Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

JESS

N ever let him say I didn't do anything for him. I'd seen this thing all the way through, even to the point of saving him from Anya's last attempt to rip off his balls.

Slate took me back to his hotel room, a swanky, upscale, gorgeous suite that had my eyes bulging out of my head. I'd never stayed in anything this nice. Hell, I'd never even seen a place like this in real life, but I didn't tell him that.

Instead, I hid my bulging eyes behind my hair as I walked into the foyer— foyer ! In a hotel room. I mean, what the heck?

A wall of windows greeted me on the other side of a sunken living area. An open concept bedroom and bathroom were off to one side and a working space was to the other. Blue flames flickered in a gas fireplace and the twinkling lights of the city of New York lay beyond the windows, winking like it was ours for the taking.

Literally at our feet if we wanted it.

My jaw tried to drop as I walked further inside, but I refused to let it. Let him think I'm just as sophisticated as he is. A bit of pretend can't hurt for just one night.

Slate flashed me a smile and loosened his black tie. He slid it over his head without undoing the knot and waved for me to have a seat. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Depends," I said as I walked around the velvet sofa and sat down. "Do you have any beer?"

He shrugged. "I'll have to check. There should be something in the mini-bar. We got ready in Logan's suite, so I haven't spent much time in here yet."

As he turned to stride to the little fridge in the corner, my eyebrows arched. If I'd had a suite like this with a bathtub overlooking a view like that, I might just have skipped the whole darn wedding. See? That's why I can't have anything nice.

I almost chuckled out loud at my mental joke, settling for a smile. I kicked off the high heels that had been torturing me all night and decided it was time to ditch the bra, too. Reaching behind my back, I unhooked it and moaned when the catch released and the underwire finally wedged itself out of my flesh.

"Did you say something?" Slate said, obviously having heard the moan.

I jammed a hand into my cleavage, pulled out the strapless disaster, and shoved it into my purse. "No, but I did make a noise. You weren't hallucinating."

He chuckled, bending over and grabbing two beers from the fridge. As he did, I nearly moaned again at the sight of his tight ass all pushed out like that, but this time, I managed to keep the sound from escaping.

He strode back to me with my bottle of beer dangling from his fingers, and he handed it over and took a seat on the same sofa I was on, but on the other side. He set his beer down on the round, glass coffee table and pushed his jacket off his shoulders, but his eyes were back on mine.

"What was the noise about?"

Heat broke out across my cheeks, but as soon as his gaze lowered, he would see it anyway. I might as well get ahead of it before he thought I was trying to seduce him in the unsexiest way known to man. "Do you remember I told you that my bra was bothering me?"

His reply came so fast that I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was telling the truth. "Yes."

"Well, I took it off." I shrugged, hoping that the tiny movement didn't dislodge the top of the dress. I'd have to be careful not to have an accidental nip-slip from now on, but my poor, squished boobs deserved a break from their lacy prison.

Slate's jaw hardened for a moment as he nodded, his eyes still on mine, but only for a beat. No more time than that passed before they dropped. He looked openly at my chest, swallowing as his gaze lingered there.

As it rose slowly back to mine, I smirked at him. "For the record, I know I look like one of those girls right now who just doesn't care, but to be completely honest with you, I really just don't care right now. I'm not about to ask for one of your shirts to get comfortable or anything, but I had to get out of that thing. I promise you, it wasn't designed by a woman."

He chuckled, but those eyes had gotten darker, his pupils growing slightly as he looked at my chest again. Then he shook his head as if to clear it and reached for his beer. "Do you want one of my shirts? You're welcome to one if it'll make you more comfortable. I've often wondered how you girls can stand to be in such uncomfortable getups for so long."

"I'm fine," I said, sliding my fingers around the neck of my beer and raising it to my lips. "Insofar as bridesmaids' dresses go, this is actually the most comfortable one I've ever worn. Remind me to thank Mira for that. She also said I was welcome to put on straps if I wanted to, but I was stupidly stubborn and I had to pay the price for it."

"How many bridesmaid dresses have you worn?"

"Not twenty-seven." Ba-dum-CHING!

My silly mental drumroll faded as he narrowed his eyes at me, confusion suddenly clouding them. "So, twenty-six, then?"

"Uh, no." I swiped my tongue across my lips. "It's a movie. About a girl who's worn twenty-seven different bridesmaids dresses? Is this really not ringing any bells?"

"Nope. I don't really watch movies."

"You don't like movies?" My jaw threatened to unhinge itself again. "Are you serious? What do you do in your downtime?"

"I don't have much downtime," he said. "Can I level with you?"

"Please?"

"I'm all work and no play. Logan and Mira are of the opinion that it makes me a dull boy. I'm trying to work at changing that. Not because of them, but because I'm starting to agree."

Slowly, I pieced together the words he hadn't said. "Let me guess. One of the ways you're doing that is by inviting a bridesmaid back to your hotel room?"

"I hope you're not offended."

A slow smile broke out across my lips as I leaned forward to set my drink down. "I have beer in my own hotel room, Slate. I had fun with you tonight and it's been a day of love and celebration. It's only natural for that to have made us a little needy."

He stood up, offering me his hand. "No strings?"

"No strings and no consequences," I agreed, sliding my palm into his and feeling tingles erupting from the point of contact. "Just a good time for one night and one night only."

"You've got yourself a deal." He pulled me up and into him, his free hand seamlessly catching the side of my face and throat as his lips descended to meet my own.

The whole move had been smooth and effortless, telling the story of a man who was comfortable and practiced at this kind of thing. If I'd been looking at him as potential love interest, the knowledge might've made me jealous, but since I wasn't, the only thing it made me feel was lucky.

Out of a sea of male faces at the wedding, the one that had appealed to me most and had the added benefit of belonging to a single guy, also happened to belong to a man who was hopefully about to make this one-night stand worth it.

He kissed me like he was promising me a night I'd never forget, and if he could make good on that promise, I'd be leaving the Big Apple a whole hell of a lot less stressed tomorrow morning. Winding my arms around his shoulders, I put my hands on the back of his head and kissed him back, leaning into his hard body and feeling my engine revving up.

They'd been idling since I'd first seen him, but they were firing on all cylinders now, ready for a few laps of vigorous adult fun. Thankfully, Slate seemed ready and willing to deliver.

He didn't waste any time, sliding down the zipper along my spine and letting the dress fall to a pool around my bare feet. I'd made his job easy for him by taking off my own bra, and he was practically purring just like the engine of my truck after a tune-up because of it.

His hands ran up and down my sides, and he dragged his fingertips lightly over my skin, making me purr right back at him. He kissed me deeply, one hand traveling into my hair and gripping it hard as he pulled my head back, giving himself better access to devour my mouth.

I let him take the lead, feeling truly appreciated. He spoiled me with the perfect mix of soft and hard, keeping those touches light while tugging at my hair like he meant it. As I moaned into his hard kisses, he moved his free hand to my hip, sliding just his fingertips under the elastic waistband of my panties.

I arched my back, needing him to know it was okay. He could go further, but he chuckled into my mouth and wrenched it away from mine, a playful gleam flickering in the heat of those intensely smoldering eyes.

"Not so fast, baby," he murmured, walking us back until my heel met with the first step leading into the sunken living room.

He pushed me down on the thick carpet, seating me and stepping between my ankles, but not lowering himself down with me. I glanced up at him and reached for his belt, assuming it meant he wanted me to do a little something for him first, but he gave his head a firm shake, his own hands working to undo his belt instead.

Moving fast, he undid his pants and kicked off his shoes while he was at it, even pausing to take off his socks. When he was down to a pair of sexy black boxer briefs on the lower half of his body, he deftly opened the top few buttons of his shirt and gripped the collar behind his nape, pulling it off and dropping it carelessly beside the rest of his suit.

My heart was thumping in my chest, my pussy slick and probably leaving a damp spot on my panties, but I smiled at Slate when he brought his gaze back to mine. "Playful and steamy. I like that in a man. Here, allow me."

Before he could stop me again, I reached for the waistband of his underwear, lifted it over his bulging cock, and then pulled it down. A flush spread from my hairline to my nipples as I took in the body I'd just revealed.

He was every bit as fit as I'd thought he was when I'd seen how he filled out that suit. Every one of his muscles was etched with purpose and definition. His thighs were thick and powerful, his abs like a ladder that led to a smattering of dark hair underneath his belly button.

A smattering of hair that was currently obstructed by an enormous, seriously good-looking cock.

Clearly, he'd hit up the dick line twice while I'd been waiting at the boob line. Long and thick, his shaft curved slightly to the left. His pubic hair was trimmed short. As I tugged my lip between my teeth, he chuckled and knelt down between my legs, smirking. He put his hands on my knees and pushed them further apart.

"Well, now that you've seen what you're working with, care to return the favor?"

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I wanted to slam my legs shut to keep myself from such intense scrutiny, but as he dipped his fingers between my folds through my panties, I lifted my hips for him to pull them off.

The orgasms that followed made the risk worth it, even if I could feel his eyes on me every step of the way. He sank his fingers into me first, watching my reactions closely until he knew exactly what made me moan. Then he made me come right there on the steps, his eyes never leaving my body.

I hadn't even caught my breath yet when he scooped me up in his strong arms, carrying me to his bed and burying his face between my legs like he'd been starving for me for years. At the first touch of his hot tongue against my clit, my hips came off the mattress and he reached for them, anchoring me to it. He proceeded to splinter my thoughts when the next orgasm barreled into me.

After that, I decided it was his turn, so I pulled him up with shaky, numb arms and climbed astride him, scooting down until I was seated between his legs. Tucking my hair behind my ears, I glanced up into his eyes as I wrapped my fingers around his throbbing shaft.

"Don't you dare hold back on me," I instructed in a harsh whisper, but he did anyway, clearly not about to hand over control.

I didn't mind, though. Especially not when he grabbed for a condom like a man possessed, covering himself faster than I'd ever seen. Then he thrust into me. Slate was insatiable, wild, and completely unashamed.

He had me underneath him, on top of him, and on all fours before he finally lost it as my next orgasm hit, collapsing with me on the bed. I fought for breath, my body more sated than it'd ever been before.

"You know," I murmured, my throat bone dry and my entire being trembling with exhaustion. "That was great, but I'm pretty sure we can do better."

He let out a throaty laugh against my sweaty skin. Groaning, he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me into him. "Just give me a minute. Then we can take a shower and start all over again. We've only got tonight, right? Might as well make the best of it."