Harlequin Presents--April 2021--Box Set 2 of 2

by Dani Collins

  Finn gave a laugh and grasped her by the hips again, tugging her against his potent heat. ‘I’ve wanted to do this for months.’ He began to nibble on her earlobe, the teasing nip of his teeth making her shudder with pleasure.

  ‘So, let’s do it.’ Zoey could hardly believe she was saying it, but it was all she wanted right now. He was all she wanted right now. To have his potent, powerful body ease the desperate, clawing ache of her female flesh.

  Finn pulled back a little to look into her eyes with a searching expression. ‘Are you sure this is what you want?’

  Zoey rubbed up against him again, her gaze sultry, delighting in the way he snatched in a breath as if her body thrilled him like no other. ‘I want you, Finn. I don’t know how to make that any clearer.’

  ‘While we’re on the topic of clarity—you know I’m not in this for the long haul, right? I don’t do long-term relationships. It’s not my gig—never has been, never will be.’

  Zoey stroked her hand down his lean jaw. ‘Yes, well, that’s lucky, because I don’t either. Or at least, not any more.’ She stroked the length of his nose and then outlined the contour of his mouth and added, ‘This is exactly what I need right now. A one-night stand with a man who won’t call me tomorrow and want a repeat.’ She tapped his lower lip with her fingertip. ‘Deal?’

  Something shifted at the back of his gaze—a tiny flicker, like a sudden start of surprise, but quickly concealed. ‘Deal.’ His mouth came down to hers in a hard, scorching kiss, the heat inflamed all the more by the erotic press of their bodies.

  Zoey opened to the commanding thrust of his tongue, her arms winding around his neck, which brought her tingling breasts tighter against his chest. The sprinkling of his chest hair tickled her soft flesh and his guttural groan as he deepened the kiss made her toes curl into the carpet at her feet. She had never felt such overwhelming desire for a man, such intense longing, it consumed her from head to foot.

  Finn walked her backwards to the bed, his mouth still pressed firmly against hers. He laid her down and stood looking at her for a long, breathless moment, his body in full arousal making her inner core coil and tighten with lust.

  Being taller than most of her friends, Zoey had her share of body issues, always feeling gargantuan compared to her petite friends. But with Finn’s ravenous gaze moving over her she felt like a supermodel and, for the first time in for ever, proud of her feminine curves and long limbs. ‘Had your fill?’ she asked in a coquettish tone.

  ‘Not yet.’

  He leaned down over her, resting his hands either side of her head, his gaze capturing hers. ‘You’re beautiful—every delicious inch of you.’

  ‘Yes, well, there are quite a few inches of me.’

  He smiled and stroked a lazy finger down between her breasts, his eyes darkening to pitch. ‘And I am going to kiss each and every one of them.’

  Zoey shivered, her need for him escalating to the point of discomfort. She reached up to grasp his head with both of her hands. ‘If you don’t have sex with me soon, I’m going to scream.’

  His brown eyes glinted. ‘Then it looks like I’m going to make you scream either way.’

  A frisson passed over her body at the erotic promise of his statement, the same erotic promise she could see in his eyes. She had never been all that vocal during sex with her ex. Their love life had become a little routine over the time they’d been together, but she had put that down to the increasing demands of their careers. If she were to be perfectly honest, it had even been a tad boring at times.

  ‘I’m not a screamer, as it turns out.’ Zoey wasn’t sure why she was spilling such personal information to him.

  Finn came down beside her on the bed and placed his hand on her mound. ‘Then I guarantee you soon will be.’

  He brought his mouth down to her folds and she arched her spine like a languorous cat, unable to speak for the sensations flowing through her. Electric sensations sent ripples of pleasure to every inch of her body. His tongue stroked against the swollen bud of her clitoris, delicately at first, gauging her response, before he increased his rhythm and pressure.

  Zoey gasped as lightning bolts of delight coursed through her flesh, the tension building inexorably to a point of no return. A part of her mind drifted above to look down at her body being pleasured by Finn, and was a little shocked at how vulnerable she had made herself to him. The intimacy of what he was doing to her was way beyond what she had experienced before. Rupert had occasionally gone down on her, but he never stayed long enough for her to feel anything more than a few vague flutters.

  But with Finn her body was on fire, and the flames were licking at her flesh with tongues of incendiary heat. Zoey arched her spine even further, her legs trembling as the wave of pleasure hit her with a booming crash. Her breathless whimpers became cries, and then an almost shrill scream, as the waves kept coming, one after the other, pummelling her, pounding through her, until she was thrown out the other side, limp, satiated, in a total state of physical bliss.

  ‘Oh, dear God...’ She was lost for words, her breathing still out of order, her senses still spinning.

  Finn moved back up her body, his eyes shining like dark, wet paint. ‘Ready for more?’

  ‘You can’t be serious? I’m a come-once-only girl.’

  A wicked glint appeared in his gaze. ‘Let’s see what I can do about changing that.’ He sprang off the bed and went to get a condom from his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans. Zoey relished watching him, his gloriously naked body stirring a new wave of longing in her. He tore the foil packet with his teeth, tossing away the wrapper, and then rolled the condom over his erection, glancing at her with that same dancing, devilish glint in his eyes. And Zoey almost climaxed again on the spot.

  Finn came back over to her and she reached up and tugged him back down so he was lying over her, his weight balanced on his arms, one of his powerful thighs hitched over hers. He leaned down to kiss her and she tasted herself on his lips, the raw and earthy intimacy of it blowing her mind. His tongue entered her mouth, teasing hers into a duel that mimicked the throbbing energy of him poised between her thighs. He ran one hand down the flank of her thigh in a slow stroke, and then back again, his mouth moving against hers with deeper and deeper passion.

  He lifted his mouth off hers to gaze down at her, his breathing heavy. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever wanted someone more than I do you at this moment.’ His voice was rough-edged, his eyes holding hers in an intimate lock that heralded the sensual delights to come.

  Zoey placed her hand at the back of his head, her fingers toying with his hair. ‘I bet you say that to everyone you sleep with.’ Her tone was teasing but a part of her realised with a twinge of unease—their one-night stand agreement notwithstanding—she didn’t want him to look on her as he looked on his other lovers. She wanted to stand apart, to be someone who wouldn’t just disappear into the crowd of past lovers, the nameless women he had pleasured and then walked away from without a backward glance. The sort of women who gave him business cards with lipstick kisses and ‘thanks for the memories’ messages.

  But exactly what did she want?

  Zoey didn’t want a committed relationship with Finn, or with anyone else for that matter. That part of her life was over. Dead and buried. She could never trust another man, let him into her life, into her body and then find he had betrayed her. She wasn’t that much of a fool to lay herself open again to such ego-shredding hurt.

  But she did want to feel alive and, right now, she had never felt more so.

  Finn brushed a wayward strand of her hair back off her face. ‘I haven’t said it to anyone and meant it the way I do right now. You drive me crazy.’

  ‘You drive me crazy too.’

  ‘Good, because I would hate it if things weren’t equal between us.’ He nudged at her entrance, his eyes darkening as he surged into her with a throaty g
roan.

  Zoey gasped in bliss as he drove to the hilt, her body welcoming him, wrapping around him, gripping him as he started thrusting. She was quickly swept away with his fast-paced rhythm, her senses reeling as the friction increased. Sensations shot through her female flesh, darts, flickers and arrows of pleasure that increased with every deep thrust of his body. She gripped him by his taut buttocks, unable to think, only to feel. And, oh, what exquisite feeling. Tingles, fizzes and starbursts of pleasure rippled through her. The tension grew and grew in the most sensitive nub of her body, but she couldn’t quite tip over the edge.

  Finn brought his hand down between their bodies and began to stroke her swollen flesh with his fingers, the extra friction, right where she needed it, sending her into outer space. Her orgasm was like a meteor strike exploding in her flesh, sending ripples and waves and rushes of pleasure through her body so fast and so furiously, it was almost frightening. Her body had never felt so out of control. It was spinning and thrashing and whirling with sensations that went on and on, the sweet torture making her throw her head back and bite back a scream.

  The muffled scream turned into a sob—a laughing sob of disbelief. How could she have experienced such a tumult of the senses with a man she viewed as the enemy?

  Finn gave another deep groan and surged deeply, his movements fast, almost frantic, before he finally let go. Zoey gripped him by the buttocks, a vicarious frisson of pleasure passing over her body as she felt the intensity of his release. He collapsed over her, his breathing still hectic, the slightly rougher skin of his jaw tickling her cheek.

  After a few moments, he propped himself up on one elbow to look down at her, his body still joined to hers. He brushed back a stray hair from her face, his expression difficult to make out. His eyes moved between hers, back and forth, back and forth, every now and again dipping to her mouth and back again. He brought his index finger to her mouth and tapped her gently on her lips. ‘You rocked me to the core.’

  ‘I’m not finished rocking you.’ Zoey captured his finger with her teeth, biting down with just enough pressure to see his pupils flare. She opened her bite just enough so she could glide her tongue over the pad of his finger, holding his smouldering gaze.

  ‘Whoa there, babe. I have some business to see to.’ He sucked in a breath and pulled away to deal with the used condom.

  Zoey lay on her side with her elbow bent, resting her head on her hand, and followed him with her gaze, drinking in the sight of his lean, tanned build and firm muscles. ‘Do you have any more condoms with you?’ She could barely believe she had asked such a question. Who was this insatiable woman? It was certainly nothing like her former self.

  Finn winked at her and picked up his wallet. ‘Enough.’

  ‘How many is enough?’

  He walked back over to her and sat beside her, one of his hands running up and down her leg. ‘What time’s your pitch?’

  Zoey glanced past him at the bedside clock and her stomach nose-dived. How could so much time have passed? She had completely forgotten about her pitch at nine a.m. ‘Oh, shoot. I have to rush.’ She brushed his hand away and scrambled off the bed, grabbing the bath robe off the floor and bundling herself into it. ‘I have to shower and do my hair and make-up.’ And get her scattered senses under some semblance of control.

  Finn rose from the bed with an inscrutable look on his face. ‘Then I won’t keep you any longer.’

  Zoey stood toying with the belt of her bath robe as he dressed, her teeth chewing at her lower lip, her body still tingling from his intimate possession. He picked up his laptop bag and slung it over his shoulder, his expression still masked.

  ‘Erm...thanks for bringing me my laptop,’ Zoey began but found herself floundering for what else to say. Thanks for the memories? Thanks for giving me the best two orgasms of my life? Can I see you again? No. She definitely was not saying that. No way. She had scratched the Finn O’Connell itch and it was time to move on. ‘Hope you have a good flight back home,’ she added. Urgh. Of course he would have a good flight home, no doubt with the Frascatelli account firmly in his possession.

  Finn gave a brief smile that didn’t reach his eyes. ‘It was my pleasure.’ And then he walked out of the suite and closed the door behind him with a definitive click that made Zoey flinch.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  FINN’S PITCH PRESENTATION didn’t go as he’d envisaged. For one thing, his mind was replaying every moment of making love to Zoey Brackenfield instead of focussing on selling his vision for the ad campaign to the client’s representative.

  The second thing was a niggling sense of irritation that Zoey hadn’t expressed a desire to see him again for a repeat session or two. He had expected her to say it before he left her hotel room. Expected it so much that when it hadn’t been forthcoming it had stung him in a way he had not been stung before. It was ironic, as usually it was he who sent a lover on her way with no promise of a follow-up. But it was her call, and he had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before their paths crossed once again. And he would make the most of it.

  The sex had been nothing short of phenomenal, a totally mind-blowing experience, and he wanted more. Ached to have her in his arms again with a throbbing ache so deep and intense, it was distracting him from his work. So much so, he didn’t realise the representative from the Frascatelli Hotel corporation was speaking to him.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Finn said. ‘I missed that last bit. What did you say?’

  The representative closed their meeting with a stiff smile. ‘Once Leonardo Frascatelli has a look at the three candidates’ presentations for himself, and my order of preference, he will make a final decision and be in touch on who gets the contract. It will be a few days, I should think.’

  ‘Thank you.’ At least he might be in with a chance if Leo Frascatelli had the final say, Finn thought with an inward sigh of relief. It was a big account, and he knew there would be ongoing work once this initial campaign was over. He liked to win when he set his mind on a goal. It was why he loved the advertising business—it was an adrenalin rush, a fast-paced creative process with big dividends. He enjoyed the team work and he had some of the best in the business working for him.

  But the biggest adrenalin rush he’d experienced lately was his one-nighter with Zoey. The hunger she had triggered in him hadn’t gone away in spite of their hot night of sex. It hadn’t defused anything. Instead, his hunger for her was even more ravenous than before. She stirred a fervent sexual energy in him, an energy unlike anything else he had experienced with anyone else.

  He didn’t know what it was about her, but he wanted more. Zoey had said she hated him, but it didn’t change the fact that she desired him. And what a scorching-hot desire it was. He shuddered every time he thought of her silky warmth gripping him so tightly, her breathless gasps and cries of pleasure, the almost desperate clutch of her hands on his body. He had felt the same desperation to be as close as it was physically possible to be.

  Finn walked out of the meeting room, sure he could pick up a faint trace of Zoey’s perfume lingering in the air from when she had pitched earlier that morning. He closed the door on his exit and blew out a long breath.

  Boy, oh, boy, did he have the lust bug bad.

  * * *

  Zoey flew back to London later the same day, determined to stick to the plan of no repeats of her completely out-of-character hook-up with Finn O’Connell. But the deed was done and now it was time to move on and not allow herself to think of him. Anyway, he was probably in bed with someone else by now.

  As for her pitch, well, it was Finn’s fault she had stumbled and garbled her way through it like a rookie intern on her first project. How was she supposed to perform at a peak professional level with her body still tingling from head to foot from Finn’s off-the-scale lovemaking?

  But then a thought dropped into her head... Maybe that had been his plan right from the
start. Maybe he had wanted to sabotage her pitch by scrambling her brain, short-circuiting her senses, until all she could think about was the stroke and glide of his hands on her skin, his powerful body deep within hers, the star-bursting orgasms that had left her body still tingling even hours later.

  Maybe even the laptop switch had been deliberate. Seeing him in the queue at Heathrow had certainly flustered her. She had been so intent on getting through security without betraying how much he unsettled her, she had grabbed a computer off the conveyor belt without properly checking if it was hers.

  But, as much as she was annoyed with herself over that little mix-up, how could she regret sleeping with him? It had been more hate sex on her part than anything else, but it had totally blown her mind and sent her senses into haywire from which they had yet to recover. How could she regret having the most incredible sex of her life?

  Erm...because it’s Finn O’Connell?

  Zoey closed her eyes in a ‘why was I such an idiot?’ manner. But she consoled herself that it was only the once and it would not be repeated. There was no way she was going to hanker after him like his posse of fan girls. She had way too much pride.

  In fact, she was not going to think about him at all.

  * * *

  Finn had only been back at his office a few minutes when his receptionist-cum-secretary, June, informed him Harry Brackenfield was waiting to speak to him in the conference room. ‘He said it’s highly confidential and he didn’t want to be seen waiting for you in the waiting room,’ she added. ‘He wouldn’t even make an appointment to come back at a more convenient time.’

  ‘That’s okay, I’ll see him,’ Finn said, wondering if he was in for a lecture about sleeping with Harry’s daughter. But surely Zoey wouldn’t share such private details of her love life with her father? Besides, Harry Brackenfield didn’t seem the devoted and protective dad type.