Forever After (Montana Brides) (8 page)

Sam leaned forward, his eyes holding her captive. “That’s one of the things I like most about you.” Reaching for her hand, he held it gently. “Am I in your best interests, Nicky?”

Her breath caught in her throat as his fingers tangled with hers. Part of her wanted to purr as flames of desire shot through her body – the slightly fuzzy part melting toward him like an overheated marshmallow roasting over a roaring campfire.
 
The other part wanted to run fast, but her traitorous body stayed glued to the seat. “What was the question again?”
 

He pulled her gently forward. “Am I in your best interests?”
 

She shuddered as Sam’s mouth brushed against her cheek. Every resolution she’d ever made about him flew through the warm night air as need washed through her body. She tilted her head, eager for the feel of his mouth against hers. Their lips touched, nudging each other in a gentle caress that left her breathless and wanting so much more. His hand cupped the side of her face, sliding across her skin as her mouth opened under his.
 

Nicky’s fingers skimmed Sam’s t-shirt. A fine tremor rolled through his body. She remembered the hard planes and angles of his body like a half forgotten journey through time. She craved the texture of his bare skin beneath her palms, wanted to touch him in places that would shatter his self-control.
 

Nicky twisted toward him, gasping as the wooden armrest dug into her ribs. What was she doing? Bunching his shirt beneath her hands, she pushed away from his chest. Dragging great mouthfuls of air into her lungs, she forced herself out of her chair, stumbling toward the balcony.
 

Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the handrail, her gaze locked on the lights of apartments on the other side of the village. She closed her eyes. “This can’t happen. I never wanted to see you again, and here I am, making the same mistake again.”

Sam moved from his chair, leaning against the wall beside her. He looked down at her hands, still clutched tightly against the warm metal. “It’s not a mistake. I was a fool last time. I ran scared. I’m not running now.” His hand covered hers, gently stroking her fingers. “You’ve been back six days, and I can’t stop thinking about you…about us. One night. That’s all I’m asking for.”
   

Crazy, that’s what she was. Crazy to be here. Crazy to still be a little in love with a man who’d filled her dreams with sweet nothings.
 

He moved closer, the heat from his hand connecting their bodies in a silent promise. “One night.”
 

Nicky looked into his face. Desire turned his eyes pitch black, scorching her body from the inside out. But there was more, so much more than physical need burning in his gaze. Nicky’s heart hammered in her chest. He’d offered her one night of mindless sex to replace all the nights of remembering what his body felt like.
 

But she wasn’t reckless. She lived her life like she ran her business. She made plans, analyzed risks, and made decisions based on concrete facts.
 

There was nothing solid about the spine tingling attraction she felt for Sam. Walking through quicksand would have been easier than figuring out how she could be attracted to a man that had dumped her faster than a bad investment.
 

He waited, silently standing guard while she decided what to do. His stillness gave her mind purpose. The honesty in his eyes gave her courage.
 

Nicky craved the feel of him beneath her, around her, in her. Tonight would be for her. She’d take what he offered and demand more, filling her body with the smell, taste and texture of him until there wasn’t any room left for regrets.
 

After tonight, Sam Delaney would be scrubbed from her personal life forever. He wanted one night, and one night she’d give him. No doubts, no second thoughts.
 

Grabbing the edge of his t-shirt, she pulled it free of his pants before her courage disappeared completely. “One night,” she whispered.

Sam sucked in a deep breath, closing his eyes as her hands trailed across his stomach. Leaning forward, he ran his lips against the side of Nicky’s neck, his mouth following the curve of her jaw. His hand brushed her breast, his fingertips moving in slow, torturous, circles until nothing else mattered except the need to touch and be touched.
 

Nicky leaned into his hands, needing a whole lot more than the gentle caress he teased her body with. Desire stormed through her body, leaving her breathless and light headed. With her mouth attached to his, she pulled him back inside the apartment, pushing him down into the sofa. His hands reached out to gently cup her bottom as she lifted her skirt, straddling his legs. Nicky sank into his body with the abandonment of a woman on the edge of reason.
 

Sam pulled her forward, growling in her ear as she used her legs to rock backwards and forwards. His fingers ran over the fabric of her dress, tugging at her zip. Cool air washed across her skin as her dress slipped off her shoulders, gathering in a soft cloud around her waist. His hands skimmed her hot skin sending waves of heat rippling through her body.

Sam dropped her scrap of pink lace bra to the ground. “Undo your hair,” he whispered, his husky voice caressing her body. “I want to see it around your shoulders.”

Lifting her arms, Nicky gasped as Sam bent forward, capturing her nipple in his mouth. Her back arched as he plundered her breasts, until all she could focus on was the pounding need building deep in her belly.
 

He raised his head, and her breath caught at the unguarded longing on his face. Sam’s hands moved slowly up her body, releasing her hair in a cascade of silk around her shoulders. “You’re beautiful. Everything about you is…”
 

Leaning forward, Nicky caught the last of his words with her mouth. He pulled her tight, groaning as she moved above him, grinding her mouth and body into his. A soft purr of satisfaction hummed through her body when his breathing turned ragged, daring her to push a little harder, a little faster.
 

Jerking his mouth free, Sam hands held her hips, swinging her off his lap. She smiled as he staggered to his feet, lifting her into his arms. “You’re coming with me.”

He carried her through the apartment, doing his best to ignore her tongue and lips as she nuzzled his neck. Nicky laughed in surprise when he dropped her into the middle of his king size bed.
 

The laughter died on her lips the moment she looked into his eyes.
 

Sam reached for the bottom on his shirt. He watched her, watching him. A grin slid across his face as her gaze followed his hands. Her breath came out in shallow gasps as he lifted his arms, pulling his t-shirt over his head. Biceps flexed, rippling under sun kissed skin as he undid the top button on his pants.
 

Nicky’s mouth went dry.
 

His hand hesitated. “Want to help?”

She shook her head. No. She wanted to watch.

Licking her bottom lip, her gaze swept down his body, from the wicked grin on his face to the hand rolling his zip down.

His pants ended up across the room and Nicky slid off the bed. She was tired of playtime. Standing beside him, she let her hands and mouth explore his body. Sam’s heart hammered under the palm of her hand as her teeth grazed his nipples.
 

Moving lower, she used her fingertips to trace the outline of his erection. Fire blazed from his eyes when her touch became more wanton, more demanding.
 
His breath exploded in a groan as her mouth followed her hands, licking and caressing his body until his hips bucked against her body.

Reaching down, he hauled her upright. “My turn,” he whispered. Running his hands along the edge of her silk panties, he dipped his fingers below the lace, gently moving the pads of his fingers in slow deep circles. Her body clenched as wave after wave of pleasure crashed through her body, leaving her aching for more. A groan escaped her lips as she rode his hand, needing the release that only his body could satisfy.
 

His hand moved to her waist, leaving her body a wreathing mass of need spinning out of control.
 

 
“Don’t stop now,” she moaned.

 
“Condom,” he growled. Reaching over to the bedside table, he yanked the drawer open, fumbling with the foil packet.
 

Grabbing the condom out of his hands, Nicky rolled it slowly down his hard length.
 

He gasped. “I’m not going to last if you keep moving your hands like that.”

Tugging him forward, she pulled him onto the bed. “You don’t need to last. I need you inside of me, Sam Delaney. Now.”

“Yes, ma’am.” A smile that was pure wolf slipped across his face.

Nicky opened her legs as Sam moved toward her. She welcomed him into her body with an abandonment that shocked her. As they teased and tormented each other, the rest of the world disappeared. Bare skin slapped against bare skin. Need consumed her mind and body in a tight, reckless, explosion that left her breathless and spent.

Dropping her legs to the bed, she gasped for breath.
 

Sam rolled onto his side, dragging her toward him in a one armed hug. Using his other hand, he pushed her damp hair off her face. “That was amazing.”.

Resting her hand on his stomach, Nicky rubbed her fingers through his dark hair. Sam’s heart thudded against the side of her face..
 

Silence echoed around the room.

“Nicky?”

“Mmm?”

“What are you thinking?”

Her fingers stopped moving. Thinking could be dangerous. If she’d done a little more thinking and less touching, then she wouldn’t be having this conversation. In bed. With Sam. “I’m thinking that it’s been a long time since I’ve had such incredible sex.” Two years to be precise. And she hadn’t learned a thing in the intervening years. “And I’m also thinking that it wasn’t the brightest thing I’ve ever done.”

Sam frowned. “Having sex with me?”

“Having sex with my boss and the man I swore I’d never have sex with again.” Sitting upright, she pulled the cotton sheet up to her armpits. She was hot, sweaty, and fast moving into grumpy. And she only had herself to blame.
 

She should have run at the first sign of the flowers and candles, but did she listen to the warning bells screaming through her brain? No. She’d listened to her rumbling stomach.
 

Turning her head sideways, she looked across at Sam’s naked chest and winced. What had she done?

Sex. Hot, heady, incredible sex that had been sugar coated in the most delicious packaging a woman could ever want or need. That’s what she’d done. With a man who didn’t know what the word commitment meant. With a man who traded girlfriends like baseball cards. With the man who’d torn her heart in two and didn’t even know it.

Sam brushed his hand gently down her arm. “What’s so wrong about sleeping together?”

 
“There wasn’t any sleeping involved, for one thing. And we’re supposed to be working with each other, not getting all hot and steamy under the sheets together.”

Sam’s hand stopped moving. “What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know.”

 
Sam ran his hands through his hair. “We can keep our professional relationship separate to what happened tonight.”

If only it could be that simple. All it took was the echo of his voice along the office walls and Nicky went all mushy and hot thinking about him. And that had been before she’d straddled his legs.
 

So much for keeping her distance. She’d run head first into Sam’s arms and let him climb inside her body. Again. “I’m really happy you can put me into a little cardboard box and forget this ever happened. I’m not so sure I can.” Nicky groaned in annoyance. “This can’t happen again. We can’t do any of this again. One night. That’s all I promised.”

Sam’s body tensed. Sitting up, he reached toward the ground and grabbed his boxers. “If you weren’t so stubborn you’d see that you could have a whole lot more than one night. But stick to the rules by all means. It’s what you’re good at.” He stood beside the bed, hands braced against his hips. “I’ll go and get your clothes.”

Nicky watched him slam the door shut on his way out. Add misery to the guilt clogging her brain and you ended up with a well rounded idiot sitting naked in the middle of her bosses’ bed. Tonight had nothing to do with love or commitment. It had to do with need.
 

She’d wanted to use his body like he’d used her. She’d talked herself into believing that having sex with him would force him out of her life forever. How dense could she be?

Before she’d gone to Denver, she’d planned on showing everyone that she’d grown into a strong, independent woman. All she’d proven tonight was that she hadn’t moved on from the love-struck ding-a-ling who’d once fallen for Sam’s good looks and charming personality. Life sucked. And she’d just bought the biggest lollipop around.

Throwing his pen down in disgust, Sam stared across his office. It had been seven days. Seven days since their one night of explosive sex, and Nicky still treated him like the plague.
 

They hadn’t done anything wrong, except maybe break a few bullet points in the corporate code of conduct. They were grown adults. Life continued on after two people had sex. It shouldn’t have been a big deal.

Yeah, right. Try telling that to the blonde tyrant determined to make him suffer. The meeting he’d just sat through didn’t give him much hope that she’d ever speak to him normally again. Her progress report had been succinct, professional and cold. He couldn’t fault her logic in the systematic way she’d been working through their financial records and processes.
 

What he did fault was the way she dealt with him. If anyone wanted to witness a textbook case of emotional shutdown, they needed to see Nicky in action. She’d perfected the art to honors degree status.