This arrangement was supposed to be more than a job, and more than just sex.
It was also to ease his mind by keeping Kerri near him, not drive him insane as she seemed to drift further away.
He ripped her panties and threw the scraps on the floor. A tremor ran through her, and a low moan escaped her lips.
He teased her, his fingers caressing the creases where her pelvis met her thighs, but without touching her sex. He knelt and blew lightly over her curls, feeling her shudder, her muscles clenching with need.
He kissed her between her legs. She widened them, silently asking for more.
It wouldn’t work. She could be in need a little longer. He wanted her to scream his name over and over again by the time he was through. He wanted her so vocal she’d be hoarse afterwards.
His thumb touched her clit, just barely. She put her hands in his hair and angled her pelvis for more friction. He pulled back. “Tell me what you want.”
She swallowed, her slender throat working.
He ran his palm roughly over her beautifully curved butt, letting her know he was serious. His mouth pressed a kiss on her navel. Her stomach jumped at the contact. He ran his index fingers along her nether lips with just enough pressure to let her know she could have more if she’d just give in.
“Touch me,” she begged.
“Where?”
“My…”
His tongue caressed her inner thigh.
“My clit,” she said, her voice hitching.
He touched it perfunctorily with his thumb. “Like this?”
“Noooo,” she moaned.
“Be explicit.”
Her chest rose and fell. He wanted everything off her body so he could see her. “Take the bra off. And let your hair free.”
She yanked the straps down, then undid the hooks on her bra and let it drop. The scrunchy came off and she shook her hair out.
He couldn’t stop staring at her breasts, their tips rosy and pointed, begging for him. Yet he couldn’t give into the urge. This wasn’t just about sex. This was about more. He needed her to know this was more.
She grabbed his head again and gently pushed him toward her, showing him what she so desperately wanted. His fingers at her core were already soaked with her arousal. Still, he resisted. “Say it.”
This was the only way he’d get full honesty out of her, not all the half-truths and deflections. Even if it killed him, he’d stop now unless she told him exactly what she wanted from him in explicit detail, so she could never deny this crazy heat between them later.
She finally sobbed out, “I want you to put your mouth there, then open it and suck hard.”
“Like this?” he said, then did exactly as she’d asked. The taste of her desire flooded his mouth, and he groaned at the sweetness.
“Yes!” Her grip on his head tightened, her back arching. Her breasts trembled, and he loved her for the honest response of her body.
“Use your tongue on me,” she begged. “Please.”
He ran his tongue over the tight little bud. Her muscles tightened, her legs shaking. She was close, but not quite. He wasn’t through with her yet. She wasn’t coming until she screamed his name.
She undulated her hips, timed to each strong pull of his mouth. She drenched his fingers near her entrance, and he accidentally brushed his index finger there.
“Oh my god,” she moaned.
“Not god, darling,” he said against her clit. “It’s just me.”
“Yes, yes.” She rolled her hips, trying to get his fingers inside her. “Damn it, Ethan, put your finger there.”
“Where?” he asked, pulling back.
“Deep inside me.”
He put it inside her, taking his time. God, she was so slick, so tight. His cock throbbed, demanding to be inside of her instead of his damned finger.
“Another one,” she said.
He obliged and watched her ride them mindlessly, while he continued to lick and suck on her clit. He could feel her orgasm build higher and higher. She now stood at the precipice. All she needed was a little bit more push, and—
He lessened the pressure on her clit. She sobbed. “Oh my god, Ethan. Please.”
“Look at me,” he demanded. “Look at me.”
She looked down at him, her eyes completely glazed and near-black with passion, while her hips still pumped back and forth on his fingers. His gut clenched. He wanted to thrust inside her, claim her hard and fast.
It didn’t matter whether she wanted to go to parties with him or not. She was his and his alone. He’d make her see that now, even if it killed him.
“You’re going to come for me,” he said. “Say it.”
“Yes. I’m going to come for you.” Her dark eyes looked into his. “Only you.”
He cursed, unable to hold back any longer. He gave her what she so needed, his mouth and tongue hard on her clit. And she came completely apart.
“Ethan!”
Her body shook, the powerful wave of climax hitting her. He didn’t let her have just one. No. She deserved more for her honest response, her stark passion.
When the second orgasm crashed into her, she almost fell, going boneless. He caught her in his hands, placing her gently on the thick carpet. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, half-dazed. “Oh my god, Ethan.”
His cock ached, his balls painfully tight and full. She was nude in his arms, while he hadn’t even undressed.
But he couldn’t spare the time to get rid of his clothes.
He got rid of his pants, put a rubber on as quickly as he could and thrust into her in one smooth stroke. She was so wet; her slick flesh gripped his cock so hard he thought he would lose it then and there. He was rougher than he would’ve liked, but he couldn’t stop himself as he pounded into her. She met him thrust for thrust, her hips angled, and her legs going around his waist, like she was afraid he’d vanish.
Her breathing roughened again, her breasts bobbing with each hard stroke. He wanted to remember her like this forever, hair spread on the carpet, eyes closed and mouth open and inviting.
He buried his face in her neck and ground his hips into her as a white-hot orgasm claimed him. He felt like the top of his head would explode from the pleasure, so sharp and intense it was almost pain. She convulsed around him, his climax triggering another of hers. She wrapped her arms around him and sobbed out her satisfaction.
Chapter Nine
They had a bite to eat, then Ethan got dressed and left for the charity ball. He looked so mouth-watering in his tuxedo, Kerri almost changed her mind about not accompanying him. She considered seducing him again to keep him with her a little bit longer, but that probably wouldn’t have worked. He wasn’t the kind of man a woman could manipulate with sex.
So instead she waved good-bye, put on a robe and went to her laptop. Ethan didn’t want her to work on weekends, but it wasn’t like she had anything else to do. There was nothing interesting on TV. She could only watch so many hysterical news programs about the crappy economy, currency manipulators and potential terrorist attacks. She didn’t have her violin, not that she would’ve been able to play anyway; she’d probably forgotten almost everything. There was reading, but she didn’t read much except a couple of business magazines, the Wall Street Journal and a few select financial papers. And she’d already read today’s Journal.
Who was Ethan taking to the ball? Those types of events always required a date, and Ethan undoubtedly had a stable of stunning candidates. A blonde? Maybe a brunette? A model or singer or something.
She suddenly couldn’t concentrate. She closed the laptop and stared out the floor-to-ceiling window at the lights below. A bitter acidic feeling inside made her stomach uncomfortably tight. She wasn’t used to feeling jealous over a man, and discovered she hated it. This possessiveness had to be because their relationship was still on the new side. When more time had passed, maybe around Christmas or thereabouts, she wouldn’t care. She might even look back at this moment an
d laugh at how silly she’d been.
But that was the future. The present didn’t make her feel like laughing.
She wanted to be there with him, dance in his arms, greet his friends and acquaintances. But that wasn’t going to happen when she knew her grandfather would be there. Her hands tightened, and she wanted to hurl something.
Why did they want to see her? It’d been seven—or was it eight?—years. What would they have to say to each other? She knew the kind of loss and pain she’d caused and didn’t want to hurt them anymore. She didn’t want them to hurt her, either…not that it would be from any malicious intent, but uncaring words and neglect could cut just as deeply.
It shouldn’t have been so complicated just to be in Virginia—and with Ethan—for a while without having to worry about running into her family. Part of her thought she should engineer a confrontation and be done with them once and for all, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She didn’t think she could handle the pain or the guilt.
Coward.
At least she was good at shielding herself.
***
Ethan could barely tolerate the ball, and the glitz and wealth all around him. The orchestra grated on his nerves. The marble was too hard, the chandeliers too gaudy, and the food and drink tasteless.
He usually went to such functions with good grace since they supported good causes, but he hated being here while Kerri was home alone. She’d almost looked sad when he’d left.
Well, it was her choice. He would’ve canceled if Kerri had said, “Stay with me.” But when he’d put on his tux, her face had closed off and she’d said, “Have a good time.”
Was she having a good time?
How could a woman want him as much as she did, then push him away once they were done like she was embarrassed by a lapse in judgment? She still snuck from his room to return to hers every night as soon as she thought he’d fallen asleep. Women had never treated him that way. He was smart and capable, wealthy, his family impeccable…and he didn’t have any glaringly bad habits that might turn a woman off.
And humble, he thought with a sour wryness. Don’t forget humble.
Had he miscalculated Kerri’s attraction to him? Was it really just based on how much she liked his cock? But no, she enjoyed his company outside the bedroom too. So what the hell was her deal?
“Hey.” His date, Elizabeth Pryce-Reed, poked him in the side. “You don’t like educating the poor children in Somalia?”
“What?”
“You’ve been glowering ever since we got here.”
“Sorry. I’m just tired. And worried about Natalie,” he said.
“That poor woman. Can you imagine getting food poisoning on your honeymoon? Yuck.”
He forced a smile. “I know, right?”
It wasn’t Elizabeth’s fault Kerri was proving more difficult than he’d imagined. Elizabeth was a dear friend, someone he’d known since grade school, and she’d done him a big favor by coming since her social calendar was always overflowing. Not only was she a wealthy heiress, she was also gorgeous with bouncy blonde curls and warm brown eyes. Ethan didn’t know a single person who didn’t like Elizabeth, and she received invitations to all the best parties.
She gave him a penetrating look. “Natalie isn’t the one who’s making you grouchy, although I’m sure it’s a woman. You have that look men get when their relationships aren’t going the way they want. Like you’ve got indigestion or something.”
Despite everything he laughed. “Do I?”
“Uh huh. So what’s the problem? Too clingy? I know how you hate scenes.”
“No…no, not at all clingy.” He wished Kerri were clingy. Then everything would’ve been easier.
“Well, whatever it is I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out. And remember” —she put a hand on his sleeve, the gesture friendly and reassuring— “no matter what happens, things always work out.”
“Thanks. You’re a doll.”
“True. Now, are you going to take me out on the dance floor, or am I going have to bat my eyes at some poor defenseless man?”
***
By the time Ethan got back to the penthouse it was past two in the morning. He’d left the ball as quickly as decently possible, but everyone had seemed bent on getting in his way, wanting to inquire about his family—probably to sniff out how things were going on the Jacob front—talk about a potential business deal or get his opinion about something. Navigating the crowd had felt like he was wading through a kind of social molasses. And then he’d had to go 15 miles in the opposite direction to drop Elizabeth off.
He figured Kerri would be asleep in bed, but she was in the study, her head resting on the desk, laptop open and her screen-saver showing cards falling in slow motion.
He sighed. He should’ve left her some movies. Or maybe made an appointment at a spa. Or better yet, locked her laptop in his car.
He put one arm around her back, the other under her knees and lifted her easily out of the chair. Her eyes still closed, she burrowed her head into the nook between his neck and shoulder like she knew exactly where she belonged.
“Hey,” she murmured, her voice slurred with sleep.
“Hey,” he whispered back. “Let’s take you to bed.” He started walking in the direction of his bedroom.
“M’kay.” She said something else that he didn’t catch.
“What?”
She roused herself a bit. “I said, I sent you an email.”
“You did?” He hadn’t checked his account.
“Yeah. Gonna be unhapp’ when you see it, but I checked ev’rythin’ twice.”
“Why?” he asked, keeping his voice casual. What had she found?
She mumbled something into his shirt.
“What?”
She blinked up at him. “You wan’ talk about it now? I don’t mind.”
“No. Work can wait.”
She nodded. “’Kay.”
Her delicate presence in his arms gave him a small comfort. She smelled amazing, ripe apple and drowsy woman. He cherished the way she burrowed into him, so trusting.
He placed her on the bed in the master bedroom suite, where she curled up on her side. He should let her sleep, but he wanted to touch her, make her shudder in passion and bury himself deeply into her. If they’d gone to the ball together, maybe he wouldn’t feel this urgent need to reaffirm their connection, but right then, it seemed paramount that he remind her of their crazy chemistry and emotional ties.
Quickly, he undressed and tossed his clothes over a plushy reading chair. He climbed in next to her, nude, then lightly massaged the back of her ears and the sensitive spot where her neck met her collarbone. She sighed, then turned fully toward him, her eyes still closed but her body knowing exactly what it wanted.
His lips traced the beautiful curves of her body, while his hands worked at getting rid of her clothes. She was so warm and sweet he ached with emotions he couldn’t name.
This time their union wasn’t as frenzied as before. This was about languid pleasure, and he took advantage of her drowsiness to overwhelm her senses before she realized what was going on.
She moaned softly as he slid into her, and her grip on him tightened. Her breath tickled his neck. “Ethan,” she whispered.
That was all the urging he required to give into the rising need between them. She wrapped her slender legs around him, her inner muscles contracting tightly and pulling him to a peak.
He shuddered into her, holding on tightly. Afterward, spent and languid in pleasure, she laid an open palm against his chest without even opening her eyes.
He put his hand over hers and kissed her forehead. He wasn’t used to women as elusive and yet as generous as Kerri. Whenever she was awake, with her brain working normally, she pulled back, as though she was afraid of being too close to people, to him.
Who had hurt her to make her so wary? Women this passionate didn’t insulate themselves without good reason, and the notion that some
one had crushed her tender heart sent a streak of fiery anger through his chest.
He might never find out who was responsible, but he could make sure she’d never be hurt again.
Chapter Ten
Kerri opened her eyes and blinked several times, slowly making her way back to wakefulness. She remembered falling asleep in the study, but then…
Her mouth parted as she took in the big bed and rumpled sheets laced with Ethan’s scent.
She’d spent the night in Ethan’s room. She stared up at the ceiling fan and sighed. How could she have slept so soundly?
Well, whatever. She was done with what Ethan had hired her to do. No need to stick around much longer, was there?
Once she explained to him the sad state of affairs at The Lloyds Development, she was free to go.
She waited for the sense of ease and lightness that always came at the thought of breaking it off with a lover. It didn’t take more than three or four weeks for her to feel claustrophobic in a relationship, and they had been together for close to seven .
But now, it felt like there was a boulder lodged inside her heart. One that seemed to grow heavier and heavier as the ceiling fan spun, that might have pinned her to the bed forever.
With a massive effort she forced herself up and went out, shrugging into a thin satiny robe. Time to face reality.
Ethan had her breakfast ready, plain yogurt with fresh fruit cubes and berries in a pretty Venetian glass bowl. The lines of his white robe said he was naked underneath. He poured her coffee and slid the mug across the counter. “Here.”
She took a big swallow. First things first. Soon she felt almost normal, the gears in her brain jolted into motion by the caffeine. “You having breakfast?”
“Already ate. It’s ten. I couldn’t wait.”
She blinked. “Ten?” She shook her head. “I can’t believe how long I slept in.”
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