“You need to leave.” I took a step closer. “Nobody wants you here.”
He smiled, his teeth unnaturally white. “I’ve been following you over the years. NorthStone has done very well.”
I remained silent.
“You should be proud of yourself. From what I understand, you’ve built up quite a company. Not bad.”
He got up from the chair so I wasn’t looking down on him anymore. We were the same height and stood eye to eye. All that alpha male bullshit, but this wasn’t a game he could win. Not this time.
Because I knew why he was here now. The second he’d mentioned NorthStone, I knew.
He walked over to the porch rail and rested his arm on it, gazing up at the house. “I understand your sister has become an actress and even did a television commercial recently.”
I waited him out. A strong breeze swept past us, blowing around the bushes near the front. Dark clouds churned above us.
“Does she ever mention me?” His gaze met mine. “She sounds like quite a young lady.”
I could smell the alcohol on him. So he needed a drink before he came to see me. Good.
“I missed out on a lot with you two.”
“You made a mistake coming here,” I informed him. “NorthStone already pulled out.”
“What’s that?”
“You heard me.”
He’d gone still, and I saw the information wash over him, saw the way he instantly knew what I was talking about. His expression turned shrewd. “That’s not what I heard.”
“Then you need better sources.”
“I heard you were getting in over your head. I came here to try and talk some sense into you.”
I almost smiled that he thought I’d be so easy to manipulate, that he still thought of me as some naive kid. “Is that right,” I murmured. I’d done my homework, but he hadn’t done his. I knew he was in trouble, and I knew the kind of man he was.
Apparently he knew nothing about me. It stung a little that he hadn’t bothered to figure me out before showing up.
“This deal is going to blow up in your face,” he went on. “I’m only here to warn you away.”
“Warn me?” Now I wanted to laugh.
“Hell, yes.” He kept talking, telling me how he regretted the things he’d done in the past, how he didn’t always make the best choices, how he wanted to change all that, and so on.
I cut him off. “You can stop the bullshit. I’ve heard enough.”
“What do you mean? I want to get to know—”
“Shut the hell up!” My temper flared. “I already know you’re in trouble, all right? You’re hanging on by your fingernails, and that’s why you’re here.”
His eyes narrowed, and finally I saw the real man, the one who always put himself above everyone. His mouth closed, his jaw ticking.
“You’re on the verge of bankruptcy, so stop fucking lying to me.” I tried to rein in my anger, but it was like opening Pandora’s box. Years of it simmered to the surface.
He moved closer, pointing at me. “Now you listen to me, Philip. I need this deal to happen, so you’re going to step aside. Do you hear me?”
“Like I said, we’ve already pulled out.”
He nodded. “Good. And you’re going to keep it that way.”
“Except you never should have come here.” I glanced up at those storm clouds brewing and then met his eyes straight on. “Because now I’m rethinking our position.”
He shook his head, smiling without humor. “Jesus, you’ve turned into a real bastard, haven’t you?”
It didn’t matter if I was lying. I doubted he’d be able to raise the amount of capital he needed. He stood close enough that I could smell him. Sweat and alcohol. The smell of desperation.
His smile disappeared. “Stay out of this deal. I’m warning you. Things will get ugly.”
“There’s nothing you can do to stop me. Things are already ugly.”
“No they aren’t.” He studied me. “Maybe it’s time I called my daughter to see if she’d like to have dinner with her old man. What do you think? We have a lot of catching up to do.”
I blinked, immediately concerned about him contacting my sister. He didn’t care about her and never would. Besides himself, money was the only thing he cared about.
He nodded. “Just as I thought. Looks like we finally do understand each other.”
With that, he walked past me, his footsteps moving down the wooden stairs. I heard the Ferrari’s engine roar to life.
I remained still until he drove off, my muscles tight with fury.
“Goddammit!” I slammed my fist into the porch rail. There was a loud crack, and pain shot through my hand as the wood broke away from its base
Ignoring it, I pushed my way into the house, seething.
I didn’t do well with threats. Never had. That bastard really should have taken the time to learn about me. If he thought threats would work, then he was dead wrong.
I yanked open the fridge, searching for a beer, but the only things with alcohol were those dog-piss wine coolers. I grabbed one anyway and took it outside to sit on the back deck, trying to calm myself.
Vanity. Greed. Narcissism. There was a dark side to money. One I hated but saw all too often in people. It had turned my father into something grotesque.
The wind had picked up even more out here, and I looked up at the sky to find black clouds moving in. Claire was right. You could see the storm coming from miles away. It looked like it was headed here fast.
At the thought of Claire, I leaned forward and closed my eyes. My chest ached. I missed her. I missed those rainbows and unicorns. That sweet voice. That tantalizing body. She was the exact opposite of all this darkness.
I set the bottle down. I didn’t want to drink anything.
Instead I locked the house up and headed down to the beach. The wind was much stronger out near the water, and I stood at the edge, letting it pound me.
Without thinking about it, I began to walk toward Sullivan House. In the back of my mind, I knew it was foolish to be out here like this, that only an idiot went out in this kind of weather, but I kept moving anyway. The wind grew stronger, clawing at me, but I’d decided I had to see Claire.
I didn’t know what I would say to her. I didn’t even know if she’d be there or if she’d speak to me. An instinct drove me, told me to keep going, and that was what I did.
The tide was high, and water crashed farther up the shoreline. Something bright flashed nearby. A loud snap followed by the smell of burning ozone. Startled, I realized it was lightning.
Thunder boomed overhead.
I clenched my jaw with determination, pushing forward even harder.
When I arrived at the back gate, I called her phone, but there was no answer. I texted and told her I was out here.
Me: I need to see you.
Because I wasn’t turning back. Not a chance. Not now.
The gate was locked, so I did the only thing I could think of—I climbed it. I gave myself a running start and scaled the damn thing. The sky boomed overhead just as I landed on the other side.
Trespassing on private property. Quicksilver would be proud.
There were two paths. I took the one less used. The one I hoped would lead me to the carriage house.
It was only late afternoon but already dark as I made my way through the woods. I was nearly there when I saw a figure up ahead, coming toward me.
It was Claire, hugging herself against the wind.
“Are you crazy?” she yelled as soon as we were close enough. “What do you think you’re doing out here?”
“I had to see you.”
She was right in front of me, and it was all I could do not to reach out for her. She was so beautiful, so right in every way.
“Now?” She gestured at the wind pummeling us. “It couldn’t wait?”
“No, it couldn’t.” I knew it was nuts coming here like this, but I didn’t care. I needed to explain myself. �
��I was only trying to protect you when I got our lawyers involved. That’s all. I swear I didn’t mean anything else by it.”
The wind whipped her hair around, but her eyes never left my face.
“I’m sorry,” I said, speaking loudly over the storm. “Though I should tell you I don’t regret it. In fact, I’d do it again the same way.”
She seemed incredulous. “What the heck kind of apology is that?”
“This isn’t the end for us, Claire. It can’t be.” I reached down and grabbed her hands. “It’s the beginning. Don’t you see that?”
She didn’t reply, and I thought, Shit, I’m fucking this whole thing up again.
But then she smiled, and relief blew through me stronger than the wind.
In that moment, I knew I’d walk through any storm, slay any dragon, if it brought me to her door.
There was a loud boom above us, a cracking noise, and then it poured. Buckets of rain falling.
“Come on!” she yelled.
I still held her hand as we ran through the woods together. Her little house waited for us in the distance—a fairy-tale cottage, lit up and cozy.
Once inside, I pulled her into my arms. Stumbling over the threshold, I didn’t care if we were soaking wet. I didn’t care about the storm. All I knew was I needed to feel her against me.
Our mouths found each other, and I kissed her senseless. She tasted like heaven. Like a miracle.
“You’re a lunatic,” she told me, her lips moving against mine. “Completely crazy. I can’t believe you.”
“Don’t talk, sweetheart.”
She laughed, and I couldn’t help laughing too, our faces close.
But then our laughter faded and our mouth came together, the kiss turning into something else. Something hungry. My tongue sought hers, and I held her while still ravaging her mouth, not holding anything back.
She whimpered, clinging to me, her arms tight around my neck. The scent of wet cotton surrounded us, more erotic than anything I could have imagined.
The sky thundered again as my hands roamed over her soaked clothing, then beneath them. I wanted to touch her everywhere, feel her against me.
“Let’s get you out of these wet clothes,” I said.
She nodded, helping me pull off everything until she was naked. Nothing but creamy white skin, every part of her plump and pretty, damp from the rain.
I swallowed, trying to steady myself.
I slid my hands down over her shoulders to her breasts. She seemed to have grown shy before me, but I knew how to fix that. “You’re beautiful, Claire,” I said, my voice rough with honesty. “So beautiful.”
Her eyes widened, and then she smiled as she pushed her hands beneath my shirt. “We need to take your wet clothes off too.”
I reached behind my head and tugged my T-shirt off. Claire’s hands went directly to my chest before moving lower to unfasten my belt. Her fingers slid over the front of my jeans, tracing the outline of my hard-on. A low groan escaped me.
She unfastened the top button, sliding the zipper down. I watched her face, my breath shaking, as she pushed her hands beneath the waistband of my boxers. Her cool fingers found me, stroking my length, and I groaned again.
“Sweetheart…,” I murmured.
Claire continued to stroke me while I closed my eyes and gave in to the sensation.
Eventually she pushed my jeans and boxers down. Then I took over, kicking off everything else.
When we were both naked, my gaze went over to that brass bed of hers. It just sat there waiting for us. I couldn’t help my grin when I saw it.
“What is it?” she asked.
I pulled her in to me. “I’ve had a lot of fantasies about the two of us in your bed.”
Her brows went up. “You have?”
I slid a hand down over her plump ass and nodded.
“Like what?”
I licked my lips. “Are you sure you want to hear them? They’ll make you blush.”
I noticed her breath had picked up. She pressed her body closer. “Will they?”
“Yes, they will.” I brought my mouth to hers, nipping at her lower lip.
“Go on, tell me.”
With one hand on her ass, I moved the other between her thighs. “I’ve thought about tasting you a lot.”
Her eyes grew heated.
“I want to lick you everywhere.” I let my fingers slide through her folds, fondling her as her breath grew shaky. “I want to lick you until you’re soaking wet, until you’re screaming and coming all over my face. And then I want to do it again.”
She moaned softly and yanked me in hard, crushing her mouth against mine.
Our tongues sparred with each other as my cock throbbed. I was glad she enjoyed my fantasy. I continued to play with her while her hips moved against me with need. She was responsive and slippery as hell, and it was making me crazy.
When our kiss broke apart, I brought my hand up to my mouth. Musky and sweet. The smell of her arousal sent a jolt of lust straight through me.
Despite what I’d just told her, her eyes widened as she watched me lick my fingers. “You’re kind of dirty, aren’t you?” she said, sounding breathless—and, if I wasn’t mistaken, thrilled.
There was another loud boom of thunder. Rain pelted the windows and roof. Her birds squawked, and Claire turned toward the cage, which was covered with a white sheet.
“I should check on them.”
I watched her walk. Those breasts and that ass bounced and jiggled, sending more jolts of lust through me. I grabbed my dick, trying to ease myself. I’d be happy to sit and watch her walk around the room naked all day.
She lifted the sheet on the cage, and I went over to stand behind her, my hands resting on her hips as I peered at the two birds over her shoulder. “How are they?”
“They get nervous during storms, but they seem okay.”
Claire spoke softly to them, telling them everything was fine and the storm would be gone soon. I watched the parakeets flutter around.
“Kiss, kiss,” squawked the green one—Calico Jack.
“Did you teach him that?”
She nodded. “I did. He’s a fast learner.”
“Does Quicksilver ever talk?”
“No.” She turned and looked at me over her shoulder. “He’s too busy being a delinquent.”
As she gazed up at me, I was struck all over again by how pretty she was, how saucy and sweet. My chest ached with tenderness.
I was in the middle of a storm in a tiny house that looked like a lollipop with a woman who reminded me of rainbows. A month ago I never would have dreamed I’d be happy here, but I was. It was perfect. Better than perfect.
I lifted my hand to stroke her cheek, turning her toward me all the way. “Thank you for giving me another chance.”
“It’s okay.” She took a deep breath. “I’ll tell you a secret. I missed you.”
“You did?” I searched her eyes. I wanted this to be true, wanted it more than anything.
She nodded. “A lot.”
“Because I meant what I said. This is the beginning for us, Claire.”
She slid her arms around my neck, pressing her soft body into mine. “I know. I’m glad you came back for me.”
I let my breath out with relief. And then I kissed her again. I took my time exploring her mouth, savoring everything about her.
Thunder boomed. A gust of wind rattled the whole house, and then the lights flickered before going out completely.
“We’ve lost power,” she whispered.
I glanced around the room. It was dim. Early evening, but there was still daylight. “You’re right.”
The birds began to squawk again. “I’m going to put the sheet back on,” she said. “It usually helps calm them.”
I nodded and watched as she turned back around to cover the cage. When she was finished, I stood behind her, whispering in her ear. “And now I have plans for you, my pirate princess.”
“You do
?”
“Aye, wicked plans.”
She giggled. “Philip….”
I took her hand and pulled her over to the bed. I’d never been on it before and was pleased to discover the pillows and bedding were soft as we sank into them.
She was on her back and I lay over her, both of us kissing and caressing each other. Our hands slid everywhere, learning one another’s body. A sexy torture.
I was aroused but trying to pace myself. When she slid her hand down to grasp my cock, I allowed it for a little while. Her fingers stroked me, exploring. It felt too good.
I moved her hand away and sat up partway, still wanting to savor this. Our first time. “Do something for me. I want you to grab the bed frame above your head.”
“You do?”
I licked my lips, getting excited at the thought. “Yes.”
She seemed concerned though. “Why? You’re not going to tie me up, are you?”
“What?” I was taken aback. “No, I wasn’t planning on it.”
“Because I just… well, I want you to know I’m not into any of that weird stuff.”
“Weird stuff?”
She nodded. “You know, that stuff billionaires do in movies.”
I chuckled. I hadn’t seen any of those movies, but I’d heard enough jokes about them. “Don’t worry,” I assured her. “A beautiful, sexy woman is all I need.”
“Okay, good. I just wanted to be clear.”
“So no whips or chains, huh?”
“Maybe in the future. After pigs grow wings and learn to fly.”
I laughed some more and then gazed at her with affection. She was smiling too. That ache in my chest came back. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt like this with anyone.
We both quieted, and I asked her again to grab the bed frame above her head again. “Do you trust me?”
She eyed me. “Apparently I do.”
She reached overhead, and when she grabbed the brass frame, it was just like I’d imagined. Only better, because it was real. Beautiful and erotic. Her back arched, thrusting those perfect breasts up high. If I were an artist, this was what I’d paint. I’d create a dozen canvases with her just like this. A voyeuristic fantasy.
Her knees were bent, legs parted, and I moved between her thighs. My eyes roamed over the length of her, enjoying myself. Thank God it wasn’t dark yet and I could see her clearly.
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