Unconventional Fling (A Working Girl’s Guide, Book 1) (6 page)

He was out of his room before reason could set back in. Hesitation gripped him as he paused in front of her door. He breathed deep, slid the card into the lock, and pushed inside.

Shit. The comforter was wrinkled, but still intact on the bed. The bathroom counter was empty. There were no bags on the floor, no clothes hanging in the closet, and the other key sat on the nightstand.

She was gone. Fuck.

He shuffled out of the room, letting the door swing shut behind him, and leaned against the balcony overlooking the middle of the hotel. The lobby was empty except for a staff member watering the plants. Which made sense. Who would be up at this hour on a Sunday morning?

A gnawing pain grew in his gut. Maybe it was a good thing she was gone. Telling her how he felt might have been just as awkward for her as it had been with him and Michelle.

Except he refused to believe that. There was no way she’d been faking interest the last few days.

A movement caught his attention. A flash of black six floors below. He whipped his head toward it in time to catch what had to be Jade, vanishing out the front doors.

He was moving before his brain finished registering the sight, sprinting down the stairs as fast as he dared without tripping over his tired feet. He pushed into the lobby and didn’t slow, still racing for the front entrance. He paused once he was outside, scanning the parking lot.
Please let her still be here.

And she was, about halfway toward the back of the lot, loading her luggage into the trunk of a generic, compact rental. He took off again, coming to a breathless stop next to her seconds later. He gasped for air.

“What do you want?” She stared back, face a blank mask.

“I…” He panted, struggling for oxygen. “Wait…I need to…”

She sighed. “I need to go.” But she didn’t turn away.

“I’m sorry.”
Please don’t let her leave.

She crossed her arms. “Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?” He found his breath in time to realize her question didn’t make any sense. She didn’t like the apology?

“Is the sadistic torture part of your weekend schedule?” Her jaw was set.

“I don’t…What?”

She pursed her lips, silent for a moment before replying. “I was fine with being your weekend fling. We’re both traveling; we’ll never see each other again. I knew that on night one. But you had to stretch it out. Tease me. Make me think you felt something more. Is that fun? Is that the part that you really get off on? Are the rumors actually true?”

So she’d heard those. Fan-fucking-tastic. The one thing she knew about him was the one thing that wasn’t true. He reached for her but stopped short of making contact. “Hear me out?”

Her toe tapped against the ground. “Fine.”

He had to make this good. He had to make her believe it. And nothing was coming to him. He opened his mouth, and the words spilled out before he could process them. “I don’t do one-night stands.” She scowled. “I swear. And I wouldn’t have ever hit on you if I wasn’t sincere, and I’m so sorry about last night.”

“Why are you here?” Her tone was still hard, but the corners of her eyes had softened.

He rested a hand on her cheek, relief nudging him when she didn’t jerk away. “I know it’s selfish of me since we’ll never see each other again, but I’m falling for you, and I couldn’t let you leave without telling you.”

“I—” Her brow creased, skepticism dancing in her eyes when she broke the contact between them. “Really.” The flat tone in her voice brought back his ache, but something warm and hopeful lurked behind it.

“Honestly, sincerely, and I will swear on whatever it takes to prove I mean it. I promise it’s not a cruel game. I mean every single word of it.”

She crossed one arm in front of her to grab the other, fingers drumming on her elbow. “Then what happened last night?”

What did he need to say to fix this? “I thought I was doing what was best for you.”

“By standing me up?” She pursed her lips. “By extending an offer you never intended to make good on?”

“By letting you get on with your life.”

The creases on her face softened, despite her clenched jaw. “In that case, why are you here now?”

At least that question was easy. “Because I’m selfish and couldn’t stay away after all.”

She smiled and leaned against his palm again, covering his hand with hers. “Me too.”

He let out a relieved laugh. “So you don’t have to leave right away?”

She nodded toward the open trunk. “I already checked out.”

She couldn’t go. Not yet. “When’s your flight?”

“Two.”

His smile grew. “So come back to my room.”

She chewed her bottom lip, not answering for a moment. “I haven’t slept all night. What if I can’t stay awake?”

“Then at least I still have you for a few more hours. But I’m hoping to keep you busy at least some of that time.”

She traced her thumb over the back of his hand. “All right, I’m in.”

He dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers, need screaming through him. She sighed and deepened the kiss, tongue slipping into his mouth and dancing around. She shifted against him, and every nerve in his body pulsed in response.

He broke away. The lust in her hazel eyes made it tempting to see how far they could go in the parking lot. Instead, he slammed the rental’s trunk shut, grabbed the keys and dropped them in her purse, and wrapped an arm around her waist to lead her back to the hotel.

He paused in the lobby. “Stay right there.”

She gave him a questioning look. Instead of answering, he cut a straight path to the gift shop, and less than two minutes later was back, a box of condoms in his back pocket.

She gave an embarrassed laugh and leaned against him when he wrapped his arm around her again. They made it to the elevators, which he swore took forever to arrive. But at least there still weren’t many people around.

They stepped into the empty car.
Screw glass walls.
He wanted her so desperately. The moment the doors slid shut, he pressed her back against them, one hand on her hip and the other at the back of her head, kissing her hungrily. She shifted her weight, her foot resting between his and her hip rubbing his cock through his jeans.

They both stumbled into the hallway when they reached his floor. The seconds it took to find his room seemed to stretch on for an eternity. And then they were inside, and he was kissing her again. She returned the gesture with as much hunger and desperation as he felt, her nails dragging up his back and holding him close.

The excitement she’d felt the night before rushed back to Jade full-force, obliterating any residue of disappointment and pushing aside her exhaustion. She didn’t know how this was going to work after today, but she was happy to give the long distance relationship a try to keep Brandon in her life.

He yanked her shirt over her head and tossed it away, and her bra followed a few seconds later. Hands roaming her bare chest, they managed to stumble back toward the bed. Her legs hit the mattress and she lost her balance. She fell back with a giggle, butt landing on the comforter.

“I love that sound.” He paused for a moment and then nudged her shoulder, pushing her onto her back.

He tugged his own shirt off before dipping his head to kiss her neck, throat, and breasts.

She traced over his chest, memorizing the definition and smooth skin stretched taut over muscle. He rolled onto his side next and pressed close. His erection dug into her thigh. She wanted him inside her. He wrapped his mouth around a swollen, pink nipple. He flicked his tongue back and forth quickly, and she gasped. The sensation felt like a string attached to every nerve ending.

His hand slid down her stomach, under the waist of her jeans, and over her panties, teasing her already slick mound through the cotton. Her hips thrust up to meet the contact, but he kept his touch light enough to continue teasing.

He pulled away completely when she pushed up again. “Patience.”

She smirked and rubbed her leg against his hard cock. “I can torture you too.”

He closed his eyes, a low growl rumbling up from his chest. When he looked at her again, desire was heavy in his expression. “Understood.”

Within seconds, he’d undone her jeans and yanked the remaining clothing to the floor. He dropped to his knees at the foot of the bed, only his head visible, not touching her.

Blood rushed through her veins, making every inch of her skin hum in anticipation as the minutes stretched. When he kissed the inside of her leg, a sharp jolt of pleasure spiked through her. His lips glided higher, traveling up one thigh and down the other, never reaching her aching sex. “I was kind of hoping.” His words rumbled against her skin. “To hear you beg again.”

She could do that. “Please?” The request came out softer, more desperate than she’d intended.

His chuckle vibrated against her thigh, and his mouth moved higher again, each kiss slow and deliberate. When he finally reached his destination, his tongue explored her slit; she inhaled sharply. His finger trailed down her wet skin and slid inside her. Her hips bucked against the contact. When his lips wrapped around her clit, she almost came. Her fingers tangled in his hair and she held him close, grinding against him as he licked and sucked her pulsing button. A climax tore through her quickly, and she screamed when she came, butt lifting off the bed to get closer and then dropping to pull away from the persistent attention.

He kissed her skin lightly and pulled her to her feet. She pressed her lips to his, tasting herself in his kiss, still wanting more of him, to feel him driving deep inside her. He spun them both around so his back was to the bed, and she was facing him and shed the rest of his clothes. He only fumbled with the rubber for a moment before rolling it on.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he tugged her to stand between his legs. His mouth roamed along her stomach, hands gliding over her butt and thighs. “I’ve been fantasizing since we met.” Her skin muffled the words. “About feeling you wrapped around me.”

“I know exactly what you mean.” She straddled his legs and lowered herself onto his lap, stopping when his cock nudged her entrance.

He gave her a curious look, and she smiled back. “I told you I could tease too.”

He gripped her hips and thrust up, pushing inside her fast and hard. She gasped as he spread her open.

“But I’m more impatient than you.” He lowered his mouth to her neck, sucking and biting hard on the sensitive skin as he slowly pumped inside her.

Their pace increased, his cock hitting her G-spot every time she dropped down. His hands at her hips set the rhythm, his moans becoming hungry grunts as he pounded against her harder and faster.

Another climax closed in on her, ripping through her. Her pussy clenched around him, and he never let up as he pumped frantically.

For a moment he held his breath, and then his pace slowed rapidly to a stop. He rested his forehead against her chest. She dropped her chin to the top of his head, focused on every sensation at once—the ebbing pleasure, him still inside her, his breath against her skin, the brush of the air conditioner kissing away the heat.

When she trusted herself to stand, she extracted herself from his lap. Her legs wobbled, and she giggled.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever made a woman weak in the knees.” He tugged her back toward the bed, scooting farther up and indicating she should lie next to him.

She crawled into the empty spot, resting her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest. “I have a hard time believing that.”

“Believe what you want.” His voice was soft and low. He trailed his fingers through her hair. “It’s never been like that before.”

She didn’t know how to respond, so she nestled closer against him. Her eyes drooped shut, reminding her she hadn’t slept much that weekend. His hand between her shoulder blades, thumb rubbing lightly, sapped the rest of her consciousness, and she drifted off with a light smile dancing on her lips.

* * * *

Somewhere on the edge of her consciousness, Jade’s phone beeped. She forced her eyes open.
Stupid alarm.

“Ten more minutes.” Brandon’s mumble vibrated through her cheek.

She snuggled into him one more time, searing the warmth of his touch into her memory, before sitting up. “I can’t miss my plane.”

She scooted to the edge of the bed and grabbed her T-shirt off the floor. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lips running along the back of her neck and her shoulders.

“So, what now?” The light kisses muffled his question.

“Now? I get dressed. In about six hours I set down in St Louis.” She leaned back into the attention.
Dammit, why couldn’t this last a little longer?

“Not what I meant.” He nipped at her shoulder. “I mean us. What now?”

A sick pit formed in her gut. She hadn’t figured that out yet. “I don’t know. But I know I can’t just walk away.”

He rested his chin on her shoulder, the scruff of a day’s worth of unshaved beard scratching her cheek. “I was hoping you’d say that. Me neither.”

She finished tugging her shirt on and leaned back into him again, enjoying his arms wrapped around her waist. Without pulling away, she grabbed her purse from the nightstand and plucked out a business card. Turning it over, she scribbled her cell phone number and personal e-mail address on the back. “Make sure you call me. If I can’t see you, I at least want to hear that million dollar voice.”

His laugh rumbled through her back, and he took the card from her. “Million dollar, huh? I ought to make you my new agent.”

She rested her cheek against his. “Promise you’ll call?”

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and laid a line of kisses down her cheek. “I promise. I know it’s weird with the whole ‘only knowing each other a few days’ thing, but I’m going to miss you.”

The words dug deep. She knew anything she felt needed to grow before she named it, but she also desperately wanted whatever it was to have a chance. “Same.” Inspiration struck, and she grinned. “I’ll be in Dallas in three weeks.”

He nipped her neck, sigh rumbling through her skin. “Fort Worth in four. Hook up on the weekend between?”