Best Erotic Romance 2013 Page 3

  Imogene sniffed a little. Her own girls would never have done this to her. But they were on the East Coast, and what could you do about your fiancé’s kinfolks? She counted herself lucky that they at least had enough money to throw her a bachelorette party in a luxurious Las Vegas hotel.

  After another apprehensive glance at the door, she took in the room. In one corner stood a plushy antique chair. The walls were adorned with gilt-framed pictures of 1920s vaudeville girls. From the corner of her eyes, she could spot part of a velveteen curtain that separated the room from a small vestibule.

  It was a fancy room. A men’s restroom, mind you, but fancy.

  Still, the guys trying their luck in the hotel’s casino weren’t so different from the regular players in any low-grade arcade. A shudder ran down her spine at the thought of whatever drunken jerk might walk in on her, defenseless, abandoned by the party hosts, who were probably enjoying themselves at the blackjack table right now. The men that had been around while the girls had tied her up, cheering and laughing at her protests, weren’t the kind of guys she had any desire of encountering again. She wondered how long it would take before they summoned all their wasted friends to have a feast gawking at the little lady chained up in their restroom, dressed in a cheap veil and a shirt that was so slinky her breasts looked ready for the centerfold. To complete her misery, she would have to persuade one of these boozed-up morons to pay her ransom. That was the deal.

  For sure the stupidest idea that Michael’s family had come up with in the preparations that would lead to their wedding next Saturday.

  Imogene froze as the door was flung open and quick steps rushed into the vestibule. A man in a hurry. She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, wondering if she would have to listen to him peeing before she could ask him to pay whatever ransom he would be willing to spend on her. He entered the room, and she heard him exhale.

  Well, she had to give it to him—it wasn’t often that you found a sluttishly attired girl chained to the heater in the men’s room.

  “Excuse me, could you…um…”

  He walked over to her, his steps slowing, and she bent her head, but her arms restricted her view of the entrance. She peeked down underneath the pit of her arm. The handcuffs bit into her wrists as she tried to turn, and yet the only glimpse she could catch of him were leather boots and the beginning of slender legs in black pants.

  “Wow,” he said, and his voice made her shudder. It reached something deep inside her and rolled through her veins, aiming directly at her core. “That must be the most wonderful thing I’ve seen all evening.” His boots clicked on the marble floor as he stepped behind her and stopped at the basin stand next to the radiator. “And you can see a lot of pretty things on a night in Vegas,” he added in a low, friendly voice.

  “Surely not in a men’s restroom,” Imogene murmured, more to herself than to him. He chuckled a bit.

  “Surely not.”

  She decided to cut right to the chase. “I need someone to ransom me.”

  “Have you been naughty to deserve this?”

  She held her breath. “Are you flirting with me?”

  “Maybe.”

  She heard the rustling of jeans and saw him crossing his feet. She could practically feel his eyes all over her body. His scent was warm and smelled of fresh soap and cardamom. Imogene exhaled. “Don’t you think that would be taking advantage of my situation?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Would you pay my ransom if I flirted back?”

  “Maybe.”

  Imogene rested her head against her arm. “Sounds fair.”

  He circled around and leaned against the wall in front of her. “That’s what I think. But even if you didn’t consider it fair, the way I see it, you’re not in much of a bargaining position.”

  “That’s not a very gentleman-like thing to say.”

  “I’m not a gentleman then. How fitting that your shirt is too tight to belong to a lady.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  He laughed, abandoning the smoldering tone that had thickened his voice until now. “You’re pretty cheeky for someone tied to a radiator.”

  “There must be something about you that makes me trust you.”

  The guy whistled. “I see. But what would your future husband say?” He threw a quick glance at the short pink veil attached to the rhinestone tiara in her hazel hair.

  She matched the look in his dark eyes as they turned to her face again. “He wants to see me walking down the aisle in three days, so I guess he wouldn’t mind.”

  He tilted his head and puckered his lips into the hint of a smile. “With all due respect to the lucky guy, he’s not taking good care of you.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “You think?”

  “Uh-huh.” He reached out his finger and traced it down the line of her arm. Imogene held her breath as her eyes followed the trail of his tease. “If I were him, I’d make sure you’d be tied to”—he ran his long finger up her arm again and, in a playful gesture, moved it over the metal ring and drew a circle in her palm—“nothing but my bedpost.”

  She bit her lip. “He never does things like that.”

  “Maybe it’s time for him to experiment.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. “Maybe.”

  Imogene watched him expectantly, the sparkles that glimmered in his stare making the blood rush to her cheeks. She lowered her gaze to his mouth and licked her lips. “Come here, baby,” she purred, smiling at him as he obeyed, his face lighting up. He slowly wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you,” she breathed before they melted into each other.

  “Thank you for what?” he whispered as their lips parted.

  “For being my hero and coming to my rescue!” She threw an annoyed glance at the handcuffs binding her.

  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for my crazy family. You didn’t cry, did you?” Michael brushed his thumb over a smear of mascara on her cheek.

  “A little bit, maybe.” She pouted and lowered her head.

  He lifted her chin with his thumb and pulled her a bit closer to him. “I’m here now.” He placed another small kiss on her lips. Imogene pressed her body against his. Unable to hug him, she wanted to at least show him how thankful she was. His handsome features had been the last she expected to see tonight, and to be bathed in that tender glow of his dark eyes, a shimmer that had been deepened since his proposal six months ago, turned her giddy inside.

  “How did you find me?”

  “Martin blabbed. He said something about ransom, so I pressured him to tell me where they had gone with you and what games they had made up.”

  She rubbed her leg against his. “I’m so glad you did.”

  “I know how much you loathe pranks.”

  “This one took a surprisingly nice turn.”

  Michael returned her smile and ran his hands over her curves. “So you’d like me to experiment, huh?” he said softly against her mouth, teasing her by gently prodding her lips.

  “You came here especially for me. You can do anything you want.”

  “Anything?”

  “Yes…” she breathed against his lips.

  His hand brushed along her waistline. “You know that rule you came up with a couple of weeks ago?”

  “No sex before getting married?”

  “Uh-huh.” He parted her hair and placed a kiss on her neck. “I never liked it in the first place.”

  “I just wanted…” Imogene craned her neck. “I wanted us to feel like…they did in the old days.”

  “But we already slept together anyways.” Michael grinned at her. “With everything we did, you should be ashamed to even think about walking down the aisle in virgin white.”

  She shook her head, smiling a little, amused by the impatience in his voice. “You don’t get it, huh?”

  “No, as a matter of fact, I don’t.” He imbibed the smell of her hair and softly blew against her skin. “What’s the point of bein
g with the most beautiful girl in the world when you don’t get to make love to her?”

  Tiny butterflies fluttered through her stomach, and for a moment, she simply enjoyed the freshly fallen-in-love feeling he could evoke in her, even after two years of being together. “I figured it would be a thrill. You know, increasing the anticipation.”

  He smiled and kissed his way up to her ear. “It did.”

  “So you do get it after all.” She sighed and closed her eyes.

  “You still want to wait?” he teased her, softly biting her ear’s outer shell.

  “No,” she whispered, turning her head to kiss him.

  “Good,” he simply replied and circled her belly button with his thumb.

  “But what if…what if someone walks in on us?”

  Michael pulled away a bit, and the expression on his face changed. “I’ll be back.”

  Before she could protest, he had stormed out of the room. Moments later, she heard him lock the door. “Everything’s settled,” he grinned, slightly out of breath.

  “How did you—?”

  “Shhh.” He scooped her up in his arms again and kissed her. For a few moments, he entertained himself with making her try to catch his lips in vain, backing away every time she came close enough before finally sealing her raspberry-colored mouth with a kiss. Imogene could feel his cock swelling against her as his fingers wandered down her hips and found the space between the top of her jeans skirt and the bottom of her shirt where her skin was exposed.

  “You’re beautiful,” he whispered and traced her navel.

  She pulled a face. “The shirt’s tacky, and I feel stupid wearing it.”

  “But you are property of the groom,” he said, referring to the phrase printed over her chest in iridescent colors. Mischief glinting in the corner of his eyes, he leaned back a bit to read it all. “Now and forever.” He nipped her with his hands clasped around her waist. “I don’t see what’s wrong with that. The girls got it damn right!”

  She rolled her eyes at him and turned around as far as she could.

  “Buy me a shot, I’m tying the knot.” Michael laughed. “Want me to strip it off?”

  Imogene’s eyes flashed below her lashes and she bit her bottom lip, her eyes turning to his mouth.

  “Do you?” His hands rubbed her back underneath the shirt.

  She licked her lips. “Yes.”

  “Yes?” he breathed, his eyes watching her as his face moved closer to hers.

  “Yes, baby,” she moaned softly before meeting his lips. Michael let the tip of his tongue dance with hers for a few tantalizing flutters, then took a step back. With one swift movement, he grabbed the shirt’s end and ripped it apart, right through the printing in the middle. She wiggled her upper body in his arms and captured his lips again. “Get it off!”

  Michael tore apart the sleeves and stripped the shreds off of her. She purred, satisfied, and wrapped one leg around him. He buried his face between her breasts, playfully tugging at the strapless red bra with his teeth. She threw back her head as they skimmed her nipples, but stiffened the next moment when she heard someone at the door. Eyes widened with shock, she pressed her body against him.

  “Don’t worry,” he whispered, softly sucking at her skin. “It’s just the barman.”

  “The barman?”

  He grinned and reached into the pocket of his jacket. “I persuaded him to put an out-of-order sign on the door.” Slowly, he produced a key and let it run down, between her breasts to her navel. She sighed as the cool metal brushed her skin. “And the only other key is with the janitor…”

  “What about a key for these?” She rattled the handcuffs.

  He kissed her neck. “I didn’t bother searching for any familiar-looking chicks in pink shirts.”

  She gyrated her hips against his crotch. “That gives you a nice pretense to experiment…”

  Michael uttered a muffled affirmation while opening her skirt’s button, then bent down to slide it off her legs. His eyes sparkled as they detected the dark red mesh panties underneath. “Did you…?” he gasped. He tugged at them to confirm what he thought he’d discovered below the see-through textile. “You got so much more than just a manicure the other day!” he exclaimed.

  Imogene ducked her head. “I wanted to surprise you on our wedding night. It’s called The Heart. You like it?” She let out a little squeak as his forefinger traced the new shape of her bush, deliberately brushing her moist pussy while exploring.

  He got on his knees and pulled down her panties. “Very much,” he muttered, kissing the heart’s lines. “It’s extremely sexy.”

  “As is your head down there,” she moaned softly.

  “I can’t believe you did that.” His tongue darted at her bare skin. “Did it hurt?”

  She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. “Only a little…a little bit,” she panted.

  He brushed her clit with his thumb while the caress of his mouth turned to her navel. “I’ll make up for that.”

  Imogene spread her legs as far as she could with her arms bound to the radiator. The pressure of his thumb circling her clit increased, but she couldn’t give the sensations her full attention. “Michael?”

  “Hmm?” He looked up.

  “I had so many scenarios in mind of how I would reveal this to you.” She giggled.

  Michael got up and grinned at her. He kissed her lips, then lifted her up. “Wrap your legs around me. Come on.” He grabbed her thighs and pulled her close. His hardened cock pressed against her; Imogene sighed as he ground it against her clit, which was now exposed to the rough material of his jeans.

  She arched her back a bit to increase the friction. Michael fixed his eyes on her erect nipples, perked up so close to his face that every brush of his breath against them sent a trace of goose bumps over her breasts. He gave in to their charms and enclosed the left one with his lips. Imogene threw back her head as he softly sucked on it. The more his tongue probed, the more she became aware of how powerless she was. With a frustrated groan, she yanked at the cuffs. Michael interrupted the caress of his mouth and smirked. He let go of her thighs and moved his hands up to her wrists and from there, down to the pit of her arms. His light touch tickled her, but before she could plead for him to stop, he put an end to this taunting. Her eyes followed the trail of his fingers as it reached her breasts, and the realization that she was in for an even more intense tease sent a shudder down her spine. As if indecisive about what to do, Michael circled the same nipple with his finger that he had just spoiled with his mouth.

  “You like being cuffed.” He watched her face for any reaction.

  Imogene licked her dry lips. She closed her eyes and let herself fall into the sensations. His huge hands cupped her breasts. His breath stroked her naked skin. She wanted nothing more than to roam his body with her hands. A tiny flame licked at her clit, and the urgent pulsation raging between her legs every time he withheld a caress betrayed how much the fact of being bound sparked a desire she hadn’t been aware of before. She knew she would let him tie her up again anytime he wanted.

  “I do,” she heard herself saying.

  “Mm-hmm.” He licked away a bead of sweat that had formed between her breasts. He cupped her butt and pressed her against the radiator. One of his hands wandered between her legs. He started to stroke her wet pussy with two fingers. “I can tell.”

  Again, she rattled at the handcuffs—a reflex driven by the urge to wrap herself around him completely, press her body so close to his that she could taste his skin, smell his warmth. Desperation rushed through her, a heated, frantic desperation that dissolved into sizzling tingles exploding under the surface of her skin.

  Michael kissed the underside of her breast, and she held her breath as his lips wandered up to her right nipple, then stopped, tantalizingly close. They almost touched her; she could feel the heat of them against her skin. And yet, he wouldn’t appease her yearning, and with every push she made, he backed his mouth a
way until the metal rings restrained her from moving any farther. Excruciatingly slowly, the tip of his tongue became visible, at first only to lick his own lip. Her eyes pleaded with him, and she quivered when his mouth finally met her swollen nipple and engulfed it tenderly.

  “Take off your pants,” she breathed against his lips. “I don’t want to wait any longer.”

  Michael moaned. “Say that again.”

  “I want to have you.” She nibbled at his lip. “Inside of me. Now.”

  He let her down again and got rid of his clothes. Imogene gnawed at her bottom lip as his hardened cock emerged. Everything within her wanted to get her hands on it and spread the thin drop that dripped off the top generously across the glistening head. Michael met her stare with hardened, aroused eyes. He grabbed her naked butt and yanked her against him.

  Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as his cock filled her and was slowly withdrawn again. He knew how to make her burn, even now. Just one look into his agitated face and the relieved moan he formed in his throat when her walls clenched his cock told her he was simmering just as much as she was. Imogene writhed against the handcuffs, fiercely channeling all her force into her thighs to unleash the overwhelming ecstasy. Instead of her hands, it was her feet that dug into his flesh, almost kicking his butt to make him push harder.

  His thrusts intensified, but she could tell he was holding back. Her fingers clutched one of the radiator’s pipes, and she rocked her hips into his strokes.

  A short smile flickered over Michael’s face. “Don’t be that impatient. You waited long enough for this orgasm.”

  She shook her head. “Don’t you dare tease me, Michael. Don’t you—” She gulped as he pulled his length away. It glistened with her cream. He splayed her legs even farther, enclosed his shaft in his hands and circled her throbbing clit with it. All she could do was watch and whimper.

  “Please…” She lifted her head, searching for his mouth. He briefly brushed her open lips, his tongue teasing her longer than his mouth kissed her, his breath heavy on her face. As slowly as he had taken it away from her, he plunged his cock inside her again. His fingers curled around hers as he started to rock her, making her forget about the painful rubbing of the handcuffs against her wrists.