ComfortZone (4 page)

“Hey, buddy.” Taylor looked up, lopsided grin on his face.
Completely unaware he was mere moments from a shoving match.

“Cutting in.”

The grin slipped a little and he looked down at Mary Ellen.
“Well, I mean if—”

“Thanks.” He took advantage of the other man’s slow move and
stepped between them, hauling Mary Ellen to the other side of the floor.

“It’s okay, Taylor. Thanks for the dance!” she called over
his shoulder. In a lower voice, she added, “You’re acting like an ass. This is
your sister’s wedding. Could you at least behave until the end of the night?”

Behave? Not likely. Not likely at all, as long as she was
within a hundred yards. He swallowed the reply. “I’m apologizing. Is that
behaving?”

Her green eyes widened almost comically. “I’m sorry, I must
have heard you wrong. Could you repeat that?”

“You didn’t hear wrong.” Because he could, because it was
completely appropriate and mostly because he wanted to, Brice tightened his arm
and brought her closer. When she didn’t protest, he did it again, until her
breasts flattened against his chest. He knew, with her miniature stature, if
she wasn’t wearing those freakishly sexy high heels, it’d be more like his
stomach. She was so tiny, at five foot three. He towered over her by a foot.

Of course, her attitude didn’t match her tiny stature.

Her eyes narrowed. “Apologizing for what?”

He sighed. Of course she wouldn’t let this pass graciously.
“For being an ass this afternoon.”

She tilted an eyebrow.

“Okay, fine. An ass in general.”

Her smile warmed him from the core out. “Thank you. That
means a lot.”

This part would be a little harder. “You were right.” Okay.
He didn’t choke on the words. That was a good sign.

Mary Ellen stumbled a little, falling deeper into his arms.
“I was what?”

“Right, dammit. Stop that. I know you can hear me.” Steam.
Any minute, steam was going to come pouring out of his ears.

“Not that I don’t agree, because I like to think I’m always
right, but what was I right about this time?”

“You’re such a smartass.” He couldn’t help smiling.

“It’s just a part of my charm,” she said with a thick, fake
Southern accent.

“Uh huh.” But would that “charm” make the possibility of
more between them impossible? He turned her until they came up against the side
of the dining hall’s wall, hidden in the shadows created by the low lighting.

“I’ve been…we’ll say a dog.”
In the manger.
“About
some things over the years. But I want it to change.”

“Your attitude?”

He spun until her back was flat against the wall. Placing
his hands next to her head, he caged her in. “No. The situation.”

Her breath hitched. “What does that mean?”

Now or never. “I want out of the manger.”

She didn’t move, didn’t breathe for almost a full minute.
Shit. He’d read it wrong. Or she gave him mixed signals. Faced with the
possibility, she was going to back down. And he’d made a fool out of himself.

No big deal. He only had to face her every single day at
work.

One small, delicate hand slid under his suit jacket, laid
flat over his stomach. The heat burned though his shirt and his own breath
caught in his throat.

“So what do you want to be?”

“Alpha.”

He was going to kiss her. In public.
Sort of.
Where
anyone could see them.
If they looked into the shadows.
Most
importantly, if he made the first move, he wouldn’t be able to deny the
whatever
was between them any longer.

Oh God, yes please.

But instead, he rolled away from her body, leaving her cold
and confused. She was about to sneer, call him a tease, when he wrapped one
long-fingered hand around her arm and tugged gently.

“Let’s go.”

Go? What the… “Where?” She had to walk or risk falling flat
on her face in her platform peep-toe heels.

“Back to my cabin.”

Oh.
Oooooh.
“Shouldn’t we tell someone—”

“We can find them later. We know where they live. Trust me,
they won’t miss us.”

He stayed close to the wall, in the shadows, and led her out
the side door, avoiding any other early departing guests. The moment they
stepped outside, he shrugged out of his coat and draped it around her.

She wanted to protest, but she was shivering. No wonder he
thought she was cold. So she shut her mouth and wrapped the jacket around her
shoulders. But although the night air was cooler than during the day, that
wasn’t what had her body quivering.

Anticipation. The possibility of what was to come.

She was a healthy single girl with a healthy appetite for
sex. When she wanted it, she could usually find it. But she’d never felt the
thrill, the eagerness, the hope like she felt now.

Because she’d never been with Brice. Never even stood a
chance. Not until now.

“Why now?”

The question stopped him dead in his tracks. “What do you
mean, why now?”

“I mean, why have you changed your mind all of a sudden?
We’ve been doing this avoidance thing for years now. But suddenly it’s
different?”

She waited while he thought. His face was almost like a
mirror into his mind, showing how it was approaching the question from every
angle until he found one he liked most.

And it really scared her how much the answer mattered.

“Can we just say that someone said something that really
made me think, very hard, about the situation?”

Well, that was better than he was just horny and he thought
she’d say yes. So she nodded and started to walk. But the gravel made for slow
going. The heels in gravel combined with how short her legs were compared to
Brice’s made for awkward going.

“Can you slow down a little?” she panted as she almost fell.
Damn rocks.

“Slow down?” He almost looked pained at the thought, but
then glanced at the ground. “Oh damn. Sorry.” Without another word, he bent
over and picked her up.

“Whoa, holy hell. You didn’t have to carry me.”

“Please. You’re a lightweight. If you haven’t noticed,
you’re not much heavier than a feather.”

Okay, she knew she was small, but that was…well, actually
that was kind of a compliment. She’d take it. Looping her arms around his neck,
she breathed in his scent. Understated woodsy aftershave, with just the
smallest hint of soap. Clean, simple, Brice. She rooted a little farther, until
she nosed up against the skin of his neck. Where his smell was more strong. A
tingle started low in her belly when he groaned.

“Keep doing that and we aren’t going to make it to the
cabin.”

“I wouldn’t complain.” Actually, now that he mentioned it,
that stump over there looked pretty comfortable.

“We both would when you ripped this dress to shreds and I
never got the grass stains out of my suit.”

Right. Not exactly dressed for an in-the-woods sexathon.
“Good point.”

“Besides. We’re almost there.” He weaved between two cabins
to reach his own, set back a little way from the normal rows. While all the
cabins that the staff lived in—most just during the summer months, but a few
permanently—were removed from where campers and other visitors slept, his was
the farthest. Where she knew he liked it.

He unlocked, opened the door and closed it behind him before
setting her on her feet. When he turned to lock the door once more, it felt
like the end of a chapter. The one titled
We Will Pretend Nothing Is Going
on Here
.

Of course, the new chapter was titled
Holy Shit, We’re
Really Doing This
.

Brice slid his hands along her collarbone, over her
shoulders until the jacket dropped onto the floor. Though the cabin was warm,
she still couldn’t stop her body’s shivers. He rubbed her arms from elbow to
shoulder.

“Still cold? I could shut the windows if you don’t want the
air coming in.”

She shook her head. “That’s not it. I’m just running on
adrenaline right now.”

He nodded. That was the beauty of being in this position
with someone who knew you so well. You didn’t have to elaborate.

“You’re scared. Aren’t you?”

And there was the crappy part about being in this position
with someone who knew you so well. They could see things you’d rather were
invisible.

He took her hand and led her to the center of the room. Put
his arms around her and just rocked. Like they were still dancing at the
reception.

Sweetness. It wasn’t what she expected. But she liked it.

“This is nice.”

“Mmm. I need to say something before we get started.”

Oh no. Nothing good could come from whatever he was about to
say. She leaned back enough to look up into his face. With the moonlight behind
him, she struggled to make out his features. But no hint of what was to come
showed, at least as far as she could tell. Brice was the master of burying
whatever he was feeling.

He stared back for a moment. Then he shook his head. “Not
really important right now.”

She wasn’t sure that was the truth, but nodded anyway. Why
complicate things more than necessary? “So, what is important?”

“You.” He tugged on the zipper of her dress until it started
to move. “Getting out of this dress.” The zipper went lower until his fingers
brushed the small of her back. “And onto the bed.” He bent his head and kissed
her neck. “Where I can do whatever I want with you.”

She tried to speak, but nothing came out but a croak. She
cleared her throat and tried again. “Ah. Good plan.”

He lifted his head and smiled down at her, white teeth
gleaming in the dark. “You think?”

Chapter Four

Mary Ellen’s breath caught as the slick fabric of the dress
slithered to the floor, leaving her in just the white thong and heels. For the
first time in, well, ever, she felt nervous. Self-conscious. And an annoying
urge to shield her chest from Brice’s gaze, even as his attention dampened the
thong.

“Christ.” His voice was hoarse and he reached out with
almost reverent hesitancy. One hand covered each breast. The sight of his
darker hands over her milky skin made her shiver with excitement.

She wanted to reach up, undo his tie. Strip him down so he
was as vulnerable as she was. But her arms remained useless by her sides. Damn
it. She was always the aggressor. She chased after the guy she wanted, and she
let them go when she was finished.

So why now, of all times, was she about to slip into some
shy, virginal maiden routine?

Because it matters.

“I could stand here and look at you all night.” He kissed
the side of her neck, hands kneading her breasts. There were echoing tugs low
in her belly. “This body has been driving me crazy for years.”

“And here I thought it was my smartass personality.” She
held back a moan when he bit on her collarbone.

“Your smartass nature pushed me well past crazy long ago.”

That sounded closer to the truth. She reached up and started
to undo his tie but one large hand clamped around hers.

“No.”

She wiggled the knot playfully. “Come on, now. You’ll have
to get naked eventually. That’s usually how this thing works.”

“When I’m ready.”

Maybe he was trying to slow them down a little. But she was
about to burn up with need. How could he stay so calm? “I’m naked and you’re
still dressed. Give a girl a chance, huh?”

His eyes dropped to her heels, then her thong, which was
growing more wet by the minute. “Not quite naked. Still wearing a few things.”
He picked her up by the waist and tossed her on the bed. “I’ll fix that
though.”

She reached down to the elastic bands to pull her underwear
off, but he growled.

“Let me.”

A man with a plan. No problem there. She lounged back and
watched him undress. No hardship there, either. First the suit jacket, then the
tie.

She’d seen him without a shirt on countless times. Mostly
when he was pulling lifeguard duty at the camp lake during the summer, or
working on the landscaping. Watching sweat run down his hard, light-brown
chest, down the six-pack abs, and dip into the waistband of his workout shorts
or swim trunks had always been a nice, private thrill for her.

But the intimacy of the moment, him unbuttoning his dress
shirt, baring his chest in the quiet of the cabin, made breathing a little
difficult. They were taking a step that couldn’t be undone. Did she still want
it? Want him?

Oh God yes.

He could do this. Stay cool, relaxed, and do this. Not fly
out of control, not push too hard. She was putty in his hands. Wasn’t even
putting up a token of a fight. Maybe—holy shit, maybe—this could work.

Could he still keep his cool, all the way, even when she was
clawing the sheets? Or would she fight him every step of the way for dominance
in bed, just like she did every day at work? Would the sight of her beneath him
snap him, make him lose it?

This was definitely a new problem for him. Then again, every
woman he’d been with before knew the rules upfront. He had the upper hand,
complete control, and if they didn’t like it, there’s the door. They were just
women. His life wouldn’t end if one left.

But this was Mary Ellen. He wasn’t ready to explain his
driving need for authority, for control at all times in the bedroom. And now
that they were taking this massive step forward, going back wasn’t an option.

Tread carefully. And keep the upper hand.

“You can touch, you know.”

“Huh?” He paused, thumbs hooked in his waistband.

A soft smile curved her lips, but he wasn’t fooled. Even
when she looked sweet as honeysuckle, Mary Ellen was still sassy as a
snapdragon. “You’re staring at me like you can’t remember what I’m doing here.”

He snapped out of his own musings. He toed off his shoes and
socks then unbuckled and unzipped his pants, but left them on. Easiest way to
keep control and not lose it is to keep as many barriers between him and his
partner.