Mr. Knightsbridge

by Louise Bay

  He sighed, his chest expanding and contracting, his nearness suddenly so much closer. I just had to stretch out my arm and slide my palm up against his cheek.

  “Woohoo,” Mrs. Daugherty called from across the street.

  “Hi, Mrs. Daugherty. I’ll catch up with you later,” I said, picking up my backpack. “You’d better come in.”

  I unlocked the door and we went inside.

  “What’s this?” he said, immediately honing in on the far wall of the trailer where Autumn and I had pinned up my making-it-back-to-London plan.

  “My plan to come back to London.”

  He turned to me, fixing me with a stare. “You were coming back? To me?”

  Was I going back to Dexter? Or was it a plan to go after my dreams? Both, I decided. “It’s going to take months. Longer maybe. And I didn’t expect you to wait, I just—”

  He stalked over to me and cupped my face in my hands. “You were coming back? Then why didn’t you call?”

  I tried to push down the emotion swirling in my belly. I wanted everything but him to melt away, for the world to condense around just the two of us, existing someplace outside of reality. But that’s not how life went. I pulled away from him and he looked at me as if I’d lost my mind.

  But it wasn’t my mind I’d lost.

  This man had stolen my heart.

  “I had things to figure out, Dexter. I didn’t—don’t expect you to wait for me. And hoping for you . . . Hope is something in short supply around here. I’d rather deal in facts and certainty.”

  Dexter pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, let’s get some facts on the table. If you want to be in London, why are you standing here in Oregon?”

  Dexter made it sound so simple.

  “I have to find somewhere for my parents to live. For Autumn and I to live. We have to leave the trailer park. It’s a long story but I’ll figure it out. It’s just going to take time.”

  “That sounds simple enough. If it’s just money you need, I can help with that.”

  I closed my eyes, wishing he wasn’t quite so near. Quite so generous. Quite so wonderful. “Dexter, I’ve got this.”

  “But, Hollie, why can’t you let me help?”

  My family wasn’t Dexter’s responsibility. He wasn’t a white knight, riding to my rescue, or even Richard Gere carrying Debra Winger out of a factory. This was real life. “I don’t need you to save me, Dexter.”

  “I’m not trying to save you, Hollie. I know you’re perfectly capable of saving yourself. I’m trying to share my life with you.”

  Warmth gathered in my heart at the thought that he still wanted me. The idea of sharing the rest of my life with Dexter . . . Well, it was more than I could imagine and certainly more than I deserved. “You think you’d want to wait? You know, until I figure out my plan?”

  “I don’t want to wait a single second. I want to be with you night and day. I’ll do whatever it takes, but the plan is bullshit, Hollie.”

  It looked more complicated than it actually was because of all the different colors. “It’s a good plan,” I said, defensive and sheepish at the same time.

  “I know you don’t want to be rescued. I know it’s hard to rely on anyone because no one has proved reliable to you. But let me be the first person in your life who you can count on. Yes, you’re perfectly capable of saving yourself, Hollie. But you don’t have to. I’m here to help.”

  It was as if I’d been trying to balance a week’s worth of groceries in my hands and someone had just fired off a shotgun, made me jump, and everything had come crashing to the ground. I couldn’t take anymore. I covered my face with my hands and turned to face the door in a futile attempt to stop him from seeing me cry.

  “Hey,” he said, smoothing his hand across my back and gathering me in his arms. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  He hadn’t upset me. I’d just let go of what I’d been holding onto for so long.

  “Let me lighten your load,” he whispered as he held me. “Now I remember how my speech started out.”

  I looked up at him, waiting for him to tell me.

  “I love you, Hollie Lumen.”

  I paused, wanting to say the words back. “That’s a short speech.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, I forgot the next bit. But what I don’t have to remember, because it’s etched on my soul, is that I’ve never felt this way about anyone in my life. I miss everything about you. I hate waking up without you. I need to tell you every single thought in my head, and hear about every single thought in yours. I’m head over bloody heels in love with you.”

  “I just need some time,” I said, my head spinning from the idea that Dexter Daniels could love me.

  “I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” he said. “But that can’t start until we’ve figured out how we get you back to London. What good is any of my money if I can’t use it to help the woman I love?”

  “I don’t want your money, Dexter. It’s not why I love you.”

  He pulled me so close I could feel his heartbeat against mine. “You love me?”

  How could he doubt it? “I think I loved you from the moment I first saw you across the ballroom that first night.”

  He closed his eyes in a long blink like he was drinking down a glass of cool water after being lost in a desert. “We’ll figure this out, Hollie. Your parents. Your sister. We’ll do whatever it takes. Do you trust me?”

  He’d flown halfway around the world to come and find me. And he hadn’t slung me over his shoulder and demanded I get the first plane back to London. He loved me and I loved him and he wanted to help. How could I say no?

  I reached up and clasped his face in my hands. “I love you so much. Will you marry me?”

  He grinned. “Every day of the week and twice on Sunday.”

  I had the feeling it wouldn’t be the last time that Dexter Daniels would do anything I asked of him. And that was only one of the reasons I loved him and would do anything he asked of me.

  “I just need one more thing from you,” I said.

  “Name it,” he asked.

  “Kiss me?”

  Thirty-Five

  Dexter

  Three hours was a long drive when I’d won back the love of my life and all I wanted to do was strip her naked and bury myself in her. But I was a patient man.

  “I thought you’d be staying at the Heathman,” she said as she took in the hotel room I’d checked into yesterday.

  “You want to move?” I thought the place was okay but if Hollie wanted something different, we’d check in somewhere else.

  “No, I like this place—it’s blingy. And it’s big. Like twice as big as our trailer.”

  “You make it sound like you were living in a caravan.” I set down her case and toed off my shoes.

  “It has wheels, Dexter.”

  “Do you think you want to keep living in the flat or shall we move somewhere else? It might be nice to have a place that’s been ours from the beginning.”

  She linked her finger into the waist of my trousers. “You are a sweet and thoughtful man.”

  “Shhh,” I said, putting my finger to my lips. “Don’t tell anyone.”

  “Secret’s out. Everyone who knows you, loves you.” She pulled out my shirt from my trousers and slid her smooth, warm hands up my torso. Christ, I’d missed her touching me. I’d missed holding her. I’d missed hearing her laugh, listening to her snore, watching her dress and undress.

  “Promise me we won’t be apart for this long again,” I said, pulling at the zip of her jeans.

  “I promise. I don’t ever want to miss you like I did these last couple weeks.” Relief funneled into my chest at the thought that she’d missed me. She’d said she loved me. She’d even proposed, but I wanted more. I wanted her near me all the time. I didn’t want to miss out on a second, and I couldn’t imagine a time when I’d ever feel differently.

  She pulled her hands from my chest and I shuddered at the loss of warmth. S
he fingered the hem of her top and then pulled it over her head, revealing that silky skin. “You want to eat first?” She blushed. “Not me. I mean like get room service or something?”

  I chuckled. She was adorable. “First you. Then room service.” I picked her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist.

  “When we’re back in London, I’m not going to let you leave our bed for a week.”

  She pulled me closer. “Our bed?”

  “Yeah. Our bed. And no more escaping to the guest room wardrobe if you want to make a call. We can convert a bedroom into an office for you.”

  “You know how to turn a girl on.”

  I set her down on the bed and unhooked the bra strap from her shoulder, dropping a kiss in its place.

  “Oh baby, if you think that’s good, you’ve not seen anything yet.” I trailed my tongue over the globe of her breast and took her nipple in my mouth, first flicking it with my tongue and then catching it between my teeth and applying increasing pressure until she moaned. God, I’d missed her sounds. Her touch. Her everything. I never wanted to be without this woman.

  “I like you like this,” I said. “Half-dressed because neither of us can wait.” I sank to my knees, opening her thighs and pulling her underwear to the side. I took a deep breath, taking in her perfectly sweet scent, and skimmed my hand up her stomach before I took my first taste.

  Making Hollie happy, giving her pleasure, had overtaken everything to become my first priority. I couldn’t rest until this woman had everything she wanted, anything that would make her happy. We were going to stay in Oregon until we had her parents and Autumn relocated and then we were going back to London. Together.

  Everything was perfect.

  She groaned as I pressed my tongue on her clit and then delved into her folds, savoring the velvety warmth, letting her moans move through my body like a roll of thunder. A twist of her hips signaled she was ready for more, but I wasn’t sure my fingers were going to be enough. I hooked my thumbs into her underwear and stripped them off in one smooth movement.

  “I want you,” she whispered. “My entire life I won’t want anything more than I want you inside me at this moment.”

  Blood surged to my cock and I struggled to my feet, my head fuzzy with lust and impatience. I wasn’t done tasting her. I’d never be done tasting her. But I wanted to give her whatever she desired. “Flip over,” I said, unbuttoning my shirt. If I had to look into her eyes as I pushed into her, I’d lose it. I pulled up her hips, getting her onto all fours. But seeing her like this was a sensory storm and my dick strained against the zip of my jeans. The way her breasts swayed as she shifted—the way her skin glistened like ice and her hair coiled around her body like ivy—was sheer perfection. Watching her was like taking a class-A drug. Too big a dose after enforced abstention could stop my heart.

  I pressed a kiss at the base of her spine, the muscles of her back that created mountains either side of a ravine I wanted to lick dry. Smoothing my hands over her arse, she bucked. “Please,” she cried, her fingers greedily grabbing the sheets as she arched her back. “Please Dexter. I can’t wait any longer.”

  Nor could I. I stripped off my trousers and pants and placed a firm hand on her lower back, steadying her. I grasped my cock in the other hand and circled her entrance with the tip—just a hint of what was to come.

  “Dexter. For the love of God, will you please fuck me.”

  “Shit,” I said, shifting my hips away from her. “I forgot the condom.” The blood pounded in my ears as I glanced around for my wallet.

  She turned and sat up on the bed. “Do we need one?”

  She was looking at me, her gaze heavy with questions. We were talking about more than condoms.

  “I haven’t been with anyone but you,” she said. “Not since we met. But if you have . . .” Her voice wavered at the end.

  “Of course I haven’t,” I said, crawling over her, onto the bed. “There’s been no one since we met.” And no one of any importance before her, I understood now. “If you don’t want to use condoms, then that’s fine.”

  “You don’t want to know if I’m on the pill?”

  I shrugged. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

  She grinned. “Oh, I don’t know. You could knock me up.”

  “Doesn’t sound so bad,” I said quietly, the confession formulating in my head at the same time as it appeared on my lips. “I’d like to have children with you.” I’d never thought of having a family. I’d been so focused on my business, and I’d just assumed that kind of life—a family life—had been out of my reach since Bridget left me. But with Hollie, it was possible again, maybe for the first time. I wanted us to build a life together—to bring new life into the world.

  She pushed her fingers into my hair and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I’d like to have a family with you too. But not yet. I’ll stay on the pill for awhile yet. That okay with you?”

  Everything was okay as long as I was with Hollie. Storms could rage, frogs could fall from the sky and Daniels & Co could go down—nothing mattered except being with her. Everything else was white noise.

  “But we can practice in the meantime?” I asked, tangling my legs with hers and bending to scrape my teeth over her collarbone. I wanted to map out her body with my mouth. I wouldn’t rest unless I knew every centimeter in the dark with just a lick of my tongue.

  She pulled her legs up, pressing my cock against her clit. “Well you are a perfectionist, and practice makes perfect.” Her fingertips trailed up my sides and then around to my back, then slid behind and up over my shoulders. I didn’t know what it was about that movement that made it feel like such an intimate act of familiarity—as if I was a part of her, and she’d been absentmindedly touching herself. It floored me. It struck me that I wasn’t on my own anymore. For the first time ever, I had someone in my life who was part of my soul. Someone who would be with me forever.

  “We’re going to have the most perfect children because we’re going to be doing a lot of practicing.” My life was perfect in that second and would be every moment I was with Hollie. I couldn’t want anything more.

  I pressed up on my hands, driving my cock into her as she whimpered for more. I had to block out everything but the very second I was in. If I thought about how she’d proposed or how she was going to be mine forever, how I’d get to touch her and hold her for the rest of my life—if I thought about anything but that very moment, it would be too much for me to bear. I just needed to focus on the pressure of her heat. On the drag of my dick as it pulled out and then slammed in, deeper this time. I just needed to press my lips to the dip at the base of her neck, eliciting a groan as I licked up to her ear. Then everything in the world was how it should be.

  I felt like a clumsy teenager where everything was a new experience and you didn’t want to wait, didn’t want to hold back. I grabbed her hands and pressed them over her head, and she smiled at me. “I love you,” she said.

  Would I ever get tired of hearing those words from her? For a split second, I was catapulted into the future, both of us gray and slow, wild horses still galloping across my chest every time I heard those words from her lips.

  “I want you every way,” she said. “I want you in my mouth and my pussy at the same time. I’m greedy for you.”

  Lust fizzled up my spine like the fuse on a stick of dynamite. The feeling was entirely mutual. For now, she’d have to wait for my dick in her mouth. My tongue would have to satisfy her. I kept thrusting trying to get closer and closer to her as sweat coated my skin like I was running a marathon. She twisted her hips, bucking beneath me, and a groan roared up through my chest and echoed through the room. I fucking loved fucking this woman. And I fucking loved her.

  “Dexter,” she called out, pulling me closer as my head fell to her neck.

  “Hollie,” I gasped, feeling my climax spiraling and twisting in my body, trying to break free.

  She pulsed around me and sucked in a breath, her eyes
open and on me as she came. The look of fulfilment in those green-blue eyes was all it took to sever the last delicate strands of my desire, and I pushed in one more time, pouring myself into her and collapsing over her.

  “I love you,” she said, pulling me closer as I tried to move off her.

  “I love you too,” I said, moving to the side. “Will you marry me?”

  She sat up with a jolt. “I asked you already.”

  “I know but that can’t be the proposal. To be fair, the perfect proposal isn’t when we’ve just had sex. Even though it was mind-blowing. We need something we’re going to be able to tell our grandchildren about.”

  “Okay, I’ll think of something.”

  “Hollie,” I said, my tone warning. “I love you. And I know you are fiercely independent because you’ve had to be your entire life, but let me have this, will you? Let me figure out how I’m going to propose, make a ring and surprise you, okay?”

  She rolled her lips back. “Relationships are supposed to be two way, Dexter. You should know, because you’re the one who taught me.”

  What Hollie had yet to realize was that just being with me, just choosing to exist in my orbit, was more than I could have ever hoped for. “I want to give you the world, Hollie. But I’ll settle for the proposal, for now.”

  She wasn’t just a prize but a jewel, the most precious creation I’d ever held. I’d spend a lifetime protecting her, looking after her and trying to give her half of what she gave me.

  Epilogue

  Six Months Later

  Dexter

  A year ago, I would have thought the idea of Daniels & Co hosting a party in London, let alone opening a store in Knightsbridge, completely ridiculous. As I glanced up and saw Hollie coming toward me, it was clear to me that this one-woman whirlwind had altered the entire course of my existence. If she’d never been at that launch party and I hadn’t noticed her enjoying my parents’ jewelry, my life would be very different.

  I wouldn’t be opening my London showroom.