Mad About You: A Box Set

by Pamela Ann

  He chuckled, his eyes twinkling as he bestowed me with that beautiful smile of his. “That dress ought to be illegal. You commanded every man’s attention tonight.”

  Did that include him? I doubted it. Next to Poppy, I paled in comparison.

  Speaking of which, I took a careful sip of my drink before voicing out my thoughts. “Was Poppy too busy to join you and your family tonight?”

  “She’s back in England.”

  “That’s too bad.” It was all I could say.

  “It is,” he stated without any hint of emotion. He could very well be speaking about the weather and not his girlfriend.

  Okay, then. This was beyond awkward. Why, oh why, did I have to bring her up when things were beginning to ease between us? My timing sucked. Ugh.

  “Care for a dance?”

  Shit. Why was he doing this to me? Was this his way of trying to see if he could get his wicked way with me since his girlfriend wasn’t here? He could think again. My body wanted him more than ever, but I wasn’t keen on cheaters. He should know better.

  “I’m not really good at that. Besides, I’m trying to save you from people gossiping that you’re cheating on Poppy.”

  “Do you honestly believe I care what others say?” He raised his brow, mocking me … challenging me. “Make this dance my belated birthday present.”

  He wasn’t going to let it go, so I reluctantly agreed.

  He then handed our drinks to the nearest waiter before taking me in his arms. With my head resting against his chin and my arms wrapped around his neck, we slowly swayed to Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable.”

  It had been mad of me to agree, and I realized just how much when I couldn’t help myself from smelling him over and over again, pressing my nose against his skin. He was intoxicating, and my addiction wasn’t going to taper away in this lifetime.

  “Poppy’s not my girlfriend. She never was,” he murmured as his grip on my hip tightened.

  His declaration didn’t help ease my fears that he was trying to seduce me. Considering the way he was intimately holding me, I knew with every fiber of me that he was biding his time until he made his move. The question was, would I be able to resist him? The clear answer would be a big no. Therefore, the only way I could hold my dignity was to walk away before he was able to hurt me like before.

  “How are things with him, Chloe?” he probed. “Are you happy?”

  This was quite tricky. If he realized I was available for him to ravish, he would do it without hesitation. And at this moment, hesitation was the only thing hindering me from insanity.

  Licking my lips, I decided to choose my words wisely. “Yeah, I’m happy … and things with him are just as expected.”

  “Are you in love with him?”

  This was pure fucking torture.

  “Let’s not do this. This is making me uncomfortable.” It was, and God help me if my blabber mouth activated itself and confessed that he was still and would forever hold my heart. What then? It was best to nip it in the bud before things got out of hand.

  “Whatever makes you happy, Chloe.”

  What did he expect from me? He was getting too personal, and I liked things between us casual, friendly, but never personal. I loved him, yet guarding my heart from getting smashed again was my priority.

  “How’s Teen Vogue? Are you liking it there?” he casually inquired.

  His willingness to communicate even if I shut his question down was very well appreciated.

  “I know I haven’t properly thanked you for getting me that interview, but I’m loving it there so far. Hopefully, it’ll all work out in the end.”

  “You did properly thank me … twice.” His tone was teasing, but his intent wasn’t. It was a blatant attempt to steer my mind to baser instincts.

  “Um … I’m … Well, I don’t remember that bit,” I stuttered as my mind went into a heated overdrive. Sex with him was an out of this world experience, and I remembered it all. Every touch, every kiss—it had been replaying in my mind until I fell asleep in tears.

  “I guess I’m not as unforgettable as I thought.” He made a light pun since the song’s intent was the polar opposite of his.

  I’d rather not go there.

  “There’s always a first time for everything,” I quipped back, which resulted in great laughter from both of us.

  When the song ended, Drew dipped his head against my ear and whispered, “I’m glad you’re here with me.”

  “Me, too.” Although this entire day had begun chaotically, I was pleased that I had gone with him instead of spending it alone at home.

  We stayed for another half an hour before heading back to the bungalow. And just like he had done earlier, he was adamant that he carry me back indoors.

  Back inside, the living room was aglow with the dancing flames coming from the fireplace. It was where I situated myself, standing right next to it while I gazed at the blizzard outside through the French patio doors.

  He headed toward the bar to get himself something to drink. “Can I get you anything?”

  Some gas and a match so I can light myself on fire.

  “I’m fine, thanks,” I managed.

  All this time, I had led myself to believe I would never give in to him after how he had treated me, yet here I was, contemplating what to do.

  After hearing his footsteps, I felt him stop right behind me and glanced at his reflection in one of the glass panes. My breathing became ragged, and my pulse sped up when I felt his breath against my shoulder. It was only a mere brush, and I was already a complete mess inside.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he rasped out, hypnotizing me with his voice.

  “It is.” I let out a measured breath, acknowledging that I was becoming undone. Slowly but surely, Drew was unfolding the carnal side of me, rousing it to come out and play with him as he carefully watched me through the glass.

  My pussy clenched as he kept brushing his lips against the side of my neck, trailing down to my shoulder then back up again. He did it until he knew I was on the brink of surrender. Then he spun me around to face him and stared deeply into my soul.

  His eyes were a storm of emotions. Most of all, I saw lust, raw and unhinged.

  He was so careful, so hesitant as he caressed my face with his thumb before grazing it over my breasts. My nipples ached for his touch, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him so.

  “Chloe?” Those vivid eyes were in pure torment. “Tell me to stop,” he pleaded as he brought his lips closer to mine, almost touching. “I’m going to take you, and I won’t be satisfied until this weekend is over unless you stop me.”

  “I don’t want you to stop.”

  To hell with all of this, I thought as I hungrily pulled him, crashing his lips against mine. And God did he feel amazing.

  “Don’t rip my dress,” I said right as I felt his hands readying to do just that. I was too late to stop it.

  His eyes portrayed a starved man, and nothing was going to come between him and his meal.

  “Chloe,” he groaned as he roughly took me on the wooden floor.

  He kissed, he nipped, he bit me everywhere his lips travelled. Our lovemaking was intense, gripping, as we abandoned the past and simply lived in the heat of the moment. My hunger matched his, and for the time being, it was all I wanted to dwell on. The rest could be dealt with once it was time to go back to reality. For now, this meant everything to me.

  Chapter 60

  “I’ve missed you so fucking much,” Drew said against my ear after he had taken me for the third time.

  We were both naked on the rug while the heat of the fire warmed our bodies.

  His words had affected me like they always did. I had missed him, too, but words were just words to him, and to me, they meant everything. So instead of telling him the same, I rolled onto my stomach and smiled down at the beautiful man before me.

  “Your stamina leaves me in awe.”

  His face softened before he cu
pped my face, gazing at me with that familiar look in his eyes. “I’ve missed you, Chloe.”

  Why did he feel the need to repeat it? He knew I had avoided it the first time, so why did he have to put me in an odd position right after he had just blown my mind?

  “I’m … uh … going to shower. I’ll be right back.” It might be selfish of me, but he had taught me never to trust him. His words and actions differed from one another. I knew better than falling for the same trap again.

  I was in the shower, on the verge of tears, when he decided to join me. Without saying anything, he began soaping my body, scrubbing it thoroughly before he went on to shampooing my hair. He then carefully rinsed my hair, making sure there weren’t any suds reaching my eyes before he planted a kiss on my lips. Afterward, he washed himself quickly before we jumped out . Then he continued catering to me by toweling me dry and surprising me by dressing me with one of his shirts without anything underneath.

  “Now this is what I call perfection.” He grinned as he pulled me closer, hugging me close then kissing the top of my forehead.

  He never steered away from me the entire weekend. When I showered, he came with me, and we ate together. We basically did everything together.

  Much of our time was spent right next to the fire as he told me how things had come about with his father and ultimately admitted what I had guessed—that he was still acclimating to this new life.

  Whenever he could, he would kiss my forehead and tell me how much he missed me. It was the closest thing to perfection, but I just couldn’t shake being incredulous.

  We made use of the pantry instead of going to the main house for meals. And Drew gave strict orders that no one was to bother us, not even his father.

  The entire weekend was probably the most romantic thing he had ever done for me. Regardless, I didn’t comment on that, either, fearful of giving too much away.

  We didn’t come out of the bungalow until around noon on Sunday. By then, the blizzard had pretty much cleared out.

  Before we left his father’s estate, we joined Conrad and Caroline for lunch in the main house, only the four of us. At one point, I thought Caroline seemed to have warmed up to me, but when it was time for us to depart back to the city, she showed me her true colors.

  “Thank you for having me even though it was last minute.” My intentions were well as I thanked her for their generosity.

  Caroline gave a knowing, conniving, falsely sweet smile that she wore well. “Don’t get too comfortable. His father has huge plans for him that don’t include you. Cherish these moment, love, because they won’t last long,” she said in a hushed tone, low enough so the others wouldn’t hear.

  It took me a great deal to recover from her barbed innuendos.

  Staring straight into her wretched eyes without batting an eyelash, I said, “I don’t plan to.”

  She huffed with bravado before raising her chin. “Good, that saves me time from dispensing of you.”

  Wow, what the hell was wrong with her? Drew wasn’t hers, nor was he anyone’s property. Nevertheless, she had made it seem as though they controlled him. I doubted the man I knew would condone it. He was as stubborn as they came, and no familial ties would ever change that.

  “You’re a raving bitch, but you already know that. You won’t ever have him. I can tell you that much. Keep wishing, though.” After sending her the same sweet, nauseating smile, I continued toward Conrad, giving him a genuine hug, knowing well enough that Caroline was watching and hating the thought of another man’s attention landing on anyone but her.

  Since she already saw me as competition and a threat, I wanted to push the knife deeper by going over to Drew and holding his hand before giving him a chaste kiss on the lips. “Ready to leave, babe?”

  Drew gave me a sheepish smile before squeezing my hand. “Whenever you are.”

  Without a backward glance at the bitchy Caroline, Drew and I took our exit, heading to where Everson patiently waited for us next to the black SUV.

  “To the Mandarin, sir?” he immediately asked when we were securely fastened and set to go.

  “No,” I adamantly interjected before glancing over at Drew with a pleading look on my face. “Can you give him directions to the apartment? I have them in my phone, but it died.”

  Something crossed his face before he gave me a shrewd look. “You want to go home?” He sounded perplexed. “I thought we could spend a few more days at my place. You won’t have to worry about groceries or any of that. It’d make more sense if you stayed with me.”

  My mind was working overtime, trying to read between the lines. Everything seemed so familiar, because I had been here before. Not particularly in the same fashion, but rather a similar one, and it had gotten me nowhere.

  “It’s fine. I don’t mind grocery shopping,” I insisted, hoping he would understand that I needed to put some distance between us.

  Drew had a deep frown as he glanced at the rearview mirror, catching his driver’s attention. “Do you mind giving us a moment, Everson?”

  “Of course, Mr. Cavendish.”

  “I appreciate it, thanks,” he murmured then waited for Everson to exit the car.

  The moment the door was shut, Drew shifted to face me with a determined look in his eyes. “What do I have to do to make you come home with me?”

  Dammit, he could be persistent, but hopefully, I could dissuade him.

  “Drew, we’ve been here before. Let’s not do this again. Please …”

  His tongue curled over his bottom lip, and then he looked away, staring through the window for a few seconds before facing me again. “I’m not ready to let you go. These past few days have been amazing, but it’s not enough. I need more of you.”

  Shit. This was heading where I didn’t want it to go. He only wanted me a few days more, and then what? It was sex he wanted; that much was obvious. He had stressed that need at all hours, so much so that I would always wake up with him between my legs.

  “Drew, don’t do this. It’s been great—I’m not going to lie—but I can’t. If it’s sex you’re after, we both know you have a long list readily available to you.” The last part hurt to say out loud.

  “That’s not true, Chlo. We do have fun without sex involved.” He looked aghast that I had even suggested such a thing. “Fine. Okay, I promise we won’t have sex. I won’t even touch you. As long as you stay with me, you can have the other room if you like.”

  “What?” I blurted out. Who was this man, and why was he spitting gibberish? He wasn’t a man capable of abstinence, and I doubted he would be able to fulfill such a high promise. “You’re crazy.”

  “I am,” he whispered a little somberly. “I’m crazy for you, Chlo.”

  Fuck, he was gunning for my emotions. Damn him.

  “I don’t know …” I was torn, my mind and heart telling me two different things.

  “No sex, I promise,” he stated once again. “So, will you stay with me?”

  After one look at him with those pleading eyes, I was done for.

  “All right … I’ll stay until Tuesday, but you’ve got to kiss me for the last time.”

  He let out a hearty laugh before bringing his lips to mine, kissing me tenderly as he cupped my face.

  With our newly cemented deal, we held hands the entire ride back to the city. Who could have imagined him being so romantic? I thought him callous—which he was, and he did it seamlessly—but this side of him was rare. I couldn’t help basking in his affection on me. It seemed like he really cherished me this time. However, it could also be a direct result of him believing I was still with Cori.

  Once we arrived at the hotel, he showed me to the other bedroom, just as he had stated, and so far, he had kept his hands to himself. I wondered how long it would be until his distance started unfolding. It would be amusing to see him fight off the sexual chemistry.

  That evening, he surprised me by bringing two masseuses to our suite. They set the massage tables in his bedroom
and littered the room with candles while we relaxed with Central Park and the city’s skyline as our view. The candles gave that enchanting affect about the room. As much as I liked getting physical with Drew, the massage was much needed.

  “That was sublime. I didn’t realize I needed one so badly. Now I feel like I’m floating. Feels so good,” I moaned, stretching my arms and feeling beyond refreshed.

  “You’re so beautiful right now. I’m fighting off the urge to kiss you … everywhere.” His eyes devoured me in every way imaginable, but none he could act upon. I knew that look well enough to know he was aroused.

  If I had the guts to slip my hand inside his robe, I knew his cock would be rock hard.

  “Keep fighting it off …” I said huskily before throwing him a challenging look.

  Feeling empowered, I began unknotting my robe without taking my eyes off him. I could hear his sharp intake of breath, and raw lust leapt into his eyes as he began licking his bottom lip while he watched me drop the robe, baring myself confidently.

  “Don’t do this to me, baby.” he groaned, tortured at the sight of my body.

  My body felt charged, and my blood zinged as I took in the torment on his face, the yearning to touch my breasts and the warmth between my thighs.

  Without hesitation, I continued, exhilarated to be causing him some form of anguish as I began to lick my thumb before bringing it to my breast and rubbing it against my pebbled rose bud.

  “Fuck, you’re so fucking hot,” he muttered as I caught him sliding his hand inside his robe and beginning to stroke himself.

  “I’ll stop if you keep doing that,” I reprimanded him, unwilling to compromise.

  His reaction was priceless. “That’s harsh. Evil, even.”

  Oh, yeah, I got him good, really good.

  He sounded so wounded it was almost laughable.

  “Don’t distract yourself. I want you to remember this when you jackoff in the shower later.”

  “Chloe,” he hissed in pure hell as he watched me slip a finger between my legs while I threw him a cat-like smile.