One Night with the CEO (10 page)

W
ell, that had escalated quickly.

Mark’s mouth captured hers. She tasted salt and a hint of sweetness on his lips, a heady combination that made her moan in appreciation. She arched into him, wanting—
no, needing
— to feel his body against hers. He responded by snaking his hand under her hair and caressing her neck. Seconds later, he wrapped his other hand around her middle and stroked her back. Mark’s kisses promised a full-body experience, and she shivered in response to all the points of contact. Finally, he drew back, gulping in air.
Oh, right.
She needed to breathe. Funny how easily he made her forget a minor inconvenience like breathing.

She pressed her face against his chest and held on to the lapels of his suit as she took in air. “What’s happening?”

He brushed his fingers against her hair. “I’m sorry for acting like an ass.”

She looked up at him then. “
That’s
your version of an apology?”

He stepped back and ran a hand through his hair. “No, that’s my version of being selfish. What I should have done was apologize for being a jerk to you. You didn’t deserve it.”

She nodded. “You’ll get no argument from me there.”

He stepped toward her and reached for her hands. “I wanted to kiss you, but I didn’t think it would be a smart move, so I took my frustration out on you.”

“And the kiss?”

He dropped her hands and shoved his own in his pockets. “The kiss is harder to explain.”

“Um, unless I’m missing something, the phenomenon is called attraction. Your pheromones and my pheromones are sending chemo-signals to each other. Totally normal.”

He gave her his trademark half smile. “Totally not a good idea, either.”

She didn’t disagree with him. Doing
anything
with Mark didn’t figure in her plans, no matter how much he’d nearly owned her with a single kiss. “Again, you’ll get no argument from me. Still, that kiss was pretty freaking hot.”

Mark closed his eyes and raised his head to the night sky. “Stop doing that. I’m relying on you to be the voice of reason in this situation.”

Ha. That was cute. But she’d oblige him anyway, because she needed to put the kiss in its proper place: a momentary lapse in judgment not to be repeated. If she didn’t, he’d consume her thoughts, and she couldn’t afford the distraction. “Mark, look around. We’re in Puerto Rico. You look hot. I look hot. It’s hot, period. And we’re standing in front of a garden. You hear that?”

“What?”

“The
coquis
.”

“What’s a
coqui
?”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Only one of the most important cultural symbols of Puerto Rico.” When he stared at her blankly, she continued. “The tiny frogs, Mark. You must have seen them everywhere at the airport. T-shirts, mugs, hats, you name it. Listen.”

They faced each other in silence. “That’s their mating call,” she told him. “They’re practically begging us to lock lips. You can’t be faulted for wanting to kiss me under these circumstances.”

He bridged the distance between them. “What if I told you I’ve wanted to kiss you every single second I’ve been in your presence? Can you explain that?”

She gulped. “Well, that’s a little harder to explain.”

He pressed his hand against the back of her neck and pulled her flush against him. “And I’ve never wanted to stop at kissing. I want us to do more than that.
A lot
more.”

His breath floated over her face like magic dust, decimating her ability to think clearly. Voodoo. That had to be the reason her logic always failed her when he was near. She simply stared at his lips as he made his case.

“I’ll admit this is crazy, and yes, we might regret this, but the attraction I felt for you when we first met isn’t going away. I figure we’re both adults, and we should be able to see this for what it is.”

Yes, yes, yes. Now they were getting somewhere. She nodded in agreement. So enthusiastically she probably looked like a bobblehead.

“Tonight.
Just
tonight. Are we on the same page?”

Karen rubbed two fingers over her lips as she considered his question. For once, she made a conscious effort not to overanalyze the situation. She
wanted
to have sex with Mark. Plain. Simple. And what he’d proposed wouldn’t derail her. They’d share a single night together, and no one else would know. If all went well, she’d store enough memories to make her evenings with Sammy Silicone passable—maybe even pleasurable. Brilliant. “Yes, we’re on the same page.”

He lunged for her then, this time gripping her temples as his mouth descended on hers. Relishing the pressure against the sides of her face, she fisted her hands in his hair with the same intensity. When he trailed his lips over the column of her throat, she dropped her head back. Despite her Mark-induced haze, she registered the sounds of the band grow louder. She turned to see the door of the ballroom closing and sprang away from Mark seconds before two wedding guests stumbled past them.

After expelling a relieved breath, she touched her lips. “Can we get out of here?”

His eyes glossy and half-lidded, Mark responded with a slow nod of his head. That look of arousal made her knees weak and strengthened her resolve.

The night they’d met, she’d opened up to him about her insecurities, and she didn’t plan to share them with anyone else. He might claim not to remember what she’d told him, but she knew better. The possibility that she could have a positive sexual experience with someone attuned to her needs outweighed the risks that it would all blow up in their faces. And if she couldn’t have great sex with this man, she’d finally have her answer: The problem was her—and always would be.

Mimi pounced on her the moment Karen entered the ballroom. “Where have you been?”

Shit. Mimi’s talent for detecting secrets rivaled her talent for telling inappropriate jokes. Karen relaxed her facial muscles and smoothed her dress. “Oh. Not far. Just outside. I needed some air.”

Mimi scanned her face and body as though she were looking for clues to challenge Karen’s claim. She opened her mouth and then shut it when her cell phone buzzed. Smiling as she read the message on her phone, she explained, “It’s the Marine. His name is Troy.”

Saved by a booty call.
“Go ahead and answer it.”

“He can wait. Listen, I’m meeting him after the reception. I just wanted to let you know, so you’re not concerned if I return to the hotel room a little late.”

Karen didn’t lie often, but when she did, she sandwiched it between two truths. The practice didn’t make the lie any less problematic, but it helped her say it without stumbling over her words. “Oh, I hope you have a good time.” The truth. “But no need to worry about it. I’m actually going to spend the night with my grandmother.” A lie. “I’ll make sure to be back here in plenty of time to make our flight.” The truth. There. She’d done it.

“Okay. I’ll see you in the morning then. Gracie and Ethan are getting ready to leave. I’m going to start making my rounds and saying good-bye.”

Mimi left before Karen blurted out the truth: She and Mark would be getting their freak on tonight. The thought gave her pause, so she mentally repeated it.
She and Mark would be getting their freak on tonight.
Her mind struggled to process that fact. To make matters worse, the doors of the ballroom’s main entrance opened, and Mark walked in with his cell phone at his ear. Her breath hitched at the sight of him. He’d opened the top two buttons of his shirt, leaving a sliver of his chest exposed. Soon she’d see all of it. Touch it, too.

His steps ate the floor as he made his way to her. Eyes blazing with barely suppressed desire, he advanced with a purpose that made her wonder whether he planned to kiss her in front of everyone. No, he’d never do that. Right?

He stopped a foot away from her. “And you say I have a terrible poker face. You should see your face right now.”

No, she was sure she didn’t want to do that. She glanced around her to see if anyone was watching them. “Is it really that bad?” she whispered.

“You look like you’re having some seriously naughty thoughts.”

“Not so naughty, but I’ll admit I was thinking about you.”

“We’ll have to work on that, then. So you can catch up with me.”

Gracie came out of nowhere and dropped an arm over Karen’s shoulder, pulling them out of the moment. “Careful, Karen. I hear from Ethan that Mark’s looking to settle down.” Gracie winked at her. “You don’t want any part of that, right?”

Karen hid her surprise and smirked, moving her index finger in a circular motion close to her face. “Does this look like the face of someone who wants to settle down?”

Gracie dutifully shook her head. “Certainly not.”

“Then Mark has nothing to worry about. But what’s this about wanting to settle down?”

Mark furrowed his brow and directed a pointed stare at Gracie. “Not something we need to talk about here. Right, Gracie?”

Jostled from behind by one of her guests, Gracie barely held on to the champagne glass in her hand. Gracie and alcohol never played nicely together. If Gracie had more than one drink in her system, she tended to divulge everyone’s secrets. Poor Mark. “Nonsense,
Markito, somos familia aqui
,” Gracie continued. When the crease between his brows deepened, Gracie explained herself. “We’re family here, Mark. In fact, Karen could help.”

Mark, she guessed, hadn’t recovered from Gracie’s new nickname for him. He mouthed “
Markito
” several times before he shook his head, a dumbfounded expression on his face.

“Anyway, Karen, he’s asked us to introduce him to women we think he might get along with. Ethan and I are going to be his dating advisors.”

Karen watched Mark fidget under her stare. “Are you now?”

“Not here, though. No point in introducing him to someone who’s committed to staying on the island. But once we’re back in D.C., I’ll be his personal matchmaker. Can’t wait,
Markito
.”

Gracie trotted off, a swath of silk trailing behind her and a champagne-induced pep infusing her steps.

So he wanted to settle down, huh? How enlightening. Now she knew the reason he’d tried to resist his attraction to her: He was waiting for Mrs. Lansing to walk into his life. Well, his future plans had no bearing on her obviously.

He closed the space between them. “This is awkward.”

She tilted her head in feigned surprise. “It doesn’t have to be. One night, remember? What you do after that has nothing to do with me.”

“Still—”

“Mark, let’s just focus on tonight, all right?”

He surveyed her face as though he were counting every single freckle. Apparently satisfied with what he saw, he nodded. “All right.”

O
ne minute she and Mark had been waving good-bye to the bride and groom. The next minute he’d whisked her away in a black sedan. With a flick of a button, Mark raised the tinted glass partition, affording them privacy.

After they’d settled themselves inside the spacious backseat, Mark gestured toward the minibar. “Do you want something to drink?”

“No,” she croaked. After that, a coughing attack ensued.
Splendid.

Ever the gentleman, Mark patted her on her back. “You okay? Need me to do the Heimlich?”

She peered at him through narrowed eyes, well aware that his voice shook with laughter. “I’m nervous. I’ll be fine.” She fanned herself. “Is it hot in here?”

She wasn’t fine. Her stomach cramped, nervous energy flowing through her body as she considered what they were about to do. She and Mark were going to have sex tonight. More than anything, she wanted to be in the moment. Whether she could accomplish that was a different issue.

After he poured himself a drink and placed it in the cup holder beside him, he sat back and pinned her with his hooded gaze. “Karen. Don’t look away.”

His voice soothed her nerves. A little. She gathered enough strength to appear calm and returned his stare.

“Breathe. You’re fine.”

Speak for yourself, mister.

“Just so you know, I’m a wreck right now.”

Well, so much for his confidence.
Maybe his poker face was better than she gave him credit for. “Tell me why.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and considered her. “I should be clear. I can handle the…mechanics. But I’m nervous about making a mistake. About taking us somewhere we’re not supposed to go. Gracie and Ethan…” His voice trailed off.

She understood his point, and they
could
back out now, of course. But what then? She guessed they’d always be on edge with each other, the what-ifs clouding their interactions. Either way, things wouldn’t be the same between them ever again. “You know what? We both think too much. Just once, I’d love to be able to do something because it’ll feel good. And Gracie and Ethan don’t have to know what we do behind closed doors. We’re both adults.” She scanned his face and torso. “It
is
going to be good, right?”

He laid a hand over his heart, his eyes gleaming. “Your skepticism pains me.” His eyes turned smoky then, and he snaked his arm around her shoulder and drew her close. “Let me erase your doubts.”

Yes, please.
Karen leaned into him, fisting the fabric of his shirt as his lips met hers. Heat. She felt it against her lips. Against her chest. Between her thighs. Even the tips of her ears burned. She unclenched her fists and trailed her hand down to his erection. When she stroked him, he moaned, the desperate sound echoing her own need.

The sedan slowed to a stop, and they sprang apart. Their heavy breathing filled the silence. She’d been so caught up in him, she hadn’t realized they’d arrived at the hotel. The significance of that fact didn’t escape her. She wrung her hands and held herself in check when all she really wanted to do was exit the car and sprint to his hotel room.

Mark laid his hand on hers. “Ready?”

Hell, yes, she was more than ready.
“Ready.”

Mark tapped on the glass partition, and seconds later, the driver opened the back door.

Mark had reserved the Ritz-Carlton Suite, a massive living space on the hotel’s ninth floor. Not surprisingly, it rivaled her Georgetown apartment in both size and opulence. Karen’s jaw dropped as she toured the suite’s interior. It boasted two bedrooms, a living room, a formal dining room, and a professional kitchen. Oh, and one-and-a-half baths.
Of course.
“Must be difficult staying in such a tight space,” she told him.

He cocked his head at her and smiled.

The view from the suite’s balcony captured her attention. “May I?”

He motioned for her to precede him. “Of course. I’ll join you in a minute.”

She placed her hands on the wrought-iron railing and raised her face to the evening sky. The mist from the ocean kissed her skin, and the crashing waves lulled her into a languid state. When his footsteps drew near, however, her muscles tightened in anticipation. Then nothing. She turned her head to the side, hoping to see what he was doing without revealing that his presence made her nervous.

“You look beautiful there,” he said behind her.

He’d planted himself close enough to breathe into her ear, but far enough that no part of his body touched hers. His failure to bridge that small distance ratcheted up her awareness of it. She heard him shift, and then his lips touched her lobe. “I could stare at you all day.”

She tamped down on the urge to squirm from her ticklishness and focused instead on what to say. But she didn’t know what to say, not without it rushing out in a jumbled mess, so she settled for a simple
thank you
.

His hands joined hers on the railing, his body caging hers. She fell back against him, reveling in his warmth.

With his lips still pressed against her ear, he dropped his hands and pressed them against the fleshiest area on her hips, kneading her skin with the tips of his fingers. Each caress lifted her skirt higher and higher until he bunched it just above the tops of her thighs. When she moved her butt against his crotch, he dug his fingers into her skin, gripping her hard. That touch, both reverent and desperate, sparked something in her, and her nipples tightened.

She opened one eye, scanning the secluded beach to make sure they weren’t being watched. The waves crashed against the shore, matching the tumult within her. He crouched behind her and reached under her skirt, and her eyes fluttered closed. He trailed his fingers up the sides of her bikini bottoms and rested them there. She waited, a tight knot forming in the pit of her stomach.

“I’m trying to figure out what to do here. So many choices. I could rip your panties off. Or I could slide them down your body. I’d be able to touch your skin as I do it, so it’s a slightly better choice. Or I could watch you do it yourself as I stroked my cock.”

Karen listened to every word, catching each dip in his voice and noticing the slight change in intonation as his words became more brazen.

He chose to slide her panties down her legs. For a brief moment, she wondered whether he’d noticed that her panties were damp, evidence of how aroused she’s become.

“Mark.”

He rose and nipped her neck. “Yes?”

“Condom,” she blurted out. “Don’t forget a condom.”

His hands stilled. “Shit. I apologize.”

“It’s okay, but—”

He stepped back an inch. “Of course.”

She turned her head and found him watching her.

“I have to head back inside. But stay there for me. Just like that.”

By now he’d bunched her skirt at the waist, leaving the lower half of her body exposed. Could she do it? Remain almost bare and risk someone seeing her?

Before she could answer, he spoke again, his voice low and his words slow. “Spread your legs wider.” His voice dropped another decibel. “Please.”

Karen gripped the railing and slid her feet farther apart, arching her back so that her butt was on full display. “I think this is what Tyra Banks calls the booty tooch.”

He chuckled. “Whatever it’s called, I like it. A lot. Be right back. And don’t move.”

The breeze tickled her exposed skin, and goose bumps dotted her warm flesh.

Karen glanced down her half-naked body. She couldn’t have put herself in a more physically vulnerable position, and yet being here with him empowered her, because finally,
finally
, she would focus on her pleasure.

He returned a minute later, his soft footsteps suggesting that he’d removed his shoes. She again twisted her neck to watch his approach.
Oh. My. God.
He hadn’t just taken off his shoes, he’d disrobed. Completely.

Wanting to see him in all of his masculine glory, she turned to him. He froze, and she scanned his body, hungry to see every part of him.

“I didn’t want you to be the only one exposed,” he explained.

His bare chest, with a smattering of hair on it, led to well-defined abs and a deliriously happy trail that pointed to his impressive erection. And his legs? He had impressive muscles there, too. Runner’s thighs, she guessed. A hint of a jagged scar on his inner thigh caught her eye, its size unclear from where she stood. She licked her lips in anticipation, wanting more than anything to suck his salty skin, to cause his muscles to contract against her mouth wherever her lips landed. She imagined the tip of her tongue sliding over the ridges of that scar, imagined him fisting her hair the closer she came to taking him in.

For a second she wondered if he’d held off putting the condom on because he didn’t want to ruin her first look at his naked body. He didn’t strike her as the type to worry about such things, though. Regardless of his reasoning, she appreciated the unobstructed view.

After she’d surveyed him from head to toe, he strolled toward her as though his nakedness were nothing special. But it was. Oh, it was. Caging her against the railing, he leaned into her. Close. But not close enough. “So this is what a beautiful woman with dirty thoughts looks like.”

“How can you tell my thoughts are dirty?”

“You’re giving me lots of clues. The hungry, glazed look in your eyes. The way you keep pressing the tip of your tongue against your lower lip. Makes me want to smudge that lipstick right off you.”

She wanted that, too. So much. Wanted to feel his lips against hers. Hard. Soft. In between. She’d take it all. “Kiss me.”

He pressed his body against hers and slipped his fingers through the hair at her temples. She stared up at him. After a brief pause in which she studied the way his eyes went from dark brown to black, their lips met. At first their lips skated over each other, his warm, minty breath mingling with hers. That heat spread through her and emboldened her to deepen the kiss. Her lips felt swollen from the onslaught.

Karen’s hands roamed over his body. She massaged his shoulders, relishing the strength under her fingers. Impatient for more, she trailed her fingers up his back and placed her hands at the nape of his neck.

He dipped his head and nuzzled her neck, and she didn’t fall into a fit of giggles despite her ticklish tendencies. She considered that progress.

He drew back and rubbed his thumb against her lower lip. “Does the idea of someone watching us turn you on?”

Hmmm. Yeah, it did. In theory. But as soon as he’d planted the thought in her mind, she couldn’t stop thinking about all the ways that scenario could end badly for her. Though she knew she should be focused on their lovemaking, she nonetheless played out several versions of that scenario in her head.

She moaned to signal that she was enjoying his thorough exploration of her neck, but in truth she was focused on the scenario in which a group of college frat boys recorded them having sex on the balcony, and then posted the video online. Her grandmother’s disapproving face stared back at her.
No. No. No. Don’t go there. Please.

He lowered his hand and dipped his fingers between her thighs, placing two fingers on her clit and rubbing it in a circular motion. “How does that feel?”

Oh, it felt
very good
. But in her head, a police officer with a flashlight shining on her ass, telling them to freeze, appeared.

Mark stilled. Then he drew back and searched her face. “You’re in your head, right?”

Would there ever be any hope for her?
She buried her face in his chest and murmured her confession. “I can’t stop thinking about someone catching us. I’m sorry.”

He placed his finger under her chin. “Look at me, Karen.”

She looked at him under the veil of her eyelashes.

“Don’t be sorry. I’m nothing if not tenacious. We’ll adjust.”

Her instincts had convinced her that Mark would be patient with her. She was glad to know her instincts hadn’t failed her.

“I have an idea.” He held out his hand. “Come with me.”

Well, yeah. That’s what she was trying to do already, wasn’t it?

He pinned her with a narrowed gaze and smug grin. “I have to stop saying that to you, don’t I? Just take my hand, Karen.”

She placed her hand in his and followed him inside. His lazy steps hadn’t prepared her for what came next. Suddenly, he used his big body to back her against the wall. So overwhelmed by his abrupt change in tactics, she didn’t have the time or the bearings to think about anything but his movements.

“Put your hands on my shoulders.”

She did as he asked, and then she rubbed them, because she couldn’t resist the opportunity to touch his hard body again. He leaned into her and rolled on the condom he’d been holding in his hand. Then, with a lick of his lips, he lifted her and used his hips to pin her to the wall. She wrapped her legs around him, relishing the warmth of his skin against hers.

“Listen to my voice, Karen.”

“I’m listening.”

“I want you so goddamn much right now. And if I have to, I’ll find the superhuman strength I need to hold you up against this wall until we’re both satisfied. Got it?”

She whimpered as she pictured him doing just that. “Got it.”

He guided his erection to her entrance and thrust upward.

Karen cried out. “Yes.”

He pulled out halfway and swiveled his hips when he plunged back in. “Does it feel good if I rock my hips like this?”

Her mouth couldn’t form the words to tell him yes, so she nodded.

He pulled out yet again, a slow and torturous withdrawal that left her breathless for the next time he’d enter her. “And if I slide out slowly, so that you’re not sure when I’m going to fill you back up, how does that feel?”

She gave him an honest answer. “It feels so good, it makes my eyes water.”

He entered her again, less tender this time, and pumped into her several times in quick succession. “And how does that feel?”

“That’s it. Keep doing that. And please don’t stop.”

He grabbed her ass to get a better hold of her and adjusted her body at an angle. The wall and his thighs kept her upright. “Touch yourself, sweetheart. Make yourself burn even hotter.”