THE VALQUEZ SEDUCTION Page 9

  Daisy held her breath in wonder as he brought the helicopter down the face of the canyon into a deep shaded gully where the river flowed as it had done for millions of years. Once the helicopter engine had turned off and the whirling blades ceased, the sense of timelessness struck her as she stood with Luiz in the cool green valley between the huge rock walls of the canyon. The lonely cry of a red-tailed hawk added to the sense of peace and serenity. She didn’t want to speak for fear of breaking the spell of mystical silence.

  Luiz stood shoulder to shoulder with her. He didn’t speak either. He just stood there with a hand shading his eyes as he surveyed their surroundings.

  She stole covert glances at him from time to time, watching as he bent down to pick up a little piece of sandstone, turning it over in his fingers before tossing it in the direction of the river, where the plop of the pebble as it went down sounded as loud as a rifle shot.

  Daisy sensed a deep loneliness in him. He was so popular, so capable, so much the man about town, but out here in the quiet of the timeless canyon he reminded her of one of the birds of prey circling overhead. Solitary. Alone.

  Without a word he led her back to the helicopter, guiding her back into her seat and helping her with the headset. She studied his concentrated expression, wondering what he was thinking as he got back behind the controls for take-off. His hands dealt with the controls with the expertise of a pro. He was as at home in the cockpit as he was working the floor at a nightclub or working his way around a woman’s body. She hadn’t seen him live on horseback but she had looked at some footage online on her phone. He was a natural sportsman, athletic, strong, capable and fiercely competitive.

  She glanced at his strongly muscled thighs, so close to hers in the cockpit. She only had to reach out her hand to touch him. Her fingers opened and closed, warming up for the first caress of that denim-clad thigh.

  ‘Not while I’m flying.’

  Daisy looked at him in surprise. ‘You knew what I was thinking?’

  He glanced at her wryly. ‘I thought you were a good girl?’

  ‘Not when I’m with you.’

  He made a grunting sound in his throat as he turned back to face the front. ‘Fancy a swim when we get back to the hotel?’

  Daisy pictured a private pool off his suite with a bubbling Jacuzzi and champagne in an ice bucket close at hand. Fragrant lotions and potions on tap for hours of sensual massage. She smiled a secret smile. Just as well Belinda had slipped her that racy little Brazilian-style bikini earlier. Body issues aside, her conservative one-piece would look totally out of place. It was time for her inner naughty girl to come out to play.

  Luiz was keeping her at arm’s length but she knew he wanted her. Every time he looked at her she felt the burn of his hungry gaze. She imagined how it would feel to make love on the deck by the pool in the bright sunshine, his hard body driving hers to paradise. She wanted to make love with him. Desperately. But not like all his other partners. She wanted to be different. To be someone he remembered with a special fondness. She wasn’t asking for love. She didn’t want to fall in love with someone like him. He was not part of her long-term plan. But she did want him to care enough about her to spend more than one night with her.

  She smiled at him. ‘Sounds wonderful.’

  * * *

  Luiz waited for Daisy to get changed once they got back to his hotel. He checked his emails on his phone. Scrolled through Twitter. Read a couple of blogs he had zero interest in—anything to distract himself from the thought of spending the next hour or two with her dressed in a swimsuit. But at least going downstairs to the public pool area would be his insurance policy. He could hardly make out with her with all the other hotel guests milling about. He looked up when she came out of the bathroom. She was wearing one of the hotel bathrobes tied neatly at the waist and it was far too big for her. It covered her from neck to ankle.

  So far, so good.

  ‘Ready?’

  ‘Sure.’

  She untied the waist and the white robe fell to a puddle at her feet. Luiz felt his jaw clang to the floor. The soft mounds of her breasts spilled out from behind two tiny triangles of fuchsia-pink. The triangle that covered her pubic area was even tinier, the strings that held it in place barely thicker than dental floss.

  ‘You can’t wear that!’

  Her brow puckered. ‘Why not?’

  ‘Everyone will see your…er…assets.’

  ‘But I thought we were swimming in your pool?’

  ‘The one downstairs is bigger.’

  She toyed with one of the strings on her bikini bottoms. ‘I don’t care if it’s small. I’d rather stay up here. I don’t like swimming with crowds of people.’

  Luiz had to think on his feet and fast. ‘There’s way too much chlorine in this one. It’ll ruin your bikini. It’ll make the colour fade.’

  ‘That’s easily fixed.’ She tugged at one of the strings holding her top in place. ‘I won’t wear it.’

  He feasted his eyes on the creamy globes of her breasts with their twin points of rosy pink. He slid his gaze down to her slim waist, then to the tiny cave of her belly button. He snatched in a breath as she gave her bikini bottom ties a tug. The scrap of fabric fell away to reveal her feminine form. She was like a closed orchid, soft delicate petals folded together.

  She came towards him with a swinging catwalk gait, her hips swaying, her beautiful breasts jiggling tantalisingly, her good-girl-turned-naughty smile on her mouth and dancing in her eyes. ‘You sure you want to go downstairs and swim in that crowded pool with all those other people?’

  He swallowed thickly as she looped her arms around his neck, pushing her naked breasts against his chest. Even through the cotton of his shirt he could feel her nipples poking him. Lust charged through his body with rocket-force speed. His hands were on her waist before his brain had even registered the command. His mouth came down and covered hers in an explosive kiss that made his spine tingle from top to base.

  Her tongue met his in a frenzied dance, moistly coiling and retreating, stabbing and darting around his until he had to ruthlessly take charge. He thrust deeply into her mouth, swirling his tongue over every corner of her mouth until, with a breathless little gasp, she succumbed. She melted against him, hands threading through his hair, her mouth a soft yielding pliancy beneath his.

  He stroked his hands down her body, skirting over her breasts, sliding down her hips and back up again. Her skin was as smooth as cream and as soft as satin, every inch of her so perfectly feminine his body throbbed with the need to possess her.

  He slid his hands down over the curve of her bottom, cupping her to him, relishing the feel of her so close to the pulsating need of his body. He continued to kiss her, deeply, thoroughly, delighting in the feel of her lips and tongue wrangling with his.

  Her teeth made a series of kitten nips against his, thrilling his blood to fever-pitch. He did the same to her, pulling and tugging her lower lip with his teeth, reminding her he was the one with the greater strength.

  Her hands went to the buttons of his shirt, undoing them with fumbling haste as her mouth played with the skin of his neck, over his collarbone, and down his sternum.

  She smoothed her hands over each part of his chest as she uncovered it, sliding over and stroking him until he was so worked up he was having trouble keeping control. His erection strained, tight and aching, against the prison of his jeans.

  Once he had shrugged off his shirt, she started on his waistband fastening, releasing it and sliding his zip down. He watched as she peeled back his underwear, her small white hand stroking his length with tentative shyness. He held his breath as she smoothed the pad of her finger over the bead of pre-ejaculatory moisture at his tip. Her caresses became bolder as she saw the way he was responding.

  He put his hand over hers, halting her movem
ents before he disgraced himself. ‘I need a minute.’

  ‘You need me,’ she said. ‘I need you. I want you.’

  ‘I want you too.’ There. He’d admitted it. What was the point of trying to pretend otherwise? He hadn’t a hope of holding out. She was too distracting. Too engaging. Too everything.

  ‘Then why are you stalling?’

  The irony didn’t escape him. When had he ever been concerned about going too fast? Normally he was all for the faster, the better. He didn’t hang around too long in case his casual partners got any funny ideas about taking things more seriously.

  He didn’t do serious.

  He was in it for fun, not for ever.

  But something about Daisy made him think of taking his time, indulging in an affair that lasted longer than an orgasm. She was like a good wine. It would be a sin to scull a fine wine without lingering over the bouquet, tasting the subtle nuances and reflecting on the aftertaste.

  But even a good wine lost its appeal over time. There was always another variety waiting in the wings. He was like his mother in that way, always on the lookout for something or someone more exciting.

  Although right now there was nothing he could think of that was more exciting than having Daisy Wyndham naked in his arms. Her body was so nubile and feminine he wanted to lose himself in her delectable curves.

  Luiz brought his mouth back down to within a breath of hers. ‘I’m not stalling,’ he said. ‘I’m just warming up.’

  ‘So what was that about only kissing in public?’

  Yeah, what was that? His attempt to control a situation that was never going to be in his control.

  ‘I’ve changed my mind.’

  He walked her backwards to the bed, his mouth locked on hers, their tongues duelling, their bodies straining to get as close as humanly possible. He quickly shucked off his jeans and shoes and socks and joined her on the bed. ‘I don’t want to hurt you.’

  ‘How will you hurt me?’

  He brushed a strand of hair away from her face, looking into the clear blue of her gaze. ‘The first time can be painful.’

  She gave him a twinkling look. ‘Well, you are a little bigger than Edward.’

  He pressed a hard kiss to her mouth. ‘Wicked girl.’

  She grinned at him. ‘I’m learning.’

  He brought his mouth to her breast, suckling at the tight nipple while she expressed her pleasure in little moans and gasps. He took his mouth further down her body, lingering over her belly button, dipping his tongue in and out before going lower. He traced the seam of her body with the tip of his tongue, once, twice, the third time gently opening her to taste her. She arched up in delight, her hands clutching at the bedcover either side of her. He felt her every tremble against his tongue, her breathless gasps like music to his ears. He varied his speed and pressure, encouraging her to relax into the rhythm of his caresses. She pulled back a couple of times as if shying away from the powerful sensations. He calmed her with slower movements, placing his hand on her belly, close to her mound to anchor her. She sighed deeply and he resumed his caresses, feeling the exact moment when she lifted off. He watched the spasms of ecstasy play out on her face; the intimacy of watching someone having an orgasm had never really struck him quite that way before. She was so open and free, so uninhibited, so perfectly natural it made his breath catch.

  She opened her eyes and looked at him with a smile. ‘It didn’t hurt a bit.’

  ‘Not yet, but it might.’ Luiz took one of her hands and pressed a kiss to the middle of her palm. ‘I’ll take it slowly just in case.’ He reached past her to retrieve a condom from the bedside drawer.

  She turned her head to watch him. ‘How many do you have in there?’

  ‘Enough.’

  ‘I suppose you buy them in the hundreds.’

  He glanced at her to see if there was any sign of censure in her expression but, surprisingly, there was none. Unless she was doing her best to disguise it, which was more likely. ‘It’s not good to hold on to them for too long. They have a use-by date.’

  ‘Like your partners?’

  He searched her gaze for another moment. ‘Yes. Exactly like them.’

  She trailed a fingertip down the length of his forearm. ‘What’s been your longest relationship?’

  ‘Two weeks.’

  Her brows lifted. ‘That long?’

  Luiz gave a rueful twist of his mouth. ‘Yeah, it’s a record. It was when I was a teenager. I fell madly in love at sixteen. She was a year older and had much more experience.’

  ‘Who broke it off?’

  ‘She did.’

  ‘Ouch.’

  He traced a slow circle on the back of her hand. ‘She had a boyfriend she forgot to tell me about.’ He met her gaze again. ‘I was a fling to make him jealous.’

  She frowned. ‘That was pretty mean of her.’

  ‘Quite.’

  She lifted her hand to his face, stroking his lean cheek, her blue eyes holding his. ‘So you’ve used women ever since.’

  He pulled back from her hand and frowned. ‘I don’t use women.’

  ‘Yes, you do. You hook up with them for sex. You don’t spend any time getting to know them. If that’s not using then I don’t know what is.’

  He pushed up off the bed and got to his feet, slamming the bedside drawer on the way. ‘No one’s complained so far.’

  ‘No, because you buy them off with a flashy bit of jewellery or flowers.’

  He sent her a cutting look. ‘I see you and Mr Google have been getting up close and personal. What else have you found out about me?’

  She sat up and hugged her knees to her chest, her teeth giving her lower lip a chew, her eyes now downcast. ‘I think I just ruined the moment… Sorry.’

  Luiz found it impossible to be angry with her. He let out a slow breath and came back to the bed and sat beside her. He took her hand and turned it over in his, playing with each of her fingers in turn. ‘You don’t approve of my lifestyle, do you?’

  Her blue eyes were clear and open and honest as they met his. ‘I don’t know much about it, other than what I’ve read. You might have a completely different take on it. But one thing I do know. You can’t live your whole life without connecting with other people on more than a physical level.’

  He moved his thumb over the knuckle of hers in a slow motion caress. ‘How come someone who’s only had sex with a toy knows so much about connecting with people?’

  Her cheeks blushed a faint pink. ‘I’ve had sex with you…sort of…’

  He watched as her gaze dropped to his mouth, her tongue sneaking out to moisten her lips in a darting sweep. He pressed the pad of his finger to her bottom lip, watching as the blood retreated and then flowed back in when he lifted it away. ‘Want to pick up where we left off?’

  He heard her draw in a quick little breath. ‘Do you want to?’

  He pressed her back down on the bed. ‘Do I really need to answer that?’

  She smiled as his body bore down on hers. ‘I think you just did.’

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  DAISY SIGHED IN bliss as his mouth sealed hers in a searing kiss. His tongue stroked for entry in that commanding way he had, making her stomach turn over like a flipped pancake. His hand came down on her hip and pulled her up against him, one of his thighs coming over the top of hers in an intimate entrapment that made her skin pepper with goosebumps. His erection was pressed hard against her belly, a tantalising reminder of all the differences between them.

  She reached down to stroke him, loving the feel of him pulsing with desire under her fingertips. He was oozing moisture and she felt her own beading inside her body in preparation for him.

  One of his hands cupped her breast, his thumb pressing against her nipple, pushing it
in and out, and then circling it. He bent his head to take it in his mouth, laving it with his tongue, tracing every inch of her flesh with soft but sure movements.

  Daisy felt the rise of her need for him like a tremor before an earthquake. It moved through her flesh with every scorching touch of his mouth and hands on her body.

  He rolled her over on her back, leaning his weight on his elbows. His mouth moved with erotic intent over hers, drawing from her a fevered response she hadn’t realised she was capable of giving. She felt as if she would die if he didn’t make love to her. She opened her legs and felt her stomach swoop as he settled between them. Somehow he’d managed to slip a condom on. She felt him at her entrance, hard, swollen, ready. She arched up to receive him, urging him to possess her without language but with unmitigated primal need.

  He slowly entered her with a deep guttural groan of pleasure. Her body wrapped around him, holding him, delighting in him. Needing him like she needed air to breathe.

  He steadily increased his pace, taking his time so she could find her own rhythm. She moved with him, lifting her hips to each of his downward thrusts, shuddering with pleasure as the friction targeted the most sensitive spot. The pleasure built to a crescendo. She could feel the tension in her body building like the overstretching of a violin string. Her body was singing, humming and thrumming with delicious shockwaves of feeling. A shiver coursed over her skin as he upped the pace, his thrusts deeper, harder and more frantic, as if he too was close to the summit of human pleasure.

  He slipped one of his hands between their bodies to heighten the pleasure. It was all she needed to tip over the edge. The orgasm smashed into her in a giant wave that sent her flying higher than she had ever flown before. The combination of human touch, the musky fragrance of male arousal, the stroke and glide of clever hands and the expertise of his lips and tongue made a mockery of everything she had experienced on her own.