by Ellie Danes
“Harper, it’s really ok.” He walked up behind me, gently placing his hands on my shoulders. “Don’t worry about the shirt.” I could feel my body tingle at his touch as he gently spun me around to face him. His gorgeous blue eyes held me captive, unable to move. But just when I would have sworn he was about to lean in to kiss me, he changed direction. “Let’s get back to the party. We can finish this tour some other time.”
I agreed with a simple nod as we exited the room. We didn’t have to go far before finding Natalie at the top of the stairs, in the center of the landing. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she shot us a devilish smile.
She was about to say something, when Mason cut her off with a quick wave of his hand. “Don’t worry, Natalie. We’re heading back down to the party now.” We swept past her quickly as she watched us descend the stairway, returning to the main room where the crowd had been mingling.
“So, a rain check on the rest of the tour?” Mason smiled as he took hold of my hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing it gently.
Xander had just done the same thing the night before. But now, from Mason, the gesture just seemed so gorgeous and perfect that it sent shivers through my body. “Absolutely.” I nodded. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”
“As will I.” Mason smiled back. Then, as mysteriously as he had appeared, he casually let go of my hand and vanished down a dark hallway. I stood in the silence, wondering if I would ever really see him again.
Chapter Three
Mason
I hated leaving Harper. There was just something about her that drew me toward her. I knew she wasn’t like most of the women I dealt with, a fact that I found both intriguing and sexy at the same time. It might have had something to do with the way she didn’t fall all over herself to talk to me. Maybe it was because it was me, chasing her. Whatever it was, I needed and wanted more of it.
I sat and watched the rest of the mixer unfold from my office. My focus should have been on my clients, but instead I watched Harper as she stood in the dark shadows of the room, hoping to remain unnoticed. A few of the stragglers, no longer interested in the bachelor and bachelorette, had broken away and begun mingling amongst themselves. Something I wouldn’t tolerate. This was an event for my clients, not an open block party. I watched as two of the men made their way toward the bar, their sights seemingly set on Harper.
“Hunter.” I called into the microphone. “Back bar. Please escort those gentlemen out of the house. Thank them and let them know we may be in touch again.” I released the black microphone button and watched as Hunter quickly intercepted the duo before they reached the bar or Harper.
“Asher? Henry and Mia are ready.” Natalie stood in the doorway to the office, still sporting the same devilish grin I had seen upstairs earlier. “Did you have fun?” She winked at me.
“I’m not sure what you mean.” I quickly deflected back at her, making it apparent I was in no mood to discuss my short encounter with Harper. “Now that Henry and Mia have their top five, go ahead and dismiss everyone else. Tell our clients I will be with them shortly.” I turned my attention back toward the monitors as Natalie slipped out and closed the door behind her, appearing a moment later on the screens in front of me as she fulfilled my request.
Chapter Four
Harper
Hunter and Natalie ushered the group from the main room after giving a short speech, thanking everyone for attending the event. Avery and I clung to each other as we made our way through the foyer toward the front doors. Many of other guests were already in front of us, collecting their envelopes as they passed the large security guard.
“I didn’t see you much tonight,” Avery frowned. “Where were you?”
I held back, not wanting to reveal too much about Mason. I knew Avery would have quickly given me a hard time, while simultaneously encouraging me to pursue him. “I just sat back and watched everything go down. You know I wasn’t there to pick anyone up anyway.” I smiled to myself as I thought about Mason’s tanned and toned body, standing shirtless in front of me upstairs. My stomach did flips over the memory.
“You know, I really liked Henry. He was hot in his own sort of way.” Avery smiled sadly. “I guess I wasn’t his type. He didn’t really talk to me much.”
“I’m sure he thought you were wonderful!” I tried to encourage.
Avery shrugged off her disappointment, “At least I still have that number from last night,” she giggled. Then, a smile filling her face, she directed her questioning toward me.
“Who was the guy I saw you talking to at the bar? Seemed as though you two were having quite the conversation.” Avery played with her hair as her smile stretched wider. “Come to think of it, that was about the same time you vanished. Spill it, Harper!” Avery pulled me close as we worked our way toward the door.
“He was just one of the staff.” I quickly dismissed her insinuation. I wasn’t sure exactly who or what Mason was quite yet, but a member of the staff seemed like a good enough description for her.
“Here you are, ladies.” One of the security guards handed us our envelopes and then held the door for us. Avery snuck out ahead of me as a felt a strong hand grab my arm. “One moment, Miss Browning.” I turned to see the large security guard staring at me intently. “I’ve been asked to have you wait.”
“Hey, Avery! Hold up!” I attempted to yell above the din of the exiting group, but it was pointless. Avery had already made her way into the driveway without noticing that I was held at the door.
“Don’t worry, we’ll let her know that you’ve been held up.” The guard spoke into the small microphone attached to his cuff. “Simon, let Miss Browning’s friend know she will be a bit. She may want to go on without her.”
“Without her? What’s going on?” I could feel myself getting more upset and worried, not understanding why I was being held back. Did Mason get in trouble? Was I in trouble for breaking the rules?
The guard nodded in the direction of the foyer and I spun to see Mason standing in the doorway, a stern and firm look on his face. He hesitated for moment and then smiled. “Would you like to finish that tour?”
I felt the butterflies in my stomach return and a sense of relief fell over me. “Absolutely.” I beamed. The thought of Avery waiting outside completely left my mind.
* * * *
The room was dimly lit, candles reflecting thick shadows against the walls. The silk covers of the bed were soft against my back as Mason laid me down. I closed my eyes as I felt the smoothness of his lips track a trail down my stomach. His hands swept slowly down my sides and continued down to my knees before they rubbed back up my legs and stopped on my thighs.
A breath caught in my throat as I felt his lips continue downward. My thighs quivered with delight and then parted on their own to allow his tongue to lick gently against my skin. I sighed as I felt his mouth on the inside of my leg. Every nerve ending in my body fizzed with electricity as I waited to find out where his tongue would end up. I clutched the covers in my hands, my entire body tightening with pleasure as his face came down right where I wanted it.
He was slow and sensual as his tongue invaded my slit. Slowly, he made me moan with need as he circled my clit with his tongue. The wet velvet touch of his mouth almost sent me over the edge as I tried to press closer to him, not knowing what I was doing. I felt his fingers rub me gently before slowly slipping one inside me. I groaned in pleasure as he moved his hand slowly, pulsing his finger from within me. He rubbed so slowly that the sensation built up inside, making me cry out his name, “Mason.” I couldn’t help myself. It was all too much. No man had ever been so giving to me before. The newness of his touch and his smell drove me crazy. He was amazing, so gentle, but so rough, yet sensual. My wetness grew as I arched my back, allowing him to continue to pleasure me in ways I had never imagined. I moaned as I threw my head back in the pillow, desire coursing through my body.
He smiled gently at me as he continued to rub my clit with
his fingertips. Then, climbing onto the bed beside me, he pressed his lips against my neck and nibbled and sucked gently at my skin. “I want you to really enjoy this.” His whisper made its way into my ear before he took it between his teeth. I gasped as his hot breath tickled my neck. His muscular stomach pressed against mine and I needed to feel him. My hands caressed his strong back and finally cupped his firm ass, pulling him closer to me. His cock was hard and hot against my skin and I wanted him inside of me.
He made no move to enter me, though. Instead, he leaned on his elbows and gripped my head in his hands. As he stroked my cheeks with his thumbs, he kissed me gently several times on the lips. The intoxicating smell of his cologne surrounded me and I felt safe, and loved. Wanted. Desired.
As he came up for breath, he asked, “Are you ready?” I gazed into his eyes. There was no need to refuse him. I took a deep breath and nodded. My heart pounded in my chest as he moved his hips to slowly slide inside my warm depths, my wetness allowing him to easily enter me, inch by inch. I wrapped my legs tightly around his body, pulling him closer, never wanting him to stop.
In that moment I felt completely connected to him. Our eyes met and locked. It was strange to feel as though we were both in this together, both working toward the same goal. My body arched up toward him, desperate to be as close to him as possible. I took hold of his bottom lip between my teeth and he groaned with pleasure as he moved inside me.
When I released his lip, he kissed me so hard that I felt my own lips might bruise. The kiss was possessive and held something that the soft tender kisses didn't. It held need and a craving that I soon felt myself returning. It was as though I couldn’t stop myself as I reached my hands around to his back to pull him down toward me.
His hand rose to softly caress my breast, his fingertips pinching my nipple lightly before he bent down to take it into his mouth. My body shivered as I approached climax. Blood rushed through my veins, feeling as though it was boiling with pleasure. I tilted my head back and felt his lips coast across my exposed neck to kiss and nibble at it delicately.
My mouth gaped open like I was about to fall over the edge in ecstasy. The delicious weakness it brought to my limbs was enough to blow my mind. I fell back against the bed, unable to move. Mason still leaned over me. He gripped my head in his hands again and kissed my forehead. Sweat dripped from his chest onto mine as he trailed kisses down the bridge of my nose to my lips. He smiled at me with an engaging grin. “I could never have enough of you.” His words were soft and quiet.
I watched as he slowly slid from between my legs to rest beside me on the bed. A moment later, he pulled me to him. Wrapping his arms around me, he kissed me again on the forehead. A feeling of euphoria overwhelmed me as he gently stroked down my spine with his fingertips. I closed my eyes and breathed in his sweet scent, relaxing against him. Still I felt the remnants of pleasure as they pulsed throughout my body. His body tight against mine, and I breathed a sigh of relief as he ran his fingers through my hair.
* * * *
When I opened my eyes again, I realized I was alone. The familiar sun was blasting through the slit in the blinds of my room like it did every morning. I sat up and ran my hands over my face. A thin layer of sweat lay on my skin. Memories of the dream continued to linger in my mind as I threw myself back down onto the pillows and pulled the covers up over my head. My heart continued to pound as I stared at the envelope on my nightstand.
Fucking dream.
I almost wanted to cry, until I realized that it had been one of the most real dreams I had ever had, so clear and about a man I barely knew.
I pushed the covers back and rolled out of bed. My head ached from the wine, but it wasn’t as bad as some of the hangovers I’d had. I needed a shower to wake up and cleanse after the dream I’d just experienced, though.
I sighed as I felt the water wash over my body. Slipping into a towel, I made my way back to my room to slip into my yoga pants and tank top. My mind lingered on the dream still as I headed into the kitchen to make myself a mug of coffee. I needed a clear head. I wasn’t sure what was real and what was part of the dream anymore.
Just as I was clicking on the coffee machine, Avery appeared from her bedroom.
“Morning.” She yawned as she sat on a stool at the breakfast bar and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl.
“Coffee?” I asked as she took a bite out of the apple.
“Please.” She smiled.
Massaging my temples, I stared at Avery. “What the hell happened last night?” I hoped she would be able to help me distinguish fact from fantasy. “I can barely remember anything after leaving.”
Avery smiled. “Well, you” The ringing phone cut her off as I hung onto her story. “Hello?” Avery rolled her eyes at me and continued with the caller. “Yes, just a minute.” Avery tossed the phone over to me.
“Who is it?” I whispered, catching the phone in mid-air. No one ever called our house phone. In fact, I wasn’t sure anyone actually had the number.
“It’s a man.” She gasped as though she couldn’t believe that a man had called to speak to me.
I was a little confused myself as I raised an eyebrow to her and pressed the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Harper?” The low, sexy voice resonated on the other end of the line.
“Yes?”
“It’s Mason.” I could feel my eyes grow bigger and my heart beat out of my chest from both nervousness and excitement. “I wanted to talk to you about last night.”
It Takes Two
The Matchmaker Series, Book Three
(A Billionaire Romance)
By
Ellie Danes
www.EllieDanes.com
Chapter One
Mason
I traced the dark oak beneath the polished surface of my desk, waiting for a response.
More silence. Then, “Last night?”
“Yes,” I replied, trying not to let the corners of my mouth tilt upward in a smile. The thrill of the chase was back on. It gave me the familiar high of wanting more, a predator stalking his prey; speaking to the sweet satisfaction of my baser primal instincts.
With Natalie sitting across from me, watching this entire exchange, I had to shake off those baser instincts and remain collected.
“Last night, right,” Harper said. “Well—It was nice. I’m—sorry about your shirt.”
“Not a problem,” I said, grinning to myself. “I did, however, promise you a full tour last night, and then we never got around to it. I apologize that I was called away just as we were getting started; event nights can be a bit unpredictable, as you’ve seen. But I do have something I think you might be interested in.”
“I don’t think—”
“Is two o’clock okay?” I asked.
More silence. I wasn’t surprised. The woman was smarter than she let on. Her hesitance only intrigued me more.
She wasn’t exactly the type of woman every man would look at with desire, but she had enough looks and brains to be attractive to most. And she certainly had my attention. Her reluctance only made me hungrier for the chase.
“Three would be better,” she finally said.
“Three it is,” I said. “See you then.”
I hung up. Natalie, her legs crossed, leaned forward in her chair, elbows resting on the armrests. “Asher...”
“Don’t start, Natalie.” I said, leaning back in my chair, interlacing my fingers behind my head.
Of course she would warn me against the woman. Natalie had known me for years, just as I had known her. We had worked together initially, and although the typical desire to date and be intimate had arisen on numerous occasions, we weren’t compatible enough to keep anything between us but friendship. And we both knew it.
For that, I felt grateful. Natalie knew me better than anyone ever could, and I had never been just friends with any other woman in my life.
“Asher,” she persisted. “This could really backfire on you.”
I grunted, peering over at her. “How so?”
She pursued her lips, cocking her head.
“What?” I asked, laughing at the look.
“What exactly are you looking for in this?” she finally asked me.
I shrugged. “I want to hire her,” I admitted. “Keep her close, allow things to happen.”
“Things to happen?” Again she looked at me with disapproval.
And again, I shrugged. “Nothing like that. Just things in the mansion to happen. We need some new auras around here, to make things better for our clients, don’t you think?”
“I think you’re full of shit,” she said, making me laugh again.
“Well, that’s true.” I teased.
“I know you think you can control everything and make a relationship happen for yourself out of thin air, Asher, but life just doesn’t work that way,” she said. “The matchmaker can’t make a match for himself, at least not in this case.”
I waved her away, rolling my eyes. “I’m not looking for a relationship,” I told her.
She knew better. “Just be careful.”
“We’ll see what happens.”
Chapter Two
Harper
I hung up the phone, looking over at Avery. She was already absorbed in the latest gossip from the pages of her favorite magazine. But when she sensed my silence, she looked up.
“I’ve just been invited back to the mansion, this afternoon.” I said.
“Is there an event going on?” Avery asked, her voice already going up a pitch. I knew she wouldn’t like it if I had gotten invited to a mixer and she hadn’t.
“I don’t think so,” I said, fiddling with my hair. It stood in wet tangles across my shoulders. Maybe I should take another shower and use Avery’s shampoo, the kind that always made her hair silky smooth. And makeup, I needed that. My thoughts were racing.
“God, you look like you’ve just seen a ghost,” Avery said, still observing me.
“I met that staff member last night,” I told her. For some reason confiding in Avery made my heart beat a little slower, allowing me to think more clearly. “That was him on the phone. Mason.” A small shiver crept up my spine. My dream. I shook myself out of my thoughts; it had been a dream, that was all.