“You should’ve stayed inside,” he growled, remaining on the other end of the porch.
“I didn’t know if you would need help with anything.”
Those eyes ran over her again as he slowly closed the gap between them. “What did you think you could do?”
That question, delivered in such a low, gravelly tone did nothing to squelch her desire. This was crazy. She’d just met the man, yet he did something to her that she couldn’t quite put into words. Granted, right now, she was having a difficult time with any coherent thought other than take your shirt off, cowboy.
“I have no idea,” she admitted. “But I don’t want you to think I can’t help.”
He took a step closer, never looking away from her eyes, her mouth. “Your clothes are all wet again.”
“They’re your clothes,” she countered. Why did her voice come out so breathy?
The corner of his mouth tipped up. “Yours are dry now if you want to change.”
She pulled in a deep breath, her breasts brushing against his chest. Had he closed the distance so tight or had she stepped forward? She’d been so mesmerized by his voice, his predatory gaze.
“Are you changing?” she asked.
Hayes reached behind his back and jerked the wet shirt up and over his head, tossing it onto the wood porch with a heavy smack. Tattoos covered his chest and up one shoulder. Dark hair glistened all over his pecs.
“You’re not playing fair,” she told him.
“Who said I was playing?”
He thrust his hands into her hair and covered her mouth before she could take a breath. Hayes’s body leaned over hers, tipping her back slightly, but one large hand came around and flattened against her back, pushing her further into his strong build.
Alexa had never been so turned on and caught off guard at the same time. She gripped his bare shoulders and opened to him. There was no gentleness, nothing delicate in the way he kissed her. This was full-blown hunger and held so much promise of a stepping stone to something more.
“You’re driving me out of my damn mind,” he muttered against her lips. “My shirt molded to you is killing me.”
“Take it off.”
Where had that come from? It was one thing for him to take his shirt off, but she’d just ordered him to remove hers. What on earth was she thinking? This wasn’t like her. Well, the blunt honesty was, but to be so brazen about her wants with a virtual stranger was completely out of the norm.
Those dark eyes seemed to go even darker. “Don’t say things you don’t mean.”
Squaring her shoulders and taking a step back, Alexa found a boost of confidence and bravery as she reached for the hem and eased the shirt up and off. She threw it on the porch next to his.
“I never say something if I don’t mean it.”
And then he was on her. Strong hands gripped her waist and lifted her up. Her back hit the side of the house. Her breasts smashed against his chest. Locking her legs around his waist, Alexa ached in places she hadn’t thought even worked anymore. It had been so long since she’d felt any desire, let alone given in to it. But Hayes sure as hell knew exactly how to make her feel, make her want and ache and tingle and all of the fantastic things that came with being aroused and out of control.
Whatever this temporary situation was, count her in. It wasn’t like she’d see him again after she went back home and for once in her life she was going to be completely selfish and live in the moment.
Alexa arched against him as his lips found her neck and traveled down to her chest. Thrusting her fingers through his hair, she ignored all the reasons why this was not a smart idea that were swirling around in her head.
They’d been dancing around the tension for hours. So what if she wanted him? She was human, she had needs, and damn it, she’d never needed like this before.
Hayes shoved a hand between them and slid it into the oversize waistband of her pants. With no panties on, the access was easy as his fingertips found her most sensitive area.
Crying out, Alexa clung to him even tighter. His hand moved over her, in her, and there was no way she could prevent the onslaught of ecstasy that overcame her. He muttered something in her ear a second before he nibbled on the sensitive spot on her neck.
Alexa’s entire body tightened as she bowed, closing her eyes and letting the wave of ecstasy consume her. Hayes moved right along with her, slowing as she began to still. He didn’t let up until the final tremor ceased. When he eased back, Alexa instantly felt cold and reality came crashing back. The rain, the storm...she was half naked on the back porch of a brooding billionaire’s house and she’d just had the orgasm of her life.
Hayes continued to stare at her as he eased away. That hard stare, the heavy breathing and his chest rising and falling all indicated he’d not been unaffected by her pleasure.
He took an uneven step back.
“We should get inside.”
From the tone and the slight gap between them, she knew he didn’t mean taking things inside to finish where he’d left off.
What had happened in the last few moments? Whatever battle he faced internally had settled itself right between them.
He’d come at her like a man on a mission and she’d been the only one satisfied. Was he just going to go on like he wasn’t miserable and aroused? Because she could see for herself he was both.
“That’s it?” she asked, bringing her arms up to shield her bare chest. “What was that?”
“If you have to ask, I did things wrong.”
Alexa continued to stare before she marched around him and grabbed their discarded shirts. She tossed his at his chest with a wet slap, cursing him in Spanish words her mother would’ve never allowed.
“Oh, you did things wrong,” she agreed as she went inside, still careful of the door. “You claimed you weren’t playing games, but you sure as hell just did.”
* * *
Hayes remained on the porch for a few minutes after Alexa had gone inside. Somewhere between seeing her with his shirt molded to every wet curve and having her come apart in his arms, he’d had realized he was going about this all wrong.
And he spoke fluent Spanish, so he knew exactly what she thought of him at the moment. He wasn’t too pleased with how he’d handled things either, but lust had overridden common sense and he’d been selfish. He’d needed to see her come apart; he’d wanted to be the one to make that happen.
From the moment he’d seen her in the stables, Hayes had imagined her writhing beneath him. He’d been set on seducing her. But the more time he spent with her, the more he learned about her, the more he wanted her and the more he knew he shouldn’t have her...which meant his thoughts became even more jumbled.
She was a single mother. He might not know Alexa well, but he already knew enough to realize she wasn’t the fling type. She had her life together and certainly hadn’t taken a getaway to have some heated affair with a broken cowboy.
Hayes had vowed to get his act together. Of course that mental declaration came just as he was giving an orgasm to his temporary roommate.
Just because he was a mess didn’t mean he had to make his unexpected guest miserable. It wasn’t Alexa’s fault he wanted her, but had issues of epic proportions. It wasn’t her fault the mere mention of kids put fear in him because he didn’t want to get involved on any level with a woman with a child. Hell, he shouldn’t be