05

Her words were punctuated with a wink as the door slid shut, causing a red tint to color my cheeks. « Were we that obvious ? » I asked, gobsmacked.

There was no reply, only his deep chuckle as Derrick led me down the hall. In a handful of steps, we reached his room and with a quick flash of his key card, the door unlocked, and he gestured me inside.

And that was when my confidence began to dim.

There was nothing special about the room, in fact, it was the exact same as my own a floor below. Except mine didn’t have Derrick’s luggage tossed in the corner beside the bed. Nor did I remember it having this nice of a view. With the curtains pulled to the side, the lights of the city were vibrant against the darkened sky and the moon—now high in the sky—cast a subtle, silver glow into the room. It was sensual. Enticing. Another reminder about what was about to happen.

« I can close those if you want. »

Without even realizing, I’d moved further into the room, facing away from Derrick as I stood at the foot of the bed. « No, » I said, cringing at the slight crack to my voice despite the whispered tone. « This is fine. »

« You sure ? » he asked, and I didn’t respond. My pulse pounded as I heard him shuffle closer ; until he was right behind me. Separated by no more than a few inches, I felt the warmth of his chest radiating against my back as his free hand reached out to gently caress my hip. « Lia, are you one hundred percent cool with this ? » His voice was a low rumble against my ear. « Because if you’re not, we can just head back down to the bar. »

Strangely enough, those words caused the second thoughts roaming my mind to vanish. His reassurance that this didn’t need to happen if I was no longer into it was the exact reason I wanted it to. There was no denying he was a decent guy on top of being any woman’s fantasy, and with his attention solely on me for the night, I intended to take make the most of it.

After all, I was single and totally down to mingle.

Giving into temptation, I turned to face him, allowing my eyes to drop to his lips as I lifted my glass. « I’m sure. »

I saw the flash of heat in his eyes as he tapped his glass against mine, the echoing clink prompting the hair on my arms to rise. One long gulp was all it took for the last drops of champagne to disappear before everything changed. What had been a slow moving seduction brewing since the first moment we’d bumped into each other in the airport changed to a scorching need as our lips came together frantically.

My arms wrapped around his waist as his fingers tangled in my hair, pulling me closer as his tongue swept across my bottom lip. With a moan on my account, the kiss deepened, adding fuel to the flames of desire in my chest. And just when I thought I couldn’t take it any longer, Derrick tore his mouth from mine and began peppering kisses down my neck. Delving lower with each sweep—the sensitive skin underneath my ear, my collarbone, my shoulder, the neckline of my long sleeve t-shirt that definitely wasn’t sexy but was making me feel so as the material stretched downwards.

With nearly every nerve in my body on high alert, and my pants filling the air around us, I grabbed his face, kissing him fiercely, in need of something… more.

Pulling back and breathing heavy, my hands coasted slowly over his broad shoulders and the material covering them. Tight enough to show off the muscles he’d clearly worked hard for, there was still enough slack that the shirt bunched in my grasp as I reached his biceps and flicked my eyes up to meet his.

« I think it’s time for this to come off. Now. »

There was no objection as the corner of his mouth curved upward in a sultry smirk. « You’ve got it. » But he didn’t comply right away, instead, reaching up to tap the side of my glasses I’d forgotten I was even wearing, so used to having contacts in. « As long as these come off too. »

Not having any need for them for the rest of the night, I took my glasses off and placed them safely to the side before quirking a brow, silently telling him it was his turn.

In one swift movement, his shirt was thrown carelessly to the side and his arms circled my waist, once again closing the space between us. In a frenzy of lips and tongue, I couldn’t help but revel in the trail of heat that rose on my skin when his touch drifted lower, skimming the sliver of bare skin at my waist before coasting over my ass and stopping on my thighs.

Bending down to my height and squeezing, I was more than happy to oblige with his prompting as he yanked both of my legs around his waist and moved us two steps sideways until we fell softly onto the bed.

With me on top.

Slowing my kisses to a teasing pace, I leaned back so that my thighs nestled around his hips. Taking the chance to admire his exposed chest, my fingers appeared dainty as they slowly moved over every ridge, pausing to inspect a small scripted tattoo of the right side of his abdomen.

Never give up. Always keep pushing.

« Any significance behind this ? »

« Just something my dad used to say when I was a kid trying to find my footing on the ice. » There was a lightness in his eyes as I glanced up at his face. « Plus, it covers a scar I got during high school when I got a skate to this stomach. »

A breezy laugh escaped him as I cringed, though when I scooted down his body to get a closer look, the room became quiet once more. Like he was holding his breath. Waiting until I found the tiny, uneven line underneath the inked words and brought my lips to it.

Growling in satisfaction, Derrick’s hips rose off the bed, making me grin as I continued to explore his abs with my mouth. Tracing them with my tongue, I was only encouraged by the sounds filling the room, and boldly grazed my hand over the impressive bulge in his jeans before popping open the button and unzipping him.

« Lia… »

« Shh, » I said, flicking my eyes to meet his as I tried my best to push the fabric of his pants down his legs. « Don’t worry, I want to. »

There were no more objections, though there was a bit of fumbling as the two of us quickly worked together to rid him of his jeans and boxers before he laid back down, his cock fully erect.

My hand was barely big enough to wrap around him entirely, but I made it work, working him over with a few experimental pumps before prompting a hiss of pleasure when my lips closed around the tip.

« Is this good ? » I asked after licking the length of his shaft and massaging the base.

« Yes, fuck. » His hips pumped upward as my tongue flattened against the head. « Anything you do with your mouth is fucking fantastic. »

« Good to know. »

Empowered, I moaned around him and began to take him deeper, getting into a rhythm that he seemed to enjoy if the groans filling the room were anything to go by. Though when his hand lifted from the sheets and tangled in my hair, instead of encouraging me like I expected, he pulled lightly to get my attention.

« As much as I’m loving what you’re doing—«  In one swift movement that I could not for the life of me follow, I suddenly found myself lying on my back with Derrick hovering me. Naked. « —we’re a little unmatched when it comes to clothes. »