Bedding The Bad Boy (Dalton Brothers Novels) (10 page)

“She and the doctor assure me it’s just normal aches and pains. And believe me, I’m taking plenty of time off to be with her. So much she’s worried she’s interfering with work.”

“Well don’t let that stop you.”

“Of course not. But you know the baby blankets Mom’s been working on? She finished them early and wanted me to pick them up before they leave for Hawaii. I’d planned on driving there today. Only…”

“No problem. I’ll swing by and pick them up for you.”

Rhys’s expression turned to one of relief. “That would be great. I’ll head home and watch a movie with Melina.”

“Is that all?”

When Rhys hesitated, Max understood. “Wait. Are you that concerned? That you’re afraid to—”

Rhys shook his head. “Sex is supposed to speed things along. Help, not hurt. Only she’s so tired lately. So fragile…”

“If Melina heard you say that, she’d kick your ass. Besides, even if most of her old clothes don’t fit her right now, I’m betting a certain bikini still does. Break it out and neither one of you will be tired for long.”

Rhys laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re right. She
would
kick my ass. Thanks, Max.”

“No problem. Now run along and have sex with your hot pregnant wife. Magician’s orders.”

The hand Rhys clapped on Max’s shoulder said it all. After Rhys left, Max headed toward the check-in counter.

The young woman who’d helped Grace a few minutes earlier smiled at him and leaned against the countertop, not so surreptitiously pressing her breasts together with her elbows. “May I help you, Mr. Dalton?”

He flashed her a mega-watt smile. Even counter girls expected him to flirt with them. All women did.

But right now, all he wanted was peace of mind. And that meant figuring out why Grace hadn’t yet come out of the women’s locker room.

“Hiya, sweetheart,” he said smoothly, leaning against the counter and getting close to the girl, who giggled nervously. “I’m looking for my friend, Grace. She was supposed to meet me but I’m not seeing where she went. Maybe she got the time wrong?”

The girl—Kenya, according to her nametag—pulled back a little but her smile widened. “Yes, she was just here. She told me you might be joining her. That you’re working on something for your show?”

What the hell? Why would Grace have told her that? “Sure. Something for the show. So where is she waiting for me?”

He looked around. The main gym, with various elliptical and treadmill machines, and a weight-lifting circuit, sat surrounded on three sides by glass-walled rooms. In the first room, sweaty women jumped and rotated to music, and in the second room, a combination of men and women were in the middle of a yoga practice. The third room was empty.

Kenya giggled again, the sound grating on his nerves. He wasn’t sure he’d ever heard Grace giggle, but he was pretty sure it wouldn’t annoy him. Everything about her fascinated him. That wasn’t bound to last, but right now…

“She’s in one of the private dance studios. Probably took the back door through the women’s locker room. You can get there through that hallway.” She tipped her head behind her. “It has everything you’ll need,” she said with another giggle.

“What do mean?”

“It’s set up for pole-dancing.”

His combined shock and excitement nearly staggered him.

Grace was in a studio meant for pole dancing. Just the thought sent blood pounding everywhere but his brain, where he needed it the most. Instead, he stood there in total guy mode, with a major hard-on and his knuckles practically dragging on the ground. But then he jerked into action and headed down the hall.

He did so with a huge smile, feeling like he was following the yellow brick road.

***

Bluesy pop music was already playing on Grace’s smart phone, the lyrics echoing her hopes to soon have Max Dalton begging her for mercy.

She’d had no clue he’d be at the gym. The moment she’d seen him and Rhys, she’d wanted to turn and run. Her own cowardice had appalled her. It didn’t matter that she’d gotten up the nerve to cancel her flight. She’d felt shaky and unsure of herself, and by reserving the gym’s pole dancing studio, she’d hoped to exhaust her body and clear her mind, at least for an hour.

A minute after seeing Max, so damn sexy in his workout clothes, his biceps bulging as he lifted weights, her nerves completely disappeared. An idea formed instead. Why not let him watch her on the pole? Surely that would help her regain the upper-hand in the small game they were playing. But she wasn’t about to invite Max directly, not with Rhys there. She figured if he was interested enough to track her down, however…

She peeked outside the studio window, which was tinted so she could see out but no one could see in. Her pulse accelerated when she saw Max heading up the hallway toward her.

She scrambled to the metal pole at the front of the room. As she did, she caught sight of her image in the mirrored wall. She looked decent in her workout clothes but not terribly seductive. Her expression, however? Even she could see the excitement. She looked youthful and daring and free. How had Max managed to significantly diminish her stress and anxiety over Logan Cooper and her baby plan in one night?

She’d taken enough pole-dancing classes back home to know exactly what she was doing. In a matter of seconds, she’d climbed up the pole, hooked her calves around it, then lowered herself until her chest was pressed against the pole and she was hanging upside down in a basic inversion. Then she braced her elbows and gripped the pole with her right hand about two feet higher than the left. Her instructors called it a split grip.

When she heard his footsteps just outside the door, she kept her right calf hooked around the pole but released her left leg and pressed it behind her, keeping her knee bent so the toes of her left foot pointed toward the floor. The position stretched her thigh muscles and her pant fabric pressed tight against her body, stimulating her clit ring. It felt good. It felt twice as good because she knew Max was coming.

She heard the door open. “Grace?
Jesus
.”

A quick glance confirmed he looked shocked… and aroused. With a loud click, he shut the door behind him and locked it.

When Max stepped toward her, she said somewhat breathlessly, “Sit. And just watch, Max. No talkin’. No hands.”

He saw the chair in the corner. And sat.

Then watched as she proceeded to do the rest of the routine she’d learned. It involved contorting her body in ways that sparked her imagination. She’d bet it did his, too. That was the whole point.

She squatted and spun, undulated, frisked the pole, and even managed to pull off a crescent—an advanced move that ended with her sliding down the pole with her body contorted into the shape of a crescent moon.

By the time she was done and standing with both feet on the ground, his expression was tight. Lids heavy. His fists clenched. Hot flags of color rode his cheeks. He looked thoroughly aroused. And she felt like she was going to go off like a firecracker.

He obviously hadn’t believed it himself, but maybe he’d been right the night before, when he’d said controlling his arousal might be the thing that got her off. She’d hurt when she’d lain in her bed last night. Ached for him. And even after she’d made herself come, she’d still ached.

She ached
now
. Her body fairly throbbed and she could almost smell the arousal—hers and Max’s—in the air.

More than ever she needed to convince him she was no shrinking violet when it came to sex. That he
could trust her to give both of them something good even if she didn’t give him everything.

He sat rigidly, sucking in breaths as if he’d just run a marathon, waiting to see what she’d do next. Her plan had been to blow his mind, then blow him a kiss and walk out, leaving him to suffer. Instead, instinct moved her toward him.

The way he sat, thighs slightly spayed, eyes glued to her, was so hot, so tempting, she couldn’t end things here. Only she had to keep the upper-hand.

“Do you want more?” she asked, her voice dark and raspy.

Instead of speaking, he inclined his head slightly, a facsimile of a nod.

“Do you go to strip clubs?”

He hesitated only slightly. “I have.”

“Have you evah had a lap dance?”

“Yes.”

She liked his honesty, as well as the fact he didn’t look ashamed or embarrassed. “I assume you looked but didn’t touch?”

“That’s right. But…”

“But what?”

“But if you dance in my lap, Grace, I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep myself from touching you.”

His honesty stole her breath. It made heat spread through her. Made her feel powerful and sexy and in control. See? She liked this. She didn’t need to give up control in order to get turned on. In fact, the more control she wielded, the hotter she got. She’d prove it to him.

“But you
will
have to keep yourself from touchin’ me. I’m in control here. That’s what you promised me and that’s what I want.”

For a minute, he looked ready to argue with her, then the tension seemed to seep out of him. He slouched lower in his chair and made a production of putting his hands behind the back of his head. The position emphasized his muscled shoulders, biceps, and chest, making her think of a predator. “Go ahead and have your fun, Dixie.”

Dixie. She loved that something as simple as her southern roots had created an intimate bond between them, even if it was only a nickname.

Max continued speaking. “Just remember you asked for it when you’re the one being controlled.”

She refused to acknowledge how her core clenched with need. That’s never going to happen, she told herself. It doesn’t have to. Not if I do this right. She stole a quick glance at the one-way window and the locked door. Could she actually give Max a lap dance, then make him come right here and now?

“Don’t worry about my memory, Shugah. Worry about yours. Because right now I’m goin’ to make you forget evahthing but me.”

She advanced to within three feet of him. With her back arched, feet slightly more than hip-width apart and her toes turned out, she began a slow grinding circle. Max’s gaze stayed glued to her hips as she bent her knees then straightened. She repeated the movement before turning her back to him. With straight legs, she bent forward slightly, looked over her shoulder at him then slapped first one ass cheek then the other. “Have you evah spanked your lovers, Max?”

He visibly swallowed. “I’ve told you before, Grace. I’ve done whatever my lovers needed. Do you enjoy being spanked?”

“As I think I’m demonstratin’, I prefer to be in charge.”

He smiled thinly. “Keep telling yourself that, baby.”

She frowned. She wasn’t getting her message across. Determinedly, she danced into the triangle made by Max’s open legs, back still to him, feet together. Bending her knees but keeping her back straight, she placed her hands on Max’s knees. His body immediately tensed at her touch. Slowly, she lowered her bottom toward his lap until she just made contact. Then, keeping her hands on his knees for support, she grinded down, moving her hips in a circular motion.

“Doesn’t that feel nice as pie, Max? When I’m done playin’ with you,” she said, “I’m goin’ back to my hotel and I’m goin’ to take care of myself in a way that’s guaranteed to get me off. Next time, if you want to be the one to give me an orgasm, trust that I know what I need. Stop makin’ things so hard on yourself. Whether we label it control or not, let me direct you so you can get me there. And I promise I’ll give you what you need, too.”

When he didn’t respond, she turned and looked at him over her shoulder.

He was breathing hard again. He remained still, but he looked ready to explode. He smiled evilly. “Oh, I’m going to give you what you need, Grace. I guarantee it. And when I have, you’re going to dance for me again. Only you’re going to do it
nekkid
. You’re going to do it while I have my hands and mouth on you. And you’re going to know exactly who’s in control.”

Her movements faltered before she got going again. “You’re spoiled. Too used to gettin’ your own way. But I can see how much this is workin’ for you, Max.”

“It’s definitely working for me,” he said. “Everything you do works for me. Kiss me.”

She turned back again, having to block his look of need since it reflected everything she was feeling herself. “Uh-uh. This is my thing, remember? I get to give instructions.”

“Then tell me what you want.”

“I’ll show you instead.”

Turning to face him, she moved closer, gently leaned forward, and placed her hands on either side of his chair. Slowly, she pressed her breasts toward his face, then brushed from side to side, stroking the end of his nose with her nipples. The gentle pressure against her piercings made her nipples instantly harden into tight points. As if connected by an invisible cord, sharp tingles traveled from her nipples to the piercing at her clit. Her body involuntarily jerked, and she rubbed her nipples against him even harder.

He groaned and she felt a rush of victory sweep through her. Before she knew it, however, he’d opened his mouth and covered one nipple through her top. The heat and suction was so sudden and so amazing that she cried out.

Their gazes locked, giving her a perfect view of his cheeks hollowing as he sucked her. She should have moved back and scolded him, but she hesitated. What he was doing felt good. So, so good. But she could see by the gleam of satisfaction in his eyes that he thought he’d won, stealing control away from her.

She dropped her hand to his groin and cupped him through his shorts. His eyes widened even as his mouth loosened. She tried to move away, but his hands came up and gripped her hips.

She stroked him harder. Tighter. “I’m in charge,” she said breathlessly. “Let go or you ’n me are gonna mix.”

He laughed. “Is that a promise or a threat?”

“Both. Let go, Max.”

“Only if you promise you won’t,” he said.

She smiled at the naked need in his voice and, without realizing what she was doing, agreed. “I promise.”

When he released her she kept her word, continuing to explore his length and rigidity.