Stephanie Julian - No Reservations

She didn’t bother to open her eyes this time. “Are you always this bossy?”

Usually, yes. He chose not to answer. “Where’s the reception? I’ll have them meet us there.”

She didn’t answer right away. “Hidden Pond Farm. It’s only a few miles from here. But I really don’t need—”

He’d already pulled out his phone and dialed Jed. “Hey, I need you and Annabelle to do us another favor.”

As he gave Jed a detailed list, he saw Kate open her eyes. She watched him, her expression unreadable.

“I take it you’re staying for the reception?” Jed asked in a tone that caused Tyler to frown.

“And there’s a problem with that?”

“No. No problem. So I guess you won’t be back to Haven tonight to greet Greg?”

Shit. How the hell had he forgotten that? His mind went blank for a full five seconds, time enough for Jed to laugh.

“I guess that’s my answer. No problem. I’ll handle it.”

Greg Hicks was a regular, a Hollywood producer who rented a suite year round for when he returned to Pennsylvania to visit his parents. Greg had been one of their first recurring clients and had become a friend. They shared several common interests and had become close.

Tyler couldn’t believe he’d forgotten Greg’s arrival.

At any other time, Tyler would’ve dropped whatever he was doing and headed back to the hotel. The hotel always came first, sometimes even before Mia, though she’d understood.

Now . . .

“Thanks, Jed. That’s great. Tell Greg I’ll see him tomorrow.”

“I can’t believe I’m still conscious. I should be crashing but I’m so wired, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep for hours.”

“Stressful day will do that to you.”

Tyler watched Kate kick off her shoes and drop onto the couch in her living room. The silky skirt of her blue dress flared around her legs for a brief second before it settled above her knees.

Way above her knees.

And she didn’t bother to adjust it, so he had a damn good view of her beautiful legs. He wondered if she knew about the view or if she just didn’t care.

She did look exhausted as she leaned her head against the cushions at her back and closed her eyes.

“I feel like I was in constant motion but all I did the entire time was stress. I can’t believe the repairs held up the entire day. I kept waiting for the stitches to pop and Maggie to run screaming.”

“Screaming would have been bad.”

“Screaming would’ve been awful .”

“But you saved the day.”

Her eyes opened and she gave Tyler that half-rueful, half-sarcastic grin he was fast becoming addicted to.

Every time she leveled it in his direction, he felt his muscles tense in preparation.

For what, he wasn’t sure.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He knew what he wanted to do to her.

He wanted to push that dress farther up her thighs, spread her legs, and kneel between them.

He wanted to lick her to orgasm and make her scream while she sat there with that dress around her waist. He wanted her hands in his hair and his hands on her thighs holding her open.

“Just call me The Amazing Seamstress. My needle is mightier than my . . . Hmm. My pen? Oh, wait. My scissors!” She laughed, the sound barely audible but still able to make his cock throb. “Wow. I need to rethink that whole standup comedy routine.”

Sighing, she twisted around on the couch until her legs were drawn up onto the cushions and she lay lengthwise, staring at the ceiling. “I can’t believe I’m not passed out already. But I don’t even feel tired.”

Still standing by the door, he leaned his back against the wall and watched her. “Adrenaline will do that to you. You’ve been running on it all day. Are you hungry? You didn’t really eat much at the wedding.”

She turned to look at him. “I wasn’t that hungry. And I’m not really thinking about food right now.”

Her expression left him in no doubt as to what she was thinking about. Naked sexual hunger made her eyelids fall as her mouth curved in a slight smile.

Good thing they were alone, because if she’d looked at him like this in a room full of people, he wouldn’t have cared who was watching. He would’ve done exactly what he planned to do now.

Shoving away from the wall, he walked forward until he stood over her. She never took her eyes off him and, by the time he reached her, she’d already stretched her arms over her head as if he’d told her to.

Her eyes were half closed and her lips curled in a bare semblance of a smile.

She couldn’t have looked more enticing, even if she were naked.

He wasn’t sure if he wanted her to remove the dress or not. For now, he’d leave it on. It’d only take a couple of tugs on the bow at the side to unwrap her like a present. He knew because he’d watched her put it on and taken notes on how to get it off.

“So what are you thinking about?”

He wanted her to say it. Not because he wasn’t sure of her answer, but because he got hard just hearing her talk. And when she talked about sex . . . Hell, he almost felt like she was stroking his cock.

The corners of her mouth lifted in a beguiling grin. “I’m thinking about having sex with you.”

“Good to know we’re on the same page.”

She swallowed hard, the sound audible over the heaviness of his own breathing.

Reaching for the hem of her skirt with one hand, he brushed his fingers up her thigh, dragging the skirt with it.

Inches of ivory thigh were revealed until he finally exposed the triangle of lace barely covering her mound.

The tips of his fingers swept across that triangle and she drew in a sharp breath. “Sit up, sweetheart.”

She moved slowly, keeping her eyes on his the entire time. He had the sense she wasn’t obeying his demand so much as allowing him to think she was. The dominance issues he tried to keep under control with her roared up and he had to reign in the impulse to pull her upright and make her submit to his demands.

The fact that she was doing what he wanted wasn’t enough.

And was exactly why he wouldn’t say anything.

Instead, he watched her reposition herself into a sitting position, her hair falling over her shoulder like a dark, silk waterfall.

Standing, he was at the perfect height to open his zipper, pull out his stiff, aching cock, and bring her mouth forward to suck him.

He wanted it so badly, he could almost feel her lips wrapped around his dick.

Again, he reined in the impulse. Instead, he went to his knees.

And looked into her eyes.

Hers were still half closed, but now her lips had parted and he heard the increased labor of her breathing.

His hands fisted at his sides so he didn’t just grab her legs, spread them, and put his mouth on her.

She blinked before her gaze narrowed and her head tilted slightly to the side. “Why do I get the sense you’ve just shut down on me?”

He couldn’t help the momentary shock that jolted through him.

She was so damn perceptive.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Her expression perfectly said, “Yeah, right,” without her uttering the words.

She leaned forward until their eyes were level. “What do you want, Tyler? Just say it.”

“I want to rip off your panties and put my mouth between your legs. I want to play with you until you come. I want to fuck you wearing that dress.”

Her eyes widened with each word until his last statement. Then he saw startled confusion. “You want me to keep the dress on?”

His lips quirked into a grin and he leaned forward until their noses almost touched. “I’ll take it off later. Right now, I want you to know you’re wearing it while I put my mouth between your legs.”