Rita Herron - Have Baby, Need Beau

Seth tried to stifle his body’s reaction, but that damned perfume of hers invaded his senses, turning his brain into a fuzzy mess, his body into a hard, aching ball of need.

They danced until the lights dimmed, until the music stopped, as if both of them were prolonging the evening, avoiding going to the room.

“I’m hungry,” Mimi said, her slender hand curled on his chest. “Let’s take some dessert and coffee to the room.”

He cupped the back of her neck with his hand, gently massaging the area. “Sounds good to me.”

She ordered a hot fudge sundae, along with strawberries and whipped cream, and he led her toward the elevator, the sounds of the staff’s voices echoing from the deserted bar behind them. Tension hummed through the dark hotel room as they entered. Rich oak furniture filled the space, plush carpeting blanketed the floors, a Jacuzzi in the corner drew his eye, and a single king-size bed draped in gold velvet loomed in the middle.

It would be a mistake to share that bed. Sleeping with Mimi was never in the plans. Not an option.

So why did he suddenly feel obsessed with the idea?

He drank his coffee, instead. He’d never thought eating especially sexual, just a routine necessary for life functions—until he watched Mimi devour the hot fudge sundae, licking the sauce from her luscious lips, making him itch to lick her mouth, too. Mimi’s eyes darkened with a raw hunger, the sort he’d never seen in Hannah’s eyes. Or in any woman’s eyes—not when they were looking at him.

“You don’t want your strawberries?” Mimi asked with a teasing smile.

He shrugged, the urge to tease her overriding his common sense. He didn’t want to be dull, predictable Seth anymore. “I want the whipped cream.”

She laughed, dipped her finger into the dessert and held it up. He saw the challenge in her eyes again. And something else.

Passion.

The excitement of a woman wanting a man. The realization they were stranded together in a romantic hotel in a blizzard, alone for the very first time. A man and woman who had just felt the contours of each other’s bodies, who had just shared a few comforting moments and a dance that had stirred wicked fantasies, who had an unexpected heat simmering between them.

Mimi was right—he was boring. Dull. Predictable.

He had never done anything impetuous. Or exciting.

But he wanted to now.

He wanted to do something wicked, naughty. Maybe shocking.

He flicked out his tongue, licked the whipped cream from her finger and saw her dress stretch taut across her breasts. The touch of her finger on his mouth taunted him, made him realize he wanted Mimi, wanted her so badly he could barely breathe. Wanted just once to taste her passion, to know what it felt like to delve into that sweet, tantalizing body and hold her through the night, to feel alive.

Disgusted with his white underwear and his pocket calendar and undershirts, he reached out and, for the first time in his life, took something off-limits, something for himself, something only for the moment.

He drew Mimi into his arms and kissed her.

Mimi closed her eyes and threw caution to the wind as she sank into Seth’s strong arms. The taste of whipped cream, scotch and coffee mingled with the heady scent of passion, driving her into sweet oblivion. Why had she ever thought this man dull? Or predictable?

She’d certainly never imagined Seth would seduce her, especially with such hunger. He had a great ear for listening and it was even better for kissing, she thought, nibbling at his earlobe. And his hands…They found all the secret erogenous areas of her body—her neck, the sensitive spot behind her ear, the curve of her shoulder blade, the tips of her breasts—and he tormented her with gentle strokes that were so sensual she found herself groping for the buttons on his shirt. A small smattering of dark blond hair peeked from the opening, and his muscular arms enveloped her as he backed her toward the bed.

Seth was smart and handsome, a man to be admired, and he wanted her—Mimi Hartwell, the misfit kid who always seemed to screw up things, the girl without a degree or a fancy job title. Delicious sensations skated through her as she remembered his hard body swaying against hers when they’d danced. He’d held her as if she were a piece of fine china that might break, something to treasure and care for. So unlike the way Joey had held her or the way any other man had ever treated her.

With a groan that sent a shiver up her spine, he threaded his hand through her hair, drawing her closer so she could feel his arousal, so she could hear his harsh breathing, so she could sense the loneliness in his soul. She met his hunger with her tongue and her heart, determined to erase any sadness lingering from the past.

There was some reason she shouldn’t be doing this, she thought vaguely, hesitating for a second as he deepened the kiss. It was something to do with Hannah… No, Hannah was married now, on her honeymoon. She was here in this dimly lit romantic haven, snow falling outside, the whisper of winter swirling around them, and Seth was hot…so hot. And so tender.

They fell to the bed in a tangle of arms and legs and heated moans. Mimi had never felt such a pull to be close to someone. Seth cupped her face and gazed into her eyes. “We shouldn’t do this.”

“I know.”

His hands pulled her closer, stroked her inner thigh. “It’s probably not a good idea.”

“But it feels so good, Seth, so right.” She traced a finger along his jaw, mesmerized by the moonlight spilling onto his face, shading his broad jaw with sharp angles and planes, darkening his eyes to black. Eyes that whispered their yearning in the quiet of the night. She slid the gown down and dropped it to the floor. A smile curved her mouth when she saw the appreciation in his gaze. His skin, translucent and glowing with the faint hint of excitement, felt warm to her fingertips as he stripped his shirt off.

He held her face between his hands. “You are beautiful, Mimi. God, I can’t believe I’m here like this with you.”

“And I take back what I said. You’re not dull at all.” She lifted her hand and swept it through his hair, her heart pounding as he lowered his head and dropped kisses along her neck, then lower. His breath bathed her body, his whispered words of desire stoked the fire between them, and his hands drove her over the edge. The flames sizzled, chasing away the earlier chill from the snowstorm, the lingering embers of hesitation dying with each breath and kiss. And when he joined his body with hers, they rode the crest of the wave together and found ecstasy in each other’s arms.

SOMETIME AFTER his internal clock would have woken him in the morning, Seth awoke from the most satisfying dream he’d ever had to find a delicious, tantalizing body draped across him. Long, wild, curly auburn hair lay across his chest, and a pair of long, sexy legs were wedged between his own. Although his muscles were sore from his fall, his body stirred to life again and he sighed with bliss, unable to believe he still had the energy to want this woman. After all, they’d already made love countless times.

Countless?

He mentally ticked off the different places they’d found pleasure—the bed, the shower, the bed, the Jacuzzi, the bed again.

His heart thundered in his chest as he took another mental count of the number of condoms he’d had in his wallet—the ones he’d carried for two years just to be prepared in case he and Hannah ever…

No, he couldn’t think about Hannah while lying in bed with her sister.

Dear God. The math didn’t add up. He’d had four condoms. They’d made love five times. And sometime during the night, he remembered Mimi saying she wasn’t on the pill.