Alicia's Folly (13 page)

“Let me just make one quick call first,” she said, a plan forming in her mind. She flashed him a smile and winked exaggeratedly, making him chuckle before he nodded in agreement.
 

She paced while she waited for the hotel staff to arrive with the item she’d requested. Nate was on the balcony, talking to his mother. Hopefully the item would arrive and be installed before he was finished.
 

“Yes, mother. I’m fine,” he said, opening the sliding doors. “How I got sunscreen in my mouth is not important, mom.” Alicia blushed beet red as Nate grinned at her.
 

“What was that? Sorry. I was distracted.” The depth and tone of his grin could only be termed as “wolfish” now. A shiver of longing skittered up and down her spine as he devoured her with his eyes. Her nipples hardened, just from the heat of his stare, making her gasp.
 

“Religious? Probably not as deeply involved with the church as you, mom, but she does say ‘thank you’ when a request prayer has been answered.”
 

Suddenly the phone was being held away from his ear. From her position by the door, Alicia could hear Nate’s mother yelling something about ‘meet this girl’. A whole different kind of shiver ran through her at those words, one of nervousness and apprehension. Was that really all it took to receive the woman’s stamp of approval? Praying for Nate and saying “thanks” when the prayer was answered?
 

The moment the thought crossed her mind, she felt like a complete hypocrite. She didn’t even know Nate’s mother and she’d painted her as a raving religious zealot. Embarrassed by her own stereotypical thinking, Alicia sent a silent apology out over the wavelengths to Nate’s mother. Then, realizing she was making mental apologies to someone who wasn’t even aware she’d been slighted, she decided to busy herself with righting the room while she waited for the requested item to arrive.
 

Nate, of course was back on the balcony now, with the door closed, and Alicia couldn’t help but wonder what he was telling his mother. She was spared from delving too deep into an imagined conversation by a knock at the door.
 

“Oh thank Godness. Thank goodness,” she muttered, correcting herself as she opened the door.
Great. Now I’m paranoid
, she thought as a concierge and a bellhop delivered the bench-like shower seat she’d requested. They were installing it when the sliding door opened and she heard Nate tell his mother he had to go. He didn’t sound pleased.
 

Just as he was about to make a scene, his cell phone rang. He spared a quick glance at the number on the screen then scowled. With a frustrated sigh, he returned to the balcony to take the call.
 

“Thank you,” Alicia said matter-of-factly. Despite her tone, she could not look them in the eyes. The men were looking at a very fit and healthy-looking Nate then back at her. Their curiosity was likely due to the fact she specifically stated ‘Mr. Langston’ was still ‘weak from his ordeal’ when she requested the seat.
 

The thought “He sure as hell doesn’t look weak” was plainly written on their faces. To make matters worse, her own face was on fire. This was likely leading them to wonder just exactly what kind of kinky sex was going to happen tonight. She felt dirty tipping them, like she was paying them to help ensure said ‘kinky sex’ could in fact be had. Thankfully they were both gone by the time Nate re-entered the room so she was able to (she hoped) bring the color in her face down a few shades.
 

“What was that all about?” he growled. Obviously his second phone call didn’t go very well.
 

“The doctor said you should rest. I’m just making sure you don’t overdo it,” she answered, turning on her heel and walking into the bathroom.
 

“I’m not an invalid. It’s just a shower for crying out loud. I – ” He made to follow her and she stopped him with what she hoped was a coy backward glance.
 

“I know,” was all she said. Then she closed the door in his face.
 

* *
 

Nate stared at the door in open-mouthed shock. Then, as memories of their last shower together played through his mind, a slow grin spread over his face.
 

Bring it on, babe!
he thought, loosening the chord of his sweats and letting them drop to the floor. He remembered, at the last second, to get them out of the way so they wouldn’t trip him up. It wouldn’t be cool to, let’s say, scoop Alicia up and make a mad dash for the bed, only to get hung up on a pile of clothing.
 

That dispensed with, he pushed on the bathroom door. It was effing
locked
!
 

“Alicia!” he growled. There was a responding squeak from inside. Obviously she was up to no good. His pulse kicked up a notch as he considered the possibilities of exactly what kind of ‘no good’ she might be indulging in. He started to say, “Not cool, Alicia,” but the lock released before he could get it out.
 

When he opened the door, Nate realized the shower was already running. Alicia, in all her curvy, naked glory stood just in front of the bench seat, posing like a model displaying the grand prize. On the seat were a big, fluffy facecloth, his favorite shower gel and his shampoo.
 

“Don’t make me come and get you,” she scolded, her smile kept in place via clenched teeth. He felt an eyebrow go up.
 

Challenge accepted,
Nate thought, closing the door then leaning on it. For added impact, he crossed his arms over his chest. In an effort to avoid leaving the shower, Alicia eyed him over from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. Her very leisurely perusal of his attributes made his dick jump. It was as if his anatomy had a mind of its own and it was telling him to get the hell into the shower already.
 

“Hmmm… Too bad I want all of you, or I’d come and get just that,” she said, pointing at his over-exuberant part. Her words pulled at something inside of him and immediately changed the tone of the situation. All of a sudden, he wasn’t in a playful mood any more. He wanted all of her too, and he wanted her now. Sensing the shift, her arms moved from “Here’s your prize” to “Come here, baby”.  Nate didn’t have to be told twice.
 

“Put your foot up on the bench,” he whispered. The feel of being in Alicia’s arms, of holding her close made his heart pound in his chest. For a split second, he worried he wouldn’t be able to keep “up” to her, but then her hand softly stroked the length of him and need raged through him, hot and intense. He damn near kicked the bench out of the way and impaled her then and there.
 

Alicia did as she was told, one hand braced against the shower wall for support, the other gripping his hip. Nate was sure that hand would have been cupping his ass cheek if she could have reached. He was half tempted to turn his body, just so she could. Then her foot “accidentally” knocked the shower gel onto the floor, against the back wall.
 

“I should bend over and get that,” she whispered.
 

He laughed. He couldn’t help it. She was too damn –
Cute? Sexy? Hot? All of the above and more,
he thought, shaking his head. “Not yet. I need you face to face first,” he said. Then, done with waiting, he reached between them to find out if she was ready for him.
 

* *
 

Alicia stabilized herself then turned her body so she could wrap her arms around Nate’s neck. His touch was gentle as he stroked her sex from front to back. When he pushed a finger into her, testing her readiness, she gave a small gasp and pushed back, taking him in as far as he would go. This brought the butt of his hand up against her clit and it was almost more than she could bear.
 

“
Please
,” she whispered, bucking softly against him. Nate groaned. With a speed that stole her breath away, he replaced his hand with his cock. He filled her so quickly, so completely, she cried out. Her initial cry became a keening wail of rapture as he slammed into her fast and hard, over and over again.
 

Other than his hands gripping her hips, her arms around his neck, and his battering-ram shaft inside her, they didn’t touch. There were no tender caresses, no sweet, drugging kisses. They were quite simply
fucking
and Alicia revelled in it.
 

With her head thrown and her back arched, she took the erotic punishment and begged for more. In a mood to oblige, Nate gave it to her. He would have continued giving it to her if not for the sudden, intense eruption of her orgasm from deep, deep inside. Alicia screamed as it took her, her knees buckling and her entire body convulsing. Nate held her up, supporting her as he joined her, pumping everything he had into her. Then, like her, his knees buckled and they sank to the floor.
 

Nate was crushing her against him as her mind and senses came back to her. After several minutes, when their breathing had evened out some, his hold loosened slightly and she felt his chin nudging her head. Alicia tipped her face up to receive his kiss, letting him plunder her mouth, just as he had her body.
 

“You have to go. You’re late.” Alicia breathed the words against Nate’s mouth when he broke for air. Every time he started to leave for his meeting with Elizabeth, he charged back into the room and kissed her senseless. Their tongues danced and duelled, the taste of his cinnamon toothpaste doing things to her she didn’t think toothpaste ever would. His hunger for her was sexy as hell. It was also scary.
 

Nate moved away, but not very far. He was panting slightly. A little thrill went through her that she could do this to him. At the same time, she needed some time alone to think and his meeting with Elizabeth would afford it to her. She needed to examine her feelings and try to put them into perspective.
 

Was she bothered by the fact he was going to see his ex? She’d by lying if she said some small part of her wasn’t. However, after this morning and the intense emotions she’d felt as he loved her, she
knew
there was no chance they would get back together.
 

“You’ll be here when I get back?” Nate asked, and not for the first time. Alicia let him see her frown of exasperation. “Right. Sorry. I just hate like hell leaving you so soon after – ”
 

She waited for him to finish he sentence, wondering what terminology he would use. When the sentence simply hung, unfinished, and a blush stained his cheekbones, she knew he was trying to avoid sounding “sappy”.
 

“Real men do say ‘make love’, you know,” she teased. “It’s the cowards who use the cruder terms.” Nate forced a laugh. His eyes darkened and he opened his mouth to say something. At the last second, he changed his mind, shaking his head. With a last, lingering kiss, he stood, backed completely away, then turned and left the room.
 

All of a sudden, the anger she’d felt toward Elizabeth was back. Here was a man who was self-assured enough to not only start a business from the ground up, but run it well enough to have made his first million. And yet, when it came to his personal life, he was like a teenaged boy who was still figuring himself out. The two came together in the bedroom to make an incredibly sexy mix of sweet and devastatingly sensual. She groaned, burying her face in her hands.
 

“Who the hell am I kidding?” she muttered. “I wouldn’t have fallen for him if he didn’t have that awkwardness about him. Sure, I might have slept with him still if he was all Mr. Important Businessman, but afterward, when we were both done with one another, I’d at least be able to walk away without looking back. Now my heart’s fully engaged and I want nothing more than to spend more time with him and figure out where this is going.”
 

Alicia sighed. Thinking out loud wasn’t helping. Especially since her mind kept telling her she was only imagining falling for him. After all, people didn’t develop such strong feelings for one another in such a short period of time. That kind of thing only happened in romance novels and chick flicks.
 

Then, of course, there was that persistent voice, the one speaking out for her heart, which added, “And where do you think romance novels and chick flicks come from? Obviously this kind of thing does happen, or there wouldn’t be so many damn books and movies about it.” When that voice piped up, a small thrill of happiness coursed through her and she knew she was done for.
 

So, the question now was “What am I going to do about it?”. The only good answer was to extend her vacation for another few days – Nate had mentioned he had to be back for a board
meeting by the end of the week – and try to figure out if this was more than a passing romance or not. The sardonic, pessimistic voice in her head scoffed.
 

Oh and you’ll definitely be able to make a proper judgement, now you’ve decided to be ‘all in’. Right.
 

Alicia did her best to quell that voice with the rational yet heart-rending thoughts of the both of them returning to their lives at the end of it all. It was inevitable they do this. He had a business to run and she had her life to put back together.
 

And who’s to say it has to be put back together in Winnipeg
, the voice attached to her heart whispered. That organ everyone associated with love and romance skipped several beats. Her pulse raced as she dared to consider this. With great effort of will, she pushed the thought aside. She was
not
going to be the one to bring that option up. She wasn’t that needy or desperate for a man in her life. If Nate brought it up, however…