CHAPTER FOUR
Ivy sensed Noble behind her, not so much by the sound of rustling packages but by from the strange and unsettling sexual current connecting them. The attraction she felt toward the man sent warning bells and buzzers clanging in her head. The shiver of wanton desire sliding up her spine was another red flag.
She had to put some space between her and the drop-dead gorgeous cowboy before she did something stupid, like strip off her clothes and jump his sexy bones. Since he’d opened his mouth and that deep, rich voice melted over her skin, she’d been waiting to spontaneously combust. And when he brushed his soft but firm lips to hers, the puddle in her panties grew into a fucking river. She was dripping wet and every cell in her body was screaming for release. That one kiss alone told her that Noble was a skilled lover who’d leave her spineless, sated, and in a damn coma if she’d let him.
Do it. Good god, the only thing that’s touched your vajayjay for months is your vibrator—which you left at home, by the way.
Ivy didn’t need the little voice in her head reminding her how long she’d gone without a lover. Hell, McMillian was the last man to kiss her, and that wasn’t even a kiss…it was an assault. She’d sworn off all men after that.
At least until now.
Come on! What are you waiting for? You’re in Vegas, baby! What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Remember? Besides, it’s not like you’re ever going to see him again.
She also didn’t need her riotous hormones encouraging her to bed the sexy beast.
The spark he’d effortlessly ignited inside her was already burning out of control. It was taking all the willpower she possessed not to beg him to strip her naked and extinguish the flames.
As Noble placed her packages on the bed, she stared at his big, capable hands. God, what would those long fingers feel like sliding in and out of her slick core? How many orgasms could he drag out of her before he whipped out that massive slab of beef, bulging beautifully beneath his jeans, and started to, slide it in slowly…then ease it down…all the way down…nice and deep?.
She wanted…no, she needed a long night of sex, badly.
Disregarding her begging hormones, Ivy tried to curb her hunger. She didn’t want a one-night stand. Only desperate, horny women fucked men they barely knew.
Uh, news flash, sweetheart—you are desperate and horny, her conscience taunted.
Yes, but she’d never had meaningless sex with a man for fear she’d feel like a whore…like she had when she’d raced out of McMillian’s office. The mental anguish assailing her after his attack had been brutal. She’d fought too hard to set herself up for another fall, even with a man as scrumptious as Noble…Noble what?
Lord, she didn’t even know the man’s last name.
He glanced over his shoulder, capturing her gaze.
Oh, but he was so tempting…beautiful…arousing…
And a total fucking stranger, she inwardly reminded her eager libido.
“It’s a cryin’ shame.”
“What?”
“That a sexy little woman like you has to sleep all alone in that big ol’ bed.”
She felt a blush warm her cheeks. “No. It’s actually a good thing. I sleep like a Weed eater…tossing and turning all over the place.”
He stood and raked a slow gaze up her body. “Oh, darlin’, I would love to make you prove that.”
The thick sexual undercurrent sizzling through the air arced like lightning.
Ivy bit her lips together to keep from extending the offer. As Noble moved in close to brush a strand of hair away from her cheek, her resolve melted like butter.
“Christ, you’re beautiful.”
His hot breath fluttered over her lips while his stare fixed on her mouth. Oh, hell. He was going to do more than just kiss her. The throbbing of her clit sped up, keeping time with her tripling heartbeat.
Fissures of lust laid waste to her fears.
Yet, from somewhere deep in her brain, a fragment of sanity surfaced.
She was in a strange town and in a strange hotel room with a sensual Roman god she knew nothing about—who could be a freaking serial killer. He was in her room. It was already possible for him to rape her, then kill her and toss her body in a dumpster behind any of the glitzy casinos along the strip. They’d never find her dead body.
When had she turned into such a stupid, reckless woman?
Ivy knew the answer to that…the second he’d offered his help unlocking her door.
Before she could ask him to leave and put an end to this insanity, Noble brushed a ghost of a kiss over her lips, then skimmed them again with the same whispery touch before feathering each corner of her mouth.
Okay, so maybe he wasn’t a crazed, murdering rapist after all. She knew those kinds of monsters took their victims by force.
When he pressed a tender kiss at the center of her lips, Ivy’s whole body shook. Not out of fear, but with an awakening of the desire she’d forced into hibernation so long ago.
Her nipples stiffened like marbles.
Need, wet and slick, slid from between her swollen folds.
Her throbbing clit ached with desire so brutal she wanted to howl.
Lust, primal and ravenous, uncoiled from deep in her belly.
When Noble placed his palm at the small of her back and pulled her against his solid chest, heat enveloped her like a long-lost blanket.
And when he rocked his steely erection, wedging it between her legs, all logic and reason fell silent.
With an impatient whimper, Ivy threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. She inhaled his masculine scent—a combination of sweet grass, sandalwood, and summer sun—as she feasted on his sultry mouth. The first kiss had excited her cells This one set her soul on fire.
Spellbound, she parted when Noble swiped his slippery tongue over the seam of her lips. Ivy was lost in sensual sensory overload with the glide and pull of his soft suction.
Mercy!
She’d never been with a man who kissed so erotically or passionately, or one who made her dizzy and sent a host of naughty lurid fantasies clawing through her brain. The man had skills she hadn’t even known existed.
Noble deepened the kiss. Every cell in her body ignited like a mile-long string of firecrackers. Melting against his rugged body, Ivy tossed all her reservations about one-night stands straight out the window. Consequences be damned, she’d deal with the aftermath later. She had to fuck this tongue-talented cowboy before the weekend was over if only to experience all the magical skills he possessed between the sheets.
Losing herself in his kiss, Ivy gave back as good as Noble gave.
After several long, pulse-thundering minutes, he slowly eased from her lips. Ivy’s head was spinning, her body throbbing…shaking. A whimper of carnal distress slid off her tongue.
“I know, darlin’,” he said sympathetically. “But I have to leave before I do something that’ll contradict my given name.”
No! No! Contradict it all you want. Please! You can’t just leave me like this!
“I won’t tell if you don’t.” Without thinking, she’d put the bold statement out there.
“Oh, I never kiss and tell. Don’t worry, pretty lady, we’re not finished here…not by a long shot.”
Thank god!
“I have to meet an old friend of mine shortly. But I’ll be back later tonight.”
Ivy blinked, suddenly remembering she’d promised to take Celina out for an impromptu bachelorette party. “I-I have a family thing I have to attend tonight myself. Maybe we could have a drink…if it’s not too late when we both get back. I’ve got a bottle of wine in the fridge.”
The crooked smile Noble flashed had her toes curling.
“I’d love to share a glass of wine with the sexiest woman on the planet. I’ll tap on your door when I get back…if it’s not too late.”
“It doesn’t matter what time. It won’t be too late,” she blurted out, uncaring how desperate it made her sound.
“Excellent. I’ll see you later then. Oh, and if you need anything…don’t hesitate to let me know. My room is right across the hall.”
He cupped her cheeks and pillaged her mouth with another spine-bending, sensual kiss. After pulling away with a low growl, Noble turned and walked out the door, leaving Ivy’s lips tingling, her core blazing, and head spinning. A pitiful whimper rolled off her tongue as she stood staring at the door, wondering how a total stranger had completely turned her world upside down.
Her body was humming with need, and even her cotton T-shirt felt like sandpaper against her sensitized flesh. Ivy issued a frustrated sigh and stripped off her shirt and bra, tossing them to the floor as she strode to the bathroom. After turning on the shower, she peeled off her yoga pants and thong, noting both were saturated. She pressed a hand to her mound and drew back glistening fingers.
Damn!
She was dripping like a leaky faucet.
And what the hell was up with that? She’d spent months with various boyfriends who hadn’t put her in a puddle the way Noble had, and she’d only known him fifteen damn minutes.
The way her body responded to the man confused her. She couldn’t pinpoint a reason for the forceful animal attraction she felt for Noble, but it was there. Oh, man…it was there…a strong, dangerous, and totally reckless yearning. But none of the scary reasons to avoid him erased the lust bubbling inside her.
Lifting her head, Ivy stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were smoky and dilated, her lips, red and swollen, her breasts engorged, and her erect nipples were a darker peach color. The needy woman looked foreign. Ivy didn’t know where she’d come from. Bewildered, she shook her head and stepped into the steaming spray of water.
She worked to rub the crazy attraction from her skin while trying to calm the demand still pumping through her veins, but couldn’t. If she didn’t get her libido under control, it was going to be a long, frustrating night hanging out with her sister.
Unable to douse the flames still licking her soul, Ivy stepped out of the shower and dried off. Deciding that obsessing about a man she’d just met was pointless, she forced herself to focus on the wedding. She tried to wrap her head around the reasons Celina was marrying a dick like Harvey but couldn’t come up with a single rational answer. Her sister had always been impulsive to a fault, but…damn. This wedding had catastrophe written all over it.
If…no, when Celina’s marriage fell apart, Ivy would be there to help pick up the pieces and move on. That’s what family did. When the shit had hit the fan with McMillian, the Addison clan rallied around Ivy and propped her up through every humiliating, embarrassing minute. Even Janice—bless her sweet southern heart—tried to bolster Ivy’s confidence. Unwilling to let the woman who’d given her life down, Ivy had done as her mother instructed. She’d lifted her chin and displayed all the mock self-confidence she could muster during the trial. The scars were still red and raw but healing, but worst of all, Ivy wasn’t the same woman she’d once been. She hated McMillian for stealing such precious pieces of her soul.
“Don’t start getting your ass all comfy on the pity pot,” Ivy warned her reflection in the mirror as she brushed on a light layer of mascara. “Let it go. Move on. Live the life you want. Be strong. Be happy…yadda, yadda, yadda.”
The verbal balm she’d drilled into her head during those crushing days had served its purpose. She rarely had to indulge in giving herself pep talks anymore. But some days it still helped to smooth out some of the rough edges. Of courses a long, hot, sweaty night with Noble might do more than take care of her rough edges. He might polish her up like a shiny new diamond.
“A man isn’t going to fix you,” she drawled out loud.
No, but his kisses still tingled on her lips as visions of him plowing her lady garden sent shivers crawling up her spine.
“Oh, stop it,” she chided her reflection. “You don’t have time to take a cold shower.”
As she painted a light pink gloss over her lips, the phone beside the bed rang. With her heart slamming against her ribs, she raced from the bathroom. She lunged across the bed and plucked up the receiver, praying she’d hear Noble’s deep, buttery-soft voice on the other end.
“Hello?” She cringed at her breathless tone.
“Ivy?” Celina asked. “Are you okay? You sound weird.”
Shit!
She cleared her throat. “Yeah…yeah. I’m fine,” she lied as disappointment bled from her system.
“I’m all put together and ready to party the night away. How about you?”
“Give me five and I’ll meet you in the lobby, kay?”
“I’m already here. Harvey wanted to introduce me to his best man before our rehearsal dinner tomorrow night. Listen, I…um, I didn’t tell Harv that we were hitting the male strip show tonight, so be a doll and don’t say anything. All right? The last thing I want is him losing his shit and leaving me standing all alone at the altar.”
If only it could be that easy.
“He’s not going to leave you at the altar. Stop. I won’t say a word, but you do know that he and his best man are probably going to hit numerous strip clubs tonight, too, right?”
“Not if he wants to consummate our marriage Saturday night!” Celina screeched.
“Whoa. Settle down, tiger. What’s good for the goose is good for—”
“Not even. Male strippers don’t give lap dances, do they?”
“How would I know? I’ve never been to a strip club before.”
“Come down when you can. I’m going to have a little come-to-Jesus meeting with my future husband while he’s still in the lobby.” With an angry growl, Celina ended the call.
As Ivy hung up the phone, she shook her head. It was wrong to hope there wouldn’t even be a wedding Saturday, but she couldn’t help it. Celina could do so much better than Harvey Hays. Why couldn’t she see that?
“Not my monkey or my zoo,” Ivy murmured as worry settled in her stomach.
Shaking the foreboding unease from her mind, she slipped on the new champagne-colored, sequined minidress and matching pale-peach Jimmy Choos she’d purchased hours ago at a boutique downstairs. As she checked out herself in the mirror, Ivy bit her lip. She worried the shimmering, form-hugging designer outfit with its plunging neckline—revealing more cleavage than she’d ever displayed—might be a little over-the-top.
“Go big or go home,” she murmured to her reflection.
The only problem with that adage was that Ivy truly wanted to go back home, pack her truck, and start living her new life.
“It’ll all be over Sunday morning. You’ll have to hang until then,” she murmured to herself.
After spritzing on her favorite perfume and tucking her room card into the peach clutch, she headed out the door.
As the latch snicked behind her, she paused and stared at Noble’s door. Had he left to meet his friend yet, or was he inside his room getting ready to leave? Visions of his naked body covered in slippery soapsuds—especially his hard, thick cock—filled her mind. God, the dirty things she wanted to do to him, and have him do to her, sent a naughty thrill tingling in her girl parts.
Since she and Celina didn’t drink that often, Ivy planned to quickly get her sister shit-faced before rushing back to the hotel to share a night of mind-blowing orgasms with Noble.
In theory her plan seemed spec-fucking-tacular, and no doubt her body was primed for pleasure, but Ivy wasn’t sure if she could actually follow through with the sex. Still, she knew if she chickened out, she’d regret it for the rest of her life.
Peering at Noble’s door one last time, she swallowed down the lump of lust lodged in her throat and strolled to the elevator. As she descended toward the lobby, Ivy sucked in several deep breaths to try and calm the carnal riot roiling inside her. The doors opened and she started toward the hotel entrance, noticing several men who stopped in their tracks to rake their hungry gazes up and down her body.
When she’d first spied the skimpy dress she was now wearing, in one of the hotel’s shops, it’d screamed festive fun. But now she feared it simply yelled hooker. Painting the town draped in bedazzler barf might have been a bad choice. Self-consciously tugging at the hem of the dress, Ivy heard some guy let out a long, low wolf whistle. Suddenly, her insecurities were replaced with feminine pride. She glanced over her shoulder and flashed the older man a cheeky grin before adding a little more sway to her hips. But the second she spotted Celina pacing near the front door, hands clenched into fists and her face pinched in an angry scowl, Ivy’s confidence took a nosedive.
Dammit!
She’d hoped to spend the night drinking, laughing, and reminiscing with her sister, not battling Bridezilla. She wanted her fun-loving sister back.
“What’s wrong, baby sis?”
“Harvey, that son of a… Do you know where he’s going tonight?”
“The strip clubs?”
“Yes,” Celine hissed. “I can’t believe it.”
Ivy bit back a laugh. “Why not? We’re going to one. It’s what all couples do before they tie the—”
“Yeah, but we’re not bringing any of the guys back to the hotel with us.”
“Harvey isn’t going to bring a stripper back here either.”
“How do you know?”
“Oh, come on, Celina. You’re a ten. Harvey’s a two and a half, maybe a three…at best.”
“It’s not about looks,” Celina spat. “He’s beautiful inside.”
Yeah…way down deep inside him.
Ivy kept that observation to herself and hugged her sister. “Honey, if you don’t trust him enough to know he’ll keep his dick in his pants then why are you marrying him?”
Big, fat crocodile tears filled Celina’s eyes. “Because I love him.”
“Okay. But you can love someone and not trust them.”
“I do trust him,” she wailed as she angrily wiped her tears away. “I just don’t want him drooling over another woman. He’s supposed to drool over me. I know you and Mom and Dad think Harvey’s a jerk, but he’s really not.”
“Then stop worrying.” Her sister sniffed and nodded. “As long as he treats you like a queen, and he’s your ten, that’s all that matters.” And if he’s ever mean to you, I’ll hire a hit man who’ll make that arrogant pudgy prick suffer. “Now, let’s grab some dinner before we set Las Vegas on fire.”
Celina sent her a watery smile and nodded.