Red House (8 page)

While we were at the ball game, Blake had put his number in my cellphone. We had no firm plans to see each other again but he’d made it clear he’d be calling. He’d also made it clear I was welcome to call him. I texted him instead, unsure of what I wanted. Of what I should allow myself to want, rather. Texting seemed safer than hearing his voice.

Shortly after I sent the brief text, he called me.

“You didn’t have to call back,” I answered. “You could have just sent a message.”

Blake ignored that. “Are you okay? You sound rough.” He sounded genuinely concerned and that made me feel good.

“I had a rough morning. Got beat up by a ghost.”

“Are you hurt bad?” His voice went up an octave.

“No, just sore. My pride hurts more than anything else.”

“Why don’t you come over? You can tell me all about it and we can play doctor.”

A giggle slipped out before I could stop it.

“Come on,” he cajoled. “I’ll order some booze from room service. Get you drunk and naked. It’ll be fun.”

“I thought you saved all that for the third date. That’s what you said last night.”

“I said I save the kinky stuff for the third date. This would be strictly vanilla, PG-13, no bondage or spanking or incantations to make your orgasm last an hour.”

This time I laughed outright. “You’re such a liar.”

“O ye of little faith. You’ll see.” The flirtatious purr left his voice and he got serious. “Really, why don’t you come over? You can tell me about this case. I’ll even behave, if you want me to.”

I tried to talk myself out of going, really, I did. Not even the trepidation caused by finding out what hotel he was in slowed me down though. To afford that place he had to be rolling in ill gotten gains, but right then I didn’t care.

I entered his hotel room with hesitation, not because I didn’t want to be there but because I was nervous about being alone with him. Really alone. Memories of the last time that happened sent a warm flush through my body.

Three feet away, Blake could feel it. His eyes smoldered with intent as he took a step closer. I edged away, pretending to look at the room. “Nice place. Free wi-fi?”

He chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay.”

The quick kiss he dropped on my forehead suggested familiarity and a certain comfort level between us. I wasn’t sure if that was accurate. I wasn’t sure of anything.

“Come here, let me show you something.”

Taking my hand, he pulled me gently across the room. Running water sounded from behind a door, presumably the bathroom. He pushed the door open and led me inside.

The large ornate tub was nearly full to bursting with suds. Pillar candles were arrayed around the room. He’d even placed a bath pillow on one side of the tub. “You think you’re going to get me in a bubble bath?” Impressed with his audacity, I had to grin.

“You said you were sore.” He rubbed the back of my neck, fingers digging into tense muscles. “I thought you might like to relax.”

He looked so tender, so concerned for my well-being, I couldn’t help but melt just a little. “That is a very sweet way to try to get me naked.”

Further undoing my resolve, he bit his lip. “Is it working?” The corner of his mouth raised in an enticing smirk. He leaned over and shut off the water, trailing his hand through the bubbles.

It did look cozy and the hot water sure would feel good after being tossed around by a ghost. I nodded. “But you can’t watch me undress.”

Laughing, he said, “I’ve seen you naked. I know you remember.”

Warmth spread across my cheeks. “This is not a peep show.” I shooed him out the door. “Go on, the water’s not getting any hotter.”

“I’ve got to wait on room service anyway. Soon as it gets here, I’ll join you.”

I would be safely hidden under a mound of bubbles by then. “Okay.”

He left and I closed the door behind him. I stripped quickly, leaving my clothes in a neat stack on the floor next to my shoes and my glasses on the vanity. The water was almost too hot but I sank into it with a gratified sigh. The rich vanilla scent of the bubble bath filled the room. I arranged a thick layer of bubbles to cover me then leaned back, letting my limbs spread out in the massive tub.

A bubble bath in the middle of the day, how indulgent. Or maybe it only felt that way because I was in the tub in Blake’s hotel room instead of my own room back at the house. There hadn’t been much in the way of indulging in the past months, so I tried to relax and let myself enjoy it. I drifted in thoughtless lethargy until he returned carrying a tray of strawberries and champagne. I grimaced. Poor guy was trying so hard, I felt bad about what I had to tell him.

“I thought you might like a little snack to go with your bath.” He moved a luggage rack next to the tub and set the tray on it.

“I had lunch so I’m not hungry.” I checked my bubble cover, finding it still in place. He started to speak but I stopped him. “And I’m allergic to strawberries.” I gave him an apologetic look. “It’s very sweet of you, though.”

“Damn. I wish I’d known. Is the champagne okay?”

I shook my head. “Can’t stand the stuff.”

He sat on the edge of the tub. “No champagne. I’ll have to remember that. So for future reference, what would be a good aphrodisiac to feed you?”

Giggling at the absurdity of the question, I said, “Chocolate’s good for all occasions.”

Blake nodded, his lips twitching with a smile. “I would have to agree with that. So what do you like to drink? You like wine?” I shook my head. “Beer?”

“Jack and Coke.” I broke the surface of the bubbles with my toes, glad of the new red polish I’d applied just a few days before.

He noticed, watching my feet move back and forth in the water for a moment before replying. “You want me to call room service?”

“No, I have to drive home.”

Giving me a look that suggested he seriously doubted I’d be leaving anytime soon, he stood and pulled his t-shirt over his head, tossing it carelessly to the floor.

“What are you doing?” Dumb question.

Unzipping his jeans, he paused with his hands ready to pull them down. “I said I would join you.”

“I thought you meant you’d hang out with me while I was in the tub. While I was alone in the tub.”
Oh God
. A quick glance told me he was going commando. I drew my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. If he got in the tub, all plans of acting like a perfect little lady would go right out the window.

“What would be the fun in that?”

Off came the jeans. Refusing to be embarrassed or intimidated, I kept my gaze north. Keep looking at his face, keep looking at his face... Damn, he was– No, look at his face. Well, mostly north.

Unconcerned about his nudity, Blake took his time climbing into the tub. He settled into the other end, being careful with his long legs not to crowd me. I had no doubt that attitude wouldn’t last.

“Relax, sweetness.” A casual flick of his hand plunged the room into darkness. I marveled at the little tendrils of energy he sent out as he lit the candles, filling the room with a soft golden glow. Of course the color of his magic matched the shimmer of his aura and I found it beautiful.

“You don’t believe in being subtle, do you?” Carefully I stretched my legs, keeping them to the side of the tub.

“What’s the point? You know what I want.”

I considered that. Did I really? Did he? He talked like he wanted to play house but it was hard to believe he was the settling down type. Especially when I thought about his previous choice of a girlfriend, a murderous spirit I had to vanquish. “I know you want to sleep with me again.”

Confidence bordering on smugness overtook the sensual promise he’d exuded a moment earlier. “You want it too.”

“You sure about that?”

Confidence faltering, his smirk dropped momentarily before he forced its return. “Honey, you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want me.”

“True.” It cost nothing to concede his point. “There’s lots of things I want. A candy bar every day. A pet tiger. Just because you want something doesn’t mean you should have it. Doesn’t mean it’s good for you.”

Reaching for my feet, he captured one, sitting forward in the tub so he wouldn’t pull me. He held my foot in one hand, thumb and two fingers gently kneading my flesh, while the other hand skimmed over the top of my toes. “I’ve spent my whole life wanting what’s not good for me. Never let it stop me before and I won’t now.”

I blinked. The possibility that I might not be good for him had never occurred to me. Teasing, I said, “What, you think if you get involved with a nice girl like me you’ll lose your edge?”

Something dark and unpleasant flashed briefly across his face, then he schooled his expression into his customary smirk. Grabbing my calves, he hauled me to him, water and suds splashing out of the tub as he settled me on his thighs. “You’re not such a nice girl.”

I folded my arms over my chest and tried to lift myself away from him. He held me firmly, hands clasped to my waist.

“I know all the naughty things you like that no one else knows about,” Blake breathed into my ear in a husky whisper. “All the dirty things you want me to do to you.”

I closed my eyes against the sudden onslaught of erotic images from the relentless dreams I’d had of him. Night after night the dreams had tormented me, causing me to wake sweating and shaking from the last vestiges of orgasm. In my dreams I’d done things with him I’d never done with anyone else, never even spoken of. I was no prude but my dream-lover Blake pushed me to the edge, and I gloried in it.

His lips pressed against mine, tasting, teasing. “Say yes.” I opened my eyes as he framed my face with his hands. “Say yes and I’ll make your dreams come true.”

I slipped my arms around his shoulders, crushing myself to him in desperate need of as much skin to skin contact as possible. Warm water eddied as I moved closer, straddling him. Not caring if he thought me a shameless cat in heat, I rubbed against his hard cock. A moan escaped as he bit his lip. Emboldened, I swiveled my hips to rub him again.

“Say yes.” His fingers bit into my flesh, adding just the right dollop of pain to the exquisite pleasure.

Fleeting moments from my wildest dreams of him played at the edge of my thoughts, goading me forward. “Make me.”

A dangerous heat darkened his chocolate eyes to black. Holding me tight, he stood and stepped out of the tub. We dripped a short trail to the nearest wall, my back hitting the surface hard enough to bruise. He held me securely with one arm under me and my legs wrapped around his waist. A line of energy opened between us, his aura rolling with dark magenta. As surely as I felt his body against my flesh, I felt the heat of his magical energy shove up against mine.

“You sure you want me to work for it, Roxie?” Something between a threat and a promise was in his voice. “Because I will.” He nipped the pulse point in my throat, teeth scraping.

I bit his lip, then ran my tongue across the spot where I’d sunk my teeth. “Make. Me.”

Blake took my mouth in a rough kiss, stubble abrading my skin. Liquid heat surged through me as my arousal reached a fever pitch too fast. That was him, pushing me with magic, the connection between us allowing me to feel his lust. Our energies fed each other, creating a loop of crackling desire that whipsawed between us. As his lips burned a path down my neck I saw sparks in the air, magic popping in the auric field.

He carried me into the other room, guiding me to stand in front of him as he sat on the edge of the bed. For a long moment the feel of his hands on my breasts was the only thing in my consciousness. Cupping them, caressing them, lavishing attention on eager nipples. One hand slid slowly down my front. I raised a knee to the bed, resting it on the outside of his leg. His fingers glided over the sensitive skin of my inner thigh, teasing but never touching my aching center.

Then his hands were gone and something snapped on that connection between us. My eyes flew open, and I stared down at him.

“You want more?”

The word he wanted almost slipped out but I stopped myself just in time.

He grinned. “I don’t think you’re ready for more. I think you need to do something guaranteed to light you up.”

Heart rate accelerating, my breath coming in short little gasps, I could only stand and wait.

Blake didn’t make me wait long. He leaned back on his hands as he opened his thighs to make room for me. “Get on your knees.”

Hot and cold warred in my blood as my brain fought to deny what my body wanted. My brain lost at the sight of his erect cock offered up for my attention. Meeting his gaze, I held it as I knelt, using my hands to guide me. Maintaining eye contact, I swept my tongue lightly around the tip of his shaft before taking it in my mouth.

He hissed, a sharp intake of breath that gave me encouragement. Every dream of him lit my blood on fire, every stolen moment that gave me relief from the flood of loss overpowering my life. Every secret shared in restless sleep. Pleasuring him aroused me to a fever pitch. I’d indulged that in my dreams and finally now in the flesh. I gave him everything he wanted, his hands in my hair and the coarse carpet burning my knees.