I’ve spoken to Christopher every night this week, and I know he’s wanted to be with me, but he can be a distraction. Teaching three mornings a week and being present for my students, being a leader in the lab, and working until at least midnight, but often later, has my stress levels high. Last night during our conversation, Christopher talked me into spending the weekend together. He assures me I’ll have plenty of time to work, and I hope he’s right. We’ll split our time between his place and mine, and we’ll go to my family event, and I’ll go to his work dinner on Sunday night.
My overnight bag is packed, and I’ve committed to meeting him at his place by six. My cell phone pings.
Christopher: It’s 6:05. Are you still sitting at your desk?
I smile. He knows me so well.
Me: I’m just shutting down.
Christopher: I’m waiting out front. Hurry, we have dinner reservations.
I’m turning lights off and set the alarm.
True to his word, his car is sitting outside the front door. As I’m in the car, he pulls me in for a kiss, and I taste the mint and smell his woodsy scent.
“I’ve missed you this week,” he confides.
“Thank you for making me do this.”
“I can’t make you do anything. But I promise you can work a good part of the weekend, and I’ll try to keep my hands to myself.” I look at him confused, and he grins. “At least while you’re working.”
I chuckle. “That’s all I’m looking for.”
“We have a dinner reservation at seven. You look just fine for where we’re going, but if you want to go back to my place and change or whatever, let me know.”
“Normally, I’d want to go and take a shower, so my boyfriend always thinks I smell like roses.” I lift my arms and smell my pits to add some levity. “But I figure I’m okay for dinner.”
“You’re always okay.” He reaches for my hand, holding it as he drives us across town. My heart flutters. I’m really beginning to like this guy.
He pulls into a parking space, and we walk the half block to the restaurant. When we walk in, it’s like we’re transformed into what I imagine Tuscany looks like. The walls have hand-painted murals in muted colors of vineyards and a stunning old castle at sunset. The smell of garlic, tomatoes, and freshly baked bread make my stomach growl. I’m starving.
They put us in a quiet corner, and we sit close to one another, the chemistry sparkling between us. I want so much to take him while he’s sitting next to me—public place be damned!
“Christopher, what are you doing here?” A woman walks up to the table, and immediately I’m jealous. She greets him with a hug and kiss. I instantly dislike her. She’s beautiful with almost jet-black hair, stunning blue eyes, and she’s petite. Where is this big, green-eyed, ugly monster coming from?
Then I notice the giant rock on her left hand as Christopher turns to me and says, “Bella, this is Greer Ford. She works with me at SHN.” Turning to Greer, he says, “Greer, this is my girlfriend, Isabella Vargas.”
She lights up and completely ignores Christopher. “I’m absolutely thrilled to meet you. I wish I could say Christopher has told us all about you, but he’s so private.”
“Well, it’s rather new,” I explain.
Turning to Christopher, she asks, “When are you bringing her to a Sunday night dinner?” She turns to me and explains, “All the partners get together on Sunday evenings for a partners’ meeting. We gather first for dinner, and we often bring our significant others. I promise we’re very kind.” She winks at me, and the green-eyed monster of jealousy dissolves completely. I like her.
“She’ll be there Sunday night,” Christopher promises.
“I’m a doctoral candidate at Berkeley, and I’m in a crunch for time,” I explain.
“We’ll have lots of questions for you, but I promise we are very nice.” A gentleman comes over and hands her a bag. “Grazie, Filippo. Make sure you take good care of my friends tonight, but if they give you any trouble, you let me know, and I’ll make their lives miserable.” She smiles at Christopher, and we know she’s just teasing.
“You tell that man of yours that I need more wine,” Filippo says in a thick Italian accent.
“I promise.” They kiss on both cheeks. Turning to us, she says, “Filippo will take excellent care of you. I can’t wait to see you on Sunday.” And in a whirl, she waves and is out the door.
“Sorry about that.” Christopher blushes.
“Actually, I’m glad I got to meet her. It’ll make Sunday night a little easier walking into the wolf’s den. Does her fiancé sell wine?”
“You could say that. He’s the one who owns Bellisima Vineyards up in Napa.”
“Wow. Didn’t they just win a huge award?”
“They did. They won the Decanter Platinum award. We’re worried she’s going to go to work for the family vineyard and leave us. She runs all of our public relations and is a real dynamo. Her works helps make us successful.” He cuddles in close, and says, “Enough talk about my coworker. Tell me about your week? Did Dr. Johnson resurface?”
We settle in to a nice conversation and enjoy ourselves.
“So, when are you going to tell me what I need to know for tomorrow night?”
“I’ve never taken anyone to a family event, so I don’t know what to tell you.” I try to imagine going to my aunt’s house and what he can expect. “It’ll be all family: aunts, uncles, cousins, some kids, some girlfriends and boyfriends. It’s really a backyard family event and the food will be good, but, be prepared, it’ll be spicy.”
“I’ll bring some Tums. Your mom will be there?”
“Yes, but not my dad. He’s in a facility for Parkinson’s. He does okay for a few hours in the morning, but by lunch he’s already sunset and the change in scenery is really hard on him.”
“That must be tough.”
“He has a tremendous shake and talks incredibly slow, but as long as I visit him in the morning, we’re okay.”
“I’m ready for your mom.”
I snort. “You could never be ready for her. She is the woman who drove me harder than I drove myself. She’s incredibly hard to please and really has no filter. Just be aware.”
“I told you, I’m ready.”
When we’ve finished dinner, we hold hands and walk casually back to Christopher’s car. I’m shocked when I see the broken glass on the sidewalk. I don’t remember walking around it when we went into the restaurant, and then I look up and see the damage to his car. I panic. My computer, my research, and my notes for my class on Monday were in the car. I gasp in horror.
We rush to examine the car. My computer is missing but not my bag. I want to cry. I hear Christopher on the phone, “Yes, I’d like to report vandalism and theft to my car.” He gives them our location and assures them, “Yes, we’ll be here waiting.”
Christopher holds me tight as I cry. I’ve backed things up on the cloud, so it isn’t a disaster, but I can’t afford a new computer right now with everything going on. The police come and take our statements. As I watch them fingerprint his car, I experience a strange mixture of being numb and feeling violated.
When the police leave, we drive back to his place. It’s cold without the window. “I’m grateful to have a garage tonight.”
I nod.
“I’ve got a plan, and this isn’t going to affect you for very long. I promise.”
He doesn’t understand that without a computer, I’m screwed. I take my overnight bag, and we head up to his place. We aren’t inside but a few moments when the buzzer to the front door rings, and I almost jump out of my skin.
He allows the person in and goes to meet them at the door while I head to the bathroom. I need to take a shower and wash away this terrible week. Maybe someone is trying to tell me that I need to make some changes in my life. Black Rock’s research is pivotal to getting my PhD. Maybe I should redirect myself to medical school like my mother says or maybe just work as a scientist within a
nother therapeutic start-up. I start to cry big ugly tears. Why can’t things go right?
I hear the shower door behind me, and then his arms slide around me. Tension radiates from my body. I press my face into his chest, my hands against his biceps.
“Shh, I promise, it’s all going to be okay,” he tries soothing me.
I hold on to him and cry harder. He kisses me on my head and holds me tighter, and I feel his erection pulsating just above my sweet spot. I want to forget tonight and just enjoy my time with him. Lifting my head, I kiss him, hard and feral.
I ease closer, skimming my breasts against his bare chest, skin to skin, warmth to warmth, the way I want it to be. The shower is sensual. He washes my hair and body, taking time to caress me as he goes. When he’s done, I’m ready for anything, having forgotten all about my week.
After toweling me dry, he leads me to the bedroom. “Bella.” His voice is rough and thick with emotion. He tangles his fingers in my damp hair and tips my face up before sliding his lips over mine until I ache with the need to have him closer. His tongue delves into my mouth, hot and wet, as he pulls me backward toward the bed. My legs bump the mattress, and he gently lifts me onto the large bed, his mouth never leaving mine. His hands graze my bare skin to knead and mold my breasts.
Heat races through my veins, pooling in my stomach, trickling down between my legs. But it isn’t that mind-numbing desire I’ve felt before. It is richer, a stronger need than I’ve ever felt—not just for sex or a release but for him.
He rolls and pulls me on top of him. “You’re so beautiful,” he rasps.
I love the sound of his voice, the way he says his compliments—not to get into my pants, but because he believes it. I arch into him, needing to feel every part of his body against mine.
His hand snakes out over the side of the bed, and I know he’s reaching for his pants to find his wallet. Pulling out a condom, he rips the foiled packet and offers me the condom. His hard cock takes my breath away as I roll it on him.
He runs a hand down my cheek in a barely there caress. “God, you make me feel whole when I didn’t know I was broken before.”
Those mesmerizing eyes of his streak over my naked body as he moves his hands to skim and explore my curves with the slightest touch. He lifts his head to press his lips to the base of my throat, and I shudder at the warm sensation. One of his big hands settles at my waist as the fingers of his other hand dip into my burning wetness. I moan and curve against his probing fingers, against his thumb, circling and teasing.
The hot tip of his erection brushes my center, almost home, and with that one touch, anticipation blooms into full-blown desire to have him hard and deep. His breath catches when I shiver and rub against his arousal, sending just enough pressure to my core to make me light-headed. He sweeps his hands up my ribs to cup my breasts. “Go slow. I want to remember every inch sliding inside you.”
If the look in his eyes hasn’t nearly stopped my heart, his husky words do. Forget falling for him. I already have. “Kiss me, Christopher.”
He lifts his head and slides his tongue into my mouth just as I lower myself and claim him with my body. Our joining is slow and slick, heated rod against clenching glove. I pull him tight, tighter, until long moments later he is buried to the hilt.
I sigh into his mouth, loving his hard length deep inside, knowing I can never tire of the way he makes me feel. “Love me, Bella.” My heart kicks over. I’m afraid I’m headed in that direction. I know I’m probably not going to be able to stop it.
I slowly rock my hips, which brings a groan from him and a tightening to his hands as they dart over my back and pull me closer. I fear it can’t last, but I want to draw out the moment, to memorize every sound and sensation and the smoldering look in his dark eyes as I ride him.
He thrusts upward at my rocking, and my pleasure builds until I can’t fight it anymore. I grip tighter with my muscles, pulling him closer to the edge, wanting to feel him go over with me. And when he does, when I feel that deep pulse of his release, my orgasm explodes through every limb in my body, shooting me down a slippery slope and into an abyss, and I know there’s no way out for me.
The alarm goes off, and it’s still dark outside. He holds me tight and kisses the top of my head, before saying, “I’ll be right back.”
He returns a few minutes later. “I had this delivered last night.” He presents a box with the latest computer model pictured on the white box. I must look confused. He begins unpacking it. “I know there’s no way you can work and finish your studies without a computer.”
“But I can’t afford this.” Just looking at the box, I can tell it’s worth more than I make in two months. “Particularly this computer.”
He smiles at me. “But I can, and I don’t mind. Let me do this for you. It’s my fault for not taking your computer inside with us or running it here last night.”
“It’s not your fault,” I implore. I’m relieved that I have a computer. I’ll reimburse him one day because I know that I also bear part of the burden because I didn’t even think about my computer in the back seat of his car.
“My insurance will pick up most of this, so don’t worry about it. We’ll need to upload the software you need on it, but it should have the basics already, so it should be easy. We can use my credit card, and I’ll just send it off to the insurance company.”
He plugs in the new computer, and it fires up. It’s so much faster than what I’m used to. Kissing me on the forehead, he says, “I’ll make us some breakfast. Start making a list of what you need to download, and let’s get that done this morning.”
I’m exploring the new computer when he walks in with a steaming plate of eggs, bacon, and toast. “Eat something.”
I take two bites and put the plate down, focusing on what I need to do. A black American Express card is pushed under my nose. “Order whatever you need.”
“I feel really bad taking advantage of you, Christopher.”
“You’re not taking advantage of me. As I said, I’m just going to submit it all to the insurance company.” I reluctantly take the card from him. “Dillon will be here in a few minutes. You have all morning to yourself. I should be back by one. Does that work for you?”
I nod. I have so much to consider that I’m not sure where I should start.
I work like crazy downloading and pulling the research off my cloud server. I don’t think I lost anything too drastic. I change all the passwords on the cloud, despite figuring that whoever stole my computer has most likely wiped the memory and sold it to some poor student in desperate need of a computer.
Time flies, and the next thing I know, Christopher has returned. He smells of sweat and tastes of salt and beer. “Did you have any problems getting what you need?”
I hand him back his credit card. “Not at all, and thankfully almost everything was on the cloud, so I didn’t lose much.”
He kisses me on my forehead. I feel a level of comfort I’ve never felt before. “I’m going to take a shower. What time do we need to leave for your aunt’s?”
“There will be a dinner, and the party will commence afterward. Maybe five- thirty?”
“Okay, I have an appointment to get the car window replaced. It should be done long before we need to leave.”
I don’t see him for the afternoon. When I start to get ready for the evening, despite the time it took to get everything lined up, I realize I was able to get a lot of things completed, and I don’t feel behind. Maybe dating Christopher is something I can do right now.
Chapter sixteen
Christopher
The party is in her aunt's backyard, and there are people everywhere. I’m introduced to easily thirty cousins and many of their spouses, girlfriends, or boyfriends. It’s almost overwhelming.
“I hope I won’t have a test on all their names later,” I mutter into Bella’s hair as I kiss her.
“I know it’s a lot, don’t worry. The only important one is my mother.” She gra
bs me by the hand and leads me to the kitchen. “Mama? Can you take a small break and meet Christopher?”
I see a small woman who looks like an older version of Bella wipe wet hands on an apron tied around her waist. “I’m trying to keep up with the dishes.” She extends her hand. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Christopher.”
“So nice to meet you, Dr. Vargas. I can see the similarities between you and Isabella.”
She smiles proudly. “There is a lot of her father hidden in there too.”
“I look forward to meeting him someday.” Her smile become restrained, and I hope she isn’t upset that I referenced her husband.
“Mama, don’t spend the whole party here in the kitchen. Come outside and visit with us,” Bella beckons.
“Let me finish a few things, and I’ll come out to you,” she assures us.
We get in line for a plate of food. Many of the old aunts come up and flirt with me, and the men size me up. Bella rolls her eyes. “They think you look like a movie star.”
“Wow, that’s quite the compliment.” I smile at her.
“It’s the sapphire blue eyes.”
Dinner is an amazing spread of various Mexican dishes. I load up my plate, and we sit at a table. I’m about halfway through the meal when Bella’s mother sits down. “I appreciate you taking such good care of my daughter.”
“I’m happy to do so,” I tell her.
“Are you going to fund her company?”
I put my fork down so I can address her obvious concern. “It’s not up to me. In my company, it has to pass through multiple groups for approval.”
“Do you know why this research means so much to her?”
I nod. “I believe it’s because her father has Parkinson’s.”
“Good, so you understand.” I can tell she doesn’t trust me. She probably thinks I’m only after her for sex, but I’ll show her that I want something more.
Longing (Billionaire Venture Capitalist #7): A Billionaire Romance Page 11