“Pretty,” he said in a gruff voice. He twirled a strand of hair around his finger, the light tug against her scalp curiously arousing. “I’m Chase.”
She grinned. “It suits you. Don’t ask me why.”
Laughing, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. His masculine scent surrounded her, a potent aphrodisiac. His head dipped lower, but before he could make a move, the elevator doors glided open, leaving her lips tingling, waiting for the touch of the unknown.
Grasping her hand, he led her to his room, and after pulling out his card key, he let them into a suite. The bedroom was obviously beyond the open door in the corner. Although the living area smelled and looked like an impersonal hotel room, when he stepped toward her, he dispelled the cold. He pulled her into his arms. With his molten gaze and overpowering physical presence, he cradled her in intense heat.
His eyes held hers as he lowered his head and kissed her for the first time. His lips were gentle yet firm, no hesitancy or insecurity in this man’s touch. Though a stranger, he acted as an anchor during this storm in her life. He enabled her to relax and feel safe, let her grab onto him and accept everything he offered. She kissed him back, giving herself in return.
His hands came to rest on her cheeks, holding her head so he could devour her lips. He nibbled, drawing her lower lip into his mouth and deepening the kiss with broad sweeps of his tongue. With each successive stroke, fire burned stronger in her belly and the urge to touch him grew. She pulled his shirt from the waistband of his jeans and rested her hands against his heated skin.
He exhaled on a low groan, sliding his hands through her hair and trailing moist, damp kisses down her cheek, lingering against her throat. He was blocking out everything, all the disbelief, the pain, the hurt, and the anguish of today, until she could think of nothing but him. Her ni**les puckered and her br**sts grew heavy, while between her legs, slick moisture dampened her panties.
She tilted her head back to give him greater access to her throat and he sucked harder on her sensitive flesh, drawing a direct connection to more aroused body parts. A wash of sensation rushed over her and she gripped his waist harder in response.
“Oh yes.” As if from a distance, she heard her voice, raw, hoarse, and full of desire.
“You like?” he asked.
She forced her heavy eyelids open to meet his hot stare. “Rhetorical question, right?”
A seductive grin lifted his lips and he dipped his head once more, this time to soothe the sensitive flesh of her neck with his tongue.
“Mmm.” The man definitely had a way about him, Sloane thought.
“Faith.”
It took her a moment to register that he was talking to her. “Yes?”
“Nothing. I just like the sound of your name.”
She smiled, wishing he were calling her by her real name; wishing his rough voice would call out Sloane as he came inside her. Emboldened by the byplay between them, she raked her fingernails higher, rasping against his chest and hair-roughened skin. “I hope you like that too.”
Before he could reply, a loud knock interrupted them. “I’ve got it.” He strode to the door like the confident male he was, heedless of his untucked shirt or disheveled hair. He opened it a crack, and Sloane realized he was looking out for her privacy.
She appreciated his chivalry, considering this didn’t mean anything more to him than a one-night stand.
“I’ll take it,” she heard him say. Then he turned back toward her, pushing a room service tray into the room, and kicked the door closed behind him.
“What’s that?” she asked, taking in the two glasses and the champagne bottle in an ice bucket.
“You didn’t strike me as the type of woman who indulges in one-night stands very often.
So I wanted to make this . . . more special.” To her surprise, a red flush rose to his cheeks.
Embarrassment. He’d gone out of his way to make this nice for her and he was embarrassed by the gesture. She stepped forward, more confident in her stride. “What makes you think this isn’t my normal MO?” she asked, truly curious.
“It’s a hunch and I’m usually accurate. Because despite the sexy dress, your speech is refined, your expression was sometimes hesitant, and by the look in those eyes, you’re running from some deep, dark secret. It could be a lousy day, a lost job, but you’re looking to get away from it all. You just don’t jump into bed with strange men every day.
I’d stake my life on it,” he said with all the confidence of a cocky male.
“All this from one look?”
He grinned. “I’m a journalist. Observation is my specialty. What’s yours?”
“Interior design,” she said on autopilot, unable to think about anything except this revelation.
A reporter of any kind could wreak havoc with her father’s presidential plans, and despite the hurt and betrayal lingering inside her, she loved the man. All the more reason to keep her real name from Chase.
She inched forward on her high heels. “You must be very good at your job because you’re right. This isn’t an everyday occurrence,” she admitted. One trick she’d learned from her parents was to feed reporters as much truth as possible so as not to make them more wary.
“I like being right.”
She laughed. “Which makes you a typical man.”
“Right now I’d settle for being your man. Drink?” He gestured to the champagne with a sweep of his hand.
His thoughtfulness still pleased her. “I’d rather pick up where we left off and save the champagne till later.” More honesty, Sloane thought. She wanted him as much now if not more than before.
Grabbing her hand, he walked to the oversize chair in the corner and sat down. “Join me.” He tugged on her hand, his meaning clear.
She drew a deep breath and settled one knee on either side of his thighs as she lowered herself to sit on his lap. The bulge in his jeans was obvious, pulsing deliciously between her legs, and his eyes were dilated with restrained need. Sloane didn’t want or need the restraint.
She locked her arms around his neck. “Kiss me, Chase. Make me forget,” she murmured.
“Make you forget what?”
She didn’t want to answer. She wanted him to kiss her instead, so she leaned forward and locked her lips solidly against his.
But when she shifted in his lap and her pelvis came into intimate contact with his groin, kissing became secondary to overwhelming desire. He stood with her in his arms, his mouth never leaving hers, and he strode into the bedroom. Her heart thudded hard, waves rushing over and around her, as anticipation and need grew.