It sounded simple, but she knew there was more to it. Cort was a man few women would be able to resist. And she wanted him, desperately. Already sexual excitement was curling her stomach. If he wanted three nights, why not?
Still, she was used to being in control of any situation — especially when it came to men. Thanks to her father and grandfather, she knew better than to give her heart away.
She would let him assume he was calling the shots, when in fact, she’d be doing it. “Yes, Cort. I will give you an entire weekend.”
CORTEZ MASTERS STEPPED ASIDE, letting Adele enter his hotel room. After closing the door behind them, he leaned back against it, allowing his gaze to roam all over her. That was something he hadn’t been able to stop doing all day. And he had been unable to keep his hands off of her, even if it was just to hold her hand. Luckily, she didn’t seem to mind.
She looked good in shorts and a blouse. She had a gorgeous pair of legs on her. His gaze slid up to her face. She was a beautiful woman, and he’d felt an intense, immediate attraction to her. He’d never before invited a woman to his hotel room; especially one he’d met just that day. But there was something about Adele that was different.
And he had asked her to spend the entire weekend with him.
That had been odd, as well. He and his brothers, Cobra and Colton, were triplets, and out of the three of them, it was Cobra who considered himself the ladies’ man, the one who lived for one-night stands and meaningless affairs. Colton, not so much. And Cortez, not at all. He’d stopped having a steady girlfriend when he’d left for college because he’d been determined to focus on his studies and not get seriously involved with a woman. He had too many dreams to be sidetracked by a pretty face.
That didn’t mean he hadn’t dated now and then, especially after learning about the master’s high testosterone levels. However, he usually had Dahlia to take care of those needs. He and Dahlia Fulmer had met his sophomore year at Harvard. Like him, she’d intended to continue on to law school. And like him, she had big plans that didn’t include getting seriously involved with anyone in the near future.
They had become good friends, and within months of meeting had transitioned into being friends with benefits. The arrangement had worked for both of them. She was his go-to girl and he was her go-to guy. People assumed they were a couple, which kept other interested parties away. And because they both planned to become attorneys, they’d had a lot of classes together.
Their friends-with-benefits relationship had lasted until their last year of law school. Then, on a summer trip with her parents to Toronto, she had met someone. She’d fallen for the guy the moment she’d seen him, and the feelings had been mutual.
Ending their relationship had been necessary, but they hadn’t ended their friendship. Dahlia had gotten married just weeks ago, and she and her physician husband seemed to be extremely happy. And he was happy for her.
“You have a nice hotel room, Cort.”
Adele’s words brought him back to the present and turned his attention solely on her. He immediately picked up on her nervousness, and that was the last thing he wanted. The first thing he wanted was her. On the way to his hotel, he wondered if he’d been too bold in asking her to come here with him. But he’d quickly realized their attraction was mutual. He saw the way she looked at him when she thought he wasn’t looking…and when she knew he was. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. His male pride swelled.
“Can I get you anything? The room has a mini-bar.”
She shook her head, and he liked the way the thick, silky strands of her hair cascaded around her shoulders. “No, I’m fine.”
He nodded. “Do you want to talk?” He’d rather they didn’t, but he didn’t want to rush her. They would be spending three nights together. Maybe they should get to know each other better first.
She removed her purse from her shoulder and placed it on the nightstand. “What I’d like is for you to kiss me.”
He smiled, pleased that she was a woman who knew what she wanted and didn’t have a problem asking for it. There would be no game-playing between them. Just pleasure and satisfaction. He would see to it.
He crossed the room and gently pulled her into his arms. The moment their bodies touched, he drew in a deep breath. Touching her this way was so much more intense than just holding her hand. Needing the kiss as much as she did, he lowered his mouth to hers.
When their mouths connected, he felt an electrical charge pass through him. He hadn’t been involved with another woman since Dahlia, and that had been fine with him. Passing the bar had been his top priority. But now he wondered if going without sex for so long had made him needy. Then he mentally took a step back. His sexual drought might have played a small part in how he was feeling, but he knew it was the woman in his arms who was the game-changer.
There was just something about the feel of her chest pressed against his, the way he could decipher the tightness of her nipples against the fabric of her blouse against his own shirt that drove him crazy. And he couldn’t help but enjoy the enthusiastic way she returned his kiss, swirling her tongue around his and letting him know she was enjoying it as much as he was.
He slowly pulled away, and they both drew in deep, long breaths. A long, silence fell between them and he just held her, loving the feel of having her in his arms. He’d never been a man who would take advantage of a woman. His parents had raised him and his brothers better than that. So before they went any farther, he needed to make sure she hadn’t changed her mind about being here with him.
“Are you sure about this, Adele?” he asked, leaning in close enough to see the look in her eyes when she answered.
She stared up at him, and from her expression he could tell she was mulling over his question. Good. He wanted to know, for sure, that this was something she wanted. “Yes, I’m absolutely sure.”
He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until she spoke. And she had given him the answer he’d been hoping for. Her desire for him came through in the way she looked at him — as if she couldn’t wait to have her way with him.
“So, tell me, Cort,” she said, reaching up to put her arms around his neck. “Are you going to give me what I want?”
The chuckle from his throat was edgy, and unmistakably rough. “I’ll give you anything you want, Adele. And then some.”
Victoria seriously doubted Cort knew how much courage she’d had to conjure up to play the part of the vixen — a woman who knew what she was doing and what she wanted. She was sure he had no idea that she’d never done anything like this before.
However, what she was used to was being in control. And that was what was driving her now. She knew what she wanted from him, and she intended to have it. A part of her wished she could level with him about why she was there, but she didn’t dare, in case he showed her the door. She’d read enough to know that most men had a problem with taking a woman’s virginity.
But then he was kissing her again, and she could barely stand upright for the emotions flooding through her. She’d been kissed a number of times, but never like this. His first kiss had been greedy but gentle. But not anymore. Now he was devouring her mouth in a scandalous sort of way. This kiss was making her dizzy with desire. She was trying to keep up with him, but wasn’t doing a great job of it. What if he discovered she wasn’t as experienced as he thought she was?