Nerds Are From Mars (16 page)

“No, he won’t.” Nolan relaxed a little, knowing he wouldn’t be alone in pumping morale into the troops. “We’re the only members of the team who made it to Space Expo. Will you help me convince everybody else that this is a worthwhile fight?”

“Be glad to. Listen, are you guys headed for the bar? I feel like having a cold one.”

Nolan opened his mouth to make an excuse, but Darcie beat him to the punch and surprised the hell out of him.

“We’d love that,” she said.

“Yeah, we would.” Nolan gave her a bemused glance. “Sounds great.” What the hell? She was accepting an invitation to hang out at the bar? He’d thought the whole panty routine was supposed to end with them going up to either his room or hers and getting naked. Now they were off to the bar to drink with Bill.

He didn’t get it, but she’d been the one to decide, and he’d recently had a mind-blowing experience at the dinner table. So if she could hold off on their plans, he certainly could.

Once they’d settled into a booth, though, he was semi-glad they’d done it. Bill wasn’t exactly a social butterfly, and without Nolan and Darcie, he’d have been at loose ends after the banquet. His family had gone to San Diego for the weekend, so he couldn’t even head home to be with them.

Bill offered to go fetch the drinks because the bar was so crowded and service was slow. Once he walked away, Darcie put her hand on Nolan’s. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind, but I was surprised.”

“I warned you I’m sappy, and the guy’s really lonely without his family. I found that out while I talked with him during dinner. We don’t have to stay long.”

“We’ll stay as long as it takes to make Bill feel cozy.” Nolan’s lust still simmered, but Darcie inspired tenderness in him at the moment. “I like that you’re sappy.”

“Feeling mellow, are you?” She gave him a sly look.

“I will never forget this banquet as long as I live.”

“Good.” She nudged his knee with hers. “I’ve never done something like that before, by the way. I don’t want you to think that’s standard operating procedure with me.”

“Then you must have a natural talent for it because I’ve never seen anything run so smoothly.”

“Have you ever done that before?”

“I’m a nerd, remember? We don’t have those kinds of experiences.”

“I could see you over there suffering, and I couldn’t stand it anymore.”

“Wait a minute. That wasn’t out of pity, I hope?”

She chuckled. “Nope. It was sort of an experiment, though. Until it was over, I wasn’t entirely sure it would work.”

“
Now
you tell me.” For the first time, he considered the risk he’d taken. It was not a small one, either. “If anybody had found out it would have been the most public humiliation of my life. I’m not sure my career would have survived it.”

She looked startled, and then her cheeks grew pink. “Oh, Nolan, I didn’t take into account how it would affect your career. I’m so sorry. I should have thought of that. You weren’t just any man with a hard-on. You’re Dr. Nolan Bradbury, head of a multi-million dollar Mars project. I shouldn’t ever forget that.”

“I hope to hell you forget that on a regular basis. And when you made your suggestion, I promise you my career was the last thing on my mind. If we’d been discovered, it would have been my fault, not yours.”

“Well, we weren’t, thank heavens.”

“No, we weren’t.” He grinned at her. “But I wouldn’t try to stuff anything more into that little purse. It doesn’t have the tensile strength to handle more capacity.”

She rested her chin on her fist and gazed at him. “I love it when you talk like that.”

“Like what? I’m just reviewing the parameters.”

“Obviously that little incident at the table restored your vocabulary. You’ve fully recovered your nerd-speak.”

“My what?”

“Never mind. But when we get to the room I’m going to have you recite the periodic table of elements while you’re stripping off my dress.”

“Why in God’s name would I do that?”

“Because I can’t decide which excites me more, your brain or your body, so I want to experience both at once.”

Before he could respond to that statement, Bill arrived with his beer and their wine. What followed for the next hour was plenty of nerd-speak, for which Nolan was grateful. Apparently it got Darcie hot, and getting Darcie hot had become his new favorite activity.

Chapter Thirteen

When Darcie had impulsively agreed to Bill’s invitation for a drink in the bar, she hadn’t known whether he was the type to sit there for hours. Luckily, he was not. Bill was a one-beer kind of guy, a family man who was ready for bed by eleven.

So was she. But she didn’t plan to sleep alone tonight. The awkward part came when they all walked to the elevator together. Bill appointed himself elevator operator and asked for their floor numbers.

Darcie gave hers without thinking. Then she noticed Bill was two floors above her. She and Nolan hadn’t discussed which room they’d spend the night in. She wasn’t going to have that conversation with him now, obviously.

Nolan didn’t hesitate. “Same one as Darcie’s.”

“So you guys ended up on the same floor? That’s a coincidence, isn’t it?” The minute the words were out of Bill’s mouth, he seemed to realize that he might have jumped to the wrong conclusion. He blushed. “Uh, don’t mind me. I’m an old married guy, now. These things go right over my head.”

Nolan smiled at him. “No worries, Bill.”

“Jeez, I’m sorry. When I invited you both for a drink, I didn’t even consider that you . . . well . . . like I said. I’ve been married for years.” His face got redder.

Darcie stepped toward him and put a hand on his arm. “It’s okay, Bill. I loved spending more time with you. I hope someday I’ll get to meet your family.”

“For sure! We’re always having a barbeque or something going on. You’re definitely invited to the next one. I know you’re up in Ojai, but –”

“I’d make the drive. Let me give you my card.” She automatically reached for the clasp on her clutch.

Nolan coughed.

She quickly tucked her purse back under her arm. “Um, I’ll give it to you when I see you in the morning, okay?”

“That’d be great.” Bill seemed to have recovered himself.

The elevator stopped at her floor, and she stepped out. “See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, see you then, buddy.” Nolan squeezed Bill’s shoulder before leaving the elevator.

Bill’s eyes twinkled as the doors began to close. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Nolan groaned and shook his head. “Bill, that’s so . . .” The doors closed. He turned to Darcie. “Sorry. That’s the kind of lame comment you get when you hang out with nerds.”

“Ah, but I’m counting on getting some other things.” She looked him up and down as her blood hummed in her veins. His tie hung on either side of the collar he’d unfastened. He was one delicious looking nerd. “So it’s my room, then?”

“No, we’re going up to my room. I only had us stop off here so you can pick up whatever you need for tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow morning?” She hadn’t even thought that far ahead, but obviously he had. That brain of his had been working on the logistics, probably for hours, long before he’d read her palm this afternoon.

“It’s like this.” He stepped forward and drew her close. “Once I get my hands on you, I’m not going to want to let you go. Everything will be simpler if you move whatever you need for tomorrow to my room.”

She slid her arms around his neck and gazed up at him. “You don’t mess around, do you?”

“Oh, yes, I do.” He cupped her bottom and pulled her in tight. He was magnificently erect again. “I intend to spend the rest of the night messing around with you, lovely lady.” He dropped a quick kiss on her mouth. “Let’s get moving.”

She hurried to keep up with him as he took her hand and his long-legged strides ate up the distance between the elevator and her door.

He stopped in front of it. “Key?”

“In my purse.” She opened it and the seductive aroma of sex wafted upward as she dug around for the key.

He took a ragged breath. “It’s a good thing you didn’t open that in the elevator. Talk about an aphrodisiac. I would have grabbed you whether good old Billy-boy was there or not.”

She found the key card and opened the door. “Do you think we embarrassed him too much?”

“No, but he embarrassed the hell out of me with that last nerdy remark. It was straight out of high school, for God’s sake.”

“I thought it was kind of cute. In his own way, he wanted to show us that he was cool with everything.”

“I guess.” Nolan followed her into the room. “He likes you.”

“I like him, too. Let’s see. What should I –”

“Sorry. Gotta do this.” Taking her arm, he spun her around.

She had a second to realize he’d tossed his glasses on the bed before he crushed her against him. His mouth came down on hers and he thrust his tongue deep.

Whimpering with need, she speared her fingers into his hair and wiggled closer. The hard ridge of his cock pressed against her belly as he took complete command of her mouth, kissing her with an abandon that fired her blood.

The short zipper at the small of her back rasped at the same moment the fastening of her halter top gave way. He peeled the dress quickly from her body as he continued to kiss her as if he would never stop. That was fine with her. She didn’t want this moment to end, didn’t want him to remember that this hadn’t been the plan.

Her dress fell to the floor and she kicked off her shoes as his big hands moved . . . everywhere. He stroked her breasts, her hips, and her backside before seeking her moist, aching center. The bold invasion of his fingers made her gasp with pleasure. The pressure of his thumb and the steady rhythm of those clever fingers brought a moan from her throat, a moan he swallowed as he continued to hold her mouth captive.

She trembled as pressure built in her core. Arching into his caress, she clutched his shoulders, digging her fingers into his jacket as he pumped his fingers faster. Ah . . .
yes
. Her body tightened, readied itself for the onslaught that was . . . almost . . .
there. There
!

Her cries muffled against his demanding mouth, she came in a rush of sensation. She bucked in his arms, but he held her steady, staying with her, thrusting slowly as her spasms ebbed. Quivering, she clung to him as he gently withdrew and dragged his hand up her hot skin, over her breasts.

He lifted his mouth from hers only long enough to brush her lips with his damp fingers. She looked into his eyes and sucked in a breath at the intensity there. Instinctively her tongue darted out, swiping over her lower lip. His eyes darkened, and he descended again, ravaging her mouth as if he couldn’t get enough of her.

She wasn’t aware he’d maneuvered them closer to the bed until the back of her knees hit the edge of the mattress. She toppled onto it, her feet still on the floor. He followed her down, kissing her mouth, her throat, her breasts.

His exploration continued ever lower. He kissed her stomach, dipped his tongue into her navel, and then he dropped to his knees and wedged his shoulders between her thighs. She’d never felt so completely vulnerable or so wildly excited. Soon his mouth was there, and his tongue began seeking . . . .

She thrashed beneath him, mindless with pleasure, and he held her thighs with an iron grip while he licked and sucked, claiming her in the most intimate kiss of all. In no time another climax hovered within reach, and she began to pant and beg for more.

She longed for all of him to be buried deep within her. “Please . . . I want you . . .” she said, gasping.

“You have me,” he murmured roughly against her liquid heat. “Right here.” He settled in again, and she came apart a second time, with a high, keening cry.

His labored breathing feathered her moist thighs. “Mm. Delicious.”

“Nolan.” She gulped for air. “Do you . . . do you have at least one . . .”

“Yes. One.” He stroked her with his forefinger.

She quivered. Amazingly, in spite of two incredible orgasms, she still ached to feel him inside her. “Use it. Use it now.”

There was a smile in his voice. “Been thinking about it.”

“
Do it
.”

“Okay.”

She opened her eyes in time to see him push himself to his feet. His gaze swept over her. “You are . . . so beautiful.”

“And I
ache
for you.”

He swallowed. “I ache for you, too.”

She focused on his crotch and took a shaky breath. “I believe you.”

“But you’re so damned tempting.” He kept his attention on her as he reached for his zipper. “This didn’t seem as important as touching you, tasting you, making you come.”

Her heartbeat quickened. “And I loved it. But now I want . . .” She lost her train of thought as he freed his impressive male equipment.
That
. Her womb clenched at the sight of the length and thickness he had to offer.

He continued to gaze at her as he took the condom from his pocket and put it on. That chore didn’t require any concentration, apparently. Beneath his hot stare, she began to tingle with impatience. Her mouth grew moist, and her hips shifted restlessly on the comforter.

“Hurry.”

“We have all night.” He leaned down and braced his hands on either side of her as he looked into her eyes.

His black tie dangled, and she grabbed both ends and used the leverage to pull him closer. “Now,” she murmured. “Do me, now.”

His tight smile brought out his dimples. “I’m stalling so I can gather the tattered edges of my control. I’m shaking, and I want you too much. I’m afraid everything will be over in a flash.”

“The banquet was supposed to help.”

“I’m sure it did. Without that, I wouldn’t have been able to roll on a condom without coming.”

“But you did get it on. So now . . . .”

“You need to scoot up.”

“You bet.” Releasing the ends of his tie, she wiggled her way up the mattress.

He sucked in a breath. “Wow.”

“What?”

“That was some wiggle. Indulge me a little longer. I feel the urge to kiss you.”