Strike (Gentry Generations #1) Read online

  As I thought about my last comment I grimaced. “I don’t mean to sound bitter,” I told Cami. “I’m really not. Alexa’s married now and expecting a kid so I’m glad she got her happy ending.”

  “You must have loved her,” Cami said. I wondered if she was speculating whether I was still hung up on my ex. I wasn’t hung up on Alexa but I couldn’t be dishonest about the fact that I’d once loved her.

  “Cami, I wouldn’t have made plans to marry someone I didn’t love. But that’s over. I don’t miss her at all and I think that the only piece of me that might still be a little injured is my pride. She wasn’t the right woman for me and that’s just the way it is.”

  Cami didn’t say anything. When I glanced at her she was staring thoughtfully straight ahead at the ribbon of asphalt stretching before us.

  “Anything else you want to know about me, Miss Reporter?”

  “A lot,” she said and turned her head to stare directly at me. “I want to know everything about you, Dalton.”

  I smiled and took the freeway exit to the botanical gardens. “In that case, ask away.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Camille

  Dalton had enough to sense to visit the gift shop for sunscreen and water before we went walking the grounds. It was possible to keep somewhat to the shade and avoid constant exposure but we were both Arizona kids born and raised. We understood the power of a desert summer sun.

  “I haven’t been here since I was a kid,” I commented as we wandered among the towering cacti.

  “Field trip?” guessed Dalton.

  “Yes and also my parents had a membership so we used to visit often.”

  Dalton gazed out at the brown peaks of Papago Park that loomed in the background. “The first time I came here was on a sixth grade field trip. On a dare, Anna Burke and I broke from the group and kissed for five seconds underneath that ramada.”

  “Ah, so this is where you bring all the girls?”

  “No. I haven’t been back since.”

  We walked in companionable silence for a while. Given the fact that it was summer the place was far from crowded. Directly ahead of us an elderly couple held hands as they ambled slowly along the path. When they noticed us they moved to the side so we could pass. They smiled when we nodded our thanks.

  I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I was half hoping Dalton would make some kind of move but so far he’d kept his hands to himself. There wasn’t so much as a seductive shoulder nudge to fire up my imagination.

  Yesterday’s lunch episode had been on my mind a lot and when I woke up this morning the ache between my legs reminded me that Dalton had been starring in my dreams again. I was surprised when he wanted to pick me up at home rather than meeting somewhere. Not many men would volunteer to be subjected to an overprotective family for a girl they’d known for less than a week.

  The silence stretched on and I tried to think of something to say. Usually words weren’t a stumbling block to me but there was something intimate about being out here among the flowers with no one else in sight. Dalton had been very candid when I asked him about his ex-fiancée even though the topic had to have been painful. He’d told me enough about his family yesterday at lunch to lead me to the conclusion that wasn’t really a good subject either.

  So since I didn’t want to sadden the mood by prying into Dalton’s family I talked about my own.

  “Uncle Chase asked about you yesterday,” I said.

  “Did he? I wondered why Thomas wasn’t at baseball practice.”

  “Because of my cousin Jacob’s high school graduation. It was last night. Every Gentry in the state was in attendance. I’m sure he’ll be back next week.”

  “I guess that depends on what you told Uncle Chase about me,” Dalton said in a teasing tone.

  I looked up to see his face but the sun hit me in the eyes. For a second it seemed like the sun was shining right out of his smile. I blinked and the effect disappeared.

  “Don’t worry, we had a mutually agreeable conversation about you,” I said, failing to mention how my uncle had joked about how his fondness for Dalton wouldn’t stop Chase from killing him if the necessity arose. Anyone who knew Chase Gentry knew he wasn’t capable of hurting a chipmunk but I still thought it best to leave that part of the conversation out.

  “Glad to hear it,” Dalton said and paused to examine a particularly stately saguaro cactus.

  The weather forecast must have been wrong because in another hour the temperature felt downright sizzling.

  “You feel like going somewhere with air conditioning?” Dalton asked a little while later. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and managed to look absurdly sexy doing it. “Don’t know what the hell we were thinking opting for an outdoor activity.”

  “I like air conditioning,” I said. “What did you have in mind? Movies have air conditioning.”

  “So do museums.”

  “And shopping malls.”

  Dalton pivoted suddenly and cupped my face in his hands. “Do you know how fucking bad I’ve wanted to kiss you this whole time?”

  My heart was a jackhammer. My legs were jelly. Dalton brought out a sexual boldness in me that no one had ever touched before.

  “Then do it,” I whispered.

  Dalton didn’t hesitate. I moaned at the feel of his lips. Our tongues collided and I felt myself falling against his hard body. Dalton’s strong arms held me up and crushed me against him. One hand tangled in my hair and the other slipped inside my shirt, stroking my lower back. I was panting when he broke away and fastened his lips to my neck, sucking just hard enough to make me shiver. His hot tongue tasted the hollow of my throat for a moment before his head ducked lower, my nipples tingling and aching as he teased them through the layers of shirt and bra.

  I didn’t give a damn that we were outdoors in public with nothing stopping us from being discovered. I arched my back and pressed his head and thought I might not mind if he pushed my shirt up and sucked my nipples until I came right here and now.

  We couldn’t have been all tangled up in each other for more than a few seconds when there was the sound of footsteps crunching on the gravel path and a shocked voice saying, “Oh my goodness.”

  After breaking away from Dalton with extreme reluctance I saw the old couple we’d passed on the path earlier. They were standing a few yards away, gaping at the spectacle.

  “Excuse us,” Dalton said, “I was just helping my friend remove something from her eye.”

  The man was amused. “Son, most women I know don’t keep their eyes down there.”

  “My mistake,” Dalton chuckled but he took a polite step back and waited for the old couple to pass. I wanted him to kiss me again. I wanted him to back me against the nearest broad tree and show me what he could do with the considerable bulge in his pants.

  “What are you thinking about, Cami?” Dalton asked with amusement and I realized I’d been staring unabashedly at his crotch.

  “Just you,” I said.

  He smiled and took my hand, leading me slightly off the path into some nearby shade. I wondered if I was about to get my recent wish about being screwed right here against the nearest tree. I decided that would be just fine.

  It was a minor disappointment when Dalton didn’t immediately tear my clothes off. Even though I knew that the most sensible thing we ought to do right now is NOT fuck like rabbits in the middle of the botanical gardens.

  Dalton tipped my chin up and stared earnestly into my face for a moment, like he was trying to read my thoughts. He must have been satisfied with what he saw because a small smile tilted the corners of his lips. His knuckles brushed my cheek and I shivered in the heat as a wave of brazen lust surged through me.

  “I want to know,” he said in a low, sultry voice. “Tell me, Camille.”

  “What?” I whispered and let my tongue dart out to touch his thumb when it ventured close to my lips.

  He sucked in a breath. “Tell me about wha
t you’re thinking.”

  I was lightheaded. “I already told you.”

  “Tell me again anyway.”

  My voice was nearly inaudible. “I’m thinking about you.”

  He looked thoughtful. “When did we meet?”

  “Five days ago.”

  “Five days.” He nodded with approval. “Five days and I’ve already imagined fucking you about seventy different times.”

  “Oh.” It was more of an involuntary squeak than a word. I couldn’t believe this conversation was happening. I wanted to record it. And then replay it a thousand times.

  Dalton considered before asking his next question. “Why do you think that is, Cami?”

  “What?”

  “Why can’t I stop thinking about you?”

  I shook my head slightly. “I don’t know.”

  He bent forward and touched his forehead to mine. “Let me tell you then. It’s because I like you a hell of a lot more than I ought to. You’re smart and you’re sexy and I really want to get to know you a lot better. I meet a lot of women all the time and not one of them has kept me up at night like you have this week. But if I take you home and fuck you right now it’s gonna be nothing but filthy.” He took my face in his hands and looked me in the eye. “Is that okay?”

  I was dizzy. No guy had ever talked to me like this before. I didn’t know there were guys out there who did talk like this. The idea of being filthy with him was absolutely okay.

  “Yes.” I pulled him to me. I slid my hand low and cupped the bulge in his pants, reveling in his low moan. “That’s more than okay, Dalton. I like you too. And I want you.”

  He pressed my hand against his cock harder, more insistently. “How much?”

  “So much,” I whispered.

  He grinned. “You ready to show me, college girl?”

  I didn’t waver. “Yes”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Dalton

  I had to keep reminding myself to stop flooring the accelerator because getting pulled over by a cop would interfere with the imminent fuck fest that was running through my head.

  Since we left the gardens Cami had been quiet in the passenger seat but she smiled at me shyly when I glanced her way. I hadn’t been surprised when she put her hand on my dick and bluntly said she was ready. I’d guessed that all along.

  Distantly I wondered if I was making a mistake by getting dirty with her so quickly. I was sincere when I told her I liked her. I had no intention of just banging her and moving on. And I really didn’t want to screw this up by going too far too fast. But I also couldn’t deny that there was an unusually powerful physical attraction between us that we were both dying to satisfy. And holy shit did I intend to get that job done. By the time I was finished getting my fill of Cami Gentry we’d both be eligible for the orgasm hall of fame.

  “Hey, Dalton?” Cami said.

  I looked over and this girl, this sexy, astonishing girl, had her freaking shorts unzipped. She bit the corner of her lip in the most erotically mischievous way and then she started slowly sliding her shorts down over her hips.

  “Shit,” I muttered, sweating bullets over the sight of her soft skin and black panties. “You’re killing me. Fuck, honey, take those panties down.”

  She smirked. “No, you’ll have to wait for that.”

  I took stock of where we were. About eight miles from Wild Spring. My balls felt like they were about to bust the seams of my pants.

  “I plan to make you pay for that little tease,” I warned.

  She offered a devilish grin as she pulled her shorts back up. “Good.”

  I reached over and touched her face. Her skin was impossibly smooth. “You’re beautiful, Camille. I can’t remember if I told you that already but you are truly beautiful.”

  Her expression softened. She took my hand and kissed my knuckles before lacing our fingers together.

  At the resort I pulled into the parking lot behind my building. I immediately walked around to her door, opened it and extended my hand in a gesture that I hoped seemed chivalrous. Cami smiled and accepted my hand when she hopped out of the truck.

  I pulled her to me, kissed her once on the forehead and kept my arm gently around her waist as I led her inside the building. Sure, I still planned on stripping off her clothes and fucking her until the walls shook but that didn’t mean I couldn’t also treat her like a queen. I wanted to be good to her. I wanted her to know that she was something special.

  We didn’t run into anyone on the way and I was glad. There was surely already talk about the two of us since we’d been seen having lunch at the café but this wasn’t anyone’s business but ours. The third floor corridor where my suite was located was empty and silent.

  “Come here,” I said after I got my door open. I kissed her roughly there in the hall and from the way she melted right into me I could tell she liked that, liked it a little rough. I pressed her against the wall, put my hands on her, sucked hard on her neck.

  “Dalton,” she moaned and bucked her hips with an eager rhythm, like she was about to lose control. Fuck, she was sexy. I was tempted to take her right here.

  I didn’t.

  I lifted her into my arms and brought her inside, kicking the door closed behind me. When I set her down she took a deep breath and looked around while slipping off her shoes.

  “Nice place,” she said, checking out the expensively appointed living room and glancing in the direction of the bedroom. “This has to be one of the best rooms the resort has.”

  “It’s okay,” I said and yanked my shirt over my head.

  Cami stared at my muscled chest. “Wow.”

  I grinned. “That’s exactly the reaction I was going for.”

  “You’re probably used to it. Damn, look at you.”

  I moved closer to her. “I’d rather look at you.”

  Cami swallowed. For all her earlier boldness she seemed like she was about to turn shy now that we were behind closed doors. Then suddenly she grabbed her t-shirt by the hem and slowly lifted it over her head. She had a nice body, complete with a pair of young, sweet tits I planned to explore with my mouth in the next few seconds.

  “More,” I demanded, rubbing my cock and liking the way her eyes widened when I did it.

  Cami pushed the straps of her bra down, one shoulder at a time and paused, bending her head slightly. Her fingers fumbled with her bra clasp and her long hair fell over her face. I was pretty positive she was no virgin but she wasn’t quite confident enough to stand in front of me stark naked. That needed to be fixed.

  I took my hand off my cock and reached for her. “You know what I like best about living here?” I asked her.

  She stopped messing with her bra hook and gazed at me with those wide green eyes. “What?”

  I led her away, to the wide sliding glass door that opened to a private patio. I pushed the long, heavy drapes open and the room was instantly bathed in brilliant sunlight. “The view,” I explained, gesturing to the glass. This was one of the quietest sections of the resort, where guests who requested maximum privacy were placed. Instead of seeing one of the pools or the golf course there was only the pristine wilderness of the untouched desert.

  Cami looked at the peaceful scene outside while I got behind her and put my hands on her hips to keep her close. She was small, petite. I could almost hold her waist entirely within my hands and the top of her head only reached my collarbone.

  “Sometimes I sit out there at night and I could swear there isn’t anyone around for miles, like this is the frontier for all civilization. There are just stars and the endless desert everywhere. Have you ever been deep in the desert at night, Cami? It can swallow you if you let it.” I reached up and swiftly unhooked her bra.

  She was breathing hard. “I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night,” she whispered. “It’s one of my favorite quotes.”

  I ran my hands slowly down her arms until her lacy pink bra was on the floor. Then I took her hands a
nd guided them up to the glass, flattening her palms against the smooth surface. I wasn’t worried about anyone seeing inside. The afternoon sun was still strong and no one would be wandering around in the prickly brush in this heat anyway.

  Cami let out a small gasp when I abruptly reached around and cupped her tits in my hands. I squeezed gently, savoring the firm feel of them and enjoying her low moan. Her nipples were hard in my palms but she didn’t lower her hands from where I’d set them. She bent her head and pressed her forehead to the glass. A sensual shudder rolled through her body when I boldly unsnapped her shorts.

  “Don’t turn around,” I ordered, working on the zipper.

  With one tug those shorts were history and all Camille Gentry had left were those flimsy black panties she’d tormented me with earlier. I backed up a few inches and marveled over the fact that I had this high-spirited, exceptionally sexy woman at my mercy with her naked body practically pressed against my window. It felt like a victory but it wasn’t. Not yet.

  I dropped my pants and let my stiff cock touch the small of her back. I took it in my hand and rubbed it against her tight little ass.

  “Dalton,” she squeaked and twisted her head around to try and see what I was doing.

  And what I was doing was shoving those satin panties down with one hand while the other hand crept over her belly and pushed between her legs. I almost lost it when I felt how wet she was. The strongest of all instincts was ordering me to push my swollen cock into her any way I could. Cami moaned and moved her hips as my fingers slid inside of her and my dick pulsed against the soft flesh of her ass.