Risk It: Paolo's Playhouse, Book 2 (2 page)

But she didn’t want this to be like any other night.

Once Paolo closed the door behind him, Amy glanced around the room again. She didn’t want to see the empty bed, didn’t need the reminder that she wouldn’t be using that wide mattress tonight. She dropped her purse by the wall and shut the light back off, plunging the room into darkness. Now the room was more like a movie theater with a wide screen and comfortable seating. She trembled slightly as she crossed the floor to stand in front of the window to the next room.

A pretty, petite blonde stood in front of the window wearing a silky silver dress. She looked as if she was staring right at Amy. She shivered even though she knew the blonde couldn’t see her.

A tall, pleasant-looking young man with light brown hair stood behind the blonde. He was bare-chested, watching her with an adoring expression on his face. They were talking, but of course Amy couldn’t tell what they were saying to each other. The pretty blonde swayed her hips to music Amy couldn’t hear. Slowly, seductively, the blonde drew her skirt up along her thighs, teasing her man. When she flashed a peek at her smoothly waxed sex, Amy’s breath caught in her throat. She swallowed, hard, and kept watching.

The man had his hands on the blonde in an instant, wrapping her in his embrace. Amy’s breasts began to ache as she watched him cover his girl’s breasts with his long fingers. Amy saw the young woman’s reaction in the way she moved against him, the way her lips parted and her eyes closed. She reached back and grasped Lover Boy’s head, and then arched her back. She pushed her breasts so close to the mirror, Amy thought she heard his knuckles thud on the glass.

Amy could almost feel his hands on
her
skin, imagine the pads of his fingers brushing along the surface, gently at first, sending shivers of desire dancing along her body. Would his hands be smooth and soft, stroking her like rich velvet? Or were they rough and calloused? Would they lightly scrape her skin, maybe even leave tiny scratches on her breasts as a reminder of his hands on her?

She couldn’t remember the last time Will had taken the time to make love to her breasts the way this young man was doing for his girl. Amy had almost forgotten the pleasure that kind of stimulation had brought her.

Amy kicked off her shoes and dropped onto one of the large, soft pillows lying in front of the sofa. She leaned back against the sofa, parting her thighs before she’d even realized it. Her skirt rode up, bunching at her hips. She watched the blonde pull her lover’s head down and capture his lips in a hard, hungry kiss. Amy moaned and moistened her lips with her tongue, imagining how he would taste. Would he have a light, peppermint taste or a darker one laced with coffee or maybe whiskey? It had been so long since she’d kissed a man other than Will that she couldn’t even remember what it was like.

She’d always loved the slip and slide of wet kisses. When had she and Will last indulged in a long, hot kiss, one that wet her lips and her panties at the same time? Why didn’t they do that anymore? There were so many things they didn’t do anymore.

Amy’s thighs parted farther as the young man kissed his way down the blonde’s body. He nipped the back of her neck and tingles ran down Amy’s spine. He kissed the girl’s shoulders and Amy shivered. He licked his way down the blonde’s back until he knelt behind her, and Amy squirmed in her seat. He unzipped the dress, and when it fell to the floor Amy saw the girl was completely naked underneath. She hadn’t even bothered with any fancy underwear. Her young man apparently didn’t miss them either.

Why had she spent the time and money on the black lace push-up bra and the matching panties? She’d hoped it might make her seem sexy to Will again. Maybe she should have made more of an effort, before it was too late.

Through the window she watched the young man run his hands over the blonde’s body. Will used to touch her like that, as if she were adored. As if he thought she was someone special. She swallowed when the young man rolled his girlfriend’s nipples with his long fingers. Amy’s nipples prickled and throbbed, almost as if he were playing with her nipples too.

Amy let out a ragged cry. She tore her blouse off and tossed it away. With trembling hands, she unhooked the bra her husband would never see and let it fall to the floor. She squeezed her bare breasts as she’d imagined the young man doing a few minutes before, wincing as she dug her fingers roughly into her flesh. She threw her head back and plucked at her aching nipples. As she twisted the sensitive buds, she tried to take her mind off the man who wasn’t there. The man she loved, even though he couldn’t make the time to be there with her. Sparks of need shot from her nipples to straight between her legs, and her pussy clenched.

Lover Boy pulled the pretty blonde into his arms again. This time when they kissed, she brushed her naked body against him. Slowly. Sensuously. Rubbed her firm skin against his bare chest and the thick bulge in his trousers. It was a sensual dance that made Amy’s pulse quicken. Her breath caught in her throat. Their love was so evident in every touch, every movement. In the sweep of her hands and the brush of her breasts and the touch of thigh against thigh.

As she watched, Amy’s body crawled with erotic sensations, her body throbbing with desire. She’d forgotten how hot it was to watch. Her fingers stroked her skin, so soft beneath her fingertips. Her caresses brought even more incredible sensations sweeping through her. When she closed her eyes, whose hands did she feel touching her so intimately? The young man busy with his own woman? Or the husband who’d left her alone tonight?

Stop being stupid!
They were her own damn hands.

She pinched her nipples roughly, trying to take her mind off Will and broken promises. Back onto the erotic need finally building again. She didn’t need him. She could take care of herself.

She slid one hand down to cup the hot wet spot between her legs. Her panties were soaked and the pressure from her palm teased her clit. Prickles shot through her, both from the nipple tightening beneath her punishing fingers and from her swollen clit aching to be touched. Her pussy throbbed and her heart raced and—

The door opened and a sliver of light broke through the darkness. She quickly sat up straight and yanked her hands from her breast and panties. When she turned her head, she saw Will, still dressed in his dark business suit, standing in the doorway. His brown hair shone in the light from the hallway. His face was half in the shadows.

She didn’t want to feel the burst of joy that came from his arrival, didn’t want to hear the voice inside her that cried, “He’s here!”

“Amy.” His voice was breathless. He stepped into the room. “Wow. You’re so beautiful.”

She turned away. “Shut the door,” she said, her voice flat even though her emotions were anything but.

She clasped her hands in her lap and tried to focus her attention back on the window. Back on the couple in the next room who were enjoying each other. Loving each other. Still, her heart beat even more wildly now that Will had arrived. Now that there was a couple in
this
room. What would happen now?

She didn’t have a clue.

Chapter Two

She heard him close the door and cross the room, heard him shrug off his suit jacket and set it down. Then he knelt down behind her and she shifted away so they didn’t touch. She didn’t look at him, refused to acknowledge him, even though she was trembling inside. When he rested his hands, hot and heavy, on her bare shoulders, she shrugged him off.

He leaned forward and softly kissed her ear, like she used to love him to do. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

He began to caress her shoulders again and this time she didn’t resist his touch. But she couldn’t relax. Her body shivered with the overwhelming need she wished she could deny. He brushed his cheek against hers and spoke softly. “I’m not going to give you any excuses. I know they don’t matter right now.” He kissed her neck. “But I am sorry.”

He was right. She didn’t want to hear any excuses. She tried to ignore him, tried to focus instead on the couple in front of them, but it wasn’t easy. There were real hands on her, a real mouth on her now. Will began to nibble on her neck, his breath warm, his lips soft.

“Mmm, you smell so good, sweetheart.”

It wasn’t going to work, those soft kisses, those sweet words. She crossed her arms, but doing so lifted her bare breasts, so it didn’t really give the indignant impression she’d wanted to convey. She still hadn’t looked at him.

“Wow. This room is amazing. I almost forgot how we used to go out and watch people all the time.” He skimmed his fingers down her arms and she tried not to react. “We were quite the voyeurs, weren’t we?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Amy…” His voice had a bit of an edge to it now. “I said I was sorry. Believe me. It was beyond my control.”

She sighed. She did believe him. As far as she knew he’d never lied to her. He’d simply disappointed her. Again. She wasn’t ready to forgive him yet.

“I’m here now,” he said seductively. “Doesn’t that count for something?”

His familiar scent wound around her senses, softening her. She felt her body relaxing, weakening, as he continued to run his warm hands over her heated skin. Through the window, the young man’s hands were on his girl’s skin too. A strangled moan escaped her lips even though she tried to hold it in.

“Look at how she moves under his hands,” Will whispered, his hands still stroking Amy’s arms. “It’s like she’s dancing in his arms. Look at the way he touches her, like he never wants to stop.”

“Why did
you
stop?” she asked, wincing at the cry in her voice. She couldn’t hold in the questions longing to burst free.

“Stop what?”

“Touching me like…like this.” She swallowed. “Touching me like you want me.”

“You think I don’t want you?” His hands slipped off her shoulders and she shivered from the chill left behind. “You’re the one who doesn’t want me.” His voice had turned cold and hard.

“What?” She turned to look at him finally, feeling a vulnerability that had nothing to do with her bare breasts. “You’re the one who’s never home.”

He sat back on his heels, his face in the shadows again. “Yeah, I know I’ve put in a lot of hours lately, but you do the same thing. You never stop what you’re doing and spend time with me.”

“So I’m supposed to just drop everything the minute you walk in the door?” She lifted her chin in defiance. “Like you dropped everything to get here on time tonight?”

“I got here as soon as I could,” he said slowly, each word an angry growl. “But you seem to wait until the last possible moment to come to bed at night. What am I supposed to think about that?”

She opened her mouth to dispute his words, but then…couldn’t.

“No matter what time I get home,” he went on, “you never slow down, never come to bed until I’m already there. Waiting.” His expression darkened even more.

There was a challenge in his expression that she wasn’t ready to answer yet. Besides, she knew he didn’t want to hear any excuses either.

Amy turned around then, back to the couple in the window. What was the blonde doing now? She appeared to be pole dancing around the bed post. She was so graceful, so flexible. Her guy stood there mesmerized, watching her stretch and sway. Tease and tempt him.

When had she ever done anything like that for Will? How long had it been since she’d put her whole focus on her husband?

Years.

Will was right. If he’d lost his desire for her, she had to take her share of the blame. She couldn’t remember when she’d last taken the time to do something to simply please him. She could use the time it took to do the housework after working all day as an excuse. Complain about the hours he spent at work instead of at home. Whine about how tired she was. But they were all excuses. Plenty of people made it work.

When did they lose that yearning for each other? When did they lose the desire to please each other?

But she
hadn’t
lost her desire for her husband. Amy knew that with a certainty that burned inside her. She still wanted to touch him, to love him. And have him touch and love her back. Why hadn’t she told him that? Was it too late for them now?

Her eyes were still focused on the window. Amy’s breath caught as she watched the young man approach the bed, standing so close the blonde could almost ride him along with the bed post. The expression of love and arousal on his face as he watched his girl dance for him made tears spring to her eyes. When Amy released the breath she was holding, it came out on a ragged sigh.

“You wish it was you, right?” Will asked from behind her, his voice a dull monotone.

“What?” Had they always had such a hard time communicating?

“Come on, Amy,” Will snapped. “The expression on that guy’s face. You wish he was looking at you like that.”

Amy jumped to her feet and whirled around to stare at her husband. “No!” She swallowed back a sob. “I wish
you’d
look at me like that.”

She searched frantically for her shirt and bra, but there wasn’t enough light coming through the window to see where she’d thrown them. “I can’t believe you’d think I was fantasizing about him! You’re such an idiot!” Shit, she couldn’t find her clothes. She’d have to face Will in the cold, fluorescent light. “I’m getting out of here!” She stomped off toward the door in her bare feet and flipped the switch.

“Amy, wait!” In an instant, Will was at her side, spinning her around to face him. He grabbed her shoulders. The passion in his eyes made her stomach tickle. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“Yes, I am.” She struggled out of his grasp, but she couldn’t step away. Will’s heated gaze pinned her where she stood every bit as much as his hands had. “I’m going home.”

His expression darkened even further. “Don’t run away from me.” His eyes shot angry sparks at her. “You’ve been avoiding me for months.”

“I could say the same thing about you,” she shot back.

He opened his mouth as if he was going to say more, then closed it again and just stared at her.

Her heart pounded in her chest and dread sank in her stomach when he didn’t deny it. Part of her wanted to storm away, enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that she was the one to leave first. But it would be an empty victory. She didn’t want things to end like this. Avoidance had always been the way she dealt with her fear. Maybe it was finally time for the truth. Maybe it was time to finally get things out in the open. If things ended between them, and she feared that’s what was going to happen, then at least it would be because of the truth.