HUNTER (The Caine Brothers Book 1) (5 page)

“Fuck, yes.” The words came out more as a growl than coherent vocabulary.

She’d already known it, but it was a relief to hear him to say it. She’d stepped out on a limb admitting it herself. At least now they were out on the same limb.

She waved her hand in a vague motion encompassing the two of them, the room, Costa Rica. “So this is sort of a what happens in Costa Rica stays in Costa Rica thing?”

“Yes. We explore whatever this is, enjoy it, get it out of our systems, then when we go back to Houston, we go back to work and put this behind us.”

He was crazy if he thought that would work. Sex had a way of making things awkward and personal. She’d never heard of anyone successfully doing the casual get-it-out-of-our-system thing. But since the personal assistant gig was only a way for her to get a foot into the corporate world, on her way to a legal position, she could always find another temporary job to fill the gap if this weekend experiment went badly.

At least that was how she justified wanting to agree to Hunter’s proposition. Admitting attraction was one thing. Flirting and teasing another. But entertaining the idea of a full-on sexcapade in Costa Rica with her boss was another thing entirely.

She reached up and put her hands on his chest—warm and hard. He clearly worked out. Her body stood up and cheered. Instead of caressing, though, she forced herself to push him up out of her space.

“It’s a tempting proposal. Very, very tempting. But I’m sure you’ll agree it’s never a good idea to jump on an offer without walking away to give it some thought. It’s just good business.”

He stood and crossed his arms, a flabbergasted look of disbelief on his face. “You’re rejecting me?”

“I’m so not rejecting you. I’m saying let’s put a pin in it. Not be hasty. Let’s sleep on it and revisit it after we’ve had a chance to consider the pros and cons.”

He turned and headed for the bathroom, stripping his belt off and tossing it on the chair as he went. He stopped at the door and faced her, unbuttoning his shirt as he spoke. “I’ll tell you now, the pros include lots of hot, no-strings-attached sex. The cons are we’ll have to interrupt the hot no-strings-attached sex to explore the resort.”

“You can add that,” she pointed to his torso with nicely defined musculature and a sprinkling of dark blond hair that narrowed into a perfect treasure trail. “to the list of pros.”

He shot her an I-told-you-so smirk. “Go ahead and sleep on that, sweetheart.”

Hunter stripped and turned on the shower to a temperature just above tolerably hot. Fuck the cold shower. He needed release, even if he had to do it himself.

Allison didn’t know it yet, but sometime this weekend—preferably sooner rather than later given the ache in his balls—she would be his. He’d fuck her until she begged him to stop, which would be never if he had anything to say about it.

It pissed him off that she’d suggest an affair and then back out. He felt tricked into admitting his attraction when he wouldn’t have normally.

True, she’d admitted to it first, and she seemed genuinely interested in his proposal. But backing off to consider the pros and cons? Using lame business practice technique against him? It made him want to march out there right now, dripping wet and hard, and prove to her the benefits of acting on first impulses rather than backing off in favor of measured consideration.

He closed his eyes and let the hot water wash over his face and body. The heat and the pounding spray relaxed some of the tension.

Maybe thinking about it before jumping into something rash was the better approach after all. Where women were concerned, he’d never put much thought into it. When he saw a woman he wanted, he pursued her. He didn’t stop to think about consequences, because he knew the outcome going into it. It was always about sex and pleasure. When they got bored with each other, they went their separate ways. Simple.

He never had relationships with women he worked with, because that could lead to messy aftermath. The last thing he needed was a jealous, needy, clingy ex in the office. Keeping his personal life separate from work made his life neat and tidy.

But Allison was different. She didn’t give a shit about his money or her job. She flat out said if things between them went sour, she’d just find another job. She was practical and smart, but she was also sassy as hell. Generally, his type was a compliant, pretty brunette. Allison threw all that out the window and she fascinated the shit out of him. He never thought he’d be interested in a feisty blond with mile-long legs and an attitude to match.

His cock twitched at the thought of her. He wanted those legs wrapped around his waist as he pounded into her. He wanted them hooked over his shoulders while he tasted her.

“Goddammit,” he growled.

He reached for the soap and lathered up, then took a firm grip on his cock and started stroking.

“Next time I come, it’ll be inside Allison.”

Hunter finished his shower, wrapped a towel around his waist, and headed out into the suite to find his suitcase.

Allison had opened the French doors in the bedroom, and a warm afternoon breeze ruffled the white sheers on the window and felt good on his skin. He stood by the window for a moment watching the waves roll in. The constant white noise of roaring surf had a hypnotizing effect.

Hunter rolled his shoulders and neck, loosening some of the stiffness.

“Allison,” he called.

“You bellowed?”

He turned from the window to find her standing in the door, wearing some short dress thing that exposed a lot of skin. The hem fell to maybe mid-thigh, which meant all that toned, tanned leg showed beneath it. Not to mention her long slender arms and slim shoulders. And neck.

Jesus fucking Christ, she was gorgeous.

“What are you wearing?”

“You called me in here to ask me what I’m wearing?”

He shook his head. “No, I called you in here to look at the view. But what are you wearing?”

Her tone dripped with sarcasm. “It’s called a dress, Hunter. Women wear them sometimes.”

“That’s not what I meant. It looks like half of it’s missing.”

She laughed. “Since when did a little skin offend you?”

“It doesn’t offend me, I just don’t want every other man here looking at you.”

Her brows shot up. “Oh, really?”

He rewound what he’d just said in his head and realized how possessive it sounded. Why’d he say that? Because he didn’t want a bunch of male eyes all over her. She belonged to him—at least for the weekend—and he didn’t share.

“We’re supposed to be married, remember? It’s not very convincing if you’re dressing to attract every man here.”

Good save. At least he thought so until she snorted. She joined him at the window, stepping right up close and placing her hand on his chest. His skin tingled under her touch.

“It’s just a dress. But I’m glad you like it.”

Her sky-blue gaze held his as she traced a finger down his chest and belly—a line of fiery lust—that ended just above the towel knotted around his hips.

“Careful, sweetheart.”

He struggled to keep his hands at his sides. He really wanted to put them on her waist and pull her against him, but he chose to maintain a little dignity instead. Besides, he was curious what she’d do.

“Why?”

“I thought you wanted to sleep on my proposal.”

“You can’t just waltz out of the shower wearing only a towel, looking like this, and expect me to keep my hands to myself. Especially after you invited me to a weekend of no-strings-attached sex.”

“You’re the one who put on the brakes.”

She rose up on her toes until her lips were a breath away from his. “Maybe I just want a little sample to help my deliberations.”

“Happy to help,” he said, and closed the gap between them.

His lips met hers with an electric zing that shot straight down his spine into his balls. She felt it too, if the way she gasped was any indication.

This time he did put his hands on her waist. He grabbed fistfuls of her dress and yanked her body against his. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her fingers in the hair at his neck, scraping his scalp with her nails as she did. The sting sent desire exploding in his belly.

She opened her mouth and he accepted the invitation to taste her—sweet and salty and like sex on a stick. His brain went thick with impulse, abandoning logical thought. All he could do was react. And want. He clicked over into instinct and let his body have the reins.

She made eager sounds in her throat. God, he liked a vocal partner. It turned him on to hear her need building.

He kissed her harder, deeper, hotter. She pressed herself against him.

He liked her height. At six two, it annoyed him to have to hunch over to kiss a tiny woman. Allison had to be five eight or nine in bare feet, and in heels she was only a few inches shorter than him.

He broke the kiss and moved to her neck. One kiss there and her head fell back, giving him free access. He kissed, nibbled, licked, and then bit at her collarbone.

She sucked in a hissing breath, then moaned as she exhaled, making his cock jump with delight.

“Hunter?” Her voice sounded like a lazy summer day.

“Hmm?” He’d worked his way over to her shoulder, licking and kissing, watching her skin pebble with desire as he did.

“We should probably head downstairs.”

He froze in place, then pulled back to look her in the eye. “What?”

“Dinner?”

He stepped back. “Are you kidding me?”

“No. I’m starving.”

He thought his head might explode, trying to figure this woman out. “Allison. We’re a little busy right now, or did that kiss have no effect on you?”

She looked up at him from under her lashes, a coy look in her eyes and a devilish smirk on her lips. “You tell me.”

Reaching for his hand, she guided it up under her dress to press it against her panties.

Wet and warm.

“Mmmm,” he groaned.

Instead of removing his hand, he hooked his fingers under the edge of her panties, pushing them aside, and slipped his fingers into the wetness of her folds.

“Holy shit, Hunter.” Her voice was a breathy plea.

“You like that?”

“God, yes.”

She braced herself on his shoulder and hitched a leg up over his hip, giving him better access.

He took his time, caressing, exploring, dipping first one finger inside, then two as deep as he could reach. She rode his hand, keeping time with his rhythm. It was a poor simulation of what he’d do with his cock, but it would do as a preview.

When she bucked her hips into his palm he pulled his fingers out and found her clit. His cock throbbed, demanding to take a turn, but he ignored it. Right now he’d give her the sample she wanted—make her come and still want more.

Using his fingers, he circled her clit, round and round, the whole time her breath coming faster, the incoherent wanting sounds more insistent, her grasp on his shoulders tighter. When he finally pinched her clit, she about melted to the floor, but he snaked an arm around her waist to hold her up.

He pinched again and she came, throwing her head back and making the sexiest fucking moan he’d ever heard. He dipped his fingers back inside her to feel the ripples of her orgasm grip him. He closed his eyes and rode the waves of pleasure.

When she finally pulled away, he asked, “That give you enough to deliberate on?”

She managed a choked sounding, “Yeah.”

He chuckled. Served her right for teasing him. “Ready for dinner?”

“But what about you?”

His cock raged for his turn, but no way he’d give her the satisfaction. She had her sample, and if she wanted to sleep on it, by damn, they’d sleep on it. Even if it killed him.

Aside from that, it gave him a surprising amount of pleasure to make her happy without getting anything in return.

“Cold shower.”

“Hunter, that’s not fair.”

“You’ll just owe me one.”

He’d give her the night, but tomorrow, all bets were off, and he intended to collect.

Hunter went right back into the bathroom to do whatever he intended to do to get that roaring erection under control. Allison pondered following him and helping him out, one way or another.