“No wonder.” His breathing grew rough. “This is intense.”
“I know.” She lifted her h*ps to meet him and matched his rhythm.
“That’s good. That’s real good, darlin’.” He increased the pace, and the room filled with the liquid sound of their bodies sliding together. “Now I want you to come for me.”
“No problem.” She focused on the blue flame in his eyes. “Especially if you keep doing that.”
He grinned. “That’s what I like to hear.” He began to piston back and forth even faster. “I can feel you gettin’ ready.”
“Uh-huh.” She gulped for air as her cli**x bore down on her, demanding release. “Oh, yeah . . . there . . . there!” With a cry she arched upward, wanting everything he had to give her. He surged forward, and she dove into a whirlpool of sensation. She cried out again as he plunged deeper, touching her core.
“Yes! God, Melanie, yes!” With a deep bellow, he drove home one last time. His eyes closed while he pulsed within her and shuddered in reaction.
Gradually his forehead came to rest on hers, and his warm breath tickled her face. Yet somehow he managed to keep himself braced on his forearms instead of collapsing on her. She couldn’t imagine the strength of will that would take.
After several long seconds, he lifted his head and opened his eyes. After drawing in a long, shaky breath, he looked down at her and smiled. “That . . . is what sex should be like.”
“Agreed.” But she was smart enough to realize that sex wouldn’t be like this with anyone else. And she had to be okay with that.
***
Although Drew had never rushed a woman to a hotel room before, in Paris or anywhere else, he’d had sense enough to preplan this episode, thank God. He’d intended their night at Les Folies to ramp up the sexual tension, and it had certainly accomplished that. They’d been wild for each other, as he’d hoped they would be.
But he’d decided in advance he didn’t want Henri driving them back home in that condition. Either Henri would have been embarrassed or Drew would have been frustrated. The taxi had been a much better option.
So far the night was everything he’d hoped for and more. Sending Melanie’s dress out to be steamed was a bonus. It meant she was conveniently nak*d for a while. Because he was a gentleman, he offered her one of the two robes in the closet, in case she felt modest.
Fortunately for him, she didn’t. Instead she coaxed him out of his clothes, which didn’t take much coaxing. They romped on the bed like kids, which led to romping on the bed like adults. He’d brought several condoms to take care of that possibility.
The pillows they’d used to whack each other during the pillow fight became a support system for some interesting sexual maneuvers. He concluded that she had some acquaintance with the Kama Sutra, and he was more than happy to try anything she had in mind. Variety was good. Variety was excellent, in fact.
Eventually, cli**xed out, they lay facing each other, sweaty and smiling.
“We’ll need showers,” she said.
“We’re in luck. There’s a shower through that door.” He pointed toward the attached bath. “I’ll be glad to wash your back for you.”
“How gallant.”
“No, how devious. I’ll take any old excuse to get my hands on that gorgeous body.”
“Where?” Gray eyes sparkling, she glanced around. “What gorgeous body?”
“This one.” He cupped her full breast and brushed his thumb over her dusky nipple until it stiffened. “This amazing, beautiful body.” He looked into her eyes. “Want to come again?”
“I don’t think I can, not after that last time when you kept going and I kept coming. I didn’t know I could do that three times in a row.”
“But now you know.” He shouldn’t already be thinking about the next time they’d be nak*d together and how many orgasms he might give her then. She had plenty to see and do tomorrow before he managed to get her undressed and back in his arms.
But he couldn’t help anticipating that moment. He longed to whisk her away to a tropical island where they wore few clothes and had no responsibilities. He began to dream of traveling with her and making love in every corner of the world.
He teased her other breast so it matched the first. “Your n**ples seem interested in having another round.”
She captured his hand and held it between both of hers. “You’re becoming greedy.”
“That’s a fact. I am. But I’ll let you rest.”
“Good.” She released his hand. “We should just talk until my dress arrives. What’s taking so long, anyway?”
“They won’t bring it until I call.”
She laughed. “I see how this works.”
“You wouldn’t want them knocking on the door in the middle of a rip-roarin’ orgasm, would you, darlin’?”
“No, guess not. Did you have the dress steaming in mind, too?”
“No, but this is a full-service hotel. They’ll bring food if we want it. Do you?”
“No, believe it or not.”
“I felt sort of guilty for robbing you of your snack last night. I don’t want to starve you.”
She shook her head. “I won’t let that happen. But thank you for choosing a hotel that delivers food. I’m impressed that you planned everything in advance. I had no idea.”
“Like it?”
“Very much. I feel way less inhibited in this hotel than in your townhouse. Your townhouse is elegant and I’m honored to stay there, but I worry about the servants discovering what’s going on between us.”
“Then we’ll come here again tomorrow night.” He made a mental note to set it up. “After the Eiffel Tower.”
“But if we come back here again, then you’re spending—”
“Shh.” He laid a finger over her mouth. “It’s worth every euro if you can relax while you’re with me.”
“Mm.” Her tongue darted out and licked his finger.
He waited to see what she’d do next. Sure enough, she pulled his finger into her mouth and began to suck. He’d thought he was all played out, but seeing the action of her full lips curved around his finger proved that he had life in him, after all.
He couldn’t help teasing her, though. “Now who’s greedy?”
She slid her mouth free of his finger. “I am.” Then she glanced down and laughed. “And you’re glad about that.”
“’Fraid so.”
“Then lie back and enjoy.” She slid down on the mattress and transferred her attention to his cock.
“I’d rather watch.” He propped himself on his elbows.
“In that case, I’ll give you the super deluxe version.”
And boy howdy, did she ever. Apparently she was telling the truth about losing her inhibitions, because she put on a show—cradling his pride and joy between her creamy br**sts and giving him a tongue bath such as he’d never had.
He’d intended to stop her before it was too late, but she had some amazing moves. She took him over the edge before he saw the edge looming, and then she drank every last drop. When she lifted her head and met his gaze, she winked at him. “Gotcha.”
Oh, yes, she had him, all right. He was falling fast and hard. But she wasn’t. No matter how uninhibited she might be when they were nak*d, she was keeping a part of herself separate, walled off. He could guess why. She thought this was a temporary deal they had going on.
He’d thought so at first, too. But with every minute they shared, he became more convinced that he’d found something extraordinary—someone extraordinary. He’d made a fortune trusting his instincts, and he was ready to trust them now.
If he told her all that, though, she wouldn’t believe him, not after less than two days together. She didn’t know him well enough yet. But she would. Oh, yes, she definitely would.
Nine
Time was so fickle. It slowed down when Melanie least wanted it to, like whenever she was sitting in the dentist’s chair, or she had to wait in line to renew her driver’s license. But the next two days with Drew shot past with blinding speed.
The hours were packed with a blur of images—their private tour of the Louvre, a candlelit dinner at the Eiffel Tower, an early morning visit to Notre Dame, café au lait sipped at a sidewalk café, an afternoon stroll past brilliant flower stalls and fruit markets, and an evening boat ride on the Seine.
The new credit card was delivered to Drew’s townhouse, and Melanie was able to pick up souvenirs for her mother and her friends. She also bought a cheap camera and took pictures of everything she saw. No doubt her friends would like pictures of Drew, but she was shy about taking any. She didn’t want to make assumptions or cross any invisible barriers by mistake.
Way before she was ready for the end of her fairy tale, she found herself lying with Drew in their cozy hotel room for the last time. They’d come together with a different kind of desperation tonight, one tinged with sadness that their time together in Paris was nearly over.
She faced him and looked into those incredibly blue eyes. She hated talking about the details of leaving, but she needed to. “I should get to the airport early in the morning,” she said.
He stroked her hair back from her face. “Not too early, darlin’. You’re going home in my plane.”
She sighed. She should have anticipated that he wouldn’t let her suffer through any potential airport drama. “That’s very generous, but I have a ticket. I may have to navigate a little red tape because I physically am not in possession of it, but—”
“I’m going back, too, so you might as well catch a ride with me.” He smiled, and when he did that, he was irresistible. “There will be empty seats.”
“Are you fibbing to me for the first time? You said when we met that you planned to stay two weeks. I distinctly recall you saying that.” She remembered their meeting in vivid detail and probably always would.
“I did plan to stay two weeks, but some unexpected business came up, and I have to head on home.”
She narrowed her eyes, still suspicious of his motives. “Are you sure about that?”
“You bet.” His expression was relaxed, as if he had truth on his side. “I really have to go back.”
“I still say it’s very convenient that you suddenly have to leave when I have to leave.”
He shrugged. “Suit yourself. If you insist, you can be crammed into a center seat of the middle row with crying babies on one side of you and partying college kids on the other side. Or you can fly back in a quiet cabin with me.”
She couldn’t help laughing. The trip over had been a real rodeo, very much like he’d just described. “Well, when you put it that way . . .”
“I knew you’d come to your senses.” He grabbed her and rolled her onto her back. “And we can leave on our schedule, so you don’t have to get up at dawn.”
She gazed at him and fluttered her eyelashes. “Meaning what, kind sir?”
“We have more time for this, dear lady.” He lowered his head and gave her a kiss that was both gentle and sweet.
But she wanted more than gentle and sweet. Thrusting her hands through his hair, she gripped the back of his head and pulled him into an open-mouthed kiss filled with all the passionate longing churning in her heart.
Catching fire, he gave it right back to her. He continued to ravage her mouth as he reached for a condom. Lifting his head, he brushed the condom packet against her cheek. “Put it on for me?”
“Gladly.” She took the packet, ripped it open, and tossed the packaging aside. Then she reached down and grasped his thick, warm penis.
He groaned. “Damn, that feels good.”
“It gets better.”
“I know, darlin’. That’s why I gave you the condom.”
She rolled it on with practiced ease, caressing him as she went along. In their nights together, he’d become quite fond of having her take care of this chore. She finished by cupping his heavy balls and squeezing gently. How she ached for him!
His breathing grew ragged as his lips hovered over hers. “Tell me what you want, Melanie.” Easing down, he settled between her thighs. “You can have anything—anything in the world.”
“Just you.”
“That’s too easy.”
“That’s all I want.”
“Then I’m yours.” Looking into her eyes, he probed once, and slid home. “All yours.”
She drank in the fierce heat of his blue gaze as he began to move within her. How easily he said those words. Too easily. But he was hers for the rest of the night. She would treasure every minute in his arms.
***
The following morning was a busy one for Drew as he talked with his staff about the maintenance projects he wanted them to handle while he was gone. He hoped to be back in less than a month, which would give them time for a thorough cleaning of all drapes, rugs, and bed hangings. They could also deal with the plumbing problems he’d noticed. The townhouse was old, and something was always going wrong with it. Drew didn’t care about the constant maintenance because he loved the ambiance of the place, and he wanted to stay on top of any issues.
He hadn’t lied to Melanie about having urgent business in Dallas, either. He’d put off important phone calls concerning the charity event while he’d concentrated all his attention on her. To use an old-fashioned term, he’d been courting her, although she was charmingly oblivious to the fact.
When he’d finally returned some of those calls yesterday, he’d realized that he could handle the issues more efficiently in person. But that wasn’t the most important reason to go back. Now that he’d found Melanie, he wasn’t about to let her out of his sight, at least not until they’d had a serious discussion about the future.