One night. Toni told herself she’d earned one night with this very special man. Then she could hang on to the memories and get on with her busy life. She refused to let herself dwell on what kind of emptiness that life would hold now that she’d known Max.
He’d settled her on the table and the lacquer felt cool against her hot, fevered skin, making her more aware of her surroundings and what was to come. She spread her thighs and he stepped inside, then bent his head and captured her nipple in his mouth, suckling her through the filmy black lace. His teeth grazed her flesh, then his tongue soothed and white-hot darts of need pulsed inside her. Her reaction was immediate, the pull starting at point of contact and causing intense contractions deep in her belly and down lower.
“You like that?”
Her answer came out a low, husky growl.
“Is that a yes?” He cradled her tender flesh in one hand and treated her other breast to the same lavish attention as the first.
She squirmed against the hard surface and slick moisture trickled between her legs as warmth and desire exploded inside her. “That’s a yes.”
He lifted his head and met her gaze. “You like to play.”
“When it goes both ways.” She raised her hands, placing both palms not just on his bare chest, but against his nipples.
Slowly, she raked her nails downward, watching, gratified, as his eyes glazed with heated emotion.
He groaned aloud. “You have no idea what you do to me.”
“Oh, I think I can guess.” Because she knew what he did to her. Every nerve ending came to life, raw and exposed, sizzling with live currents of desire.
“No need to guess when I can show you,” he said, bringing his mouth down hard on hers. Frenzied, his kiss expressed an immediate need to be as close as possible.
His tongue swept inside the deep recesses of her mouth, mimicking the ultimate act. It wasn’t a joining of bodies in the biblical sense, but another, just as intimate means of climbing toward satisfaction. His strong hands slid from her waist to her thighs and he grazed the tops of her stockings with his thumbs while his fingertips teased the outer edges of her panties. With his whisper-soft and erotically arousing movements, he let her know what he had in store.
And Toni wanted more. She arched her back and her hips jerked forward, reflexively, searching for his harder, deeper touch. He didn’t deny her. He broke the kiss and concentrated on her need, cupping her feminine mound in his palm. The heat and weight of his hand against her barely covered flesh stirred long-dormant sensations and when he pushed aside the thin lace and dipped his fingers inside her moist, waiting heat, she thought she’d died and gone to heaven.
She was hot and aroused, on the brink of falling over a precipice, a tumble she had no desire to take alone. She leaned back to catch her breath, intending to make her desire known and she caught a glimpse of their position. She was barely dressed, her legs spread wide, with Max’s lean body settled between them. She was open and vulnerable, physically as well as emotionally. The intimacy they were sharing struck her as strongly as her rampaging emotions. And when he leaned over, covering her body with his so he could rest his cheek against hers, he found a way closer to her heart.
She shut her eyes against the wave of emotion she wasn’t ready to deal with and instead wrapped her legs around his waist in a provocative suggestion. “Make love to me, Max.”
His deep blue eyes met hers. “Be sure, Toni.” His breathing was as ragged as her emotions. “Because if we go any further there’s no way I can stop.”
She’d come into this night with seduction in mind and though everything had changed, including the man, there was no way she could walk away from him now. Still, he had to understand her behavior wasn’t normally so wanton. She didn’t know why it mattered so much, but it did.
She caressed his face with one hand. “I wouldn’t have asked you if I wasn’t sure, but . . .”
He grabbed for her hand. “But what?”
“No matter how bold I’ve been tonight, I want you to know I don’t usually sleep with a man I just met.”
“I know.”
“You do?”
He nodded. “Because I feel like I’ve known you all my life.”
She felt the same but couldn’t bring herself to admit the truth out loud. She licked her already moist lips. “There’s something else you need to know.” She couldn’t think beyond now. Not that he’d asked but the emotional pull between them was too strong to ignore.
He shook his head. “Enough talking, don’t you think?” To make his point, he slipped one finger back into her panties, parting her sensitive folds and moving his fingertip deeply inside her.
She closed her eyes and exhaled a soft moan as he encountered the desire he’d created inside her.
“So wet, so ready for me.”
The man did have a point. “Talking can wait.” She forced her heavy eyelids open. “So what did you have in mind?”
“I’m going to do what you asked, sweetheart. I’m going to make love to you. But I want you to do something for me first.” He reached into his front pocket and pulled out the anklet she’d had on earlier in the evening.
She eyed the object with surprise.
“I took it from the car.” He answered her unspoken question and shook the accessory in the air. The light chime of bells echoed in the silent bar. “Wear these for me.”
Her heart beat out a rapid pulse and excitement tingled inside her. “Mind if I ask why?” she asked, curiously aroused by the suggestion.
“I want to hear bells when I come inside you,” he said and his blue eyes flared with heat. “And every time you hear the ringing of chimes, I want you to think of me.”
She never broke eye contact as she raised her leg and perched it on the edge of the table. With a nod of approval, he turned to his task, taking his time, rolling the stocking down her leg, inch by tantalizing inch. When he finished one, she propped her other leg so he could peel off another of her few remaining layers.
Then he snapped the anklet closed. “Perfect,” he said, taking in her wanton pose.
With her legs spread wide, Toni ought to be embarrassed, but all she felt was a keen sense of carnal anticipation. “Well, you’ve got me where you want me.”
She shifted her leg, shaking her foot so he could hear the light tinkling of bells. To her surprise, the sound turned from light and playful to highly erotic, charging the already electric atmosphere even further. “So what do you plan to do with me?”
With her help, he eased the last remaining undergarment off her legs, letting her panties fall to the floor. “I already told you. I’m going to make love to you.” Then he knelt down, dipped his head, and proceeded to do just that, in a way she hadn’t expected or anticipated. In a way much more intimate than she’d imagined.
His hot breath covered her feminine mound and his tongue delved deep into her core. Resting back on her elbows, she gave herself up to sensation, to the masterful strokes and fiery darting motions that had her hips gyrating and her body arching, beseeching him for more. He complied, bringing her higher, nearly to the brink of orgasm.
“Max!” She writhed beneath him, unable to express her desire further, not with her body tense and her climax so close. But she knew she didn’t want her first time to be alone. Wonderful yet unfulfilling at the same time. He seemed to understand because his nuzzling caresses slowed and the waves subsided, leaving her empty.
Next thing she knew, she was being lifted and carried in his arms. “We’re going where?” she wondered aloud, her body protesting the very cessation of pleasure she’d asked for.
“Upstairs.” Max made his way to the back door and up a dimly lit staircase. “Somehow, thoughts of our first time on a pool table don’t work for me.”
Not that he’d had the presence of mind to realize that before she’d called out his name, he thought. Prior to that moment, he’d have taken her on the hard surface without thought or reason, he’d been so far gone. Lost in her dewy essence.
“See? I told you you were a nice guy.” Her arms snaked around his neck, her bare body crushed against his chest. “Now hurry.”
He managed a laugh, barely able to make his way up the stairs, open his door, and hit the bedroom before lowering her to the bed and sealing his mouth to hers. But kissing wasn’t enough for either of them and her hands fumbled with the snap on his jeans. Frustrated with the barrier between them, he rose to shuck his pants and briefs, and to dig protection from the back of his nightstand drawer, not an easy task in the dim room, lit only by the glow of light from the street lamp outside.
As he knelt over her, a wash of emotion swept through him, strong and tender, something he knew damn well he’d never felt before. He cupped her thighs, widening her legs, then slid his fingers over her damp flesh. He met her velvet gaze, watched as her eyes glazed at the same moment her hips rose in response to the slick strokes of his hand.
A soft purr escaped her throat, a sound of frustrated need.
“Just making sure you’re ready for me, sweetheart.”
“I am.” She took him by surprise, managing to flip him to his side, switching their positions, her ending up on top. “I realize you’re trying to be a gentleman our first time.” Toni swung her leg over his until she straddled his thighs. “But there’s no reason to wait.”
“I like the way you think.” And he more than liked her.
After making use of the condom he’d found earlier, he grasped her hips, fully participating as she lowered herself onto his hard erection. He gritted his teeth as heaven surrounded him and he entered her tight, moist heat.
She let out a shuddering sigh. “It’s . . .” She bit down on her lower lip. “It’s never been like this before.” Awe and something more infused her voice, letting him know she felt not just the physical, but the emotional connection, as well.
Needing to touch her in other ways, he lifted his upper body to meet her lips in a too brief kiss before leaning back against the pillows. She shifted slightly and his body shook with the restraint of holding back, of letting her mentally adjust to a connection he’d already recognized and accepted.
He reached up to unhook the clasp of her bra and she let the flimsy garment fall to the side, revealing twin mounds of rounded flesh. Her black hair fell over her shoulders, in stark contrast to her pale skin. He’d never seen a more incredible sight. His body swelled and hardened further while her muscles contracted to accommodate him, arousing him even more.
Max had said he felt as if he’d known her forever, and cocooned inside her, he knew he was right. His heart pounded as hard and fast as the adrenaline flowing through him. And then she began to move, beginning a rhythm he picked up immediately. Each circular motion built upon the already growing waves rocking his body. Every clench of her thighs ground their bodies more intimately and drove him that much deeper inside her. Fire licked at his skin and waves of desire pushed him higher, and from the soft cries escaping her lips, he knew she felt it, too.
Carnal sensation mixed with a basic awareness. He’d had sex before, but Toni was right. They were making love.
He glided inside, her tight, slick passage accepting him, taking him with her just as her frenzied movements carried her up and over the edge.
“Max.” She cried out his name, her body pulsing around his, beckoning him to follow. And as his climax hit, engulfing him in sensation, Max heard the ringing of bells.
Toni curled her legs beneath her and poked around in the candy dish he’d brought from his small kitchen. She clenched her thighs together and the waves of awareness hit her once more. How could she still be so sensitive and aroused?
She glanced over at Max through hooded eyes. He watched her intently, not saying a word. What was there to say? What they’d just shared defied description. Though she knew she’d clammed up on him afterward, her thoughts were in turmoil. She’d planned a seduction she could walk away from, not a relationship that would be hard to let go of. But no matter how she tried to tell herself she barely knew him, he’d not only touched her body, he’d touched her heart.
“Do you always work up such an appetite?” He rested his arm across the pillows, skimming his fingertips along her shoulders.
“I already told you I don’t do this often, so how do you expect me to answer that?” She knew she’d snapped and held up her hands in apology. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“I do.”
He gently took the bowl out of her hands and placed it on the nightstand. “It was intense and it scared you.”
She narrowed her gaze, not sure if she liked how well he read her. “If that’s the case then how come you’re so calm and composed?”
He took her hand, his thumb tracing slow circles into her palm and her stomach curled with warmth. “I’m a jaded guy who’s been around?” he said lightly.
Toni sensed more beneath his words but she couldn’t tell if she was projecting her hopes and dreams into his unspoken words.
“And if I’m not thrown, I think the more important question is how come you are?” he asked.
She bit down on her lower lip. She couldn’t very well tell him she’d slept with him wanting only one night. For one thing it was callous, and regardless of what he wanted from her, she had no desire to hurt him. And for another, what she’d wanted going into this night was no longer what she desired now.
Now she wanted a chance to see where things with Max could lead, but the thought frightened her beyond reason. After all, what did she know of long-term, stable relationships? Of depending on another person when she only knew how to depend on herself? Most of all, she feared losing her independence to a man and what it could cost her.
But she wanted to learn about sharing and caring, and she wanted to see that being in a relationship didn’t mean losing the autonomy she cherished. She wanted to learn all those things.
With Max.
“Let’s say you’re right.” She forced herself to meet his compassionate and oh-so-sexy gaze. “And let’s say what’s between us is passionate and . . .”
“Intense.” He treated her to his most charming grin.
Then again, any grin she’d seen from him was appealing and her heart twisted with emotion. “Okay, intense. It’s been one night. What exactly are you proposing we do about it?” she asked and her heart clenched with possibilities.
In response, he pulled her into his arms and toppled her to the mattress, sandwiching her body between his and the bed. “I suggest we go with the flow and see where things lead.”
And if his hard erection against her stomach was any indication, she knew exactly where they were headed. At least for now. “You do know how to tempt me.” And going with the flow wasn’t a high-pressure situation.
In fact, it was one she couldn’t wait to handle. She reached down and grasped his hard erection in her hands. He exhaled and a masculine groan reverberated from his body through hers.
He somehow managed a harsh laugh. “Tempting you is a pleasure.” He brushed a sweet kiss across her lips. “Then I have one day at a time to show you we can be as good out of bed as in.”
His hips jerked forward, brushing against her thigh. Heat rocked her and arousal began a steady pulsing rhythm.
Toni closed her eyes. Easier to concentrate on the physical than on the emotional, she thought, letting sensation take over. He had only to let his desire be known and her body came alive.
“Look at me.”
She opened her eyes but she wasn’t able to meet his gaze.
“I’m not going to let you hide from me.” He cupped her cheek in his hand but didn’t turn her head for her.
The tender gesture brought an unnerving lump to her throat. Not only did he understand her so well but he cared, too. What they’d found in one night was rare and special and she sensed he felt it, too.
She fought the inclination to flee and met his patient gaze. “I don’t want to hide from you.” Her words came out a whisper and she realized she meant it. Reservations be damned.
“Then don’t.” Max pulled the covers back, revealing their bare bodies to the cooler air, then reached over and turned on a bedside lamp. He wanted her trust, wanted no secrets, no clothing, not even darkness between them. Physical intimacy was the only way he knew how to start.
The rest would have to come. They’d already made love once, and when they did again, there’d be no hiding.
He caressed her body with his gaze, following the slender lines and full curves, appreciation and more settling inside him. Then he watched as she did the same. She took in his body, her eyes widening as they traveled from his face, down to the erection he couldn’t hide.
“What do you want from me?” she asked softly, but he had a hunch she already knew because as she spoke, she slid backward, settling into the pillows behind her.
Her black hair fanned across the ivory sheets. His sheets. A primitive urge to possess her, to make her his again—this time forever—took hold. “I want everything, sweetheart. But I’ll take as much as you’re willing to give.”
He inched forward, making his way toward her. Her eyes lit with excitement and desire, diluted by an apprehension only his time and trust could overcome.
She surprised him by extending her arms. “I want to make love to you, Max. Lights on, nothing hidden.”
Her vulnerability hit him hard where it counted most—his heart.
Toni awoke feeling decadent and relaxed after falling asleep without trouble for the first time in ages. Of course her late-night activity could have had something to do with that. So could her . . . lover.
Lover. She tested the word on her tongue, realizing it was too generic, too detached and indifferent, to describe their encounter. Whatever sexual relationships she’d had in the past, no one had made it past the walls she’d built up since she’d been a child. How could any man have gotten inside her when she’d feared emotional closeness would result in unhealthy dependence? But Max had not only found her heart, she’d willingly let him in.
“Max?” She sat up in bed, realizing she was alone.
Noise from the shower in the bathroom alerted her to his location. She was in Max’s bedroom while he showered for the day. Soon he’d come out—would he wrap a towel around his neck? His waist? Neither? Curling her legs beneath her, she forced deep breaths into her lungs. Whatever sharing a morning together entailed, it couldn’t be any more intimate than the night they’d just spent.
And it wasn’t reason for panic, she told herself, until the waves of anxiety began to ease. The man wasn’t asking her for anything more than she was willing to give, and a nurturing, caring relationship would be a wonderful start to both the holiday season and a brand-new year.
The ringing of the telephone startled her and the answering machine picked up soon after. “Hi, Max.” Toni recognized Stephan’s voice. “Dad tells me you’ll be running the new office. Since Santa’s helper will be your assistant, it won’t be too much of a strain,” he said, a wry sound to his voice. “You owe me one. Later, big brother.”
No sooner had Stephan’s voice clicked off than Toni tossed the covers off, adrenaline flowing fast in her veins. Or maybe she was feeling a full-blown anxiety attack coming on. Was this fate’s version of a joke? Or was she being punished for her descent into the world of the less repressed?
Where were her clothes? She glanced around the room, desperate to find something to put on. She’d finally found a man she could relate to, a man she desired, a man she trusted enough to let down her guard with.
And he’d be her new boss. A man she’d slept with the first night they’d met. A man who was now in control of her job—the symbol of the very independence she cherished. One-night stand or full-blown affair, it didn’t matter. Because office romances never worked out, and when they fell apart, who was the one gone? Not the boss, but the coworker. Office-wrecker.
She’d be out on her ear, no job, no references, no money—her blessed independence shot to hell, all because she’d fallen for the wrong man. “Where are my clothes?” she wailed aloud.
Downstairs. Scattered around the poolroom. She rolled her eyes, realizing her life had taken on surreal proportions. Her gaze fell to a pile of clothes on the chair which obviously substituted for a laundry hamper or a closet. She grabbed a sweatshirt and then turned to the desk and pilfered a sheet of paper.
“Dear Max,” she wrote, feeling as if it were like “Dear John” and hating herself for it. She finished her letter, hoping what she said would be enough to save, if not her job, then at least a letter of recommendation for a position at a new firm. Starting over, Toni thought. Like her mother had each time she’d tried to make a stand and failed.
Her stomach clenching, she bolted for the door without looking back.