Shine Not Burn Page 7

  He caught me doing it and chuckled. “Could you hold these for me?” After he deposited all the chips and the shoes into my hands, I took a step down the hall, headed to my room.

  “Whoop!” The sound came flying out of my mouth when he surprised the crap out of me and swooped me up into his arms, carrying me in a cradle made of his strong arms. Long strides brought us down the hall towards the last room on the right while the money rattled away in the plastic cup. I was literally being swept off my feet, and if it hadn’t been for the spinning of the hallway, walls, floors, and ceiling, it would have been the highlight of my night.

  Please let Candice and Kelly be on their way out!

  He put me down on my feet at the door and leaned on it with one hand, pulling me up against him with the other. I was breathless with the kissing that ensued, barely able to hold my thoughts together. Down the chips and shoes went again, scattered all over the floor and on my feet. I only opened my eyes a few times during the kissing to keep the spinning room under control.

  “Wait, wait,” I said, as a door down the hall opened and voices came floating down the corridor. I knocked on my door, desperation showing through in the rapid-fire tap, tap, tapping I was doing. I was incapable of playing it cool right now. Cool? Say hello to Fool.

  “You don’t have a key?” he asked.

  “Where in this dress do you think I’d be able to hide a key?” My chest was practically heaving with all the heavy breathing I was doing. I was completely flustered and frustrated, my hands refusing to sit still. I could feel his six-pack through his shirt. His muscles actually rippled when I touched them. The bulge in his pants was huge. I needed to see this man naked soon or I was going to have a stroke brought on by pent up sexual desire. Like spontaneous combustion but without the gas or the fire parts.

  He ran his fingers past my ribs to my back. “Hmmm, no key here.” His fingers went down to my rear end. “Not here either.” Putting his hand just under my right breast, he smiled. “And not here either.” He grabbed my ass once and let go. “You’re right. You don’t have a key.” He grinned, making me grab his face in my hands and kiss him all over again.

  The door rattled and we jumped apart before I could start my next move, namely feeling up his bulge. I forgot Kelly’s shoes were there on the floor and somehow got tangled up in them when I tried to turn around. I fell to the side as the door opened, landing in Mack’s open arms.

  “Well, well, well. If it isn’t The Lady Gambler and her cowboy hero,” said Candice, sounding a little put out and a lot mischievous.

  I pushed off Mack’s chest to get back on my feet and bent down to grab Kelly’s shoes. When I stood up, I swayed on my feet, the room doing a full spin in front of me. Mack put his hand on the small of my back and stepped forward to put his body closer to mine. It was comforting to know that if I fell, he’d be there to catch me.

  “Whoopsy. Sorry, lost my balance there.” I grinned at Candice, trying to play off the fact that I’d shown up in our room with a random guy. “What took you so long?” I asked, walking past her and dragging Mack in by the hand. “I waited forever. Look what I won.” I held up the chips he’d gathered off the floor for a second before dumping them on the table. Several of them rolled off an fell to the floor.

  “Nice.” She only had eyes for Mack. “And you won some chips too?”

  I moved so I was standing next to him. “Ha, ha. I didn’t win this cowboy, I beat him at blackjack.” I snorted out a laugh at the frown on his face. I gestured to the cowboy and then at my friend. “Candice, this is Mack. Mack, this is Candice.”

  She shook his hand while raising an eyebrow. “Mack? Are you for real, that’s your name?”

  “Mack’s a nickname. Short for MacKenzie, my last name.” He grinned, and I saw the effect it had on Candice. Even her hard ass wasn’t immune to his charms. I melted into him a little and he put his arm around me.

  “Where’s home?” asked Candice, sliding on her shoes. I noticed with a trace of bitterness that they were lower than the ones I’d been subjected to.

  “Baker City, Oregon.”

  “You’re a long way from home, cowboy,” she said, standing up straight and pushing her boobs up in her bra.

  “That I am, ma’am.”

  Candice’s face fell and she ceased her wiggling around, her shoulders drooping down. “He just called me ma’am. I’m going to go drown my sorrows.” She grabbed her little purse off the table and walked to the door, all hunched over.

  “Where are you going?” I asked, mystified.

  “I’m going out to find me a man. A younger one with a big dick. Keep an eye on Kelly if you feel like it. Otherwise, just lock her in. She’ll be fine. She’s sleeping it off in the bedroom on the left.” She stepped out the door.

  “But … wait, Candice! You don’t have to leave!”

  She stuck her head in the door, her smile back. “Sorry, babe, but three’s a crowd.” She winked. “I’ll catch you later, kids.” The door shut behind her with a click.

  “I think your friend just green-lighted me,” he said.

  I grinned big. “I think she did too.”

  He swept me off on my feet again, only this time the spinning wasn’t nearly as bad since I was staring into his eyes the entire time. “Which way to the empty room?” he asked.

  I pointed over my shoulder. “That way.”

  Chapter Twelve

  I SAT ON THE EDGE of the bed so I could watch the show.

  The first thing he did was take off his shirt, button by button. I thought for sure that the cowboy hat was going to go flying first, or maybe that he’d set it down on the table before starting the strip tease. But no … it was the shirt that he started with, and damn, was I glad for that. Never in my life have I seen a cowboy with his shirt off and his hat on, but I decided right then and there that I wanted to experience that on a regular basis for the rest of my life. It made me wish I had a video camera going so I could re-live the scenario over and over again. This event being just a one-night stand really started to suck in that moment.

  The boots were next. After taking them off along with his socks, he was standing in the middle of the room in just a pair of well-worn jeans and a straw-colored cowboy hat. A large, brass-colored belt buckle rested at his waist.

  “Good Lord have mercy,” I said in barely a whisper, unable to look away. Somehow a southern accent had trickled into my speech. It just seemed appropriate, seeing him standing there in all his country-boy glory. I hiccuped again.

  “That good, huh?” he asked, his grin going wide. He took several steps towards me, and I moved back just a little.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, his voice low. I was reminded of a predator and its prey.

  “I … I don’t know,” I said, stuttering through my sudden attack of shyness. He was too gorgeous for words. I was afraid to be naked in his presence.

  “You don’t need to be afraid of me,” he said, still advancing. He held out a hand, palm down, in a calming gesture. “Shhh, come here, babe. Let me just hold you. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

  His words warmed me to my toes. I had a feeling I now knew exactly how a skittish horse would feel in his presence. This man meant me no harm. Walking away would be the stupidest thing I could possibly do. No way was I going to live with that regret.

  I put my hand out and let our fingers lace together. “I’m just a little nervous. One-night stands have never really been my thing.” Okay, that was kind of a lie. In college they had been, but not since. Six years of dedicated relationships, all with total jerkoffs. I’m nothing if not consistent.

  “It’s the hat, isn’t it?” He took it off and put it down gently on the floor near us, never taking his eyes off me.

  “It wasn’t the hat,” I said, my voice feeling strained. It most definitely was not the hat. My pulse was picking up the pace and my fight or flight instinct was kicking in. Or maybe it was my fuck or flight instinct; that was pro
bably more appropriate considering the look he was giving me.

  “Is it the buckle?” he asked, gripping it in his fingers and angling it towards me.

  “It’s not the buckle,” I whispered, staring at the letters engraved in the front of it … something in Latin over a coat of arms, maybe. I was too distracted to give it much thought. He was getting too close for me to think straight. I was way too dizzy from all the alcohol, so I stood, hoping that would help.

  He stopped just inches away, not quite as tall without the boots on, but still so tall I had to angle my head up to look in his eyes.

  “You are the prettiest lady in this entire town, you know that?”

  I laughed a little, not falling for the schmooze but letting it warm me nonetheless. “I know that you drank about six beers in the space of an hour or two, so I have to think that may be interfering in your judgment.”

  He shook his head. “Nope. I’ve got all my faculties.”

  “Damn, you’re just full of those quarter words today, aren’t you?”

  He pulled me up against his chest in one quick move, reminding me what a strong man he is and how much restraint he’d shown so far. “What’s a quarter word?” He dipped his head down and kissed the side of my mouth.

  “It’s … it’s…” I tried to answer, but then I forgot the question. The small kisses he was feathering around my mouth were making me go air-brained.

  “Hmmm? Quarter word?” he prompted.

  “It’s a … big word … worth twenty-five cents…” I opened my mouth and tried to turn and meet his lips, but he moved away, leaving me hanging. His mouth moved to my neck where his lips put a little suction to my skin. He licked the tender spot and then blew on it a little, making goosebumps come up all over that side of my body.

  I strained to get closer to him, my breasts pulsing with need.

  “I want to see you naked,” he whispered, his hands going behind me to move my hair out of the way and slowly unzip my dress. His fingertips trailed behind the zipper, sliding along my skin from the top of my spine all the way to the small of my back. The cool air of the room whispered across my skin as the shoulders of my dress went slack and slid down my arms. The heat of my desire banked and my face burned with the fear of him seeing my body and judging it as less than worthy. I stood there in bra and panties, my face going bright red.

  “Jesus, woman …” He pulled me against him roughly again, the hardness of his desire slamming into my pelvis. It was the sweetest pain I’d ever felt. A moan escaped my lips and urged him on.

  He pushed my dress down until it pooled at my feet. I stepped out of it and kicked it lightly to the side, clinging to him the entire time. I didn’t want us to get too far apart, but he had other ideas. He pulled back abruptly, pushing me away slightly by my upper arms. “Wait … just for a second. Let me look at you.”

  I dropped my gaze to the floor, unable to meet his eyes.

  He said nothing for so long, I had to peek, unable to stand the pressure of not knowing. He was scanning my body from head to toe, and the dim light shining in from the attached bathroom told me nothing. His expression was serious. Dangerous, even.

  “What?” I said, wanting to cross my arms over my body.

  “No, wait … don’t cover yourself. Please. Let me just admire you for a little while longer.”

  My face went red again. All I could think about were my too-small breasts with two rubbery booby-hikers hidden under them, my wide hips, and my big butt. “What are you talking about?” I felt like I was stuck halfway between feeling awkward and feeling sexy. I could have fallen over to either side with a single word from him.

  He shook his head. “I thought bodies like this were only alive in my fantasies. I didn’t realize they existed in reality.” He ran his hand down my ribs and hip. “Curves everywhere.” He looked into my eyes. “The body of a real, honest-to-God woman.”

  I pushed on his chest, laughter bubbling up from my throat as the fear disintegrated and then disappeared completely. He likes curves! “Get out of here, you lunatic.”

  He grabbed my hands and pulled me up against him. “Heck no, I’m not going anywhere. You lured me up here to your lair and now I’m going to let you take advantage of me.”

  My mouth dropped open in mock offense. “I lured you up here? Are you kidding me?” I tried to wrestle away, but he held on tight, walking us over to the bed.

  “Don’t play with my heart, Andie. Tell me you didn’t bring me up here just to strip down to your gorgeous bits and then kick me out. I don’t think my ego could take it. And neither could my … other parts of me.”

  I lifted my chin to sass him back, but he took advantage of his height and came down to my lips, silencing me with his mouth.

  The idea that he found my body so sexy lit some kind of fire inside me. Whatever misgivings I might have had about bringing a man to my room who’d I’d never see again after tonight? Yeah … they went flying out the window and into the hot Las Vegas night. Any second thoughts that might have been brewing about my own attractiveness? Yup .. they joined those misgivings, leaving in their place a very horny, very excited me. Andie the party girl was definitely back. I shimmied out of my underthings as he kissed me and then stepped away from him when I was totally naked.

  “Wow.” He stared at me, his eyes taking in every detail of my body. “Talk about getting lucky. The blackjack table was nothing compared to this.”

  My heart soared with his compliments and a sudden surge of energy burst through me. “Woo hoo!” I yelled, pushing him down onto the bed and jumping on top of him. My leap was a little too enthusiastic though, because I misjudged my landing and fell to the side. I tried to catch myself on the edge of the bed but the stupid satin cover gave me nothing to grab onto. I tipped off the bed and fell onto the floor with a loud thud. I stayed there for a few seconds, waiting for the room to stop spinning.

  “Holy shit,” he said, trying to cover up his laughter as he leaned over the edge of the bed to look at me. “Are you okay?”

  I jumped to my feet and smiled, determined to keep having fun regardless of the fact that I was a complete idiot. I held my arms above my head and stretched them to the ceiling. “How’s that for a dismount?” I said, giving him a superstar smile.

  He grabbed me around the waist and yanked me down onto the bed, jumping on top of me. “Gold medal worthy.” His jeans pressed into my nakedness, ratcheting the erotic sensations up another couple notches. I had feared my goofiness would destroy the mood, but all it did was make me realize that we had the same sense of humor.

  I pushed him over and scrambled to get on top of him. “I’m on top,” I declared.

  “Whoa, girl,” he said, laughing while fighting to sit up. He grabbed me around the waist and flipped me over onto my back in one smooth motion. He was on top now and looming over me.

  “Take off those pants,” I ordered. “And stand there in the middle of the room so I can check you out. It’s my turn to gawk.” If I’d had a whip right then, I would have cracked it. Something about being with Mack tonight had gotten me totally fired up. If there’d been a bull in the room, I would have held up a red cape and waved it at him.

  He backed up as he got off the bed, never taking his eyes off me. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Unlike Candice, I didn’t mind being ma’am-ed. He could ma’am me all night if he wanted to.

  Standing in the middle of the room near the bottom of the bed, he unbuttoned his jeans, slowly and carefully revealing an almost painful-looking erection. It was like Christmas morning and my birthday all rolled into one, the way his gift was revealed to me for my pleasure only.

  My eyes widened at the sight of it. Sweet Jesus, he’s hung. That’s some kind of magic, the way he somehow fits that thing into those pants.

  He pulled the jeans off the rest of the way from the bottom, dropping them on the floor next to him.

  “No underwear,” I said, still staring at his midsection. I couldn’t think of anythi
ng else to say, save, My god, you have a huge cock … but that didn’t seem like the smoothest of moves, so I stuck with the basics.

  “Too restricting,” he said, coming towards me, his girth and hardness on display right at eye-level from my position on the bed.

  I moved closer to the edge, dropping my legs over the side, fascinated by the size and shape of him. I became wet just imagining his length moving into me. The vision of it sent shock waves of desire though my body. I used to think foreplay was a really big deal, but I would have skipped all of it tonight and gone right to the heart of the matter without a backward glance. But then I saw his cock again and I just had to touch it. I reached out to take it in my hand, looking up at him to gauge his response.

  His eyes were smoldering and his expression so serious, it would have been frightening if I wasn’t so turned on and convinced of his attraction to me. I felt powerful and in control. “What do you want?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

  “Whatever you want to give.” He voice was gravelly, thick with desire.

  His jaw muscles clenched when I moved my hand experimentally, first stroking down towards the base and then up again to the tip with the lightest of touches. I didn’t yet know if he was one of those men who like the light touch or preferred a firmer grip, but I was sure going to find out. A small flick of my tongue on the tip had him jerking slightly in response with an inward hiss of breath.

  “Jesus,” was all he managed to say before he closed his eyes.

  I turned small circles of my tongue on his head to wet it down and then took him in my mouth as he rested his fingertips on my shoulders. I felt his fingers digging in a little as I did the one thing I knew I was really good at in the bedroom. I guess there’s a benefit to dating a bunch of selfish losers … it sure teaches a girl how to give a good blowjob.

  His hips began to move in time with my rhythm, and his breaths came faster. I had my hand between his legs, fondling his balls. The way they were jerking up and then relaxing with every stroke of my lips, I knew if I kept it up for too much longer he’d be a mess, beyond rational thought and putty in my hands. The thought had no sooner crossed my mind then he pushed me back and pulled himself out of my mouth. My lips curved into a smile at the animal lust I saw in his expression.