Hudson groaned. “Keep doing that and this is going to be a very short game.” He gave her ass a quick smack before strolling over to the bar and sliding onto one of the padded leather stools.
Once again, she positioned her feet. Raising her right arm, she released the dart in a smooth motion, breaking out in a wide grin when it landed in the inner ring of the ten. She tossed the next two in quick succession. One landed on the outer ring of the eight and the other squarely in the nine. “I believe that’s fifty-five points for me, Mr. Chase.” She stepped aside, motioning for him to take his turn before retrieving her darts from the board.
“Well done.” Hudson took a drink from his beer before setting it on the bar.
“Thank you.” She waited for him to take his place before continuing. “It’s all in the fingers, you know.” He raised his arm, but his gaze drifted to her hands as she absentmindedly slid a dart between the pad of her thumb and her fingertips. His eyes flared ever so slightly before refocusing on the board. “How you grasp the shaft,” she added when he began to throw.
The dart slipped from his hand, landing haphazardly on the two. Hudson turned to face her and raised a brow. “We’ll test that theory later with a demonstration.” Recovering, he tossed the next two darts with milder success, landing the second on the fifteen and the third on the outer ring of the six. “Twenty-nine points,” he said, pulling his darts out in quick jabbing motions. “You’re up.”
Allie was enjoying every moment of his torment, and when her next turn yielded an inner five, a straight-up three, and a bull’s-eye, she had to fight the urge to break into a happy dance. As it was she clapped her hands together and grinned like a fool. “Yes!” she yelled. “Sixty-eight points.”
“Lucky toss,” he mumbled as she sashayed passed him.
She pulled two darts out of the board and then paused with her hand on the one in the bull’s-eye. Looking over her shoulder at him, she smiled innocently. “Do you want to get this one? See what a bull’s-eye looks like up close?”
Hudson moved into position. “Savor it. May well be your last.”
Allie leaned against the bar, sipping her beer and taking a moment to admire the view. Nothing beat the sight of Hudson Chase’s ass in a pair of tight jeans . . . except maybe naked . . . his muscles flexing . . . her heels urging him deeper. . . .
“Like what you see?” he asked.
Her head snapped up to find him grinning at her like the Cheshire Cat, and her cheeks burned crimson. Ignoring his question, she turned her attention to the board where Hudson’s dart had landed on the outer twenty. She heard a low chuckle just before he tossed the next dart. It landed on the inner fifteen, followed quickly by the third, which landed on the eight.
“One hundred and two,” he announced. “It’s all about not jerking the release and following through.”
She smirked at him. “Oh, don’t you worry, I wouldn’t dream of jerking a release.”
The corner of his mouth quirked up and he shook his head.
“Well done, by the way.” She added his score to her mental tally. “Although I’m still in the lead.” She raised her elbow, preparing to take her next turn, when he came up behind her.
“Not by much.” His hands moved over her hips before pushing between her thighs, widening her stance. “Spread your legs for me,” he murmured. Her breath hitched and she felt him smile against her temple. “Thatta girl, now you’re in the correct position.”
The hard ridge of his arousal pushed into her behind and Allie felt a hot rush between her legs. She wanted to push back, grind herself against him, but he stepped away. “Whenever you’re ready,” he said.
She raised her arm, inadvertently shifting her weight to one foot and dropping her shoulder. The dart arched upward and landed so weakly that it barely managed to cling to the board. Allie frowned over the measly three points.
“Your balance seemed a bit off.”
“Oh, really? I wonder why?”
“Try relaxing your legs.”
She raised a single brow. “I don’t think my stance was the problem.”
“Debatable, Miss Sinclair. But either way, I don’t see how this is my fault.”
“If you would behave yourself I could beat you blindfolded.”
“Is that right?” His mouth twisted in contemplation. “Wait here a moment,” he instructed before leaving the room. He returned a few minutes later with what appeared to be an airline sleep mask. As he drew closer he stretched the elastic wide and lifted the mask over her head.
Laughing, she took a small step back. “It was only a figure of speech.”
“Afraid of the challenge?”
She rolled her eyes, but when she made no further protest, he slipped the mask over her head. The room went dark and then his hands were on her shoulders, turning her in a circle.
“I’ll even point you in the right direction,” he said.
On her next two tosses she heard the darts thud against the wall, then clatter to the floor.
“I’m not familiar with all the rules, Alessandra. Does the floor count as negative points?”
She could hear the smug amusement in his voice. “Okay, you made your point. Can we get back to the real game now?” Anxious to put an end to the pointless exercise, she reached for the edge of the mask.
“Wait,” he said. Her hand froze in midair. Hudson was suddenly behind her again, his lips hovering at her ear. “Keep it on.”
“Keep it on?” Why on earth did he want her to keep the blindfold on? Oh . . .
“I want to take you further.” His voice was low and full of dark promise. “Will you let me do that, Allie?”
Her mouth went dry and she swallowed hard. When she spoke it was barely a whisper. “Okay.”
“Good. Don’t move.”
Allie heard footsteps followed by the creak of the door. And then nothing. All she could hear was the sound of her own blood rushing in her ears. When had the music stopped playing? She inhaled slowly, trying to calm her erratic breathing as she waited. And waited. She fidgeted, wondering what was taking him so long. But more importantly, what was he going to do to her? He’s probably a little kinky, too. A tremor of uncertainty ran through her as Harper’s words replayed in her head.
The door shut behind her and she jumped. Hudson was in the room. She couldn’t see him but she could feel his presence. It made her skin tingle. The sound system hissed to life and a few seconds later the hypnotic rhythm of U2’s “Moment of Surrender” wafted down from speakers above her. She listened intently, trying to decipher where he was, what he was doing. The unknown was driving her crazy.
Something brushed her hair aside and her head jerked. His fingertips—no, his lips—touched her shoulder, then her neck. “I won’t push you any further than I think you can handle.” His words sent a mixture of anxiety and excitement coursing through her veins. “If it gets to be too much, all you have to do is tell me to stop. Do you understand, Allie?”
Her heart pounded in anticipation. “Yes.”
“Then let’s start by getting you naked.” He ran his fingers down the buttons of her shirt, unfastening each one at an excruciatingly slow pace. When he finally finished he pushed it off her shoulders and tossed it aside. His fingertips traced the edge of her bra cup and she shuddered. Her nipples tightened against the white lace, eager for his touch, but he left them bereft and straining against the rough fabric.
“I already removed these once,” he said, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of her borrowed boxer briefs. She felt him drop to his knees in front of her as he swept them down her legs. “Don’t make me do it again.” Reaching out blindly, she steadied herself on his shoulder as he lifted one foot and then the other. “I want you ready for me to have anytime and anywhere I wish.” He gripped her hips with both hands and yanked her closer. She gasped as he nuzzled the apex of her thighs, inhaling deeply. “Turn around.”