Keys song from the satellite radio. “ Lonely Boy .” The irony was not lost on me.
“Does it hurt?” I asked. “Your eye?”
“Not really. I took some Advil at four.”
The silence was awkward and annoying, but talking was a scarier prospect.
“Payton what?” he asked abruptly. “What’s your last name?”
I let out a breath. “McCreary. Yours?”
“Ward.”
Dominic Ward; that sounded nice. I frowned. Why did it matter? I was going to go to his hotel room and give him a morning to remember. A longer, better memory to take back to Japan, then I’d move on and figure out what the hell I was going to do with my life.
“Use the valet,” he said when we neared the hotel. “I’ll cover it.”
Great, he’ll validate my parking after the fuck. What was wrong with me? Why was I all snippy and jittery?
“You said you came home for Thanksgiving, but you’re staying at a hotel?” I asked on the elevator ride up.
“My parents live in Milwaukee. I spent the week up there, and came down to hang out with Logan during the weekend.”
I almost asked why he didn’t stay with Logan and Evie, but thought better of it. Dominic would have wanted a place to bring his hookup back to after drinks last night.
“When are you heading back to Japan?”
“Tomorrow.”
I followed him down the hall, calming a bit when he ushered me into his room and flipped the light on. I’d get my confidence and emotions back on the rails once the clothes were off.
Wrong. It was seven in the morning and the sun had begun to rise. I was dressed. And sober. Dominic crossed the short and generic-looking room, and pulled the curtains closed to block out the daylight. I didn’t feel sexy, or in the mood. I stared at the perfectly made king sized bed, wanting to use it solely for its intended purpose. Sleep.
I took off my coat and hung it in the open closet, set my purse on the dresser, and sat down on the edge of the bed to wrangle off the boots. Meanwhile, he peeled out of his suit coat. It was tossed on top of the suitcase stacked on an ottoman, and then Dominic turned his attention on me.
My unsure hands went to the hem of my sweater, lifting it–
“What are you doing?” he said softly. “Come here, I get to do that.”
I was barely on my feet when he pulled me up against him, slamming his mouth over mine. His possession was unreal. Exhaustion dried up. Lust stormed onto the scene and demanded control, which I surrendered gladly to her.
His kiss teased me. He used his teeth and his tongue like he really fucking knew what he was doing. It drove my hands around his shoulders, and I sighed into him, my body molding to his.
His fingertips crept under the hem of my sweater and guided it up. He broke the kiss as he freed the garment from my body, revealing the plain black camisole beneath. The sweater made no noise as it dropped to the floor. I was faster with the buttons of his shirt the second time around. My eager hands sought the heated flesh beneath the fabric. God, his body was amazing.
I thought my camisole would be his next victim, but it was my leggings. They were peeled down my legs to my ankles where I stepped out and kicked them away. He’d left my simple black thong on . . . maybe he wanted to take that off last, or leave it on.
This was better. I felt more comfortable now. I undid his belt, released his pants, and they flowed to the floor. He caught my wrists in his hands when I slid fingers inside the top of his boxers.
His mouth was by the shell of my ear and he whispered it there. “No.”
“Am I going too fast again?” Luckily, it came out concerned and not frustrated, although I was feeling both of those equally.
“I said I wanted to sleep with you, and I meant it.”
He kissed my forehead and abandoned me by the foot of the bed. It was so he could go to the far side and tug the covers down. I stood in disbelief as he sat and slid one foot after the other into bed, glancing at the empty spot
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