She shivered once more, the heat finally sinking into her bones. The smile melted from her face and those green eyes captured his brown ones. “Have you always been wealthy?”
He shrugged, working to appear nonchalant. “I was adopted when I was six. Until then, I lived with my single mother. I never knew who my father was. When she died, I went into the system. I was seven when the St. Thomas’ adopted me. So, no. I wasn’t always wealthy. Neither were they. So, they tell me.”
“But most of your life, though. Right?”
“I don’t see why this has anything to do with the answer to my question,” he snapped. He bit his lower lip, feeling instantly foolish over his fit of pique. “Sorry,” he added. “Yes, most of my life. Why?”
Her cheeks pinked and she ducked her head, the smile still there. “You seem to be pretty helpless, really. You own a plane but you don’t know where the emergency exits are or how to inflate the raft. You didn’t know about the emergency beacon.” She met his gaze again, a strong one of her own. The humor gone now. “You just seem like the kind of man who has everything done for him.”
He stared at the fire, not willing to look into her face any longer. “Trust me, I work for a living. I don’t have everything handed to me.”
“How do you mean?”
“I may run the company for my father, but I still have a board of directors to deal with.” He bit down on the temptation to jump up and pace. So, he stared down at his hands, tugging on one thumb as he spoke. “I still have to deal with the likes of the shareholders, employees. I answer to others and I have to work for what I get.”
“You make it sound like it’s such a big deal.”
He jerked his head up. “It is a big deal. You think this is easy? Trying to run a company? Too many egos and too many contentious people to appease. Too many wheels to grease. Too much to do in a day to keep it legal and fair. I have several hundred people depending on me for their daily bread. I take that very seriously.”
Steam was coming off her coat but she sat unaffected by it. “You must love it or you wouldn’t do it.”
“I do. A little.” He looked at her, really seeing her now. “You better sit back. Your clothes will catch fire if you don’t.”
She scootched away from the blaze, removing the coat as beads of sweat broke out over her forehead. “Hell of a fire, though. You can do that much.” She smiled at him again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“Yes, you did.” He waved it away. “You’re right. I’ve not done that kind of labor a day in my life.” He stared down at his hands, slim and long fingered. They were soft and blameless. “But I’ve worked hard. I have money that I inherited, sure. But I earned my way through this world. No one gave me anything.” He met her glance. “Maybe I don’t know much about that plane or any other. But I’m not an idiot.”
She held up her hands in surrender, then wrapped them around her knees again. “Too bad your money can’t get us out of this one. I’m hungry. And we’re going to get very thirsty before they find us.”
“I can’t help with the food thing. What can I do to get us water? I’m thirsty too.”
“I guess we both go do this one. Unless, you can find something to use as a cup or canteen, Mr. St. Thomas, we’ll have to hold our hands out into the rain. Do it that way.”
He jumped up and extended his hand to her, to help her rise. “On one condition. My name is Alexander. But I’d like it if you’d call me Alex.”
She was up on her feet in a heartbeat. “You’re my boss, you know. I could get in trouble.”
He grinned at her. “I won’t tell anyone if you don’t. Grace.”
“Fair enough. Alex.”
They stood under the lip of the cave, drinking the water from their palms. It didn’t completely eradicate the hunger but it did help stave it off. It tasted so sweet, so clear, so pure, that the water rejuvenated his spirit. He drank until he felt full, knowing he’d be paying a price soon. He’d had a dog when he was a child; the beast hated to go out in the rain to pee. He rather felt the same right now. But the water was refreshing.
He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she continued to drink.
Her lovely hair fell around her face and she flung it over her shoulder before continuing to drink. Her lips pursed as she dropped them to her palms.
The urge to kiss her grew strong again and he balled his fists against the small of his back to keep from grabbing her by the shoulders.
With a very unladylike belch, she released a sigh and splashed water on her face. The beads of moisture made her face glisten in the dim light that filtered through the dark clouds.
He forced himself to look away, back into the dark day.
“Alex?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re shivering. Come on, let’s get back to the fire.”
Her hand rested on the small of his back, above his fists and he unclenched them immediately.
“Come on. It’s cold,” she urged.
He peered down at the woodpile he’d made. “I need to get some more wood first. We’ll run through that long before morning and it’s damned cold. I don’t intend to freeze before help gets here.”
“You’ll be soaked!” She took hold of his arm as if she could stop him from his task. “It’s bloody freezing out there and you’ll get soaked in that rain.”
He laid a hand over hers, gently loosening her fingers. “And that wood will be soaked too. I can get dry and warm again but that wood out there won’t, unless I bring it in.” He smiled at her, feeling the warmth of her own. “Hey, maybe I don’t know about planes and beacons but I can make a fire. And I know to bring the wood in now, so that when we need it, it’ll be dry again.”
He took the hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of it. It was funny to see the blush on her cheeks as she snatched it back, holding it to her stomach. She’d be good for a tumble, he decided. But something about her that told him she was much more than that. She had a proud bearing, a wicked smile, and a body that would make a priest want to break every commandment on the spot.
He went out anyway. It was raining so hard that he couldn’t see ten feet past where he stood. But he went out in the rain, retracing his steps to the strewn lumber. He was soaked through within ten paces of the cave. Almost frozen solid by the end of the second trip.
He doggedly made yet one more trip before his hands were so cold that he couldn’t grip anything else before he gave it up.
Grace helped him carry it all in before he collapsed in front of the fire, close enough that his clothes began to dry. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, pressing against his back. Her breasts were warm and firm against him and his head lolled back on her shoulder in response to the gentle strokes of her hands on his chest.
“Shh, let me warm you. Sharing body heat. Survival 101,” she whispered in his ear.
Make her talk about something, anything. Anything to focus on. Keep—God, I’m getting hard for her. “How—how long—you been a pilot?”
She was rubbing his arms as she spoke, “Ten years. I flew the commercial planes for a while, but lost my taste for it. Too many regulations and not enough support. Then, a lot of stuffed shirts in the FAA wanted to tell me how to do my job and most of them haven’t flown in years.”
He chuckled at the thought. “You sound like a regular little lawbreaker.”
“I am not,” she said, bristling at the suggestion. “I follow those rules and regulations. We have them for a reason!”
“But..?”
“Oh, the ones wearing a suit and tie. They’re the ones who tend to make life more difficult for everyone.”
“I wear a suit and tie.”
Her hands stopped on his biceps, lightly squeezing them. “Yes, you do. And you’ve certainly made my life miserable a few times.”
“But…?” he asked again. He turned his head slightly to see her. “You’ve decided that maybe I’m not so bad after all?”
“Well,” she started, turning an impish grin at him. “I suppose not. I’ve worked for worse bosses.”
“I do try. And you’re not such a bad pilot, either.”
“Thank you!” She pulled back, leaning on her hands. “All better? You got some color in your cheeks again.”
“So do you.” He reached up to touch her face, brush his fingers against the soft skin. She looked so radiant in the fire’s light. “I think I could go for you, Grace.”
“For me?” Her eyes were huge in the reddish glow. “You're talking nonsense. You don’t even know me.”
He turned, sweeping her legs to one side, so that he could sit facing her. They sat, hip-to-hip, quiet while he tried to find the words. Why did she suddenly make him feel foolish and mute? He took her face in his hand again. “No, I don’t,” he answered finally. “I know you’re a crack pilot. I know you’re one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met. Do I need to know more?”
“I also know you’re my boss. And that’s sexual harassment.”
“Do you want me to stop?” He watched her eyes for the truth of whatever answer she might give him.
The hard lines around her mouth relaxed, one corner curling up. “No. I like it. I sure as hell don’t know why, but I do.”
CHAPTER THREE
Alex leaned forward to kiss her, brushing his lips to hers as softly as the whisper of the spring wind on a sunny day. Her lips tasted sugary, as if she'd been wearing a flavored gloss before this all started. She moaned, low and throaty, in response and he grew more brave.
He threaded the fingers of one hand into her hair and, ignoring the pain of his nose, pressed his mouth with more force against hers. He teased the inside of her mouth with his tongue, tasting the sweetness of hers. He wanted the kiss to go on forever.
She broke away, pulling back from him. “This is wrong. God, I could get in so much trouble.”
“Not with me,” he whispered over the crackle of the fire. “Look, I’ll stop if you want me to. And you never have to see me again. Your job is not a condition of sleeping with me, if you don’t want to.”
“I want to believe you.”
He pulled her closer, feeling warmth from the fire on one side and her body on the other. “Look into my eyes, Grace. Am I lying to you?”
Her gaze was deep and penetrating, making him feel for a moment as if she was standing inside of his head and looking around in all of his secrets and memories. The discomfort melted away and her being there made him feel comfortable and safe. He found that he wanted her there. No, he didn’t know her but he wanted to, very desperately.
“No, Alex,” she finally answered as if she could hear what he’d just been thinking. “No, you’re not lying.”
He opened his mouth to answer and she took it for an invitation. Grace raised her mouth to his in renewal of her passion. Her kiss was deep, her mouth his for the taking.
He told himself they were just sharing warmth, because of the cold. Alex reminded himself she was just responding to the mutual attraction they felt. He told himself a lot but listened to none of it. Her body was a siren’s call to him and he had to answer it. He had to. He needed to.
Their clothing served as the sheets on which they lay, carefully dropping each garment down until they were interlocked. She lay on her back, her hair splayed out like the fire beside them. He covered her with his body, her legs coming around him as sure as her arms. Their own heat matched that of the blazing wood.
Her breasts pressed against his chest until he inched his way down, kissing every spot between her lips and her beautiful nipples. He caressed one while he covered the other in soft licks with his tongue. She arched her back, pushing the nipple of the one he licked into his mouth, and he sucked on it, drawing the honey from her skin. Her hands rested on his shoulders as he nibbled between them before turning his attentions to her other breast.
Her skin smelled of the rain and her own musky scent. It kept driving him wild to keep breathing in the aroma but he couldn’t stop. He kissed his way further down, taking his time to kiss each bruise, touch each hurt.
Grace squealed as the stubble on his cheeks scratched against the tender tissues.
She moaned while he nibbled the skin above her triangle, teasing the red skin above the even redder hair, loving the sounds she made—music to his soul. His lips curled in a smile against her curling hair above her passionate lower lips. The smell there was maddening as well.
Her quim was salty, tasting of mushrooms and earthen pleasures. Running his tongue up one side first, then the other, sent shivers racing through her and he felt each of them as he gave her a deep soul kiss from below.
The taste and the smell of her were so intoxicating that his head was spinning. He slipped two fingers inside of her, finding the place he knew would drive her to the brink, bringing the flood of her racing over his hand as hard as the rain poured outside.
Her body became so responsive, the slightest touch giving her pleasure. For a change, his own wasn't as important—and he had a moment to wonder about that. Why?
She’s just an employee, convenient and—yet. She had fire in her, a decided inability to just kowtow to him, like so many women had before. She seemed different in a good way, she wasn't after him for anything. She was eating this up, coming alive before him—that cold professional exterior gone now, the vibrant lover opening up before him. He liked it; he liked giving her pleasure. No, he loved it. He wanted to go on and on, making her come in his hands, on his lips.
It seemed like she wanted more. She released once more against lips, around his fingers, then squirmed away from him. Without a word, she was on her knees before him and he was on his back. She gently touched his hurts, kissing them tenderly as she explored his body. Trying to take the pain, he must surely feel.
He closed his eyes, shutting out the rest of their surroundings, opening himself to the sensations—her hair falling around her face, brushing against the sensitive skin between his thighs. The touch of her mouth, her tongue, on his rigid cock as she tasted him, caressed him. Her breath, hot and moist, on his loins as she set him on fire. Her fingers playing the short and curlies, tickling and teasing.
She slipped down on him, the sword in the scabbard, and rose and fell with the wind outside driving a rhythm between them. He opened his eyes once, to find his way to her hips, and closed them again. Faster and faster, joined at the hips with her hands pressed against his shoulders to keep her balance.
He lost himself to the joining, lost himself to his own breathing with his heartbeat loud in his ears. Lost himself to the sudden constriction of every muscle of his body, the explosion as he released inside of her, and then the spreading warmth as his mind separated from himself and floated out into the rain.
She fell against him, her cheek on his shoulder and her breathing soft and steady. The fire felt so warm now, and he no longer had the energy to stay awake. She fell asleep against him and he followed her down into the depths of the peace between them.
One last thought chased him as he slipped down under the bonds of wakefulness. One thought. Of how he could fancy her quite nicely, how he could want her, explore her mind and body. One thought—that there could be more here than just a sexual fling.
When he woke, hours later, she’d rolled off to cuddle by his side. The storm at last was over, the fire barely more than ash and burning embers. He roused just enough to pile the remaining wood on top of the smoldering remains, blowing just enough to help the fire build back up again. Then, he lay down at her side and wrapped himself around her.
She reached behind her, in her sleep, touching his buttock as if to reassure herself of his solid presence. She sighed and curled up again.
He kissed her ear, smiling against her hair as he did, and followed her back down.
The next time he woke, it was dawn and the wind had gone silent…the world still. He heard the sounds of engines approaching and shook her awake. “Hey. I think help is here.”
> Her beautiful eyes fluttered open and she stretched languidly, making those breasts of hers look plump and delicious to him. He kissed between them, stroking the nipple of one with his thumb.
“Help? Here?” she asked, the sleep in her voice making it rough and very sexy.
“I hear what sounds like a helicopter out there.” He sat up, then gave her a boost to her feet. “Come on, let’s get dressed.”
They remained quiet as they dressed, the fire still blazing nicely. But he kept sneaking peeks at her, kept watching her under his lashes. The professional was back, his employee stood before him as she buttoned her blouse and then donned her suit coat.
“Grace—”
“Look, don’t worry, Mr. St. Thomas. I won’t cause a problem. I know what happened last night and it’s okay.”
“Wait; you know—?”
She refused to face him. “Of course. The situation, the cold, the danger. It’s okay. I won’t bother you about any of it. It was one night and we go back to normal.”
Alex heard the coldness in her voice as he touched her arm, making her face him. With one finger, he raised her gaze to his own. “What if I don’t want normal?”
She frowned, watching him warily but saying nothing.
“Look, I got to see a side of you that I never would have before. I don’t want normal. I want to—to get to know you. I want the abnormal.”
“But, I’m an employee, Mr. St. Thomas. I work for you.”
“It’s Alex, remember?” He smiled at her, kissing her lips softly. “And, if it would help, I could fire you. But I rather like having you as my pilot.” He took her in his arms, suddenly wanting to be more than what she saw in him right now. “I take it you don’t want that?”
“I just thought maybe you didn’t,” she said, embracing him back.
“I want to know you, Grace. I want to get to know you. Can we do that?”
“You sure?”
He shrugged. “Why not? I felt something last night. And I’d like to find out if it’s real or not. If it isn’t…well, like I said, you don’t have to look at me again, if you don’t want to. You stay in the cockpit and I stay out in the cabin.” He stroked her hair gently. “But I’d like a chance to find out.”
Stranded With a Billionaire Boxed Set Page 13