Lauren remained unusually silent as the CEO and his PA accompanied them to the lobby. Gage carried his end of the conversation, informing the client what to expect next in the process, but his attention was divided between the job at hand and Lauren. Women never came between him and his work, but he had to admit he’d been preoccupied with Lauren.
They said their goodbyes to the client and buckled into the rental car. Lauren stared out the window. He’d barely known her a week, but he already knew and liked the way she threw herself one hundred percent into everything she did. He liked her analytical mind, the way she relentlessly picked apart the details of an issue until she understood the big picture. Working with her had been easy because he shared the same traits. He liked that she knew how to have fun. She wasn’t having any now.
He merged the car onto the highway. “The phone call upset you. What’s going on?”
“Gage, it’s nothing important.” She pulled out her cell phone. “Excuse me for a moment. I need to call the food service people to order our meal and notify the airport that we’re on our way.”
Part of him admired her efficiency as she quickly dealt with preflight red tape like the pro she was, but her nonanswer frustrated him. He’d bide his time, but he would get to the bottom of what had killed her good mood before they took off.
An hour later he’d made no progress. Any attempts at private conversation had been derailed first by the need to refuel the plane and complete the ground portion of her preflight check, then once Lauren had climbed on board, the hovering staff serving their meal had made a personal discussion impossible. But finally, Lauren closed and locked the jet’s door behind the departing servers, and silence filled the cabin.
Gage positioned himself so that when she turned around she stepped right into his open arms.
Her wide eyes found his. “Is something wrong?”
He rubbed her stiff back. “You tell me.”
Her gaze lowered to his chin. “No. I’ll have us in the air in twenty minutes.”
Not if he had his way. He was determined to discover whatever had her wired, and if that meant getting her to let down her guard by stripping her out of her clothing and communicating the way they did best, then so be it. He stroked a finger along her cheek and her breathing hitched.
“Gage—” Warning filled her voice, but her pupils dilated.
“Ever made love in an airplane?”
She licked her lips. “No.”
“Neither have I.”
“The, um…mile high club usually waits until the plane’s in the air…or so I’m told.”
“I’m not interested in flying without a pilot.”
“Good. Me, either. The threat of crashing isn’t an aphrodisiac for me.”
“Let’s rock this jet, Lauren.” He covered her mouth with his, savoring her soft lips, her taste, her flowery scent. A fragment of his brain wondered if he’d lost his mind. It wasn’t like him to mix business with pleasure, and Lauren was definitely the latter.
Her short nails dug into his waist and the stiffness slowly drained from her. She leaned into him and her tongue twined with his as she returned the embrace. His heart pounded and desire weighted his groin.
Her palms flattened on his chest and she broke the kiss. Her cheeks were flushed, her lids heavy as she looked up at him, but passion glowed in her eyes. “This is crazy. What are we doing?”
Her breathless voice amped up his pulse rate. “We’re going to put one of these leather seats to good use before we take off. As you said, once we return to Knoxville, being together will be a challenge.”
She bit her lip then rested her forehead on his shoulder. “Everything will change, won’t it?”
He lifted her chin and met her worried gaze. “It doesn’t have to. Not yet.”
But soon she’d go back to Daytona, and his life would return to normal. The knowledge didn’t fill him with the relief or satisfaction it should have. He couldn’t afford to be sidetracked right now. He was too close to having Faulkner Consulting exactly where he wanted it. He had almost enough invested to make sure he’d never be homeless or go hungry again even if his business folded.
He caressed her cheek, her neck, then traced her ear. Her eyes closed and her lips parted. He kissed her again, a series of brief teasing touches of his lips on hers.
Impatient for the feel of her, the taste of her, he unbuttoned her uniform jacket then her blouse and cradled her br**sts in his hands. He tugged the bra cups down until they rested beneath the swells of pale flesh, then he bent to capture one nipple in his mouth, the other with his fingers.
Her sigh filled his ears. She yanked his shirt from his pants and pressed her palms to his chest. Her hands smoothed over his back, waist and belly, inflaming him.
While he sucked and nibbled her br**sts, he outlined her hips, then slid his hands beneath her skirt to caress her incredible legs and tight, round bottom. The snug skirt restricted his movements. He worked the fabric up to her waist and peeled her panty hose and panties down for better access. His palms glided over her warm, satiny skin.
“Mmm, I love the way you touch me.” Her lips teased his skin as she murmured against the side of his neck. Her hand covered his erection, and she massaged him through his pants.
Hunger racked him. A growl rumbled from deep in his gut. He wanted her now. He found the slick folds between her legs. Her whimper rewarded him for hitting the spot he’d learned drove her wild.
Her legs parted slightly, but she covered his hand with hers. He noted she didn’t still his circling finger. “You’re rushing me.”
Her sexy whisper only made him more impatient to be inside her. He grazed her nipple with his teeth then lifted his head and stared into her passion-filled eyes. “This is going to be hard and fast. Got a problem with that?”
Her throaty chuckle vibrated over him. “No.”
As he backed toward the nearest seat, her fingers went to work on his belt and pants. She shoved them over his butt, and he sank onto the cool leather. He stripped her panty hose and panties to her ankles then gripped her h*ps and pulled her toward him.
He buried his face in her curls, savoring her scent in his nose and the taste of her arousal on his tongue.
“Gage, I can’t—”
“Hold on,” he said against her.
She grasped his shoulders. He licked, sucked and teased her until her legs shook and her nails dug into his scalp. He kneaded her bottom with one hand and her breast with the other. Her breathing turned choppy then her back bowed. Climax shuddered through her, making her jerk against his mouth and moisten his fingers. She sagged into his hand.
He kissed her hip, tongued her navel, then her n**ples until the aftershocks passed. “I have a condom in my left pants pocket.”
She leaned back in his arms, a sassy smile curving her lips. “Confident, were you?”
“I knew what we both wanted.”
“Smart man. No wonder companies pay you the big bucks.” She knelt in front of him and bent to dig into the trousers piled on top of the shoes he hadn’t removed. Meeting his gaze, she tore the packet with her teeth and wrapped her fingers around him, but instead of rolling on the latex, she leaned forward and took him into her hot, wet mouth.
Gage slammed back against the seat as desire seared him. Her tongue swirled around the head of his shaft, and his control wavered. He gripped the armrests and fought against the explosive need building deep in his gut.
“Lauren.” He growled her name in warning.
She lifted her head only a fraction. “You said you wanted fast.”
Her warm breath teased his damp flesh. One of the things he liked about Lauren was she didn’t play coy or try to hide her desire. She wanted him. He could see her hunger in her eyes, on her wet lips and her pink cheeks. With mischief dancing in her eyes she held his gaze, flicked her tongue over him and stroked him from base to tip and back again. He quaked with need.
“Put the damned thing on and ride me.”
Her lips curved into a wicked grin. “Yes, sir. Did I mention the customer’s always right?”
She taunted him by rolling on the protection slowly, rechecking the fit again and again by gliding her fingers up and down his length and cupping his nuts. The touch of her hands drove him toward the crumbling edge of his control.
“Witch.”
The gutteral word made her grin widen.
He grabbed her wrists and yanked her over him. She stumbled, probably entangled in the lingerie still wound around her ankles. He caught her and urged her forward.
She planted a knee on the wide seat on either side of him. He hit the recline button, laying himself back, then guided her over his erection. She lowered, engulfing him one slow inch at a time.
A seductive smile teased her lips as she eased down until she’d taken his full length, then her breath whooshed out on a half sigh, half moan. “You feel good.”
“So do you, babe. Damned good.”
He lifted her skirt higher, clearing the view to watch her taking him as she rose over him, lowered, lifted again. He clutched her h*ps and helped her set a pace guaranteed to drive him out of his mind. Then he found her center and worked her with his thumb. Her legs trembled more with each rise and fall. His muscles clenched as he met each descent with an upward thrust.
He quickened the circles of his thumb and focused on the ecstasy chasing across her face, on the hot, slick glide of her body tightly gloving his. He was damned close, but he wasn’t coming without her. Not if he could help it. He arched forward and caught a nipple between his lips.
Her orgasm hit, jerking her with the first wave. Her internal muscles contracted around him, and he quit fighting. His cli**x blasted from his extremities through his gut then he erupted like a geyser. Afraid he’d throw her off as the violent spasms rocked him, he grabbed her waist and held on until, drained, he dissolved into the seat.
Lauren collapsed over him with her head on his shoulder and her rapid breaths steaming his jaw. She stroked his cheek, kissed his chin. “Wow.”
Her dazed tone startled a laugh out of him. He couldn’t remember ever laughing during or after sex before Lauren. But he’d laughed more with her over the past few days than he had in years. She was so real, honest and upfront about her reactions.
Trent was wrong about her. Dead wrong.
“I’ll second that wow.” Gage caressed her moist back beneath the uniform he hadn’t bothered to remove and waited for his heart and breathing to slow.
Lauren eased upright, smiling, disheveled and looking a little bemused. A lock of hair had come loose from the twist she’d pinned on the back of her head. An urge to hug her rolled over him, but he didn’t do hugs. Hugs led people to expect more. He settled for tucking the silky strand behind her ear and tracing a finger over the slowing pulse at the base of her neck.
“Lauren, tell me about the phone call.”
She stiffened and tried to get off him, but he clamped his hands on her thighs and held her in place.
“You’re persistent, aren’t you? Don’t sweat it. As I’ve said, it’s nothing I can’t handle.”