Stripped Down (7 page)

Cass’s back bowed off the bed when he dragged his tongue up the seam of her sex and over her clit.

He didn’t pause, didn’t give her a moment to sort out her thoughts. No, he pushed her. His tongue did impossible things, delving deep before flicking over that swollen bundle of nerves that had become her fault line’s epicenter.

Her hips bucked wildly. She didn’t care. All she wanted was for him to...to... A wild scream built in her throat.

As if she’d spoken aloud, Dalton pushed her legs wider and wrapped his lips around her clit. Then he sucked, rolling and pinching the little bud between his lips and tongue.

The orgasm burned through her like a wind-fueled wildfire over parched grassland. It consumed her and left nothing behind but ash. Still, she was carried away by gust after gust of pleasure that surged through her body. She gripped Dalton’s hair and rode his mouth with wanton abandon.

He brought her down slowly, stroking her belly and hips, murmuring nearly unintelligible praise against her sex. She wanted to laugh and cry and plead for him to do it again and never. Every sense was so incredibly hypersensitive. When he began to move away from her, she scooted up the bed and wrapped her arms around her knees. “Leaving?”

A funny look passed over his face, and suddenly he was crawling up the bed, his hard shaft bobbing with his every feline move. Pressing her back into the mattress, he loomed over her. “I’m not quite ready for intermission, thanks.”

Neither was she.

6

E
RIC OPENED HIS EYES
and squinted into the watery sunlight burning through the last of the morning fog. His head lolled to one side. A tumbled mass of loosely curled, light brown hair was spread over half his pillow. The smell of Cass’s peppermint shampoo was woven through the pillowcase, and he’d dreamed of her in the couple of hours of sleep he’d stolen.

She’d been amazing last night—willing, eager...surprised. When he’d discovered she truly hadn’t ever had a night of passion, he’d silently vowed to become her best memory. It was all he could do since he couldn’t be her only. He had put everything he had into being her best. Why it mattered was still lost on him.

Cass rolled toward him, still asleep. The urge to pull her into his arms was so strong he actually reached for her before stopping abruptly when thoughts of his company and his dreams crept into his consciousness. Last night had been about seduction and mutual gratification. Nothing more. Now he needed to get back to business—the Chok Resort and stopping Jameson from finding a way to crowd him out.

Just one small mistake and Eric could lose control of this deal. That couldn’t,
wouldn’t,
happen. He’d spent the past couple of days tightening the budget, talking to his people, getting everyone prepped and ready for the meeting with the engineers and the board next week. He’d planned to spend the rest of the weekend going over the presentation to the board to solidify the project’s funding.

Cass whuffled and shoved her hair out of her face before curling her hand under her cheek.

Every thought of work faded. He watched her until he couldn’t help but reach out and stroke her cheek. Soft, like peach skin, and flushed with sleep. Dark lashes fanned out. Her lips were red and still a little puffy from being kissed completely senseless. The upper swells of her breasts peeked above the covers, one dusky nipple exposed to the cool air.

Complicated or not, she was so damn beautiful she made his chest ache.

Eyes the color of deepest sapphire blinked open. The haze of sleep dissipated as she watched him watch her. And then she smiled. Slow and lazy, it was undeniably self-satisfied. “Hey.”

Thirty seconds ago, he would have bet it all she couldn’t get any sexier than she’d been last night. He would have lost his shirt. “Hey.” Unable to stop himself, he stroked her cheek again. “How’d you sleep?”

She rubbed against him like a cat, stretching and groaning. “I haven’t slept that well in I don’t even remember how long.” Glancing at him through those long lashes, she bit her bottom lip. “You?”

“Great, just not long enough.”

Her gaze dropped. “Yeah. Sorry about that.”

He curled a finger under her chin and lifted. “Ask me if I’d do anything differently.”

She considered him as she continued worrying her lip. “Would you?”

He shook his head. “Uh-uh.”

A small smile tipped up one corner of her mouth. “Rousing endorsement, that.”

He laughed. “Sorry. Just got caught up looking at you.” Shaking his head, he kissed her nose before rolling out of bed and yanking his jeans on. “I’m going to scavenge for some breakfast.”

Cass sat up, the mass of her hair and sheet-creased skin making his cock stir again. He wanted nothing more than to shed his jeans and spend the day in bed with this woman, and that was a first. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d spent the whole night with someone when it was a single fling. Shit. Talk about complicating things. He needed to get out of there.

“You okay? You look like someone just walked over your grave,” she teased.

Eric dropped to the side of the bed and cradled his hands in his head. “I just need to get something to eat. Low blood sugar.”

“No scavenging. There’s this place down by the Market that makes phenomenal crepes.” She crawled over to him and rested her hands on his shoulders. “Give me five minutes and we’ll go.” Giving him a light squeeze, she bounded out of bed.

There weren’t words to protest or pass on the invitation, not when she was crossing the room in all her naked glory. With a quick smile over her shoulder, she disappeared into her walk-in closet.

The way he saw it, he had two choices. He could quietly collect his stuff and run, or he could pull himself together and go with the flow, at least for one more day. He stood, grabbed his shirt and slipped it on even as he searched for his shoes. They were in the foyer, and he shoved his feet in sans socks. They were cold, but he’d survive. His jacket hung on the coat tree, and he had to step over Cass’s jeans and stilettos to get to it. Patting his pockets down, he found his keys and wallet.

“Dalton?”

“Out here, baby. Just getting my stuff together so I’d be ready when you are.”

She rounded the corner and started down the hall toward him.

His breath clogged his chest.

Clad in skin-tight leggings, a long sweater and riding boots, hair in a loose topknot and her face free of makeup, she was gorgeous. Absolutely fucking gorgeous.

“Everything okay?”

Pulled in by her mere presence, he went to her, kicking last night’s clothes out of the way. Wrapping her in his arms was as natural as breathing her in. The way the back of her head fit in his hand made him wonder if she’d been sculpted for him. And all that romantic nonsense reminded him he was in way over his head. He wanted to beat his chest like a damn gorilla that, for the moment, this woman was his. What he should have done was beat his head against the wall for his immeasurable stupidity. Their relationship couldn’t go anywhere, and they both knew it. She was clearly successful at whatever she did while he was still taking his clothes off to make ends meet. The Chok Resort deal would make him, but until then? She was out of his league. He’d do well to remember that—after today.

He pulled her in closer and her eyes widened. “Seriously? Again?”

“I told you I wasn’t ready for this to be over.”

“That was before we—” she waved a free hand “—you know, like, five times.”

He grinned. “You were counting. That’s cute.” Burying his hands in her hair, Eric tilted her head back and lowered his mouth to hers. Something huge roared inside him when she sighed and closed her eyes, giving herself to the moment, to the kiss, to him.

Eric would still go because he didn’t want things to grow complicated. After he finished kissing her.

* * *

C
ASS’S TOES CURLED
in her boots as Dalton’s tongue delved into her mouth in a sexual parody she had no doubt would become reality if she didn’t stop him. But she didn’t want to stop him. She wanted him to pull her beneath his delicious weight or bend her over the kitchen counter or press her up against the wall again. Something, anything, that would allow her access to his body. Last night had been the best sexual experience of her life, and she wasn’t ready for it to end. They’d both been clear sex was all they wanted, and she’d half expected him to sneak out after she fell asleep. Opening her eyes and finding him watching her had been the best way she could have started her day. She could hold on to the fantasy for a few more hours.

He nipped her bottom lip as he pulled back and searched her eyes. “Where’d you go?”

She shrugged. “Lost in thought, I guess.”

“I’m not doing my job if you can still think. You’re sure you want to go out?”

His job...
Yeah, that was part of the problem, wasn’t it?

“I need food and a little fresh air.”

Tracing the pad of one thumb over her lips, he considered her. “What are your plans?”

“Plans?”

“For the rest of the day.”

She cleared her throat and stepped away, unable to clear her mind with him touching her. “I don’t really have any. I need to spend a little time at the office getting some stuff together for a huge presentation next week, but otherwise...” Shrugging, she picked her coat up off the floor. “Nothing.”

He waggled his brows. “Then there’s no rush to go out.”

Cass grabbed her purse and dug out her keys. “That means there’s plenty of time left in the day if we
do
go out.”

“Fine,” he said on a sigh.

“C’mon, Eeyore.” Hooking her arm through his, she opened the door and led him out. “Let’s find sustenance and bemoan the fact we’re in public, in clothes, behaving like reasonable adults and not in bed, naked, acting like porn stars.”

He followed her out, grinning. “Porn stars. Sounds fun.”

“You didn’t hear another word I said, did you?”

The elevator doors opened on a hiss at the same moment he answered. “Hey, I got the important part. We’re coming back after breakfast to act like porn stars.”

Her elderly, ultra-reserved neighbor, Mrs. Sliff, stopped halfway out of the car and arched a brow as she gaped at Dalton.

“Mrs. Sliff.” Cass couldn’t decide whether to die on the spot or turn in her notice to vacate the premises.

“Darling, if I had a gorgeous young man who offered to play porn star with me, you’d have to send six dangerously delicious firemen to drag my wrinkled ass out of my apartment.” The woman winked at Dalton and worked it as she walked away from him.

“She might get her wish for the firemen,” he muttered, watching her go. “She’s going to throw out a hip walking like that.”

Already in the elevator and pressing the lobby button repeatedly, Cass reached out and dragged Dalton in. The minute the doors closed, she collapsed against the wall in fits of laughter. She’d lived here for four years and not once had she exchanged more than cool greetings with the old woman. One glimpse of Dalton and the woman had been more than conversational. Cass couldn’t breathe. Tears streamed down her face as Dalton watched her with open curiosity and undisguised amusement.

“Is she really that bad?”

Cass could only hiccup and nod as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I’m ruined. I’ll never be able to look at her again without remembering this conversation.”

Dalton closed the distance between them.

She had to tip her head up to meet his stare. Something dark and wanting lurked in his eyes and made her shiver. “What?”

He swept a thumb along her jaw. “You’re so damn beautiful.”

A flush of pleasure made her bury her face in his chest. “Thank you, but really? It was just a lucky hand in the cosmic genetics poker game. I had nothing to do with it.”

He cupped her face and lifted it. “Fine. I’ll send your parents a thank-you note.”

A pang of age-old hurt made her lungs burn. “Don’t waste your time. They can’t be bothered with social niceties unless you’re in their circle.”

Dropping his hand from her face, he considered her. “And what circle is that?”

“Can we talk about something else?” she asked, closing her eyes.

“Sure, but you wear your beauty well, Cass. No one is responsible for that but you.” He stepped back as the doors opened.

She wondered if he’d used that line on any of his other clients. But even if he had, so what? She wasn’t asking for a commitment. He was with her now, and he made her feel good; that was all that mattered.

Deliberately, she took Dalton’s hand and started across the lobby. No one had to know he was a stripper. And if no one knew, no one could pass the news on to her clients and associates. Her secret was safe. And if her secret was safe, so was her reputation. Pretty much.

What a convoluted mess.
It bothered her she’d had the best night of her life with someone whose profession could damage her career. And if her dad found out, he would blow a—

“Excuse me, ma’am?”

She stopped so abruptly Dalton crashed into her and drove her forward a few steps. Apprehension curled through her stomach as she turned to face the concierge, disturbed to find it was the nosiest of the bunch. “Yes?”

“A courier delivered this roughly an hour ago.” She held out the large envelope as she sized Dalton up. “How was Ms. Sivern’s party last night?”

“Lovely, thank you.” She let go of Dalton’s hand and closed the distance to the counter to accept the proffered envelope. Apprehension turned to sour dread at the sight of the return address. Jameson & Whitman, LLC. Whatever her father had sent over couldn’t be good. It never was. But when he hired a courier to deliver the news, it meant he wanted something.

Cass absently handed her keys to Dalton, never taking her eyes off the envelope. “Would you mind bringing the car down?”

He considered her, his face becoming an emotional void. “Sure.” He took the keys and stalked off.

She didn’t miss the edge to his tone, but this was something she couldn’t discuss. Not at this point. Slipping outside, she sank onto the nearest bench and picked at the corner of the manila envelope. She sliced her finger. “Damn it.” Working around the deep paper cut, she fished out a single piece of heavy letterhead with shaking hands. It took two passes to process the handwritten note.