Trey and Georgie headed back to their guest cottage, and I decided to turn in too. Aidan had gone off somewhere with Carolyn, so it seemed I might have the place to myself for the night which, considering the way Aidan snored, was a bonus.
I got inside and my foot slid forward on a piece of paper. At first I thought it might be a note from Aidan, but that idea was laughable. Aidan was hardly the type to leave a note about anything. Even as a kid, he could disappear from home for days and hang out at my house or Trey's. He never once called or contacted his parents to let them know where he was. The saddest part about that was that they never called to check up on him and make sure he was safe. They were pathetically bad parents. Aidan learned early on how to be independent and never count on anyone else.
It seemed he had found a solid thing for the weekend, and I envied that. I would have been thrilled with solid or even just predictable.
I opened the note and wondered if it was telling that I already recognized her curly script. It was wild and unpredictable, just like the girl. And suddenly I thought maybe solid and predictable was underrated.
"I have something of yours. If you want it back, turn left at the fork at the top of the stairs. Third door on the right."
I pulled the torn panties out of my coat pocket and looked at them. Every dirty thought imaginable shot through my mind. Sitll, it was one thing to meet secretly in a dark barn, another altogether to meet inside Carter's house. And I had no doubt Raini's room was close to her dad's. But that didn't stop me.
I headed in to shower and changed into jeans and a t-shirt. I confidently stuck not one but three condoms in my pocket. I had decided that even with Dad just a few doors away, Raini and I were going to finish what we'd started. Unless she was playing me again. Which was entirely possible. And yet, I brushed back my wet hair and headed out the door into the still night air.
It was nearly two in the morning and every last hard core party guest had finally gone to bed. The house was left amazingly clean after the long night of food and drinks. I headed through the front room, which was an entertainment room. Garrett and a few of his friends had fallen asleep on the massive sectional with the television still showing a video game.
I lightened my steps but was fairly certain no amount of noise would wake them. I headed through the hallway and past the kitchen to the giant double staircase in the center of the mansion. The directions left at the top of the stairs and third door on the right repeated in my brain as I walked, quiet as a whisper, up the carpeted stairs.
I reached the landing and turned left. The long ornate carpet runner led me down a long hallway that was lit with antique sconces. There was plenty of room between the doors, which meant the rooms were expansive. It was easy enough to count to the third door on the right.
I stopped in front of it and looked both ways. The hallway, in fact the entire second floor, was as quiet and still as a morgue. It seemed everyone was sound asleep. I lifted my hand and knocked lightly. An expensive house always had thick, solid wood doors and this one was no exception. My knuckles barely made a sound. I rapped a little harder and was amazed at how loud it sounded in the long, empty hallway. At least to my ears. But I doubted it could be heard inside the room. I decided to take a chance. I snapped my knuckles sharply against the door two times. The risk paid off. Footsteps sounded on the other side.
I actually felt a flutter in my chest like a kid waiting for his first date to answer the door. Raini was an expert. She had me feeling like I was sixteen again and just starting out into the world of dating.
The door swung open.
I sucked in a shocked breath. "Sir, hello, I—"
It took Carter a second to recognize the figure at his door. "Zane, what on earth are you doing? Is something the matter?" he asked with some alarm. The sleepy glaze in his eyes was clearing. He stuck his head out into the hallway. "Does someone need medical assistance?"
"No, Carter, I'm sorry. I just never had time to thank you for inviting us this weekend. So many people around you at the party, I just didn't get a chance to say thank you." I started backing up. "I thought you might still be awake. My apologies."
His magnificent eyebrows bunched up like two furry caterpillars about to have sex. "Well that's fine, Zane, but I think this could have waited until morning. I suggest you go to bed so you're ready for tomorrow."
"Of course, yes. Again, my apologies and thank you, thank you for the invite."
He shut the door. I spun around to make a quick exit for the stairs. I reached the landing when a light billowed out into the dimly lit hallway. Someone made a soft sound like an owl. I turned back around.
Raini's head was poked around a door, the third door on the left to be exact. I looked over at Carter's door. It was closed and the light that seeped through it had been turned out. I tiptoed back toward Raini, trying to figure out how to yell at her without making a sound.
She disappeared into the room by the time I reached it. I looked back to double check that Carter's door was still shut and slipped inside Raini's room. She covered her lips with her fingers to hold back a smile.
"Oops," she said coyly. "I guess I meant my right, like when I'm walking toward the stairs." She batted her lashes, lashes that were a dark sable color and even more luxurious without makeup. "I've never been good at giving directions."
There was only one lamp on in the room, but I could still see her clearly.
"That's my shirt," I noted. Her long, silky legs stuck out below the curved hem of my dress shirt. It was still crisp with starch from the cleaners, but somehow it managed to look provocative on her curves.
She kept one arm behind her as she backed up a few steps. "I hope you don't mind that I borrowed it." She pulled her hand into view. "I needed something to go with your necktie." My hundred dollar necktie was tied around her wrist.
"Damn. You win. I fucking surrender." I closed the gap between us in two strides. I grabbed the long loose end of the tie and wound it once around my wrist. Then I led her to the massive antique bed standing in the center of the room.
I pulled her around. The momentum hurled her onto the bed. I climbed on top of the quilts. She held up the wrist with the tie, making it clear she wanted to be bound. And hundred dollar tie or not, I had no problem with that. My cock pressed against my fly, assuring me it had no problem with it either.
I took the hanging tail of the tie and thread it through the slats on her headboard. Then I lifted her free hand and knotted the tie around it. "Funny, when I bought this tie, I was just trying to figure out which suit it worked best with. Never pictured using it for this. I guess I'm not a very good shopper."
Raini giggled but then the giggle turned to a hushed sigh when I knelt between her legs and lifted the end of the shirt up to get a look underneath. She wasn't wearing any panties, and her cleanly shaven pussy was just begging to be, as she had suggested, taken six ways to Sunday.
I leaned up over her. She watched with enthusiasm as I unbuttoned the shirt. I got to the last button, and the panels slipped off her body, revealing her naked form beneath. She was head to toe a cock pleaser. I shifted in my jeans, trying to relieve the pressure.
Her hands were tied securely above her head, but she arched her back off the mattress, begging me to kiss her breasts. Her nipples were hard with anticipation before my mouth even touched them. I lathed my tongue over each one, taking time to bring each one to a tight rosy bud. Then I trailed my mouth along her belly, stopping briefly for a tongue dance around her belly button.
I was taking things slow but inside it felt as if someone had filled my veins with rocket fuel and lit the fuse. I backed up and knelt down between her thighs. She cried out when I reached up and spread her pussy wide with my fingers. She had turned her face to her arm to stifle the sound, but it was too late.
Footsteps shuffled in the hallway. There was a knock at the door that sent me straight off the bed as if that same rocket fuel had given me lift off.
"Ra
insford, is everything all right?" Carter's voice was muffled by the door.
I reached over Raini and quickly released her hands.
"I'm fine, Dad. Just a bad dream."
She buttoned the shirt, as I searched frantically around for a place to hide. The doorknob moved. I shot out onto the balcony outside her bedroom.
"No," she whispered, "don't go."
"Sorry, sweetie, this game isn't any fun when your dad is only five feet across the way." I climbed over the balustrades and reached for the rain gutter running down the facade. Most of it was covered with ivy vines, which helped with my footing. About halfway down, I felt the rain gutter come loose from the siding. I jumped the rest of the way and landed squarely on both feet on the back lawn.
I headed under the shadows of the house and trees back to the path that would lead to the cottages. My heart was racing, but my body was completely drained by disappointment. Now it seemed I would have to lie in bed for the rest of the night and imagine what it might have been like to have Raini naked in my arms.
I stopped in front of the door to our cottage and stared in annoyance at Aidan's necktie draped carelessly over the knob. I could have pushed it off and pretended ignorance, insisting the wind must have knocked it off. But that would mean trying to sleep in a bed listening to Aidan and his new found friend go at it, all the while still in agony from not having sex with Raini. Not to mention that Aidan would probably be pissed enough not to talk to me for a week. The second wasn't such a big deal, but the first thought sent me back across the yard.
The chaise lounges sitting around the pool were more comfortable than most good mattresses. The only thing I'd be lacking was a blanket. Fortunately, the night air was pretty mild.
I stretched out on a lounge, and my eyes drifted shut. What a day it had been. And all because of one wild woman, a woman who I would not soon forget . . . if at all.
Chapter Thirteen
Raini
I had planned all along to take Pepper out for a ride, and I wanted to get to the barn and saddle up before the rest of the house woke. I knew Mindy had one more big social event planned, a birthday brunch. Then guests would start to meander back to their cars for the drive home. I, too, had to get back to the city to finish a homework project.
As I finished tying up the lace on my riding boots, I pushed back that little voice that kept reminding me that Zane would be leaving too. I glanced over at his shirt that I'd draped over the end of the bed. I had worn it all night, hugging it around me in a pathetic effort to pretend that it was his body wrapped around me. To say that I was disappointed by the way my last plan turned out would have been like calling the Grand Canyon a pothole. In his extremely short, clandestine visit to my room, he managed to bring me instantly to the height of arousal where I knew there was no happy ending without an orgasm. But the unhappy ending had been all my fault. At the time, I thought it would be a funny trick to make him knock on the wrong door, but all that had done was wake Dad out of a deep sleep, making him more aware of any noises in the house. The noise had been my fault too, but I couldn't help myself. Zane had created so much sexual tension in my body that the cry out had just been a natural release of that tension.
I had decided to keep the shirt as a memento, but I rolled up the tie and shoved it into the pocket of my sweatshirt. I planned to hand it back to him after the ride, just to remind him what he missed out on. Naturally I would choose an opportune time to hand it back to him, like when he was standing with his friends, or even better, my dad.
The guests were still asleep, but the staff was already busy in the kitchen preparing for the brunch. I slipped through the house and past the delicious smell of baked goods and brewing coffee. I pressed my arm against my stomach to quiet the empty rumblings.
Garrett and two of his friends were crashed on the couch, all of them looking as if they were drunk on video games. I stepped out into the cool morning air and zipped up my sweatshirt. I pulled the hood up over my head. The mild night air had turned brisk at some point, but the sky was bright blue and there was no breeze. It would be the perfect morning for a ride.
I glanced over at the cottages and wondered if Zane had slept well. I hoped not. I hoped he had lay awake all night thinking about what he missed when he escaped over the side of the balcony. If it hadn't ended with me practically in pain from wanting him, it would have all been pretty comical.
I decided to take the shortcut through the pool area to the barn. I walked through the gate. There was no way to deny that the sight of Zane stretched out on the chaise with his arms and hands above his head sent the same surge of heat through me that I'd felt the night before when he had knelt between my legs. Even though I couldn't blame him, I was still a touch angry at him for so easily giving up on our night. I'm sure he figured a night with me wasn't worth angering a major investor in his company. Although I would have tried my damndest to make it at least parallel the risk.
I couldn't resist stopping at the lounge to look at him. His long copper hair was stretched out behind his head. I hadn't noticed just how long and dark his lashes were against the golden brown of his skin. His coloring was truly unique. And with his muscular, well-proportioned physique and fat bank account, I had no doubt that he had more than a flurry of female admirers back in the city. There might even be a steady girlfriend. I'd never asked. But if I was being honest with myself, I'd never asked because I didn't want to know about a significant other if there was one.
A low sigh rolled up from Zane's throat. He moved a bit on the lounge, but his dark lashes never lifted. He was still asleep. He looked so damn sexy stretched out in his t-shirt and jeans that a wicked thought slipped into my head, a little payback for him dashing out so quickly the night before.
I pulled the tie from my pocket and walked to the head of the lounge. I carefully wrapped his one wrist with the silk fabric and then threaded it through the woven plastic on the backside of the lounge. I tied the rest of it around his other wrist.
I sat lightly on the edge of the lounge and pressed my hand over his fly. Then I worked my fingers around the curve underneath denim fabric, slowly bringing his cock to attention. He groaned in pleasure and moved his hips against the pressure of my hand. But he was still asleep, apparently having a very real sex dream. Stroking him erect was doing plenty to my own resolve. If we'd been anywhere but in the middle of my dad's pool area, I would have straddled him and finished his dream to perfection.
I leaned over Zane and brought my mouth close to his ear. "Meet me in the barn for a ride. Bring a sweatshirt. Oh, and brush your teeth. I'm expecting another one of those improper kisses."
He startled awake and quickly learned his hands were tied to the lounge. He also quickly learned that he hadn't just been dreaming about having his cock fondled. I gave it a little squeeze. He growled in frustration and tugged at the bindings around his wrists.
I stood up and winked down at him. "I'll see you just as soon as you get yourself free."
"Fuck," was the only response I heard as I walked away.
Chapter Fourteen
Zane
Aidan's tie was still dangling from the doorknob. I grabbed it in my fist, deciding it might be just what I need to go along with the other tie Raini had so stealthily used to bind me to the fucking chaise lounge.
I could see Aidan's naked ass in the bed and another long lump next to him, buried under the covers. There was an empty bottle of wine next to the bed. I stomped around looking for my sweatshirt and getting washed up in the bathroom, secure in the knowledge that nothing would wake my friend from his booze and sex coma. The woman next to him in bed didn't stir either. Staying out on the lounge had been a good choice, but it would have been less aggravating if I hadn't woken up in the middle of the pool area with my wrists tied together and an erection straining against my pants. My talented, fearless opponent had once again outpaced me. I'd fallen asleep last night wondering if the sputtering ending to the evening had doused some of her e
nthusiasm for the game. But it seemed that was not the case. And now my own energy for winning the match had been renewed.
I shoved both ties in my sweatshirt pocket. I was still armed with a handful of condoms from the night before. Invigorated by the early morning air and the notion that she had once again outsmarted me, I marched with fierce determination toward the barn. If she wanted a ride, I was going to give it to her so hard and so fast she was going pass up Sunday and go straight on to the next Friday.
I reached the barn and walked into the breezeway. Raini had just finished saddling up the second of two horses.
"There you are. I didn't ask but something told me you might need a beginner horse. Jumbly is slow and dependable."
I looked at the two horses and then at Raini. She was wearing skin tight jeans tucked into a pair of cowboy boots, a wardrobe choice that sent my pulse racing. But then it seemed everything she did sent blood surging through my veins.
"You actually meant a real ride . . . on horses."
She patted the side of a speckled gray horse and smiled. "Uh huh. What kind of ride did you think I meant?" Her coy smile, one that I already knew too damn well, made its appearance. She knew exactly what I meant and exactly why I'd thought it.
"Never mind. So, which horse is the slow and dependable one?"
She walked back to the chestnut brown horse. "This is Jumbly. I also picked him because his coat sort of matches your hair."
"Great, then we won't clash."
She lowered the ropes that held the horses in place in the barn aisle. Then she pulled the reins over Jumbly's head and handed me the end. She took her horse's reins, and Jumbly and I walked behind her out of the barn.