For Keeps Read online

  “I mean, these are drawn but not shaded with color yet. I’m getting that done this weekend.”

  “Nice.”

  He chuckled softly in disbelief. “You don’t have any tattoos?”

  She shook her head, deflating a little. “I could never decide what I wanted enough to stick it on my body permanently.”

  “You should think about it. You have great skin for it and a gorgeous figure. You should definitely show it off with a little ink.”

  For what had to be the eightieth time today, Valerie felt herself blushing. He must have some ulterior motive because men with half his looks had balked at the idea of dating her. She was by no means beautiful, and she saw it everywhere in fashion trends like skinny jeans, runway models getting taller and thinner, a new diet on the bestseller list every week. What on earth could Prince Alarming really find attractive about her?

  She’d give him his date on the yacht tomorrow, but then she was done with this. There would be no more playing around with a boss who was obviously just looking for a temporary distraction.

  * * *

  “You planning on showing up on time tomorrow?”

  The door barely shut, Tyler leaned his head back against it, grinding his teeth at his father’s disappointed voice as he called in a dry tone from his seat, no doubt, in front of the television.

  “I was only five minutes late today, Dad. Maybe you didn’t know this, but I had to fill out paperwork with human resources in order to start getting a paycheck.”

  His father’s sarcastic laugh rankled him, and he clenched his fists as the man, who still for some reason considered himself a southern gentleman and not the shark he was in the courtroom, appeared at the other end of the long foyer hallway. “You shouldn’t even be getting paid. I should treat you like a damn intern and pay you pennies on the dollar. You have all the money you need. You should learn some work ethic.”

  This coming from a man who charged companies going through bankruptcy more than their business had ever been worth. Who had taken poor men to the cleaners to build his initial fortune when he’d been a criminal attorney.

  “I’m not lazy, Dad.”

  “No, you just waste all your damn time with useless shit like racing and playing kid games.”

  Hockey had never been just a game to Tyler, but his father couldn’t understand that. He was too wrapped up in his own world and his love of money to care what his son wanted in life.

  His anger boiling over, he spat back, “Maybe I feel like what you do is all a game. Arguing with grown men in a courtroom where another old man bangs a gavel to calm you down before you start wrestling on the floor and punching each other’s lights out.”

  “Listen, you selfish little bastard, all I want for you is success. So don’t embarrass me, or I will cut you off. Right now.”

  Tyler pushed past his father. “I don’t have the energy for this. I have to be at work in the morning. I’m going to bed.” He stomped to his bedroom and slammed the door, knowing it was childish and not caring. His father charged between $600 and $1000 an hour for his services. In 45 minutes tonight, Tyler had made $3000. But because it wasn’t a ‘respectable’ profession like being a bloodsucking lawyer, racing bikes didn’t count as a source of income, even if you were good at it.

  Just like signing a multimillion-dollar contract to play professional hockey had been out of line.

  “Guess what, Dad,” he muttered to himself as he stripped down to his skivvies. “I’m pretty sure you won’t approve of my date tomorrow, either.” But screw it, he liked Valerie. And more than that, he desperately wanted to feel her in his arms, to run his fingers over those stunning curves, to taste her sweet nectar. He’d abide by the requirements of his agreement with his father so he could get his trust fund, but then he’d quit the damn firm and live his life the way he wanted, out from under his father’s thumb.

  Lying on his bed his thoughts turned to Valerie. Imagining her naked, riding him while he massaged her breasts and watched the hunger growing in her eyes. He envisioned her voluptuous body pushing down on him, accepting every inch of his cock and before too long the rage he felt towards his father was gone, replaced by the strongest desire for a woman that he’d ever felt. And it surprised and scared him.

  * * *

  Valerie had spent the entire day at her desk, and she was utterly grateful that none of her charges had asked her for anything. She didn’t think she would have been able to concentrate on any assigned task. All she could do was watch time tick by on the clock and wait impatiently. The tension rode high, and while she was a bit frightened that this was all just a joke, a horrible prank, just like in high school, the idea of going on a date with Tyler truly excited her, in more ways than one.

  As her thoughts wandered to what they might do alone on a yacht in the middle of the water, she had to go to the restroom several times to clean herself up, the moisture constant and threatening to seep through her clothes. She’d never been so attracted to someone that just the thought of that person made her wet, but something about Tyler was different. So very different. She couldn’t stop thinking about him, about what he would look like in nothing more than a fitted pair of shorts, the sun kissing his bronzed skin, the sparkling water reflecting in those beautiful blue eyes.

  And those thoughts would get her in trouble, if she couldn’t get them under control. Eventually, she’d need to focus and if she couldn’t control these thoughts, she’d never be able to get her job done.

  “You almost ready?” Tyler murmured from behind her, and she felt her breathe hitch in her throat. Somehow, an hour had passed without her even noticing, and she was off in 15 minutes.

  Her heart thudded in her chest. “Yes, just let me power down.”

  Tyler eyed her and could sense her anxiety. He moved up behind her, and she could feel his masculine presence shadowing closer. Her body went rigid, her knees weak with desire, and she found herself closing her eyes as she said a silent prayer asking that he disappear before he saw the effect that he had on her.

  When he first touched her, she stiffened, but as his fingers gripped her shoulders, lightly at first and then firmer and more aggressive in his kneading, he felt the knot of stress leave her, the muscles relaxing beneath his thumbs and fingers.

  “Relax.”

  She nodded.

  “You’re okay riding on the back of a motorcycle, aren’t you?”

  Blinking up at him as he moved around in front of her, Valerie nodded again. “Yes. I mean, I haven’t been on one all that much, but I like them.”

  He leaned down, palms flat on her desk, and stood there almost nose-to-nose. “Well, after you ride with me, you’re going to love them.” He smiled at her watching her pupils dilate. “I’m going to leave my stuff here so I can have you right up behind me.”

  What was wrong with her? Valerie didn’t know what turned her on most – the fact that he was literally growling his desire, or the thought of pressing her entire body up against him from behind while he sped down the road and around corners toward the marina.

  “I’ll be ready in a few minutes.” Her voice was husky, and she barely recognized it.

  She locked the computer and all of the drawers, and by the time he came back out of his office, carrying a set of keys and two helmets, she was as ready as she could get. She shouldered her bag and forced a smile past the fear creeping into her throat. “Let’s get out of here.”

  He took her hand, leading her to the elevator and out to the parking garage.

  * * *

  A part of Tyler wished he hadn’t asked Valerie to change into her bathing suit till after they were out of the marina. He could barely concentrate on driving the damn boat because she was such a distraction, the black boy shorts and bikini top contrasting against her creamy skin and tendrils of her strawberry hair teasing at her cleavage, drawing his attention over and over to those ample breasts of hers.

  As soon as he left the no-wake zone, he floored it, needin
g to get away from everyone else so he could get her inside the boat.

  His deftness proved sexy, and Valerie found herself watching Tyler intently, not because she was so interested in what he was doing with the boat but because his every move was graceful and powerful. For once in her life, she hoped his intentions weren’t noble as they drew further and further from the coastline and any other boats out on the water.

  Tyler found a quiet cove, nestled around a corner from one of the main traffic areas, and dropped anchor. Turning to Valerie with a salacious smile, he asked, “So, what do you think of my yacht?”

  She shot him a coy smile. “It’s big. And it’s beautiful.” She pretended to pout, pushing out her bottom lip. “But I think it might move too fast.”

  Moving like a predator stalking its prey, he strode toward her, his gaze intense and maintaining eye contact. “Do you really feel like I go too fast?” He loomed over her where she sat, his hand brushing her shoulder, his mouth just a deep breath away from her lips. She was already panting in anticipation. This was the moment of truth. Would he reject her? Or did he, just maybe, find her as attractive as he let on?

  Closing the distance herself, Valerie launched herself into a hot, demanding kiss, capturing his lips and refusing to let go until she couldn’t breathe. Looking up at him through her eyelashes, she asked, “Does it look like I have a problem with moving fast?”

  His hard cock straining against his shorts, Tyler almost choked on the words that came out in a low growl.

  “I certainly hope not. Because I want you so bad I don’t think I can stop myself.” He took her lips again, his hands cupping those inviting breasts that thrust against the thin material of the bikini top, and she stood, pressing herself against him. That soft, lush body pressing against his erection made him groan, and he fisted a hand in her hair, pulling her head back so he could taste deeper, dive into her mouth further with his tongue.

  Valerie sighed into his mouth, then inhaled sharply as he lifted her, his hands cupping her ass, and she wrapped her legs around his waist while he started moving toward the cabin door, carrying her effortlessly. That alone heightened her attraction to him, and the last little shred of resistance fled from her.

  She felt him kick open the cabin door, and he took three steps before lowering her onto a lush suede couch. She turned and lay back with her head on the arm, drawing him down on top of her. She arched her back as he pushed her bikini top out of the way and closed his mouth over her left nipple, circling his tongue around it and suckling her.

  Tyler groaned at the sweet taste of her skin and wanted so much more. Almost frantic to feel her, he stroked her center over the boy short bottoms, reveling in the way she moved as if riding his hand, until he couldn’t take it anymore. He reached inside of the shorts, the tiny little hairs tickling his hand as he touched the warm, wet heat of her opening, of the cleft above. He rubbed circles around it and watched her gasp and choke as she came on his fingers.

  Valerie felt all logical thoughts shatter as her body convulsed, shockwaves flowing through it like electrical signals. She’d never come so hard before. She felt like she died and was reborn, all in the space of the minute those waves rolled through her.

  Unsatisfied in her own pleasure and wanting Tyler to feel the same, she reached down and found the long, hard shaft that jabbed her in the hip. She gripped it in her hand through his trunks, running her palm and fingers up and down it through the material while he shivered and growled against her. He thrust his cock into her closed hand, and she began to imagine how he would feel deep inside her, pushing every inch of his thickness inside of her aching sweet spot.

  Reluctantly letting go, Valerie reached for his waistband and jerked at the swim trunks, and he accommodated, moving so they came down his legs. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of his cock, large and hard, standing against his stomach. She caressed it tenderly, wanting to worship it, intrigued by the perfection of it.

  But no matter how good it felt, Tyler didn’t have the patience for it. He pulled Valerie’s shorts down her legs, leaving her entirely exposed beneath him, and he kissed down her breasts, her stomach, to the moist opening between her legs that made her cry out. Then he wrapped her legs around his waist and drove his cock deep inside her.

  Valerie threw her head back, calling out his name, and he sighed at the satisfying tightness of her inner walls throbbing and squeezing around him.

  He started with long, slow strokes that made her shiver and come over and over. But it was maddening to hold back, and Tyler couldn’t maintain his calm ministrations. He sped up, creating friction even with the natural lubrication, until he was frantic. She clawed at his back as he drove harder and deeper, and that only served to excite him further.

  Valerie lost all control, able to do nothing but take what Tyler gave, her entire body quaking. She could feel Tyler’s loss of control as well, his rhythm failing, his thrusts so hard it bordered on that pleasure-pain threshold. And then she felt his shiver, the jumping of his cock, the cum shooting warmly inside of her as he experienced his own release nearly breaking her in two with the force and the incredible pleasure of it.

  He collapsed on top of her, both of them gasping for air, and she ran her fingertips up and down his sweat-drenched back, a small smile of satisfaction curling her lips. She enjoyed the feel of him still inside her as they lay there in the afterglow.

  Tyler brushed her hair back out of her face as he pushed up, smiling from ear to ear.

  “Damn, I need a cigarette.” She giggled beneath him, effectively pushing him out of her, and he shoved to his feet, padding around the cabin nude, finding his pack on the counter.

  Valerie had a glorious view of every inch of him, all his tattoos, and she admired them unabashed. She spent a little extra time getting a good look at the muscular curve of his ass, the tendons working in his legs, the sinewy stretches of his back, shoulders, and arms. He was an incredible creature, and Valerie couldn’t believe someone that well formed wanted anything to do with her. As she watched him light a cigarette and blow smoke out with a satisfied breath, she smiled to herself and decided that, maybe, she’d consider that later. For now, this was far too enjoyable to ruin it with paranoia and common sense.

  * * *

  Tyler was reluctant to take Valerie back to her car at the office. In fact, they’d gone two more rounds before the sun started to go down and they had to head back to the marina to escape the chill in the night air, and he was reluctant to depart from her at all. So, as she dressed and combed her hair, he approached her from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck until she giggled. “Let me drive you home.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “What about my car?”

  He grinned. “My father owns the property it’s parked on. It’ll be fine. And I can take you to work in the morning. Then you can drive it home tomorrow evening.”

  In theory, it sounded great. Especially if she could convince Tyler to stay the night with her. But she also knew their work schedules weren’t exactly the same.

  “You do realize you’d have to get to the office an hour earlier than usual if you took me to work.”

  He shrugged as he moved away from her. “My father would be so proud,” he told her in a dry, sarcastic voice. “I don’t mind. Hell, maybe we could spend that first hour together, and you could help me study for the bar exam.”

  That one threw her for a loop. “Tyler, I’m not in law school. I’m a paralegal, and I really don’t know anything about being a lawyer.”

  But he shook his head. “You’re obviously a much better student than I ever was. I’m smart, I just never know how to study, and I get bored. I think working with you would be enjoyable and enlightening.” He gave her a wicked grin. “And if you want, we can stop by my place, and I’ll get some clothes for work tomorrow, and we can spend the night together.”

  A shiver ran down Valerie’s spine at the idea, and she gave a shy smile back. “I think I might like
that. But be warned, my apartment is small and sparse. It’s nowhere near the luxury I’m sure you’re used to.” She swept her hand around the cabin in illustration.

  Tyler frowned and pulled her to him in an embrace that felt warm and inviting to him, something he wasn’t used to experiencing. “I’d rather be naked and happy with you in a roach motel than bored and alone in the Ritz.”

  Her cheeks warming, Valerie thought he wasn’t that far off, and while that sounded beautiful and romantic, she doubted seriously that it was true. Still, she nodded. “Let’s get going then.”

  * * *

  Everything about Valerie was sensual, and her sexual appetite was as insatiable as Tyler’s. They explored each other’s bodies for hours, finally falling asleep sometime around 2:30. While Tyler was used to keeping such hours, Valerie was exhausted when the alarm went off, and the one thing she was grateful for was that Tyler had traded the motorcycle for his Mercedes last night, meaning she didn’t have to worry about wearing a helmet or holding tightly. She was weak and sore from seriously hot bouts of sex, and she didn’t trust her muscles right now.

  As he walked into the office, Tyler whistled, feeling invigorated and ready to face the reality that he had to make a move on his bar exam. His time was short, and he liked his lifestyle, so he wasn’t prepared to lose the trust fund.

  But before he could settle into his office and pull out study materials, his father’s secretary knocked on his door. “Excuse me, Mr. Princeton, your father would like to see you in his office.”

  Clenching his jaw, Tyler nodded and headed for the elevator. Gordontairs, he didn’t knock before striding impatiently into his father’s office. “What is it, Dad?”