Baby in His Arms Read online

  Noah grinned and walked past before he seemed like a creep. Maybe it was her dose of self-respect, or the glint of her red hair in the dying sunlight, but he looked again. And then took two steps back to take a third glance.

  She raised her sunglasses and blinked as if she hadn’t seen the light in a long time. Her brow furrowed.

  “What time is it?”

  Noah resisted pulling out his cellphone to look. “About nine. Sun’s just going down.”

  She rolled her shoulders, the firm muscles on the sides of her abdomen flexing as she sat up. “Dang. I’ve been sleeping a while.”

  “Sleeping?” Noah smiled. “How could you sleep through all the racket?”

  As if on cue, the DJ amped up full-bore. Music blasted through the air, the vibration palpable even from the distance. She stretched and shook her head.

  “Sleeping is my favorite hobby.”

  One side of her mouth pulled up. Was she flirting with him?

  “What’s your second favorite hobby?”

  She let out a breath and pulled her cell phone from her front pocket, gave it a glance.

  “Oh boy, is this where I’m supposed to say something sexual and kinky, so we can have a flirty little back-and-forth until I end up in your bed and act out all your porn star fantasies?”

  The back of his neck prickled. Her voice was light, but her full lips were curved in a humorless smile. He’d been curious about her, that’s all. She’d caught his eye more than any other woman had in the time that he’d been here. He was letting his curiosity get in the way of common sense.

  “Have a great evening.” Noah shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away.

  “Hey.”

  He made a half turn to look behind him but kept walking. She put her hands up, palms out.

  “I’m sorry. The guys around here aren’t shy about hitting you up for anything and everything sexual. I’m quick on the gun because it’s the only way to drive them off.”

  She rose from the chair, ducking under the overhead umbrella, her body unfolding in one graceful movement. Toned arms, thighs, calves and a firm middle. Breasts hugged perfectly by her top. She wasn’t just youthful, she had the figure of a hard-core athlete. This wasn’t a woman who shied away from the physical pain and persistence required to achieve a form like that.

  “Well.” He stopped walking and fully faced her. His voice as light and teasing. “I was anticipating your second favorite hobby would be hiking, kayaking, saving the Earth... something like that.”

  He hitched one brow and gestured to the canvas knapsack stashed by her chair. It sported a large NPR National Public Radio logo. It stuck out as the biggest oddity he’d seen this week. There wasn’t a chance in hell anyone was listening to NPR during spring break.

  She crossed her arms as a grin worked its way over her lips. “I love all of those things. In fact, I like to drive around and visit all the national parks... in my Subaru.”

  “You’re addicted to Biden-Obama memes, too, aren’t you?”

  “Christ, yes. And I’m a gluten-free, sugar-free, carbohydrate-free vegan.”

  The breeze carried the scent of her coconut suntan lotion. At some point, he’d walked toward her though he didn’t recollect it. Because there she was, long, lithe, the ends of her braid ruffled from the ocean air. Christ, she was probably only a few years older than his son. She eluded easy confidence, a trait most people developed over several years of being comfortable in their own skin. He wasn’t sure he was quite there himself.

  He should take her to dinner.

  He should take her back to hotel and fuck her senseless.

  Fuck, no. He should walk. Now. Right now.

  “Now that we’ve covered all the clichés,” he heard himself say, “let’s get a drink and something preferably non-vegan for dinner.”

  Fuck. Fuck. Double and triple fuck.

  She shrugged one shoulder. “Hmmmm, maybe?”

  His brain wouldn’t stop. His body wouldn’t stop. His mouth... wouldn’t stop.

  “No porn star activity required.”

  She made an exaggerated relieved face. “Well in that case, I’m game. Do you want to meet somewhere? I have to stash my stuff back at my hotel.”

  If he let her walk out of here, he may not go through with taking her out. If they parted now, and they really should, he would overthink it and talk himself out it. He wasn’t a stranger to spontaneous sex with beautiful women. Nor was he unfamiliar with the flip side of the incredible satisfaction of having one dedicated person to share the intimate details of his life. He wanted more of the second. But beneath the dying Cabo sun, the warm sand between his toes, a striking woman beside him, he craved a helping of the first.

  For one night, he could forget there was a scandal unfolding in the digital world around him. That when he got home tomorrow, social media would eventually crack the code on the real name of Dr. Narcissist and everything he thought he knew about himself would be challenged by a jury of people hiding behind keyboards and laptop screens.

  He’d take this Goddess to dinner. He’d buy her whatever she wanted, and he’d watch her enjoy it just to get his ego off. And if they parted ways with nothing more than the memory of a drop of wine on her lips, so be it. He was tired of holding back his true nature.

  He was a fucking man, and it was time to feel like one again.

  “Let me help you.”

  Noah reached for her chair, realizing he had no idea how to fold it. She searched around for a button. “Yeah, I haven’t had to fold this up yet. Um...”

  He found a button, pressed it and the entire contraption collapsed into a neatly folded square, nearly pinching both their hands in the process. She yelped and jumped back, then looked at him, wide-eyed. They both laughed and some of the tension melted from Noah’s shoulders.

  He hefted the chair under one arm while she shook out her beach towel and grabbed that beat-up NPR bag.

  “Okay, so I’m at the super cheap Day-Z Inn and I’m not quite sure how to get there from here. I... sort of wandered away from the crowd and this is where I ended up.”

  Noah had no idea where that was.

  “Needed some peace and quiet to contemplate life?”

  “Actually, to plot my next murder.”

  Noah side-eyed her and handed out the chair. “Here you go. Good luck getting back to your motel.”

  She slapped the chair away with a laugh. “I’m joking. Sort of.”

  “Sort of?”

  “I’m a writer. Aspiring. In my spare time. Murder mysteries are my jam.”

  She’d opened the door for a hundred questions. But he was leaving tomorrow, back to the chaos his life had become. Did he really need to know that much about her? They’d part here tonight and never set eyes on each other again. He needed a clean break. Whatever this lead to, he needed to walk away and never look back.

  He couldn’t afford to invest anything more than the right here, right now.

  “Impressive. How many have you written?”

  They walked up a small incline. Sand turned to grass,, and they both slipped on their sandals. People milled around the boardwalk. Vendor canopies were lit with string lights, while lamp flicked on soft, yellow bulbs. The scents of the ocean combined with street food, and the sweet waft of cotton candy.

  “Exactly half of one full book.” She held up a finger. “But, I’m totally refreshed from this vacation and intend to finish exactly the second half as soon as I get home.”

  They passed a large cart with flashing, multi-colored lights woven across the canopy. The cook flopped a large tortilla onto a cast iron round, where it sizzled as he scooped fat shrimp and strips of chicken onto it. Next came a heap of rice and a green salsa with corn and black beans. With a flick of his wrist, he brought it to a plate covered in a square of foil. Adding sliced avocado and full cilantro leaves, he wrapped the tortilla and rolled it in the foil.

  “Okay, now I’m hungry.” Author-girl put a hand over her b
elly. “Those are definitely not vegan.”

  Noah reached into his pocket and produced a bill, motioned for two wraps and handed her one. She dug in before he could get the change back in his pocket.

  He gave her a salute. “Here’s to writing a bestseller.”

  “Cheers!”

  They didn’t speak as they continued walking, unless their sounds of food-appreciation counted. She finished hers first, impressive considering how big it was, and he wasn’t far behind.

  “I’m not a girl who shies away from food.” She grinned.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but it seems you burn a lot of calories.”

  “Collegiate volleyball. I’m on scholarship.”

  Another opening into her life that he wasn’t going to walk through. He didn’t think she was giving him an in on purpose, but rather being honest about her life. Considering she hadn’t asked him a single personal question, he wasn’t going to go there either.

  “Sounds like you’ve got a pretty amazing future ahead of you.”

  They paused beneath the lights of a vendor cart selling flowers. Beside them, two jugglers walked by, tossing balls round and round. Noah pressed a little closer to her to get out of their way. She sucked in a breath and looked up at him. He noticed for the first time, the brown of her eyes. How heavily lashed they were. Her cheeks reddened, her lower lip glistening.

  Noah’s pulse beat hard in the side of his neck. They’d only been together an hour, but it seemed five times that. He didn’t want it to end. Where was the devil on his shoulder to talk him out of taking another small step so his chest pressed against her arm, and her hand laid across his ribs, her fingers splayed across his skin?

  Heat raced over his body.

  Fuck, she was beautiful, and his lust was wide-awake now.

  Her breath hitched, held, then exhaled hard as if she were trying to control it.

  “We, um, we could have a pretty amazing night ahead of us, too.” Her voice was soft, almost a whisper but his dick heard her loud and clear. “I mean, we’re just two, half-naked people enjoying the sun in an exotic location during spring break. It’s the natural progression of things, right?”

  God, she was so young. So tight. So fucking perfect. If he was a younger man, a man looking for more than what she was offering, he could imagine a woman like her under him every night, her toned belly swelling with his children, that smile warming him through the years.

  Fuck, where had that thought come from?

  Noah held still, his grip tightening on the chair as she turned into him, her breasts pressing into his chest. The firm mounds pushed up, the tops round and lush. His lips tingle with the need to taste that delicious skin.

  “Besides, you’re the first man to turn me on since I got here. I’ve always loved an older guy. And you’re—I mean, God, you’re in amazing shape. You’re fucking hot—”

  The chair clanked onto the ground as Noah released it, his hands cupping the sides of her head, pulling her up. Their lips met with equal desperation, the heat of her mouth welcoming his tongue as he demanded entry and she willingly complied.

  Her arms wrapped around him, the tips of her nails digging into his skin as she pulled him in closer. Noah’s faltered a bit as she wrapped one leg around his. Desperate to hang onto the kiss, he pressed their lips together harder as he swayed to get his balance. Momentum took them, spinning them. Noah’s back slammed against the vendor cart. She flopped against his chest, somehow, their lips still connected. The cart wobbled, the canopy buckling and crashing down beside them.

  “Hey!” The vendor rushed out and whacked Noah with a handkerchief.

  “Sorry! My apologies.”

  Noah put his hands on her upper arms and walked her back a couple steps. She was laughing, her cheeks red, her lips swollen from his kiss.

  Suddenly, her eyes went wide. “Look. There it is.”

  The Day-Z Inn was behind them, just across the street. She dug around in her pocket and produced a keycard. They retrieved their things from the ground, her arm looping through his as they headed that way.

  The music on the air and heat of the night was a heady combination. Her taste was full on his palate, his body aching for more. So much more.

  Giving her a sideways glance, Noah had a beat of possessive greed.

  Mine.

  The idea of possessing her, keeping her, having her, pulsed through him in an unfamiliar wave. He’d never experienced anything close to what was coursing inside him now. It was more than pure lust, though the little devil could show up anytime now and talk him out of that. It was the craving for complete, pure connection. That moment where you realize you belong to the other. Where you become one person.

  Her pheromones must be on overdrive, because something about her was making him crazy.

  They skipped up the curb and hurried across the walk to the hotel entrance. Inside, the lobby was cool and sparsely decorated. She wasn’t kidding when she’d said this place was cheap. The room was in black and white geometrics, with a glass topped counter and brass fixtures. It looked like the 80’s had thrown up in here and no one had bothered to care.

  He should have taken her back to his executive condo, something too late to consider as she pulled him down a hallway, paused to slip her key into a lock, and flung the door open. Everything fell from their hands onto the floor as he kicked the door shut and filled his empty palms with her body.

  She pressed against the wall as he slammed against her, their mouths fusing, their bodies touching at every free space. The demanding need crept up then flooded him as his fingers ran over her skin and his lips followed the graceful line of her neck. Pulling the string to her bikini, it hung free a mere second before fluttering to the floor. Shadowy moonlight filtered in through the windows, just enough that he could see the beautiful lines of her body. Cupping her full tits, Noah bent to take a nipple in his mouth and suckled until it peaked hard and delicious on his tongue.

  “Fuck, I’m wet.” She moaned, pulling his hair.

  A sound worked up from deep in Noah’s throat, bringing with it the primal need to claim.

  He wasn’t going to be a gentleman. There was no way to talk himself out of this intense hunger.

  Pulling her arms over her head, he smoothed his hands over her breasts and pressed his erection against her hip.

  “Do you want to continue?”

  He had to ask. He had to know. If there was one chance of cooling this lust, it would be her telling him to stop.

  “Fuck, yes.”

  His fingers made quick work of the button of her cut-offs, pulled them down and her bikini bottom with it. Streaking his fingers down her taught belly, Noah gentled his touch, barely making contact over the soft thatch of hair between her legs.

  “Your pussy is mine tonight. All mine. And I’m going to fuck what’s mine until you can’t take anymore. Understand?”

  Her breath came hard, fast. Noah gently spread her pussy lips, groaned when his touch was met with a flood.

  “Yes.”

  “Good.”

  Hitching her up, he spun, walked to the bed and threw her down. She’d barely settled onto the mattress when he spread her legs wide and parted her pussy lips with his tongue. She cried out and fisted his hair, her legs falling apart in willing submission. Noah worked her until her body trembled and tensed and she came on his lips.

  Supporting himself on his arms, he rose up and leaned in to kiss her belly, then her breasts.

  “Your next orgasm will be on my dick.”

  “Now, please!”

  She was shaking as she reached into the drawer of the nightstand and pulled out a wad of condoms. She fumbled to rip one off, finally gave up and tossed the entire package at him.

  “You do it.”

  With a grin, Noah settled on his knees beside her. She sat and wrapped a hand around his cock.

  “Very nice,” she purred before taking him into her mouth.

  Noah crushed the condom pac
ket in his hand as pleasure assaulted his brain. Fuck, her mouth. Jesus, what was she doing to him? Her fingers stroked his balls, then lower, finding the smooth strip of skin just behind his sack and lightly rubbing there.

  His cock swelled, the pressure building until he thought he was going to lose it. Pulling himself away, Noah rolled on the condom and pulled her hips up to him. A sliver of moonlight sliced across the bed, bathing her in a soft, angelic glow. Her features were muted, but their beauty was still clear.

  This night was going to end, but not before he took every second of it with her first. Cupping her face in his hands, he drove his cock into her, wishing he could study her face and commit it to memory. But the moonlight died away, and he lost himself in the pleasure of her body.

  He woke to the quiet pastel of morning peeking through the windows. Rolling onto his side, he lightly ran fingers over the sleeping woman’s back. Her hair had come free of its braid in the night, lying in a cloud over her shoulder and face.

  Quietly rising from the bed, Noah smiled at the disheveled mess of sheets as he slipped into his shorts and sandals. He turned and studied that perfect, naked form. An ache spread across his chest from deep inside. The pulse of possessiveness and wanting was still there.

  The taste and feel of her had only made it worse.

  Maybe... maybe he should wake her. Get her name. Her number.

  Once they were back in the States, maybe there’d be a chance to reconnect.

  The buzz of his cellphone from his pocket pulled his attention. It was a text from his legal team. His heart jumped, tension returning to his shoulders and neck—reminders of the real problems he had waiting at home.