In the dark, I searched his eyes with mine. The shelter, his family, taking a day off when I suspected he had work—it was so thoughtful. “This minute is a big one,” I echoed his words from earlier. For now, that would have to be my way of saying I loved him, too.
I pecked him quickly on the lips, but he held me to him, melding our mouths into a heated kiss. His hands roamed over my dress, lingering on the curves of my breasts. He traced a fingertip along the deep neckline of my dress but didn’t go further than that. I moved closer to him, and he broke away, inhaling sharply as if in pain.
“What?” I asked softly. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said, and I realized the car had stopped. “Come on. We’re here.”
As we traversed the hotel lobby, passing by others dressed up for a Saturday night, David asked, “So do all these people in your new home bother you?”
I laughed. It was the first question I’d asked him about living in a hotel. I snaked my arm around his waist, turned on by the fact that he already considered his home mine, too. “That’s yet to be determined.”
He grinned and at the elevator bank, punched theUpbutton.
“What a beautiful couple,” an elderly woman said as she boarded behind us.
“Thank you,” I said. “My architect boyfriend here designed a gorgeous hotel on the Riverfront, and tonight was the grand opening.”
“That’s quite an accomplishment,” she said. “Congratulations.”
David’s eyes crinkled with his smile. “Thanks.”
“Oh, my. You shouldn’t smile like that at a woman my age,” she said, fanning herself with exaggeration. We laughed and bid her goodnight as she exited the elevator.
“I might have to keep you on a tighter leash,” I teased.
His smiled faded. “I think I should like it if you did,” he said, his eyes narrowing. As the elevator ascended, his body seemed to grow bigger, his bearing predatory, as if I were cornered prey, and he was about to strike. “Go on,” he said.
“Go on?” I repeated breathlessly.
After a charged moment, he nodded at the elevator’s open doors. I hadn’t even noticed our arrival at the penthouse. “We’re late for a very important date,” he said.
“And what date is that?” I asked as we stepped off.
“You, me, and literally nothing else. Leave everything else here.” He unlocked the door and held it open so I could pass through before him. As I did, though, he snatched my elbow. “I saideverything.”
Over my shoulder, my gaze met his brown eyes, dark and lusty. With only one thing on my mind, I dropped my coat and purse on the ground.
He let the door slam to merge his body against my backside, gripping my shoulders roughly in his hands. “I’ve been crazy for you all day,” he rasped in my ear. “And although I love this dress, I want it off. Now.” He dragged the zipper down and dropped to his knees. I gasped when his lips touched the base of my spine. His hands skated up my exposed back and slid over my shoulders, releasing the dress so it slumped at my feet. He reached around to my front and spread his fingers across my stomach. His moan vibrated against the small of my back, sending a shiver up my spine.
He stood and wrapped an arm around my chest, his hardness pressing against my back. His other hand dropped to pull open my inner thigh and touch me through my underwear. Panting, I swayed when he released me suddenly. “Christ,” he muttered. “Two steps in the door, and I’m a goner. I really can’t control myself around you.”
Through oversized windows, the city lent the only light to the room as he circled around to stop in front of me. I put my hand in his and stepped out of the dress, following as he led me down the stairs into the sunken living room.
“Leave those on,” he instructed, motioning to my black stilettos. He removed his blazer and turned on the fireplace as my lingerie-clad body, alive with desire, wavered unsteadily in the four-inch heels. “Don’t move,” David said. “I want to memorize everything about this moment.” He emptied his pockets onto a side table and unclasped his Rolex. He leisurely undid his bowtie next while his hooded eyes remained fixed on me. His limbs, strong and brawny, moved fluidly as he shed clothing. I wanted to learn the contours of his body with my eyes, my fingers, my tongue. And when he looked at me that way, like it was the first time, I could barely help from melting at his feet.
He sauntered over and grasped me to him by my lower back. His hand spread there as his lips captured mine in a rough kiss. I drew him into me with my arms around his neck, wanting him closer, deeper, our bodies merging the way our mouths were. His hands explored my skin—impatient and tender all at once, as though he’d studied every inch of me but was only just now touching me.
He guided me backward until I hit the couch and sat. I didn’t remove my eyes from him as he stepped out of his underwear. I licked my lips—he was big. Thick. Hard. So hard that I believed him when he’d said he’d been that way since the dressing room. As I’d done in the past, I squirmed at just the sight of him, suddenly unable to think of anything but how he’d feel inside of me.
With his big body, David crawled over me, and I eased lengthwise onto my back. “My patience is gone,” he said, his eyes fixed on mine. “I can’t decide whether to devour you quickly or slowly.”
“We have all night,” I whispered.
“All night,” he repeated with a nod. “I’m going to kiss you everywhere. Here,” he ran his thumb across my bottom lip, “and here,” he added, touching a fingertip over my heart. His hand moved between my legs as his voice deepened. “Here.”
My pulse quickened, anticipating his mouth on me. He gave me his weight as his hands steadied my face. His kiss started as a breath, a promise of what was to come, but it quickly became harder as we crossed from want to need.
He pulled away to rain kisses down my neck, over my chest, breasts, and stomach. He kneeled to kiss me through my panties, and I sighed. His hands ran up my thighs and spread me open. I fisted the leather couch while he kissed me through the sheer fabric of my underwear.
