperately three more times. His face was red, pinched in near pain and she began to worry about him. But he rammed deep a final time and growled out her name at the same time he spent inside her. Sweating, dragging in deep breaths, he collapsed atop her but only for a few seconds before he shifted off her.

“Can I say ‘wow’?” he rolled to his side, looking at her, beaming.

“Only if I can echo it.” She leaned over to kiss him, sensing something special happening between she and her surfer boy white knight. Things were moving seriously too fast. Yet she didn’t want to slow down.

* * *

Mandy blinked her eyes open and stared up at the ceiling for several long minutes. She didn’t recognize it. Or the feel of the mattress beneath her. And she felt boneless, so sated she didn’t think she could ever move again.
Boneless? Sated?

She jerked upward, heart racing, head throbbing. The sheet that had covered her slipped to her legs. With a moan, she put her palms to the sides of her head. A hangover, again. This was getting old. More importantly, where the hell was she? She glanced warily around the obviously expensive hotel suite.
Las Vegas. Fountains. The Bellagio
. She had a really bad feeling.

Confirming it, a familiar whiskey-warm, masculine voice said, “Good morning, Mrs. Mallory.” Erik stood in the doorway to a connecting bathroom, wearing a sexy grin and nothing else. And a certain part of him was waving with determination for her attention.

“Oh God, what have I done?” She flopped back against the rumpled bed and groaned. Drank too much, that was obvious. A bad habit that was ending today. Liquor was never touching her lips again. But this time she’d really screwed up. “We’re in Las Vegas, aren’t we?”
Say no. Say no. Say no
. She already knew the truth, had remembered coming to the Bellagio. But she was desperate.
Say no!

He ambled over, frowning a little, and sat next to her on the bed. Without a thought, he reached down to cup a breast, giving a gentle squeeze. “My favorite city in the whole world right now.”

It was hard to concentrate when her nipples were pebbling, when heat was settling lower in her body. But this was important.
Remember. Remember what you did yesterday.
As her fuzzy brain tried to sort through things, she recalled his greeting. “Mrs. Mallory? Oh, please, tell me I didn’t hear you right.”

His frown deepened and he pulled his hand away. She wanted to protest, bit down the urge. “You don’t remember going to that little chapel down the Strip? You don’t remember promising to love, honor, and obey me forever?”

Automatically, she countered, “I would
never
promise to
obey
anyone.” Then she squeezed her eyes closed, tried to ignore the jackhammer in her head. “Never mind that, it’s not important.”

“Yes, it is.” He sounded annoyed.

She ignored his comment. Instead she said, “I remember we decided to come here because I had a few days off from the airline. We played some roulette, played some slots.” She rubbed her forehead and envisioned sitting in a lounge. “We ran into some friends of yours. Went dancing, drinking.”

Mandy slitted one eye open and found him watching her, a vein pulsing in the side of his neck. She’d never seen him angry before, but he sure was now. “I’m never drinking again. I mean it. I do crazy things when I’ve gone over my limit, which is apparently very little.”

“Crazy things like going home with a strange man?” Now he looked oddly hurt.

“Well, actually,
you
took me to your home.” He didn’t appear to like her specifics.

“Admittedly, I did. But you certainly didn’t seem to mind being with me after that.” He stood, his cock at half-mast now in his annoyance with her. “We’ve been together almost 24/7 for the last two weeks. In Maui. In Los Angeles. Now here.”

“It was all great.” She attempted to soothe him. “I mean the sex was stupendous. And I enjoy being with you….” She shook her head. “But marriage? You and me? We barely know each other outside the bedroom.”

It hurt to think, but she finally remembered his friends, their ridiculous dare. Now she sat up again, irritation sparking through her. “It was a joke. We were all drunk. They were the ones supposed to actually get married. We just went along to make sure they did.”

“They didn’t. We did.” He held her gaze but she couldn’t determine exactly how he felt. But surely he didn’t really want to be married to her. They’d had fun…a lot more than that, in truth. Still…marriage?

“Oh shit.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Don’t cuss.”

“This is a cussing worthy situation.” She curled her hands around the sheet, suddenly very aware of being naked. Not that he hadn’t seen her naked a lot during these last weeks. But this was different. “So we end it.”

To her surprise, he shook his head. “No.”

“What?” She couldn’t have heard him right.