She whimpered, but understood that he wasn’t fooling around. She glanced behind her, but he took her hands, lowering her back to the countertop. “It’s cold!” she hissed, but he only chuckled.
“I’ll warm you up in a moment,” he promised. “Lift your hips for me first.”
Feeling awkward, but her body zinging with the hope of a climax, she lifted her hips slightly. He quickly pulled her dress out of the way, before gazing down at her. She was naked other than the thigh high stockings Gloria had convinced her to purchase and the heels she’d worn to work.
He tweaked her nipples and whatever she’d been about to say was gone from her mind. His fingers slid down over her stomach, between her thighs.
“I love you like this, Selena,” he groaned, his eyes following his fingers’ path. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you look right now?”
“No. I know how much I want you to put your fingers back,” she admitted, too desperate to be shy. “And I know you’re teasing me.” With that, his smile widened and he bent over her, his lips hovering over her nipple.
“You’re right. I am teasing you. It’s fun.”
She writhed on the countertop as his mouth closed over her nipple, his tongue flicking the sensitive peak. “Reid!” she shrieked, her fingers diving into his hair. Her knees rose as she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer. He was still fully clothed, his tie tickling her belly as his lips teased her nipple.
“Reid, this isn’t…I can’t take much more!”
He laughed, his hands smoothing up and down her legs. “Oh, you’re going to take a whole lot more, Selena. And you’re going to love it!”
She shook her head, trying to sit up. But he stopped her, holding her in place.
“Going somewhere?” he teased, his fingers sliding into her wet heat again.
Selena froze, entirely focused on his fingers. “I need to…!” His fingers twisted and she arched her back, her hands gripping the edges of the counter.
“What do you need?” he asked softly, his fingers moving gently.
“That! Just that! Don’t stop!” she sobbed, twisting her body in an effort to make his fingers keep doing exactly what they were doing.
“You don’t want this too?” he asked softly.
She couldn’t open her eyes to figure out what he might do, so Selena wasn’t prepared when his mouth closed over that sensitive nub. With just a few flicks of his tongue against that nub, she splintered apart, the pleasure so intense, she couldn’t even make a sound this time. She wasn’t aware of her fingers pulling at his hair or the way her legs tightened around his shoulders. Selena gasped for breath, trying desperately hard to melt into a puddle of desire.
“Let it happen,” he soothed, his fingers moving expertly against her body, increasing the pleasure and then…slowly letting her body settle back, releasing the pressure as the climax subsided.
Gasping for breath, Selena fell back against the counter, unaware and unconcerned with the cold stone now. All she could feel was her body throbbing with the after effects of pleasure.
“Reid,” she whispered, loosening her grip as he pulled away. She heard him shuffling and opened her eyes slightly. He was taking off his clothes. With a smile, she shifted, sitting up to better enjoy the show.
“Ready for another?” he asked, tossing his slacks over a chair, then turning to press between her knees before sliding her forward, his erection nestled between them.
“Yes. I think that would be lovely,” Selena replied with a smile.
“Good.” A moment later, he shifted, positioning himself at her opening.
“Now,” she urged, wiggling to help him enter her. With a grin, he obliged and Serena felt him slide smoothly into her body. She arched her back, taking more of him, wanting him deeper still. Closing her eyes, her head fell backwards as her arms wrapped around his neck. “Yes!” she whispered, shifting a bit more to take all of him into her body.
When he was fully inside of her, he paused, taking a breath and she felt the warmth of him everywhere. Slowly, he started moving. Thrusting deeper and deeper, she dug her nails into his shoulders and let him take control. She couldn’t lift her hips to meet his thrusts, not on the counter like this. But she tightened her inner muscles around him, needing him to go faster. When he did, she held her breath as each thrust brought her closer and closer to that pinnacle. And when he brought her over one more time, she tightened her legs around his hips as the pleasure rolled over her, taking all thought with it.
A few more thrusts and she felt him reach his own climax but she couldn’t do anything to help him. All she could do was hold on.
Breathing. Heavy breathing and soft touches.
Smiling, Selena slowly loosened her arms from around his shoulders and pulled back.
“You doing okay?” he asked, as he lowered his head to kiss her. Selena realized that he hadn’t kissed her until that moment and almost laughed out loud. All of that was just because of her shoes?
“I found a pair of killer red heels at the store the other day,” she told him.
His whole body stiffened and she knew that he was picturing her in the red heels. “You’re going to kill me,” he groaned. “And I’m going to die a happy death.”
Selena laughed, thinking that he was the most delightful man she’d ever met.
Chapter 11
Selena felt as if she were drifting through life on a happy cloud. She loved Denver. She absolutely loved marketing, but she ached to get back to the training rooms and connect with the sales representatives. Her first love would always be working with the ladies on the front lines. She had several ideas on how to help the company sell the new concepts too!
Even better than her new job and her new town…she was in love with Reid. Not the silly, schoolgirl crushes she’d experienced watching jocks in high school and college. Nope, this was a heart pounding, sweet, and terrifying feeling that made her sigh wistfully every time he came to mind. She didn’t just enjoy the sex with him, she liked spending time with him. It had been two weeks since that momentous hike. Two weeks of coming home from work with him, making love with him, cooking meals, laughing and sharing her day with him. He was funny and kind, sweet and excitingly menacing when he got that look in his eyes. Every time he touched her, he rocked her world.
None of her previous relationships had done that for her. Selena recognized that her past relationships had all been one sided. The men had been with her for the sex and she was with the men to soothe that vulnerable, insecure girl inside of her.
Thankfully, she was over that now. This time, with Reid, she felt as if this was real, as if he needed her just as much as she needed him in her life.
“We going out to lunch today!” a lilting voice announced.
Selena looked up to find Gianna stepping into her office. The woman was too beautiful for words. In another life, Selena might have felt intimidated by Gianna. But the woman was just too friendly and outgoing. Besides, Gianna had decided that they were going to be friends. The spunky Italian bombshell didn’t really give a person a choice. Everyone in the office seemed to go along when Gianna made a decision.
And since she was usually right, no one argued about her dictates.
Except for Brant, Selena thought. Reid’s brother seemed ready to explode into a fury every time the lovely Gianna stepped into his air space. It was almost hilarious to watch. Selena even suspected that Gianna did things to provoke the very staid Brant on purpose, wanting to spark his temper in any way she could.
“You’re stalling,” Gianna announced and plucked Selena’s pen out of her hand. “We must try that restaurant down by the art center. I haven’t been there and someone said we couldn’t get a table.”
Selena’s eyes widened with confusion. “Well, if we can’t…”
“We get one!” she announced, her Italian accent coming out a bit more forcefully. Gianna certainly loved a challenge! “No one tells me that they don’t have room.”
“No!” Gianna announced, slicing her hand through the air in that way only Italians could. “We dine at the special place.”
No arguments this time. There was a good chance that Gianna was right. So far, every man groveled at her feet. She had the eyes and the figure that made men drool, so who was she to tell the vivacious woman that they wouldn’t be allowed to dine at the exclusive place?
“Let’s go. I have heard about your effect on men. I want to see it in action.” Selena hoisted her tote onto her shoulder and followed Gianna out of her office.
They were at the elevator when she spotted Reid coming out of an office further down the hallway. For a moment, she paused to admire him. He was so tall and handsome, so amazingly virile.
And angry, she thought. Interesting. She hadn’t heard about any new issues lately.
Their eyes locked and her heart stopped for a long moment. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. Vaguely, she heard the elevator ping, indicating that the elevator had arrived, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him.
And then he was gone. An icy fear entered her heart as she watched him talk to someone on the floor.
“Ready?” Gianna asked.
Selena pulled her eyes away, blinking as she tried to re-orient herself. Elevator. Lunch. “Right!” she gasped and stepped into the waiting elevator. Gianna pressed the button that would take them both down to the lobby level, but Selena couldn’t think about lunch.
What was going on? Reid had glared at her as if she’d done something horrible. Thinking through the morning, she couldn’t think of anything that had gone wrong. The campaign’s schedule was ahead of where they were supposed to be. There hadn’t been any contentious meetings…what had gone wrong?
Or was she reading too much into the look? It had been only moments and in a crowded hallway. Was she imagining the anger in his eyes? He’d hidden the look quickly, then walked away. But…?
“Forget men!” Gianna said as soon as the door opened.
Selena blinked and looked at the shorter woman. “I’m sorry?”
Gianna laughed, the sound filled with the absolute joy of life. It was a sound Selena had only learned to make over the past week.
“Men aren’t worth it, Selena.”
“I’m not…”
“Reid Jones? The nicer brother to Brant Jones, my boss?”
Selena laughed but it sounded a bit too self-conscious. “Reid and I aren’t…”
“Of course you are and it’s wonderful that you are experimenting. Especially since you’re doing it with the nicer of the two brothers.”
“Three,” Selena corrected without thinking about it.
Gianna stopped and glanced at Selena. “Three? There are three of them? Where’s the third? I’ll have be sure to avoid him too!”
Selena sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Um…I think that the third brother, Mick or Mack or Mike, something like that…lives out in the mountains somewhere.”
“I’ve never seen this person!” she said with another wave that seemed to dismiss the man simply because she’d never met him.
Gianna continued, ranting about Brant and how serious he was, how emotionally uptight and annoying the man seemed to be. Selena listened with only half an ear while she tried to sift through possibilities for why Reid was so angry.
They arrived at the beautiful restaurant and Selena cringed. “Name on the reservation?” a blond woman asked, obviously not impressed with Gianna’s wild curls or luscious figure.
“We don’t have a reservation, but we’ll take a table near the window.”
Selena almost laughed along with the hostess. The window tables were usually the best in the house and reserved for the high rollers.
“I’m sorry, but those tables are all reserved. Perhaps…”
“Hello!” Gianna beamed, moving over to a man in a business suit.
Selena cringed, not sure who he was. Nor could she hear what Gianna was saying to him, but a moment later, the man threw back his head and laughed. A moment later, he lifted Gianna’s hand to his lips, kissing her fingers in a very old-world manner.
“I think we can squeeze in two beautiful ladies for lunch,” the man announced, glancing over Gianna’s shoulder at Selena.
Selena winced inwardly, the insecure girl from high school rearing her ugly head. As soon as she realized what she was thinking, Selena stopped, her head tilting back slightly as she squared her shoulders. This was her world now. She didn’t cringe about anything! Never again! The two of them might get kicked out of this restaurant, but they’d go with their head held high and with a story to tell later on.
But to her surprise, the man winked at Selena, his gaze taking in her figure with obvious appreciation.
“This way,” he took Gianna’s hand and tucked it into his elbow.
A moment later, they were seated at one of the best tables in the restaurant, looking out of a floor to ceiling window that displayed the beauty of the Rocky Mountains in the distance.
“Nice!” Selena whispered after the restaurant manager had walked away with a bow. “I don’t know what you said, but I think you’re a genius!”
Gianna laughed. “I’m glad someone appreciates my brilliance,” she said.
“Uh oh,” Selena chuckled. “Who doesn’t appreciate your genius?” she asked.
Gianna rolled a shoulder as if dismissing the person who had dared to ignore her. “It do not matter,” she announced. “He is unworthy of my attentions anyway.”
Selena leaned back in her chair, admiring the woman. To an outsider, Gianna appeared to be one of those women who got everything she wanted simply by snapping her fingers. But Selena had gotten to know the brunette and had discovered that Gianna was gracious and gentle. She loved life, embraced it with both hands and wanted the rest of the world to be just as happy. There wasn’t a mean bone in her body, unless someone was unfair to another person. Then watch out! Gianna’s imagination would bring the world down around anyone who had dared to hurt another human being’s feelings.
Just the other day, Selena had come around the corner to discover one of the managers berating his administrative assistant. Later that afternoon, the man had come out of the kitchen with a coffee stain covering the front of his dress shirt, muttering curses under his breath. When Selena walked into Gianna’s office, the woman was carefully storing away a nail file, a satisfied look in her dark eyes.
“What did you do?” Selena had whispered, knowing that the spilled coffee was her doing, but not sure how.
“I grew up with brothers,” she explained with a dismissive shrug. “I learned to get back at them in unexpected ways.”
Selena had laughed and mentally vowed never to get on the woman’s bad side.
She leaned forward, curious about Gianna’s anger towards Reid’s brother. “So you have a thing for Brant?” Selena guessed.
Gianna’s dark eyes sparked and she let loose a slew of Italian that Selena didn’t even try to follow. A few more violent hand gestures and then…calm.
“Non e niente per me!” she gushed. From Selena’s knowledge of Spanish, which was similar to Italian, she figured out that Gianna was trying to convince the world that Brant didn’t matter to her. “He is just my boss. Nothing but my boss and only because my father insisted that I come to the United States to gain more experience. Pah!” She took a deep breath, centering herself once again. “Besides, we are talking about you. And why you looked like a wounded animal moments before.”
Selena wasn’t sure what to say. Gianna was too perceptive and it made Selena uncomfortable. But Gianna’s saving grace was that she genuinely cared. The beautiful woman wasn’t asking just out of curiosity. The woman wanted to save the world, Selena thought. It was sweet.
“It really isn’t anything important.”
“So, what was it?” Gianna asked after the waiter had departed.
“You don’t really give up or forget anything, do you?” Selena asked with a grin.
“Never!” she laughed, tossing her head slightly and all of her dark curls danced around her lovely features. “I’m like a dog with a…” she snapped her fingers in the air. “What’s the phrase? Stick?”
“Bone,” Selena corrected. “Yes. You are like a dog with a bone. You don’t relent.”
“Yes. A dog with a bone. You Americans have the most interesting phrases! I love your language.”
“English?”
Gianna laughed and her eyes sparkled. “There’s American English and British English. They are so different! Dramatically different and both are so fascinating!” Then those eyes narrowed. “You try to change the subject but I not let it work,” she admonished. “What hurt your soul before we left? You looked like your heart began aching.”
Selena laughed, shaking her head at the woman’s perception of drama. “Nothing so horrible as that. I just thought I saw someone who was angry. And I wanted to know why.”
“Ah, you are in love with our handsome leader! I thought so!”
Selena pulled back, horrified! “Reid? No! I’m not in love with him. I just…he looked upset and I…”
Another tilt of her head and Gianna asked, “Why would you be embarrassed by being in love? It is wonderful! Love is the fruit that gives flavor to life! It makes us smile and gives us pleasure!” She leaned forward conspiratorially. “If the man knows what he is doing, that is!” and she laughed, delighted. “Most men,” another slice of the air, “they fumble and mess up. But I think that Reid, he never fumbles, eh?”
The Billionaire's Challenge (Sinful Nights Book 1) Page 12