Let it Ride (Casino Nights #1) (4 page)

“While we are waiting for the guy in
charge of this convention’s security to come up, would you like a drink?”

“Already trying to ply me with
alcohol?” she teased.

He liked how she looked when she
gave a genuine smile. “I already have you in my room. This is the part where I
make it so you don’t want to leave.”

“I don’t want to interfere with your
obviously well thought-out plan. How about a beer?”

“Coming right up.” He headed to the
small kitchen area in the suite for two beers.

“Do you have dinner plans tonight?”

He placed her beer into her
outstretched hand. “With you.”

“I ran into Marco Belding earlier
and he invited us to go out with his group.”

“Marco invited
us
to dinner?” He stressed the pronoun.

“Well, he invited me and my friend.
I think you are friendly enough, so I wanted to check with you about it. I
don’t know if Marco has anything going with your office so I didn’t mention
your name.”

“I’ve met Marco a few times, but he
hasn’t invaded Indiana yet.” He took a drink from his bottle.

“So is that a yes?
 
You’ll come with me?” She looked a little
shy.

“Of course it’s a yes, Francesca. I
think I would go just about anywhere with you.” He watched her reaction. Her
eyes got bigger and then they dropped to the bottle, although there was a small
smile was on her lips.

“I’ll let him know.” She started
typing on her phone.

A knock sounded at his door. “That
should be the guy from security.”

As they waited with three others at
the elevator bank, Francesca decided that she wasn’t tired, although dinner had
taken forever. After speaking with the convention’s security coordinator, she’d
returned to her room to freshen up and change clothes. She wore a red dress
with an empire waist that showcased her breasts and fell to her ankles.
 

Remy had changed into a deep gray
suit with a black shirt and no tie. He looked good in a suit, and she had to
fight her urge to touch him. During the meal, she could tell that Marco liked
Remy, as did the others in their party. Remy was well spoken and could frame
his thoughts clearly. She hated when people took too long to explain their
views. They’d sat side by side and he’d moved his chair closer to hers. She’d
had trouble concentrating as his arm or leg brushed hers. Several times he’d
caught her watching him and he’d given her a sexy wink.

The doors opened to the elevator car
and the group entered. She stood in front of Remy and he snaked his arms around
her waist. She leaned back into his solid body. The thrill of his
possessiveness ran through her body. She shifted her weight, which caused her
ass to stroke his groin. He was hard against her back.

“Do we need to stop in your room for
anything?” His hot breath tickled her ear.

Her body shivered at his closeness.
“What are you asking?” She wanted him to say it. She needed to hear the desire
in his voice.

“Come to my room Francesca. I want
you in my bed for the entire night so that I can make love to you.”

She turned slightly so that she
could whisper in his ear, “And what if I want to fuck you?” His arms tightened
around her body. To her there was a difference, making love required intimacy
and trust. She liked Remy, but they weren’t that close. She told herself that
she needed to fortify her walls. It was unsettling that last night she had
confided her very private feelings of guilt over the Steven Blake issue.

His chuckle was low and laced with
sex. “As long as you are with me, it will be good.” His smile was full of
promise. The doors opened and she exited on wobbly legs.

She turned to the right, heading to
Remy’s suite.

At his door he slid the card through
the lock and pushed the door open with one hand while the other pressed against
her lower back. She stepped across the threshold and into his space.

Remy slipped the “Do Not Disturb”
sign on the handle before the door closed. He turned to her and smiled. “You’re
here till morning. No sneaking out in the middle of the night. You’ll stay
through breakfast I hope?”

She walked into the room and laid
her purse on the end table. She smiled to herself as she sank onto the sofa.
She kicked off her heels and curled her legs under her. “First you tell me how
it’s going to be and then you follow that up with a question. Well, Mr. Cooper,
I’m not sure what I’ll do.” She was half-teasing and half-serious. Remy had a
commanding personality. Hopefully their styles didn’t clash.

He grinned as he walked toward her.
“I have the feeling that you’re used to doing things your way.” He was totally
focused on her response. “I thought that I should let you have some input.”

“I’m used to being in charge at
work. You know my background. I’ve been a boss for a long time.” He would have
had to read her file. It gave her some comfort. She didn’t need to share her
history,
he already knew most of it. Plus, he understood her
work and the life she led. Suddenly the idea of giving up control held some
appeal. She liked his confidence. He didn’t talk about his strength, he
demonstrated it. He clearly wanted her and pursued her with determination.

He sat on the coffee table, facing her.
He took her hands into his. “I know. What I’m asking is for you to let me take
care of you tonight? No worries, no responsibilities, a night that you can be
selfish and simply enjoy yourself.” After he finished, he didn’t move. He
waited for her response, allowing her to make the decision about staying.

He saw too much. She knew that she
was running herself ragged, but she hadn’t known it was obvious to anyone else.
Now he sat a foot away from her, waiting for her answer. “Why would you want
that for me?” This felt intimate, too caring for two people who weren’t
seriously involved. Some part of her wanted to trust him, to accept him. She
met his eyes warily.

He smiled and pulled her right hand
to his lips, kissing the palm. “I’m attracted to you Francesca. Not just for
your hot body, but for your intellect as well. I’ve watched you for years. I’ve
seen you in a professional setting and I’ve heard many stories about you and
the person that you are. You give a lot of yourself to others.”

God, could he hear her heart
pounding? She had expected seduction with words, but his insight was battering
at her walls. She had never been the spoiled princess; working hard was a huge
part of her personality. She had to clear her throat to speak. “But what about
you? What can I do for you?”

“You can let me love you.” He leaned
closer and kissed her. His hands cupped her face gently, controlling the kiss.

She didn’t need to think any more
about his words. She’d already decided to give him everything tonight with no
fear and no second thoughts. He kissed her deeply. She moaned as she lowered
her feet to the floor to stand. Once she was on her feet, she moved closer to
him.

Remy stood, shrugged off his
suitcoat
, and pulled her to him. He kissed her again, this
time unleashing his hunger.

Francesca’s hands travelled over his
strong shoulders and down his chest.
 

His hands ran up and down her back,
exploring the curve of her generous ass. “How do I get you out of this dress?”
His voice sounded a little hoarse.

She stepped away from the sofa, just
enough to maneuver and lifted the dress over her head. She tried to do it
slowly, teasingly, not simply ripping it off her heated body.

“Jesus, you’re beautiful.” His gaze
started at her feet, following her legs upward to her cream colored, satin
panties, then to her bra, and finally to her face. He then ran his fingers
gently over her collarbone. “I need you so much.”

Wow
. She didn’t know what to say. She’d
fought the urge to cover her body during his examination. Her tummy was soft,
especially the lower part, her breasts were large and without the support of
her bra they wouldn’t pass the pencil test. Her butt was well padded, and her
thighs were thick. She didn’t even want to think about the ripples of cellulite
that no amount of exercise or dieting could diminish. There had been times that
she had considered surgery, especially at the end of her marriage, to fix her
so-called flaws. She had finally come to the conclusion that she used her body
for its functionality, not for its beauty. Plus, there was never time in her
schedule for surgery or recovery. To have a seriously, sexy man praise her made
her feel confident and beautiful. It was a gift, and in return she wanted to
make tonight good for him.

Remy’s hands continued their
exploration and were now stroking along her spine. “Your skin is so soft. I
want to touch you everywhere.”

She’d like that. However, at this
moment she wanted to feel his skin under her hands. She started to unbutton his
shirt. Her fingers were having problems with the buttons.
 

He made a frustrated noise and
pulled his shirt over his head, letting it fall to the floor. He pulled her
into him and kissed her again.

“Bed,” she said against his lips.

She heard his snort. “Bossy.”

She tilted her upper body away from
his warmth to look into his eyes. “If I’m moving too fast, we can slow it
down.” She saw the heat as he gave one negative shake of his head.

“No. Bed is a good idea. I was
thinking the same thing, only I’d add, get naked, and then get on the bed.”

She showed her agreement by
sauntering toward the open door that had to lead to the bedroom. She could feel
the heat from his body as he followed her closely.

At the doorway, she saw the king sized
bed and she started to unfasten the hooks at the back of her bra. She let it
fall as she continued into the room. She could hear Remy kicking off his shoes.
She turned as she placed her fingers in the sides of her panties.

Remy was jerking down his pants and
holy shit, he was commando. She stood staring at him. His body was big,
everywhere. She focused on his cock, thick and long. Her body tightened with
desire. She wanted him inside of her. His width would stretch her and her
breath caught as she imagined that length sliding into her body.

She leaned closer to him without
thinking. Lightly running her nails up and down his chest; the hair was thick
and golden. She liked that he didn’t shave or wax. Remy was a man who was
comfortable in his body. Why was it that men seemed to accept what they were
given and yet she could spend ten minutes itemizing her flaws? She buried that
train of thought. Remy had told her that he found her attractive, he’d used the
word beautiful and she felt her heart warm.

His lips traveled along her jaw, to
her ear. “Naked, babe. I want you naked.”

She jumped at his words. “Oops, I
got…um… sidetracked.” Her breath came fast, like she’d been running. His hands
joined hers as she pushed her panties down, over her hips and thighs, letting
them fall to the floor.

He stepped away, just far enough to
admire her. He scanned her body as if he was memorizing every inch.

She moved a step back involuntarily,
her self-confidence faltering. “Is there a problem?”
 

“God, no.” He prowled toward her,
backing her up until the back of her legs touched the bed. He gave her enough
room to climb onto the mattress as he followed her.

She started to scoot backwards and
away from him. It wasn’t too late to throw on her dress and get out.

He caught her by the leg and ran his
hand up to her hip. “I like looking at you. I knew that you’d be curvy, but now
in person… God, Frankie, you’re unbelievable. So gorgeous you stole my words
for a minute.”

She stilled, letting his sentiment
sink in. “I’m not used to letting anyone stare at me like this.” A nervous
giggle escaped. “It threw me off.” God, why did she tell him that? He was going
to think she was pathetic.

He shifted her easily into his arms
and pulled them farther onto the bed, gently laying her body out on the
mattress. “Has it been a while since you’ve been involved with anyone?” His
tone was gentle.

She gave a single nod to his words.

“I haven’t had anyone in my life for
a couple of years. I haven’t been a monk, but I wouldn’t be here like this if
there was anyone else.” His eyes blazed with intensity.

“No, you wouldn’t.” She whispered.
She brought her arms to his shoulders, pulling him in closer. Remy told her
things, personal things without her having to ask. She liked that way too much.
She surrendered to that feeling. “I want you Remy, I want you now.”

He slid lower to kiss her lower
belly, his lips traveled to her hipbone, and placed soft nibbles there. He then
crossed her body to her other hip. He paused for a moment and let out a sigh.
“I can’t wait. I wanted to lick you until you’d come before I fucked you, but
now I can only think about burying my cock inside you.”

Her breath left her body in a
whoosh. She’d never been with a man who was so open about his feelings during
sex.

He raised his head to see her face.
“But I want to be a gentleman, show you how much I appreciate you being here
with me.” He leaned over her and kissed her hip again.

She giggled between words. “Being a
gentleman isn’t all bad.” She liked his version of showing appreciation.

He shifted her to his side, settling
next to her as he explored her with his hands. He touched her breasts. She
loved having hands on her sensitive mounds. Remy palmed their fullness and then
dropped his mouth to her skin to lick the curve. He alternated from the left to
the right, changing his rhythm. Then his lips were on her nipple, teasing the
hard peak. He pulled it into his mouth and she groaned at the heat. He held her
other breast in his hand, gently kneading it.

 
He freed her nipple and then licked the
areola. “God, Frankie, I love your tits.” He mouthed her other nipple.

She shifted her weight from side to
side, almost wiggling with need, when she felt his hand on her pussy. She
spread her legs wide, willingly inviting his attentions.

He traced her outer lips gently. She
focused on the movement of that one finger.

“Are you wet for me?” His voice was
rough.

“Yes,” she hissed as she raised her
hips, trying to show him. She knew that he could feel it, but she wanted to
show him how badly she wanted him.

He pushed one finger into her.

She made a purring sound as she
circled her hips, trying to force his finger deeper.

“I love that you want me.” He kissed
her again as he pumped his finger in and out of her.