My face grew hot. I'd forgotten about that. Needless to say, Professor Kirkwood and I hadn't gotten along very well after that. I'd gotten the impression that if he could've flunked me, he would've. My scores had just been too high.
“I can't believe you remember what I said,” I mumbled.
“Are you kidding?” He grinned. “Kirkwood was a pompous windbag everyone had wanted to see taken down a peg or two.”
I laughed, my cheeks flushing at the admiration in his voice, and started to cross the street. My heel caught in one of the trolley tracks and I stumbled. Reed's arm wrapped around my waist, keeping me upright. Without breaking his grip, he bent and gently pried the heel of my shoe from where it was wedged. When he straightened, there was barely an inch between us.
He looked down at me, his dark eyes searching my face as if he was trying to read my mind. Then a car horn honked, only two soft taps, but enough to break his gaze. I took a step, expecting him to relinquish his hold. He didn't. His arm stayed around my waist as we made our way to the other side of the street, his thumb stroking up and down as we walked.
He was only worried about my safety, I kept telling myself, only wished to avoid another near-accident. But when we reached the sidewalk, he didn't pull away, only seemed to hold me closer to his side. My heart was pounding and it didn't have anything to do with the walk.
“By the way,” he said. “I'm sorry my sister was such a bitch to you earlier.”
“Yeah, well, I'm used to it.” The words popped out of my mouth before I could stop them.
He gave me a sideways glance and I could see he was debating whether or not to ask. If he didn't, I'd let it go, but if he did, I'd tell him the truth. I wasn't going to sugar coat it. Instead of blowing it off or pushing further, he said the last thing I expected.
“I always hoped she'd outgrow it, but sometimes I think she's a bigger bitch now than she was back then, and I know that's saying something.”
I laughed. I couldn't help it. I thought he'd try to defend her or at least pretend to be offended.
“Rebecca's my sister, so I love her, but I don't like her very much.”
“Me either,” I admitted.
“And I have a feeling, if she saw you tonight, she'd be even worse than usual.” He gave me a slow once over, his gaze heated. “You look amazing.”
I flushed, suddenly aware of the electricity racing across my skin from where we were touching. “Do we have to keep talking about your sister?” I asked.
“Nope.” He grinned at me. “I'd prefer we didn't.”
“What'd you want to talk about then?” I regretted the question as soon as I'd asked it. I'd just given him an open invitation to ask about anything, including what my life was like now. Telling him I was a stripper would definitely send him running.
“Didn't you used to work at the trolley car diner?”
I looked over at him in surprise. “Yeah, I did.”
“I thought so.” His eyes sparkled with humor. “They did a whole retro day where you ladies had to wear fifties clothes, right?”
I groaned and shook my head. Of all the ways for him to remember having seen me, a poodle skirt and pink cardigan that clashed with my hair was not what I would've chosen.
“I'd come home for summer break,” he continued. “And I'd been craving those amazing cinnamon buns they had.”
“The ones with the cream cheese icing.” I nodded in agreement. I actually hadn't minded my job, especially the food part. The customers, on the other hand, hadn't always been so delightful. “Your sister used to come in...” I let my voice trail off.
“We're talking about her again,” he said and looked at me, a determined expression on his face. “Let's see if I can do something about that.”
When he yanked me towards him, I gasped and he took advantage of my parted lips to cover my mouth with his, running his tongue along my bottom lip before darting it inside.
There was an edge to the playfulness, a desire that made my stomach warm. His arm slid around my waist as I leaned into him, my fingers gripping handfuls of his shirt. His lips were soft, moving with mine with an unhurried laziness. When he finally raised his head, it was only far enough that we could meet gazes. His eyes truly looked black now and I shivered.
“I can walk you back to the reunion and the kiss stays a kiss.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Or we can go to my place and…” His lips sank into mine, finishing his sentence for him.
Need stroked through me like a knife and I realize the choice wasn’t a choice at all. I would go with him, be with him; I’d be greedy for the first time in my life.
“Yes,” I whispered into his mouth and he moaned, his hands fisting in my hair. Then he turned, pulling me behind him and we walked the quarter mile in silence.
I tried not to think about how his house cost more than my entire apartment building back in Vegas, and then he was shutting the door behind us and leading me towards what I assumed was his bedroom. I quit caring about how rich he was.
We were in darkness for a moment, and then a light came on, filling the room with a soft, warm glow. I registered a bed, nightstand and dresser, but didn't get any details before Reed was pulling me into his arms.
When his mouth came down on mine this time, there was none of the humor that had been there before. This was all wanting. Lust. Need. One hand slid down my spine to the small of my back, his fingers on the swell of my ass. The other hand moved up until he was cupping the back of my head, those fingers buried in my hair. My hands went around his neck and I pressed my body against his. I ran the tip of my tongue along his bottom lip and he opened his mouth wider, letting me slip inside. I could taste the champagne they'd been serving at the reunion mingled with the sharp tang of fruit from the buffet. His tongue curled around mine and I moaned.
As a teenager, I'd imagined what it would be like to be kissed by Reed Stirling. My imagination hadn't done him nearly enough justice. His teeth nipped at my bottom lip and I pulled back. Concern filled his face and I knew he was worried that I hadn't liked it. I slid my hands under his jacket and pushed it off of his shoulders.
“Too many clothes.”
My words washed away the worry and he smiled as my fingers tugged his shirt from his slacks. I quickly undid the buttons, secretly thankful that the one thing my job had taught me was how to undress quickly. Moments later, his shirt was falling to the floor and I was running my hands over his chest.
He had a lean build, but there was nothing thin about him. Every inch was cut and defined muscle beneath tanned skin. I ran my fingers down his flat stomach and hooked them into the waistband of his pants.
If I was going to finally get to sleep with Reed, I was going to make this one to remember. I'd head back to Vegas with at least one positive memory from my reunion and we'd never see each other again. That thought made me sad, knowing this was it, but I refused to let it take root. I hadn't come here looking for anything and I was going to get something I'd dreamed about for years. What came after didn't matter.
I pulled him toward the bed and gave him a gentle push. He looked surprised but didn't say anything as he sat down. I'd spent almost two years taking off my clothes for men I despised. Now, I'd at least put my skills to good use.
There wasn't any music, but I didn't need it. I wasn't exactly dancing, but his eyes watched my every movement as if I was in the spotlight. I slowly pulled off my dress, making a mental note to thank Anastascia for the underwear. When I stepped out of the garment, Reed reached out and grabbed me around the waist, pulling me onto him. We fell back on the bed and he rolled us over, his body pressing down on mine.
“You are so damn sexy,” he murmured as he began to kiss his way across my collarbones and then further down.
He pulled down the cups of my bra, his hands catching my breasts as they came free. His touch was rougher than I'd expected after that first kiss, but I arched into it, loving the feel of his fingers kneading my flesh. He ran his tongue around my nipple and I moaned. When his teeth scraped over it, I hissed, running my nails down his arm. My eyes closed as his lips wrapped around my nipple and began to rhythmically suck. Each time Reed's teeth touched my skin, a new bolt of electricity went through me and I found myself wetter than I'd been before and we'd barely gotten started.
“I could spend hours doing this,” Reed said, looking up at me. “But we don't have a lot of time.”
I nodded, feeling a pang of regret. There was so much I wanted to do, but he was right. Anastascia was bound to get worried if I was gone too long.
He ran his hand over my stomach and slid it beneath the elastic of my panties. I swore as his fingers made their way between my legs and chuckled as he circled my clit for a moment before moving down to where I wanted him most. His laughter died away as he pushed a finger inside me.
I shuddered as a ripple of pleasure washed over me.
“You're so tight.” He pressed his lips against my stomach as his finger moved in and out, preparing me for what I knew was coming next. Suddenly, his head jerked up, something very much like panic on his face. “You're not...”
I shook my head and he relaxed. I wasn't a virgin, but I was pretty close. I'd only had one lover and while Luc been a nice enough guy, he'd never managed to get me off. Now, I was about to come just from Reed’s finger. I could feel the pressure building inside me and it reached the breaking point as he slid another finger in alongside the first. Then he crooked them, and everything exploded.