The Billionaire's Second Chance

by Peyton Reeser

  He’d taken her with a lack of finesse which thrilled her. Whatever childishly romantic rubbish she may have entertained about a gentle lover taking her virginity was swept way in the reality of his thundering possession of her body.

  Powerful and unrestrained he had set a primal rhythm that she met and matched with deep plunging thrusts interspersed with shallow pulses that drove her wild. And then there were the slow, grinding movements of his manhood buried deep inside when he hesitated after a lunging down stroke, circling his hips in wild abandon against hers in a way that demanded total command of her body.

  It had gone on like that for a long time, he controlling the pace, sweeping them both along in pursuit of a completion which she could only imagine. Backing off when they got too close to the edge, enduring her pathetic cries pleading for him to finish it before she melted into a useless puddle of desire.

  He’d almost laughed at her demands, using his powerful body to bring her to the brink again and again until at long last she had gripped his glorious ass in her delicate but decidedly forceful hands, holding him just so, as she writhed and bucked against him taking what she wanted, what she needed.

  That was when his formidable control snapped and they were flung into a pounding, heart racing crescendo which she was sure would consume them both. Hammering away he thrust deeply over and over until Shannon erupted in a series of long shuddering cries as her release suddenly detonated causing Nick to follow in total abandon, exploding inside her, throbbing and pulsing his way to an orgasm that when finally over, left them both utterly spent.

  Shaken by the overwhelming experience, Shannon had drifted into semi-consciousness in the aftermath as Nick had shifted their positions to something that didn’t involve his massive and now spent form crushing her as she lay under him.

  When she’d returned to her senses she was aware of him lifting her from the bed and carrying her into the enormous wet room where he had filled the tub with warm water while arranging lit candles all around the tile riser.

  Sinking with her still in his arms under the deep warm water she’d known a sense of contentment and total serenity that she hadn’t suspected she was capable of feeling. He’d refused to let her do anything and even pinned her hair up so it didn’t become a sodden mess. He’d gently washed her entire body and had been as gentle and solicitous then as he had been powerful and demanding before.

  Their sweet after play in that glorious tub had been another memory she’d kept hidden in the dark shadows of her mind for many, many years.

  There had been plenty of other times over the next days when they had made love in the wet room. Under the shower for instance when he’d bent her over, hands resting on the shower bench and taken her from behind in a raucous coupling which gave hot and steamy in the shower an entirely new and deliciously naughty meaning. Or half in and half out of the enormous tile bath when she’d been so over the edge of sanity that she hadn’t been able to wait until they made it to the bedroom before she climbed him like a trellis, impaling her shaking body on his, taking him on the ride of a lifetime.

  They’d made love in every room of that delightful mountain side bungalow including the kitchen when he’d undressed her bit by bit one evening as she made them a sumptuous lover’s feast; until all she’d been wearing was a very prim white apron and nothing else but an amused and very turned on smile. He’d replaced that smile with cries of pleasure after he’d lifted her up onto the rustic wooden table and placed her long, supple legs up over his shoulders giving way to a loving which left her dazed and exhausted. But they’d really made the enormous bathing room with the soothing fireplace, open shower and a tub designed for play, their own.

  Those five days had changed them both forever. From that time onward they had been inseparable. Being discreet and private so as not to rock the boat in any way, Shannon had spent every second that she could with Nick.

  She’d been in love. Thought he had been too. Imagined a future back in the real world where they would be together. Loving each other. Maybe even making a family together. She’d been so pathetically naïve was her last thought before coming back to the present and climbing from the tub.

  It didn’t take long for her to towel off and wrap up in the soft, fluffy robe Nick had thoughtfully laid out. She didn’t want to think about what was going on in his mind but was pretty sure after the wake-up call provided by her detailed re-creation of a place dripping with sensual memories, he was most likely remembering the same things she was.

  Was he on the other side of the closed door watching the same rerun in his mind that she had been?

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Memories of the past; a bright, vivid flashback of their first time together was playing out in Nick’s mind. The years melted away as his memory dropped him in the middle of their unexpected love nest.

  He remembered her shy, hesitant innocence and how she’d trembled at his touch. There wasn’t a corner of his memory where he could go and not find the vision etched in his brain of how she looked that first time; with unbound hair cascading over her shoulders she was his very own Botticelli Venus.

  Wearing naught but a pair of sheer pink panties, her eyes had been huge as saucers; those vivid turquoise orbs shadowed with desire and curiosity had all but melted his brain. He remembered her scent; the one sensory impression he could never erase no matter how many years had flown by. The tangy evidence of her excitement mingled with a concoction of crushed almonds and honey that she covered herself with after a long day in the African sun. She smelled delicious and he was damn sure going to taste every inch and hidden place on her body.

  Nick was the type of man who could be deeply sensual and moved by carnal experiences. From out of nowhere came the thought of his high school girlfriend who always smelled of a sickening blend of flowers and something else he just couldn’t describe. He’d hated her perfume. Hated the way it clung to everything; her hair, the leather of his car seat, his clothes. The choking, cloying scent followed her everywhere and stayed around after she left.

  He remembered back then how his BFF Ned had once remarked, “Dude, she smells like a French bordello!” bringing a huge laugh from both of them because really, what did they know about how a French bordello smelled? It was a great description and a good reminder of the past.

  Shannon was another thing. What he’d experienced with her formed a lifelong imprint. He hadn’t let anyone get close enough to him to even attempt to wipe the recollections that he was so vividly lost in from his life.

  Shannon at her most divine, trembling all over in a mixture of shyness and pure, unadulterated lust. Looking at him with those big, hungry, trusting eyes, ready and willing for whatever came next.

  He could never forget that first time any more than he would ever be able to erase the onslaught of emotions which had just kicked him in the gut when he saw that bathing room for himself. He’d never have thought that eight years and a continent later he would find himself staring down a reminder of their intimate past in such an in-your-face way.

  Nick knew now that there might be a chance for them. The statement Shannon was making, every single detail of that special time on display, had a sobering effect on his emotions.

  Sometime later after having carefully dressed, she allowed her on-duty nursemaid to carefully re-wrap the bruised ankle and attend the scrapes and gashes on her hands, leg and shoulder. Shannon tried calming her see-sawing emotions as best she could. His touch wasn’t making that exactly easy.

  She’d decided against taking more of the prescription pain meds and opted instead for some run-of-the-mill over the counter tablets mostly because she didn’t care for the fuzzy headed way the narcotics made her feel. Now that her migraine had subsided and her injuries evaluated in the light of a new day, Shannon needed to focus on what the doctor had said so she could get back control of her life.

  After the awkward reveal when he’d stepped into her private bathing sanctuary and the way they’d been c
arefully avoiding each other’s eyes since then, she didn’t trust her normally observant senses to provide any guidance. It was best, she concluded, to say and do nothing while her emotions were off the chart.

  She wondered what was he thinking but didn’t dare broach the subject. He certainly hadn’t been unaffected, that much had been apparent, but the overly polite manners which had sparked her initial interest in him when she was still a teenager, were frankly, grating on her nerves right now. Polite was easy and uncomplicated but this mannerly disconnect was shredding her composure and making her feel anything but easy and uncomplicated. Damn.

  Though she knew she shouldn’t care, she desperately wanted to know how he felt about what he’d seen. Did he remember those days the way she did? Oh god, she thought. Was he embarrassed? The very idea that he would be turned off or find offensive what to her had been something sacred and profound twisted her in knots.

  Some welcome ambulatory equipment had arrived mid-morning and Shannon had awkwardly tried out the crutches in the hope that they would help her get around without assistance. She hadn’t counted though on Nick being so insistently domineering with his constant reminders of doctor’s orders to stay off the foot completely for another day at least. Shannon was starting to suspect that he rather liked carrying her around because he was more than eager to scoop her into his capable arms at the drop of a hat.

  Hell, if she wanted to move to the other end of the sofa he would pick her up and reposition her; never mind that she was perfectly capable of scooting across the cushions herself. Staring blindly out the window wasn’t going to stop the thrill she experienced every time they touched although that’s just what she had been doing for some time… staring ….blindly.

  It was now late in the afternoon and they’d had another ghastly row an hour or so ago. Shannon just couldn’t stop hurling eight years of anger and hurt in his face even though she felt dreadful after each confrontation.

  She’d listened to a phone message left on her home machine from her mother which Nick had overheard. Mom was telling her in that professorial way she had that she had been excitedly packing up her and dad’s gear for their expedition to the Canadian Rockies when she found the RSVP Shannon had sent weeks back accepting the invitation to her parent’s 50th wedding anniversary.

  Her mom had been all but gushing about the family reunion which would take place at the anniversary celebration. Shannon’s brother and his wife, dad’s younger brother and his family, all the extended university family they had gathered over the years, the whole “Fam Damily” as she laughingly called it.

  It was odd to hear her normally laid back mother burbling on about parties and trips but what really touched Shannon’s heart was the way she had expressed her total delight that her only daughter would be coming home for a long overdue visit. She’d ended the call with an admonition to call home so they could talk about plans causing Shannon to sigh at the obvious parental command.

  She’d all but forgotten the fast approaching event and felt a bit of panic at how close that promised trip back east actually was. Less than a week away and she hadn’t even gotten around to making her travel arrangements, so busy had she been with the latest flurry of events she’d pulled off. Her plan had been to cut back and take some time off after Dom’s big party and her parent’s anniversary had been part of the grand scheme of things.

  She hadn’t counted on the complications of the last two days. Immediately feeling peevish about the spot she found herself in Shannon was in no way prepared for what came after that missed phone call.

  Nick had commented on Shannon’s need to be back east in time for the family get together. As usual he had jumped fifty pages ahead and rather matter-of-factly announced that since he too had to be heading back east soon, he would arrange everything. Simple. Done. Once again, all was right in the world of Barrett.

  The thought Shannon seemed to be having regularly now was, 'Really? Is he kidding?' Releasing a tremendous sigh that was just this side of a snarl she wanted to rail at him yet again about this propensity he had for making decisions for her. What is this? Don’t worry little lady the big capable man has taken care of everything. I don’t think so Shannon thought as her expression tightened and her lips went grim.

  “Thank you for your kind offer Nick but as you say …I’ve got this. No need for you to put yourself out any more than you already have on my account.” she spat out.

  “Had I realized that you needed to get back to your real life it would have been no problem to hire an aide.” she continued in a rush as she suddenly became intensely interested in the TV channel guide flying by on the screen as she hurriedly punched keys on the remote control she was gripping like her life depended on it. “As it is I’ve taken up enough of your time and amusing though it might be for you to experience a Reynolds Family get together, I don’t think what they have planned is quite your cup of tea.”

  Nick looked back at her slightly stunned by how quickly she had shut down and gone all prissy on him. One minute, while quiet, things were in neutral and the next thing he knew the anger was back. Searching his mind for a reason for this quick change Nick admitted that he’d been taking over again and concluded this was more evidence that she didn’t want him to be part of her life in any significant way. He had a lot of ground to make up.

  “Being here with you is no hardship at all little one.” Nick fed into the conversation as he moved to sit on the edge of the sofa making Shannon shift her legs and butt to make room for him. She looked less than happy that he was purposefully invading her body space and he thought good, get used to it because I am not going anywhere and the sooner you accept that, the quicker we can move beyond all this crap and begin building a future together.

  “In fact, I don’t have to return on any time schedule.” he added with a casual shrug and a slight twisting of his lips. Leaning full across her now with an elbow resting on the sofa back cushions, he had effectively trapped her where she sat and then lasered in on her eyes with the precision of a guided missile.

  How the hell does he do that Shannon wondered? Damnit but every time she tried to assert herself all he had to do was get too close and she was folding her cards like a greenhorn in a high stakes poker game. The man invaded her senses in ways she didn’t want to think about.

  With his free hand, Nick picked up one of her unruly curls and wrapped it casually around his fingers. Still staring her down he said softly, “I just thought since you need to take care of your family business and I live, more or less, where you need to go that we could continue what we’ve started here. I’d like very much to meet your family Shannon.” that last said in a fading whisper as he seemed to lose himself in the feel of her hair in his hand.

  Later she would think back on this moment and arrive at the conclusion that if he hadn’t been sitting so close to her and smelling like the most forbidden delicacy on the planet she might have handled what came next in a more graceful way. Instead she waded into an ocean of immaturity and let a gross ton of verbal nonsense come spewing out.

  “Continue what we’ve started? Oh, you mean continue taking care of poor me because you feel bad?” She lifted her shoulders as if to say she didn’t care.

  “I can take care of myself, as I keep telling you, and have done so every minute since we went our separate ways!”

  Pulling her hair from his grasp she attempted to go nose to nose with him but since he was so much bigger she could only turn her face up to his, giving her an up close view of his oh-so-kissable lips. Yikes! Screwing up her resolve and shaking her head to dispel the sudden vision of him lowering his head and taking her mouth with those incredible male lips, she went for broke.

  “Please don’t think you have to involve yourself any further in my everyday life. You have important things to take care of I’m sure and besides, you’d be bored or at the very least put off by my parents and their posse of university friends. A bunch of self-professed nerdy academics are hardly in your
league and I wouldn’t want them made to feel somehow lacking or déclassé in your presence.”

  Stunned by her response Nick struggled to understand why she was being so belligerent. “Come on Shannon, that’s rubbish and you know it. I am not like that at all and I’d have thought that you of all people would know that.”

  Was he kidding? She couldn’t believe any of this. Sure, he’d done a damn fine job of explaining away what had gone on before but did he think she was stupid? That she’d just forget the cruel way he’d thrown her away like a piece of annoying sticky paper that had gotten stuck on the bottom of his shoe? Didn’t matter that it was a defensive act – he had shown it was possible for him to simply walk away from her and THAT is what was really standing in their way.

  Straightening suddenly and drawing herself up to very one of her five feet eight inches Shannon momentarily shocked Nick with her lightening quick physical response when just moments before he’d seen a smoky sensual light in her usually vivid eyes and wondered what had been going through her mind as she had stared at his mouth.

  Who the hell did he think he was? Well she’d had enough of this.

  “Why the hell should I of all people as you put it know that?” she all but hollered. “Why Nick? Because you deemed to slink away from your family castle and play in the dirt in a third world country? Is that the grounds you are basing this argument on?” she hissed “Because perhaps you want to re-think that position. Especially considering that you tossed me aside like a used handi-wipe once you’d returned to your silver spoon life.”

  He watched her outburst through hooded eyes, hiding his true reaction from her, completely thrown by this vehement outburst. She’d gone from zero to complete bitch in less than 3 seconds. In the next breath she continued only she’d moved to within inches of his face so he could not turn away from the cold truth in her eyes as she spit at him in unrequited pain still languishing after having lain dormant for years