"You are used to being in control. You'll get exactly what you want, love, but not yet."
If she was awake, she'd kick him. But right now he held the magic key and she'd just keep her mouth shut and her feet to herself. At least until she came. Then she'd let him have it, and not in a good way.
He reached for her breasts, and it was like a near-death experience when his fingers swept over her throbbing nipples. She arched her back, giving him access to the twin globes. And he took advantage, maneuvering his way over her body so that his mouth rested in her cleavage.
Without her having to ask him this time, his tongue snaked out and licked first one, then the other crest.
She whimpered. She never whimpered. But, oh, was his tongue heaven. Long and warm, he licked her, then covered one bud with his mouth, drawing the nub between his teeth and gently nibbling at her, sucking her nipple inside his mouth until it pressed between his tongue and the roof of his mouth.
A tight coiling began deep inside her pussy. Knowing this was a dream allowed her to free the magic ready to burst inside her. The wind blew through the room, papers flying everywhere. The fog that had settled around the bed like a wall dissipated, leaving in its wake a drenching downpour that did nothing to cool her heated flesh.
Quickly, he moved down her body as if he sensed her need. Finally.
She closed her eyes and let out a cry of delight when his tongue lapped over her swollen slit. His growls of pleasure only heightened the sensations spiraling through her. She reached for him, twining her fingers into his hair, not wanting him to move from that delicious spot he covered with his long, hot tongue.
He swept over her flesh, alternatively licking and lightly nibbling, then covered her throbbing clit with his mouth and sucked. That was all it took. The buildup to the crescendo that had threatened to crash down over her came now in full force with the gentle suction of his lips over her clit.
"Yes! Yes! Oh, God, yes, like that! Oh, mon dieu, Max, I'm coming!"
She grasped the wrought-iron headboard behind her and shrieked. Her orgasm came in a torrent that sent the wind lashing through the room, the rain flowing sideways as she cried out her climax, her fluids drenching him more than the sudden storm. Her hips continued to rise and fall with the sensations coursing through her, and she fought for breath as she rode out the pleasure.
But before she had a chance to still the rapid beating of her heart, he flipped her over onto all fours, licking his way down her back.
And lower.
He moistened her anus with his fabulous tongue, and sparks of renewed desire shot through her. Oh, God, what was he doing to her? No one had ever touched her there, and definitely hadn't licked her there. The sensation was overpowering, so incredibly erotic she almost came again.
He moved against her, his cock slipping between her buttocks and rubbing the sensitive rosette.
She knew then what she wanted.
God help her, she wanted it, too. This was just a dream, right?
With a light nip of his teeth against her shoulder, he eased himself between the tight muscles of her anus, slipping gently inside her.
His cock was huge, filling her, expanding within her heated passage.
Pleasure like she'd never experienced before arced through her. Max clenched her hips and drove harder, embedding his cock fully inside her small channel.
She cried out at the exquisitely painful pleasure, moving her ass against him to tell him she wanted more.
He gave her more. Harder, deeper, until she was whimpering and completely out of control.
Reaching between her legs, she caressed her engorged clit, rubbing in frantic circles in time to his repeated thrusts.
"You wanted this, didn't you?" he asked, his voice hard, gritty and turning her on more than she thought possible. "You wanted to be a little naughty. You need a man who will tap into your darkest desires, Shannon. Tell me this is what you want."
"Yes," she cried, hating to admit he was right, but knowing he gave her exactly what she needed. "Harder!"
He complied eagerly, and she wished she could watch his face, wondering if he felt the same way she did.
Completely overwhelmed, and nearing the edge of reason.
"Fuck my ass, Max," she groaned, slipping two of her fingers into her drenched pussy, feeling the muscles of her vagina surround them. She felt his cock moving in and out of her ass, and fucked herself harder, faster, until blinding light and unbearable sensations caused her to shut her eyes tight.
She came in a torrent, screaming out his name and driving her fingers deeper into her spasming cunt. Max tensed, then howled as his seed filled her.
But it didn't end. She kept coming, bucking back to meet his renewed thrusts until her limbs would no longer support her.
Max kissed her back, her neck, licking and biting her lightly. She dropped to the bed, unable to move. A languid laziness came over her, and she relaxed completely.
Then a shrill scream resounded.
Shannon blinked her eyes open. The room was completely dry. The alarm clock buzzed in loud staccato bursts. Realizing she still had a death grip on the iron headboard, she released her hold, leaned over and shut off the alarm.
Dawn filtered through the partially opened drapes of her window.
The covers had been pushed to the end of the bed, and she was drenched in sweat. Her pussy still throbbed with the pleasurable aftereffects of her orgasms. At least that part had been real.
"Holy shit," she whispered, taking a quick glance around the room as if she fully expected to see Max, or a wolf, or some combination of both, crouched in a corner.
He wasn't there. Of course he wasn't there, because she had been dreaming.
A dream that had culminated in two blindsiding orgasms that still had her legs trembling and her pulse racing.
"Wow." She couldn't help the words of wonder that spilled from her lips. Never had a dream felt so real. Never had her orgasms felt so amazing. If that had been a dream, she wanted one like that every night. She rested her elbows on her knees and dropped her chin into her hands, pondering whether she'd actually be able to get out of bed.
No choice there. She had to get up and go to work.
After she showered and dressed, she went in search of coffee, desperate for the clarity the caffeine could provide. Entering the kitchen, she found Kaitlyn already dressed. Her sister poured a steaming cup and handed it to her, then grinned.
"I'd ask if it was good for you, but from what I heard it was."
If it was anyone but Kaitlyn, she'd blush from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes. But she shared everything with her sister. "I had what could only be described as a seriously hot wet dream."
"Obviously. Because I've never known the sound of the alarm clock to make you howl with pleasure," Kaitlyn said with a wink. "Care to share?"
"It was weird," she said, savoring the crisp flavor of the strong brew.
"All dreams are weird. This one must have been one helluva humdinger."
"I'll say. Remember that wolf I told you I saw last night?"
"Uh huh."
"It was in my bedroom, on my bed."
Kaitlyn arched a raven brow. "You had sex with a wolf in your dream?"
"No, silly. Well, sort of. Not really, though."
"Oh, this should be good," Kaitlyn said, pulling a stool up to the breakfast bar and perching half-on, half-off. "Okay, I'm listening."
Shannon shrugged, realizing if she mentioned Max as part of her dream, there'd be no end to the matchmaking. "The wolf took on the form of a man. Kind of half man, half creature."
Kaitlyn leaned forward, clearly interested in the word man. "Anyone we know?"
"No."
"Was he hot?"
"Hell yes, he was hot. Hot and half wolf. Powerful, damn talented too, if you know what I mean."
"I know exactly what you mean. See? I've always told you that you watch too many horror films. Too much sex and violence."
/> Shannon laughed. "It wasn't like that. The wolf was really just a sexy man. With a very long tongue."
Kaitlyn's eyes widened. "Wish I had dreams like that."
Shannon wished she had them more often. Every night would be good. She felt more at ease this morning than she had in months. Nothing like a good orgasm to start the day right.
Now if only she could manage to look Max Devlin in the eye when she saw him this morning, without thinking of him as part wolf.
But ooh la la, that tongue! She doubted that visual would ever leave her mind.
Which meant facing Max was going to take some fortitude on her part. For more reasons than one.
Chapter Four
Something about Max Devlin bothered the hell out of Shannon.
Okay, maybe more than one thing.
Not only was he arrogant, evidenced by the fact they'd been arguing for two days about the public relations plan. But there were other annoyances, too.
Like how he stood too close to her, invading her personal space, making her feel...
Feel what? Uncomfortable? Kind of, but not really in a get the hell away from me kind of way. More in a damn you for making me notice you kind of way. And the way her body more than responded to being near him didn't help at all. What was wrong with her anyway?
The absolute last thing she wanted or needed was an attraction to another corporate go-getter, someone climbing his way to the top. The last man she'd been involved with had used her as a rung on his ladder to success. Good thing her heart hadn't been involved at the time, and maybe that should have been a clear indicator that something was amiss. But she hadn't recognized the signs, hadn't noticed how he was more interested in her family and their position in the business world than he was in her.
Well, after that disaster it wasn't going to happen again. Men were good for one-time fucking, occasional social dates, only when absolutely necessary, and that was it.
She didn't want to have dreams about them, didn't want her body to respond to them, and sure as hell didn't want to be thinking nonstop about them.
No, not them. Him. Max. He was the only one occupying her mind the past couple days.
Like right now, as he leaned back in a chair in the small conference room, her public relations program in one hand, a red pen in the other. Slash mark after slash mark bled all over the pages. So deep in concentration, he didn't even notice her pacing a hole in the rug behind him, stopping every few minutes to heave a disgusted sigh as she looked over his shoulder and watched him massacring her work.
"Couple more hours and I think we'll have the national and international program ready to go."
"Uh huh." She stood directly behind him, wondering if her small hands would fit around his thick neck. Probably not. Too bad.
"You'll like these ideas. Trust me."
"Uh huh." She didn't even want to read them, in fact after days of work, her first intent would be to toss his ideas right in the circular file near her desk. This was her campaign, dammit, and they were going to run it her way, no matter what Max Devlin thought.
She wondered if there was a good voodoo-curse store around the corner? Nothing life-threatening, of course. Some genital warts would be nice sprouting up on Max's dick.
He whirled around in the chair and she took a quick step back. Pinning her with his gaze, he smiled and said, "And I owe you an apology."
"Huh?"
"An apology." Waving the binder in front of her, he said, "I underestimated your talent. Your statewide public relations blitz is really good. You have a keen eye for what will capture the public's attention."
Okay, maybe just crabs, then...not warts. "Thank you."
So she'd take a look at his notes, and then she'd throw them in the trash. She took the binder and sat across the oval table from him, pouring through his comments. Occasionally she'd look up to find him staring at her, but she ignored him, concentrating instead on what was obviously sheer brilliance.
Okay, so he knew public relations. More than knew it. Especially nationwide programs, not to mention international. In a few hours of scribbles he'd outlined what would, essentially, catapult The Rising Storm into one of the top hotel/casino chains in the nation.
No wonder Lissa thought so highly of him, and why Logan had agreed to bring him down here to work with her.
She had to admit defeat on this one. He knew way more than she did, at least about running their PR program outside the state. "This is fantastic."
He grinned, and her heart slammed against her ribs. "You think so? Great. Do you think it's doable in the time parameters I outlined?"
"Maybe. Might need a little tweaking, but definitely close to the deadline dates."
"Good. And now that I look at your statewide plan, I think you're right. We can start the blitz statewide, then in the next quarter take it nationally."
He agreed with her? Damn, she should have played the lottery today. So maybe he wasn't the big bad wolf. She stood, figuring she'd better get back to her office. Max rose and skirted the table, stopping in front of her.
Lord, he smelled good. Like fresh sunshine and the crisp, warm outdoors in the summer. She didn't want to stare at the pulse throbbing in his neck, or wonder if his skin would taste salty if she licked there.
He cleared his throat and she tilted her head back, meeting his gaze. The yellow flecks seemed to dance through his eyes, like spots of sun filtering a green meadow.
Whenever she stood close to him, her magic churned within her, like it wanted to erupt all around them. She fought hard to keep it contained.
"Your eyes change colors sometimes," he said, tucking one of her errant hairs behind her ear. "The blue clouds over, grows darker, like a squall is brewing."
Oh, it was brewing all right. She shuddered at the brush of his fingers against her ear, wondering what he'd do if she let loose her powers and showed him what she was capable of. Probably run screaming from the room. Wouldn't that be an interesting sight? Max Devlin running for his life.
Then again, he didn't strike her as the type of man who'd run from anything.
And she liked him better when they were arguing. Then she could easily keep her distance. This...this she didn't like. His easy smile, the way his hair curled against the back of his neck, making her want to reach out and caress the dark locks, the way his gaze focused on hers in a way that had nothing to do with business.
When he was nice to her she wanted to give in and...
And do what? Grab him, kiss him, throw him down on top of the conference room table and have her way with him?
Oh, no. She was not going there! Better to keep her lusty thoughts about Max confined to her dreams. Much safer that way.
"Shannon, there's something I want to talk to you about. I--"
"There you are!" Kaitlyn threw the doors open and hurried toward them. "You two going to stay holed up in here all night? There's a party to prepare for, you know."
Shannon quickly stepped back, thankful for the interruption. Yet a part of her wanted to hear what Max had been about to say. Probably better that she didn't know. She threw a smile at her sister. "Yes, we're aware there's a party tonight."
"It's the big PR launch for the hotel, you know." Kaitlyn rolled her eyes as if everyone should be as excited about an event as she always was.
"And it's going to be fantastic," Max said. "I'm looking forward to it."
Kaitlyn glowed. "Thanks. Me too. I hope everything's in place. I'm going to get there early." She turned to Shannon. "Which is why I'm here. I'm going to scoot out of here, run home and change so I can get back to the restaurant."
"You do that, and quit worrying. I can meet you there and help you out."
"No, no, don't be silly. I'm just a wreck. You know me and events. Take your time getting gorgeous," she said with a wink, then turned to Max. "You should see this dress Shan is going to wear tonight. Mon dieu it's something to behold. Fits her like a second skin and really shows off her hot bod."
"Kaitlyn!" Shannon said, feeling the heat tinge her cheeks.
Max turned to her, arching a brow. "Really? I can't wait to see it. Nothing like a beautiful woman in a hot dress."
Kaitlyn laughed. "See? I knew I liked you, Max. See you both later."
After she left, an uncomfortable silence surrounded them. Shannon turned to the papers on the table, neatly stacking them and hoping that Max would just disappear.
"Hot dress, huh?"
She cringed, making a mental note to kill her sister later. "It's just a dress."
"Kaitlyn said it's hot."
"Kaitlyn's trying to act like a matchmaker."
"Really? Now that's interesting."
She glowered at him. "Don't get any ideas. We are not a match. My family just has this inherent desire to want to match me up with the first available man that comes along." Hell, for all she knew he wasn't even available.
"Because they care about you and want to see you happy."
Quickly turning away, she concentrated again on the stack of papers. "I can find my own man."
"And have you?"
He'd approached and now stood much too close to her, close enough that his warm breath brushed the hairs at the nape of her neck. She shivered. "Have I what?"
"Found a man."
"That's none of your business."
"That means no."
Gathering the paperwork and binders in her arms, she turned, holding them in front of her chest like a shield of armor. "Stay out of my personal business, Max."
"What if I want to be part of your personal business, Shannon?"
"You can't be."
"Yes, I can be, and I intend to." He leaned casually against the table, reaching out to run his fingertip down her arm. Now she wished she'd worn her suit jacket, because the touch of his skin against hers had her thoughts scattering like leaves on a windswept day.
"I have to go. I'll see you at the cocktail party." She brushed past him and hurried out the door, nearly running down the hall and shutting the door to her office. She dumped the papers on her desk and stepped to the window, watching the people walk by outside.
No, she did not want to have that conversation with Max. She didn't want to know what was on his mind. Hell, she already knew what was on his mind. Same thing that was on hers.
Sex.
If the event tonight wasn't a Storm affair, she'd hide out in her condo in her pajamas and eat potato chips. Avoidance was a good thing, sometimes.