Tall, Dark and Irresistible (Tall, Dark and Sexy 2)

Grabbing her ass, he easily lifted her light weight. He braced her upper back against the wall as he adjusted his hold on her legs so that they were draped over his forearms and he was able to press her knees toward her chest and spread her thighs wide, giving him complete control while she clung to his shoulders. The hard tip of his cock pressed home, and he clenched his jaw because it took everything in him to hold back until Peyton knew exactly what was coming her way.

“This is going to be hard and fast, baby,” he warned, his voice gruff.

“And so, so deep,” she added in a husky whisper, clearly realizing that this position was going to allow him to drive to the hilt.

He huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, that, too.”

“Just the way I like it,” she assured him.

Her words were a sultry invitation that shattered the last of his restraint. He angled her higher, then plunged all the way in. And Jesus, every time with her seemed hotter and better than the last.

Peyton cried out as he impaled her, her throat arching back and her breath leaving her lungs in choppy gasps. When her tight body gradually relaxed to accommodate him, Leo started to move, gradually increasing the strength and pace of his thrusts, until he was taking her like a goddamn animal. But he couldn’t stop, because he was so fucking greedy for her. As he pounded into her, he looked into her eyes and found them hazed with passion, giving him the assurance he needed to let loose and go full throttle.

With an unraveling groan, he took her mouth in a voracious, biting kiss as he pistoned his hips, faster and faster, feeling his orgasm gathering with hurricane force as he nailed Peyton to the wall. She might be petite, but Peyton was just as much of a hellcat in his arms. Sinking her teeth into his bottom lip in return, she ground herself against him, rubbing her clit against the base of his dick as she chased her own release and chanted more, more, more against his mouth.

And then she was coming, pulsing around his cock, and nothing could have stopped the tsunami-sized wave of an orgasm that crashed through him, shaking him to the core. The pleasure of it was so intense he lost his breath, then his ability to stand upright. His knees buckled, and he slid down to the floor, taking Peyton with him, with her still straddling his lap while they both struggled to recover . . . except there was something about the racing of his heart that told Leo that this wasn’t just fun, fake-boyfriend-with-benefits sex anymore. This was sex with feeling, the kind that had the ability to fuck him over when she headed back to New York in four short days.

And he realized there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about stopping either thing from happening.

Chapter Nine

“Tell me more about who I’m going to meet today so I have an idea of who everyone is,” Peyton said to Leo as they drove toward his mother’s house for dinner and the baby gender reveal for his older brother.

She was still surprised he’d asked her to come along, but she was looking forward to seeing what his family interaction was like compared to hers since he had siblings and she didn’t. She’d always wanted a brother or sister and often wondered if that would have made a difference to having both of her parents’ focus on just her. She’d like to think that a sibling would have been a nice buffer and would have made her parents less smothering and protective as she grew up.

Leo eased the Mustang he’d been driving all week onto the freeway and gave her a quick glance, his expression relaxed. “You’ll meet my mom, of course. Her name is Grace and she’s been dating a great guy, Charles, who will also be there. As you know, my mom is a fucking warrior for beating breast cancer.”

Peyton smiled, remembering the story Leo had told her at his place that first night, about his mother having breast cancer and his real father leaving the family for a younger woman, instead of taking care of the wife who needed his support battling the disease and trying to raise three teenage boys. Grace sounded like an incredible woman, who’d raised Leo to be an equally incredible man.

“Then there are Aiden and Daisy, who are the reason we’re gathering at my mother’s tonight.”

“How did they meet?” she asked curiously.

“They work together. The two of them went away for a weekend on a business-related trip, and one thing led to another and, well, Daisy ended up pregnant,” he said, his tone wry. “Definitely not the traditional way of doing things, but the two of them are perfect together. I never thought Aiden would fall in love and get married, but he adores Daisy and is excited that they’re having a baby. He’s go

ing to be an amazing dad.”

She leaned her head against the back of her seat, easily imagining Leo being just as great with kids and wondering if he’d planned those things with Amanda. More and more, she wanted to know what had happened between them. It wasn’t something he ever talked about, and as much as she wanted to bring it up, she knew now wasn’t the time, when they were heading to his mother’s for an enjoyable evening.

“So, that leaves your younger brother, Dylan, right?” She knew this from seeing pictures of Leo with him on social media.

“Yep. He’s an app developer and has his own company that’s exceeded his expectations gross revenue wise and has designated him as one of San Diego’s ‘most eligible millionaires’ in articles and interviews, which he hates,” Leo said with a wry laugh at his brother’s poor misfortune as he exited the freeway and entered a residential area. “But it’s a perfect career for him, because he’s always been a techie nerd. And he’s bringing his best friend, Serena, with him tonight. She grew up in the house next to ours when my dad was still around, and we’ve known her all our lives. She’s like a sister to us and always comes to family stuff.”

“And how many of them know about my social media stalking and how it led to us?” she asked playfully, wanting to know just how embarrassed she should be when she met all of them.

“Dylan knows the whole story, which means he probably told Serena,” Leo said, parking the car in front of a cute cottage-type house. “But I asked him not to say anything to the rest of the family. As far as they know, I’m just bringing you along as an old friend from college who is visiting from New York.”

The fact that her stomach twisted a little at that casual designation of what they were to each other told Peyton how much of an impact this past week with Leo had had on her. Yes, he’d agreed to go along with fabricating a pretend relationship so she could keep things status quo with her parents, but somewhere along the way, she’d stopped thinking of Leo as her fake boyfriend and started thinking of him as hers.

Her heart hammered in her chest as she realized that her crush and years-long infatuation had taken a sharp emotional turn, and falling completely in love with Leo was right around the corner. Just from their time in chemistry class together back in college, she’d already known what a solid, loyal guy he was. But cohabitating with him on a daily basis had shown her so many other dimensions to his personality. The hot, sweet, funny guy who was caring and thoughtful and as authentic as a person could get. The panty-dropping, knee-quivering, mouth-watering alpha lover who’d already discovered all her sexual triggers and shamelessly exploited them. And then there was this man sitting right in front of her, the one who clearly loved his family and would do anything for them.

Leo was a part of her life for a week to convince her parents that they were in a loving relationship, and he’d already won them over by just being himself. And yes, she did feel bad that her mother and father were getting attached to him—which was something she hadn’t thought about when she’d put this plan into motion. But it was too late now. There were only a few days left with Leo, and it made no sense to tell her parents the truth and end this pleasant visit with their disappointment following her back to New York.

But despite how Peyton felt about Leo, and regardless of that blossoming seed of something so much stronger and deeper taking hold, she understood why he’d introduce her as a friend. He didn’t want to give his family any false impressions that he was seriously dating anyone. Because in reality, he wasn’t. And with their days together quickly dwindling, he was undoubtedly trying to keep things from getting too complicated.

So yes, his reasons for keeping things casual in front of his family made sense, even if she wished that things were different between them.

They both got out of the car, and he came around the vehicle and met up with her on the sidewalk, where they walked together up to the porch. He didn’t hold her hand—something she’d grown used to around her parents—and instead pressed his hand against her lower back. Touching her intimately but not in a blatant you’re mine kind of way.