“I honestly don’t know how it could get any worse.”
“He put some tingly lube on my butt and rubbed me there until I thought surely he was going to take me in the ass, and then he rolled over and fell asleep.”
Adam looked highly affronted. “That bastard!”
She snorted on a laugh.
“Did you disobey him and clean it off?”
She shook her head. “No, but it stopped tingling after a while.”
“So it didn’t keep you awake all night thinking about being taken from behind?”
“Not all night,” she admitted. “But it’s still slippery and wet back there, which is pretty distracting.”
“Ah, poor thing,” he said with a wicked grin. “I’m surprised you got any sleep at all.”
So was she, to be honest. “How did you sleep?” she asked.
“Quite well between dreaming about eating pussy and sucking on tits all night.”
“You sure you were dreaming?”
“I must have been, because I woke up horny.”
“I think we should do something about that,” she said, releasing the sheet she was gripping and reaching for the cock resting against her shaved mound.
He caught her wrist. “I think we should head out and explore the city. New Orleans is one of my favorite places. I’d like to share it with you.”
“We should probably stay in bed all day,” she said. “I’m sure to embarrass you by dry humping your leg in public at some point today.”
He laughed. “That wouldn’t embarrass me in the least. But if we stay in bed all day, I won’t make it until tonight. I’ll have to have you.”
“Now I really don’t want to get out of this bed,” she said.
“Suit yourself,” he said and leaned over to kiss her lips. He then climbed from the bed and tossed open the light-blocking curtains.
Silhouetted by the morning sunshine, he stretched his arms over his head, lengthening his back and drawing her eyes to his firm ass, trim waist, and broad shoulders. He truly was a beautiful man. She groaned in torment, her hand sneaking between her thighs, because she couldn’t take the lack of fulfillment for another moment.
He glanced at her over his shoulder and caught her doing exactly what she’d promised she wouldn’t.
He turned, and her mouth watered at the sight of his stiff cock. That was what she really wanted. Not her own hand. It wasn’t a satisfactory substitute by any stretch of the imagination.
“Adam,” she whispered.
He crossed his arms over his well-cut chest, his toned abs tight, as if he’d just been doing crunches. “I guess I’ll watch you get yourself off before I head out for the day,” he said. “Carry on.”
“But I want you,” she insisted, massaging her clit in slow circles, which made her dripping wet but wouldn’t get her off. She really did want him to take her to nirvana. It wasn’t half so spectacular when she took herself there.
“Are you finished?” he asked. “I’ll call Tony and tell him you don’t want to be the guest of honor at the club tonight after all.”
Her hand went still. “Guest of honor?”
“Yeah. Why do you think I’ve been working so hard to prepare you for this? But he’ll understand. I warned him in advance that you’re not very adventurous. And he said he had confidence in my ability engage in acts neither of us thought we were capable of. I guess his faith was misplaced.”
She knew he was manipulating her to get her to behave a certain way, but as a horny-as-fuck and intensely curious woman, she didn’t care.
“I can be adventurous.”
“Prove it.”
“How?”
“Don’t wear any panties under your skirt today.”
Her pussy twitched at the very idea. “Why? Are you going to fuck me up against the wall in some secluded alley?” She certainly hoped so.
“Not today,” he said. “But I am going to keep that pussy needy and wet all day.”
“Then I’d better put in a tampon.”
He scowled. “You aren’t supposed to start your period, are you?”
She shook her head. “As wet as you make my pussy, I’ll have cum dripping down the insides of my thighs if I don’t have on panties to stop it.”
She was trying to get a rise out of him—and admittedly his cock was still fully risen—but he only nodded. “Good. I like it that way.”
He turned and headed for the bathroom. Either he trusted her not to break her promise or he’d left his phone in there and would call Tony immediately and cancel their appearance in the club. Then she eyed his phone on the nightstand and smiled. He trusted her. That was a big deal for him.
She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to take his teasing all day, but she did want to see what had him so willing to delay their gratification. She heard the shower kick on and an instant later Adam’s loud yelp. She leapt from the bed and stumbled into the bathroom to find him shivering under a stream of water.
“Are you okay? Why did you yell?”
“I wasn’t prepared for a cold shower to be so fucking cold,” he said, his crooked grin doing fluttery things to her heart.
“I should probably join you in there.”
He yanked the shower curtain closed. “Oh no you don’t. If you join me, I’ll never get my dick soft enough to fit into my pants.”
She grinned. Now there was a challenge she was up for.
Her attempts to get him worked up were successful, but only furthered her own delicious misery. By the time they made it out of the hotel room, it was well after ten and they’d both decided it was best if she wore panties. A chastity belt would have served them even better.
“We’re doing the tourist thing in the French Quarter,” Adam informed her.
She couldn’t help but be disappointed when they climbed into a taxi.
“We aren’t taking the bike today?” she asked. The powerful machine had already grown on her, and she’d been looking forward to pressing herself up against Adam’s firm backside while they explored the city. And all that vibration between her thighs . . . She squirmed uncomfortably in her seat.
“Not with you in a skirt.”
“I could change into my leather.”
He released a breathy half laugh. “I have zero chance of success if you put those leather pants back on.”
“Success at what?”
“Keeping my dick in my pants.”
“Strange thing to aspire to,” she said and slid her hand across his thigh to rest between his legs. She didn’t touch any of his private parts, but by the way he tensed and squirmed, anyone would think she was giving him one hell of a blowjob in the back of the cab.
The driver dropped them off near Jackson Square and while she gravitated toward the stark white cathedral with towers that were tipped with spired black roofs that looked like something out of a Disney-princess movie, Adam tugged her toward a crowded café with a green and white awning.
“You can’t visit the French Quarter without getting an order of beignets and a café au lait from Café du Monde,” Adam said.
“A ben what?”
“They’re good. Trust me.”
“I do trust you.”
He smiled and kissed her. She couldn’t help but notice a few heads turning. She told herself it was because Adam was undeniably sexy, not because as a couple they appeared to be mismatched. She wondered if they would have gotten the same stares if she’d donned her new leather.
As they walked past the outdoor seating area, a couple rose from their table near the railing. Without hesitation, Adam wrapped his hands around Madison’s waist and lifted her over the wrought-iron fencing to stand next to the vacant table.
“Hold our seats. I’ll go order from the counter.”
He kissed her and then hurried toward the entrance, which had a line. People waiting for tables, she presumed. She glanced around to see if anyone had seen Adam’s disregard for protocol. Yep, more staring. Blushing, she scooped her s
kirt beneath her thighs and sat at the prime table he’d snagged, absorbing the ambience of the locale. The sweet scent of fried confections teased her nostrils and made her belly growl. It reminded her of funnel cakes at the fair, and she smiled nostalgically. She’d spent a lot of time at fairs and rodeos in her teens, and she always splurged on funnel cakes—sometimes sharing them with her sister, sometimes eating one all by herself. She doubted that ben-gays, or whatever Adam had called them, were anything like her favorite county fair treats. They were French, after all.
Madison could just see one of the spires of the cathedral on the far side of the park-like square across the street. She hoped Adam was up for exploring the building. She loved architecture. She couldn’t remember ever telling him that. They spent most of their time together in the bedroom, and as much as she enjoyed every moment spent exploring his body, it might be nice to discover other interests they had in common. Did he like old buildings? She knew he drew animals in ink and charcoal—did that mean he liked nature? There was still so much she wanted to learn about him, but she knew as soon as he reappeared, her hormones would kick into high gear and her thoughts would wind up straight in the gutter. As usual.
Nearby, a musician played a low, haunting melody on the saxophone. Blues was not a type of music she listened to, but she couldn’t deny that the sound tugged at her soul. She watched a horse pulling a buggy trot by, admiring the graceful stride of the beautiful animal. She needed to find some time to ride Ginger. She supposed that now that she was jobless, she’d have plenty of time to exercise her trusty mare. Elbow on the sticky table, she rested her chin on her fist and frowned. She still couldn’t figure out how Joanna had found out about her relationship with Adam. Adam hadn’t been to the office for several months. He’d finished his year-long probation and because he’d stayed out of trouble, he was no longer required to go to counseling. Had Joanna been sitting on the information about Madison’s affair for that long? It seemed strange her relationship with Adam would become an issue now and not when the two of them had first taken their liaison to a deeper level. Thinking about having sex with Adam in her office had Madison crossing her legs. Damn, that had been hot. Even hotter than New Orleans in June. Not that central Texas was much cooler, but the humidity here was liable to give her heatstroke. She turned her face toward the gentle breeze coming in from the gulf and closed her eyes to relish the mild cooling sensation.
“Madison?”
She opened her eyes at the sound of her name on a stranger’s lips. She was none too happy to discover who in New Orleans knew her by name. She frowned. The guy who’d followed her through the airport was not on her list of people she wanted to hang out with.
“Hello, Chris,” she said, her upbringing forcing her to be friendly to the guy. Dammit. “Are you enjoying the city?”
“Very much,” he said. “Hey, I was wondering if you’d like to go out tonight.”
“I already have plans with my boyfriend,” she said.
Chris eyed the empty chair next to her skeptically. “Not sure what you see in him,” he said and laughed.
“He’s inside ordering.”
“Whatever you say, sugar lips,” Chris said. He saluted her with one finger and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Madison shook off the feeling of uneasiness brought on by seeing the guy again. What were the chances? She supposed the odds weren’t astronomical. They were both tourists in a very touristy part of the city, but she had to admit that running into him set her on edge. He didn’t seem dangerous or particularly creepy, just interested. A bit too interested. Or maybe she was flattering herself. Chris hadn’t tried to push himself on her much at all this time.
“Beignet for your thoughts,” Adam said.
She straightened in her chair and smiled up at him, ridiculously glad to see him. He set a basket with three square pastries before her. The donut-sized treats were completely covered with powdered sugar.
“Oh,” she said, “those look good!” She inhaled deeply, and her mouth watered. “And they smell even better.”
Her stomach growled in agreement. And upon the first bite, her taste buds concurred. The beignet was similar to a donut, only chewier. And a bit messier. She soon had powdered sugar everywhere. Adam sat across from her and sipped his coffee.
“Something wrong?” he asked. “You were frowning when I walked up.”
She shook her head. “Just thinking.” She grinned at him. “I can actually do that when you’re out of sight.”
“Well, if thinking makes you frown, I guess I better stick around fulltime.”
“You’ll hear no complaints out of me,” she said.
“You thinking about your job?” He pinched a corner off one of her beignets and popped it into his mouth.
“Yeah,” she said. “Just wondering why Joanna waited until now to fire me. You haven’t been to the office for a few months. How long did she know about us?”
Adam shrugged. “It is strange. I wish you’d allow me to have a little chat with her.”
“I think I’ll try talking to her again,” Madison said. “I was so stunned when she fired me, I didn’t plead my case very well. Now that I’ve had a little time to digest the situation, I might be able to get my job back.”
Adam reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “If that’s what you want. If you change your mind about needing me, just say the word and I’m there.”
She turned her hand over and laced her fingers through his. “I do need you,” she said. “I just think this situation requires a little finesse.”
He licked the sugar off the fingertips of his free hand. “You don’t think I’m capable of finesse?”
Uh, no. She knew he wouldn’t be able to maintain his composure if her boss talked to him the way she had talked to Madison. “She basically called me a slut and said I should have kept my legs closed.”
Adam slammed a fist on the table, sloshing coffee from their cups. “That fucking bitch. She better not talk to you like that in front of me unless she wants a fist in her mouth.”
She smiled, knowing he was mostly talk, but also knowing his attitude wouldn’t help her cause. “Exactly the finesse I was talking about, sweetie.”
She took a sip of her coffee, surprised by the rich, somewhat spicy flavor of the brew. “This is really good,” she said, taking another sip.
“It’s the chicory.”
“No idea what chicory is, but I approve.”
The beignets were fantastic as well and now that Adam was near, her thoughts turned away from her problems and focused once again on him. Maybe it wasn’t practical to center her world around him, but she much preferred it to sulking about her reality. Even though her eyes were on the fascinating people strolling by and her ears were treated to the practiced horn of the nearby musician, she was aware of Adam on a level she’d never experienced with another person. It was similar to how she knew her twin sister was near, but the awareness tugged at her from a different place. Only part of the reaction was sexual; she didn’t have a name for the rest of it.
“Madison?”
She turned her head to meet his gaze, and was instantly drowning in his smoky gray eyes.
“You have a little something . . .” He leaned across the table and kissed her, his tongue trailing lightly over her lips.
Completely under his spell, she leaned forward, groaning in protest when he drew away.
“Sugar lips,” he said with a grin that showed off the deep dimple near one corner of his sensual mouth. “Even sweeter than usual.”
Sugar lips. That guy, Chris, had called her that earlier. She’d completely forgotten about his unexpected reappearance. Should she mention him to Adam? No. There wasn’t really anything to tell. It wasn’t like the guy had harassed her. And seeing him had just been a coincidence. Half the tourists in New Orleans were probably in the French Quarter at any given moment.
Having already devoured her first beignet, she picked up another and rubbed
powdered sugar all over her mouth. “Oh,” she said, “I seem to have a little something . . .”
Adam chuckled and leaned in for another kiss. She melted beneath his attention, kissing him back with as much passion as he showed her. Beneath her skirt, his hand moved to the bare skin of her knee. She was already so fired up that the simple touch of his fingertips against her skin sent waves of tingling pleasure up her thigh to pulse deep within her pussy.
“Is it time to go to that club yet?” she asked breathlessly when he tugged his lips from hers.