The Guy Next Door (26 page)

“Fancy meeting you here,” he said.

“Thanks for sneaking away.” She stopped too close to him then leaned her back casually against the wall, as if she hadn’t invaded his personal space.

“So, you changed your mind about being seen with a guy like me?”

She glanced around. “Obviously not. I’m still worried you’ll ruin my rep.” She tempered her joke with a smile.

“I probably will. And you’d return the favor if anyone saw us.”

“We’d better be careful. I don’t want to damage your wholesome-brewery image.”

His smile faded. His pale eyes narrowed with intensity as he shifted, putting his hand to the wall next to her shoulder. “So what are we doing here?”

She took a deep breath and tilted her face toward his ear. “No one needs to know,” she murmured.

His pupils dilated as she felt a flush rise up her cheeks. She’d used his own words to lay it out as simply as she could.
Let’s have a secret affair. No one will ever know.

“I’m in the middle of an important negotiation,” he said, his voice taking on a husky edge. “And my sister is here.”

“I know.” She left it at that. She would’ve held her breath if she hadn’t been so eager to draw in his scent. Afraid that panting aloud would be less than sexy, she inhaled slowly.

“Yet here I am,” he murmured. “With you.”

He eased a tiny bit closer. If he lowered his head, they’d kiss. Her pulse beat so hard she could hear it in her ears.

“This is not a good idea,” he said softly. “You said it yourself. So why are you willing to do this?”

Honesty,
she told herself. A woman’s desires were nothing to be ashamed of. She raised her gaze from his mouth to his eyes. “Because I want you,” she admitted. “A lot. It’s that simple.”

One side of his mouth curved slowly up in a wicked smile. “I get the feeling you’re not a fan of complication.”

A montage of encounters played through her brain, as if her life were flashing before her eyes. The
uncomfortable blind dates. The brief, failed relationships. The men she’d tried to love, and the men she’d wanted. Her constant, simmering sexual anxiety. “You’re right,” she murmured. “I’m a simple girl.”

A door opened farther down the hall. He glanced up, a brief moment of worry chasing over his face before he looked back to her. “Simple? I don’t believe that for a second.” His eyes lowered to her mouth.

“And I owe you,” she whispered. “Don’t I?”

“You don’t owe me anything. It was my pleasure.”

She licked her lips and watched his pupils tighten as she lifted her chin. He leaned closer, closer…

When the door behind them clicked open, he stepped smoothly away from her, shoving his hands into his pockets. By the time they realized it was only a banquet server, the moment was lost. Or she thought it was.

His jaw had gone tense, after all, as if he were angry. But apparently the determination in his eyes had nothing to do with saying
no
and everything to do with pursuing this madness. “Can you meet me in half an hour?”

“Where?” she whispered.

He met her gaze, his eyes darkening with emotion. “I’ll get a room.”

Beth blinked once. Shock hit her in the chest, but she tried not to let it show. As far as Jamie Donovan knew, she was good at this. Experienced. After all, she’d encouraged him to feel her up in a bar.

She didn’t have to fake her arousal, at least. That was charging hard through her veins, heating her skin. “Call me,” she heard herself say. “I’ll meet you there.” And then she headed straight downstairs to get a drink.

S
HE WAS REALLY DOING
this. Beth couldn’t believe it. She stared at the gold mirror of the elevator doors, watching the people in the lobby move behind her in wavy streaks. Could anybody tell what she was doing? She felt as if she was wearing a neon sign on her head advertising her unseemly intentions.

Her hand still tingled where the phone had vibrated against her palm when he’d called. “Room 421,” he’d said. That was it. No niceties or polite chitchat. Beth had said okay and hung up before hurrying toward the lobby. Unfortunately the elevator didn’t seem to be in as much of a hurry as she was.

When the Up arrow finally lit with a faint chime, she slumped in relief. Then she heard Roland Kendall call her name.

Her mouth made a comical
O
of alarm in the elevator door before it slid open. For a brief moment, she considered sprinting into the elevator and slamming her hand against the Door Close button, but that could possibly be seen as suspicious. So she pasted a numb smile onto her face and turned.

“Hello, Mr. Kendall. How’s Monica?” She spoke way too fast, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“She’s wonderful. I’m still waiting for her to get mar
ried and give me some grandchildren, but she can’t seem to settle down.”

Beth couldn’t imagine Monica as a mom. She’d always struck Beth as self-absorbed and manipulative, though she was also smart as hell. Still, if they hadn’t been suitemates in college, Beth would never have exchanged two words with the woman.

“So, Beth, are you still running that unfortunate store? You’re one of the savviest young ladies I’ve ever met and it’s a shame that you’re involved with that place.”

Oh, Jesus. Every time she’d seen Roland Kendall in the past few years he brought this up. She wished she could simply excuse herself, but what could she say?
Sorry, I need to get upstairs to have sex with a man I hardly know. Nothing to do with my unfortunate store, though.

Kendall raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer. “Well?” His tone suggested that she was answerable to him in some way.

“Um. Still there, yes. Say, I heard you were talking to Donovan Brothers about beer for High West.”

“Pardon me? How’d you hear that?”

Oops. In her panic to change the subject, she’d latched on to the one thing she
didn’t
want to talk about. “Oh, you know. Small-town talk. But I hear the Donovan family is great.”
Don’t say any more,
her brain frantically ordered.
Zip it.

Kendall grunted. “I’m not convinced. I like their product, but the brewery’s been around for almost twenty-five years. I need a name that’s a little more fresh, I think.”

Beth looked at the negativity written so clearly on
his face. Roland Kendall was a successful businessman, but he worked from the gut and had rigid ideas about his businesses. Clearly, he wasn’t interested in giving Jamie Donovan a chance.

It shouldn’t matter to her. She shouldn’t get involved. But Jamie was smart and good-hearted and she didn’t like to see him so easily dismissed. “I’ve met Jamie Donovan,” she blurted out, even as she tried to stop herself.

“Oh?”

“I was impressed. You should at least give them a chance. It’s a company run by young people, right? How stale could it be?”

“Well—”

“And it’s a beloved local company. That could be some great publicity.”

“Hmm.” He crossed his arms and glared down at the floor.

“Think about it, at least.”

“I will.”

“Well,” she prompted. “It was nice seeing you.”

Thankfully, he’d already lost interest in her, and he simply waved a hand and walked away. Beth counted to ten then punched the button with her finger. The doors slid open and she jumped inside.

She put Roland Kendall from her mind, but that left room for the anxiety she’d been feeling before.
Oh, God,
her brain repeated as the elevator rose.
Oh, God, I’m really doing this.
Was he waiting? Was he wondering where she was?

When she stepped out, her heels clicked too loudly against the tile floor outside the elevator before they were muffled by the carpet of the hallway. A sign
pointed her in the direction of room 421, and Beth forced herself not to slow as she turned down the hallway and headed closer to Jamie Donovan.

What would happen when she got there? Would they just…
start?
My God, what if he was already undressed?

Her toe scraped the carpet and Beth stumbled to a halt before forcing herself to walk on. No, he was not going to be standing there in black socks and what the Lord gave him. And if he was, she’d simply turn around and run, no question.

But she had to assume everything would go well. If she didn’t go into this with a positive attitude, the night would turn out badly. She’d think too much. She’d worry that he wasn’t enjoying himself. Then she’d worry that she wasn’t enjoying herself, because she so desperately wanted to be the kind of woman who threw herself into sex and devoured every second of it. She wanted to be good in bed, for her own sake. She wanted to love it as much as she loved the
idea
of it.

And Jamie had certainly proved that they worked well together. She had every reason to think happy thoughts.

Beth forced herself to take a deep breath as she approached the next door: 421. The numbers were smaller than she’d expected. Innocuous. They didn’t loom or glow. They didn’t pulse with red menace.

“Okay,” she whispered. Before she could lose her nerve, Beth straightened her dress, smoothed down her hair and knocked.

He opened the door too fast and had to catch it before it slammed into the wall. The startled look on his face drew a shocked laugh from Beth. And the humor wasn’t
the only thing that prompted relief to well up inside her. He was still fully clothed. And he was holding a tumbler of something bubbly.

“Champagne?” he asked as she stepped past him.

“Thank you!”

“I’m sorry, there weren’t any wineglasses.”

“No, this is perfect.” She took a grateful sip and then sipped again, faced with the horror that she didn’t know what else to say. The door closed hard behind her. They were standing alone together in a room with a dresser, a bed and not much else.

Something swelled beneath her breastbone, pressing into her throat. Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t swallow. Heat rose up her neck.

“There’s a beautiful view,” he said quietly, moving toward the window.

A view. There was a beautiful view. The tightness in her chest loosened by small degrees as she realized she’d have a few moments to compose herself.

His pants were still on, after all. He hadn’t jumped her. Hell, she was here to have sex with him, and Jamie was behaving with a lot more restraint than that asshole at the reception earlier.

When he reached the window and turned toward her, a frown tugged his eyebrows low. And a realization hit her. Hard.

Beth finally knew what her fantasy was. What buttons she’d always wanted pushed. All those years of wondering, hoping, waiting…and here it was in the stormy eyes of this man.

She didn’t want to be the seductress. She didn’t want to be the experienced one. She wanted to be overwhelmed. Persuaded.
Coaxed
.

No wonder she’d been such a failure at this. The men who asked her out were looking for a sexual savant. And deep in her heart, Beth wanted to be
seduced
.

She was an old-school-feminist failure.

He tilted his head, and the hard line of his mouth softened. “Are you all right?”

“Yes!” she answered too brightly as she hurried the last few feet to join him.

He slid the window open, and a cool, crisp breeze swept over them. The sky glowed violet behind the black silhouette of Longs Peak.

“You’re right,” she whispered. “It is beautiful. It’s a gorgeous night.” Beyond the faint traffic, she could hear the occasional coo of mourning doves. The wind touched her again, licking over her skin like cool hands. She closed her eyes.

“Beth,” he murmured. “If you’ve changed your mind…”

She breathed in the scent of fresh leaves and icy water. “No.” Opening her eyes, she met his gaze. “No, I haven’t changed my mind.” She set her purse on the chair, and then Jamie took the glass from her hand and set it down on the sill.

“Would it be an exaggeration if I said I’ve spent days thinking of kissing you?”

Adrenaline shot through her. “I don’t know. Would it be?”

“Two whole days. Almost. That counts…” His hand rose to frame her cheek. “Doesn’t it?”

“Yes,” she whispered against his thumb as he touched it to her lower lip. “It does.”

The nerves of her lips buzzed as if they were about to go numb, but Beth pushed thoughts of numbness away.
She wanted to feel everything, and he was lowering his head, slowly, as if he didn’t want to startle her. As if she had to be eased into this.

The thought tightened her clit and made her hands shake. His lips touched her as if she were fragile.

Oh, God. Oh, God, yesss.

He brushed his mouth against hers one more time, and then ever so gently caught her lower lip between his teeth.

Perfect.

Beth sighed against him and raised her hands to his shoulders to steady herself against the rush of sensation. His lips, his teeth, the slow slide of his hands up her back…

What they’d done in the bar last night hadn’t made him less of a stranger, and alarm rushed through her brain as he eased closer. But this was the kind of alarm that had fed one-night stands for centuries. The kind of alarm that pushed your blood harder into pulse points and erogenous zones. The fear that made it feel as if every cell in your body was pulling toward your skin.

When their tongues finally touched, he tasted of champagne, and Beth let the sweetness go to her head and overwhelm her worries.

She tasted more deeply, aware that his fingers pressed into her hips when she sucked at his tongue. This wasn’t just a first kiss, after all. This was the prelude to illicit sex, and she didn’t want to forget that for one moment. So when he slanted his mouth over hers, Beth slid her fingers into his hair and clutched him tight.

Yes, yes, yes,
her mind sang as they pressed closer. His looks might easily have turned out to be the best thing about him, but they weren’t. Not by a long shot.
He smelled good and he tasted better, and he didn’t grab her ass or get impatient. No, Jamie Donovan did everything with slow deliberation.

He had experience, after all. He knew what he was doing.

His tongue swept against hers. His hand slid lower on her hip, fingers spreading out until they edged along the swell of her ass. Then he eased his hips close enough that her belly pressed snug against his erection. Unlike some men she’d dated, he didn’t hump her like a ninth-grade boy at summer camp. Instead, he just held her there, deliberate and patient. Beth would’ve melted into a puddle if she hadn’t been so intent on staying right where she was.

She didn’t know how long they kissed—one minute or twenty—but by the time he reached for the back of her strappy black dress, Beth nearly wept with relief.

The biting sound of the zipper sang through the room. His knuckles brushed down her skin. Finally, just at the base of her spine, the zipper caught. She expected him to pull her dress off immediately, and when he didn’t, anticipation buzzed just under her skin, so sharp it was nearly pain. He trailed his fingers down her naked spine, and she gasped against his tongue, spiking coolness into their kiss. She was surrounded by him. His cock pressed to her belly, his arms warming her ribs. His hands teasing her back.

He flattened his palm at the base of her spine, easing her even tighter into him. Heat spread through her like a craving, squeezing everything tight.

She needed to draw more air into her lungs, so she slid her mouth from his, and Jamie kissed along her jaw until he reached her arching neck.

A whimper snuck from her throat. In response to that soft sound, he growled. That low rumble told her everything she needed to know. He wanted her. He liked this. His hips pressed closer, and she rolled into his shaft in encouragement.

He seemed encouraged. A shudder ran through him and he scraped his teeth over the curve of her shoulder.

Urgency overtook her in a sudden wave. She clutched his hair in her fists, and when she guided his mouth back to hers, they kissed hard, like they were fucking already and vicious with it. Jamie gave up his campaign of slowness and pushed her dress down her body.

Her nerves were sent conflicting signals. His hands held her hips in a hot grip, his suit brushed cool against her naked skin. She shivered at the delicious sensation, but she wanted his heat all over, so Beth pushed his coat off his shoulders. He had to let her go to drop the coat, and when he took a step back and his gaze dropped…

His body froze. The coat fell to the floor.

He looked stunned as his gaze swept down her body. Appreciative, certainly, but dumbstruck, as well. His hungry shock gave her just the courage she needed to stand tall and let him look his fill. She knew the pale silk flattered her olive-toned skin. She knew her dark nipples pressed visibly against the thin bra. Her nipples beaded more tightly under his attention.

By the time his gaze worked its slow way back to her face, Beth’s cheeks felt flushed with pink arousal.

Slowly, he slid his hand behind her neck and lifted her face for one more kiss. “You’re breathtaking, Beth. Way past beautiful.”

Tonight, she was. She could feel it in the way his
other hand shaped her waist before sliding down the curve of her hip. Tonight she was a woman who wore red heels and stockings and worked every inch of the outfit.

He nudged her toward the bed and she backed up. It wasn’t until her legs touched the mattress that Beth realized how weak her knees were. She lowered herself slowly as he reached for his tie. He pulled the silk knot free and slid the tie off. Five seconds later, his shirt was off, as well.

She wanted to ask for more time to look over his wide chest, but he was leaning over her, and Beth lay back hoping he’d follow. He did. Finally, the heat she’d been chasing all night slammed through her. Stomach to stomach. Chest to chest. Mouth to mouth.