Her Secret Thrill (3 page)

Jake seemed to think for a moment about what she'd said. “So which precludes which?”

Confused, she said, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, does the lifestyle and wardrobe follow the inherent nature of the woman? Or does the woman simply choose to bury her nature due to her lifestyle and accompanying wardrobe?”

Natalie had no answer for that. It was one thing to reveal that maybe, just maybe, she'd enjoyed daydreaming once in a while about having a wild fling after hearing one of Liza's tales. It was quite another admitting she was really more like Liza deep down, or would be if she allowed herself to be.

Was she? Had she really subverted her nature because of her family and her career?

“I guess a little of both,” she answered as honestly as she could. “My family is not outward about stuff like that, but I can't say I share that. Not fully. I might not be comfortable with outward displays, but it doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy them. Maybe. With the right person. I do enjoy my career, and it is my priority right now. I don't feel like I'm giving anything up for that.” She shrugged. “But maybe I repress that side of me to some point. I don't think I deny I have it, however.” She looked at him with a little grin. “I guess I haven't found an easy way to combine the two, so sex usually loses out.”

Was she really sitting here having a frank talk about
her sexual nature with a man she just met?
But she couldn't deny it was the most stimulating thing she'd done in recent memory. Stimulating in several ways.

He didn't say anything, just responded with a little smile of his own.

She realized she was really enjoying herself. He was fun to talk to, intriguing, thought-provoking. She was ashamed at her earlier assessment and rejection of him. Maybe she was guilty of categorizing men, making them less appealing to her so she didn't have to deal with them. Something else she'd have to think about. What was she afraid of, anyway? Well,
that
she knew. Though it wasn't fear. Merely an intelligent assessment of past problems. Entanglements impeded her career. Right now, she was simply not up to dealing with all the baggage and emotional drain that inevitably came with building a long-term relationship.

He smiled at the waitress when she brought more coffee and cream. He waited for her to leave, then turned his full attention back to Natalie. “I can hear the wheels turning over there. What are you thinking?”

She lifted her shoulders and sipped at her coffee. “Nothing. Everything.” She laughed lightly. “I'm not used to such deep philosophical conversations at—” she glanced at the wall clock and groaned “—four-thirty in the morning. My God, how did it get to be so late?”

“It was already ‘so late' when we started this.”

She looked at him then. And he was looking at her.
Really
looking at her. And it was as if the air stilled…or something. A certain kind of quiet descended between them, encompassed them. Her throat grew tight, as he continued to look at her.

“Started this?” she managed to say, hardly above a whisper.

He didn't shift so much as a hair. Didn't reach out to touch her or make any kind of calculated move. He simply held her gaze as easily as he had all night long and looked at her as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “This.”

Natalie felt such a rush of arousal that she clutched her coffee mug like a lifeline. Amazing. No one had ever made her react like that. And other than that little brush of his fingertips, he hadn't even touched her since they walked in. And yet…she felt him.

She wanted to believe it was just the obvious stimulation of their conversation. But surprisingly, neither of them had been at all leering or suggestive the entire time they'd talked. Which made the way he was looking at her now all the more erotic.

Ridiculous. There was nothing here. It was simply an intriguing interlude with a stranger.

A stranger that was currently soaking her panties just by looking at her. And honestly, when was the last time that had ever happened to her? More honestly, when was the last time she'd ever have let anyone get close enough for her to find out?

And this little moment she thought they were sharing could be in her sleep-deprived head, too, she thought with a silent laugh. Or she could just come out and ask him what he meant by
this.
No. No, she couldn't. This was fun and even exciting. But no. She had a life to return to, a plane to catch late tomorrow. Later today, actually. And he had business. In Wyoming of all places. She was never in Wyoming—

Which suddenly made
this
sound perfect.

She was wanting. He looked to be willing.

She wanted to clamp a hand over her mouth. A one-night stand? Natalie Holcomb? But in the next breath, she thought,
and why the hell not?
Maybe she'd been repressing more than she thought. Because the idea scandalized her. And turned her on so much, she thought she might come just thinking about it.

Oh…my…God. She wouldn't. She couldn't.

Liza would.

She looked at him, then down at those hands of his. When she looked back up, that amused twinkle was back in his eyes.

“We're not— This is just—” She couldn't look away from his eyes. “Coffee,” she finished, almost breathlessly.

He nodded. “Best coffee and conversation I can remember having. Maybe ever.”

He glanced down at his coffee but it was the look in his eyes when he lifted his gaze back to hers that did it. Not smug, not aggressive, not pleading. Simply…honest.

“Would you like to extend this conversation?” he asked.

Her throat closed over. Her nipples were so tight now that they actually hurt. He wanted her. Right now. And there was no denying she wanted him. Right now.

And frankly, right now, that was all that mattered.

It was that simple. That thrilling.

“Yeah.” She cleared her throat, her heart began to race. “I mean, yes. Yes, I believe I would like that. Very much.”

“More coffee?”

Natalie jerked her gaze from Jake and looked up at the waitress. “Um, no. No thank you. Just the check.”

The waitress laid the bill on the table. Natalie nervously fished out a ten and tossed it on the pile, not caring about the change.

Now what?

I
N THE MOVIES
,
this was where it always segued to the two lovers groping inside the private confines of their room.
Lovers
. She swallowed. The movies never dealt with that awkward transition sequence.

Then Jake was standing beside her holding out his hand, that charming grin crinkling the corners of his blue eyes. And it was as easy—and as hard—as just reaching out and taking that hand. She took it.

He let her hand go as soon as she stood, but there was that electric brushing of his warm hand on her bare lower back as he guided her to the front door and out into the New York sunrise.

She stopped and turned, an awkward laugh escaping her. “Um, I guess the standard ‘your place or mine' is out of the question?” She wanted the adventure, but she wasn't taking him back to her place.

He laughed. “Yeah. I had forgotten about that.”

Her heart was pounding, but Natalie relaxed a little. It was obvious that he wasn't used to this, nor had he planned it, any more than she had. That relieved her.
And somehow made this all the more erotic and exciting.

“Maybe another room at The Maxi?” she offered.

“Actually, I know a place. Uptown. I've stayed there before. It's quiet, out of the way.” He caught her gaze. “Private.”

She liked the sound of that. “Okay.” She stepped to the curb to whistle for a taxi. The streets were pretty quiet; only the early risers and workaholics were out.

He reached for her hand and tugged her back.

She whirled, liking the contact of his hand on hers. When he went to drop it, she instinctively tightened her grip. He paused, looked at her, then tightened his grip as well. She liked the assurance it gave her that they were both in this together.

“We have another stop to make first,” he said, then nodded toward a drugstore on the corner.

Dear Lord, she was so far gone that she'd forgotten about all that.

“I wasn't exactly planning on meeting you,” he said.

She liked how he said that. Not “I wasn't planning on having a night of wild sex.” Just that he hadn't planned on her. Specifically her.

Careful, Natalie.
Wild sex was exactly what all this was. Nothing personal, nothing lasting.

He tugged on her hand, and they walked to the corner. His hands were both smooth and rough. And warm. And big. His fingers were all but wedged between her slender ones. She shivered at the thought of where else they might wedge themselves.

“Cold?”

It was early fall, but even now there was a bit of sum
mer in the air. Though that wasn't why she felt warm. She smiled at him and thought,
What the hell.
“Not hardly.”

He grinned. “I think you ought to let Liza dress you more often. Brings out the wild side.”

She laughed as they pushed into the drugstore. “Maybe it does.”

What should have been an awkward errand surprise Natalie by turning into part of their foreplay.

Jake kept her hand firmly in his as he wound his way up and down the aisles, looking for condoms. He glanced over at her, that grin playing around the corners of his mouth. “Ribbed or smooth?”

She tried to play it cool, to keep her mouth from simply dropping open, but she couldn't.

He laughed. “I'll choose.”

So much for abandoning all her staid principles. But he didn't make her feel self-conscious about it. In fact, she got the feeling he was rather enjoying teasing her. She was certain of it, when he stopped as they passed a refrigerated unit.

“Hmm.” He slid open one door and pulled out a slender canister. “Harbor any fantasies about whipped cream?”

She tilted her head as if to ponder the question, when the truth was she'd never once thought about sex with whipped cream on top. “Give me a few minutes,” she finally said, when he raised his eyebrows.

He laughed outright but put the can back. She was almost disappointed. Almost. Right now she only wanted him. Unadulterated.

They made their way to the counter. She should have been uncomfortable, standing with him while he—or
rather she—made such an obvious purchase, but instead she held the clerk's rather direct gaze with a direct one of her own.
Go ahead,
she thought,
judge me. But I'm going to be having a lot more fun in the next couple of hours than you will.
Right then, she began to see why Liza indulged in this side of life.

It
was
fun.

Jake got the taxi. He gave the cabbie directions, then leaned back. The radio was blasting and the traffic was steadily picking up. They were both silent, but Jake still held her hand. As they made their way uptown, he began to trace small patterns on her palm with his fingertip.

She didn't squirm. Or lunge at him. But she wanted to do both. She'd assumed people who did this would be groping and tearing at each other's clothes the whole way to their room. This wasn't at all how she would have pictured it. It seemed so sedate. Detached. And yet, it was anything but. Sitting silently next to him, feeling his fingers on her palm, was extremely sensitizing. It al lowed her to think, to feel, to absorb. To imagine that fingertip brushing her in other places, slowly, lazily.

He made her feel that there was all the time in the world and he intended to make good use of each and every second.

Dear God, but she was dying to have him.

 

I
T WASN'T AWKWARD
at the hotel, either. They knew him there, but were discreet enough not raise an eyebrow when she slid her credit card across the desk. There was the briefest of moments when they asked about needing a bellman for their luggage, just enough to tell her that Jake didn't typically show up with a woman on his arm at the crack of dawn. Enough to make her feel
better…but also just enough to make her feel naughty. In a sort of decadent, delicious way.
Was this really Natalie Holcomb?

As he guided her across the thickly carpeted lobby, she decided she was glad they'd come here. The hotel was small, but intimate and modestly elegant. Apparently cowboys had style. She let Jake direct her to the elevator. They were the only two to step inside.

When the doors swished shut, Nat felt a tiny jolt of panic. Well, not panic, but…reality maybe.

“You okay?”

He was so aware of her. She liked it, rather than resented it. If he was that in tune to her, it could only mean good things later. Right? She tried not to gulp. She was really doing this. In broad daylight, even. Somehow that made it feel even more sinful.

She looked at him and he took her hand, that playful, sexy smile on his face.

Oh, yeah. She was definitely doing this.

“I'm nervous,” she said honestly. “But very okay.”

He smiled. “Me, too. On both counts.”

She laughed suddenly. “I have to say it—I can't believe I'm doing this.” Might as well get that out in the open.

“Me, either.” He moved closer to her. “Although, I'm beginning to think I owe Con a thank-you.”

He was so warm. So big.

She nodded. “I'm probably not going to be having that talk with Liza, after all.”

The doors slid open, but they stood, mere inches apart, staring at each other.

“I need to ask you something,” she said.

The doors started to slide shut, but Jake reached out and held the button. “Ask me anything.”

“What is this—exactly?” She laughed a bit nervously at his confused expression. “I mean, I know what
this
is. But I'm catching a plane later today. And another one a few days after that. And so on. I wasn't planning on—”

He pressed one of those big, thick fingers against her lips. “This can just be…this. No strings. No tomorrow.” He let his finger slide slowly off. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

She was pretty sure that was exactly what she wanted to hear. She didn't dwell on anything beyond that. “Yes.”

He let his finger off the button, and the doors shut. “Come here,” he said softly, and pulled her into his arms.

She went into his arms as if she'd been there hundreds of times before. And yet it was an electrifyingly original experience.

He tipped her chin up and angled his head. “Let's taste each other. And go from there.”

His kiss was tender but firm. His lips warm and dry…then quickly wetter. She slid her arms around his waist and smoothed her hands up his wide back. God, he was big. She'd never been with a man this…large. There was something deeply elemental about how overpowering he was compared to her shorter, slighter frame. But rather than be intimidated by it, she was secretly aroused by it.

In fact, as his wide hands moved up her back and cupped her head, moving it exactly where he wanted it, she felt an undeniable urge to have him move her
whole body exactly how and where and whatever way he wanted it. She wanted him to be in control, to take her…and make her like everything he wanted to do to her.

She would have been shocked by the realization—she was definitely one for equal partnerships—but she was too busy reeling from the feel of his tongue invading her mouth.

He didn't push or shove. He enticed. Goaded. Teased. Twined. Made her want to do the same. So she did.

There was a sudden clearing of throats.

Natalie jerked her head up to find two elderly men staring at them. The lobby stretched out behind them. They'd apparently gone back down. She'd forgotten they were even in the elevator.

Her cheeks warmed. Jake caught her eye and winked, then tugged her out of the elevator. “You take this one, gentlemen. We'll catch another one.”

Natalie was going to tell him that wasn't necessary. In fact, she might have enjoyed making the old codgers squirm a little bit on the ride back up. But the idea that maybe there was a little voyeur down deep inside her, after all, surprised her so much, she missed her chance.

Jake pushed the button on the opposite wall, got them into that elevator and gently backed her to one side. “You stand here.” He moved away, pushed for their floor and stood against the opposite wall. At her questioning look, he grinned and said, “Just ensuring we make it to the room this time.”

She laughed, but as the elevator jolted upward, their smiles slowly faded. They stood on opposite sides of the small car, gazes fixed on each other.

Natalie felt her entire body come alive as he very deliberately let his gaze roam over her. When he met her eyes once again, she found herself slowly, shockingly, running her tongue over her lips. When she saw his throat visibly work, she grew bold enough to slowly allow her own gaze to travel over his wide shoulders, deep chest, narrower waist, down his long legs…and back up again. Stopping very deliberately for one extended moment at the juncture between them. Then she gazed directly at his eyes. And licked her lips again.

This time he was ready. His grin was slow, his eyes hot…and demanding. His hands had been pressed to the wall behind him, but now they slid over his thighs…and rested on the zipper of his pants.

Her eyes widened at the very primal, direct gesture, and her knees went a bit weak. She'd never thought about watching a man stroke himself. Ever. It simply wasn't part of her sexual experience. But damn if she didn't want to add it in. Right now.

She looked to his eyes and saw a taunting there. Was he daring her? Did he want her to ask him?

She looked back to his hands, but they just stayed there, resting over the bulge she knew very well was behind them.

The elevator stopped and the doors slid open. Her breath came out in one long sigh. But there was more frustration in it than relief.

He reached for her hand, she lifted hers to his. She was half wondering if he was going to direct it to his fly, but he folded his fingers between hers and pulled her out of the elevator into the hallway. He checked his room key, then the signs, and headed down the hall with her in tow.

She liked his long-legged stride, liked the way he kept looking down at her with such heat in his eyes.

Suddenly he tugged her against him and ducked into the little vending machine alcove.

“You're driving me crazy,” he murmured against her mouth just before taking it again.

Natalie thrilled to the way he simply took her. But while his kiss was demanding, it was also generous. He gave…aggressively.

When he pulled back, they were both breathing heavily. “I could climb right out of my skin, I want you so badly.”

The rush of pleasure his roughly spoken words sent through her was so intense, it was all she could do to nod in agreement.

He wrapped her against him, then finally swore and left the alcove. “I'm going to embarrass myself completely if I don't get you in that room right now.”

Natalie decided right then that groping and tearing had its moments, too. She was itching to pull off every stitch he had on.

He fumbled the key card into the slot, repeating the motion three times before they finally got the door open.

Natalie didn't even pay attention to the lovely little room or the original antique furnishings. In fact, if he hadn't been as hot to get to her as she was to get to him, she'd have been appalled at her greedy behavior.

He slid off his jacket, yanking the bag from the drugstore out of the pocket and tossing it on the bed before tossing the jacket in the general vicinity of the closet. But just when Natalie thought—hoped—he'd drag her to him and thoroughly ravish her, he stilled, drew in a
deep breath, then laughed lightly, rubbing a hand over his face.

“I wasn't like this even when I was sixteen.” He looked at her with an adorably wry smile. “I guess my lack of finesse is showing here. Once a cowboy, always a cowboy.”

“I'm not finding anything lacking.” Natalie took a breath herself. “Except that we're still clothed.”

He grinned. “Where have you been all my life?”

She laughed and let him guide her to the bed. She loved the heady mixture of laughter and passion that accompanied them so easily. Why wasn't it always this easy?