Arms of Serenity (Rock Services) (5 page)

Becca looked back at one of the sexiest men she had ever seen.
Her desire was in full gear, and she wanted him like a woman with PMS wanted a box of chocolate—that internal and crazed need to satisfy the urge by eating and tasting every piece until there were no more luscious flavors to discover.

Hell yeah, she was going with him.
What little bit of restraint she had been holding on to was lost the minute he touched her. Before she did though, she needed to make sure he knew where she stood.

Becca nodded
. “Ok, but the rules are no names, no phone numbers, and no promises of calling. It will be just tonight.”

He seemed surprised by her statement but smiled and nodded
. “Deal.”

The microphone suddenly came alive with Victoria’s voice spreading throughout the room
.

“Ladies and gentleman, friends and family, we came here tonight…”

They both turned to the stage and then back to each other saying at the same time, “Let’s go”.

Chapter Four

Becca clutched his hand as he led her out of the ballroom and down a hallway.
“Where are we going?”

S
he was worried he wanted to go back to his room or worse, hers. Becca didn’t want him to be able to figure out who she was, and in turn, she didn’t want to know that much about him, just in case she had one of those silly womanly urges in the morning to find out. Her body’s reaction to him was a like warning beacon. He was just too tempting, and the less she knew the better. One night was the plan, and one night was what it was going to be.

He placed his hand on the small of her back and gazed down into her eyes
. “I’m taking you somewhere special.”

Cryptic much?
That could mean anywhere. Butterflies were already fluttering in her stomach at the thought of being with him, and now they were swarming at the idea of going somewhere “special.” Was she nervous or anxious? Becca snuck a glance at the epically sexy man next to her.

Both. Definitely, both.

They stopped in front of an elevator
, and after a few seconds, the doors opened with a couple walking out leaving the space empty behind them. He guided Becca inside and pushed a button on the panel. The doors closed with a ding, and they were alone.

The elevator was silent
, and Becca wondered if she should be doing well … something. Should she move up next to him or stay against the wall? Should she make polite conversation? She was actually wishing there was some awful elevator music playing to break up the silence. He hadn’t kissed her yet, and the thought of grabbing him to see how his lips felt on hers sounded like a winner of an idea to Becca.

She inched closer and rubbed her arm against his to gain his attention.
When he turned to face her, she invited his lips to meets hers by tilting her head up and closing her eyes in anticipation.

His lips didn’t come though, and her eyes jolted open when he turned her around by her shoulders to push her up against the nearest wall.
His large frame engulfed her and pressed up against her back. She tried to push away from the wall, but he took both of her hands raised them above her head and pinned them in place with one of his.

Stranger
danger
! Becca’s breathing came faster, and she started to panic. She was alone in an elevator with a guy she didn’t know, hadn’t asked his name, and now he had her pressed against a wall where she couldn’t move. He could be a serial killer for all she knew, and any second he was going to pull out a knife to stab her to death. All she had with her was her room key and a box of condoms. Could she use the stilettos she had on as a weapon?  Becca could see the headline. “Woman Found Dead in Elevator Clutching Shoes and a Rubber.”

She tried to push away again
, but he held her in place and slowly started to grind his crotch into her ass. Even through the material they both had on she could feel his hard cock against her. Becca suppressed a groan and mentally shook herself. He couldn’t be a serial killer. He was at her cousin’s wedding reception. Victoria obviously knew him or knew of him. Still she would feel better if he would let her away from the wall.

She started to ask him to let her move.
“Could you please” was all she got out before his hand moved her hair and his mouth found the base of her neck. His lips were causing delicious shivers to shoot straight down her body to her core. What had she been thinking about? Becca couldn’t remember and didn’t really care as she felt him nip her neck with his teeth and work up with open-mouthed kisses. All she knew, all she could focus on, were the sensations his mouth was creating through her body.

Becca leaned her head into him when his lips found her sensitive spot behind her ear.
A moan escaped her as he sucked and bit on the spot harder. He groaned in response and ground his crotch into her more.

The elevator came to a stop with a ding
, and the doors opened bringing them out of the moment. He moved away and gave her room to turn around.

The amount of desire she could see and feel coming from him had her wanting him even more.
He looked intense and wild. His body was even shaking, and she watched almost transfixed by the way his shirt stretched and tightened across his chest when he took some calming breaths. His deep voice filled the small area when he finally asked, “Sorry, what were you saying?”

“
Um, nothing. It was nothing.”

He held out his hand to her and smiled
. “Are you ready?”

Becca took his hand and stepped out of the elevator gasping in surprise. She was standing in a garden
, and it was breathtaking.

Directly in front of them was a twisting stone path that was surrounded by flowers.
There were so many different types, colors, and fragrances she could spend hours just taking in their beauty. She looked up to see the stars twinkling in the sky through the ceiling that was made entirely of glass.

Becca looked at him.
“It’s amazing. What is this place?”

“It’s the hotel’s indoor garden.
They use it primarily for wedding pictures, but I like it because it’s peaceful.” He smiled down at her and laced his fingers through hers. Adding a wink he said, “Come on.”

They walked along the path in silence.
Becca was in awe that such a magnificent place existed inside the hotel. The garden was immense, and she thought it must take up the entire floor of the building.

She felt him tug her hand
, and they turned to the right where a waterfall emerged from behind a lattice wall of roses. The water cascaded down into a stone pool where fish glided underneath the surface. Becca stood and watched them. The scene was more than relaxing with their leisurely movements and the sound of the water.

He removed his hand from hers moving it to rest on her back.
He smiled down at her and said, “There is something else I want you to see.”

As he led her along, Becca finally saw what she assumed was their destination.
At the end of the path was a white gazebo. There was a large opening at the front with a step up to its floor. Padded benches were along both sides, and it resembled wrought iron with walls full of swirls and circles. The top came to a point where a light hung down giving it a soft warm glow.

Becca turned and looked up at him. “It’s beautiful.”

He looked down returning her gaze. “It is, but not as beautiful as you.” He brought both hands up and cradled her face. When he leaned down, Becca held her breath as his lips finally met hers. The feel of him sent tingles shooting through her body ending at her toes. He lingered there slowly moving over her until he broke the connection to bring his eyes back to look at her again. His kiss had been warm, soft and sensual, and nothing that she expected.

Becca stared back searching his face.
Why would he bring her here? She was ready to find a coat closet somewhere and have hot jungle sex as she straddled his waist. Isn’t that usually what happened in these situations? The books she read always had it ending that way. It was supposed to be wild and frenzied, more like the elevator just a little less scary.

It was sex, nothing more.
Instead he had brought her to the garden and told her that she was beautiful. Gone were the heat and desire in his eyes. Those had been replaced with a kindness and warmth that threatened to invade areas of herself that she had long kept dark and cold.

He frowned and cocked his head.
“Is something wrong? You look like you’re deep in thought.” He stroked her hair and continued. “I can almost see the wheels turning inside of here.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Are you changing your mind? I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do.”

Becca shook her head.
She wasn’t going to change her mind. She just needed to rein in her emotions and take control of the direction the night was going. Smiling, Becca grabbed his hand and led him to the bench in the gazebo. She was going to put the desire back in his eyes.

****

Nick sat and watched the beauty in front of him. When they left the party, he knew exactly where he would take her. His mother had created and nurtured the garden into one of the most peaceful and beautiful places he knew. He could spend hours here alone with his thoughts, and he wanted to share this with her.

Yes, she was beautiful and sexy with curves that made him ache.
But she was also playful, and when she laughed it felt like a blanket wrapping around his body. She even found a way to surprise him.

He had been ready to give his speech about no commitments until she beat him to it when she listed her rules.
She knew what she wanted and had the same ideas as him. She was near perfect from what he could see, and because of that he needed their one night together to be something both of them would want to remember. He had never brought a woman here before. This was his sanctuary. But when he thought of being with her no other place seemed right.

Nick could barely control himself in the elevator.
It took every ounce of restraint he could find to not take her against the wall right then. He was glad he hadn’t, and watching the way her eyes lit up when she saw the garden made controlling his desire worth the pain.

His stomach had dropped when he thought she was having second thoughts, though.
The vulnerability in her eyes made his chest tighten, and he fought the urge to take her in his arms and just hold her.

Nick brought himself out of his thoughts and found her smiling at him.
“Why don’t you come and sit beside me?”

She shook her head at him
, and he watched as she slowly leaned down. There was a new determination in her eyes that had him captivated. Her gaze was locked on his mouth like a heat seeking missile zeroing in on its target. Nick wasn’t sure what brought on the sudden change, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to argue. It was damn sexy when a woman wanted to take control. And he had every intention of letting her take charge … for now.

Nick felt the warmth of her lips as they found his.
He simply returned her light kisses as he let her explore and set the pace. Her movements were slow and seductive. He fought with himself not to take over when her tongue slid against the bottom of his upper lip. Her soft mouth was sweet torture against him, and Nick wasn’t sure how much more he could take before his restraint snapped.

She took her hand and ran it up his chest to his neck.
She came to rest on the back of his head where she fisted his hair and pushed him deeper into the kiss. A groan rumbled in his throat when she caught his bottom lip between her teeth and began to suck and pull on him. Desire raced through him, and the battle was lost.

He pulled his lip free and pushed his tongue against her urging her to open for him.
She instantly did, and when he entered, Nick could taste the whiskey mixed with the sweetness of strawberries. The flavor was intoxicating, and he wanted to savor every last bit as he explored her mouth.

Their tongues danced and entwined as they moved against each other at an urgent pace.
They consumed each other in their kiss each giving their demands and silent promises. And when she caught and sucked on his tongue, Nick growled and nearly came undone. Jesus, he couldn’t remember ever wanting a woman as badly as he did at that moment.

He needed to touch her, feel everywhere.
He wanted to explore every delicious curve. Nick put his hands on her hips and started to run them up her sides. He brought them to her front and continued his exploration until he reached her breasts. He ran his thumb over the mounds, finding her nipples as they stiffened under the material.

She was panting when she broke their kiss and stood back up as he rubbed her through the gown.
Nick pulled the fabric down, exposing her chest. Her breasts were full with pink stiff peaks that stood out against her light skin. He didn’t think he had ever seen such perfection and whispered in admiration, “You are so beautiful.”

He held her sides and pulled her closer to allow his mouth to find her breast.
She groaned and put her hands on his shoulders when his tongue traced around her nipple. Nick could hear a moan escape her as he flicked the pebble and nipped her with his teeth before releasing it to move on to the next. He kissed the valley between and found the other neglected mound. As he repeated his actions and gave that one the same attention, he found her other nipple and rolled it between his fingers.

She was so passionate and responsive.
Every flick of his tongue caused another sigh or groan to escape her lips. The sounds shot straight to his cock and fisted around him coaxing him to grow even harder. He released her nipple with a sucking pop and looked up at the beauty. Her eyes were glazed and heavy. She looked as sexy as a woman could look, and she was driving him crazy. He wanted to taste her, to feel her, to be inside of her, but first he wanted to hear that addictive voice beg for her release. 

He moved his hands down to her thighs and ran them up under the bottom of her dress.
Her skin was smooth and soft, and he closed his eyes to brand the feel of her in his memory. He slowly inched higher until he reached a barrier of fabric.