Wicked Heat (10 page)

He pointed to a pair of cargo shorts lying on the floor nearby and she’d never been
so grateful for a guy’s untidiness before. Close and easy access. Perfect.

“Get one,” she ordered, wondering if a dominatrix felt this empowered when she ordered
subs around.

Thankfully Jett sensed her urgency and worked fast, whipping a condom out of the wallet
in his shorts.

She held out her hand. “Give it to me.”

“You’re talking about the condom, right?”

She smiled. “And the rest. But let’s start with that.”

When he handed it over, she tucked the foil packet in her bikini bra strap and knelt.

His breathing grew ragged as she slid her hands into the waistband of his board shorts
and tugged, having to wiggle the wet material a little before they eased over his
hips and landed where she wanted them. On the floor.

“Hey, what are you…ah, fuck,” he said, as she took him into her mouth, wrapping a
hand around the base of his shaft and tugging gently on his balls with the other.

He laid a hand on her head and tried to ease her back, which only made her suck harder.
She swirled her tongue around the tip, savoring his strangled cursing as she slid
her lips along the length of him.

He leaned against the wall, one hand gripping her hair, the other resting on a nearby
table, and the knowledge that she could make this sexy man weak-kneed made her feel
like a goddess.

“Enough,” he growled, when she took him in so far he almost hit the back of her throat.

She could’ve pushed the issue, but who would’ve thought giving head would ratchet
up her desire to unbearable?

He pulled out, but not before her tongue darted out to give the tip one last lick.

He groaned. “I’ll make you pay for that.”

“Yeah?” She stood, toe to toe with him. “And how are you going to do that?”

He moved so fast her head spun. One second she was standing in front of him, the next
he had her pinned against the wall. He plucked the foil packet from her bikini strap
and sheathed himself before she could draw a breath.

And then he was back. Pressing her against the wall. Hoisting her up. Ripping aside
her bikini to thrust inside.

She clenched around him, her legs quivering as they wrapped around his waist. He held
her as if she weighed nothing, driving into her with hard precision. Just the way
she wanted it tonight. Nothing remotely soft or sensual. Fast and furious.

She wanted to experience everything she could with this guy. Maybe it was the fleeting
nature of their fling, maybe because each encounter was tinted with a wildness she’d
never experienced, but she reveled in the abandon and uttered a phrase she’d never
thought she’d say during sex.

“Fuck me good,” she demanded, scouring Jett’s back as his relentless pounding picked
up tempo until she almost passed out from the pleasure.

She gripped his ass. Bit his shoulder. Gained purchase wherever she could as he drove
into her. Her sweat-slicked skin molded to his, the heat generated between them making
her body burn.

She was so close, the pleasure bordered on pain. That’s when he changed the angle
of his hips slightly and she fell apart, keening out her orgasm as he came a second
later.

She clung to him, spent yet electrified. Finally knowing why some people made such
a big deal about sex.

“Are you okay?” He guided her gently to the floor, held the condom, and slid out of
her.

“Yeah,” she said, wishing she didn’t feel so goddamn bereft every time they finished.
“Pretty unbelievable how you keep topping your previous efforts.”

His mouth quirked into a crooked half smile she had no hope of interpreting. “Keep
boosting my ego like that and I’ll be ready to go in another five minutes.”

She held up three fingers. “Make it three and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

“Bossy woman,” he said, padding into the bathroom to take care of business before
returning to scoop her into his arms and head for the bed. “Maybe I can spank you
into submission?”

“Back to the kinky stuff, huh?” She cocked her head to one side, pretended to study
him. “I think you’re all talk, Vanilla Man. I bet you like it rough.”

He laughed, a deep, husky sound that made her want to lie in his bed forever. “Vanilla
Man? Does that mean I have the same powers as Superman?”

“Nothing wrong with your power.” Her gaze drifted lower. “Not from what I can see,
anyway.”

He groaned and flopped onto the bed beside her, draping his arm across her waist in
a casual embrace, like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Stop. I’ve got
a ton of work I need to finish up before tomorrow and if you keep looking at me like
that I won’t get it done.”

Uh-oh. She didn’t want to be anywhere near him when he mentioned work. The guilt of
not telling him the truth was a constant burr she couldn’t ignore. Though he did a
pretty fine job of erasing her memory banks with sensational sex.

Sex. She needed to focus on that. Needed to drown out the tiny voice in her head,
her conscience insisting she should tell him the truth before they got in any deeper.

“Could you spare me another hour?” She trailed a fingertip down his chest, deliberately
provocative as she circled his groin. “Because I really am curious about that Kink
Kit, and thought we could take a look together?”

His eyebrows rose. “Really?”

She nodded. “I kinda like the idea of having you at my mercy.”

“Dream on.” He rolled on top of her so fast all the air whooshed out of her lungs.
“I think it’s time
you
relinquished control and let me be your master.”

She tilted her chin in defiance, secretly thrilled by his teasing. “I’m no guy’s sub.”

“Losing control can be fun.” His pelvis pressed down and she whimpered, making a mockery
of her declaration asserting her dominance. “I promise not to whip you too hard.”

He winked and she shoved him off, laughing as their limbs tangled. “Come on. Let’s
think kink for a while.”

He groaned. “Think kink? Pretty woeful.” As he tugged on his shorts and pulled a navy
polo over his head, he added, “A spanking is definitely in order.”

“Only if you bend over and ask nicely.” She smirked, enjoying their banter almost
as much as the sex.

God, they were good together. She’d really miss him when they went their separate
ways. Dressing this up as an exploration of her sexuality was one thing. But this
easygoing repartee and constant laughs? Something she’d never had with any of the
guys she’d dated.

His palm splayed across her chest, directly over her heart, which skipped a beat in
response. “I really do have to finish some work. Why don’t you give me an hour or
two, then I’ll take you out for dinner and let you tie me up later?”

“Promise?”

“Yeah, I’m starving so dinner is a given.”

She cupped his cheek, wondering if he could feel the way her heart bucked beneath
his palm. “I was talking about the tied-up part.”

“That, too.” He dropped a kiss on her nose and whacked her playfully on the butt.
“Better take care of this because after I’ve finished with you, you won’t be walking
for a week.”

This time, when Allegra’s heart skipped a beat, she didn’t know if it was anticipation
or fear. “You’re kidding, right?”

He smacked her ass again, this time a little harder. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

She scooted out of bed and scooped up her clothes. “Go do some work and I’ll see you
later.”

“That’s a promise.” He hauled her into his arms for one last sizzling kiss before
releasing her, and as she watched him pad into the bathroom, she hoped she wasn’t
in way over her head with this one.

Chapter Seven

Allegra changed outfits three times. Swapped a leopard-print jumpsuit for a LBD. Tried
on boot-cut satin pants only to ditch them in favor of a handkerchief chiffon skirt.
Put her hair up. Took it down. Slicked gloss on her lips. Swiped it off.

She was a wreck.

Somewhere between Jett making her laugh and making love to her, she’d fallen for him.
Way deeper than expected. She’d known it the moment she’d proposed that they try out
the Kink Kit, because relinquishing control—inside or outside of the bedroom—wasn’t
something she did well.

To trust him enough to explore outside her normal sexual boundaries…yeah, she had
feelings for him and it terrified her. She couldn’t keep her secret any longer. It
wouldn’t be fair. Tonight, she’d tell him and hope to God he understood.

Zoe glanced up from a spreadsheet she was working on. “Tell me again why you’re going
to all this trouble when you’ll be naked in five seconds flat?”

Allegra flipped her the bird.

Zoe hooted. “I love it when you get feisty. You should do it more often.”

“Feisty is what got me into this mess in the first place,” Allegra said, glancing
in the mirror one last time to see if her zebra-striped maxi-dress looked okay.

“Mess?” Zoe pushed her laptop away, giving Allegra her undivided attention. “Sweetie,
get a clue. You being involved with the stud-muffin has been nothing but good for
you.”

“How do you figure that?” Allegra whirled on her best friend. “Look at me. I’m dithering.
I never dither. I’m one hundred percent in control all the time and it works for me.”

“Really? Because from what I’ve seen over the years…” Zoe’s hand wavered. “The control
freak thing? Not working out so great.”

Unsure whether she should be having this conversation five minutes before Jett was
due to arrive—like she wasn’t rattled enough now that she’d decided to tell him the
truth—she folded her arms. “What do you mean?”

Zoe gnawed on her bottom lip, as if contemplating the wisdom of delivering her own
brand of bluntness.

“Come on, Zo-Zo. You’ve never held back before. Give it to me straight.”

“Okay, here’s the thing.” Zoe absentmindedly ruffled her spikes. “You give off this
vibe to people all the time. Like you’re untouchable. You don’t let people get close.
Yet with this guy you dropped your guard after knowing him for ten seconds. Doesn’t
that tell you something?”

“That I’m a moron?”

Zoe made a buzzer sound. “Wrong answer. Try again.”

Allegra inhaled, puffed out her cheeks, and exhaled. “We have chemistry. Big deal.”

“You’re doing it again.” Zoe shook her head. “Hiding behind that levelheaded facade
you present to everyone.” She made a strangling action with her hands. “Sometimes
I want to throttle you. Or shake some sense into you.”

“Tell me how you really feel.” Allegra stopped fiddling with her outfit and plopped
into the chair opposite. “What do you want me to say? That I really like Jett?” She
threw her hands up. “Fine. I’ll say it. I like him.
Really
like him. But where can this go? We live on different continents.”

Plus she’d lied to him. No way would he trust her once he heard the truth.

Zoe dismissed her with a flick of her wrist. “What you two have is more than a case
of raging hormones.”

Zoe was right, damn her.

Deep down, in a place Allegra never acknowledged let alone adhered to, she knew why
she was so damn nervous about telling Jett the truth tonight. Because she cared for
him, she wanted to ensure that she did this right.

After tonight, she’d probably never see Jett Halcott again. A thought that made her
breathless and light-headed and sick to her stomach.

“Your expression says it all.” Zoe smiled as she shut down her laptop and slid it
into her carryall. “You’re in love with the guy.”

“No way—”

“Might be a good idea to tell him at some point during your sexathon.” Zoe blew her
a kiss. “Have fun, sweetie.”

Allegra glared at Zoe’s retreating back as her friend breezed out the door and closed
it behind her.

She wasn’t in love with Jett.

She couldn’t be.

But then her heart twisted, and a small part of her had to admit that maybe, just
maybe, she was.

…

Allegra went through the motions at dinner. She praised the delicious salmon and scallop
terrine, the sweetened Swiss chard in a thyme sauce, the pappardelle pasta tossed
with calamari, and the coconut cherry cake.

She drank the smooth Shiraz and sweet dessert wine, made small talk, and laughed in
all the appropriate places at Jett’s inappropriate jokes, all the while feeling like
she was having an out-of-body experience, floating somewhere above the table on the
ocean’s edge, watching a play between two exceptional actors.

If Jett felt the tension, he didn’t show it. He flirted and charmed, reminding her
of their first meeting at LAX. Had it only been last week? It seemed like she’d known
him a lifetime, and that more than anything reinforced how much she cared.

Zoe was right. She was half in love with the guy. Which made telling him the truth
all the harder.

“You haven’t heard a word I’ve said.” Jett placed his cutlery together on his plate,
rested his forearms on the table, and leaned forward.

“Sure I have.”

“Really?” A devilish smile curved his lips. “So you don’t mind filming how we test
out the Kink Kit later and posting it to YouTube?”

“You didn’t say that.”

“How would you know if you weren’t listening?” He tapped his ear and she slumped in
resignation.

“I have a lot on my mind.”

“Like?”

“Work.” A semi-truth that would have to do, because no way would she be telling him
the real reason behind her somber mood. Not until later, in the privacy of her suite.
She owed him that much, to be away from prying eyes when she dropped her bombshell.

“You’re on a gorgeous island. You should switch off.”

As if. Her business was on a slippery slope to bankruptcy and she had to score the
campaign of a lifetime or go under. A campaign that would lose her the guy she’d grown
to care for.

She pushed around a cherry on her dessert plate before laying the fork down. “Occupational
hazard, I guess.”

He studied her with an intensity she found unnerving. “You’ve never mentioned your
work—”

“Want to get out of here?” She couldn’t discuss this, not here.

She expected him to push her for answers but thankfully, his mouth eased into the
teasing smile she’d grown to love. “You’re that eager to get spanked?”

“Maybe.” She kept her tone flippant, happy to resort to flirting to hide her tumultuous
nerves. “Let’s go.”

“You’re calling the shots,” he said, slipping his hand into hers as they headed to
her suite.

“I soon will be, once you’re buck naked.” She forced a smile, feeling increasingly
guilty with every step.

The closer they got to her suite, Allegra mentally rehearsed how she’d tell Jett the
truth. Starting with the real reason she was here on the island, incorporating how
she’d tried to do the right thing by him in changing her pitch, ending with how much
she’d grown to care for him and she’d never meant to deliberately deceive him.

Yeah, like he’d believe that. Maybe she should wait until after they’d indulged in
the hour or so of passion she’d been fantasizing about since she’d first glimpsed
that Kink Kit.

It was wrong of her. Incredibly wrong. Selfish, too. But she knew without a doubt
Jett would walk once she told him the truth and she wanted to have one, last, special
memory to tide her over in the lonely months ahead when she focused on salvaging what
she could from her failed company if she didn’t land the Kaluna deal.

“Are you nervous?” He squeezed her hand as they paused outside her door. “Because
you don’t have to be. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

She stepped into his embrace, impressed by his thoughtfulness. “Guess I’m wondering
if this vanilla girl has what it takes to open the Kink Kit, let alone use the stuff
in there.”

“Sweetheart, you’re incredibly passionate.” He ground his pelvis against her to prove
it. “I want you all the time. And not just because you’re hot. It’s because you make
me feel good. And I want to share that feeling with you in return.”

Damn, now he’d almost made her cry

“You should come inside and let me prove it,” she said, stepping out of his arms,
fumbling with the key card twice before opening the door and preceding him in.

She heard the door click and then he was on her, wrapping his arms around her from
behind, planting hot, openmouthed kisses on her neck, hugging her close.

When he touched her like this, she could almost forget what tonight was about. But
the ugly truth was there, unsaid between them, and her eyes squeezed shut to stave
off the tears that threatened.

“Let’s go open the box,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t quiver as she blinked rapidly,
not surprised when he all but pushed her toward the bedroom from behind.

She’d laid it out on the bed in preparation, the deep crimson of the box a startling
contrast to the five-hundred-count ivory sheets.

“You sure about this?” He nuzzled her neck. “Because you’ve been kinda out of it all
evening and I don’t want this to stress you out. We can—”

“Shh.” She spun around in his arms and pressed a fingertip to his lips. “I want to
do this.”

He nodded and led her to the bed. “So are you a take-it-slow-peek-under-the-lid, or
a rip-the-wrapping-off-fast kinda girl?”

She slipped her fingers into the waistband of his pants and tugged him closer. “Don’t
know about you, but considering how turned on I am around you? Fast sounds good.”

“Feeling’s entirely mutual, babe,” he said, jerking his head toward the box. “Though
once we choose something to play with out of there, fast won’t be an option.” He brushed
a soft kiss across her lips. “It’ll be slow all the way.” He trailed tiny kisses along
her jaw to nip at the tender skin beneath her ear. “Real slow.”

Allegra sighed and sank onto the bed, Jett right beside her. She reached for the box,
ripped off the black silk ribbon binding it, and flipped the lid. Considering what
she’d been expecting, she exhaled in relief.

“Doesn’t seem terribly kinky to me.” Jett snagged a pair of fluffy leopard-print handcuffs
on the end of his finger and picked up a blindfold with the other.

“What about this?” She held up a leather whip, with tiny embedded studs in the tail.
“Or this?” She grabbed a paddle and smacked it against her thigh.

He winced on her behalf. “Guess now’s the time I should come clean and tell you I
have a very low pain threshold.”

“So whipping and spanking are out?”

He chuckled at her fake pout. “Unless you want to be on the receiving end.”

“Hell no.” She threw the whip and paddle aside and picked up long, purple, silken
scarves instead. “This and the handcuffs are probably about as kinky as this vanilla
girl wants to get.”

“Done.” His relief mirrored hers and she laughed.

“Look at us, living on the wild side,” she said, sliding the scarves through her fingers,
savoring the softness.

“Tying you up and having you at my mercy will be pretty damn wild,” he said, making
a grab for the scarves.

“I don’t think so.” She held them overhead and shook her head. “If anyone’s being
hog-tied tonight, it’s you.”

His eyes narrowed as he edged closer to her. “Sweetheart, when we first met, you told
me you have major control issues. Tonight, I want to see how far you can let go.”

Good point. But exploring her sexuality was one thing; being tied up and at Jett’s
mercy was another. It would require complete trust. One hundred percent confidence
in him.

That’s the moment everything she’d been feeling for Jett clarified.

She never would’ve had sex with him on the plane if she didn’t trust him to some degree.
And she never would’ve continued their fling on the island without feeling the same.
As for tonight? She may have dated infrequently in the past but she couldn’t think
of one of those guys she trusted enough to even contemplate stepping outside her comfort
zone sexually.

Jett was right. Time to relinquish control and see how far she could go.

Her hands shook slightly as she handed him the scarves. “Okay. I trust you.”

Tenderness darkened his eyes. “Good. So you’ll do as I say?”

“Within reason.”

The corners of his mouth quirked. “You can stop at any time.”

With the images of what he could potentially do to her if she were tied up flitting
across her mind in erotic detail, she seriously doubted that would be an option. “What
first?”

“Strip for me.” He scooted up the bed until he reached the headboard and leaned back
against the pillows. “Now.”

“Yes, Master,” she said, earning a wry grin as she stood and walked around the bed
to stand a few feet away from him. “I hope you like what you see.”

“Never in doubt,” he said, his hungry gaze riveted to her hands as she slipped one
strap off her right shoulder, repeated the action on the left, and shimmied a little.
The dress slid to the floor, leaving her wearing a black satin thong.

He stared at her breasts, intense and focused, until her nipples hardened into peaks.
“Take it all off,” he growled, his gaze traveling lower as she snagged the satin elastic
and tugged.

His eyes seemed to glow in the bedroom’s dim lighting as she kicked away the thong,
leaving her naked and wet and wanting.

“Lie down.” He swept the box off the bed, its contents spilling to the floor. “Right
here.”

He pointed to the middle of the bed, his gaze unwavering as she obeyed. “On your back.”

Her initial nerves at playing any kind of out-of-the-ordinary scenario faded, replaced
by something more potent. Lust. Excitement. Anticipation. Her clammy skin stuck to
the sheets a little as she wriggled into place.