“You did? I thought keggers were only the great American pastime.” Yikes. She was making herself sound like a lush. He was smiling at her, though.
“Good God, no. British teenagers have you Yanks beat.”
She held up a hand. “Okay, spare me the details.”
“I will. It’s a good thing you threw up. Beer never did anything for anyone’s brains.”
The waiter came over to inquire whether they wanted coffee, but Adam shook his head and pulled out his wallet, tossing down a few bills and rising when Lara did. He gestured for her to go ahead of him. “After you, Miss America.”
“Yeah, right. Thanks for dinner.” She picked up a mint from the bowl by the cash register and tucked it into her cheek. “I’m stuffed.”
“You didn’t eat that much.”
She managed a smile, sorry she’d picked at it. She did like to eat and she normally had a hearty appetite. But that seemed to be focused more on him. Adam Bowlin looked awfully tasty. And more than bad enough to make what she wanted happen fast.
Wildest dreams, coming true, she thought happily.
Adam handled everything involved with checking in at the hotel, while Lara did a little exploring. She would be staying on an upper floor apart from the main hotel. When the elevator doors opened, she was astonished to see a rooftop terrace landscaped to look like a traditional English garden. There was actually a small house in the middle of it, almost like a dollhouse, she thought at first glance.
Lara stared at it, delighted. No, it was probably a careful reproduction of a much larger stately home. Mentally flipping through her guidebook and trying to figure out just which stately home she was looking at in miniature, she drew a blank. It was wonderful, though. She stepped carefully on the mossy bricks of the path that led to the front door, under an arbor draped in roses in full bloom.
Wow. In the heart of London, no less.
She heard Adam’s footsteps behind her.
“Hey, this is amazing.”
“Told you.” He handed her the key. Lara slid it in the lock and swung the door open.
Adam set her purse and laptop on an armchair while she sauntered around the room. Without quite knowing how, she ended up in front of him.
“You look…like you’re expecting something. Are you, Lara?” His voice was deep and smooth, with an authoritative ring she suspected he was putting into it just for her.
She gave him a bold smile. His arms went around her waist in an instant and then leaned down and kissed her eagerly.
“That was nice,” she murmured when he stopped. “More, please.”
“Why not?” he asked, and kissed her again.
She broke it off. “What if I regret this in the morning?”
“You won’t.”
She thought again of Penelope. What was the nature of their relationship and should Lara care? Hell no. Not right now. Lara settled into Adam’s arms, and gave herself up to a wanton encounter. Whether he knew it or not, he had a stamp of approval from Gemma, who was one bitch who knew what she was talking about. No one back home was ever going to know and this was one fling she really, really wanted to have. Bonus point: she hadn’t had a chance to think it over and that only added more spice to the sexy mix of desire and emotion that motivated her to just go for it.
He stroked her back and her hips, pulling her closer until she could feel the awesome erection swelling inside his pants.
Let the party begin, she thought. “So how do you like to have fun, Adam? I think I can guess.”
“Can you?” His dark eyes glittered.
“Mm-hmm.”
“Go ahead. I like to hear a woman tell her fantasies.”
Lara smiled. He already had a huge hard-on. She wasn’t going to argue with him. She reached for his tie, pushing the expensive silk up through the Windsor knot and working it loose with one finger. He slid the unfastened tie through his collar and flung it aside.
She moved on to the first three buttons of his shirt. Had to be Turnbull & Asser. Impeccably crisp. Made to measure. Lara planted a kiss on the bare skin just under his collarbone, inhaling the scent of subtle, faintly musky cologne.
She undid the remaining buttons one by one, stroking the light fur on his chest and the tapering trail that disappeared beneath his belt buckle.
His belly was tense and flat, taut as the rest of him, and his skin was hot to her touch.
Then Adam got his shirt out of his pants and completely bared his chest to her exploring hands. She traced a finger over a tiny nipple and then the other one, and he shuddered with pleasure.
He kissed the top of her head, running his hand through her dark brown hair with sensual abandon. “What do you want me to do, Lara?”
“Whatever you like.” She craved another kiss before they went any further.
He obliged. Then he raised her skirt and put his big hands under her ass, and lifted her up, holding her with ease. Lara hung on tight, clasping him around the waist with her thighs. This was just like her elevator fantasy, only better. Being shameless felt good. Amazingly good. She wasn’t drunk and she wasn’t desperate, but she had to have him. And she didn’t feel like waiting. They could get to know each other eventually if this was as good as she hoped it would be.
He took the liberty of spreading her cheeks apart a little more.
Lara clutched his shoulders and gripped harder with her thighs, letting her shaved pussy inside the thong rub his bare belly.
“Mmm,” he said in a low voice. “Already wet. Hot for it, aren’t you? So tell me what you want.”
She whispered into his ear.
“Happy to oblige,” he smiled.
He let her slide down and her breasts dragged against his hard, bare chest, the friction of the soft material tightening the aching nipples inside her sheer bra. Underneath it all she wasn’t corporate. He could destroy that bra with one good pull. She wanted him to.
She took a step away from him and shucked her clothes, and undid her bra, standing in front of him in just her pantyhose, thong under that. And her high heels.
Adam didn’t wait. He took both her nipples between his fingertips and rolled them, tugging hard.
Ahhh. That went right to her pussy.
Lara stretched forward, a move that thrust her tits into his cupping hands. Adam groaned and bent his head down to tease one nipple with his tongue. It perked up. She wanted to beg for more, but she had a feeling that wasn’t necessary at the moment. He was suckling hungrily, almost fiercely. He did the same thing on the other nipple. Lara slid a finger over the front of her thong. He was right. She was soaking wet.
He must have looked down to see what she was doing to herself because he let her nipple pop out of his mouth, glossy and red. “Don’t stop,” she said weakly. He barely nodded, got back to what he was doing, making her sway on her high heels.
“Half dressed and hotter that way,” he murmured when he raised his head. “But we are going to get around to this.” He patted her on the ass.
“You’re still dressed.”
“Yes. I’ll work on that.” He winked at her. “Thanks for pointing it out. What do you say we move to the bedroom?”
Lara didn’t object. She could tell him what she’d been thinking of in the elevator whether she was lying down or standing up. “Okay with me.”
He took her by the shoulders and turned her around.