Moonlight and Margaritas (5 page)

It was a passionate assault.  Now that she'd made her decision to spend the night with him, it was as though he'd unleashed the beast inside her.  His lips, his hands were everywhere on her, and she couldn't get enough of him.  He lifted her thigh, pressing his rock hard desire against her.  She ground against him, wanting to feel more.

"Excuse me." 

Elena broke away from Joe with a gasp.  She'd completely forgotten the hotel was sending a key.  Embarrassment heated her face as she turned to find a middle-age Latino man dressed in a suit.  She recognized him as the attractive concierge she'd met earlier that day during check-in. 

"Miss Porter."  He nodded.  His expression remained polite, and he acted as though he'd done nothing more than interrupt their breakfast, instead of the intense encounter they'd been engaged in. 

"Mr. Gelinas, thank you so much for coming."  She tugged Joe's shirt closed, although she was still decent underneath.  "I seemed to have misplaced my key."

"Not a problem."  The concierge's gaze shifted to Joe and then back to her.  What must he think of them?  "Let me unlock this for you, ma'am, and then I'll have a new key sent over immediately."

Within seconds, Mr. Gelinas opened the door and flipped on the porch light.  He stepped to the side to allow her entry. 

"Thank you again, so much."  Elena hesitated, not wanting to walk in front of both men, knowing Joe's shirt didn't cover nearly enough of her wet backside.

"Yes, thanks for coming, Mario."  Joe clapped him on the back.  "You're a life saver." 

"That's what I'm here for.  Please call again if you require further assistance, Miss Porter."

Still no one moved, and the cold fabric plastered to her skin grew more uncomfortable.  She might as well get it over with, or they'd be there all night.  She lifted her chin and walked past the men like she didn't have a care in the world.  She wondered if Mr. Gelinas would notice her barely-concealed rear end.  Joe would, of course.

The door closed behind her, and she turned to find Joe watching her with a mischievous grin, dimples creasing his cheeks.  "Busted."

She couldn't help but laugh.  "I'd say.  What were you thinking, getting me so hot and bothered when you knew he was on his way?"

He shrugged.  "I never got past hot and bothered to consider him.  I was only thinking about touching you."

She shivered.  "Who would have guessed?"  She laughed softly.  She imagined her eyes mirrored his.  They both wanted each other.  That was a fact, and one she would enjoy.

Only one problem.  This night was something she wanted to savor.  If they didn't slow down, it would be over in a heartbeat. 

She slid off his shirt, watching him watch her.  He visibly swallowed.  She dropped the soft cotton on the edge of the couch, a tremble coursing through her as his gaze devoured her bare skin.  "I'm going to remove these wet things, if you don't mind."

He shook his head, not speaking.  It seemed showing a little skin had allowed her to reclaim the advantage in their game of seduction.  Another point for her.  She smiled.  "I'll only be a moment."

Joe watched Elena saunter across the carpet toward her bedroom, her finely-curved ass showing through the thin layer of wet fabric.  The glimpse of white lace thong revived the erection Mr. Gelinas had tempered, and Joe was beyond tempted to follow her.  To take her and tousle her properly on the bed.

But, no.  He'd wait.  It was obvious she had something in mind.  He'd been watching people for too long, not to recognize the signs of seduction.  God knows, he'd used them a time or two.

She wanted to seduce him?  Fine, he thought as he stretched out on the couch, but he wasn't going to be easy.  No, he'd make her work for it and enjoy every minute of it.

Alone in her bedroom, Elena shivered with excitement.  She was about to have her first one-night stand.  Her mother would be shocked.  Her daughter would be shocked.  Hell, she was a little shocked herself…but would she change a thing?

No.

She peeled off her wet clothes and glanced in the bathroom mirror, surveying the damage time had wrought on her body.  Could be worse.  Joe seemed more than happy with the way she looked.  She ran the backs of her fingers down a breast, a tingle rushing through her as she imagined his hands on her.  Oh, god.  She must be crazy.

She headed back into the bedroom, toward her lingerie drawer.  During her marriage, Richard had always insisted on being the one to instigate sex between them.  She'd never needed to seduce.  In fact, the few times she'd tried, he'd made it very clear that he'd set the limits.  Being young and naïve, she'd gone along with it.

But now? 
Oh
.  The pleasure of power sizzled inside her.  Now, it was her turn to make the conquest.  Her turn to set the pace.  Her turn to set Joe on fire.

She lifted her just-in-case-she-met-someone bra and panties out of the drawer.  The black lace set had cost her a small fortune, something she'd had considerably less of since her divorce.  But she'd fallen in love with the sexy ensemble upon sight, and Mercedes had insisted they would give Elena some inner confidence.  Besides, the push-up bra did wonders for her thirty-something breasts. 

She slipped them on, enjoying the feel of lace against her sensitized body.  Soon.  The word echoed in her mind as she hurried to touch up her makeup and spritz on a bit of perfume.  Soon, she'd be in Joe's arms.  She smiled and shrugged into the white fuzzy hotel robe, not quite daring to walk out so bare.

Elena cracked open her bedroom door and caught the sounds of soft Spanish guitars wafting from the entertainment system.  Joe must have turned it on.  The music called to her and with her heart pounding, she stepped forward out of her room.

He was there.  Relaxed on her couch, still shirtless, and looking like a delectable sin.  His gaze connected with hers, and he smiled, a self-assured, promising smile that took her breath away.

"Your replacement key came."  He held up the plastic card, and Elena reached out to take it.  Her hand bumped his as she grasped the other end, but he didn't let go.  "You smell wonderful."

A sexual spark skittered through her.  "Thank you."  She tugged and the card came free.  It wasn't going to be easy to remain the seducer with Joe.

A knock sounded on the door, and she glanced at Joe with raised brows. 

"I took the liberty of ordering some wine."  He got to his feet, pulling a wallet out of his back pocket.  "I thought a nice bottle of Chardonnay might fit into our evening."

He couldn't have done a better job of reading her mind.  Chardonnay was her favorite.  "Sounds nice."  She set her keycard on a nearby table.

He grinned and crossed the room to open the door.  A moment later, he returned with a bottle, two glasses and a corkscrew.  "Look tempting?"

Oh, yes.
  She took in his dark hair, his midnight eyes with slanted brows, and his well-tanned chest.  "Very tempting." 

She waited while he uncorked the bottle, watching the muscles in his arm work as he twisted the corkscrew.  She caught his eye and smiled.

He returned the smile as he filled her glass, and she wondered how she'd never realized that even the eyes could engage in foreplay.  Sexy.

She tasted the wine, its rich body smooth on her tongue.  Joe slid this thumb across her bottom lip, capturing the moisture from the wine.  Elena watched, fascinated, as he ran his tongue down his thumb in an erotic gesture.  "Tastes good."

"Yes," she said a little breathlessly.  She blinked and turned toward the couch.  The man was an artist.  If she didn't watch herself, she'd be completely at his mercy.

She sank into the plush jungle-green pillows scattered on the sofa, tucking her feet up next to her.  The split in her robe revealed a nice amount of leg, and she didn't bother to fix it.  She sipped from her glass, watching over the rim as he sat next to her.  He poured his drink, setting the bottle on the coffee table in front of them. 

"To us," she said, lifting her glass.

"Us?"  He shot her a quizzical look.

"Yes, us.  Two people old enough to recognize the good things in life, and still young enough to enjoy them." 

He grinned.  "To us, then."  He clinked her glass and took a large swallow. 

Elena followed suit, the liquid leaving a rich, buttery feel on her tongue.  "Mmm…that's wonderful."

He set his glass on the table and patted his lap.  "Give me your feet."

She widened her eyes.  "Why?"  Was this another ploy to get the upper hand?

"Foot massage."

"Seriously?"  She'd struck gold with this man, and at the moment, she was glad he wasn't playing fair.  Especially after wearing three-inch heels all night.

"Unless you don't want me to."

She felt like a child on Christmas morning.  "Are you kidding?"  She maneuvered until her feet rested on his lap.  He wrapped his warm hands around one foot and began pushing his thumbs into her arch.  She sighed as she took a sip of wine and leaned against the armrest.  Heaven.  The man knew all about pleasure.  She closed her eyes and indulged.

He pushed and prodded her feet, and it wasn't long until she felt his bulge against her heel.  Oh, my.  She wiggled her foot a bit, bumping against him.  He paused.  She kept her eyes closed and clamped her tongue between her teeth to keep from smiling. 

He resumed his ministrations.  Elena waited a moment, and then she nudged him again.  This time he stopped completely.

She waited longer, but when he didn't move, she peeked between her eyelids and found him watching her.  He raised a brow.

"What?" she countered, trying to keep her expression innocent.

"Are you trying to seduce me?"  He echoed her earlier question.

She finished the wine in her glass. "Me?" 

This time both brows went up.  "Yes, you."

"No."  She almost giggled.  "I believe if I were trying to seduce you, I'd do something more like this."  She rubbed her big toe slowly down the length of his shaft, enjoying the hardness of it, and the fact that she'd brought about that reaction in him.  "And I wasn't doing
that
at all."

"No, that's true.  You weren't."  Joe grinned, catching on, his breathing a little more erratic than it had been a few moments ago.  "Just so you know, if I wanted to seduce you, I'd do something like this."  He trailed his fingers slowly up her calf, over her knee, and along the inside of her thigh.  He pushed the robe higher, and she tensed with the anticipation of him touching her. 

He stopped, mere inches from the edge of her lacy panties. 

She sucked in her breath and met his gaze.  Their eyes locked, and she couldn't resist licking her bottom lip. 
Please.
 

"But
I'm
not seducing you, either."

Her breath whooshed out of her as his fingers slid back down her leg.  Not fair.  She wasn't going to let him get away with that.

"Well…"  She lifted her feet off his lap and stood.  He followed her with his gaze, watching her every move, a sexy grin lingering on his sensuous mouth.  "If I were going to seduce you, which I'm not…"  She hiked up her robe and climbed onto his lap, straddling him.  Her reward was his sudden intake of breath.  "I might try something like this."  She moved her face close to his, their lips a whisper apart.  She paused, and then kissed him.  A small, soft, sweet kiss. 

She pulled back, wanting to keep torturing him, though it tormented her, too.

"Uh-uh."  Joe growled and hauled her back to him.  He captured her mouth with his as his fingers dug into her hair.  Dear Lord, the man was potent.  She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on.  Every nerve bunched up as hot blood singed her veins.  He kissed her until she was breathless.  Then, he nipped her bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth.

She pulled back, overwhelmed.

Her chest heaved from a lack of oxygen, and it didn't take long for Joe to notice.  His gaze traveled back and forth several times between her eyes and her breasts.

Elena looked down to see that her robe had parted, the sash hanging loosely around her waist.  Her breasts sat full and lush in her revealing black bra.  Her belly was pressed against his, and she became intimately aware of the contact there…and below. 

She glanced at his face, finding him watching her, desire smoldering in his eyes.  Then she slowly leaned away from him, watching their stomachs part, to reveal her black lace against his khakis.  "Oh," she sighed, still trying to catch her breath.

"Yeah." 

She smiled, very aware of things unresolved between them.  "Good thing I wasn't trying to seduce you." 

"Damn good thing.  Who knows what might have happened?"

She took a few more breaths, her heart racing.  "Now what?"

He tugged at her sash and the belt slipped away.  "I'm sure you'll think of something."

"I
can
be resourceful when needed."  She studied his eyes, dark and dreamy, the perfect place to lose herself in Cabo.  "First, I think some clothes need to go."  She backed off him and held out her hand.  "Stand up."