One to Keep (One to Hold) (12 page)

She was beside me in an instant, taking it and rubbing it over her wet body. The sight of that almost did me in.

“That’ll do,” she whispered. “I mean, my dress is strapless anyway.”

I watched as she stepped in and pulled it over her bare breasts until I couldn’t resist. I scooped her up against me. “You are so damned sexy.”

“Patrick!” she shrieked a laugh. “Why did I even dry off?”

Releasing her quickly, I stepped back. “Sorry.”

But she threw her arms around my neck, hugging against me again. “Don’t ever stop doing that.” Her lips brushed mine. “Ever.”

My arms were back around her in an instant. “I promise I won’t.”

Chapter 9 – Best Day Ever

Dawn pierced through the crack I’d tried not to leave in the curtains, but I didn’t mind. With the growing light, I was able to see her better as she slept next to me, her arm loosely across my waist, her silky blonde hair streaming over my pillow. I had to force myself to keep still and not slide my hand down the smooth skin of her back.

Last night, I’d made love to her every way I could before we were both falling asleep, still holding each other. Something was happening here—not alcohol, not escape. Being with Elaine Was like… nothing I’d ever had. I wanted to tell her I could fall in love with her as I watched her eyes drift closed and her breathing soften, but it was way too soon. And I had all that shit to deal with back home.

Still, nothing had prepared me for Elaine. Nothing in my past had this intensity. No relationship, no job, nothing had ever felt the way I did when we talked, when we touched, when her body wrapped around mine. For the first time in a year, I could honestly say what happened with Stacy was for the best. It truly felt like everything had conspired to draw me to this place specifically to meet this woman.

She stirred and rolled onto her side, her green eyes blinking open slowly. When she saw me, she smiled, and my heart warmed.

“Patrick,” she said, moving her cheek to my chest, her soft blonde hair spilling over my arm. I smoothed it back. “Did you get enough sleep?”

I didn’t say I couldn’t be bothered with sleep with her in my bed. All I wanted was to make her happy. “Yes,” I answered.

She made a contented sound before rolling onto her back to stretch. I was right beside her, kissing her stomach that flattened as her back arched, working my way higher. Instantly she curled together with a laugh.

I pulled her to me. “What do you think about touring Scottsdale with me?”

Her arms snaked around my waist. “I thought you had to be in meetings all morning.”

“Fuck meetings, I’m spending my time with you.”

I felt her laugh more. “Then yes, I would love to tour Scottsdale with you!”

Standing, I took her hand. “Let me walk you back so we can get changed. If this is your first visit, there are some places you’ve got to see.” I had the whole day planned out already.

* * *

Derek didn’t hassle me about skipping the day’s meetings, which was surprising. “You’ve landed some good clients on this trip,” he said, and his voice was so changed, I almost didn’t recognize it. “I’m taking the afternoon off as well.”

“Okay.” What was going on with him? Then I remembered to ask, “Did you find Melissa? Elaine tried to call her at one point, but she didn’t answer.”

“Hm,” was all he said.

My brows pulled together. “Last night? Melissa? You went after her?”

“Right.” He cleared his throat, and I could swear it sounded like he was smiling. “I mean, yes, we had dinner. She’s… well. I mean, she’s just fine.”

If I was meeting anyone besides Elaine, I would’ve stayed until I got answers, but I
was
meeting Elaine. “Well, see you tonight,” I said. “And when we get back, you’re going to tell me what the hell’s going on.”

“Have fun,” he said, that smile still in his voice.

I hung up wondering if he’d ever told me to have fun before. Previously, I’d been convinced he didn’t know the meaning of the phrase. I decided to let it go. Grabbing the keys to my rental and my phone, I hustled down to the lobby.

* * *

Scottsdale with Elaine by my side seemed brighter and more interesting than it ever had before. I took her to the Frank Lloyd Wright estate, and she took pictures of the unusual statues and plants growing on the land along with the house built into the landscape. Then I took her to Camelback Mountain to climb the assorted flights of stairs that seemed to go straight up to the sky embedded throughout the red-rock hillsides.

In the cleft of one of the boulders, I took her hand and pulled her onto my lap. We were sitting on a low cliff, and the 360 degree view of the city below was breathtaking. She exhaled and leaned her head back against my shoulder.

“How do you know about all this?” she asked as I laced our fingers together. “Did you live here before?”

“One of my uncles owned a winter home here,” I said, kissing her neck. “We came a few times to visit when I was in high school.”

“It’s so different from anywhere else. Barren and rocky, but still green and colorful.”

“Mm-hm,” I said, running my lips behind her ear as my hands searched for her skin beneath the front of her shirt. “And hot,” I added.

She turned her lips to my cheek as my fingers lightly touched her stomach, traveling higher until I found the edge of her bra. Her sigh whispered across my skin as I pushed the garment aside. I loved her breasts, soft in my hands and slightly heavy. I pinched her tight nipples and a little noise came from her throat. Her head was on my shoulder, eyes closed, and her breath was growing faster as I massaged her. I wanted to replace my hands with my mouth. Just the thought was causing some pretty significant heat to rise in my pants.

“I have never enjoyed this city so much,” I said against her neck, and she laughed.

Just then a head popped up at our feet. “Oh,” a male voice said loudly.

Elaine squealed and jumped off my lap, turning her back as the hiker apologized and attempted to climb back down.

“Sorry,” I said, clearing my throat as I tried discreetly to adjust my fly.

Elaine caught my hand and jerked me with her away from the edge and to the steps leading down the mountain. I laughed as I followed her. “Slow down, you’ll trip. And it’s impossible to run with a hard-on.”

Instantly, she turned back into my arms, burying her head in my shoulder. I caught her, hugging her close as she straightened her bra laughing. “We have to go. I’ll die if I see that person again.”

I grinned as I held her, and once her underthings were back in place, she turned and began walking again. “I’m sorry,” I said, catching her hand. “You’re just so damned sexy.”

“Where are we headed next?”

“Back to my room?”

Stopping, she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my nose. “You are supposed to be showing me Scottsdale.” Those green eyes pierced right into mine, and I was gone. Anything she wanted.

I kissed her lips briefly before catching her hand and taking the lead again. “There’s a ghost town south of here. They do tours and Old West shows. You’ll love it.”

We spent the rest of the day in the shadow of the Superstition Mountains exploring mines, looking at antique photographs, and wandering through souvenir shops. I bought her a sterling silver ring embossed with a turquoise Kokopelli, and after several hours, we headed back to the resort dusty, tired, and hungry.

Again, when I helped her out of the car at the entrance to the spa, I could barely let her go, but we were meeting up again for dinner in a few short hours. “Tell Melissa you’re spending the night with me,” I said, catching her cheeks and kissing her.

She nodded, holding out her hand. “I love my ring. I don’t think I’ll ever take it off.” Then she wrapped her arms around my neck. “It’s silly, but this felt like the best day ever.”

“Even when the hiker caught me feeling you up?”

She laughed and pinched my arm. “You’re such a guy.”

“I lo—”
Shit
. I stopped myself. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Her expression changed, as if she knew what I’d almost said. She blinked down a moment, seeming lost in thought. Then she smiled and gave me a quick kiss before dashing into the resort. I leaned back against the car thinking about all of it.

Chapter 10 – Back to Reality

As if some cosmic hand had pushed the advance button on the remainder of our trip, the time flew. We’d had a dinner with Melissa and Derek in which they stayed at the table with us the entire time, but I honestly couldn’t remember much of what was said or what happened. All I saw was Elaine.

We’d gone straight back to my room, barely making it through the door before clothes started flying and we were in the bed, mouths searching for every uncovered piece of skin they could find.

The last day we’d spent in Sedona, stopping along the way at roadside vendors and hiking trails that were all irritatingly well-populated. Our final night we spent in my room, ordering desserts and wine from room service, making love, and talking over the television show we weren’t watching.

“What will you do when you get back,” I asked, twisting a strand of golden hair around my finger as she lay with her cheek against my bare chest.

“Back to school,” she said, lifting up and reaching for the glass of wine on the bedside table. As she sipped, I noticed her eyes traveling up my stomach then meeting mine. It was pretty hot, and when she saw I’d busted her, she laughed. “You have great genes.”

I glanced to the chair, going for a tease. “They were actually my brother’s, but they didn’t fit him.”

She snorted a laugh, and covered her face with her hand.

“What?” I smiled.

“I was talking about your body.” Without hesitation, she reached forward and ran a finger down my stomach, tracing every line. “You’re totally ripped. How often do you work out?”

Catching her hand, I pulled it to my lips. “Couple times a week. Derek needed a spotter, and I didn’t have anything better to do.” All this touching and kissing was getting me going again. “Besides, you’re pretty toned yourself.” I’d noticed the lines on her torso.

“Pilates,” she said, reaching across me again to put her glass back on the table. With her naked, body stretched over mine, I couldn’t help running my finger down the line of her back. Her stomach bent as she set the glass down, and she rose up, pushing me back against the pillows with all her weight. It wasn’t much, but I let her win.

“That tickles,” she laughed.

“Have I mentioned I love how physical you are?”

“Funny you should say that.” In an instant she was up, pulling my arm. I followed her out of bed, wondering at the mischievous glint in her eye. “I was thinking…”

A few seconds ticked by, and I finally asked, “What?”

She took my hand, pulling me and then turning me by my arms until I was sitting in the desk chair. Her maneuvering me around completely naked had my dick as aroused as my curiosity.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” I asked.

Going behind me, she held my hands together at the base of the chair. Her hair tickled my biceps as she leaned into my ear, and I felt her bare breast graze my shoulder. “Do you ever have to arrest anyone, Mr. Knight?”

A smile curled the side of my mouth. I could get into a little role-play. “I’m not a cop, Ms. Merritt. I don’t have handcuffs.”

“That’s too bad,” she said softly, reaching for something I didn’t see. I was seriously getting turned on until I felt her tying my wrists together.

“Is that my good tie?” I tried to pull away, but she’d made a solid knot. “Elaine,” I said as she circled back around, trailing her finger across my shoulder before straddling my waist, facing me.

Her breasts grazed my chest, and a mixture of arousal and irritation stirred below my waist.

“Can you get loose?” she whispered in my ear. “Or are you my captive?”

“Untie me,” I growled, but she only kissed my neck, slipping her hand down to my rigid cock.

Fuck
. I was pissed at being tied, but damn if I didn’t have a major hard-on. Her lips feathered a kiss against my ear, and I jerked against the knot.

“I think you like it.” She was at my ear again, moving her hand up and down my shaft. My eyes closed as I suppressed a groan. What she was doing felt amazing, and I wanted to touch her. I wanted my fucking hands untied. Pleasure tingled through my groin as my stomach tightened.

“Fuck.” Anger mixed with lust mixed with something weirdly primal twisted inside me, and I jerked against the knot again. “When I get loose—”

“What?” She caught my chin with her free hand, holding my cheeks and forcing me to look into her eyes. It pissed me off, but she was grinning. I fucking loved it. “You’re going to fuck me?”

My chest tightened, and I snapped my face away. Desire-laced frustration was building in my torso. “I’m going to fuck you hard.”

“Mmm.” Both her hands held my face now. “You get a kiss for that.”

Leaning forward, she lightly touched her lips to mine, pulling away when I tried to kiss her back. Again, my muscles strained, and I jerked harder against the knot. Her kiss turned rough. She pushed me back, opening my mouth with hers, pushing her tongue inside. Everything in me tightened. I was about to come. I was going crazy, and all I could think about was getting my hands loose and getting them on her.