Lust in Translation Page 14

  Xavier’s laughter bellowed and echoed on the quiet streets. “This is perfect. You put your leg out.”

  “The photo? I just gave you a laundry list of complaints and you’re focused on a picture? Don’t get too attached to it. You have to delete it. No one can see a picture of us kissing.”

  “Look.” He turned the camera display towards her. “It’s my best one yet, though I think it’s you that makes it, not skill on my part.”

  Walking over to him, she tried not to stomp like a toddler. The way he ignored her protests annoyed her, and then evaporated when she saw the shot. They were a simple silhouette in front of the lights streaming up the building, turned vivid purple and blue by some magic he’d done with the exposure. Their hands interlaced, only their lips touching, and the cheeky way she’d lifted one leg did look amazing.

  And no one would know it was her. She might even be able to keep it as a tangible memento of the trip. Except she didn’t need any reminders. She’d wear the mark on her heart for the rest of her life.

  “Am I forgiven?” He packed up the camera bag with military precision.

  “One good portrait doesn’t make up for driving to another state without telling me.”

  He slid the bag behind his seat. “The Mormon Temple is the only thing you mentioned you wanted to see when you weren’t trying to manipulate me into doing what you want. I saw a sign in Casper, and since you were asleep I didn’t want to wake you.”

  “You came here for me? Come on. And don’t you dare say Casper the ghost made you do it. Don’t blame this on ghosts or Wyoming.” Her anger melted away knowing he had considered her feelings, but she didn’t want him to know that. She wanted to be wherever he was, for as long as she could, but she didn’t want to just be along for the ride.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “You don’t like the surprise?”

  It was her turn to stare blankly at him.

  “Fine, I won’t take you to a different state without telling you first. Ça va?”

  “Without asking me, Xavier. Respect me enough to ask.”

  He placed a hand on his chest and stepped to her. “I have nothing but respect for you, J’aime.” He fished the keys from his pocket and held them out to her. “Grand Canyon or Las Vegas. You decide.”

  She grabbed the keys and smiled wide. Now she was in the driver’s seat.

  …

  “I’m a runner, not a climber.” Xavier leaned his back against the red sandstone canyon wall, straightening his legs so his feet braced on the other side. He didn’t look down, not wanting to see how deep the slot canyon went.

  “You could have hiked around with the rest of our tour peeps.”

  “I wasn’t going to let you do this alone.”

  “The guide said he’d do it with me.”

  Oh yeah, he’d seen the man’s intent with that one. No way in hell he’d let anyone else into a tight spot with Jaime. “I thought it might make for some good shots.”

  “You haven’t even taken out the camera.”

  “I’ve been trying to stay alive.” His muscles ached from the strain. He looked around Jaime, seeing another curve in their path.

  “Give it to me then.”

  He pulled the camera from the backpack the guide had told him to put on backwards. He still wasn’t sure the guy wasn’t trying to make him look daft in front of Jaime.

  “Stay there.” Jaime looped the camera around her neck and turned, bracing one foot on either side of the canyon as she headed toward the bend.

  “How does this not hurt your feet?” And legs, and arms. He’d been pretty confident in his physique this morning, but somehow muscle definition didn’t equal strength when maneuvering in a narrow space.

  “I taught rock climbing at a gym and a couple of summer camps. It’s not that it feels great, I just know to use my legs. You keep trying to use your arms. If you’d listen to me, you wouldn’t need to whine.”

  “I haven’t complained nearly as much as you have about the haunted places.”

  She leaned back against the wall, bracing with her feet, and pointed the camera at him. “Say cheese.”

  He laughed as she fired off a few shots. He turned and made his way toward her as she continued to play photographer.

  “These would be so much better if you weren’t wearing a shirt. Or pants.”

  He perched next to her and leaned in for a kiss. It used to be that kissing was a precursor to sex, but with Jaime he seemed to do it with no ulterior motive.

  “We can do Las Vegas too, if you want.” She grinned and looped the camera strap over his head.

  “Where did that come from? This morning you threatened to strand me in Utah and drive yourself home.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You booked another package deal while I was in the shower. It felt, oh, what’s your favorite word again? That’s right, manipulative.”

  “You left me alone at a Holiday Motel breakfast buffet. What did you expect me to do? Make another waffle?” He snapped a shot of their booted feet against the red and cream striped sandstone. Hopefully she wouldn’t get blisters from hiking in new shoes.

  “This is a five-day excursion. When I told Allison, she panicked. If Trent hadn’t called you to say he’d calmed her down, I would have had to go straight home.”

  “And yet you just offered to take me to Vegas when we’re done.”

  “I’ve never been to Vegas.” She turned and headed for the bend.

  He followed, stepping down onto a ledge. His shoulders didn’t fit, so he had to walk sideways, but he much preferred walking on the bottoms of his feet than the sides.

  “Oh, wow.” Jaime stopped and stared at the sunlight streaming down in ribbons from above. “This is worth it.”

  Xavier took a few shots then got a better idea. “Go stand in the light.”

  “I’m hardly picture-worthy at this point. I’m dusty and sweaty.”

  He leaned forward and kissed her cheek over her shoulder. “The shot would be better without your shirt. And shorts. But I’ll settle for you in sunlight.” He smacked her firm ass and she scooted towards where the light pooled in streams of honey at her feet.

  She raised her arms and leaned her head back, letting the sunlight wash over her skin. She could make even the most gorgeous sight even more exquisite. The shots were amazing, but the image was better in person.

  “What are you doing?” he asked as she looked around and then turned her back to him.

  “Put the camera away.” She faced him and toyed with the hem of her shirt.

  He read the hunger in her eyes and did as he was told, walking towards the spotlight all the while. The warm sun hit his skin like a caress as he stepped along the solid floor of the canyon. He took off the pack and set it on the ground beside them.

  She licked her lips and reached for the waistband of his shorts. She pulled him to her then squeezed his hardening cock. With a triumphant smile, she rose up on her toes and whispered in his ear.

  “How fast can you be?”

  “Depends on what we’re doing.” Her fingertips beneath his shirt sent all his blood south. Yes, he could be fast, slow, whatever she wanted as long as she kept her hands on him.

  “I had this fantasy, just now.” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, drawing his attention there.

  He moved in, even while she continued to talk. He’d give her any fantasy she wanted. Up against the wall, bracing against it, even on the rough stone floor.

  “I want you in my mouth, with the sun on your chest and your hands in my hair.” She pulled her hair from its ponytail and shoved the band in her pocket. She worried her lip again.

  He threaded his fingers through her hair and gripped the nape of her neck, bringing her mouth to his, tangling together in a demanding dance of desire.

  She undid his shorts and turned her head, whispering as he kissed her neck. “I love it when you want me.”

  Oh, did he ever. He tugged at her T-shirt and she raised her arms, letting
him take it off. A quick twist to the front clasp of her bra and her breasts spilled free.

  “Hold on.” She stopped him with a hand to his chest as he leaned in for a taste. “I meant fast. If you can’t do this in a couple of minutes, we can’t play.”

  He straightened up and took off his own shirt, dropping it in front of him. The shorts dropped next as air hit his straining cock. “If your pussy is off limits, I need the taste of your tits on my tongue. You want fast, I’ll shoot down your throat in minutes.”

  “No shouting. I don’t want an audience.” She pulled her shoulders back and stepped to him, letting the sun stream onto her chest.

  He reached out and cupped her, pressing her breasts together before placing a long lick on each straining nipple. He sucked and pulled, loving the way her hand on his cock mimicked his ministrations. They had to do this again, some place without a timeline.

  “Xavier, we have to be fast or they’ll come looking for us.”

  Jaime sank to the ground in front of him, the streaming sunlight casting golden highlights on her dark hair. He slid his hands into the silky strands as she looked up at him with a wicked grin.

  “Were you thinking it would be like this?” She lifted her chest and pressed his cock between her breasts. She squeezed and darted out her clever tongue to lick the tip of his cock.

  Pleasure shot down to his balls and coiled there. Oh yeah, he could go fast.

  “Blink,” she said, licking him again. “It’s like taking a picture.”

  As his own words echoed back to him, he thrust for her mouth, only to have the teasing minx pull away.

  “Or like this?” she nuzzled her chin between his sack and cock, his dick lying on her face.

  An image so erotic he’d never be able to block it from his mind. At once dominant and submissive, his perfect match, and yet their lives didn’t line up at all.

  She licked him from base to tip and he fisted a hand in her hair to keep her from teasing him again.

  “Don’t hold back,” she whispered. “I want you to come.”

  Her wish was his command as she let him into her hot, wet mouth. She rocked slowly at first, taking more with each bob of her head. He watched as she worked him like a musician at a symphony, playing him to rapid perfection.

  Her mouth stuffed with his cock, she looked up at him with her big, brown eyes and hummed in satisfaction. He couldn’t help himself as he began to pump into her, her throat working some kind of magic on the tip of his cock.

  She squeezed his ass, her fingernails digging into his flesh and tightening the sensations. Her mouth was heaven. The only thing keeping him from blasting off like a rocket was the intense desire to be deep in her pussy, pushing deeper into her with each pulse of his orgasm.

  She pulled back, working him with her lips and tongue before she wrapped her mouth around the tip of his cock and sucked, hard. Like she was trying to pull the come from his balls. She nearly did before releasing him and rubbing her soft cheek against his length.

  “I’m going to take you down my throat,” she whispered. “And you’re going to come for me. You want to come for me, don’t you, Xavier?”

  She licked her way to the head of his cock then rocked him back into her mouth with hungry quickness. He slid his fingers against her scalp, pulling the hair from her face so he could look into her eyes.

  The passion there hit him like a bolt of lightning, electrifying his nerves until every sensation exploded, launching him into bliss. He quivered as he shot into her, panting to keep himself from crying out her name. He finished and stepped wider, fighting to stay upright.

  She released him and stared up at him with a devilish grin. “You’re gorgeous.”

  He didn’t have enough brain cells firing to respond as she stood up and gave a naughty little wiggle. His cock twitched in hopeful appreciation.

  “I’m so proud of me right now.” Jaime collected her bra and slipped it into place.

  “I’m quite pleased with you too.” He pulled up his shorts and picked up his shirt and hers and walked to her, glad his body had started to work again.

  “Did you see how impulsive that was?” She smiled like a satisfied woman, but she couldn’t be, at least not completely.

  “I like impulsive.” He leaned in for a kiss, but she stopped him with a hand on his bare chest. Could she feel how hard his heart pounded?

  “We don’t have time to play.”

  He grinned and leaned in, but she didn’t relent.

  “If you can’t be good, we can’t play like this again.”

  “I’m trying to show you how good I can be.”

  “And I’m thinking there are a lot of secluded places ahead of us. This package signed us up for rafting and mountain biking and lots of hiking. Lots of opportunities to do anything that may come to mind.”

  She emphasized the word come and his cock thickened. Did he ever have a package deal for her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Where are you?” Her mother’s voice bordered on frantic.

  Jaime looked out the windows at the setting sun, such a beautiful sight as it dipped over the mountain, the streaks of color reflecting on the surface of Lake Tahoe. The water shimmered with a mosaic of pinks and silvers.

  “The wedding is only four days away, Jaime. I expected you to be here by now.”

  “I won’t miss the wedding, I promise. But I’m not exactly in control of the timeline.” She rolled her lips in at the lie. Lake Tahoe had been her request. Reno would have been on the way, but after Las Vegas she wasn’t interested in sharing Xavier’s attention with anything. Not after they’d proven so good at finding secluded places to celebrate nature everywhere they went.

  “How close are you?” Fingernails tapped on a countertop. Guilt seeped through the line, tensing Jaime’s shoulders. If she told the truth, they’d have to be home by dinner tomorrow.

  “A few days.”

  “Jaime, the rehearsal dinner is in three days! If you’re delayed―”

  She knew they had to go. Had been avoiding the reality pretty well for a week now, but a low level hum of guilt had plagued her for her entire life. “I’ll be home for Shabbos dinner.”

  Anxiety burned through her veins like acid at the thought of having to let Xavier go. She might catch sight of him at the wedding, but he was flying home the day after.

  “The Myers are coming as well for a pre-rehearsal dinner. Invite Trent’s friend, will you?”

  “I’m not sure he’ll be interested, but I’ll ask.” She swallowed, not wanting to risk having Xavier in her childhood home, surrounded by her extended family in a situation that felt, well, intimate. Letting him go would be hard enough without having to walk by a chair he sat in, or have her mother ask about him.

  She prayed her emotions were the product of this indulgent break from her reality, because if she were as in love with him as it felt, she’d never be able to forgive herself. She knew better than to fall for someone who had no intention of catching her.

  “I wish you were coming home sooner. I wanted some time together before things get crazy.”

  “We’ll have plenty of time after the wedding. Until then, it’s all about Allison.”

  “She’s being so demanding, Jaime. Every day it’s something else.” Jaime let her mother vent her wedding gripes, not the least bit remorseful about not having witnessed the catering mishaps firsthand.

  After ending the call, she walked through the suite looking for Xavier. He’d needed to make some calls as well, so they’d gone into separate rooms. She found him pacing in the bedroom, spewing rapid-fire French she had no hope of translating.

  She lay on her stomach on the bed, propping her chin in her hands, and watched him. The floor-to-ceiling windows showcased the spectacular view, but she only had eyes for him. He spoke with an air of authority that would have frightened her if she were his employee. He didn’t even cast her a glance when he switched to another call, then another, and another. In the hour sh
e watched him, she realized he spoke at least five languages, his father and sister were bickering and he was in the middle.

  He worked his cell phone, tablet and laptop simultaneously, making her dizzy trying to keep up. Odd, how you can spend weeks with someone without seeing whole sides of them.

  She’d stopped asking about his work, not wanting to know too much about him. Not wanting to care. She wasn’t sure how flings worked exactly, but she was pretty sure work and family were not supposed to be involved.

  Except he was going to meet her family, he’d seen the kids she taught. And yet he seemed completely unaffected at the idea of the affair ending when they crossed the Oregon state line.

  Finally, he set his phone down, closed the lid of his laptop and sank down on the bed beside her. “Sorry that took so long.”

  “Don’t be. You had work to do.” She rolled toward him, propping her head on her hand. “We’re more alike than you ever let on. In fact, I think in the real world I’m more relaxed than you are.”

  His low chuckle rumbled through her. He reached for a strand of her hair, twisting it around his finger. “I do tend to go to extremes. If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.”

  He inched closer, his lips reminding her of all the things he did so very well. “You’re not just the CFO, your family owns Marie-Chloe?”

  “You were listening.” He pulled back, the waning sun casting dark shadows on his face and burnt orange streaks in the sky behind him. “I forget how many languages you speak.”

  “Was it some top-secret issue? From what I could make out it sounded like a squabble with a fabric supplier.”

  “I suppose you won’t be selling the story to the French tabloids.” His tight smile made her think he’d experienced that before. “My father canceled my sisters’ fabric order because the supplier is an ass. She retaliated. It’s quite the lovely mess I’m flying home to. But I fixed things, for now. I don’t want to think about embroidered silk for at least a week.”

  “Is that why you really took this trip? To get away from the industry? Or to make your sister stand up for herself?”