“They were trying to squeeze you out of existence.”
“Almost worked, too.”
He wrapped his arms around her from behind as she stood in front of the most recent map. It was from the previous year and showed the Nissequot territory proudly marked in green, expanded and with the casino buildings at its center.
“What’s the blue area?”
“That’s what we’re planning to buy next. Even that won’t take us all the way back to our colonial-era hunting grounds, but it’ll give us room to grow.”
Her heart filled with pride at all he’d accomplished. Which didn’t really make sense, since she had nothing to do with it and he wasn’t hers to begin with.
“Now, where were we?” He spun her slowly around, sliding his hands along the curve of her waist. The thunder still rumbled outside and rain hammered against the glass of the windows, but it all faded to nothing when his lips touched hers. Her eyes slid closed and she leaned into him, enjoying the closeness she hadn’t even known she craved. Lost deep in the kiss, it wasn’t until she opened her eyes to undo his belt buckle that she realized all the lights had gone out.
“Have we lost power?”
“Looks that way.” He kissed her forehead. “We’re generating plenty of our own electricity, so I don’t think we need it.”
She laughed. “Shouldn’t we at least call the electric company?”
“Nah. They can tell when we lose power. The casino and hotel have backup generators, so they won’t miss a beat.”
He’d taken off her jacket and undone her blouse, and now he unzipped her skirt so it fell to the floor. The black velvet darkness felt very intimate. She managed to get his belt unhooked and his pants and shirt off, which involved some giggling and fumbling. Then they made their way to the soft surface of the bed.
He held her tight as they rolled together, pressing their bodies into the mattress and each other. She loved the heaviness of him, how big he was. When she was on top she kissed his face all over, then eased down to his shoulders and neck, leaving a trail of kisses. She wanted to explore his body, and the total darkness made her bold.
She liked the roughness of the hair on his chest. There wasn’t much of it, just enough to create an interesting and masculine texture. She traced it lower, to where she could feel his hardness waiting for her. She let her tongue explore his erection, turning off any whispers in her mind of how this was indulgent and sinful. She loved the way he moved in response to everything she did, aroused to the point where he couldn’t keep still. John groaned softly as she took him into her mouth and sucked, then let her tongue play about the tip of his penis.
She’d never done this before. Never even thought about it! She enjoyed the control she had over him. She could feel the desire, the passion that racked his strong body.
“Oh, Constance. We need to find a condom.”
She laughed, so aroused she could hardly think. Thank goodness he was more sensible than she. “I love how you’re so responsible.”
“It goes with being a leader of the tribe. I don’t want to create any new members except on purpose.” He chuckled and she heard him groping around in the darkness, opening a door in the nightstand. It reminded her that she was not the first woman to come to his bed. She wouldn’t be the last, either.
But as he rolled the condom on in the dark, she didn’t seem to care. Constance was so aroused that she took him inside her effortlessly, welcoming him into her body. Still on top, she moved slowly, experimenting with the sensations she created in herself and in him. As pressure built inside her she moved faster, letting the feelings wash over her and surprise her as her body did what it wanted.
John pulled her toward him and rolled them over again so he was on top, then he kissed her softly and started a different rhythm that soon had her gasping aloud and moaning his name.
She’d never done that before, either.
He took her almost to the brink, then pulled back, slowing down and kissing and caressing her until she felt she might burst. She tried to urge him with her hips, but he was too heavy, and only chuckled at her attempts to drive the motion. “Impatient!” he scolded her. “Everything in due time.” He moved very slowly and quietly, layering kisses over her ears and neck, heightening the already intense reactions taking place inside her.
She was so aroused that she could barely breathe by the time he finally brought them both to a blistering climax that lit up the darkness with an explosion of inner electricity she’d never even dreamed was possible.
“I saw fireworks,” she gasped when she could finally speak again.
“Good,” was all he replied, so obnoxiously confident that she wanted to slap him—or hug him. She chose the latter.
* * *
John buried his face in her hair. They lay side by side, wrapped in each other. This seduction had taken him by surprise and it just kept gathering steam.
He hadn’t realized that looking past her glasses into those hazel eyes would put him under her quiet spell. Now he didn’t want Constance to leave at all. The power was back on and a soft light illuminated the room.
“Did you put your glasses somewhere safe?”
“They’re on the bedside table.” Her soft voice was a balm to his spirit.
“Good. I didn’t remember you taking them off and I don’t want them to get broken.”
“That’s sweet of you.”
Yeah. She was bringing out the sweet in him. He wanted to cherish her and take care of her. He loved to feel her relaxing in his arms. Letting go of the prickly armor she’d used to hold him at bay. It was magic to feel her opening up and exploring her own sensuality—and driving him half-insane in the bargain.
He kissed her cheek. “You’re something else, Constance Allen.”
“I’m certainly something else from who I thought I was. There have been a lot of surprises for me here in Massachusetts.”
“You’re surprised that I’m not the greedy crook the media make me out to be.”
“I had no preconceptions about you. I strive to be entirely open-minded. It’s essential in my work. If you go in with opinions, it will skew how you perceive the data.”
“You had no idea you’d succumb to my famous charms.”
“Now that is true.” Her eyes sparkled with humor. “I’m still not sure what the heck I’m doing in your arms.”
“Relaxing.”
“It’s not very relaxing knowing that if my boss—or anyone else—found out I’d be fired and probably lose my accounting credentials.”
“That’s why you’re not thinking about that part.” He didn’t want her to go back to her job and Ohio. He wanted her to stay here.
The thought struck him like a bolt of lightning. The thunder rolling outside echoed a storm that raged quietly in his heart. He was falling for Constance Allen. “Where are you hoping to go next in your career?”
“I’d like to achieve partner eventually. At least, I suppose I would. That’s the logical peak of my career. If I manage not to destroy it between now and then.”
“Have you ever wanted to do anything else?” Possibilities blossomed in his imagination. She could manage the casino’s accounts. After a reasonable cooling-off period from her assignment, of course. Their personal relationship