Arresting Developments by Lena Diaz Page A

moved his mouth to the side of her neck. She leaned her head sideways, shivering in delight at the feel of his lips, his tongue, against the sensitive skin of her collarbone.
    Unable to bear the growing pressure inside her, she rubbed her body against his and angled one arm down his back to his hip. He jerked against her, the cloth of his underwear the only barrier keeping him from penetrating her. He shuddered again and moved back to her mouth. But, instead of kissing her, he stared down into her eyes.
    “Are you sure about this?” he whispered.
    In answer she stroked her hand down his flank.
    He growled low in his throat and captured her lips in a searing kiss as he turned and stumbled toward the bed. Holding her with his hand beneath her bottom, he used his other hand to rake the covers back, then gently laid her down on the soft mattress. But, instead of following her down, he pressed a quick, hard kiss against her lips and let her go.
    “Dex—”
    “I’ll be right back.”
    She turned her head on the pillow and watched him cross the room to the dresser. His suitcase was sitting open on top. He fumbled inside and when he turned around she realized what he was holding. A condom. Or, more accurately, a box of them. He tore the top off, grabbed one and let the box drop to the floor as he hurried back to the bed and sat down on the side of the mattress.
    “You always travel with a box of condoms?” she asked.
    “My assistant packed them when he sent everything to me.” He hesitated, the packet in his hand. “If you want to stop, I’ll understand. I’m not exactly a celibate guy or a wait-until-marriage kind of man. Some might even call me a womanizer. Obviously my assistant thinks so, since he made sure I was prepared for any...ah...emergency.” He gave her a lopsided grin.
    He waited, looking like he fully expected her to tell him to forget it. But just the fact that he was being honest was an added turn-on for her. Honesty was so rare, and to her knowledge Dex had never lied to her, about anything. And even though “womanizer” wasn’t in the least bit flattering, he’d readily admitted that the label might fit. But did it really?
    She ran a finger down his thigh, delighting in how his muscles tightened beneath her touch. “Are you one of those one-night-stand kinds of guys?”
    He slowly shook his head, watching her finger as it moved toward his inner thigh. “No.” His voice was raw, tight. “If this...what we’re doing...is a one-night stand, then I’d have to admit it’s a first for me. But I’m not one for being alone, either. I like being in a relationship.” He gave her a wry smile. “I’m just not very good at them.”
    She stopped with her hand poised just inches from his erection, tenting his boxers. “Are you in one now, a relationship?”
    He frowned. “Of course not. I would never cheat on anyone.”
    She hooked her finger inside the elastic band. “Then what are we waiting for?”
    His smile in the dark made him look like a charming rogue. “I have no idea.” In no time he’d shucked his underwear and rolled on the condom. Then he was pressing her back against the mattress, the light matting of hair on his chest tickling her sensitive skin.
    Any doubts or worries that she’d had disappeared beneath the flood of sensations he was awakening inside her. Like a master, he stroked her body like a fine instrument, stimulating every nerve ending, making her restless and yearning beneath him, never knowing where the next stroke would occur. Although he seemed to touch her everywhere, his movements were unhurried as he fully devoted himself to wringing out every last bit of pleasure that he could in one spot before moving to the next.
    It was as if he wanted to leave no part of her untouched, unclaimed, before he finally moved up her body and captured her lips again. For the first time ever, she let go, allowing herself to submerge completely, awash in the flood of emotions and