Docked (13 page)

My head jerks up slightly, until my lips are resting fully on his. I need to taste him. I need to taste his words. They’ve woken my body up and the very last thing I want to do right now is get back in that car and drive away. It’s true, although I’d never admit it to him. I’ve never before been with a man as bossy as he is, and it turns out I love it. He exhales and his entire body relaxes against me, pressing me further back against the car. My arms slide up and under his, until our embrace is locked and my hands are resting on his shoulder blades. “Don’t go yet,” I whisper.

“You want to have your way with me again?”

I nod, staring up at him.

“So many things I’d like to do to you,” he breathes hard, dipping his fingers into my swimsuit bottom. “Ten days is hardly enough.” He slips three fingers inside of me and groans, using his other hand to slowly push at my hip. He shifts me sideways and removes his fingers to get a good grip on my waist. He pivots me all the way around, pressing my front against the car. “You’re going to make me late twice in one day, Anya.”

I prod him on, pushing my ass into his groin.

“You want it right here, baby?”

“You don’t seem to have a problem with public places.”

“Fresh.” He squeezes my ass and nudges my neck. “I don’t. But I can’t spoil you thoroughly here. Not now.”

“Tanner, please.” I attempt to turn, glancing up at him over my shoulder, and his jaw hardens, his piercing baby blues studying me, feeling me out. They’re struggling, trying to come up with a way to give me a definite no, but as distinct as Tanner Christensen is, he’s still only a man. “Please,” I beg him again, giving him another push.

“Damn it, Anya.” His eyes close and he rips harshly at his belt buckle. “You’re beautiful.” My blood sings as he gives in. The slide of the leather is heavenly, the fresh breeze decadent as it teases my skin. I rest my cheek on the hot car and my eyes roll up, watching a flock of birds fly overhead, zipping through the tree branches. It’s so quiet here, so deserted, the anticipation of hearing Tanner behind me here, on the side of the road, sends a flash of heat surging between my thighs. It’s too much, and it’s most definitely something I’ve never, ever done before. The thrill races down my spine, sending goose bumps up my neck.

Tanner wiggles my bikini bottoms down my hips and I hear his zipper, but it’s overpowered by the same musical chime from before, his cell phone blaring loudly from his pant pocket. “Shit.” He begins fishing for it, releasing an inventive string of curses under his breath.

My dreamy haze is punctured, my euphoria dispelled by the obnoxious ringing. “It’s okay.” I slide my bottoms back up my hips and turn around to face him, releasing a sigh. It’s far from okay. I’m desperate for him to be inside of me, but he’s a business man and the world doesn’t wait. He answers the phone, keeping one arm locked against the car, over my shoulder, blocking me from making a move.

“What?” he barks, hurrying to zip himself up. His eyes bounce to mine and he groans in frustration, pushing away from the car. He’s running his hand through his hair and pacing, and it’s making me want to pace myself. He didn’t seem to mind being late this morning, but he’s feeling the pressure now, and I don’t like being a part of it.

I move for the passenger door and slide into the car. I wait patiently for him to wrap up the call, but it drags longer than I expect. He’s wandered a few more yards down the road, until I can no longer hear him. My gaze finds his silhouette in the rearview and I begin to wonder again, chewing over what could’ve happened this morning to make him feel so trapped. The longer I sit here, watching him in the mirror, the more eager I am to interview this enigmatic man and get inside his head.

I look away the moment he turns to walk back to the car. He’s quiet as he slips into the driver’s seat, his expression distant and pensive. His seatbelt clicks, the engine revs, and we’re off again. He shoots me another look over the edge of his sunglasses. “When you get back to the cabana, I want you to go into the bedroom and touch yourself. I didn’t have time to take care of you. Call me the second you lie down so I can hear you come.”

For possibly the millionth time since my first sexual encounter with him, my jaw drops. He can’t be serious. A disbelieving laugh sputters out. “Tanner, my friends are back at that cabana.”

“They’re grown women. They’ll understand.”

“What?” I laugh harder. “You honestly expect me to just stroll in there and excuse myself to the bedroom so I can have phone sex with my boyfr—with the man I’m currently screwing?”

“Don’t you think you’re over exaggerating just a bit?” He smiles, completely pleased with himself.

My face turns sour. I reach over and punch his shoulder. “A little Anya Banks 101 for you, Mr. Christensen. I can be a drama queen when I’m pushed to my limits.”

“Don’t tell me for one second you aren’t tightly wound after having my hands on you back there. Don’t even attempt to pretend you don’t need or want the release. I want you to have it, you know you need it, and I insist on hearing it. Either that, or I can take you into the bedroom and finish what I started myself.” He shifts in his seat, adjusting his groin. “In fact, I prefer that option.”

“You’re late. Isn’t that why you’re driving me back to the cabana like a bat out of hell right now?”

“I am my own boss, Miss Banks.”

“Then turn this car around and take us back to your house, and you can finish what you started there.”

His smile grows on one side, all crooked and sexy. “Oh, it’d most certainly be my pleasure, baby. Sadly, I truly have no time to take you back to the house and spoil you. It’s a quick fuck in the cabana, you on the phone with me, or nothing at all. The choice is yours.”

“Well, thank you, Mr. King of Everything, for being so generous.”

He reaches out to give my bare knee a squeeze. “What’ll it be, Miss Banks?”

“I refuse to answer that.” I puff my lip out and look away.

“Do you want to know what your boss said when I spoke to him this morning?”

I whip my head to the side, bouncing it off the leather headrest. “What? Tanner!”

“Ted’s a good guy. A little pretentious, but I like him.”

“Please tell me you didn’t.”

“Oh, I did.”

I turn my body in the seat. “And?”

“And I’ll tell you as soon as you make your choice.”

“You cannot be serious.”

“The power of manipulation, baby,” he says matter-of-factly, his grin wide and contented. “And influence.”

“Fine. The cabana. Now, please tell me what you said to Ted.”

We wind around a familiar curve in the road, and civilization starts to come into view. The tops of the cabanas are peeking up in the distance. “I simply told him I’m impressed with how knowledgeable you are about my ship, and that I’d love for you to write the review.”

“I don’t know anything about your ship!”

“You said you researched a bit.”

“Yeah, like where it docks, how it ranks in comparison to other cruise liners…basic stuff. Not enough to steal Lana’s feature right from underneath her, Tanner. She’s my best friend! And she’s assistant editor!”

“Exactly. Which is why she’ll be thrilled for you.”

“She’s been looking forward to writing this review. Please, call Ted back and tell him you’ve changed your mind.”

“I added that you’ll be interviewing me tonight. That sealed the deal. The feature’s yours.”

“I don’t want the feature! Lana does.”

“You do, you just don’t know it yet.”

My hands fly up in exasperation. “Tanner Christensen, you might know how to read my body, but you do not know
me,
and I’m telling you, it’s important to me that Lana does the review.”

His smile begins to fade and he turns pensive again. We roll up to the cabanas and come to a stop, and I wait, expecting who knows what. This man not only intrigues me, he also flat-out baffles the hell out of me. “If it really means that much to you, I’ll speak to Ted again.”

“It does. It does mean that much to me.”

“After I have my way with you in the cabana.” He doesn’t give me a second to respond, just quickly hops out of the car and jogs around to open my door.
A sigh of relief shuttles through me and I step out, letting him lead me inside. We find the cabana empty, no Lana or Brie in sight. “All alone,” he murmurs, taking hold of my wrist to guide me toward the tiny bedroom. I peek out the sliding door as he whisks me aside, searching for any signs of them. Must be out on the beach.

As quickly as Tanner shuts and locks the door, he pulls me to the edge of the bed and whips my bikini bottom off, his hand sliding up my spine and tangling in my hair. He gets a good grip and roughly pulls at his belt. He turns my back to his front. “Bend over, Anya.” I bravely decide to turn around and face him. My eyes find his in the dim light. The blinds are drawn and all I can make out is the striking blue of his irises and the wild mess of blond atop his head. He watches intently for a second.

“Tanner?”

“What is it, baby?”

“You don’t have time to spoil me.”

“I don’t.” His gaze flicks down my body, then back up. He licks his lips.

“That’s okay, but can…can you give it to me slowly?”

“You want gentle right now?”

“Yes,” I answer quietly, holding his gaze. I know we don’t have much time, but I don’t want rough right now. I want to feel every push, every pull, want to watch him worship my body the way he did the first time he took me in his bed. I’ve never had a man touch me like that, and the discovery is dangerously addictive.

His shoulders loosen and he steps forward, bringing his mouth down on mine. He makes a delicious sound in his throat as he meets my lips. “
Mmmm
I’ve already spoiled you, it seems.”

I grin. “You have.”

“Well, let’s see what we can do for you, Miss Banks.” He bends his knees and lifts me, carefully depositing me on the bed. He briskly lets his suit jacket drop to the floor and undoes his pants, reaching for his cock. He begins stroking himself, hard and precise, watching me as he hovers over the side of the bed. Studying me from head to toe, he crawls on top of me and kisses my navel, reaching up to slowly tug at my bikini top. His fingers pull gently, and he watches the strings unravel, eyes flaring when the triangles slide away from my skin.

I grasp at his shoulders, waiting to feel him push his way inside, but it seems he has other plans. He resumes stroking himself and his head drifts down, baby blues glued to my bare breasts. They dance upward, locking with mine, and then he lowers his mouth to the junction of my thighs. His tongue touches down on my sensitive skin and my back bows, my entire body on fire. He licks gently, then sucks, then licks again, setting a deliberate pattern. His hands slide down the tops of my thighs as he settles between them, and the pressure of his tongue increases, the pattern picking up speed.

My fingers find my hair, twisting and playing with the ends while my eyes drift shut. The soft graze of his teeth against my clit sends my hands down to his shoulders, the pads of my fingers pressing urgently into his skin. With that one small, subtle sensation, he’s brought me higher, closer, and my hips instinctually rise to meet the pressure. Distant laughter sounds from somewhere in the cabana, followed by the closing of a door, and my eyelids float open.

“You’re going to have to keep quiet, Anya,” Tanner mouths against me, the heat of his breath sparking luscious shots of pleasure. His tongue touches down again and he immediately picks up the pace while he holds my thighs down with his strong hands. I push his head harder against me and let out a muffled groan, shattering the quiet of the room as my head rolls to the side, pressing down into the mattress. My hips begin to buck and his hands clamp down on my thighs, grip rigid and unyielding to the tremble of my legs. Each caress of his tongue is determined but careful, rolling against my skin like soft, scorching, melted caramel and sweeping like fine silk.

The voices grow louder just outside the bedroom door, but I can’t think, can’t register anything other than the decadence Tanner’s bathing me in with his skilled tongue. Two more strokes and I break, the force so strong it has the power to snap my spine in two. Tanner’s hand reaches up and cups tightly over my mouth, but his tongue doesn’t let up just yet. He waits, carefully easing off the pressure until my hips begin to slow, until my body floats back down to the mattress and returns to planet Earth.

My breath begins to calm against his palm, my nostrils still flaring hard from the exertion. He lifts his head and promptly climbs over me, straddling my torso. He positions my arms at the sides of my head, pinning my wrists next to my ears. “Don’t move,” he orders gruffly, releasing my wrists. He gropes my breasts and reaches down to stroke himself again, but this time he’s in a hurry. His gaze is blazing, slicing into me as he stares down, pumping his hand faster and faster, positioning his cock over my chest. The muscles in his neck flex, his jaw grinding, his free hand continuously rubbing at my curves. He calls me a work of art, but the sight above me right now is a fucking masterpiece. I can’t tear my eyes away.

Another panty melting groan careens from his lips and his throat constricts, his mouth falling slack. I want to sit up, want to taste him, but he’s so incredibly yummy right where he is, I don’t even attempt to move, just wait and watch. My mind spins from the show, marveling at how he’s gone from gentle lover to fierce savage with the flip of a switch—giving me exactly what I want and exactly what he needs in just a few minutes time. I bite down on my bottom lip and my eyes land on his, begging him to use me, spurring him on. I want nothing more in this moment than to be his canvas, the visual that brings him where he wants to be.