They continued to dance and he was effectively wiping all unwanted thoughts from her mind and replacing them with ones too scandalous to think about. She opened her eyes and leaned back to look up at him and his intense gaze captured hers.
She could feel how his body was gliding against hers, igniting pleasure points wherever he brushed her. Her gaze traveled from his eyes to his mouth. She thought it arrogant before but it was sensuous now. His lips had a decadent shape to them, and immediately made her think of kissing … and tasting. She could imagine joining her lips to his while their tongues tangled desperately. Such thoughts made her lips feel dry and she swiped them with the tip of her tongue. She watched his gaze follow the movement.
All too soon she heard the music winding down and reluctantly their bodies parted. He took her hand and led her back to their table. As soon as they were seated, two margaritas were placed in front of them.
“Thanks,” she said to the waitress. The woman nodded and smiled before rushing off with the other drinks on her tray.
“Busy night,” Winston said smiling.
“Undoubtedly,” she said, taking a much-needed sip of her drink.
He was sitting across from her, intently holding her gaze while he sipped his. Sensations began overtaking over and they were sensations she’d never felt before meeting this stranger. There was something about being with this man that prevented her from thinking straight. Prevented her from thinking at all.
She felt dizzy and breathless and drew in a deep breath, trying to control all those lusty thoughts taking over her mind. He reached out and took her hand and smoldering heat suffused her. Why did she feel like a stick of dynamite ready to explode whenever he touched her?
“I’d like to make a suggestion,” he said in a deep timbre that continued to wash over her like hot molten desire.
“What kind of suggestion?”
“Come with me.”
She swallowed. “And go where?”
“Upstairs. I have a room in this hotel.”
Ainsley didn’t say anything. She wasn’t dumb. She understood his invitation well and knew what would take place in that room. She had come here tonight for a good time, not to tangle between the sheets with a man. But he was making the thought of such a thing incredibly irresistible since he was stroking needs she hadn’t taken care of for more than a year now.
She didn’t say anything and took another sip of her drink as she continued to watch him with the same intensity that he was watching her. Heat was flowing between them and suddenly she felt an intense need to be alone with him and do what grown folks do.
She didn’t have to probe deep into her mind to discover why she was considering his suggestion. She’d been under a lot of strain lately and the election and all the campaigning had wound her up tight. All that negativity had been a crushing blow and she hadn’t had a means to escape or regroup. Now it was over and her body was looking for a release.
Maybe a night of mindless, overpowering pleasure was just the thing she needed. Chances were high that she wouldn’t see him again since her visit to Hilton Head was short-term.
“Red?”
Lifting her gaze, she tried to fight back sensations that were hurtling around inside her like a violent storm, stroking her needs. She was always someone who hadn’t hesitated going after anything she wanted, so why should she hesitate going after him when she did want him?
After taking another sip of her margarita, she set down her glass and said in a breathless quiver, “Okay let’s go.”
A smile eased to both corners of his lips and his hold on her hand tightened. “All right.”
Releasing her hand, he stood to pull out several bills and tossed them on the table to cover their drinks. And when she stood, he placed his hand at her waist as he led her out of the nightclub.
Chapter 3
Winston was grateful he knew his way around the Regency Resort. Holding Red’s hand firmly in his, he maneuvered their way past the guest elevators to the private one that would take them directly up to his penthouse suite.
Once or twice when they were forced to slow their pace or else plow into people in front of them, he would take her hand and bring it to his lips. And whenever he glanced over at her, she would give him a heated look that assured him that she was still with him all the way. He definitely appreciated that. Although this was not his first one-night stand and he doubted it would be his last, for some reason getting Red up to his suite was of monumental importance right now.
Red.
Hell, he didn’t even know her real name but that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered to him was he wanted her and he wanted her bad. More than he could recall ever wanting a woman before and that was definitely a new experience for him.
Knowing he would be scoring big tonight, he led Red into the elevator. No sooner had the door swooshed closed behind them, he crushed her to him, backed her against the wall and his mouth came charging down. She wrapped her arms around his neck and parted her lips to return his blazing kiss. He actually felt every part of him become on fire.
Liking her taste, he deepened the kiss. His tongue skillfully moved from one side of her mouth to the other, exploring, tasting, stirring sensations he wanted her to feel. Some primitive force was taking over his senses, somehow trying to convince him that she would be different than all his other one-nighters, but for the life of him, he couldn’t understand or accept that nonsense. Still, a part of him was helpless to control the raging desire fueling him.
The buzzer went off and he remembered that this was the express elevator, which meant they had gotten to the twentieth floor already. He lifted his head and gazed down at her, taking note of her flushed cheeks, her dilated brown eyes staring at him. He took a step back at the same moment the elevator door opened and quickly stepped out, holding firmly to her hands again.
There were only two suites on this floor and they walked toward the one at the end of the hall. Releasing her hand he pulled the key card from his back pants pocket and then turned to her and said, “I didn’t lie. My name is Winston and for the record, I’m not a crazy person or anything. I’m safe.”
She nodded. “And for the record, I’m safe as well and you can continue to call me Red.”
Obviously she had no intention of giving him a name—first, middle or last. If that’s the way she wanted to deal, that was fine with him. The only thing on his mind was making love to her.
“Good enough,” he said quickly, inserting his key card in the door. It clicked and he opened it. Taking her hand again, he smiled and said, “Let the good times roll.”
He then pulled her inside.
Ainsley recalled getting a fleeting glimpse of Winston’s suite before he was all over her, pulling her into his arms and capturing her mouth. The moment their lips locked, his tongue went into action, treating her to all kinds of erotic pleasures while tasting her with openmouthed thoroughness. She’d never been kissed this way before and all coherent thoughts oozed like molten liquid from her brain.
His hands on her backside and thighs had already hiked up her short dress to her waist, and his fingers began working their way underneath the edge of her panties.
Desire was seeping into her pores. It had been a long time since she’d felt a man touch the swelling fullness of her womanhood and the moment he eased a finger between her folds to stroke her clitoris, every part of her began shaking.
This man had a way with his fingers and she clung to him, fearful if she let go he would stop and she didn’t want that. His fingers were plunging back and forth inside of her, stroking her in a sensual rhythm, as he licked the corners of her lips with his tongue.