Page 36 of Dangerous Temptation

She peeked through her lashes and found him watching her unabashedly. The intimacy sent a shudder through her, and her passageway clamped down tight.

‘Oooo!’ Her head fell back as she began to pump her finger in and out. Slowly at first and then with greater need. Alex’s hand fisted in her hair, and her breasts thrust upwards.

He seized her zipper and pulled it down further so he could see it all. A growl filled the air when he saw another intimate piece of clothing. It was the lavender bra she’d left behind in his other gym … the one where they hadn’t made it to a bench …

‘I found it in a drawer in your bedroom,’ she panted.

‘Your drawer.’ He drew the zipper all the way down and spread the material wide to watch her work herself into a frenzy.

Elena squirmed on his lap. Her drawer. Here, in his real home. ‘You planned to bring me here?’

‘I have lots of plans.’ His mouth sealed over hers and his tongue plunged deep.

She kissed him back. Instinct had her reaching for him, but he caught her hands and kept them where they were. A whimper left her when leather bumped against her mound. He made sure she used two fingers this time, and her eyelids fluttered closed.

He popped open the front tab of her bra. Obediently, she cupped her breast and fondled herself.

Her eyes popped right back open when his gloved hand took possession of her other breast. The leather covering his palms felt warm and wicked, while his fingertips were bare and dexterous. He pinched her nipple as he pulled her further onto his lap.

Their chests rubbed as he kissed her again. Elena felt so hot, so out of control. She fingered herself almost roughly as her arousal grew. Wriggling forward on his lap, she rocked right against his ridge.

Swearing a blue streak, he pushed her back far enough to untie his shorts, thrust them down and free his erection. Elena was nearly gone. Watching her turned him on. She’d do nearly anything to please him.

‘Hurry,’ she whispered. She was close to coming as he caught her by the waist. It was clear his strength had returned. His arm felt like a steel band around her as he lifted and positioned her.

Her fingers bumped against a rock-hard erection. That was what she needed. That was what her body craved. She caught him, and his breath hissed in her ear as she guided him to her core. Her toes reached for the floor and, this time, found it. Taking control, she lowered herself onto him.

Their groans blended as she took him inside her.

‘Sexy siren,’ Alex murmured. His gloved hands swept up her back as she began a slow, tortuous rhythm.

Elena’s senses went into overdrive. The hoodie was caught between them and the zipper abraded their skin as she humped up and down. The feeling was raw and electric. The cold tab of the zipper caught in the crease of her leg, and she let out a cry. She could barely stand the stimulation.

‘You told me you liked seeing this hoodie wrapped around me,’ she struggled to say.

‘Hm’ was all he managed to get out. His hands were cupping her bouncing breasts and his face was buried in her hair.

‘What … what were you really going to say when I asked you? Why do you like seeing this oversized old thing on me?’

His teeth raked over her throat. ‘Because it says you’re mine.’

From that point on, there was no more talking.

Only touching. And kissing. And deep, fast penetration.

Alex held Elena tightly as she established the rhythm and the pressure.

The weight bench grew slippery as their hips rubbed back and forth.

She was taking all of him, as far as he could go.

She heard the sounds they were making, the sighs, the groans and the squeaks against the vinyl.

Her thighs burned. She was his. All his.

He pulled the hood up over her head as he kissed her. It focused her solely on him. For her, there was no other. It was the two of them, alone and always.

The supple leather stroked over her. The zipper bit and caressed. But most of all she felt him. Her Alex.

Her lone wolf.

Her body suddenly arched. She pressed down hard, her body milking his as she thrust her breasts into the air. He cupped her possessively, the leather capturing her nipple and pressing against it tightly. His thighs bunched, and then he was jerking up into her.

They came so hard, the barbell clattered in its holder. The weights rang loudly as the tremors continued.

At long last, the tempest died. She leaned her head on Alex’s shoulder and fought for air. His arms locked around her, holding her on his lap. He cupped the back of her head and whispered soft, sexy words.

Elena’s body went slack, but her brain came back to life. Synapses fired and thoughts sprang up. Hopes for the future. Concerns about today. Solutions for all their obstacles. The ideas were brilliant but, in her state of bliss, fleeting.

‘How are we going to handle this?’ she asked. ‘We have to make this work.’

He leaned back against the bar. ‘We’ve already been outed. I could deny it, but –’

‘Don’t.’

He peeled back the hood to look at her face. Her hair was loose and wild. ‘You need to think about this.’

‘I have. I want them to know. I want everyone to know.’

‘Elena,’ he cautioned.

‘I’m sure.’

He shook his head, unconvinced. ‘You’re getting involved with an ex-con. People are going to think the absolute worst of you.’

‘They thought that when I was a student whose father had just died.’ Lifting her head, she looked him in the eye. ‘Let them see us together. Let them talk. I don’t care what they say.’

‘I do. I can’t protect you.’ His expression turned fierce and proprietary – and maybe just a bit panicked. ‘You’re going to be hurt.’

‘I’ve been hurt before, and I’m not going to let you take on all of it.’

‘Baby …’

‘What matters is the two of us.’ She gave him a fast kiss. ‘Come on, Wolfe. Take me out. Show me your New York.’

He took her out to dinner at Jean-Georges in the Trump Hotel.

Elena felt the stares and heard the whispers as they entered the dining room.

The attention bothered her, but, seeing Alex’s stern face, she could tell it bothered him more.

There were massive picture windows on two sides, and it felt like they were in a fishbowl.

When the waiter tried to seat them at a table out in the middle of the room, Alex demurred.

They chose a cubbyhole table off to the side instead.

Elena was happy she’d accepted the clothes he’d bought for her. If she hadn’t been wearing the classy burgundy cocktail dress, she would have felt out of place. The restaurant and all its diners practically dripped money, but even amongst his peers Alex commanded attention.

The waiter and sommelier were respectful, and Chef Jean-Georges himself even came out to greet them. Yet all around them diners were taking furtive looks. Some were even texting.

She took his hand. It felt stiff and cold. She squeezed tightly. ‘What’s good here?’

He blinked at the menu as if he hadn’t realised it was in front of him. ‘Everything.’

His attention focused on her, and his shoulders relaxed. ‘Order whatever you’d like.’

She chose the scallops with caramelised cauliflower, while he went with the black sea bass crusted with nuts.

They sat quietly as a waiter poured their wine.

The table they’d chosen wasn’t exactly hidden in a corner.

They sat together on a bench seat, tucked in the cubbyhole but facing out into the room.

They had a wonderful view of the trees and small flower garden outside, yet it also put them in the situation of facing the crowd.

Only the waiter serving them hid them from curious onlookers.

‘Did you play football?’ Elena asked as she took a sip of the Chardonnay. It sat nicely on her tongue. He’d chosen well.

Alex frowned. ‘Where did that come from?’

She crossed her legs. ‘I’m trying to figure out what you were like growing up.’

She was also trying to distract him and make him relax. People were still stealing looks, but most had gone back to their meals. She was nervous about showing her face, but they couldn’t constantly be on guard.

‘I can see you being a quarterback,’ she decided.

He finally settled back in his seat. ‘I played lacrosse.’

‘But you were the captain, right?’

The corner of his mouth twitched. ‘Somebody had to be.’

She rolled her foot in circles underneath the table. A woman at a table way over in the corner had just pointed at them.

‘I just can’t picture you as a computer nerd,’ she confessed.

That got almost the hint of a smile out of him.

His gaze flicked to the far table, and the nosy woman snapped forward in her chair.

Elena relaxed a little when he laid his arm protectively along the back of the bench seat.

‘I was an only child, and I bored easily. To keep myself entertained, I took things apart and put them together again. Computer games and programming were a natural extension.’

His brow smoothed and his look turned pensive. ‘My curiosity got me into hot water more than a few times with my parents.’

It was the first time she’d ever heard him talk about them. ‘When did they pass away?’

‘When I was in high school.’

A difficult time for any teen. And he’d been left with that monster of a grandfather? She laid her hand on his leg.

‘I’m sorry.’ The touch was hidden by the crisp white tablecloth, but she didn’t care who might see.

That pensive look deepened. The table setting was military precise, but he realigned his salad fork.

Her fingers tightened around the delicate wine glass, and she set it down before she broke it. The woman over in the corner had stopped trying to steal glances, but her friend was talking into her phone. She had a straight-on view, and she wasn’t even trying to be discreet.