Do Not Disturb (7 page)

Losing himself in the scent and taste of her, he ate at her with a roughness that shocked him but only seemed to heighten her pleasure.

It made him want to give her anything she desired. And she wanted to come. He felt it in the coiled tension in her thighs and the tautness of her abdomen as she tried to shift against him.

Every move she made increased the firestorm of desire roiling in his gut. Her soft moans felt like a physical caress, sending shivers up his spine.

He’d never had the urge to make a woman beg as much as he wanted Tally to, and it made him somewhat frantic. He used his tongue and his teeth, raking at her flesh as gently as he could but with enough force to make her squirm.

Finally, as her soft cries began to build, he speared his tongue into her sheath and fucked her, then drew back to suck at her clit.

Finally, she broke, convulsing in his hands and giving a sharp, incoherent cry.

No, it wasn’t his name, but he wasn’t finished yet.

Using his tongue, he licked at her clit until she went boneless and sank into the bed with a rasping sigh.

Breathing like he’d just run a marathon, he stood. The overwhelming desire to crawl over her and fuck her into unconsciousness made him growl. His cock ached with the need to be inside her again. He remembered the feel of her wrapped around him, her wet heat so damn enticing.

Splayed out on the bed, she looked spent, as if she’d fallen asleep. Or passed out.

But then she turned her head and opened her eyes, just a crack, but that blue gaze pinned him in place.

“Is that all you’ve got? I don’t believe I screamed your name once.”

Even through the burning passion making him almost insane, he smiled. He really fucking liked this woman. There’d only been one woman in the past several years that made him smile like this. And she was marrying his best friend.

This woman taunted him, even though she could barely catch her breath. And each time she drew in air, her breasts quivered. He wanted to suck them into his mouth again, make her back bow as he bit on her nipples and watch her thighs rub together as she tried to ease the hunger he created in her.

“I’m nowhere near finished with you, Tally. I wanted to make sure you were still with me.”

Her beautiful mouth curved in a smile. “I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere just yet.”

He didn’t think. He knew. “Damn right.”

Then he grabbed her around the waist and repositioned her on the bed. Now her head rested on the pillows and her body lay stretched out for his pleasure.

Crawling onto the bed, he propped himself on one elbow next to her and wrapped his hand around her neck.

With his thumb under her chin, he turned her to face him then kissed her, hard, tasting her deeply. He controlled every shift of her head, moved his mouth over hers with such passion, he knew she’d have swollen lips.

But he couldn’t help himself. She was a drug he wanted to OD on.

She didn’t resist him at all, and that pushed him to kiss her until he felt himself start to lose control.

Pulling back, he took a couple of breaths, though they did nothing to settle him. He could still smell her desire on every indrawn breath.

Rolling to his knees, he straddled her hips, hands planted on the bed on either side of her head. She stared into his eyes through slits of blue ice, a faint dare in the tiny lift of her brows.

“Grab the rails and don’t let go until I tell you to.”

The beds in Haven were actual beds. This room had a bed with cast-iron rails set between mahogany panels. Convenient.

She didn’t hesitate. She reached above her, wrapping her hands around the iron and taking a deep breath.

Sitting back on his heels, he reached for the drawer of the nightstand. If he knew Jared at all . . .

Yes. Condoms. And lube.

Later for the lube. He hoped like hell there’d be a later.

Grabbing a condom, he rolled it on while she watched his every movement.

He made sure he did it as slowly as he could.

“You’re a tease.”

Her voice flowed like warm honey over his skin.

“What fun would it be if you got everything you wanted when you wanted? Sometimes you need to work for it.”

“I think I’ve done enough work for the night. I deserve my prize.”

So did he.

Moving down her body, he spread her legs with his knees then stretched out full length above her. His cock nudged at her opening and she released for him even more.

“Wrap your legs around me, sweetheart. You’re going to want to hold on.”

“I think you should do less talking.”

He smiled. “I think you like when I talk.”

“I do, but I like when you talk and move. So move.”

“Whatever you want, sweetheart.”

His cock already lodged against her entrance, all he had to do was press forward.

God damn.

Heat surrounded him, her sex contracting around him like a fist, sucking him deeper. Even if he didn’t move an inch, he might still come. But that wouldn’t be any fun, now, would it?

With her slim legs wrapped around his waist and her gaze glued to his, he felt his blood pounding through his veins, straight to his cock.

Planting his elbows on either side of her shoulders, he dropped his lips onto hers and started a slow grind.

At least, that’s what he tried for. He wanted to draw this out, make it last until he’d wrung every orgasm he could from her. Somehow, though, he couldn’t help himself.

The heat of her mouth as she sucked on his tongue, combined with the heat of her pussy wrapped around his cock, goaded him into a faster pace.

Everything about this woman made him want more. Faster, harder. More friction. More sensation.

Every sound she made fueled his inner desire to conquer her, control her.

He wanted her to be completely open to him. Every thrust was a triumph, every retreat a promise of return.

Beneath him, she lifted to meet his hips every time, adding fuel to the fire burning in his gut. Her legs tightened, heels digging into his ass and spurring him on.

It’d been so damn long since he’d met a woman that made him feel like this. Like he could be content for a damn long time if he only had her in his bed.

His balls tightened in warning.
Too soon.

He still hadn’t heard her scream his name. And he wanted that badly.

Changing the angle of penetration made them both groan, and Talia broke their kiss to take a deep breath.

Bending his head, he nipped at her neck and increased the pace.

He heard her breathing change almost immediately, knew he was hitting a whole new set of pleasure receptors with the changed angle.

Instinct took over and his only goal became making her come.

He wanted her to come so hard that she was left wanting more. Hell, he wanted her to become addicted to what he could give her.

“Oh, my god. Dane.”

Just the sound of his name coming from her lips triggered his orgasm. His cock kicked and throbbed in her clenching sex and he pressed in even farther, feeling like a superhero when she tightened and arched and came, as well.

His cock was still twitching inside her when he said, “You didn’t scream loud enough. I guess we’ll have to go again.”

Talia woke the next morning far too warm and way too comfortable considering the six-foot-plus man in her bed.

The fact that Dane was curled around her should’ve made her itchy to move, establish her own space.

She was a complete bed hog, always had been. She’d slept in a queen bed since she was a teenager and had learned the fine art of the sprawl.

Now, though, she’d woken with Dane curled around her and her first thought was not how fast she could kick him out of bed but how much time she had before she had to leave. Because she really wanted another taste of him.

And that was pretty damn dangerous.

Sure, he’d been great in bed, but that didn’t mean she was going to pine after him like a lovesick puppy.

Which was ridiculous to even consider.

“It’s way too damn early to be thinking so hard. It’s only five thirty. Go back to sleep.”

Dane’s voice rumbled in her ear as his arm tightened around her waist, drawing her even closer. She shivered. She tried to cover it but wasn’t fast enough to contain it.

“I actually need to get going. I’ve got a meeting this morning.”

Totally true. The fact that she had more than enough time to get home and get ready, even if she left by nine a.m., was beside the point.

The fact that she wanted to stay right where she was, well, that was a problem. And she knew the only way to deal with a problem like this was to extricate herself.

She shifted away from Dane and he released her immediately.

And, idiot that she was, she didn’t like that either.

Contrary bitch, aren’t you?

Yeah, pretty much.

Rising naked from the bed, she headed directly for the bathroom. She felt Dane’s eyes on her the entire way and couldn’t help herself.

Before she closed the door, she turned and smiled at him.

She kept the smile as she ran through a quick shower and her morning routine. It only took ten minutes because she didn’t wash her hair or apply more than a coat of mascara to her too-pale eyelashes and a layer of gloss to her lips.

Then she grabbed the robe off the door and headed back into the bedroom.

Dane had propped himself up on the bed and turned on the TV to CNN.

“No time for breakfast?” he asked as she headed for the closet.

“No, sorry.” She gave him an apologetic look over her shoulder, trying not to ogle that bare chest. The man had the body of a god. And oh, god, she wished she had time to lick her way across that chest again.

Pushing that thought out of her mind, she snagged her jeans from last night off the floor but tossed them into her overnight bag. She’d brought another pair, just in case.

She didn’t think twice about dropping the robe to get dressed. He’d seen all there was to see of her last night and he’d apparently enjoyed the sight. She knew her body was toned and fit because she made an effort to keep it that way. Heart disease ran in her family and she didn’t want to end up like her mother’s sister, overweight and dead at fifty-one.

“Is your meeting for business?”

Strapping on a bra, she pulled the t-shirt over her head then faced him.

Did he look upset? Was he mad that she was leaving so abruptly? The thought shouldn’t put a little ball of heat in her stomach.

“Yes. It’s a young couple who work odd shifts. This is their only day off together.”

“Nice of you to make accommodations for them.”

“I’m used to working weekends. I actually enjoy being able to take off a day during the week if I need too.”

Of course, she hadn’t taken any days off in . . . weeks? A month?

Not that it mattered. She loved her job. And it wasn’t like she had a man in her life to make her feel guilty working all those hours.

“Working for yourself certainly does have its perks.”

“And what are your plans for the day?”

The question was out before she’d considered how it might sound. Like she was interested in his life.

Which she was, but it wouldn’t do either of them any good to be. They both knew this had been a one-night stand.

A great one, but still . . .

“Family obligations. My niece’s birthday party.”

She turned and smiled as she caught him checking out her ass. Of course, he hadn’t exactly been trying to hide it.

“How old?”

“Four. I’ll probably need a few painkillers by the end of the day. Then again, there will be good beer. My brother-in-law owns a craft brewery.”

Now dressed and ready to go, she realized there was a part of her that didn’t want to leave. But that wasn’t how her life worked, was it? She needed to keep moving forward, because someday it might all be taken away in the blink of an eye. And she didn’t want to have to reinvent herself again.

She didn’t have to fake her smile, but she couldn’t allow too much heat to show. “Then I hope you have a great day. And thank you for last night.”

It was probably a bad idea, but she leaned down to kiss him, lingering longer than she should have. He cupped her jaw in one hand but didn’t try to hold her in place. Just let her kiss him. As if he’d realized she didn’t want to be contained. Or he just didn’t care.

She straightened, grabbed her bags, and left with a wave.

“See you at the rehearsal dinner.”

Then she let herself out of the suite and hurried for the elevator.

***

Dane laced his fingers behind his head as he watched Talia leave.

She didn’t look back, hadn’t given any indication that she wanted to stay longer, wanted him to call, wanted anything else to do with him.

Hell, if he wasn’t careful, he thought he might be offended.

And why the hell should he be? She’d done exactly what he would’ve done if he’d had somewhere to be. And it wasn’t like last night had been “wham, bam, thank you ma’am.” It’d been four hours of hot, sweaty sex and four hours of dead-to-the-world sleep. Until he’d felt her stir this morning and had realized he didn’t want her to go.

And that hadn’t happened with a woman in a really long time.

Apparently, Talia hadn’t felt the same.

With a wry smile, he wondered if this was how women felt when he left in the morning.

Nice ego, Dane.

He could practically hear Jed sneer those words if Dane ever got the idiotic notion to mention his feelings to him. But that didn’t negate the fact that he wanted to see her again. And now he was in the odd position of not knowing if she wanted the same.

Thoughts of Talia stuck with him all day, even through the throngs of screaming four-year-olds at a party complete with a petting zoo inside a heated tent on his sister’s back lawn.

His nieces wore princess costumes so pink and frilly, his teeth hurt just looking at them.

His sister, Julia . . . Hell, she was dressed as the queen, gown, crown, and all.

“Jesus, can they get any louder? I swear they turn the volume up every time I see them. Good thing they’re so damn cute.”

Dane turned to smile at his older brother, Will, now standing behind him in the doorway to the tent. Julia had asked Dane to guard the entrance in case any toddlers made a break for freedom. So far, they were all too entranced with the baby goats, pigs, sheep, bunnies, ducklings and even a tiny horse.

“Do you have any idea why they’re dressed as princesses? Shouldn’t they be dressed like, I don’t know, milkmaids or cowgirls or something?”

His brother gave him a bemused grin. “You’re thinking way too hard about this. Livy’s four. I’m not quite sure the concept of princess involves anything more than a frilly gown. As for the animals . . . well, doesn’t everyone like fuzzy little creatures?”

“Only abstractly or at a distance.”

Which went for most of the kids here, as well. Excepting his tiny princesses, who did look especially adorable today.

“I can see this is just reinforcing your commitment against children. Come on, Dane. You know Wayne and I are never going to have kids. We’ve got dogs. Hell, Wayne wants more than the three we’ve got now. But you . . .” Will clapped him on the back. “Our mother has big plans for you.”

“Too bad she’s probably going to be disappointed there.”

“Ah, you’re still young.”

Dane rolled his eyes, thinking almost thirty wasn’t really that young anymore, but his brother would never see him as an adult. “It would also mean I’d have to find someone I’d want to put up with for the next fifty years, and so far, that hasn’t happened.”

“Never say never, little brother.”

Dane exchanged a smile with his brother who’d been out since he was twenty. No one who knew him had had to be told. Dane was pretty sure his parents had known since Will had hit puberty.

When Will, shaking and pale, had announced his orientation at dinner one night, their dad had looked up from his plate, patted Will on the back and said, “We know, son, but I’m glad you felt you could tell us.”

Dane had watched his older brother fight back tears as he looked at their mom, who smiled and nodded. “Please invite your friend for dinner. When you’re ready, of course. Oh, and we need to schedule your annual eye exam. I got a postcard in the mail.”

Dane remembered laughing himself sick over the eye exam comment. Their mom was the queen of non sequiturs.

The next weekend Wayne had appeared at their table and had stayed for the next twenty years.

“You got lucky. Although why Wayne puts up with you is beyond me.”

Will laughed and Dane noted how much he looked like their father. Practically a carbon copy at the same age. Dane took after their mother.

“That’s what love will do to you. Makes you blind. Otherwise, everyone would ship their little darlings off to boarding school at the earliest opportunity. Jesus, they’re loud. Step outside with me for a minute. I need to talk to you about something.”

When they’d stepped far enough away from the tent so they didn’t have to scream at each other to be heard, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

“I know your travel plans are starting to heat up, but we’re losing Debby Bryant sooner than I thought.”

Though their father headed the board of directors, Will was the CEO. Debby was Will’s assistant. His pregnant assistant.

“Is she okay?”

“She will be, but the doctor put her on bed rest for the duration of her pregnancy. She was just about to get started on the annual board retreat. She’s handled it for the past six years, and I honestly didn’t realize how extensive the planning was. I need you to line up someone else to put it together. I figure we can hold it at Haven and you could just pass it off to Jared’s planners there. I’m up to my ass in negotiations right now for that new cable station or I’d do it myself.”

Dane shrugged, his mind already working. “Sure, no problem.”

Will fell silent for a second. “Well, hell. That was way too easy.”

Covering a long-suffering sigh, Dane settled for giving his brother a raised eyebrow.

Dane had never doubted his family’s love, but being the youngest in a family of overachievers had cemented his status as a playboy who tinkered with a magazine.

Will’s gaze narrowed. “Maybe it’s time we give you a few more magazines to oversee. Obviously you have too much time on your hands.”

Even though he knew his brother was ragging on him, Dane had the immediate urge to defend himself, which he squashed before he sounded like a whiny teenager. Amazing how your family could do that to you.

And yeah, maybe it was time to take on more responsibilities. He’d been coasting for the past year or so. Requests for his extracurricular services hadn’t waned, but the network of people he worked with at the magazine had grown from a handful of people handling everything to more than twenty people around the world.

It wasn’t that Dane had lost interest in providing his hacking skills. It was just that he wasn’t doing multiple jobs at once. Of course, easily bored and a type A personality didn’t mesh well.

“I believe I could handle a few more responsibilities. If there’s anything you think I can handle.”

The “Oh, shit” look on his brother’s face was priceless. “Dane, you know that’s not—”

Dane rolled his eyes. “Chill. Seriously, Will, you need to learn the fine art of sarcasm. At least Wayne understands me.”

Will gave him a sideways glare. “That’s because you and Wayne have a lot in common. Which is really kind of weird. But you’re serious, aren’t you?”

Dane nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to talk to you, but I had a few things on my plate I needed to clear.”

“Great.” His brother smiled, clearly pleased, and Dane swallowed another sigh. “That’s great. We’ll set up a time to talk next week, okay? We just had a proposal come in, something new that I think will be right up your alley.”

“Sounds good.”

Will’s smile grew. “Well, damn, little brother. Maybe we’ll make you into a workaholic like the rest of the family after all.”

“Yeah, don’t get your hopes up for that. I’m not ready to tie myself to a desk completely.”

Will sighed. “Don’t blame you. Wayne keeps telling me I need to take it easier. I used to say I’ll sleep when I die, but I’m beginning to see the error in my way of thinking.”

Something in his brother’s tone made Dane look closer at Will. There was an eight-year gap in their ages, so Will was almost forty. “Did something happen I don’t know about?”

Will shook his head. “Nah, I’m fine. I’m just realizing that maybe you’ve had it right all the time. Less work, more play.”

“Will.”

Will smiled again. “Dane. Chill. Thanks for taking care of the board retreat. That’s a huge load off my mind. Now, you want to tell me what’s on your mind? You definitely look like you’re working through something.”

He was. It just wasn’t anything he wanted to talk about. At least not with his brother. Who would tell their sister. Who would tell their mom. Who would definitely tell their father.

It’d be hard enough getting information on Talia from her friends because of the situation.

Still, he’d never been one to look at a situation and admit defeat at the first sign of trouble. And since he’d decided to pursue Talia, this board meeting had been dropped in his lap at the perfect moment.