What She Wants (7 page)

He moved closer to her.
“You’re right, let’s don’t talk just now.” His fingers moved nimbly to unbutton her blouse and the small hooks on the back of her bra. “Let’s make love to each other—on the bed, surrounded by fluffy pillows. Later, we can open that wine and maybe share a hot bubble bath.”

Denise
’s pussy gushed. “God, yes. Bed, now. Please.”

A chuckle rumbled through his chest as he finished undressing her and tossed back the covers. He laid her gently across the bed and stood over her as he tore his clothes off.

She licked her lips when his full, thick erection sprang from his shorts. He paused long enough to retrieve a condom from his wallet.

She smiled gratefully.
“Thank you.”

Tyler
pushed her thighs apart and knelt on the bed between them, rolling the condom along his shaft. “Don’t thank me yet. Let’s see if I’m any good first.” He kissed his way up her thigh, and, when his mouth reached her apex, he spread her sopping pussy lips with gentle fingers.

His warm breath on her most sensitive area made her shudder, and when his tongue flicked across her labia, she groaned.
“You’re good. No worries there.”

After another low chuckle, he increased his speed, alternating fast licks with slow, succulent kisses to her clit and folds.

“Oh, God, Tyler. You’re going to make me come.”

“
That’s the idea, beautiful lady. Come in my mouth, so I can taste the full flavor of you.”

His words sent her tumbling over the edge. A fast, sharp climax raced through her, all nerve endings tingling with an aliveness she hadn
’t felt in ages. “Yes!” she cried, shuddering through the glorious waves.

“
Mmm.” Tyler buried his face between her legs, shaking his head, licking and sucking as if to prolong her pleasure.

When Denise stopped quivering, she tugged first at his head then at his shoulders, urging him to bring his body higher.
“I want you,” she pleaded wantonly, ready for his thick cock to fill her.

He climbed over her and nudged the tip of his crown to her slit.
“We’ll do it fast, this first time, because we both want it. But next time, sweetheart, I get to take my time. I’m going to explore every inch of you with my hands and mouth.”

“
I’ll let you.” She grasped his ass cheeks and pulled him closer. “And I’ll do the same to you, with pleasure. But right now, Jesus, Tyler. Fuck me.”

He sank his shaft into her with one smooth stroke. He paused, seeming to savor the sensations as much as she did.
“God, yes. Hot and tight.”

“
More, please.” She barely got the words out on a whisper.

He needed no further encouragement. His thrusts slammed full and deep, and when he planted a knee into the mattress for better purchase, Denise came again.

She couldn’t have quieted her moans had she wanted to. The feelings he elicited in her were the most amazing sensations she’d ever experienced. Waves of heat, wetness, pressure and delight filled her senses. Her climax lingered, and when it crested again, Tyler groaned.

“
Coming.”

Denise clutched his sweat-slicked back and rode the heights with him this time. His shudders thrilled her, and the warmth of him spilling into the latex in her pussy gave her a third jolt, the best orgasm yet.

When his limbs must have been as exhausted as hers, he rolled their bodies to the side, gently disengaging. He tossed the condom toward the bedside trash bin and drew her back to him. Tyler kissed her eyelids, her nose, and everywhere he could reach lying so close.

“
My God.” Her voice sounded raspy, even to her. “That was incredible.”

“
Oh, yeah.” He sighed. “Incredible is putting it mildly. When my brain comes on again, I’ll think of a better word.”

Denise laughed.
“You did all that amazing work without the use of your brain? What a guy you are!”

Tyler
grinned. “I hoped you’d figure that out. Never thought it would happen this quickly, but I’m not complaining. Believe me; I’m happy as a clam.”

She tilted her forehead to his chest.
“I’m sorry, Tyler. I can’t imagine what you must think of me. I acted like such a slut.”

He kissed the top of her head.
“Certainly not that you’re a slut. More like a woman who knows what she wants and goes after it.” He raised her face; their gazes locked. “Am I ever glad you did. Damn, the sex was fantastic. I loved every minute. The only thing that could make me unhappy now is if you continue the ‘not looking for a partner’ talk. I want to be with you, Denise. Long after the night has ended.”

She smiled.
“We have this room until noon tomorrow.”

“
We could move the party to my place after that. I live close by.”

For the first time in an hour, the nugget of discomfort returned to Denise
’s chest. “So do I, but I have to pick up my kids from my parent’s house. I’ve got two teenagers, Tyler.”

His face brightened.
“I love kids! Do they like baseball? I have season tickets to the Cubbies.”

Relief took her breath for a long, thoughtful moment, then she smiled.
“Yeah, they love baseball. Conner’s a Cubbie fan but Renee likes to be different so she roots for the White Sox.”

He grinned.
“A girl who knows her own mind. How cool. She got that trait from her beautiful mom.”

“
You think?” Denise laughed. “Watch out, we can be a little stubborn at times, too.”

He kissed the tip of her nose.
“Wouldn’t have you any other way. And I can’t wait to meet your kids—when you think the time is right, I mean. I don’t want to rush anything.”

“
Except the sex,” she teased. “That was mutual, of course.”

“
Oh yeah. And that ship has sailed. There’ll definitely be lots more sex, rushed and not rushed. It’s the relationship part we’ll need to work on. I want to learn everything that makes you tick, Denise Crawford.” He kissed her temple.

Denise
’s heart melted. She’d come to the reunion this weekend looking for a quick hook-up, but was leaving with something better—more wonderful—than she ever could have expected.
Handsome, sexy, Tyler, who wants a relationship with me.
“How did I get so lucky?” She beamed at him.

“
I think I’m the lucky one.” He cupped her chin.

She sighed and snuggled into him.
“I can’t imagine any place I’d rather be than right here in your arms.”

“
Me, either, so let’s not try.” He held her tightly, and they kissed.

Change of Plans

Chapter
One

Kelsie Stanton stared at the flight schedule screen, not believing her eyes.
Flight
232 to Chicago, delayed. Flight 1924 to San Antonio, delayed
. Most importantly,
flight 1746 to St. Petersburg, Florida, delayed
. It was snowing, but she didn’t realize the weather was bad enough to cause all the delays. Not one flight appeared to be leaving on time.

She approached the ticket counter, where a dozen other people fired questions at the clerk.
“When will the Chicago flight be leaving? We were supposed to be boarding by now.” An angry-looking man pounded his fist on the counter.

“
Do you know how long before they’ll give clearance?” Someone else asked, and the clerk raised her hands with a shrug.

“
Please, everyone.” The uniformed woman tried to gain control. “The snow isn’t letting up, and several more inches are expected. We haven’t been told when flights will be taking off again. Unless the weather cooperates, it might not be tonight.”

“
Not tonight!” Several frustrated people echoed her words.

Kelsie moved away from the crowd. She doubted the clerk could give her any information. She
’d just have to sit down and wait the storm out. Pulling her rolling carry-on behind her and clutching a backpack, which held her purse and other valuables, she found a seat near a television tuned to the weather.

“
It’s the third crippling blizzard Denver has seen this season,” the announcer stated. “With seven inches on the ground and another foot anticipated, the airport, having already closed twice in the month of December, may be looking at another shutdown.”

“
Oh for Pete’s sake!” Kelsie pulled her cellular phone from her bag and dialed home. “Hey Mom,” she said when she heard the pick-up. “Have you seen the weather?”

“
Kelsie, thank goodness! Where are you? There’s a blizzard out there. They’ve closed Interstate seventy west of Russell.”

“
I’m at the airport in Denver, Mom. It looks like I may be here for a while. My flight’s delayed, with no indication when it’ll be leaving.”

“
At least you’re safe. I was worried you might still be on the road.”

“
Nope, I made it. It wasn’t snowing that hard when I left Kansas. It got worse the farther west I drove. I still didn’t think it was bad enough to ground planes.”

“
They know what they’re doing. I’d rather have you safe, then flying in this mess.”

She chuckled.
“You’d rather have me home than going to Florida for spring break, admit it.”

“
I didn’t mind you going,” her mother said hesitantly, but Kelsie knew it was a lie. Since her father died ten years ago, her mother had been extremely over-protective. It got worse right before she went off to college at Kansas State University. The school was only two hours from home, but it was located in a city much bigger than the rural town she grew up in. Her mother tended to be paranoid. She said she knew what kind of things happened in big cities, to which Kelsie could only chuckle. Everything that could happen to her in a bigger city had already happened to her in McPherson.

“
Look, Mom,” she said into the phone. “I’m going to sit here and watch the weather. I’ll keep my phone on, and let you know when something changes.”

“
Okay honey,” her mother replied nervously. “You should call your cousin Cheryl and let her know you’ve been delayed. She was planning to meet your plane.”

“
Yes, I will. Thanks Mom. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“
I love you, Kels. Be safe.”

“
I will. Don’t worry. Bye, Mom.” She disconnected the call and shoved the phone back into her bag. Her cousin wasn’t expecting her for hours. If she waited to call, she might have news.

A loud group of about eight guys passed in front of her, depositing their carry-on bags in the empty seats next to hers.
“Go find out what’s going on!” One of them slurred to another, and Kelsie rolled her eyes.
Great. Drunken college guys
. She really hoped they weren’t on her plane, headed to Florida and the same spring break destination she’d booked. They were rowdy and obnoxious, and she could smell booze on them.

“
Hey beautiful!” One of the noisy group, a greasy-haired beanpole of a guy, dropped into the seat next to hers. “Do you believe in love at first sight, or do I need to walk by again?”

She looked at him with disbelief.
“Does that line
ever
work?”

He grinned.
“I guess not this time. Hi, I’m Dave. What’s your name?”

“
Not Interested. Susie Not Interested.”

“
Hi Susie!” He turned to one of his nearby cohorts. “Jeff, this is Susie Not Interested.”

“
You moron!” Jeff hooted. “Not interested! Get it?” He cackled and the rest of his group laughed raucously.

Dave had a strange look on his face as he repeated her name to himself, and then muttered
“D’oh!”

A man appeared from out of nowhere. He lifted Dave by one arm and scooted him towards his group.
“Off you go, Dave. That’s a good boy.” He dropped into the now-vacant seat. “I’m guessing it isn’t Susie, either.” His gaze met hers.

She smiled nervously.
“No, it’s not. Thanks.” Her instincts told her to gather her things and move to another row, but there was something intriguing about her new seatmate. His dark hair was buzzed into a short military-cut style, but his three-day beard growth didn’t say
Army
. It said something more like
bad boy
, and Kelsie couldn’t resist a good bad boy.

His brown eyes twinkled as he looked at her expectantly.

For some reason she murmured, “Kelsie. My name is Kelsie.”

He smiled, and it lit his face up in the most charming way.
“Pleased to meet you, Kelsie. So, are you headed somewhere for spring break?”

“
How did you know?”

Shrugging, he replied,
“Most of us are.” With a nod toward the noisy group, he added, “We’re from KU, headed to Padre Island. We flew in from Kansas City, and are apparently stuck here.”

“
You’re from KU?” she repeated. Kansas University was only an hour and a half away from her school, and outsiders often confused the two. “I go to K-State.”

“
Really?” His eyebrows rose, expressing interest. “I’m sorry to hear that. We kicked your ass in basketball.”

“
Aw, we’re getting better. I’d say wait until football season, but you guys are getting better at that game. Plus, I seem to recall you kicking our ass then, too.”

He chuckled, his gaze giving her the once over.
“Oh well. Sports aren’t everything. K-State just might have some redeeming qualities after all.”

Kelsie felt her cheeks burn, and hurried to change the subject.
“So you guys are headed to Padre?” She was relieved they wouldn’t be on the same plane.

He extended his legs, his feet crossed at the ankles. His tight jeans accentuated his long, muscular legs. She had
thought
she was relieved they weren’t going the same place, now she wasn’t sure. “Yeah,” he muttered. “If they let us board. Those dumbasses started drinking on the first plane. The flight attendants were happy to be rid of us. If they don’t settle down, we might not be allowed on the next flight.”

Kelsie glanced up at the TV, still tuned into the weather.
“You might not be boarding, anyway. If the snow keeps up, we may get stuck here.”

As he watched her, his mouth curled into a slow smile.
“I can think of worse things.”

She was flustered by his searing gaze.
“Sure, you’re here with a bunch of friends. I’m all alone and don’t know anyone—”
What a stupid thing to say!
Her mother would have a fit. She needed to put some distance between herself and this group of drunken men. Staying put suddenly seemed like a very bad idea.

He opened his mouth to speak, when an announcement came from overhead.
“May I have your attention, please? Ladies and Gentlemen, we’re sorry to report that the storm has been upgraded to a blizzard. As of now, Denver International Airport is closed, with no flights arriving or departing this evening. Please see the clerk at the closest ticket counter about hotel reservations. The airport will be shuttling guests back and forth to nearby hotels, but it’s unlikely there’ll be space for everyone. Priority will be given to families with children and senior citizens.”

Kelsie
’s jaw dropped open, and she looked at her companion. He shook his head with disgust, glancing at his group. “I wonder if we qualify as a family with children? You and I could be the parents, and the rest of those Bozos could be our kids.”

She gulped and shook her head quickly. There was no way she
’d go anywhere with that group, especially a hotel. “Um, no thanks. I’ll just hang out here until the weather clears.”

He stared at her, obviously surprised.
“Why would you want to sleep in an airport? You can’t really sleep, you have to watch your stuff all the time. They might give you a blanket, but these seats won’t be comfortable.”

She settled her backpack on her lap and looked at him evenly.
“I’ll be fine.”

“
Kelsie—” he protested, but she cut him off.

“
I’m not going anywhere with a bunch of drunken men I don’t know,” she said through tightly gritted teeth.

His eyes sparked understanding and he chuckled.
“Oh Jesus! I’m sorry. You’re right! Here I was, thinking about taking care of you, and you don’t know me from Adam. My name’s Tom—” he hesitated, then added, “Smith. Tom Smith.”

Nodding, she said,
“I’m happy to meet you, Tom. I’m not going anywhere with you, but it’s nice to meet another Kansan.”

He put a finger to his lips and grinned.
“Shh. I’m from Oklahoma.” He nodded to his friends. “They hate Sooners worse than they hate Wildcats.”

“
Everyone hates Sooners,” she agreed, referring to the Oklahoma mascot. “But how can you hate Willie the Wildcat?” K-State had a friendly looking cat mascot.

He made a face, waved her off and stood.
“Wait here, I’ll be right back.” Tom took a step and turned to look at her. “Will you wait here?”

“
Sure,” Kelsie agreed, not sure what he was up to. There was no way she’d go to a hotel with him and his friends, no matter how nice he seemed. Or cute. He was very cute.

Tom disappeared in the crowd, and she wondered what to do. She needed to call Cheryl in
Florida for one thing, then her mother. Thank goodness for cell phones. She could stay in constant communication with them if she felt nervous.

The group of guys seemed to have worked out hotel arrangements. They gathered their things and headed out, but there was no sign of Tom.
He probably left,
she decided, with a touch of disappointment. She’d made it clear she wasn’t leaving with him. Maybe there was a girl somewhere around here who would.

She needed to use the bathroom. Standing, she looked for the one nearest.

“Hey!” Tom reappeared, a backpack slung over one shoulder. He carried two small pillows and two airline blankets. “Where are you going?”

Kelsie was surprised to see him. She was astonished  to see how tall he was standing up. She was no shrimp at five-ten. He must be at least six-foot-one.
“Oh, hey. Your friends left, I thought you went with them.”

He set the pillows and blankets down in the seat next to her.
“They wrangled a hotel room. Two beds for ten guys. I said thanks, but no thanks. I thought I could stay here with you. As soon as the airport reopens, I can call them.”

She crossed her arms and looked at him suspiciously.
“Why would you want to do that? At least in a hotel room you wouldn’t have to hang on to your stuff so tight.”

He shrugged.
“I told you, ten guys in one room are more than I want to deal with. Besides, if we’re together, we can watch each other’s backs…and backpacks. Maybe we can sleep in shifts or something.”

She stared at him, amazed.
“I can’t believe you’d do that.”

Tom shrugged again.
“You’re alone, and I had more company than I needed. It seemed the perfect compromise.”

“
Okay,” she agreed with some reluctance. “Right now, I need to use the bathroom. Then, I could use a bite to eat.”

“
Want me to hang on to your stuff?” He held his hands out.

“
No thanks.” She clutched her backpack to her chest. She liked the guy, but wasn’t nuts. All her money, ID, and everything was in the one bag. She looked down at the rolling carry-on. It contained clothes—a couple killer bikinis, for sure, but nothing of much value to anyone else. She rolled it over to him. “You can watch this one, I guess.”