Page 11

CHAPTER 11

Tempe

T he sound of that lock clicking echoes all around me, and I’m surprised I can hear it over the blood rushing in my ears. I press my palm to my chest, the erratic gallop of my heart tapping out a rhythm I’ve never felt before.

“Getting ready to cross a line.” The intensity of his stare has my legs shaking. He looks like he’s going to devour me whole, and I feel like I’m going to beg him to not be gentle about it. “This won’t be about trying to trick Tansy.”

I hear what he’s saying. The message is clear. Inside the four walls of this small room, there is no scheme to trick anyone.

He’s saying that his desire for me is about as real as it can get and I felt the thick ridge of it pressed into my lower stomach just a few moments ago.

I saw the look on Tansy’s face as our kiss broke apart. Just a split second before Rafferty pulled me in here and I could tell… she believed us. How could she not when my body has never reacted like this to any man? I wasn’t putting on an act, and obviously, neither was Rafferty.

A smirk forms on my face. “She could be outside that door right now with her ear pressed against it.”

I bet if she heard Rafferty nailing me in here, my screams slipping out under the door, she’d absolutely give up her quest.

“Could be.” Rafferty stalks toward me, his blue eyes blazing with heat. “But let’s not think about her. Instead, tell me if you meant it when you said more .”

My cheeks flush because I didn’t just say a simple word. I was giving an order, and now he wants to know if that was real.

I bite my lower lip, considering how crazy this all is. But then again, it’s been an absolute circus of fun since he first lip-locked me in the grocery store, and why shouldn’t I be allowed to partake in said fun? We’re consenting adults and we clearly dig each other.

There’s no faking my feelings on this. “I meant it.”

The expression on Rafferty’s face is a mix of surprise, desire, and maybe even a touch of vulnerability, but through it all, I see deep-seated lust. He closes the gap between us until I can feel the heat radiating off his body.

Without a word, he reaches out and cups my face in his hands, his thumb gently stroking my cheek. I squeeze my eyes shut at the sensation, savoring the moment, feeling our shared electricity crackling.

Bending down, he captures my lips in a searing kiss, a little quieter than the one we shared outside, but even more charged in its emotion. It’s like an explosion of fireworks in my chest, setting every nerve ending on fire. At this moment, there is nothing else in the world but the two of us, lost in each other.

I melt into his touch, clinging onto his wrists for balance as the subtle taste of champagne on his tongue tickles my senses. Our tongues collide in a fierce battle, each movement sparking electric waves of desire throughout my body.

Then I’m walking.

Or rather, he’s pushing and I’m moving.

Against a wall, once again, his big body allowing no escape. His thigh wedges between my legs and the oxygen is sucked from my lungs as pressure builds deep within. How can my body react so wantonly when he’s barely touched me?

In a sudden move that causes me to gasp, Rafferty pulls back from our kiss and I whimper in frustration at the loss of his lips on mine. My hands instinctively reach out to touch him, but he bats them away, a sense of urgency in his movements.

His blue eyes lock with mine for only a second before he drops to his knees before me. I stare down at the top of his head, at first unsure as to what he’s doing, then his hands are sliding under the hem of my gown. They drag up my legs, taking the silky material on a journey—up the sides of my calves, tickling behind my knees, over my thighs and straight up to the waistband of my panties.

I stare in fascination at his intense focus. With a surety that says he won’t be denied, Rafferty hooks his fingers into my panties and yanks them down my legs. It’s such a dominant, sexy move, I’m utterly gone for him.

His head tips back and he stares at me, assessing whether this is too much. He doesn’t need my permission, but I can tell he’s not moving a muscle until I verify that this not only crossed a line, but he’s not going to be gentle about it.

“More,” I say once again, hoping that’s enough.

He breathes out a sigh of relief, the warm air feeling sinful over my exposed skin as he quickly removes the last barrier between us. His hands return between my thighs and spreads them apart with a roughness that sends shivers down my spine.

“I need to taste you,” he growls with primal desire as he stares at my pussy. He licks his lower lip, at the same time lifting my leg and draping it over his shoulder.

This is happening.

This is actually happening.

“Oh God,” I moan as his mouth engulfs me, sending waves of pleasure through my body.

I arch my back off the cool tiled wall and grip his shoulders tightly, feeling the intensity of his worship. His tongue darts and flicks, exploring every inch of me with an expertise that leaves me breathless. My arousal builds swiftly, probably because we’re at Stone and Harlow’s wedding, in a bathroom, and this is so damn naughty. A tight knot of desire coils in the pit of my stomach and I’m already on the edge.

Rafferty’s hands grip my thighs harder, pulling me closer to him as he devours me. The roughness of his touch is thrilling, mixing with the pleasure I’m already feeling. His breath against me is warm and hungry as he continues to explore with his skilled mouth.

“Rafferty,” I whisper. A plea. “Don’t stop.”

Do not ever stop.

He growls in response, and I can tell he’s not going to let up until he’s satisfied. His tongue moves faster, more urgently now, each stroke sending another wave of pleasure crashing over me. My body begins to tremble, the building tension reaching a point of no return. I can feel the heat of Rafferty’s face against my most intimate parts, his breath now hot and ragged against my skin. His facial stubble deliciously scrapes my inner thighs and I’ll wear those marks as a badge of pleasure tomorrow.

He holds me tighter, his grip on my thighs unyielding as he continues to explore me with his tongue. The room fills with the sounds of our passion—our heavy breathing, the wet slurping noises, and the occasional muffled moan as I cover my mouth with my hand to keep from screaming. It’s like we’re in a world of our own, where nothing else exists but this intense connection between us.

“That’s it,” Rafferty murmurs against my skin, “let go for me.”

I do just that, surrendering to the pleasure that now envelops me completely. My body shudders violently as the orgasm hits, waves of ecstasy crashing over me like a tidal wave. Rafferty’s name is on the tip of my tongue, but never makes it past my ragged breaths.

He doesn’t let up. The man continues his relentless assault on my senses, driving me higher and higher with each stroke of his tongue. His hands never waver, gripping my thighs just as tightly as he seeks to pull me even closer to him. But the intensity is too much to bear and I push against him. “Enough. Please.”

Rafferty chuckles, the rumble causing another tremor of pleasure to zing through me, but he pulls away after placing a gentle kiss between my legs. His head tips back and he locks eyes with mine in a stare that I can’t quite read.

I reach out, trace my thumb over his wet lower lip. “Tell me you have a condom.”

Because I want him to experience pleasure too. And if he didn’t, my mouth works just fine.

He shakes his head, bending it to pull my panties up. “No, but even if I did, this is where we stop.”

His voice is gruff and without seeing his expression, I can’t tell if he thinks this was a mistake.

When he smooths my panties in place, I put my hand under his chin and force him to look at me. “Are you okay?”

And then he smiles and it’s so beautiful, it takes my breath away. “I’m fucking fantastic. I mean… my dick aches because I really want to fuck you, but I’m quite satisfied with how that played out.”

“But… I want you to fuck me too.”

Rafferty stands, letting the material of my dress shimmy back down my legs. His hands go to my hips, his eyes boring into mine as he listens.

“I mean… I want you to have a happy ending too.” I bring my hand to his crotch, feel his erection is still quite thick behind the length of his zipper. “You need a happy ending.”

He circles my wrist, pulling my hand away. “That’s not helping matters.”

“It could if you let me.”

“I will,” he says. “Just not here.”

“When?” I ask.

Rafferty puts his hands to my face, kisses me gently. “We’ll figure it out. But for now, let’s get back to the reception, okay?”

Something doesn’t feel right about this. Ordinarily, I’d say it feels like I just gave up my virginity to a guy and he’s getting ready to blow me off, but that can’t be it. Rafferty got nothing out of that experience. At least not the way I did.

Rafferty takes my hand, leads me to the door, but as he reaches for the lock, I give a little tug. “What if Tansy’s out there?”

“I’m going to tell her to mind her own fucking business,” he growls, but then his hand drops away from the handle. He turns to me. “You know what just happened… it has nothing to do with that woman, right?”

I nod. I do understand that.

But I also understand the reason he’s in this predicament is that he had a one-night stand, which is all he wanted.

As such, I can’t really expect anything more from this man.

I’m not sure why that thought hurts a little, but it does.