Devoted to Wicked
Page 3
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“All right.”
A terrible thought occurred to her. “Where do you think you’re sleeping?”
With a glance around, he took in the room—the unforgiving tile floors, the sofa that was way too short to accommodate his six-three frame, and the king-size bed. He nodded at the mattress. “Next to you. It’s not as if we haven’t slept together before.”
Karis stepped back. It was one thing to resist him for a couple of hours, but he looked good enough to nibble, eat, slurp, suck, and lick. How would she outlast him for a couple of days? Her willpower wasn’t that strong, especially because she remembered how mind-blowing he was in the sack.
“No. Absolutely not.” She shook her head.
“Your sister made me promise I’d stay with you, get to the bottom of this, and escort you safely to your plane. I’m a man who keeps his word.”
She almost snorted at that, but he hadn’t actually made her any promises when they’d rung in the new year together buzzed and naked and orgasmic.
With a sigh, she slung her fist on her hip. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him what the hell he was up to, but she refused to get into this now. She simply wanted to go home.
“Can’t you get another room?”
“If this thief broke in once, what’s to say he couldn’t do it again?” Cage glanced back at the door. “I don’t see any sign of forced entry. And since they don’t have electronic key cards, I’m guessing he picked the lock with a little finesse. What’s to stop him from coming back for seconds?”
Nothing. Which was why Karis hadn’t slept a wink last night. “Fine. You can sleep here. Keep your hands and any other roving parts of your body to yourself.”
He shrugged and flipped her the kind of annoying half smile that made her want to scream and climb his body all at once. “We’ll see, cupcake.”
* * *
After dicking around at the US Embassy for most of the day and getting Karis’s paperwork in order, Cage helped her into a taxi and they headed back to the resort. The officials said they would do their best to process her passport in two business days. He was hopeful that would happen, but he wasn’t holding his breath.
Once they’d reached the upscale land of palm trees, umbrella drinks, and crystal water, Cage all but carried Karis up to her room. By the time they got through the door, she looked ready to fall over.
“Take a nap. I’ll order us some room service.”
She shook her head. “I’m going to find a lounger by the pool and some food. You can stay and nap if you want.”
A biting quip streaked through his brain, but he swallowed it back. Not for the first time, he wondered what was up her ass. Their New Year’s fling had been everything. Ground-shaking. Life-altering. Heart-bending. The next morning, he’d gotten tied up in an unforeseeable situation that had taken a long, sad week to extricate himself from. He’d called Karis the moment he could. She’d wanted absolutely nothing to do with him then—or now. Even repeated calls to his brother hadn’t shed any light.
“Wherever you go, I’m going, too.”
She looked exasperated but too exhausted to argue. “Suit yourself.”
He almost told her that he always did—then she started peeling off her T-shirt and shimmying out of her shorts to reveal the tiny bikini beneath. Yeah, he’d seen it through the short, lacy getup she’d been wearing earlier, but now there was absolutely nothing to disrupt his view of her lean, sun-kissed body. The top barely contained her lush breasts. He didn’t mind seeing her cleavage and healthy swells at all…but he didn’t want some other guy looking at them.
As she reached for a cover-up and a pair of flip-flops, he grabbed the room key and thrust it in his pocket. “Lead the way.”
When he opened the door, she sidled past him, looking over her shoulder. “You don’t have to babysit me.”
Cage let the door shut and checked the lock behind him. Flimsier than shit. Theft was likely a raging problem here if that was the best defense between the contents of a guest’s room and a stranger.
Shaking his head, he hustled to catch up to Karis, who was halfway down the hall, pretty ass swishing with every step. Fuck, he hadn’t forgotten brushing the underwear from those cheeks, kissing them during his oral travels across her body, clutching them as he plunged deeper into her with every thrust.
“You been wearing that bathing suit around the resort all week?” He glanced at the round flesh half peeking out from the formfitting fabric.
Her thighs looked sleek, as if she was the sort of girl whose cardio often included a good run. She had a bit of thigh gap, enough to look good in tiny outfits but not so much that he worried she was starving. Her filigree tattoo began mid-back and wound gracefully to the small of her spine with feminine swirls and curved lines, then disappeared into her bikini bottoms. It turned him the fuck on. Everything about her did, from the wispy ringlets curling at her nape in the humidity to her narrow feet.
“I’ve got a collection of similar ones. Why?” She pressed the button to call the elevator.
Because he was hard-pressed to believe that men at this resort hadn’t been tripping all over themselves to get close to her. Instead, it looked as if someone had chosen to take the goodies in her suitcase rather than the goodies in her panties. To him, that didn’t make sense.
As the elevator doors opened with a ding, she stepped inside and he followed. “I’m wondering if you might have flirted with or rebuffed someone around here who decided to get your attention in a totally different way.”
“I’ve talked to a lot of people.”
Cage didn’t want to imagine who.
When it came to one-night stands, Karis was hardly his first rodeo. He had no idea why he was so hung up…except that there was something about her. She’d felt better than good in his arms. She’d been funny and sensitive, sexy and interesting. Different. Vulnerable.
He’d never been that guy who lost his head over a woman. Hell, he’d barely had a romantic relationship that lasted more than a few weeks. One-nighters and friends with benefits were more his speed. But he’d hoped Karis took him more seriously, wanted more from him than sex.
Now, Cage was beginning to think he’d been a dumb ass and that she’d just wanted a good lay after all. It sucked. “Stop dancing around my questions and tell me the truth. Have you slept with anyone since you’ve been here?”
A terrible thought occurred to her. “Where do you think you’re sleeping?”
With a glance around, he took in the room—the unforgiving tile floors, the sofa that was way too short to accommodate his six-three frame, and the king-size bed. He nodded at the mattress. “Next to you. It’s not as if we haven’t slept together before.”
Karis stepped back. It was one thing to resist him for a couple of hours, but he looked good enough to nibble, eat, slurp, suck, and lick. How would she outlast him for a couple of days? Her willpower wasn’t that strong, especially because she remembered how mind-blowing he was in the sack.
“No. Absolutely not.” She shook her head.
“Your sister made me promise I’d stay with you, get to the bottom of this, and escort you safely to your plane. I’m a man who keeps his word.”
She almost snorted at that, but he hadn’t actually made her any promises when they’d rung in the new year together buzzed and naked and orgasmic.
With a sigh, she slung her fist on her hip. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him what the hell he was up to, but she refused to get into this now. She simply wanted to go home.
“Can’t you get another room?”
“If this thief broke in once, what’s to say he couldn’t do it again?” Cage glanced back at the door. “I don’t see any sign of forced entry. And since they don’t have electronic key cards, I’m guessing he picked the lock with a little finesse. What’s to stop him from coming back for seconds?”
Nothing. Which was why Karis hadn’t slept a wink last night. “Fine. You can sleep here. Keep your hands and any other roving parts of your body to yourself.”
He shrugged and flipped her the kind of annoying half smile that made her want to scream and climb his body all at once. “We’ll see, cupcake.”
* * *
After dicking around at the US Embassy for most of the day and getting Karis’s paperwork in order, Cage helped her into a taxi and they headed back to the resort. The officials said they would do their best to process her passport in two business days. He was hopeful that would happen, but he wasn’t holding his breath.
Once they’d reached the upscale land of palm trees, umbrella drinks, and crystal water, Cage all but carried Karis up to her room. By the time they got through the door, she looked ready to fall over.
“Take a nap. I’ll order us some room service.”
She shook her head. “I’m going to find a lounger by the pool and some food. You can stay and nap if you want.”
A biting quip streaked through his brain, but he swallowed it back. Not for the first time, he wondered what was up her ass. Their New Year’s fling had been everything. Ground-shaking. Life-altering. Heart-bending. The next morning, he’d gotten tied up in an unforeseeable situation that had taken a long, sad week to extricate himself from. He’d called Karis the moment he could. She’d wanted absolutely nothing to do with him then—or now. Even repeated calls to his brother hadn’t shed any light.
“Wherever you go, I’m going, too.”
She looked exasperated but too exhausted to argue. “Suit yourself.”
He almost told her that he always did—then she started peeling off her T-shirt and shimmying out of her shorts to reveal the tiny bikini beneath. Yeah, he’d seen it through the short, lacy getup she’d been wearing earlier, but now there was absolutely nothing to disrupt his view of her lean, sun-kissed body. The top barely contained her lush breasts. He didn’t mind seeing her cleavage and healthy swells at all…but he didn’t want some other guy looking at them.
As she reached for a cover-up and a pair of flip-flops, he grabbed the room key and thrust it in his pocket. “Lead the way.”
When he opened the door, she sidled past him, looking over her shoulder. “You don’t have to babysit me.”
Cage let the door shut and checked the lock behind him. Flimsier than shit. Theft was likely a raging problem here if that was the best defense between the contents of a guest’s room and a stranger.
Shaking his head, he hustled to catch up to Karis, who was halfway down the hall, pretty ass swishing with every step. Fuck, he hadn’t forgotten brushing the underwear from those cheeks, kissing them during his oral travels across her body, clutching them as he plunged deeper into her with every thrust.
“You been wearing that bathing suit around the resort all week?” He glanced at the round flesh half peeking out from the formfitting fabric.
Her thighs looked sleek, as if she was the sort of girl whose cardio often included a good run. She had a bit of thigh gap, enough to look good in tiny outfits but not so much that he worried she was starving. Her filigree tattoo began mid-back and wound gracefully to the small of her spine with feminine swirls and curved lines, then disappeared into her bikini bottoms. It turned him the fuck on. Everything about her did, from the wispy ringlets curling at her nape in the humidity to her narrow feet.
“I’ve got a collection of similar ones. Why?” She pressed the button to call the elevator.
Because he was hard-pressed to believe that men at this resort hadn’t been tripping all over themselves to get close to her. Instead, it looked as if someone had chosen to take the goodies in her suitcase rather than the goodies in her panties. To him, that didn’t make sense.
As the elevator doors opened with a ding, she stepped inside and he followed. “I’m wondering if you might have flirted with or rebuffed someone around here who decided to get your attention in a totally different way.”
“I’ve talked to a lot of people.”
Cage didn’t want to imagine who.
When it came to one-night stands, Karis was hardly his first rodeo. He had no idea why he was so hung up…except that there was something about her. She’d felt better than good in his arms. She’d been funny and sensitive, sexy and interesting. Different. Vulnerable.
He’d never been that guy who lost his head over a woman. Hell, he’d barely had a romantic relationship that lasted more than a few weeks. One-nighters and friends with benefits were more his speed. But he’d hoped Karis took him more seriously, wanted more from him than sex.
Now, Cage was beginning to think he’d been a dumb ass and that she’d just wanted a good lay after all. It sucked. “Stop dancing around my questions and tell me the truth. Have you slept with anyone since you’ve been here?”
