Gemini Men: Caught Part 12

She cut him off with a shake of her head. "G.o.d, I'm so nave, thinking I could help her. Just another clueless adult, trying to get into her business." She laughed humorlessly. "So now I guess we go back home and start all over," she said, as the elevator doors slid open. "Or h.e.l.l, who knows. Maybe everyone is right and she's back home already."

He took in the defeated slump of her shoulders and the tired eyes that mirrored his own.

"We can't leave tonight," he said, starting for the registration desk as he felt her tension ratchet up about fifty notches.

"We're spending the night? But I need to get home."

He turned to look at her. She s.h.i.+fted her weight from one foot to the other and licked her lips. Her gaze flicked nervously over his body, his face, snagging on his mouth. She licked her lips again.

He wondered if she was thinking what he was thinking. About the way her lips had parted so easily under his. About the way her nipples had gone rock hard against his tongue. His gaze slid down her chest, saw the firm peaks beaded against the bodice of her dress.

No f.u.c.king way was that the air-conditioning.

"I'm too tired to fly. It wouldn't be safe, even if we could get the plane ready to go this late. We'll crash here and leave in the morning. It'll be fine." Said the spider to the fly.

He ignored her sputtered protests as he walked up to the registration desk. She was a ball of nervous energy, about to start pinging around the room in her s.h.i.+ny heels. Fine. He'd give her one last chance for an out. He smiled at the desk clerk. "Two rooms, just for tonight please."

"I can't afford a room here," Toni whispered through clenched teeth.

"Jerry's paying. And if he doesn't I've got it. But I can't fly when I'm this tired." Not to mention that he needed more blood in his brain than her dress would allow.

The desk clerk affected a disappointed look. "I'm sorry, sir, but we have only one room available."

And the G.o.ds of getting laid smiled down on Ethan from heaven.

Toni's breath caught and held.

"It's a suite, though," the woman behind the desk said. "There should be plenty of room for both of you."

Toni's posture was ramrod stiff as they retrieved their bags from the bell station and rode the elevator up to the suite. The walls were slamming into place, her guard going up as clear to him as though she were girding herself for battle.

He unlocked the door, ushered her inside. She tossed her backpack on the couch and took a leisurely tour of the room. "You can have the bedroom," she said, "since you're paying." She stopped in front of the suite's ma.s.sive window and stared down at the lights of the strip. But he could tell from the tension in her muscles, the way she fingered her skirt, that she wasn't taking in the view.

"Why are you so nervous?" Like he didn't know. But it was fun playing with her.

He tried to remember the last time he'd had to chase a woman, and couldn't. His world had been full of lots of women like Gillian. Beautiful women. Bold, s.e.xually confident, not afraid to go after what they wanted. And a lot of them wanted him.

But he'd never met anyone like Toni, with her brainy beauty and stealth s.e.xiness. A s.e.x G.o.ddess in a computer nerd's clothing.

He liked her, a lot more than he'd liked a woman in a while. The way she gave him s.h.i.+t, her brash confidence and unexpected vulnerability.

Like now, sneaking nervous glances at him when she thought he wasn't looking. Something tight gripped his chest, a sudden urge to pull her in his arms and tell her everything would be okay, that he'd never let anyone or anything hurt her.

He shoved the thought away. He was no woman's hero, no knight in s.h.i.+ning armor. Not in this lifetime.

"Did you know there are nearly fifteen thousand miles of neon tubing that make up the lights in downtown Vegas?" she said and looked at him over one bare shoulder.

He moved next to her, not looking at her as his hand curved around her waist. His palm slid over smooth skin and metal warmed by the heat of her body. The unfamiliar protective instincts melted away in the face of l.u.s.t. Ethan seized on it. l.u.s.t was good. Desire, he could deal with. This was his territory. s.e.x and l.u.s.t and bodies coming together in mutual satisfaction.

It shouldn't be any different with Toni, even if he wanted her with an intensity that danced a little too close to the edge of need.

Her body was stiff as he pulled her to him, but she didn't resist as he turned her to face him and tilted her chin up. Her cheek was baby soft as he cupped it, her cherry-red lips soft and hot as he closed his mouth over hers. That first taste, and he went right over the edge, needing her, feeling like he would die if he didn't kiss her, touch her, taste her, get inside her.

It was too much, too strong, too soon, but he couldn't stop the floodgates now that they'd been opened. Toni Crawford did something to him, made him feel things he wasn't supposed to feel.

But he wasn't about to pull over now and examine the reasons why.

His tongue slid into her mouth, tangling with hers as he drank in her soft sighs, her rich taste. Turning her, he used his body weight to pin her against the cool gla.s.s of the window. He bent his knees so his c.o.c.k was aligned with the V of her thighs and rubbed against her, leaving no question about how much he wanted her.

His fingers tangled in her hair, tugging until she was at just the angle he wanted. He could feel her shaking as her lips sucked at his tongue, the pounding of her heart as he slid his hand over her rib cage, down the side of her dress. His mouth opened wide over hers, taking it in hot, hungry open-mouthed kisses, and he molded his hand over the curve of her hip. It was a short trip to find the hem of her skirt and tug it up to reveal the sweet curve of her a.s.s.

He filled his hands with the firm, smooth cheeks, his thumbs brus.h.i.+ng against a silky sc.r.a.p of fabric riding the upper curve. "You are wearing underwear," he whispered, grinning.

"Barely." Her voice was a breathless whisper. "But no bra."

"Yeah, I noticed." And he sure as h.e.l.l noticed now when her tight little nipples were burning holes into his chest. He wanted to feel her, skin on skin. He fumbled with the b.u.t.tons of his s.h.i.+rt, heard a few ping against the window as he ripped it open so he could feel her, silky and hot and barely dressed, against his naked chest.

"This dress has been driving me insane all night." He hooked a thumb in the strap of her thong, pulling it tight until she gasped. He wanted her naked. Now. Wanted to feel every inch of her long, sleek body against his. His hand went to the straps holding her dress up and pushed them off her shoulders. Silvery fabric pooled at her waist, and he felt the soft weight of her t.i.ts nuzzle against his chest.

His palms came up to cup her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and he slid his mouth down her throat as his thumbs teased the bullet-hard peaks. He nipped a path across her shoulders and chest, reveling in the soft gasps and moans that came with every pinch and roll of his fingers.

He felt her s.h.i.+ft, wriggle, and the dress slid off her hips, down her thighs to pool at her feet. Ethan stepped back and looked at her, all long legs and soft curves, naked except for a pair of four-inch heels and thong panties that barely covered the sweet mound of her p.u.s.s.y.

He was so gone, any control he might have had was shot to h.e.l.l as he pulled her against him, yanking off his s.h.i.+rt and fumbling with his pants so he could be naked, too, breaking off here and there to kiss her and stroke her because he couldn't keep his hands off her for another second. Finally he was down to his boxers. He slid his hand down her thigh and hitched it over her hip. Her heels-those sanity-killing, l.u.s.t-inducing heels-made her almost as tall as he was, the exact right position to cradle his c.o.c.k against her hot core.

He was shaking, running hot, trying to cling to the control he took for granted. Failing.

Toni could barely think, barely breathe in the face of Ethan's onslaught. It was like before, when he'd kissed her, but more. More raw. More out of control. And as much as she knew she'd regret it as soon as it was over, more irresistible. She couldn't get enough of the taste, the feel of him. She'd never been this close to a man as beautiful as Ethan. Probably never would be again.

He was gorgeous, true, but that didn't account for the total loss of common sense. There was the chemistry that popped and crackled like dry wood on a flame. There was something about Ethan, indefinable, that called to the wild, impulsive part of her that she kept so well hidden. The part of her that urged her to cast aside the rules and to do something for the pure pleasure of it, good, well-thought-out decision making be d.a.m.ned.

He was pressed hard against her, taking away all logic and coordination as his hands teased and pinched at her nipples in a way that had her wet, pulsing, craving the feel of him inside her. The hard ridge of his c.o.c.k rode between her thighs, making her throb and clench with the need to feel him thick and hard inside her.

Common sense urged her to push him away, warning her that getting involved with Ethan was dangerous. But she wasn't looking to get involved, she reminded herself. Why not indulge her craving for what he offered? Mindless hot s.e.x, guaranteed to blot out the stress and worry and bad memories she could never run away from.

Her hands gripped his hips, one reaching down to trace the outline of his erection through his boxers. Marveling at the size, the raging heat, she pressed her palm against him and stroked him through the soft cotton of his underwear.

Ethan groaned, a harsh, almost plaintive noise as he stepped back. "Don't," he said, stumbling a little as he lifted a shaky hand and raked it through his thick, dark hair. Toni's mouth went dry, as for the first time she got to see his nearly naked body. His chest was thick with muscle, nearly twice as wide as hers. Smooth, tanned skin stretched tight over the muscles of his shoulders and arms. Her eyes eagerly devoured every inch of bared flesh, raking down his six-pack abs and lower.

Her breath caught at the sight of his c.o.c.k, rock hard and tenting out the front of his boxers. She swallowed hard, nearly overcome with the urge to tug his boxers down his leg and suck him deep into her throat.

"You keep looking at me like that, and in about five seconds you're gonna find yourself pinned up against the wall with me buried ten inches inside you."

She drew back, startled. Intimidated. "Ten inches?"

His wicked grin made everything inside her go b.u.t.tery soft. "Give or take a millimeter."

She laughed as he lifted her thighs and wrapped them around his waist so he could carry her into the bedroom. Toni could feel the hard press of his c.o.c.k against her behind, and swallowed hard. Christ, he might not be exaggerating. Then she didn't care as the hard ridge of his abs rubbed against her silk-clad cleft, making her squirm and moan and ache.

She'd never felt like this with a man. Nervous and carefree, wanting to laugh and cry and beg him to make her come. Out of control. Exhilarated. Terrified.

He flipped on the bedside lamp. Smooth cotton met her back as he lay her down on the bed and gently removed her gla.s.ses and placed them on the bedside table. He shoved his boxers down his hips and his erection bobbed, long and thick as it reared up from between his legs as he peeled her thong down her legs. Even without her gla.s.ses, she could see the thick vein pulse its length, the smooth head engorged and slick with pearls of pre-come. She wanted to reach out, stroke its length, but before she could make a move, he came down over her and clamped his mouth hard over her nipple. She squirmed on the mattress, low, animal sounds she didn't recognize emerging from her throat. His hand dipped between her legs, fingers parting her and finding her embarra.s.singly wet.

"G.o.d, you're hot," he whispered, sucking harder at her nipple as first one thick finger, then two stretched her open. His thumb whisked across her c.l.i.t, circling and teasing as Toni arched harder up into his hand. He groaned into her mouth, sucking hard on her tongue as his fingers pressed deeper, harder.

Toni cried out in protest as he suddenly jerked away and fumbled through the overnight bag on the chair next to the bed. A pile of foil packets scattered across the bedside table. She heard a ripping sound and then he was rolling on a condom and kneeing her legs apart. His breath hissed through his teeth as he dragged the broad head up and down her slit, rubbing her c.l.i.t, spreading her wetness around until her hips were bucking off the bed and her hands were digging into his a.s.s to coax him inside before she completely lost her mind.

He was huge, thick and pulsing as he stretched her wide, forcing her body to yield inch by agonizing inch at his slow, inexorable invasion. He began to move in smooth, deliberate strokes, seeming to know the exact rhythm, the exact angle she needed.

G.o.d, he was good at this.

And why wouldn't he be, with all the practice he's had?

She tried to force the thought from her mind, not wanting to imagine the legions of lovers he must have had up to this point, and how she might compare. But as he gazed down at her, his eyes narrowing into fierce turquoise slits, Toni couldn't get the unpleasant image out of her head.

This was a man she'd met less than two days ago. A man who, when she'd met him, had just come from another woman's bed. Still had her lipstick on his ear.

Once that thought barreled into her head, she couldn't get it out. Ethan with another woman. Ethan with dozens of other women, women who were s.e.xier, more confident, and more advanced in bedroom Olympics.

Women who didn't care if he went and slept with someone else after this was over.

Her o.r.g.a.s.m, so close only a few seconds before, evaporated under the onslaught of insecurity. A lump settled in her throat and she was horrified to realize she was on the verge of tears.

Ethan sensed her change in mood, and his hips stopped their steady pumping. He leaned back on his knees, chest heaving as he struggled for control. G.o.d, he was so gorgeous, his body gleaming with sweat, a freaking s.e.x G.o.d the likes of which she had never even seen, much less touched, and her stupid, overactive brain wouldn't give her body a break. Why couldn't she just go with the flow?

Because she was the computer nerd, and he was the captain of the football team, and deep down she knew they didn't belong together, and never would. And that shouldn't matter if all she wanted was s.e.x.

"What is it?" he said.

She opened her mouth but was afraid she'd start crying if she said anything. After a few seconds she said, "Nothing, everything's fine." A minute ago she'd been running hot and fast, headlong into s.e.xual oblivion. And now she'd turned it all awkward and uncomfortable, all because she couldn't get out of her d.a.m.n head long enough to enjoy it.

At least he was still having a good time, if the strength and size of the erection inside her was any indication. No reason for him to stop, just because she'd fallen off the o.r.g.a.s.m train. "Don't stop," she urged, hoping it sounded more convincing than it felt. "It's fine."

His mouth set in a tight line. Great. If he hadn't already decided she was a bad lay, this would certainly seal the deal.

"I'm sorry," he said. He leaned down until his forehead rested against hers and kissed her softly. He pushed himself all the way inside her, holding himself still as his mouth teased hers with soft sucking kisses. "I'm going too fast," he panted.

She wanted to rea.s.sure him that it wasn't him, it was her, but his tongue sliding into her mouth proved too much of a distraction.

"I just want you too much," he whispered, "Once I touch you, all bets are off and I can't keep it together."

He wanted her too much? The very idea was enough to make her tighten around him, making him groan as the walls of her body clamped hard around his c.o.c.k. He bent his head to her breast, licking and sucking the sensitive flesh, thrusting into her with tiny movements of his hips, stirring her up, sending her nerve endings back into overdrive.

Then he slid out, her body clinging and protesting every inch of the way. She moaned in protest. "Don't stop." This time the plea was l.u.s.tily sincere.

"Let's slow down. Let me make this good for you," he said. She wanted to argue that what he was doing was once again plenty good for her, but she couldn't even form words as his hands and lips coursed down her belly and lower. He grasped the backs of her thighs and hooked her knees over his shoulders, opening her wide to his gaze and his touch. Toni's hands clawed at the sheets as his tongue burrowed into her folds, circling her c.l.i.t with firm strokes as his fingers teased the opening of her body.

She moaned, arching her hips, trying to urge his fingers deeper. "That's it," he whispered against her throbbing flesh, "make some noise. Show me what you like. Show me what's good for you."

"Deeper," she said. "I want your fingers deeper."

He slid two fingers in as far as they could go at the same moment his lips clamped over her c.l.i.t. He was relentless, his lips sucking, tongue las.h.i.+ng, as his fingers pressed high and hard within her. Toni's legs and arms stiffened as all the energy in her body centered in a knot between her legs, a knot that pulled tighter and tighter until finally her o.r.g.a.s.m exploded, sending wave upon wave of searing pleasure through every nerve and sinew until even the tips of her fingers and toes tingled with it.

Ethan almost cried with relief when he felt the first rippling shudder course through Toni's body. He didn't know how he'd done it, but he'd somehow managed to drag himself back from the edge, managed to regain some measure of the s.e.xual control he'd always taken for granted. He had no idea what had gotten into him, what it was about Toni that made him completely lose his mind.

Thank G.o.d he'd somehow managed to sense her withdrawal, even through the all-consuming pleasure he'd felt at being buried deep inside her. He couldn't blame her for pulling back. He was big on foreplay, liked to linger and search out all the secret places that gave pleasure. But with Toni, he was like an animal, driven to mate, get inside her, f.u.c.k her hard and deep until he found the kind of white-hot oblivion he'd never gotten close to. Poor Toni-once he saw her naked, all he was good for was a quick paw, a couple of nipple twists, and he'd been shoving inside her like a madman.

But he'd made up for it, he thought with maybe the slightest touch of arrogance. Christ, she tasted good, sweet and salty and hot against his mouth. He couldn't resist sliding his tongue inside her for one last, lingering taste. The last quivers of her o.r.g.a.s.m fluttered against his mouth, and he groaned, unable to stop himself from grinding his hips in response. f.u.c.k, he needed to get back inside her before he pulled some amateur move like coming against the sheets.

She was relaxed, boneless with pleasure as he reared up over her and positioned himself at the entrance to her s.e.x. He could feel his o.r.g.a.s.m building the second he began the first slow, deep slide. She was so slick, so tight, like a hot, wet fist clamping around his c.o.c.k with every stroke. He pumped her hard, shaking the bed and making her t.i.ts bounce with every thrust.

G.o.d, she was so pretty, so responsive as her posto.r.g.a.s.mic languor instantaneously morphed into s.e.xual urgency. Her cheeks were flushed, lips deep red and swollen, eliciting all kinds of fantasies of having them wrapped around the thick head of his c.o.c.k. Her chest was flushed, too, the creamy flesh of her t.i.ts rosy-pink as he drove her higher. The smooth skin of her inner thighs slid against his hips as she wrapped those long legs around him, urging him deeper, faster, as her hips rocked up to meet every pounding thrust.

G.o.d, she was close, if he could only hold off a few more seconds. He wanted to watch her, see her face as she broke into a million pieces. His thumb delved between her legs, b.u.mping her firm c.l.i.t in time with his strokes.

His back arched and he moaned as he felt her body clamp down hard around him, milking, kneading his c.o.c.k as her second climax hit. The sharp sting of her nails digging into his a.s.s sent him hurtling over the edge. He came in a body-melting rush, in pulses so fierce he felt like he was going to burst out of his skin.

He collapsed on top of her, savoring the scent of her as he gulped oxygen into his lungs. After a few moments, he came to enough to realize he was probably crus.h.i.+ng her and summoned up the strength to roll to the side.

He stared up at the ceiling, stunned by what had just happened. He closed his eyes and pulled her against him, determined to ignore the voice in his gut that was telling him that Toni Crawford was going to absolutely wreck him.

CHAPTER 9.

T HE LAST WAVES of pleasure faded as Ethan rolled to Toni's side, and she braced herself for the wave of regret. Waited for her brain to scream at her, What are you doing? Having s.e.x with a guy you met yesterday?? You didn't seriously believe that line he fed you, did you... I want you so much, I can't stop myself...Seriously, you don't think he says that to every woman he's with?

Yeah, that was about right. But then Ethan pulled her against his naked body, cupped her cheek, and kissed her. Not a s.e.xy, I-want-to-do-you kiss, but a soft kiss, so sweet and affectionate it almost felt like a thank-you for giving him such great pleasure. A loving kiss.

Warning bells started clanging in a corner of her mind not saturated with posto.r.g.a.s.mic hormones.

Why couldn't Ethan be one of those guys who did the come-and-snore routine? Or better yet, come and flee the scene of the crime? Why did he have to pull her against his long, warm body and tangle his legs with hers in a way that made her want to curl up against him and hibernate through the winter?

This was the dangerous part, she realized. Not the s.e.x. This kind of snuggling, the stroking of his hands up her back, the soft kisses pressed to her forehead and cheeks. That could give a girl all kinds of ideas.

Even a girl like Toni, who didn't allow herself to get ideas about men anymore.

He rolled to his side, and she tried to s.h.i.+ft away, but he caught her and tucked her against him, her back to his front. Oh, G.o.d, not the spooning, she thought as a s.h.i.+ver of contentment fluttered through her.

She dozed off, the heat of his body pressed against her and the slow, steady cadence of his breathing lulling her to sleep.

A few hours later her eyes snapped open. She felt the unfamiliar heat and weight of a male body next to her, took in the blurred outline of the lavish furnins.h.i.+ngs of the suite illuminated by the light of the bedside lamp. Reality hit her with crus.h.i.+ng force.