Authors: Lilly Cain

Tags: #Romance, #Erotica, #Fiction

No Reservations (5 page)

BOOK: No Reservations

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Chapter Five

Alicia slowed her run down to a jog. As she cooled down from her morning exercise, she checked her watch and rounded the corner to her street. Glancing up, she recognized the figure sitting on her stoop and came to an abrupt stop.

“Hey, Travis. Miss your flight again?” Sweat trickled down her back and along her brow. Not her best look, but she wasn’t concerned with impressing him. Not anymore. It had been three days and she hadn’t heard from him, not even a thank you for the first-class tickets. She wasn’t interested in another one-night stand with him. She was ready for stability, to focus on her career and not her sex life.
And if you keep telling yourself that, you might believe it.

“Nah. The flight was great. The guys are great. I had almost two days with them, catching up and shooting shit.” He shrugged. “I just realized I’d rather be here.”

“Really.” Her heart pounded, but she’d play it as light as he did. It was a game of course, and that was fine. Her only problem was that she wasn’t sure of the stakes. Not even what she would be willing to wager. Did she want to sleep with him again? Because that was exactly where this was heading.

“Yeah. I was going to ask you to go for a walk with me, but that’s not going to work. I guess nothing is until I say I’m sorry for leaving the other day.”

She pulled out her water bottle. This was different. There was an openness to him she hadn’t seen since their first year in college, before their competition began in earnest. She took a gulp of the now-warm water and watched him from the corner of her eye. “Why did you leave?”

“I thought you might actually be married.”

“What?” Alicia felt her cheeks flush in anger. If this was some sort of trick… “Look I don’t have time for this. I don’t know what kind of new game this is, but I’ve been legally divorced for a year.” She shoved past him to stomp up the stairs into the apartment. The jerk could sit on the porch forever if this was the mind game he had planned.

He stood and caught her arm. “It’s not a game, Alicia. I saw a picture of you on your wall. You were with a man and had a wedding ring on. And there was this whole thing with Bruce, when I never saw so much as a cat’s whisker. I thought you were married and I was the one being played.”

Alicia shook him off and shoved the key into the apartment lock. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m divorced. I must have missed that picture in the purge. And Bruce is named after Bruce Lee—he’s my little ninja cat. He was at the vet, being fixed. You might consider having the same little snip.”

Travis caught the door. “Honestly, I’m sorry. Please, let me come in. You’re a woman I want to get to know.”

She brushed by him but didn’t slam the door. She walked into the entranceway, kicked off her sneakers. Let him talk. She’d already slept with the man. She was no fool, so what harm could he do? And if there was some chance he wasn’t playing… She’d enjoyed what they’d shared so far. He was intelligent, charming, funny. He was sexy. And he’d made her feel so good.
Dangerous.

He followed her into the kitchen, where she poured herself a fresh cold drink of water. Bruce sauntered in, stared balefully at Travis and promptly turned his back on them both, his tail in the air as he sauntered back out. For a moment there was nothing but silence as they both stared after the tabby.

“I’ve never been married. But I had a fiancée once. Or at least, I thought she was my fiancée. But as it turned out, she was already married. I don’t share well, Alicia.”

“I don’t either. Seems like we have that in common.”

There was a moment of silence. He cleared his throat. “So, I thought…I thought we might take it back a step, get to know each other without all the sex.”

“You want to date?” She fought to keep her smile inside. Dating would be good. Getting to know him would be very good. There was more to him than what she’d glimpsed at school. But she’d had a taste of something more intimate, and now that it looked like he had a longer game in mind, she had no intention of starting back at first base.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“You guess?”

“Yes.” He grimaced, looking flustered. “I mean, no. I don’t guess. I want to see you, Alicia. Date you. Get to know you. We can take our time.”

She took a long slow sip of her water, watched him over the rim of her glass. She stared at him long enough that he began to shift his weight from one foot to the other. But he didn’t back down, and she liked the fact that he met her eyes. In that moment she knew it was on again. The game, their relationship, whatever you wanted to call it. It was on, and she wanted to play, to compete, to race with this man and never stop. He challenged her and she loved it. If he won, it would be in bed—and she would win, too.

“Really. That’s all you’ve got? No flowers? No candy? No vibrating accessories?”

His cocky grim returned, the light in his eyes focusing like he’d spotted a prize, one he meant to collect. “I could do better.”

“Perhaps another betting game? A little wager in the shower?”

“You’re on.”

She pushed away from the cabinet she’d been leaning against and headed for the stairs, but he snagged her around the waist as she moved by. He kissed her hard, his lips pressing into hers like a brand, his questing tongue teasing and promising her things that made her heart pound. She leaned into him, felt his warmth surround her.

He released her mouth and leaned in to nuzzle her ear. “Same bet as last time,” he whispered before he nipped at her ear. “But there’s a little more on the line.”

“Tell me more.” She took the dare and ran her tongue up the length of his neck.

“If you win, you can have the choice of the first date. Any sappy movie you want, any fancy art gallery shindig.”

“Sounds good.” Alicia liked the taste of his skin, the warmth of his body pressed against her. This had to be the best game ever.

He picked her up, easily slinging her over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold. “But if I win, I get the choice. And I already know what I’m going to pick, sweetheart.”

She bit back a giggle. At this point, she couldn’t care less who won the round. They were both going to enjoy this. “What are you going to get if you win? And I remind you, that’s a pretty big ‘if.’”

He laughed and gave her a quick slap on the ass. They were reaching the stairs and she thought he would put her down, but he carried them up to the second floor toward the bathroom. “I’ve had a couple of days to think about this. If I win, I’m still going to take you on that date—wherever you want to go. But after…” He set her down in the bathroom facing him, pressed her against the edge of the sink and kissed her, a glorious, passionate kiss that took to her the edge of breathless. She let him in, let him take control. And loved it.

His tongue slid between her lips, parted them. Carefully he traced the line of her mouth with his tongue, a delicate, gentle gesture that had her heart racing. She relaxed into his arms, reached around to stroke the muscles of his back under his T-shirt. When he ran his hands up her sides to lift her arms, she let him, and when he raised her shirt off her waist and peeled it off, she smothered a grin. He liked her surrender. She could feel his cock, thick and hard through the material of his jeans. He liked control, but so did she. This could be fun.

His hands were on her naked back, working on the hooks to her bra. She leaned into him, wondered what he had planned if he won this round, what he’d do to her. If it was anything as intense or satisfying as their last night together, throwing the match would be worth it.

On the other hand, if he thought he could always win, what would be the point of playing the game? She hid her expression as she leaned her head into his chest and took a nip at his flat nipple. Slowly, seductively, she dragged her nails down his back and gripped his ass, surprising a hiss of pleasure from his lips. She reached for the edge of his shirt and lifted it up to expose the hot skin of his lower belly.

“Oh, to hell with this.” He growled the words and made quick work of yanking her running pants down, dragging her thong along with them. “I want you right now.”

“What, no foreplay?” Alicia gasped as he slid his big hands down to cup her ass and lifted her to him.

“We’ve got lots of time for games.” His eyes were dark with passion. “Right now I just want to enjoy you.”

Travis set her on the cool surface of the sink countertop. He kissed her again, stealing her breath and her desire to do anything other than to experience his touch. When he sank to his knees, she let out a little whimper. He ran his lips over her belly, hips and thighs. He parted her legs and leaned into the space between her knees. She moaned a little as he licked his way up the inside of her right thigh, and just when she thought he would reach her pussy he began again on the left thigh. She squirmed, silently wishing for him to press his mouth against her lips, to part her, to taste her.

Instead he lifted her leg, pulling her hips open wider, and gently blew on the wet skin of her exposed pussy. She moaned his name aloud. And when he finally gave her a long, hot, wet lick, she threw back her head and clenched her fingers in the soft curls of his hair, pressing him against her, begging without words for another caress and another. Her heart pounded as he complied, licking and suckling her clit until she quivered, held up over the brink of ecstasy, waiting to be toppled over.

“Give up?”

“Oh, my God, you are
not
still playing the game?” She managed to get the words passed clenched teeth. She needed just a little more…

“Oh, yes. I really am. I’m afraid I’m going to be playing this game for a very long time, Alicia.”

“You jerk.” The desire to laugh nearly overwhelmed her need for another touch, a little more of his mouth and tongue against her. “I thought you said you just wanted to enjoy me.”

“I do. But I also play to win.” He stroked her clit with one hand and reached up to clasp her chin with the other, watching her as she reacted to his touch.

She sucked in a breath. “Please, Travis!”

He leaned closer, returned his smiling mouth to her wet pussy and pushed his tongue into her heat, tasting her. He pinched her engorged clit, rolling it gently between his thumb and finger and she shuddered in reaction, an orgasm building, then pulsing though her until all she could do was hang on to him.

Forfeiting never felt so good.

Minutes later he had her in the shower, the hot water beating against them as they soaped each other, explored each other again as if the last few days and his misunderstanding had never happened. Finally, breathless from laughing and kissing, they tumbled from the shower and helped each other dry off.

“So, I won.”

“That round.” She dried his back, admiring his narrow hips and the hard curves of his ass.

“I believe you owe me something.”

Alicia eyed the door, calculating the distance. She rolled up her towel and gave him a quick, hard snap with the end as she dashed for the hallway. “Not ’til after our date. And not if you can’t catch me!” She slid down the hallway, knowing he was hot on her heels. Exhilaration washed though her. This was the beginning of something. Who knew how far it would go? But she was in it for the win.

“Game on.”

* * * * *

If the sensuality of Lilly Cain’s
No Reservations
swept you away
,
don’t miss the sexy sci-fi romances of the Confederacy Treaty series.
Available wherever ebooks are sold!

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