Moon Over Atlanta Read online

  Ryan eased her backward until her spine was up against the cool surface and waggled his brows at her. “Depends on your definition, I suppose, but I think you’ll enjoy it either way.” The humor faded as he leaned in until their breath mingled. “I promise if you don’t like what we’re doing”—he kissed the bow of her upper lip and the air around them seemed to spark with energy of its own— “all you have to do is say stop.” He nipped the plump center of her bottom one.

  Remember to breathe, Sara. The lights of downtown Atlanta shone through the window, igniting the ice-blue of Ryan’s eyes to a point Sara swore they glowed. Part of her was compelled to submit under the intensity, while another rejoiced in the feminine power holding him at bay, awaiting her answer.

  “Trust me.”

  It wasn’t a question this time, and Sara responded on instinct, tingling with anticipation. “Yes.”

  A whoosh of air burst past his lips, and the wicked boy was back. “Thank gods.”

  Gods?

  Ryan kissed her, and she lost her train of thought. He tasted like sin and smelled like heaven, so she whimpered when he took his delicious mouth away. Ryan stepped back and looked his fill while he pulled the neck of her dress down to her elbows, trapping her arms at her sides in the process.

  The rush of her blood charging through her veins was exhilarating. With no back in it, the dress had been designed so no bra was needed, and the hunger in Ryan’s face as he stared at her bare breasts made Sara love the thing even more. Feeling more beautiful and confident under his heated gaze than she ever had before, Sara rolled her hips forward and pushed her shoulders into the wall, lifting her breasts higher in offering.

  Ryan swallowed hard, and that strange trick of light played havoc with his eyes again. “Beautiful.” His demeanor was all sexual predator as he placed his hands against the wall on either side of her and dipped his head toward the quivering peaks. He wet his lips then lifted his gaze and looked at her as he reached out with his tongue and lapped at the tip of one nipple, sending a shockwave straight to the pulsating spot between her legs.

  “More.”

  He obliged, this time on the other side, and with a shudder, she drenched her panties.

  “Ryan, please.” Sara squirmed to free her arms, but Ryan was having none of it. He slipped one of his hands behind her and trapped her wrists at the base of her spine.

  “Not yet.” Ryan pulled one of her greedy nipples inside the hot cavern of his mouth, and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. She would’ve probably hit the floor if he hadn’t lifted her skirt at the same time with his free hand and slid his thigh between her legs. Sara couldn’t help grinding down on the heated muscle he’d given her to ride while he took his time lavishing attention alternately between the sensitive mounds.

  When she could no longer see straight, Ryan lifted her off his leg and she nearly cried in frustration. Panting, Sara pushed off the vertical support behind her to go after him, but Ryan again had other ideas.

  “Not so fast, love.” The weightless touch of his index finger traveling from the hollow at the base of her throat down through the valley between her breasts was more than enough to plant her back up against the wall. “I’m not done tasting you.” He teased her dress the rest of the way off and helped her step out of it. Her panties followed with equal care, which left her in nothing but her strappy heels and sensitized skin.

  She would probably feel self-conscious later, but for once, Sara didn’t care. Right now, she felt sexy and powerful. “Your turn.”

  Ryan divested himself of his remaining clothes faster than she’d have thought possible, and she had no chance to ogle his considerable male beauty before he dropped to his knees and ran his hands up the backs of her thighs. “Put your hands against the wall. That’s it. Now shift your feet forward and spread your beautiful legs for me.” As soon as she was where he wanted her, Ryan gently opened her lower lips with his thumbs and brought his mouth to her.

  The first hot stroke of his tongue had her flesh weeping and Sara panting as she watched what he was doing. A look of bliss came over his face with that first wet swipe, and the noise she was starting to crave rumbled deep in his chest. “Oh yes!”

  He cupped her butt cheeks, holding her firm as he nipped, licked, and suckled her clit until she no longer knew or cared where she was so long as he didn’t stop. All that mattered was the burning knot pulsing under the rhythmic laving of his tongue. “Yes, yes!” Her pelvis started to rock on its own, and she sunk her fingers into Ryan’s thick hair to pull him in closer.

  Sara bucked and her breasts bounced in time as she rode hard toward finishing, but it was the inferno burning in Ryan’s eyes as he watched her watching him that sent her hurtling over the edge.

  *****

  Ryan wanted to brand this moment onto his retinas and carve it into his eardrums. Sara’s breasts were flushed and swaying with the motion of her pumping hips. Her lips were plump and swollen from his kisses, and her soft mewling pants were driving him out of his mind, but it was her eyes holding him captive. He couldn’t tear his gaze from their lust-flooded depths despite the wolf’s glow he feared was rising in his. She was so close to coming, and he had to see it.

  “Oh, my god, Ryan!”

  He could suck on the taste of her excitement forever, and his own hips jerked sporadically as he flicked his tongue faster between her luscious little clit and the entrance he was dying to bury himself in.

  “Ryan!”

  Sara’s eyelids fluttered, and her feminine muscles clamped down on his stiffened tongue. The gush of her release and the beauty of her coming so freely snapped his leash, sending a whiplash of ecstasy rocketing from the base of his spine through to his balls. One he barely checked before making a mess of Sara’s sexy shoes.

  Ryan had no time to catch his breath before Sara’s legs started shaking and her body started to slide down the wall. “Whoa.” He swept one arm behind her knees and the other behind her back on his way to his feet and clutched her close to his chest. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  She blinked up at him with a feline smile of satisfaction. “With you, over there.” She pointed across the room to the bed.

  He beat down the overwhelming urge to howl, going in for a quick kiss and nibble instead. “Yes, ma’am.”

  He shuffled till his toes found his pants then fumbled to get his foot positioned so he could lift them within reach, not wanting to let go of her.

  The maneuver was awkward enough to have her laughing by the time he accomplished it. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m sending you fishing for a product of my wishful thinking.”

  He wobbled and had to readjust his balance, gaining a squeal out of Sara. “Your what?”

  Ryan adjusted too far and started to hop on one foot. “The pocket.” There was no saving it, so he turned his back to the mattress so she’d come down of top of him. “Hang on!”

  Sara ignored the pants and flung her arms around his neck. “Ahhh!”

  Ryan hugged her in tight and made sure he took the brunt of their fall. They landed with a bounce, and Sara’s hair covered his face, treating him to the clean, fresh scent of her shampoo. He dragged a good sample of it in, and relished the way her soft skin branded him everywhere they touched.

  Sara stopped laughing and lifted her head then flipped her hair out of the way. “That was fun.”

  Ryan’s thoughts scrambled, and he couldn’t manage a comeback. The look of intent on her face and her husky voice conveyed her message loud and clear. Sara curled her back and walked her hands down his chest toward his stomach. His breathing sputtered as she straddled him keeping the dewy juncture at the top of her thighs open above his throbbing cock.

  She slid one shoe at a time off then reached down to take him in hand, making his voice raspy. “Pocket.”

  Sara rocked her hips forward, bringing the weeping tip of his penis in contact with her searing heat. “I know, but not yet.” She slid her hand
up and down his shaft, holding him vertically stationary as she tipped her pelvis the other way. Ryan gave up trying to hold onto reason as Sara worked herself on him until he was slick with her juices and they were both breathing heavy.

  Sara cupped and fondled his sac with her free hand and pumped him faster with the other.

  “Holy shit, Sara!” His balls tightened almost to the point of pain and his eyes crossed. Ryan latched onto the blanket with both hands so he wouldn’t grab Sara and mindlessly impale her on his raging erection.

  No way could he keep this up much longer. Ryan released the hapless duvet and his hand flailed around beside the bed in search of his pants. Like hell was he going to come anywhere but buried deep inside Sara’s beautiful body. With his DNA, he knew he was no risk, but he needed to ensure she felt safe.

  His finger brushed soft wool, and he latched on like a drowning man to a life raft, tugging until his pants were on the bed beside them. He fished around for the pocket, and what he sought met his fingers on the first try. He lifted the packet and ripped it open with his teeth.

  “Sara.” In less than a second, he had it free of the foil. “Sara, honey.”

  Her eyes were dazed when she finally registered his voice. “Hmm?”

  “Unless you’re good with this ending in the next ten seconds—”

  Her eyes popped wide and her cheeks flamed. “Oh!” His cock slapped onto his belly she let go so fast. “Oh, shit! Sorry.”

  She was adorable. Ryan chuckled as he took care of protecting Sara’s peace of mind. Covered now, he crooked his finger at her. “Come here.” He grasped her waist while she lowered herself down onto his shaft, taking him deep inside her hot sheath.

  Her lashes fluttered. “Oh, Ryan. This is better than I imagined.”

  She braced her hands on his chest and began the dance he’d been waiting for. Each undulation stroked him, each of his matching thrusts seated him deeper, and each soft moan from Sara brought him closer.

  “It’s perfect.”

  Ryan’s hands found their way to her breasts, unable to resist the gentle bounce and sway of them. He rolled both nipples at the same time and was rewarded by Sara’s drawn-out moan and her increased pace.

  “Ryan…I’m going to…come again.”

  Burning tension coiled at the base of Ryan’s spine and snagged his balls, yanking them high up into his body, which then grew a mind of its own. “Oh, fuck yes!” Helpless to stop now, he clenched his jaw to dull the itch around his canines and anchored Sara by her hips, pounding into her.

  Each upward thrust punctuated by Sara’s increasing vocal volume sent him spiraling higher. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”

  Struggling to keep himself in check long enough for her to get there first, Ryan was beyond verbal coherence. He held on until Sara tossed her head back, and her inner muscles wrapped around his cock, milking him in wave after wave of her release. With a sigh that had Ryan’s masculine ego roaring in triumph, Sara fell forward onto his chest, rubbing her taut nipples against him, and squeezed her still fluttering core tighter in invitation.

  The leash Ryan held on his lust snapped. Though no saint, it had been a long time, so his own climax struck like lightning, hitting him fast, and this time it was Ryan’s eyes doing a swan dive into the back of his head.

  As his heart rate and breathing slowed to normal, Ryan wrapped his arms around Sara and gentled her back to the same state. He couldn’t seem to quit petting her velvet smooth skin. “That was amazing.”

  Sara seemed to be suffering a similar lack of control as she idly raked her nails across his ribs. “It was. You were—”

  Schnick. Click.

  Sara’s head popped up and panic filled her face as light burst over the bedroom.

  “Hey, sis, thanks for letting me know you were leav—”

  The odd vacuum of near silence, typical of hotel rooms when their doors first closed, weighed heavy in the room and the moment hung in suspension.

  “Holy shit.” Hailey’s voice broke through it and things went downhill fast from there.

  “Oh crap!” Sara squealed and flung herself sideways, bringing Ryan and the edge of the duvet cover with her.

  “What the—” The room disappeared into a marshmallow of linen, and Ryan lost his bearings until his back hit the floor on the other side of the bed with Sara coming down on top of him. The air in his lungs evacuated, and his stomach muscles protested, leaving his vocal cords very little to work with. “Achk.”

  “Oh no, Ryan! Are you okay?” Sara shoved the white puff off his face with the one hand she had free and struggled to lift her head enough to see his face. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to toss us clear off the bed. Are you hurt?”

  Ryan hadn’t recovered enough oxygen yet to answer, and before he could, Hailey’s face came into view above them, sporting a smug grin. “Way to go, sis! Mission accomplished.” She rubbed her hands together. “I can’t wait to tell Nicki. Operation Re-pop has been a complete success.”

  Sara started to wiggle, jabbing Ryan in the ribs with her elbow and posing an even bigger threat to the octave level of his voice with her knees. “Hailey! Don’t you dare.” Now she was doing a good impression of a fish out of water. “I mean it. You’ll be so sorry.”

  Ryan did his best to avoid further injury in the limited room allowed by their feather shroud. “Whoa, easy there.”

  Hailey snorted. “Sorry? Yeah right, I think I’ll invite her up to Polaris for an outrageously expensive signature drink to celebrate. Mind if I borrow your sweater?” Ryan could no longer see her, and the sound of her voice was moving away.

  Sara squirmed harder. “Hailey Jane Gardener, damn it, you get back here!”

  “Oh good, thanks.” The echo from the hallway rushed in as she opened the door. “Feel free to do anything I would. Oh right, guess that ship already sailed.” The singsong lilt of her words made it sound like she was skipping. “See ya later, alligator.”

  The door closed, and other than their sporadic respirations, the room’s vacuum was back.

  Sara’s beyond red face was turned toward the door, and she growled through her grinding teeth. “I’m so going to kill her.”

  Ryan generally considered himself an intelligent man so knew laughing was probably not the best idea, but he couldn’t help himself. Sara all riled up and snarling with her hair standing on end full of static from the duvet, face the color of a beet, and her saucer-wide eyes full of sparks… She was cute as hell.

  “Ryan! It’s not funny.” Sara pinched his bicep, but the smirk she was doing a crappy job of staving off took the sting out of it.

  Ryan tilted his head and squinted at her. “Re-pop?”

  “Oh, god. Just kill me now.” She scrunched up one side of her face. “Don’t suppose you can pretend the last few minutes didn’t happen, could you?”

  Ryan laughed harder and hugged her to him. “Not a chance, love.” He kissed her messy hair and sighed. Like hell he was letting one second of this memory go.

  It had to last a lifetime.

  Chapter Six

  The Regency Ballroom, though not as big as the Centennial they were in on Monday, was Sara’s favorite of the two. The carpet reminded her of sunshine streaming through stained glass, and the warm color scheme lent it a Midas touch. A section of windows along the east wall opened onto the pool deck, making the room feel spacious and open. At least it had until eight o’clock this evening, when the doors had opened, and a sea of fans and other convention goers flooded in.

  Witches, Weres and Writers—the Thursday night reader party Sara and eleven other paranormal romance authors had sponsored—was turning out to be a huge success.

  “Having fun yet?” She could barely hear Nicki over the rambunctious racket created by hundreds of fans cashing in on swag and free signed books from their favorite authors. Sara’s cheeks ached from smiling, but she wouldn’t trade it for the world.

  She finished signing the copy in her hand and passed it back to the vampire-at
tired reader at the front of her line. “Thanks so much for coming. I hope you enjoy the book.” Before engaging the next person in line, an angel by the looks of it, she winked at Nicki. “Absolutely! I love talking to readers. Although I’m not sure how much longer my fingers will hold out.”

  “Ms. Carpenter, is it true they’re making a TV series out of your Werewolves of Mendleton books?”

  Sara turned her attention back to the angel who was bouncing on her toes. “Yes—”

  “Wheee! I love that series. It’s one of my keepers.” The woman’s screech had others around her wincing. “When’s it coming out? How many episodes are they doing? Is it shot here in Atlanta?”

  Sara’s perma-grin stretched wider. This was why she wrote. Nothing beat the high she got from seeing her work manifest as someone else’s joy. “I’m really excited about the show myself, and yes, at least part of it is shooting here in Atlanta. But if you watch my author page on Facebook, I’ll be posting updates as soon as I get them.” Sara opened the next book on the pile. “Would you like it made out to you?”

  “Oh, yes please. Lola, my name I mean, and can I get a picture too?”

  She was back to bopping, and Sara laughed as the freshly signed book vanished into her potato sack of a bag already bulging at the seams. “Of course.”

  “Here, let me take it for you.” Hailey stepped up from out of the melee and held out her hand for the woman’s phone.

  “Oh, thank you, thank you. Squeee!”

  Several snaps later, the elated angel was off on a tear toward the next set of tables. “Thanks, sis.” Sara’s brow wrinkled. “Hey, what are you wearing?” Sara had commissioned a costume as one of the characters from her latest book, a witch, and Hailey had an almost identical outfit on, right down to the long red wig and sparkly fake eyelashes.

  Her sister flung her arms wide. “Surprise!” She dove in for a fast hug. “When you said, I could come, I got hold of your dressmaker and had a coordinating one made for me. After all, I’m here as your fabulously brilliant, outrageously gorgeous yet endearingly humble assistant.” Hailey spun a circle. “Freaking awesome, right?”