A Proper Seduction Read online

  Justin got the point. He knew the second the words left his mouth she would hear his voice but see Gavin’s face. The situation was confusing enough without adding another reminder of her ex.

  Justin inhaled nice and deep and tried again. “I only meant that sex is supposed to be fun.”

  “It was fine.”

  The woman could throw a punch without even making a fist. “That blow wasn’t necessary.”

  “I didn’t mean—”

  “And, for the record, if that’s how you scream when sex is only okay, I can’t wait to see what you do when you think it’s great,” he said, trying to land a shot or two of his own.

  Her reaction didn’t disappoint. If possible, she stood even straighter, until all five foot seven of her stretched full and hovered over him from the side of the bed. “I guess you’ll have to keep trying then, won’t you?”

  Realizing her sharp words didn’t carry much heat or spark killed the fight for him. “I’ll do better tomorrow.”

  The stiffness left her shoulders in a rush. “I give up. You win.”

  Finally. He pulled back the sheets in invitation. “Then come back to bed.”

  “No.” She massaged her forehead. “Not that.”

  He dropped the covers and folded his arms over his chest. It was either that or reach out to her. “Then I’m not sure what I won in that round.”

  “What do you want me to say, Justin? That you were great in bed? Fine. You were. You know that. At this point in your life, your sexual ability can’t possibly be in question.”

  “Sure feels like it.”

  She sat down hard on the bed next to his hand. “This isn’t about you.”

  Shit. Did he sound this stupid when he threw out lines like that? Maybe all men were giant assholes.

  As slow as possible, and hoping not to scare her, he slid his hand toward hers. When their fingers touched and she didn’t pull back, he went ahead and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “Since I was the one in bed with you, I’m thinking it’s a little about me.”

  “You know why we’re here.”

  “I know you don’t want this to mean anything.”

  She slipped her hand out from under his. “And it doesn’t.”

  Another hit. Their shared history, her bad marriage, and all those female insecurities amounted to a giant pile of garbage that got harder and harder to carry around. He had hoped she’d see how good they were together and just get over all the shit in her past. That turned out to be a failed mix of hubris and optimism. She only saw their time together as a way to exorcise a ghost.

  Suddenly, being used for sex didn’t sound so great. He never would have guessed that could happen.

  “Maybe I should say I don’t want this—us—to mean something,” she whispered.

  Justin fought the urge to raise his fist in victory. Her comment was something. A start. “If we’re not sure what’s happening, but agree that something is, why are you running away as if your ass is on fire? Stay and we’ll figure it out.”

  “I can’t.”

  “That’s not an answer.”

  “We’re done.” Lauren treated him to a little smile, as if that would somehow take the sting out of her words. “For today.”

  “We don’t have to be.”

  She got up, letting her fingers brush over the back of his hand before letting her arm fall to her side again. “Yeah, we do.”

  “You’re killing me here.”

  “This is only the first night. You get two others.” She said that like she meant it. She still thought they had an expiration date.

  Just one more thought he had to ignore if he hoped to get her from where she was now to a point where she understood she already had the power in their relationship. She’d always had the ability to force a man to meet her on equal footing. She just picked the wrong guy.

  In her mind, she imbued Gavin with some sort of superhuman power over her and let her own needs suffer. She deserved better and Justin wanted to show her that.

  He waited until she got to the door before he spoke again. “Ever think that maybe you’re letting Gavin control your sex life even though you’re divorced?”

  Her hand stilled on the doorknob, but she didn’t turn around to face the room. “I asked you not to mention his name.”

  “Why? He’s sure as hell in the room with us, so we might as well deal with him.”

  This time, she looked at Justin, her eyes gleaming with fury. “That’s not funny.”

  About time she showed some passion outside of lovemaking, Justin thought. She had frozen over and started pushing him away as soon as she crawled out of bed. It was as if putting on her clothes provided a layer of emotional armor. And she didn’t even see it.

  “I’m not joking.” Justin slid off the bed, letting the sheet fall on the floor behind him. Nudity didn’t embarrass him and heaven knew she’d seen it all. No mysteries there. “Look, honey—”

  “Don’t call me that.”

  The way she kept swinging drove him insane. “Okay, Lauren.”

  “Thank you.”

  Jesus. “I’m not looking for your gratitude.”

  “And I don’t want to be called silly endearments that mean nothing.”

  A roar of frustration rumbled up his throat, but he clamped it back down. “You’re a grown woman. If you want to sleep with me, then stay and sleep with me.”

  “I already slept with you.”

  He put his palm on the door behind her head. “Don’t think you have something to prove. As far as I’m concerned, you showed how strong you are when you walked into my office and told me you wanted me. That took guts. Hell, leaving your asshole of a husband and not buckling under when he attacked shows that you can handle anything.”

  “I said I wanted sex.”

  “Isn’t that what we just did? Why not try again?”

  She lifted her chin. “I’m going home.”

  “You’re running.”

  “Actually, I plan to drive my car.” She reached under his arm and grabbed her small purse off the table next to the door. Keys rattled in her hand. “If you’re having trouble separating out the sex from your feelings, we can always stop now. You know, before you get too entangled.”

  She just kept testing him. Deep down, Justin knew she was trying to wrangle some control back in her life. But understanding that didn’t mean he had to like it.

  “No,” he said.

  “Meeting three times made sense because of our past. Had a sort of symmetry to it. But if you can only manage sex one time, that’s fine with me.” She had the nerve to smile up at him. “We can chalk this up to an interesting experiment and move on now.”

  “Thanks for offering to let me off the hook, but I’m in.”

  “Then I’ll meet you here tomorrow night.”

  She was still leaving. No matter what he said, she planned on running as fast as possible in the opposite direction. What little headway he’d made tonight clearly was not enough to turn her around.

  If Gavin were standing there, Justin would have thrown him out the window.

  Justin let his arm drop. “See you at eight.”

  “The room is paid for, so you can stay.”

  “Will do.”

  She nearly ripped the door off the hinges to get out of there. Justin didn’t bother to follow her. First, he was naked and he guessed there were hotel rules about that sort of thing. Second, she didn’t want to be caught. Not yet.

  Chapter Four

  “Sex is hardly ever just about sex.”

  ~Shirley MacLaine

  The next night, Lauren stood in the wide hallway outside room twelve-eighteen and twirled the plastic key between her fingers. She had spent the entire afternoon thinking about Justin, which totally ticked her off. In two weeks, most of her days would be spent working at her new job at Sibley Hospital. That day could not come fast enough. All of these empty hours meant having way too much time to relive old decisions and fantasize about Just
in.

  She’d actually picked up the phone twice to call him this afternoon and cancel their second night together. She’d put the receiver down just as many times without dialing. No matter how hard it was to stay focused on her original plan, she was going to do it.

  He owed her three nights.

  But his harsh words rang in her head. Despite what he believed, she was not allowing Gavin to rule her sex life from a distance. Close or far, those days were gone. The three nights were about her needs. Her choices. And she chose Justin, both because of their past and because no matter how hard she tried to blink it out, his image never left her mind, though at the moment he didn’t seem like the brightest choice.

  The door to the room opened, interrupting her internal debate.

  Justin filled the entrance. Not business Justin who worked long hours and wore a conservative suit with an expertise that suggested he should model them. Nope. This was sexy bedroom Justin. Barefoot, boxer briefs, wearing an open robe that revealed a bare, broad chest. Everything about him gave off an air of relaxation, from the drink in one hand to the way he munched on a pretzel. Only he could make this look seem so hot.

  He took forever to chew and then finally swallowed. “Are you coming inside the room or do you want to have sex in the hallway?”

  She did a quick glance around her to make sure no one had heard his comment. “You’re early.”

  “I was hungry.”

  “You sound like a kid.”

  “Not the first time I’ve heard that from a woman.” He dropped his hand from the door and walked back into the room. Kept right on going until he sprawled out on the bed with his back balanced against the headboard.

  Lauren followed him inside and refrained from slamming the door behind her. It was either move or stand there like an idiot, and she had done the immobile thing for five minutes already. But it took her less time than that to see the silver-covered dishes sitting on a rolling cart with a pure white tablecloth underneath. There was no mistaking what was under there. Food.

  “You ordered room service?” she asked.

  “Is that a problem?” Ice cubes clanked in his empty glass as he set it down on the nightstand next to him.

  It was a disaster. Food delivery smacked of a date. He knew that. But this was a challenge of some sort. He was trying to get a reaction out of her.

  She decided not to give him the satisfaction. “No.”

  She reached for the tie on the side of her wrap dress. Since she did not have a scrap of underwear on under it, she doubted they’d be talking about dinner much longer.

  But he stopped her. “You want to get right to it again, huh?”

  “Is that a problem?” she asked, repeating his words back to him.

  “Do you hear me complaining?”

  No, but he wasn’t exactly rushing to get her naked either. “You’re already undressed.”

  “Mostly, that’s true.”

  “Only makes sense for me to join you.” She made a show of glancing around the food tray. “Unless you’re more interested in eating.”

  “That’s for after.”

  “After?”

  “If last night was any indication, I’m going to need re-fueling before I can drive home.” He shrugged. “Getting into an accident sort of kills off my relaxed, post-sex mood, if you know what I mean.”

  “You could have stayed here.”

  “Not without you.”

  The husky words spiraled right through her. Made her stomach go a little gooey for a second.

  “You’re flirting,” she said, part of her hoping that was true.

  “Is that a violation of some rule?”

  “No.”

  “Good.” He slid off the bed and came to stand in front of her. Fingers brushed against her hips as his gaze dipped to the valley between her breasts. “So, tell me what you want me to do tonight.”

  The list was so damn long. She’d thought it would get shorter with each meeting. That she could check off each act until there was nothing left to try. But her attraction to him just kept growing.

  “If you tug on this piece…” she placed the belt in his palm, “…the whole dress will come apart.”

  His stare traveled down the length of her to where the cotton piece lay in his hand. “I like it.”

  “Thought you might.”

  “Sure is convenient.”

  “And when we were in your office…” Her voice caught on a gasp when he started kissing in a line along her jaw.

  “Yes, sunshine?”

  The words vibrated against her skin. Then his mouth found that sensitive canyon where her neck met her collarbone and something deep inside her started twitching. Hot air blew across her skin, making the nerve endings jump to life.

  “You mentioned something about licking me inside and out,” she said between short breaths.

  He slowly lifted his head, his eyes searching hers and a smile lighting his face. “Why, Ms. MacDonald, are you asking me to go down on you?”

  On any other man, the remark might have sounded crude. Delivered by Justin, it made her toes curl.

  “I’d always assumed you were a man of your word,” she said.

  “That I am.” He dropped down on the edge of the bed and pulled her body between his open legs.

  Strong arms wrapped around her upper thighs. His palms caressed her ass as he brushed his cheek over her stomach and down further to the top of her pelvis. With a firm grip, he held her steady as his mouth moved back to the tie. He grabbed the thin end of the material between his teeth. Pulling back, he tugged against the knot until it slipped loose.

  The cotton jersey dress fell open. The slow striptease revealed every inch of her bare skin. Rather than hide, she put her hands on his shoulders and leaned down, her breasts right in his face, as she kicked off first one high heel then the other. With her body on display and his gaze locked on the juncture between her legs, she slid to the floor at his feet.

  “Let me get us started.” She rubbed her palms up his legs until she reached the elastic on the top of his thighs. Her thumbs pressed in a line up over his erection to the waistband of his underwear.

  He sat back, still holding the belt between his teeth. “Damn.”

  She slapped the side of his leg. “Lift up.”

  The belt dropped from his mouth to his lap. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Without another word, she stripped his briefs down to his ankles. He did the rest by kicking them off. Before he could move away or lie back, she curled her fingers around him and brought her mouth to the tip of his cock. Her hand pumped up and down, increasing her grip with each pass. Her lips swept over him, licking and kissing. When she took him to the back of her throat, he sucked in a huge gulp of air that made his stomach dip inward.

  Fingers slipped into her hair as a rumbling noise echoed from his chest. “God, yes.”

  She kept licking and pressing until his musky scent filled her head. Her hands traveled over him as the hair on his legs rubbed against her bare breasts. Every hard part of him fit against every soft part of her. She loved the feel and smell of him. The touching mesmerized her. It wasn’t until he reached down with his hand under her chin and lifted her face toward his that she noticed the hard clench of his lips.

  “Much more of that and I’m going to break my promise.” He brushed his thumb over her lips. “My turn.”

  Before his words could register, she landed on her back diagonally across the bed with her knees in the air and his body wedged between her thighs. “What are you…”

  He kissed his way across her stomach before moving lower and settling in tighter against the juncture of her thighs.

  She sighed with pleasure as her bones turned to jelly. “Oh, that is better the lower you go.”

  His mouth hovered over the very heat of her as his forefinger rubbed against her clit. “Let’s see what you think in about ten minutes.”

  The man did like to take his time and savor the moment, to use his tongue
and his hand. She guessed he somehow missed the signals to move faster. “Ten is too long.”

  When he added a second finger to the first, her internal muscles jumped in reaction. Her body opened and softened. She could feel her wetness, see it glistening against his lips. His tongue swept and his fingers caressed. Minutes ticked by but he didn’t ease his sensual torture, not even when her ankles dug into the comforter.

  “Now, Justin.”

  Her breath rushed up her throat and her skin heated until it burned right under the surface. Every touch sent a wave of shimmering light rippling through her. Then he shifted his fingers and the tightening in her lower body pulled even harder. Every nerve inside her begged for a shattering release.

  Then his mouth left her. She heard him move around and felt the mattress dip on either side of her. When she opened her eyes, his handsome face loomed right in front of her. His fingers continued to brush against her while his other hand finished rolling on a condom.

  God, yes.

  “Ask me again.” He whispered his plea against the base of her throat.

  “Please.” She pulled his shoulders, trying to drag him up higher against her body.

  “Say the words. Tell me what you really want. Your body. Your head. All of you.”

  She didn’t measure her words. Couldn’t. “Make love to me.”

  “Yes.” The word hissed out of him as his body entered hers.

  With one long push, he sank deep inside her. He stopped, balancing on his elbows, holding his body over hers. It wasn’t until his arms started to shake and his jaw locked that he began to move. In and out, faster with each press, his body came into hers.

  She wanted to hold back. To squeeze her inner muscles tight against him until he groaned, but she lost control. He’d prepared her too well, making her sensitive and ready for his touch. He had her panting and bucking before he ever slipped inside her. Now, the friction of their bodies did the rest. She was so full and primed that it took only a few plunges for the clenching inside her to explode.

  The spinning ratcheted until bursting then it let go. A rush of blood thundered in her ears as a shot of adrenaline spiraled through her from head to toe. Her shoulders pressed back into the mattress as the climax crashed over her. Every thought left her mind except the need to pull him closer and feel the ripple move through him as he came. With her hips grinding against his, she grabbed his butt in her palms. Let him feel the last pulses of her orgasm.