She was about to tell him there was no way she could stay, but then he lowered his hands to the juncture of her thighs. His fingers began caressing her womanly core, igniting new sensations to stir within her and causing sexual need lined with anticipation to strip her senses. At that moment she couldn’t turn him down for anything. Somehow in between gasps of pleasure she murmured, “I’ll stay.”
Chapter 4
The next morning Ainsley opened her eyes when she heard the sound of the shower. It was time to make her break. She’d only pretended to be sleeping and now she needed to get the hell out of there.
Scooting off the bed, she looked around for her bra, found it and swiftly put it on. Leaving the bedroom, she found her dress and panties where they had been taken off her. Wiggling into her dress she wadded up her panties and quickly shoved them into her purse while sliding her feet into her shoes. Time was of the essence and she was determined to be gone before Winston got out of the shower.
Winston.
For crying out loud, she had spent the entire night with a man and she didn’t even know his full name. But then, she thought, hurriedly moving toward the door, he knew none of hers, so what did that say about him?
At some point last night she recalled him asking her to spend the day and another night with him and she’d foolishly agreed. But now that she had reclaimed all her senses, there was no way she would spend two nights of marathon sex with a man she didn’t know. It was bad enough she had spent one night with him.
Before opening the door, she glanced around, really seeing the suite for the first time. It was humongous, nearly twice the size of her condo back in New York. She wondered what he did for a living to afford such extravagances. Last night she’d been too busy to appreciate the elegance of the oceanfront two-bedroom suite with its separate living and dining rooms, as well as a nice kitchen nook with a high-top table and chairs.
Ainsley blushed when she remembered what they’d done on that table, which was why she needed to leave now. Winston whatever-his-name had the ability to make her do things she normally didn’t do … like one-night stands. And then to agree to spend a day and another night with him, undoubtedly for more of the same mind-blowing sex. There was no doubt in her mind it would be enjoyable, but then her brain cleared from all that pleasure and she recalled that he had had condoms stashed under his pillow. That meant he had intended to bring some woman back here last night for a treat and she’d been the willing delicacy.
Easing shut the door behind her, she swiftly walked toward the elevator, ignoring the curious looks from an older couple who were stepping out of it. She didn’t need a mirror to realize all those passion marks on the side of her face, neck and upper chest were visible to the naked eye. She hoped she could make it out of the hotel and to the parking lot without too many people staring. It was early morning and she was wearing the outfit from last night as if she was ready to go partying. If the Claxton news reporter Luis had paid to dog her heels all during the election were to see her now, he would certainly have a story. She could just imagine the headlines: Ainsley St. James spent the night with a man she didn’t know.
You couldn’t get any more scandalous than that, she thought, finally leaving the hotel without making a spectacle of herself. A few moments later she was in her car and driving away, and it was only then that she released the breath she’d been holding.
It wouldn’t be so bad if every cell in her body didn’t vibrate from all the memories that were flowing through her head, memories her mind just refused to let go of. Like how with Winston’s help she had managed to quench a feverish hunger that had been inside her, a hunger she hadn’t known she’d had until he had exposed it in the most delectable way. Even now her nipples were jutting hard against her dress in memory of how much attention he’d given them.
Not to be outdone, the area between her legs was twitching, remembering how his hands, mouth and shaft had invaded her in a way that she would never forget. It had taken coming to Hilton Head to meet a man capable of making her scream at the top of her lungs.
Glancing at the clock on her car’s console, she was surprised to see it wasn’t quite seven in the morning, as she continued driving toward the Inner Harbor Resort. She tried not to think about what Winston’s reaction would be when he walked out of the shower and found her gone.
As it stood now, he didn’t know a single thing about her and that was a good thing since last night meant nothing to either of them. There was no doubt in her mind that women came and went from his bed in a steady stream.
As for her, she would spend the next ten days relaxing, and then at some point she needed to call her former employer to try and get her old job back as a journalist for The New York Times.
She had resigned from her job in August of last year, certain she would win the election because she had the backing of the entire town. Besides, at the time it had been an uncontested race. So to her way of thinking, it should have been a sure win for her. However, at the last minute, Higgins, a newcomer to town, had made a surprise move and thrown his hat into the ring. In no time at all his campaign had strategized by going after her character, literally cutting it into threads.
The election in November had been a shocker since Higgins had won by a landslide victory. She had been ready to pack up and leave Claxton and return to New York, and would have done so had it not been for her father’s heart attack the day after the election.
Ainsley was certain the negative campaign had taken a toll on her parents, her father in particular since she was a daddy’s girl. She felt somehow responsible and since she was her parents’ only child, she’d remained in Claxton for the past two months during her father’s recuperation period. Now he was a lot better and had returned to work last week.
And it was time for her to do the same.
As she continued to drive to the resort, her mind drifted and she couldn’t help remembering last night. Why hadn’t she listened to her best friend, Tessa Spencer? Tessa had warned her the Sparrow would be full of men with only one thing on their mind. Your cookie. “Unless you’re prepared for them to gobble it up, then go someplace else,” Tessa had said. But Ainsley had gone anyway. It wasn’t that she hadn’t believed Tessa. She hadn’t placed a lot of significance on the warning because she’d been certain she could handle any situation. She was a big girl and could take care of herself.
Only thing for certain, she hadn’t been prepared for the likes of Winston what’s-his-name and last night he had been hers completely. Every single sexy, make-a-woman-drool part of him. And she had acted like a greedy hussy. It didn’t take much to remember how those dark eyes would stare her down with that I-want-to-make-love-to-you look, stimulating within her a need she hadn’t known existed.
Her hand tightened on the steering wheel when she brought the rental car to a stop at a traffic light. Then there were those naughty messages he’d whispered in her ear right after they’d made love that first time when he held her in his arms. They had made her breathless anticipating him doing just what he said he would do. And he had. With an experience she didn’t want to wonder how he got, he had used his tongue to taste every part of her body, inch by sensual inch. He seemed especially partial to her breasts. But then other parts of her hadn’t been neglected, either.
While he’d been atop her, stroking into her body in a rhythm that nearly drove her insane, she had looked up at him and seen the intense expression in the hard angles and planes of his face. She had gotten absorbed in the deep, dark eyes staring back at her as he sent her over the edge. His lovemaking had been so profound it took her breath away just thinking about it. He had definitely been her fantasy.
Now it was back to reality. As she turned into the entry gates to the resort, she decided that she would shower and go to bed and get the sleep she’d been deprived of last night.
Leaving the bathroom after his shower, Winston didn’t have to look at the empty bed to know Red was gone. She had agreed to stay for another day and