Swallowing His Pride (8 page)

Not really sure how it happened, Dylan couldn’t deny this tiny female had already gotten under his skin and was firmly embedded dangerously close to his heart. The funny thing was…he liked it.

* * * *

For the love of God, that man’s lips should come with some sort of warning label. She’d had to keep her eyes closed for just a moment after he’d broken contact just to assure herself that they hadn’t crossed. Granted, this kiss was nothing like what he’d planted on her in the elevator, but…
damn
.

When they finally made it to the restaurant, Sam had to fight hard not to stare, open-mouthed, like the small-town girl she was. It was clearly a high-end establishment, and suddenly, she didn’t feel quite so foolish in her dress.

The walls were deep chocolate brown with tasteful artwork hung throughout. Large, ornate sky-blue drapes with a delicate gold design hung from the ceiling, yet were tied back, leaving the seating area open, but could easily be let down to provide a more private dining area. The tables were set with more silverware than she knew what to do with, and a tiny lamp stood in the middle with a single candle lit within.

Sam knew her eyes must have looked huge when she’d glimpsed the prices, but Dylan never batted an eyelash. From what she discovered during their dinner conversation, his family had come into some money when oil had been discovered on their property, but they had been careful to invest it, so they could pass it along after they were gone.

It turned out the whole hotel/resort idea had stemmed from a need to invest some of the money into something that would continue to bring in a profit after the oil had dried up.

Just hearing about his plans and how responsible he’d been made her respect him that much more. He was an intelligent man and seemed to genuinely have the best interest of his family in mind, and she made sure to tell him as much.

Being brought up with one very selfish parent and another who worked so much that she rarely saw him, Samantha appreciated Dylan’s actions even more. Her husband had been another story altogether, and before long, she found herself sharing all the sordid details of her past.

It seemed strange at first to spill her secrets to a man she had just met, but for some reason, it felt natural to confide in Dylan. He made talking about her miserable marriage surprisingly easy, though she noticed the way his whole body seemed to tense when she mentioned her depression and just how serious it had become.

When she shared how Lynn had come into her life, he calmed a bit, but when he asked about her child, Samantha felt the heaviness in her chest that always came with thoughts of her baby. She informed him of her loss and could have sworn there were tears shining in his eyes when she finally looked up.

They discussed children a little after that and discovered they both wanted to have more than one when the time came. Samantha made sure to point out she planned be very careful about whom she chose to be the father of her children. After all, she’d been fooled once by a man she thought would love her forever, and she was in no hurry to repeat that mistake, especially with the added risk of hurting a child in the process.

No, the next man in her life would have to really prove himself before she considered allowing to the possibility of that kind of pain again. In all honesty, she didn’t think her heart could stand another betrayal.

Over dessert, their discussion changed to one that brought her mood right back up. Her new home. She explained how excited she’d been to find the property and how she planned to fix it up herself once her divorce settlement came in. She described the area and was almost giddy to discover that Dylan lived only about thirty minutes away. Perhaps, they could see each other in the future, after all.

They discussed the renovations and repairs she was gearing up to tackle. Now that she had a little extra cash, by way of her winnings the night before, she could go ahead with the purchase of furniture and some paint. She went on to tell him how she considered it like camping for a bit while she did all of the painting inside before moving her larger pieces in, like the bed and living room things. She wasn’t nearly as much of a girly-girl as Lynn and had no problem with roughing it on an air mattress for a week or so.

They both laughed as she recalled the reaction from Lynn the first time she’d seen what would be Sam’s new home. To say her friend had been appalled would be an understatement, but Lynn was a city-girl at heart, while Samantha enjoyed the quietness of the country and preferred the outdoors over being cooped up any day.

When she’d pulled down the long dirt drive, Lynn’s nose had scrunched up while she glared at the dust being kicked up by the tires of Sam’s ancient truck, but once the house had come into view, her whole face had gone lax in shock. Samantha had known her friend would balk at the rustic home, but once she managed to clean it up a bit, maybe even get some landscaping done, it would look ten times better.

The small house was next to a sprawling oak tree that provided shade over half of the green metal roof. Three of the exterior walls were wood and resembled a log cabin made of Lincoln Logs like the ones she’d had as a kid, with the ends sticking out a bit and cut so that they locked together. The front of the house had a stunning wall under the A-frame, made up of hundreds of stones of varying sizes that gave way to a large sunken wood patio with an overhang for shade.

As she rambled on about her plans, Dylan listened to her with a smile and warmth in his eyes that left her longing to kiss him again. It felt as if they’d known each other forever, like they were old friends merely catching up with each other, instead of strangers who had only met the day before.

After their amazing dinner, they enjoyed a glass of wine, and Samantha was saddened that their date was coming to an end. She fully expected to find Lynn waiting, ready to scold her for coming back to their room before jumping right into a litany of questions about Sam’s evening with Dylan. Not wanting this to be the last time she saw him, Samantha suggested the only thing that came to mind.

“Would you like to meet me in the gym again tomorrow? I have a feeling I’ll really need to workout after this. I’m not accustomed to eating so many rich foods so often.”

His gleaming white teeth peeked out when his lips turned up in an adorably crooked grin, and he gave her an affirmative nod. He tucked some bills into the cushioned bill holder and rose, moving to her side and offering his hand to her as she stood. “It’s still fairly early,” he replied softly. “Walk with me?”

Glad that he seemed just as reluctant to part ways, Sam nodded and followed him from the restaurant, through the rest of the hotel and out onto the Vegas strip. “So, where to now?”

Dylan looked down at her and smiled, his golden eyes twinkling in the bright neon lights. “Anywhere you want, sweetheart. I just wasn’t ready to let you go.”

“I wasn’t either.” She blushed, as much from his confession as from her own, and stepped closer to him. “What would you like to do?”

His eyes smoldered as he replied, voice gone deep, “I’m dying to kiss you again, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop there.”

Samantha sucked in a sharp breath when butterflies seemed to take flight in her middle at his heated words. Now was her chance. He’d pretty much admitted he would be interested in more—at least physically—and her hormones still swooned from when he’d taken her mouth and kissed her silly before dinner, so maybe it was her turn to state her wants for a change. “I wouldn’t complain.”

There she’d said it, now all she had to do was wait and see what he—

Dylan grabbed her hand in a fierce grip and led her right back into the hotel, heading for the elevators. Samantha was nearly trotting at his side to keep up with his long strides, a giddy sort of anticipation building inside her as they awaited the next car going up.

He hadn’t said a word, was staring at the doors as if willing them to open and suddenly Sam wondered if she’d maybe sounded too easy. This was totally new to her, and she was flying by the seat of her pants here. Hell, the only man she’d ever slept with was her husband, and even then, he’d been the one who seemed to enjoy it most.

Sure, the sex felt nice, but she’d never been able to reach the kind of explosive release she’d read about. Oh, she’d had orgasms, just not with a man. It seemed she was the only one able to bring herself to that all consuming climax, but then again, maybe Dylan would be different.

Once everyone exited the elevator, Dylan pulled her inside then turned to glare at the other people waiting to get on. She couldn’t see his expression, but judging by the looks on the faces of those outside, she guessed it wasn’t nice. When the doors closed, he kept his back to her for a moment, pushed the button for his floor, took a few deep breaths then turned. His expression was fierce, his eyes the color of melted gold and almost glowing in the odd lighting of the elevator. Samantha’s heart beat kicked up a notch.

Dylan stepped closer to her, his hands wrapping around her waist and pulling her against his hard body. And boy, did she mean
hard.
The erection growing against her lower stomach was beyond impressive, and Samantha no longer had to wonder if she’d come across as easy or not since it didn’t seem to matter.

Her body was completely on board with the way things were going. Already, her nipples were puckered and straining, her panties were damp and her heart was ready to beat out of her chest. She watched as his nostrils flared. His eyes then darkened, and she heard a long, low rumble in his chest.

“Dylan?”

“Tell me now if you don’t want this to happen, Sam. Tell me if you’re not interested in me this way, before I take you to my bed and keep you there all night.” His eyes glowed like embers now, his breathing a bit ragged, and she felt the taut muscles in his body as he held himself back.

Did she want to go with him? Hell yes!

Looking up, Samantha licked her lips, watching as his eyes followed the motion, before telling him, “I’m very interested in you too, Dylan. I wouldn’t be in this elevator with you if I wasn’t.”

It seemed that was all he needed to hear, because with one last glance at her mouth, Dylan gently grabbed her face, leaned in slowly and kissed her. His tongue teased her lips, urging her to open to him and she did so with a sigh.

He backed her up until she was to the wall and pressed himself against her, their bodies flush. His hands slid from her face, down her neck, over her shoulders, and down to her hips where he proceeded to grind his against her. Next, his lips moved over to her jaw finding a super sensitive spot just below her ear that brought forth a whimper of need.

“So sweet,” he murmured. “Your scent is driving me crazy.”

He
was driving
her
crazy! With every touch, she grew hotter, her clit throbbed, and her panties were toast. Holy hell, the man could kiss like no other.

When the elevator chimed and the doors opened on his floor, he pulled back and ushered her out with his hand around her waist. He fished his keycard from his pocket and opened the door quickly, following her inside and closing it before sliding the lock into place.

A moment later, Samantha found herself pressed against the wall once more, his mouth on hers and his hands seemingly everywhere. She couldn’t tell if it was his cologne or just his natural smell, but the clean, outdoorsy scent enveloped her as surely as the warmth from his powerful frame.

She squirmed against him, unable to still her body as she struggled to get closer, the need to feel every part of him nearly overwhelming. Just how had he managed to work her body into such a frenzy with nothing more than a few kisses? The big hands roaming over her waist, before moving around and cupping her backside, were gentle yet firm. When he gave her rear end a squeeze and pulled her up against him even tighter, Sam couldn’t help the little squeak that escaped her lips.

Her feet were off the floor! Dylan was still ravishing her as he held her aloft with ease. Damn, that was
hot
.

The next thing she knew, they were moving. She struggled to open her eyes enough to take in her surroundings and noted they were in a rather large suite. Once Dylan nuzzled her neck again, all thoughts of his hotel room fled in the wake of the passion he stirred.

Samantha carefully moved her arms from around his neck, down to his chest then began slipping the buttons of his shirt free. With every inch of his chest she revealed, the heat in her core rose a little more. Geez, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this worked up! When she reached the waistband of his pants she gave a little tug, and Dylan reluctantly lowered her to her feet.

Sam watched as he stepped back and dropped the garment to the floor, leaving his finely sculpted chest on display for her ravenous gaze. She wanted to touch him, feel the little dips and swells of his torso with her fingertips, so she stepped closer.

He stood still before her, letting her explore him at her leisure. When her hands settled on his chest, enjoying the warmth of his skin and the twitch of his muscles as she explored the contours of his abdomen, Sam shuddered with want.

His hand rose, and with a single finger, he traced from her temple down her jaw, his touch feather-light as it travelled down to her shoulder, along her collarbone and lower still to the swell of her breasts beneath the neckline of her dress.

“You are so soft,” he whispered. “So small and delicate compared to me. I have to remind myself to slow down. I can’t remember the last time I wanted someone so bad. It’s like you’ve put a spell on me. You’re all I’ve been able to think about since I first saw you in the gym.”

It was the perfect thing for him to say. She heard the sincerity in his voice, and it assured her he wasn’t just trying to feed her a line, too. However, the last thing she wanted right now was to slow down. No, she wanted Dylan to
take
her.

Drawing in a fortifying breath, Samantha reached down and grasped the hem of her dress before slowly lifting it over her head and letting it float down to the ground at her feet. She stood before him, clad only in her strapless bra and a matching black thong, feeling her confidence slipping until he spoke again.