Fired by Her Fling Read online

  ‘Okay, I’m backing away now,’ Emily sang out. ‘I’ll leave you in Lu’s capable hands,’ she said, giving Tristan a salacious wink.

  Lula’s insides shrivelled in mortification.

  Leaning in, Emily gave her a tight hug, whispering, ‘You go, girl. Show this guy who’s boss,’ into Lu’s ear before flashing them both a wicked grin and hurrying off.

  TWO

  He stayed talking with her for another hour after her crazy friend had left, enjoying her company more and more as she seemed to relax with him.

  They chatted about everything and nothing; he teased her about her love of nineties music, which she countered by turning her nose up at his obsession with trad jazz. They discussed their favourite books from childhood, his passion for following Formula One racing and her seemingly encyclopaedic knowledge of art-house films.

  Despite her reluctance to leave with her friends, Tristan had a strong suspicion that picking up random guys in a pub wasn’t Lu’s usual modus operandi. There was something too reserved about her to make him believe she did this kind of thing on a regular basis. He loved the fact she was clearly making a special effort for him—he hadn’t felt that wanted in a while—but unfortunately it pointed towards the possibility that she’d expect more from this encounter than he was able to give.

  She was a sexy and engaging woman and he could imagine she’d be incredible in bed but he probably shouldn’t push for anything to happen between them.

  He didn’t do one-night stands. And he didn’t need any complications while he was here. As soon as this radio station mess was resolved he’d be on the first plane back to Edinburgh—back to running the family business that his father had now totally lost interest in.

  He drained the last of his third bottle of beer. ‘I should probably go,’ he said gently.

  The look of bewildered disappointment, which she quickly forced into an unconcerned smile, made his heart do a slow dive. She clearly didn’t want this encounter to end and, if he was totally honest, neither did he.

  ‘No problem,’ she said, knocking back the last of her wine and placing the glass onto the bar.

  He noticed, with a jolt of surprise, that her hand seemed to be trembling.

  ‘I really should get going too. Things to do tomorrow.’ She gave him a false bright smile.

  ‘Are you going to catch up with your friends?’

  ‘Nah. I don’t think I should drink any more.’

  He nodded. ‘Very sensible.’

  Huffing out a laugh, she swept her hand through her heavy blunt-cut fringe. ‘That’s me, Level-headed Louise.’ She slung her bag across her shoulder and straightened her top. Looking back up at him, she cracked a rueful smile. ‘I’ll walk out with you.’

  They exited into the cool spring London air, the fume-filled, peppery scents of the city twanging at his senses.

  He was painfully aware of her there next to him and acutely conscious that once she walked away the chances of ever seeing her again were practically non-existent. It seemed such a pity when there was such intense chemistry between them.

  They came to a stop outside the pub and he put a hand onto her shoulder, feeling the silky material of her top slip beneath his fingers. Her skin was warm beneath his touch and he wanted to leave it there, revelling in the delicate heat of her for a while longer.

  She looked up at him questioningly, her bright, open gaze drawing him in deeper. He was utterly mesmerised by the sweet, vulnerable expression on her face.

  Neither of them moved as they gazed into each other’s eyes, caught in an inexplicable connective tension that made it impossible for him to turn away from her. This had never happened to him before—this strange, undeniable pull—and it made him weirdly nervous.

  He finally found his voice. ‘Look, Lu, I think you’re a very attractive woman and far be it from me to deny you the chance to find out whether your theory about men with glasses is correct, but I should probably do the gentlemanly thing and flag you down a cab.’

  ‘Yeah, that would be the sensible thing to do,’ she murmured in that tormenting voice of hers, still looking him dead in the eye.

  Something tugged low and hard, deep in his pelvis. Ah, boy, it was going to be painfully difficult to walk away from her and go back to his cold, empty hotel room when she was looking at him like that. He wanted to gather her in to him and kiss the life out of her. To lose himself in her warmth, to forget about all the responsibilities that waited for his attention in the real world.

  ‘I’ve really enjoyed meeting you tonight,’ he said, his voice coming out husky and rough.

  Her smile was faltering. ‘It was lovely to meet you too.’ Putting both hands on his chest, she pressed them into him, as if attempting to osmose her sincerity, digging her fingertips gently into his pecs.

  His body gave a disturbing throb as everything from his taste buds to the soles of his feet responded to her. Taking a deep breath and putting his hands over the top of hers, he tilted his head in a show of regret. ‘In another universe we’d have an amazing night together.’

  She pinched her eyebrows together, her voluptuous mouth turning down at the corners, and took her hands away, dropping them to her sides.

  The loss of her touch disturbed him more than it should have.

  ‘You don’t have a girlfriend, do you? Or a wife?’ The idea seemed to horrify her. It horrified him too. He was never getting married. Not when he’d repeatedly seen how miserable it could make you.

  Shaking his head, he gave Lu an amused smile. ‘Neither. But I have a lot of work to do tonight.’ It sounded so pathetic when he said it out loud. Was he really going to work instead of spending more time with this fascinating, capricious woman?

  He took a breath, aware she was looking at him with justifiable scepticism. ‘The thing is, I’m only here in London—’ But he didn’t get to finish his sentence because she reached up to lay one of her small, cool hands against his neck and draw his head down to her lush, waiting mouth.

  Her lips were warm and soft against his and he closed his eyes reflexively, drinking in the erotic intimacy of her touch. Barely a second later she drew back and he blinked his eyes open and stared at her, taking in her own surprise at the unexpectedly audacious action.

  ‘I just needed to do that,’ she whispered in that taunting voice of hers.

  All the arguments that had previously filtered through his mind evaporated into the sultry night air along with his resolve as he lost the tenuous grip on his control. Moving quickly towards her, he recaptured her soft, wine-scented mouth with his.

  She let out a deep, low moan in the back of her throat, the sexy desperation of it nearly undoing him and he darted his tongue into her mouth, tasting the sweetness of her.

  He stopped her from stumbling backwards by putting his hands on her hips and pulling her roughly towards him, pressing their bodies close together. She responded by sliding her arms around his waist and kissing him back with a ferocity that made his whole body tighten with lust.

  A pulse-quickening notion of what could happen if they didn’t stop this ran through his head: him leading her back to his hotel across the road, them kissing fiercely in the elevator as they travelled up to the fourth floor, stumbling into his room, already tugging each other’s clothes off as they tried to make it to the bed before they lost all control and ended up in a sweaty, writhing mess on the floor.

  He could see it all unfold—practically taste it—but he shouldn’t let that happen.

  Should he?

  She slipped her hands under his jacket and dragged her nails down his back, leaving tingling lines of sensation across his skin.

  His body responded immediately and she gasped against his mouth as his arousal made itself known between the press of their bodies.

  She ground herself harder
against him, her soft, flowery scent pummelling his senses, and he wondered hazily why exactly he thought it was a good idea to stop this. Work and a failed relationship weren’t decent enough excuses to ruin a perfectly good opportunity for one night of pleasure with a beautiful stranger; a stranger currently intent on seducing him with her cool wandering hands and small muffled moans of pleasure.

  He could really use some light relief from the soberness of his life right now.

  Sod it. He wanted this. She clearly wanted this. It was happening.

  * * *

  Lula barely took in the luxury of her surroundings as Tristan guided her into his hotel room, continuing the mind-blowing kiss they’d been unable to resist in the elevator on their way up there.

  She could hardly believe this was happening, but she was mightily glad it was. The alcohol had given her wings and when he’d looked at her with such heat in his eyes she’d not been able to stop herself from reaching up and kissing him.

  She’d never felt so attractive, so desired before and the thought of walking away from that feeling had been unimaginable.

  Clearly it had been for him too, because he’d responded immediately to her brazen gesture, dragging her against his rock-hard body in a possessive gesture that made her feel so wanted.

  That was the moment that undid her—when every other thought and consideration flew right out of her head and all her nerves and reticence disappeared in a puff of lust.

  There was something so freeing about letting herself go with him—about not worrying what he thought of her as she ran her hands all over his body, or made the low breathy sounds that came from deep within her throat.

  For the first time in a long time she felt empowered and sexy and alive.

  She needed this right now. So badly.

  Raising her arms, she let him drag her top up over her head and drop it on the floor by their feet, moving swiftly round to fiddle with the clasp of her bra until it pinged loose and he discarded that too.

  ‘You have magnificent breasts, Louise,’ he growled, dropping to his knees and taking one of her nipples into his mouth, tugging on it gently with his teeth before swirling his tongue around the swollen areola.

  She only just stopped herself from correcting him on her name as sensational pleasure ripped through her body, centring where his mouth locked against her breast, his lips and teeth teasing at her skin.

  Louise was her name tonight. Louise was a beguiling, sexually assertive woman she didn’t recognise, but tonight she was going to possess her body and mind for her own pure, selfish pleasure.

  Skimming his hands round from where they rested on her hips, Tristan fiddled with the button of her jeans until they popped open and he was able to ease down the zip and slide the heavy material down her legs to the floor. He helped her step out of her heels, looking up and flashing her such a sensual smile that her whole body gave a throb of longing.

  Grasping his head in her hands, she drew him upwards, back to standing so she could kiss him hard. She needed to even things up here, to give as well as take, before she lost her nerve.

  ‘I want to feel you—against me,’ she muttered against his mouth.

  She felt him smile, and the next second she was left gaping in a chasm of cool air as he stepped back to yank off his tie, then pull his shirt—still buttoned—over his head.

  Dropping them onto the floor, he gave her a teasing come-hither look and she stepped forwards to put the palms of her trembling hands against the amazing honed plane of his chest.

  Her breath caught in her throat as she fully took in the hard contours of his body.

  He definitely worked out.

  ‘I’ve never seen a six-pack in real life before,’ she said, glancing up at him and attempting to smile without looking like a total goof.

  He was staring down at her, the heat and intensity of his arousal plain in his eyes.

  Her stomach did a disconcerting swoop.

  ‘Come here.’ He dragged her against him and their bodies clashed and melded together, the heat of his bleeding into hers in glorious waves.

  Then his mouth was hot and hard on hers again, his tongue darting into her mouth, tickling her sensitised lips and sweeping her teeth, probing and pushing, deeper and more insistently than before.

  She wanted that tongue on her skin. Everywhere.

  But first she was going to give him a taste of his own delicious medicine.

  It took a moment of fumbling before she managed to open the clasp of his trousers, but then she was free to slide them down his muscular legs. He toed off his shoes and she watched him quickly discard the rest of his clothes until he towered over her totally naked, looking like some biologically perfect specimen of man.

  His hair was mussed now where she’d run her hands through it and his glasses glinted in the soft light of the lamp he’d left on. There was something obscenely hot about him wearing only a pair of glasses and a grin and she shivered in lust-fuelled anticipation.

  Pushing him against the wall, she ran her hands all over the hard contours of his chest, taking in the defined lines of his muscles and the contrasting soft sleekness of his skin. The naked power of him made her faintly jittery, but she knew she was safe with him.

  She trusted him and he appeared to trust her.

  The fact he was letting her push him around like this was a huge boost to her confidence. He wasn’t just taking what he wanted; he was waiting to see what she gave him.

  Something about that made her intensely happy. She’d never experienced this feeling of sexual control with a man before and because he was allowing her to take the lead, her nerves had now completely vanished.

  It was encouraging and very, very hot.

  Sliding her hand down his body, she found his hard shaft hovering against his belly and tickled her fingertips over the head, smiling to herself as she heard his sharp intake of breath. Wrapping her hand around him, she moved it against him in slow, fluid strokes, dropping her head at the same time to place soft, teasing kisses against his solid chest, twisting her tongue against his nipples then stretching up to lick the hard lines of his collarbone and dip into the hollows of his neck.

  His skin was the perfect mixture of sweet and salty and her mouth watered in response to the dual tang as she swept her tongue over him.

  ‘I want to eat you up, you’re so delicious,’ she murmured against his skin and felt his chest expand and contract as he laughed quietly.

  She spent some time exploring his broad torso with her lips and tongue, all the while keeping up a steady rhythm with her hand. Her breath came hot and fast, leaving a faint mist of moisture on his skin where she played her mouth against him. She could hear his breathing, deep and ragged in his chest as she worked him over.

  ‘Lu...’ His voice came out as a ragged plea.

  ‘Yes?’ Her own sounded just as distorted.

  ‘I can’t take much more of this kind of manhandling. You’re gonna have to stop if you don’t want this to be over too soon.’

  ‘Okay...’ she whispered, tightening her hand around him for one last teasing squeeze.

  Half groaning, half laughing, Tristan slid his hands under her buttocks and lifted her against him, the hardness of his arousal pressing with excruciating pleasure against the zingy heat between her legs as he carried her over to the king-sized bed.

  Lowering her onto it, he bent to kiss her mouth hard before making his way south, roaming over the highly stimulated skin of her breasts again—lingering there for a minute until she thought she might come just from the attention he was giving them—before moving lower.

  Her body throbbed in anticipation as he slid her knickers down her legs, then stooped to run his tongue around the exposed triangle between her thighs, skimming the most sensitive parts of her until she almost screamed with t
he need for him to touch and lick here there.

  When he eventually did, it was as if he’d zapped her with a live wire of pure pleasure and instinctively she raised her hips off the bed to press herself harder against him.

  Never had she felt so on the edge of control. And it felt goooood.

  He used gentle, sweeping strokes on her, over and over bringing her closer, exquisitely closer to the edge of orgasm. But she wanted more.

  What would Louise say to get what she wanted?

  ‘I want you inside me,’ she whispered, hoping she’d said it loudly enough for him to hear. He stopped what he was doing and moved up the bed, trailing kisses along her skin, nipping once at each nipple before kissing her full on the mouth again.

  She needed her control back. Right now.

  ‘On your back,’ she demanded, twisting out from under him and shoving against one shoulder to tip him into the position she wanted him.

  He landed on his back and raised an amused eyebrow at her, a faint smile playing around his mouth.

  ‘Who’d have thought someone so petite could be so domineering,’ he said, sliding a hand into her hair to draw her mouth down to his.

  ‘Small but determined, that’s me,’ she said, once she’d finished kissing him.

  ‘I can see that.’ The look in his eyes told her he was totally fine with it too.

  ‘Wait here,’ she said, backing off the bed and hurrying over to where her clothes lay on the other side of the room.

  Jeez, the suite was enormous. It must be costing a few bob to stay here. He must be into some serious business to afford it.

  Pushing the errant thought out of her mind, she located her handbag and rummaged in one of the inside pockets, pulling out tissues, café loyalty cards and hair bobbles until she found what she was looking for.

  Turning back to the bed, she saw Tristan had propped himself up on his elbows and was watching her with interest. She waved her loot in the air in a show of triumph.