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He gives me a smirk. “Pent up sexual frustration can only culminate in a night like tonight.”

  “I can’t argue with that.” I glance over at the window and sigh at the curtain covering the city. When I left the dinner, it was a little after eight. At this point it has to be well past ten, most likely close to eleven. I wish it were summer so I could watch the sun descending into the horizon. Why does the annual company dinner happen in February? I sigh again.

  “What?”

  I dangle my legs off the bed. “I want to look out your window.”

  “Go ahead.”

  I turn back to him. “I’m not standing naked in front of a window in New York City for the world to see.”

  “Nobody would see you. Except me.” He smirks.

  “Of course.” Still, I hesitate. I can have sex with someone I barely know and feel comfortable sitting around naked, yet I’m paranoid of a peeping tom ogling at my stuff if I open the curtains.

  “What if I turn the lights off?” He gets up and dims the lights until all I can see are the lights outside through the glass. I place my glass on the nightstand as I stand up and cross the room to the window. I tug at the curtains, pulling them to the side to reveal the city. The familiar delight flickers upon first sight. His view is only slightly different from mine, yet it feels like it’s brand new. I tilt my head, trying to count the lights that are still on in the buildings surrounding us, but there are as many windows lit up as there are stars in the sky. “I don’t think I could ever get over the beauty of it.”

  “You love the city?” he asks me from the bed.

  “I adore it.”

  “Then why don’t you move here?”

  “Lots of reasons…”

  “Such as?”

  “First off, it’s far too expensive. I don’t know anyone who would be willing to move here with me, and I sure as hell wouldn’t move here alone. That would be too ridiculous.” I shake my head. “Not only that, but I’m not a city girl. It’s perfect for a vacation or a weekend, but I would miss being near my family and my childhood home too much.”

  “Where do they live?”

  “About three hours from Cleveland, in the country.” I hold out my forefinger to trace the buildings and the sky. “I may like the glitter of the Big Apple, but I like the quiet outside the city more. Makes me nostalgic.” A chill comes over me as I stand there in my birthday suit, goose bumps beginning to pop up over my arms. I cross my arms over my chest as I continue to stare at the skyline.

  “In that case, maybe Jack could let you go on business trips here throughout the year.” Devlin comes over, wrapping his arms around me from behind. “That way you can have the best of both worlds.”

  I relax into the warmth of his embrace, wondering for a fleeting moment if he noticed that I’m cold or if he just wanted to hold me. “Yeah. That would be nice. How about you?”

  “New York is a beautiful city, and I might consider living here for a spell, but not forever.” He nuzzles his nose into my disheveled hair. When I laugh, he asks, “What?”

  “I probably look like a mess.” I reach a hand back to touch his cheek as he continues the nuzzling.

  “You look beautiful.”

  “Stop it.”

  “No. I never lie about beauty.” His hands caress my stomach and hips. “What’s next?”

  Based on his hard length pressing against my backside, I’m guessing round three is next. I settle my arms over his. “Hmm… I don’t know.” I tilt my head back to press a kiss to his lips. “What do you have in mind?”

  He glances toward the window. “Right here.”

  I spin around to face him head on, my eyes wide. “Against the window?” Where everyone could see my skin pressing against the glass? I don’t think I’m ready for the world to catch a glimpse of my pressed ham.

  He laughs. “Not against—in front of. Don’t be so afraid.” He tucks a hair behind my ear. “Nobody will see us. And so what if they do? They don’t know us. We’re in New York. We’re tourists, strangers…people are completely oblivious to what we’re doing.”

  “I don’t know…” I shift from one foot to the other.

  Devlin touches a finger to his lips. “What will it take to convince you? Ah, I know.” He spins me back around, my back against his front. Bending me forward with one arm around my middle, he says, “How about I give you a glimpse of what I have in mind? Place your hands on the sill.”

  I do what he asks as he stands up, spreading my legs just enough to slip a finger inside. My fingers grip tighter to brace myself, and I close my eyes at the feel of one mere finger pressing against the spot. It doesn’t take long before I’m feeling that pleasure climbing high. “How are you so good at this?” I accidentally say out loud.

  He laughs, slowing the pace and then removing his finger entirely. He leans down, arm back around me, and whispers in my ear, “Don’t sound so surprised. I’m a man of many talents.”

  “Is giving a girl blue balls one of them?” I ask, squirming to rub against his erection.

  His breath comes out in a hiss. “Just a second. Don’t move.” He pulls away and the loss of him causes a dull ache in my heart even though I know he’s coming back. I hear the sound of the condom wrapper, and within seconds he’s back against me. In one swift move, he pushes deep inside me. I let out a cry of surprise. He leans forward, an arm coming around to caress my nipples. “I was planning on taking my time,” he whispers against my skin, kisses feathering my back and shoulder.

  “It’s okay, I didn’t need any more foreplay. I like it.” He starts to pump into me and my eyes flutter closed. “Oh, I like it a lot.”

  His lips twitch into a smile against my skin. “Me too, Allegra. Me too.”

  “Oh…uhn…ohhhh…”

  “I love the sounds you make when my cock is inside you,” Devlin says in a low voice as he swirls a finger over my clit.

  “Oh God.” My fingers dig into the sill. The waves begin to crest with every thrust. The sound of our skin slapping together echoes throughout the room, and somehow that raises the level of desire in me. “Devlin,” I gasp. “Harder, Devlin.”

  With a throaty growl in his chest, he stands, gripping my thighs with both hands. He pistons into me, driving me to the brink and I come apart beneath him with a low moan and a shudder. I’m barely able to hang on, feeling as though I could just collapse to the floor before he’s done. I expect him to let go soon, but he keeps hanging on. He wraps his arm around me again, his other hand sliding between my legs. “Come with me, Allegra,” he murmurs in my ear as he rubs circles over my clit. I fall apart again, thankful that he’s holding on to me. When I scream out his name, he’s unable to hold back any longer. He yells, “Fuck!” right before he releases inside me.

  I don’t know how he manages to, but he remains standing. I can’t believe how exhausted I already am, and it’s barely after midnight. How is he able to keep it together so easily? The man has stamina like nobody’s business. Just when he’s about to take his hands off me, I say, “Don’t let go. I don’t think I can stand on my own power.”

  His chuckle reverberates through me. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.” He slowly pulls out of me, and then quickly lifts me into his arms. I wrap my arms around his shoulders without hesitation and rest my face against his cheek. This feels…safe. I feel safe in his arms. I shouldn’t, I know I shouldn’t. Yet, I do.

  He carries me across the room and into the bathroom. He sets me down on my feet. “Hold on to the sink for a second.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “What do you think?” he asks, turning the shower knobs until a blast of water comes raining down. “We’re taking a shower.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “We’re what?” I ask him, incredulous.

  He takes my hands and pulls me into the shower with him. “I think it’s necessary.”

  I back into the hot spray and savor how great it feels. “Are you saying I smell?”

  “A little bi
t.” I smack his arm, laughing despite myself, while he grins. He leans down and says, “Trust me, this has nothing to do with smelling.”

  “Then what is it for?”

  He reaches for the shampoo. “We’re taking a break to get our strength back.” Squirting a bit into his hand, he begins to lather it into my hair.

  I close my eyes as he massages the shampoo in. “Does it have to be in the shower?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do we have to be naked?”

  “Of course.” He kisses my nose and gently leans my head back to wash out the shampoo. After a moment, he says, “I have to know, have you always had a way with words?”

  I chuckle. “Yeah, but more so in recent years.” I pick up the shampoo bottle and proceed to wash his hair, then switch spots so he stands under the water. “My dad encouraged it, while my stepmom calls my manner of speaking unbecoming of a lady.”

  He lets out a chuckle. “What would your mom say?”

  I stop running my fingers through his hair as a twinge of pain rings through my heart. “I wish I knew. She died when I was a toddler.”

  He frowns, taking my hand in his and pressing his lips to my fingers. “I’m sorry, Allegra.”

  Usually the way people react to finding that out irritates me because it feels almost like an automatic reaction to say that you’re sorry for somebody’s loss. But with him, it’s different. It’s sincere, but it doesn’t feel like pity. His kindness undoes me in that moment. It causes me to get on my tiptoes, the front of our bodies touching, and press my lips to his. He returns the kiss, slowly and gently.

  We take turns washing each other. At one point, he slides his soapy hands down my legs. Upon standing up, he places kisses around my waist. Once we’re completely clean he grabs a towel, drying off my arms and legs before wrapping it around me. As we stand here drying off, it feels as though something has changed between us, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. When he looks at me fondly, it hits me:

  He has rendered me breathless.

  Damn it all. This isn’t supposed to happen. This is just a distraction—an exquisite one, of course—but nothing more. That’s all we want. Yet, a strange sensation is overcoming me and I desire more. Tonight is all that is going to happen, though. Just one night. That’s why it’s called a one-night stand, after all.

  Ignore those feelings, Allegra. He made it clear where he stands. I’m looking for something he’s not offering, and that’s okay. It’s okay to let myself go just this once. There’s a voice in my head screaming to leave. Yet I can’t turn away, can’t walk away until this moment finishes. I’m going to live in it, breathe it in.

  I gaze back up into those gorgeous eyes. I unravel the towel from my body and let it fall to the floor. In a soft voice, I say, “I want to feel your hands all over me.”

  He inhales deeply and slides his fingers across my collarbone. I shudder. “As you wish.” He takes my hand in his and presses a kiss to the top of it. Then, cradling the back of my neck with the other hand, his lips sweep across mine and his mouth captures my sigh. He tastes like honey and heaven. I could kiss him for hours. Devlin Pierce can kiss better than anybody else.

  I walk backwards out of the bathroom, our lips never separating. He guides us back to the bed. The back of my legs hit the edge of the bed and we stand here, just kissing. It’s tender for a minute, but in the next our tongues are dueling for control. I pull away from his lips, scanning his eyes to solve the puzzle that he is. The fondness remains, as does the puzzle. But I let the questions fade away and give myself to the moment.

  I’m about to climb onto the bed when he stops me. His hands cup my cheeks and he presses a kiss to my forehead, trailing down to my lips again. All the while his hands slide down my neck, shoulders, arms…then my waist up to my breasts, lingering there for a moment before going to my stomach, hips, legs…

  My skin is lighting up like a flame on every spot he caresses, and everywhere his touch was a second ago, there’s a tingle that whispers in its wake. A thrill shoots throughout my body and I ache to feel more of him on my skin. I reach out to his chest with my palms, breathing out a sigh.

  His kisses move to my ear and he whispers, “Touch me. More. All over.”

  I smooth my hands over his chest, rubbing my thumbs over his nipples. He chuckles against my skin, and I join him. “You asked for it.”

  “I did.” He shivers when I press my lips to each of them lightly. I touch the hard muscles of his stomach and wind my arms around to his back. My hands caress every inch as I bring our bodies together, my breasts settling just below his smooth chest. My ear is right against his heart and I can hear it race. He sucks in a breath and I notice that he lost his towel somewhere along the line as his hard length presses into me. “You’re making this hard.”

  “I know. Wait, making what hard?”

  He laughs. “I’m determined to take it slow this time around.”

  “How slow?”

  He steps back out of my arms and touches a finger to my lips. I press them together, biting back a smile. I hop onto the bed, slowly crawling up the silky cover until I reach the pillows. He watches me intently, letting out an appreciative sigh along with a smile. I motion with my fingers for him to come closer, and he obliges with a slow crawl up the bed and over my body. He gradually lowers himself on me. It doesn’t take long for our lips to meet and our bodies to tangle together.

  It has never been like this before—the leisurely pace and the attentiveness. I only ever expect it to be over all too soon with my lovers, as has been the case in the past. With Devlin, it’s different, and wonderfully so.

  He kisses down my throat, across my neck and collarbone. His hand deftly slips between my legs, and I willingly open up to him. His fingers are on me down there and I twitch with every touch and stroke. I’m coming apart already and he’s not even inside me, not even his fingers. He rolls his thumb over my clit in lazy circles. My breath comes out in gasps. “I want you inside me,” I manage to say.

  “I want to be inside you. Just be patient, princess.” If he were anyone else, I might be annoyed with the term of endearment. But coming from his lips, I can’t imagine anything more lovely. He holds me closer to him, my face in the crook of his neck. A few deliberate strokes in just the right manner and I fall apart, gasping in his arms.

  Momentarily satiated and attempting to steady my heartbeat, I feel his body leave mine. My eyes shoot open when I realize this, but somehow he’s already above me again, and I smile. He smiles back as he settles between my legs. His hand gently brushes my hair away from my face and cups my cheek. I reach up for his face, reveling in the stubble that has appeared since I first laid eyes on him tonight. It’s insanely sexy in every way. I pull him down to bring our lips back together. While we kiss, he slowly sinks into me, filling me completely and drawing out a long sigh from my lips.

  He moans as he begins to rock into me. With his forehead pressed to mine, he says in a husky voice, “I love being inside of you.”

  Those words nearly push me over the edge again. “I love it when you’re inside me.” The edges of his lips curl up slightly, clearly appreciative of my response.

  I wrap my legs around his back and we move together at a slow pace. Our eyes are open and on each other. I recall what he talked about earlier when it came to trust. Eye contact. I never thought about how important it is until just now. The way he gazes at me—his eyes completely fixed on mine—can only point to one thing. It’s not lust. It’s something I’m not expecting, something that can’t be true. Because of this, there’s a tingling climbing up my spine and spreading throughout my body that I’m unable to control. It builds with each and every thrust, every time he’s buried deep, the friction of every move. The sensations roar through me at the speed of a train.

  Holding himself up with just one arm, he slides his hand along my body, over almost every inch he can possibly touch. I unconsciously close my eyes, giving myself to the pleasure of his palm stroki
ng across my skin. He gradually increases his speed, and then his hand is back on my cheek. His lips are near my ear, and they whisper, “Allegra, open your eyes.” They flutter open and he pulls back to look into them. “That’s my girl,” he murmurs, rocking into me deeper than he has before.

  Nothing could have prepared me for the shockwaves that follow that move. I cry out, my hands gripping his shoulders, eyes never leaving his. As he watches me come undone beneath him, I can see something erupt in his eyes. That same look I saw only moments ago. His eyes hold mine in the final seconds, almost reverent. When he comes, I find that I’m breathless again, causing me to come once more.

  He lowers himself, his cheek against mine. We cling to each other for a moment. It’s almost as if neither one of us wants to move, even though we know we have to eventually. Yet, right now, we don’t seem to care.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I close my eyes, memorizing the way it feels to have our bodies connected. Tomorrow morning, this will all be gone. Our moment is fleeting and I need to clutch on to the memory before it floats away. Because it inevitably will.

  Devlin raises himself up and touches my cheek, kissing my lips lightly. “I’ll be right back.” He pulls out of me carefully and heads to the bathroom. While I’m slightly wired, I’m more exhausted than anything. I know I should go to my room, but I can hardly move. Taking a deep breath, I lift myself up and slip underneath the covers onto the five-hundred-thread count sheets.

  A few minutes later, he returns, turning off the light and crawling under the covers next to me. In one fluid motion, his arms wrap around me and he brings me closer, resting my breasts against his chest. I hook my leg over his leg and snuggle up to him. He kisses my forehead and sighs.

  “What?” I ask him.

  “I’m so tired.”

  “We can sleep.”

  “I promised all night.”

  “You promised nothing…except the positions.”

  “There were so many we didn’t have the chance to get to,” he murmurs in an insanely sexy voice.