Tempted in the City (13 page)

“And?”

She rolled her eyes, not loving this particular question, but her quest to find out everything about Tony required some give to her take. “The earth didn't move. It was over fast, he was a lousy kisser and we never saw each other again.”

“Romantic.”

“I'm sure you were a regular Don Juan your first time.”

He didn't quite roll his eyes, but she got the gist. “On the plus side, I was raring to go again ten minutes later.”

“That's a big plus.”

“Except her parents came home and I sprained my ankle jumping out of her window while making my escape. I was on the football team. My coach was not happy.”

“But you were.”

“Totally worth it. Although now I prefer quality over quantity.”

Catherine brought their twined hands up to her lips and gave his a gentle kiss. “And may I say you are very good at what you do.”

“Suddenly quantity seems like the best idea ever. There should be a turnoff soon. We can find a motel. Check in for a couple of hours.”

“Tempting, but I'm too anxious to get where we're going.”

He sighed, smiling. “I can't wait to see your face.”

14

T
HE
REST
OF
the five-hour trip flew by. They stopped for lunch at a place called Pat's Hubba Hubba, just off the interstate. She'd called in their order, and once they were back on the road, they ate their sinfully delicious hot dogs and chased them down with extrafizzy sodas.

When they arrived at their destination, the Dan'l Webster Inn & Spa in Sandwich, Massachusetts, Catherine was awestruck.

The colonial-style building was painted a stately deep red. With the lush grounds that surrounded it, it looked like something out of a movie. After stopping at reception, they were quickly escorted to a stunning luxury suite complete with a four-poster king bed, a sitting room, a spa tub set in its own half gazebo in an alcove next to the bedroom, and a view that looked out over the beautifully manicured garden and swimming pool.

Catherine should have tipped the bellman, but by the time she'd turned from the window, he was gone and Tony was putting his wallet back in his jeans pocket. The way he wore his jeans, low on the hips, made her stomach twist in the best possible way. “This is a wonderful surprise,” she said, slowly making her way toward him, purposefully giving him time to plan his next move. “Better than what I had guessed.”

“And what was that?”

“I'm not saying.”

He laughed, making her grin. Of all his facial expressions, she liked this one the best. Then he sobered as he stared into her eyes, and she wondered if he could see how much this treat meant to her, and how she couldn't wait for him to lose the shirt and the jeans.

“I booked us both into the spa in about an hour and a half.”

“Really? A couples massage?”

Tony walked over to the coffee table, where a bottle of champagne was chilling in an ice bucket. He picked the whole thing up and brought it over to the spa tub. Before he popped the cork, he turned on the water. “Thought about it, but no. I wanted you to pick whichever treatment you like best. And to have some alone time to chill.”

He joined her, standing in front of the bed, where he pulled her into a kiss that melted her right down to her toes. His body pressed against her, all hard and taut, his blooming erection jutting against her hip.

“There's a lot we could do in an hour and a half,” she whispered, before taking his earlobe between her teeth.

“Once I saw how your eyes lit up seeing the tub, I had the bellman cancel the bikes I reserved.”

She leaned back. “Bikes?”

“It's a pretty town. Older than dust. There's a lot to see, and I know how much you like old buildings.”

“So sweet,” she said, kissing him quickly on the lips. “The most considerate man in the world.” Kissing him again, she moved just enough so that she could unbutton his shirt from the top down.

“Old buildings are overrated, anyway,” he said, seconds before he pulled her T-shirt over her head.

“We can use the bikes tomorrow morning,” she said. “Maybe go find an interesting breakfast place, do some sightseeing before we have to leave.

“Great. I...” His voice trailed off as he came in for another round of kissing.

Somehow, they both ended up naked, and while the tub filled, he maneuvered her against the wall that separated the bedroom from the tub area. He pulled her arms high and held her wrists there with one hand while he did amazing things to her neck and collarbones. She'd have to dress carefully for a while to hide the marks he was leaving on her skin, which was more than fine by her.

Her moans were louder than they probably should have been, but she wasn't about to stop. When he let her go, Catherine lowered herself into the hot tub. Tony poured them champagne, then retrieved a small box of chocolates, and brought everything to within arm's reach. The whole time she checked him out with a thoroughness that would've made her squirm if their roles had been reversed. “You are by far,” she said, “the best-looking naked man I've ever seen.”

He might've grinned, but she didn't know for sure, since she couldn't drag her gaze away from his erection.

“Seen a lot, then, have you? Naked men?”

“My share. But none of them have made me feel like this.”

“Like what?”

She blushed and burst into laughter.

His arm muscles bunched as he lowered himself into the water. “Come on, like what?” he said, as he handed her one of the flutes.

“Nope.” She shook her head, then took a hurried sip of champagne.

Without missing a beat he leaned in and kissed the taste of the bubbly right off her tongue.

When he drew back, she chased his lips for a second, until she realized he was getting comfortable and settling into the tub directly across from her. Before she could stop herself, she stretched her foot between his legs to where his cock was bobbing delightfully. “What's your opinion on foot jobs?” she asked.

“I've never had one before,” he said. “And while I think it's a great experiment to try, the timing could be better.”

“You mean that I should wait until we're ready to get out?”

He nodded, his gaze sweeping down to her chest. “Not just out, but when we're ready to go to bed. Besides, I really like the view from here.”

She glanced down at her naked breasts. “They are bouncing nicely, aren't they?”

“I'm so glad this isn't a bubble bath. We would have missed so much.”

Her laughter made her jiggle and she saw the glint in his eyes. She grabbed her glass and sipped again. “This is exceptionally good champagne. In fact, this whole place is exceptional. Have you stayed here before?”

“No, I haven't. A friend recommended it if I ever came up this way.”

“I love that this suite has the tub so close to the bed. Such a clever idea. And the amenities here are amazing. Did this champagne come with?”

“Champagne does come with, but this bottle was a special request.”

God, she liked this man. More than she'd imagined she could. It hadn't even been that long since the day they'd met, and yet he knew her in so many little ways. This was one of her top five champagnes, and she had no doubt that dinner would be as perfect.

He shifted, and she watched as he adjusted his body so the jets were more to his liking. Soaking in the tub like this did feel wonderful. Everywhere—but especially where his feet came to rest on the bench, bracketing her hips. That was all it took, evidently. Proximity. Any form of touch.

“How much of a pain in the ass would it be for me to have a spa tub on the roof?”

“A moderately big pain. It would add a lot of weight, and we're not even sure that you can get all your garden boxes and trees up there.”

“And don't forget the pergola.”

“I haven't. Or the windbreaks. But something like this? Maybe you could talk to Sal and see what it would take to put one in your new master bath.”

“And risk him dropping dead on the spot?”

“You have a limited window of opportunity. And if you like, I can do some preliminary sketches, see what kind of plumbing issues we'd have. It's possible. That was good thinking, by the way, asking for an outside staircase that would require a key. Even if the rooftop community garden isn't viable—”

“Why wouldn't it be viable?”

He gave her an odd look. It reminded her of the day they'd first met. Damn, why couldn't she read him better by now? “The weight? City codes? Permits?”

“Ah, yes.” Relaxing again, she waved at him to continue.

“Anyway, you'll most likely still be able to have a garden, but remember, if we can swing a tub, someone will need to take care of it. Unless you want to do all the maintenance yourself.”

“I wouldn't mind that. I'm going to be up there, anyway, with the plants.”

“In the dead of winter?”

“Winter is when the tub would be best.”

“What the hell, then. Let's try to make it happen.”

“If you weren't all the way over on the other side of the tub, I'd kiss you for that.”

Tony shook his head. “You know I'd cross an entire bathtub for you. All you have to do is ask.”

Catherine grabbed his ankles. He didn't even jump, but then he'd seen where her hands were headed. What he couldn't know was why she'd made her move. While trying to keep herself steady from the waist up, she spread her thighs very wide, then put his feet between them.

He nearly dropped his champagne. “Why, Ms. Fox, what an intriguing idea.”

“One of us has to try out a foot job. Why not me?”

“I give you very high marks for creativity, but, um...”

“I realize it's not going to be as elegant as a hand job, but you have very nice feet, and they're very clean, so I don't think anything can go too wrong.”

He put his glass behind him on the raised edge of the tub. “I think we should start with one foot.”

“Hmm.” She put his left foot back on the outside of her thigh. “Better?”

“Better. You'll let me know if I'm doing something you don't like, right?”

“So we're back to hot and cold?”

His grin got bigger as his pupils grew darker.

“Wait,” she said, as she turned to the panel on the wall behind her back. She'd adjusted the jets already, and this time she went for the dimmer switch. Not a big change. She still wanted to see his eyes, his chest. But there was something sexy about the shadows.

The flat of his forefoot landed gently on her labia. A shiver caught her unprepared, but it was a nice surprise. He wasn't even touching anything that sensitive, so it was the idea as much as the act that had her pulse racing.

She decided to let him explore unaided. At least for a while. There was very little chance that she would come from this game, but that was fine. She could wait until after dinner for the big fireworks.

Keeping the pad of his foot pressed against her, he rubbed her in small circles until his heel hit the tub seat. “If I move forward,” she said, “you could reach lower, but you wouldn't have a stable base for your heel.”

Moving his foot up, just as slowly, he didn't answer right away. “I think let's leave it for now.”

The lowering of his voice told her what she wasn't able to see for herself. His erection had to be straining.

“Luckily for me,” he said, “I know where the important bits are.”

She giggled and smothered a hiccup. “Bits?”

He nodded. “Very important ones. Now hush. I'm concentrating.”

Catherine hid her grin by drinking more, but a moment later, he stopped moving.

“Scratch that hush,” he said. “Sounds are good. All the sounds. Anything you'd like to share.”

“Okay, then,” she said, although she hadn't planned on keeping silent. As he carefully slipped his very dexterous toes between her lips, she didn't hold back at all. It was a crazy, beautiful way to feel him. It made her like him even more, which hadn't seemed possible.

Her eyes closed as his big toe found her clit. He made his slow, somewhat jerky circles count, never coming close to making her uncomfortable. She felt as if the bubbles of the Dom Perignon had become the bubbles from the jets, filling her with light and magic as he took his sweet time giving her pleasure.

It occurred to her in the middle of yet another shiver that she'd been wrong. Or at least hadn't been completely honest with herself. She didn't just like Tony. He wasn't perfect, which was good, because perfection would lose its luster quickly. He was very human. And it wasn't just his looks she was crazy about, although they certainly helped. It was far more than that.

He treated her the way she'd always wanted to be treated. He made love to her the way she'd fantasized about for most of her adult life. He touched her heart, her mind, her sense of humor. Clearly, he admired her for who she was, just as she admired him. She wouldn't change one thing about the man.

Except to make him stay with her for keeps.

God, she was in so much trouble.

* * *

T
ONY
SIPPED
HIS
pinot noir as he watched Catherine talk to one of the staff at Diamond Hill Vineyards. It was just past 2:00 p.m., and they'd had an amazing day already. But that wasn't what he was picturing when he heard Catherine laugh.

Last night had been a revelation. After an excellent meal, they'd gone back to their room, where they stripped each other bare before they were two feet from the door. He'd carried her to the big four-poster bed, and then he'd taken his sweet time making her lose her mind.

She'd done the same to him, effortlessly. Listening to her moan as he'd tasted her sea salt and Catherine juices, he'd almost come before she'd even touched him. And watching her come? He forgot to breathe until he had to take a life-saving gasp. Grateful to be alive, he'd followed up by entering her in time to feel the tail end of her aftershocks.

The scratches on his back were worth the momentary pain. Trophies he wanted to feel for as long as possible. Then he figured he'd repeat the winning formula, perhaps with a few surprises thrown in, so she'd mark him again.

God, she'd been something else. He'd seen stars when he'd finally come. They'd celebrated, once they'd gotten their breath back, by having another dip in the spa, finished the rest of the champagne and chocolates, and he'd actually made her come right there surrounded by bubbling water.

By the time they were dried off, they'd collapsed in bed, and fallen asleep instantly. This morning, he'd woken to her clutching him, leg over his, arm over his chest, head tucked onto the dip of his shoulder. It felt great.

A little too great, if he thought about it, but instead, he'd roused her in his own special way, then they'd showered together, gotten their bicycles and found a nice little café that made excellent French toast and coffee.