But, damn, she really is gorgeous.
I roll on a condom, and I see her eyes flash with fear for a moment. I watch as she quickly looks over to her purse on the floor.
When no phone rings, when nothing threatens this moment, I hold her hips, and help ease her onto my base.
"Landon, you're so fucking hot," she says, covering her face with her hands.
"No sweet words, remember?" I tease, pulling her hands away from her face.
"Calling you fucking hot isn't romance, Landon," she says, resting her hands on my chest.
"That's where you're wrong. Even if it is just about sex, a man likes to be called fucking hot."
She whimpers as she lowers herself onto me, seeming to pause before letting herself sit all the way down on top of me.
"That hurt? I ask.
"I'm moaning because your accent is so sexy. And I swear, without the accent I'd think you were just a regular American guy-most of whom do nothing for me. Lucky for you, the accent is hot as hell."
I laugh. This woman has worked me over and she doesn't even try.
"Claire, it's time for you to enjoy yourself. Sit down on me, on my cock, nice and hard," I tell her. "You know you want to."
"I do," she breathes in my ear, her tits heaving with each breath she takes, her arms wrapped around my neck.
She eases down, and I grab her firm ass with my hands, my fingers grazing at her pussy, helping her down. "Landon, it's too much. You're so big."
"You can fit me. Your pussy needs to know what a real cock is. I'm gonna fucking teach you."
"I want you to teach me, Landon," she moans as she sits herself down, groans escaping her mouth as her head falls back in pleasure. "Oh, fuck," she pants. "Oh, fuck me, Landon."
A grin covers my face as her pussy starts to really love my cock. I thrust into her nice and slow, as we find a gentle rhythm so it doesn't hurt her. Her pussy's so tight I could swear she's a virgin. My cock fucking loves filling her up.
"Oh, yeah, baby, that's good," I tell her as sweet juice flows from her, soaking my base, my thighs.
"Oh, yeah," she says, her hands running through my hair, gripping me tightly as she comes, again and again. Her orgasm floods us and she moans loudly as my come shoots out. I hold her soft hips in my hands as I thrust again as I get off with her on top of me.
She falls into my chest, both of us catching our breath. My cock is still hard as a rock, and I pull off the condom. She cups my balls in her hand, as she lies down next to me, as she catches her breath.
Her head rests on my chest and my arms wrap around her, and for a moment it feels like more than a hook-up, more than a quickie.
Claire
I fall asleep, Landon's arms wrapped around me, and the next thing I know I wake with a start. Switching on the lamp, I try to get my bearings.
"Landon," I say, shaking him awake. A sheet is wrapped around us. Blackout curtains block out the lights of the Vegas strip.
"What, woman?" he asks, groaning, covering his face with his forearm.
I see the clock on the bedside table and breathe a sigh of relief. It's 5:00 am. My internal clock is set for early rising, I'm always up two hours before Sophia to get ready for work, and I'm grateful that even on my day off I'm up when I should be.
Holy crap. I really used a hall pass.
A smile breaks across my face, realizing that sleeping over with a man is something I haven't done in literally years.
And it feels good.
Like, hot damn good. Landon is does not disappoint.
"Why are you smiling?" he says, easing himself up. "It's not even morning yet. Are you headed out?"
"I probably should." I stand, grabbing the sheet as I move. I reach for my purse and see Mom never texted. Thank god. Nothing happened while I was out.
My shoulders fall with the relief only a mother can know. Sophia is okay. I'm okay. I left her for the night and nothing happened.
It's only the third time I've ever done this. The first few were last month when Emmy had her world rocked and Tess and I stayed with her at her apartment. Those times, I never felt guilty, because I stayed out so I could support a friend.
This time, I left Sophia for purely indulgent reasons.
And maybe … just maybe … that is okay.
"Well," Landon says, sitting up now and reaching for the telephone. "When I have sleepovers I feed my guests. You can't walk out of here without a proper breakfast."
"I think I can."
"No, it's not fit, Claire. You need coffee. Toast. Eggs."
Setting my purse down, I tell him to go ahead and order room service.
Settling back into the bed, I wonder why I'm going along with this charade.
Maybe the only reason is because it feels really nice to be taken care of.
And maybe that's reason enough.
Chapter Eight
Landon
While we wait for room service, we fuck again. This time it isn't tender or sweet. It's fast, hard; I come with the speed that only happens when you wake up with a hard-on.
Claire falls into the pile of pillows on the king-sized bed. "Thank you for that." Her eyes rest on my still-bulging cock.
"Any time," I say, meaning it. "Although, it is pretty fucking early in the morning. You always get up this time of day?"
"I do." She doesn't expound on the early hour. Instead she explains the hook-up. "It needed to happen, you know-you and I finishing what we started. Otherwise, I think I'd always have wondered about it," she admits. "And this way, when I see you at work, it doesn't have to be awkward."
"There is literally nothing awkward about you," I tell her. The knock on the door has me pulling on a robe, and letting in the breakfast cart.
A few minutes later, she and I sit in bed with bacon and eggs. She uses a fork and knife, and cuts each bite with the precision of an English lady. A napkin is across her bare thigh, and she literally raises a pinky as she sips her coffee.
Watching her eat, I can't help but realize she really is the most laid-back woman I've ever been with. She isn't high maintenance. She isn't annoying. She's polite, has manners, and knows how to dance.
An idea formulates in my mind and, the instant it does, I know it's the most ingenious idea I've ever had. I know exactly how I can show my parents that I've become a solid, reliable son.
Obviously they won't know I'm being dishonest.
"So," I say, spreading jam on my toast. "Do you have any plans next week?"
"Just work," she says, smiling at me. "Mostly."
We could work around work. Hell, with what I was prepared to offer her, she might not need to work for quite a while.
"Do you have a passport?" I ask, wondering how tricky my idea might be to play out.
"A what?"
"A passport. A little blue book documenting your country of residence?"
"I know what it is."
"I wasn't implying you didn't," I tell her, realizing this might be a tricky proposition. I don't want to offend her.
"I do have a passport. Which is ridiculous." She waves her hands in the air as if somehow I would know why it's so insane for her to have identification to travel.
"How so?"
"I've never used it."
"Really?" I try to not sound surprised. I shouldn't be. I know it costs money to travel. And, by the looks of things, Claire doesn't have loads of that.
"When I was little, I used to dream about traveling and going to the places I read about. So when I turned eighteen the first thing I did was apply for a passport. I thought that as an adult I could do anything, go anywhere."
"What happened?" I ask, shifting my body closer to hers on the bed.
"Life?" Claire smiles sadly, as if wistful memories are all she has of her still-unlived life.
I want to wipe that look away. I want to make Claire happy, to see her smile a real smile.
"How old are you, Claire?" I ask.
"Twenty-four."
"Well, I'm twenty-seven. And I sure as hell hope there's time left to travel, to use the bloody passport. To see those forgotten dreams."
"Look at you," she says, patting my knee. "Being all sweet to me."
"I mean it." I take her hand in mine, and look in her emerald green eyes, straight on. "Claire, what would you say if I offered you a one week job opportunity?"
"I already have a job."
"Well, this job would be in England. At my family estate. If we succeed in our job, you would be paid one hundred and fifty thousand dollars."
She laughs and then, when she realizes I'm not joking, her eyes narrow in on me. "And what is the job I'd be doing?"
"You'd be my one-week fiancé."
Chapter Nine
Claire
Landon is completely serious. His brows are slightly raised, waiting for my answer.
A fake fiancée?
The first thing to flash through my mind is the reason why I should say no: I can't run off to England and leave Sophia.
Still ... two hundred and fifty grand for a week's worth of "work"?
"Is there some weird catch to all of this?" I ask, setting down the cup of coffee, realizing that I need to get a clear picture of this proposal, distraction free. This is one of the biggest conversations of my life. It has the potential to change everything.