by Leah Brooke
Julianna obeyed him, her breasts becoming hot and heavy…achy. She would swear she could actually feel his touch, a touch that made her nipples become even tighter.
A shift on the leather seat later, Nick’s warm breath caressed her cheek. “You want me to touch them. You know the pleasure I can give you, don’t you, little one? Your pussy’s drenched, preparing for me to take you. Your clit throbs, begging for my attention. I know what you want, but I’m not through exploring, so you’ll just have to wait.”
Tightening her hands into fists, she lowered her head, keeping her eyes tightly closed. Her breathing came out ragged, her heart racing. “Y-you’re not?”
She jumped when Nick’s hand moved over her hair. Keeping her eyes closed, she sighed when she felt the tight twist come loose, allowing her hair to fall over her shoulders and down her back.
Nick ran his fingers through the strands. “Of course not, darling. I want to explore every inch of you. When I run my fingers over your stomach, it quivers. Did you think I couldn’t feel it?”
Her breathing came out in pants as her stomach muscles quivered.
How had he done that?
“Hmm. When I slide my hand lower, your breath hitches. Yes, just like that. I run my fingers through your soft curls, knowing that I’m going to have you waxed. I don’t want anything to hide what belongs to me. What belongs to Steve. We want you nice and smooth. Being waxed will make you even more sensitive. Your clit wants attention, but I want you to wait. Will you do that? Will you be patient and wait for me to finish?”
Julianna groaned. More than anything, she wanted to rub her thighs together.
“Keep your thighs spread, Julianna.”
“Oh, God. Please.” Turning her head, she lifted her eyes to his, her arousal growing at the intensity in his dark ones. Glancing at Steve, she reached for his hand without thinking. “I can’t…this is…”
Steve’s eyes flared. He shot a stunned look at Nick but quickly recovered and slid a little closer to her. Reaching out, he took her hand in his.
“Damn, Julianna, you’re incredible.”
Nick skimmed a finger down her cheek. “When I press my finger into you, your sweet little pussy milks it, clenching as if to try to hold it in. You like having it inside you, but it’s not enough. You need more, don’t you, darling?”
Holding on tightly to Steve’s hand, Julianna stared into Nick’s eyes. Her nipples burned. Her clit throbbed unbearably, the hot, little tingles centering there. Thankful that they both leaned close and hid her from view of the other diners, she bit her lip to hold back a moan.
“When I part your folds, I can see your clit, red and shiny. I know it burns, darling.”
A moan escaped before she could prevent it. She could actually feel him there, feel the cool air brush her clit and the heat of his stare on her tender flesh.
“Let me make it better. Just a brush of my fingers…”
She felt it so strongly she actually jolted in her seat. “Oh!” Julianna cried out softly, her mouth quickly covered by Nick’s. It felt so real, as though he’d actually brushed those strong fingers over her clit. The tingles became sharper and spread as she came, a small rush of pleasure that only made her want more. She trembled helplessly in his arms, unable to believe what had just happened.
Swallowing her cries, he swept her mouth with his, his heated kisses gradually becoming soft and lingering. Caressing her back, he held her close until she settled. When he lifted his head, his slow smile made her heart flutter. “Hmm, maybe we should have gone up to our suite after all.”
Reality came crashing back. Pushing against him, she struggled to put some distance between them, but he prevented it, the arm around her tightening to keep her close.
“None of that. We’ll take this nice and slow. There’s no reason to be embarrassed. You’re a passionate woman.”
Steve remained close, running a hand down her arm. His eyes moved over her face, as tender as they’d been when he’d said goodbye to her the night at her apartment even though he looked at her as though seeing her for the first time. “You’re beautiful, honey. All pink and flushed.”
“That shouldn’t have happened. I’ll take a cab home.”
Nick tangled his fingers with hers. “What shouldn’t have happened? We learned a little more about you, and you learned a little more about yourself. You had an orgasm, and only a little one. None of that’s bad, Julianna. I swear, darling, you worry way too much.” Motioning for the check, he shared a long look with Steve. Nick’s face cleared, a smile lighting his eyes. “I guess we’re all learning more than we’d expected.”
* * * *
After hours of tossing and turning, Julianna finally fell into a troubled sleep. Nervous about starting a new job and aroused to the point that even her vibrator couldn’t satisfy her, she’d just fallen asleep when the phone rang. Drowsily, she’d reached for the receiver, her stomach in knots. Nothing good ever came from phone calls in the middle of the night. “Hello?”
“I’m sorry to wake you, darling.”
Still half asleep, she gasped and sat up, her body tightening in expectation at the sound of its master’s voice. “Nick?” A fresh rush of moisture coated her thighs as she struggled to wake up enough to come to grips with the fact that just his voice could arouse her.
A pause followed, thick with sensual tension. “I like hearing my name on your lips, all husky and soft with sleep. It makes me crave hearing it when you’re snuggled up next to me in my bed. When you cry it, when you scream it.”
Before her brain started working enough for her to come up with a response, he continued, his tone a little more firm, but still low and intimate. “I just called to let you know that Steve will be leaving for Seattle in just a few minutes and I’ll be leaving for Miami within the hour. You have our cell numbers if you need us, as well as Monica’s. As our personal assistant, she can handle anything you might need if you can’t reach one of us. Try to miss me. Go back to sleep, darling, and I’ll see you in a few days.”
He hung up without giving her a chance to reply, leaving her staring down at the phone as though in a trance. It took quite a while to get back to sleep again, and when she did, she held the pillow close, pretending it was him and wondering why, after all these years of sleeping alone, did her bed suddenly seem so lonely.
Chapter Five
Julianna finished her call, still writing up notes as she disconnected and tossed the phone onto her desk. Keeping a job this size on schedule would be a lot more difficult than she’d anticipated, but she thrived on the challenge.
She couldn’t wait to see the Crescendo the way it looked in her vision, and couldn’t wait to see the looks on Nick and Steve’s faces when they saw it, too.
Damn it, she missed them like hell.
She’d have to keep moving between floors, keeping the work on track and making sure everything got done on time and to her satisfaction. Exchanging one clipboard for another, she started out of her office, with the intention of going to the top floor to check on the progress there.
Every time she went up there, she found herself walking the same path they’d taken her the day they’d hired her. She couldn’t stop thinking about the episode in the restaurant, the almost silent ride home, and Nick’s late-night phone call.
She burned every time she did.
It made no sense at all to miss someone she just met, but she couldn’t stop thinking about them.
Irritated at herself for letting thoughts of them intrude when she should have been working, she deliberately averted her eyes from Claire’s office as she passed. With her head down, she jotted down a question for the contractor, coming to a jarring stop when she ran straight into a solid wall of muscle.
“What’s your hurry, darling?”
Julianna’s head snapped up, her heart pounding wildly as she looked up into Nick’s dark eyes. “You’re back.” As if her body remembered the pleasure, it came alive, the erotic warmth spreading a
nd bringing her senses to full alert. Standing motionless, she stared up at him, tightening her hands around the clipboard to keep from reaching for him.
Nick smiled and reached out, sliding a finger down her cheek and over her bottom lip, leaving a path of sizzling heat in its wake. His smile fell when he moved his hand to her hair, running his hand lightly over the tight twist she’d forced it into this morning. “Doesn’t that give you a headache?”
Gripping the clipboard tightly, she couldn’t think of a response, too dazed to look away from the delectable feast before her. Her mouth watered at the way the worn jeans hugged his thighs, and she couldn’t drag her gaze away from the bulge pressing at his zipper.
Despite wearing jeans and a black T-shirt, he somehow managed to appear sophisticated and expensive. Taking a deep breath, she drew in his scent like an addict. “Uh, no. I’m, um, used to it.”
She hadn’t seen either one of them since they’d dropped her off three nights ago, but those hours seemed to disappear as she stood staring up at him.
Knowing she must have looked like an idiot ogling him, she snapped her mouth closed and looked back down at her clipboard, not seeing a word of what she’d written there. “Did you have a nice trip?” When he didn’t answer, she looked up to find him watching her, his smile knowing.
He pulled her into his arms, propping his head on top of hers and rubbing her back. His hand moved to her hair, tilting her head back and igniting a ball of electricity inside her, a tingling mass that started in her belly and sizzled to every erogenous zone. “It was miserable, and I missed you the entire time. Did you miss me?”
Julianna’s eyes fluttered closed when he brushed her lips with his and lost the ability to breathe. She stood on her toes to increase the pressure, her eyes flying open when Nick chuckled and nipped her bottom lip.
“I want my answer, Julianna. Don’t think to distract me or you may get more than a kiss.”
Taking a deep breath, she dropped her heels back to the floor and swallowed heavily before answering. “I’ve…uh…been very busy. I was just on my way upstairs to ch-check on the plumbers.”
Very seductive, Julianna.
Nick’s grin flashed. “I’m on my way up, too. I just wanted to stop and see you first. I haven’t been able to get that soft, husky voice out of my mind.”
Julianna looked away as he watched her expectantly, not knowing what to say. “Thank you for calling the other night. It was nice of you to let me know you were leaving.”
She could feel her face burn, unable to believe she’d said something so stupid.
Turning her to face him, Nick laughed softly. “You’re absolutely adorable. Do you know that?” His eyes lit with amusement, a playfulness in them that was hard to resist on such a serious man. “I didn’t call you to be nice. Come on. I’ll ride up with you.”
The hand he placed at the small of her back as he led her to the elevator seared through her light cotton shirt, sending little jolts of awareness through her, and bringing every erogenous zone in her body to life. Stiffening, she concentrated on just keeping one foot in front of the other as she walked into the confines of the elevator with him.
Once inside, Nick reached around her to push the button for the top floor, his wide chest brushing against her shoulder. “So did you miss me?”
Shivering at his contact, she tightened her grip on the clipboard, fighting the urge to bury her face in his chest to fill her lungs with his delicious scent. If she could bottle the essence of him, she could make a fortune.
No. She’d keep it all to herself.
Keeping her tone cool, she looked up at him through her lashes. “I’ve been very busy. The furniture and carpeting have been ordered and—”
Nick’s cool, mocking smile as he tapped her lips had her insides clenching as need clawed its way free. “I’m not talking about the hotel, and you know it. Did you miss me?”
She licked her lips to ease the tingling, trembling when his eyes flashed. “No, I hardly know you.”
Without breaking eye contact, Nick reached out again and hit the emergency stop, bringing the elevator to a smooth halt. With one large hand braced on the wall on either side of her head, he leaned close, his big body enveloping her in his heat and delectable scent. “I thought we’d already settled this. I dislike being lied to, Julianna.”
Julianna gulped, mesmerized by his low, deep rumble, and amazed at the way her nipples pebbled at the hint of steel in the implied threat. With the wall of muscle surrounding her, over her, and his intense stare only inches away from her face, she felt more alive, more aware than she had in…three days.
She’d become so aroused, so unnerved at the dominant position he’d assumed, she shook so hard that the pen she held tapped against her clipboard. She arched her back without thinking, silently begging for him to touch her breasts, which now felt swollen, heavy, and far too warm. Tightening her thighs together against the flutters inside her and the swelling of her clit, she stared up at him in anticipation.
She would die if he didn’t touch her soon.
The raw power he exuded drew her in and almost had her begging him to take her right there, but she instinctively fought against it, scared to death at the strength of his sexual power over her. Intense desire glittered darkly in his eyes as they roamed over her face, the promise in them more potent than any fantasy.
Stunned and confused, she stared up at him, unable to form a reply. Words jumbled around in her head but just wouldn’t come together in a way that made any sense.
Even those fled when he moved in, bending close and staring into her eyes for several heart-stopping moments before he touched his tongue to her bottom lip, running it lightly back and forth in a gentle caress, at the same time brushing her breasts with his chest.
Her eyes fluttered closed as a wave of longing washed over her, so strong it stole her ability to breathe. If not for the wall at her back, she knew she would have fallen. Her nipples tingled at the warm friction, making her whimper.
The fact that he touched her nowhere else made the dual caress even more potent. He sipped at her lips as though he had all the time in the world, not stopping until her head spun and she swayed. When he broke off and lifted his head, she couldn’t seem to find the strength to open her eyes and waited expectantly for more.
To hell with playing it safe. She wanted this too much and had been searching for it for too long to deny herself. The next brush of his lips on hers made her jolt, a moan escaping before she could prevent it. With her heart pounding nearly out of her chest, she lifted her face, offering herself to him willingly.
God, she needed this so badly.
His lips covered hers, applying pressure to force them apart, and he slid his tongue inside to caress hers.
With a groan, she grabbed on to his shoulders, moaning at the increased pressure against her nipples. She slid her tongue against his, trying to draw him deeper.
His response to her forwardness startled her. Gripping her hands in his, he pressed them to the elevator wall on either side of her head, nipping her bottom lip enough to make it sting.
Julianna snapped her head back, hitting it on the elevator wall, so shocked she could only stare up at him.
Without a word, he’d taken control of the kiss, and left her in no doubt that he would demand control of every aspect of their lovemaking.
Sliding his hand between her head and the elevator wall, he pulled her close, teasing her by rubbing his chest against her breasts, and slowly lowered his head again. Touching her lips with his, he slid his tongue inside again, stroking hers in a slow, deliberate caress. He deepened the kiss by increments, turning it into something more erotic than any kiss she’d ever known. He tangled his tongue with hers, drawing it into his mouth and sucking on it gently, only to retreat again. With a panicked whimper, she tried to deepen the kiss, sucking his tongue to keep him from escaping.
He reacted swiftly, almost as if he’d anticipated it, breaking off his kiss a
nd nipping her lip again. His mouth hovered over hers, their breaths mingling. He straightened slightly and remained just out of reach, his eyes steady on hers as his hand tangled in her hair to keep her from following.
And waited.
When her attempts to get closer failed, she whimpered her frustration, retreating in surrender. She couldn’t look away from the indulgence and satisfaction in his eyes as he lowered his head again.
Some little voice inside her rebelled at his arrogance, but for the life of her, she couldn’t resist submitting to him yet again.
Her heated response earned her another punishing nip, a steady look, and a raised brow. In defense, she closed her eyes, turning her face into his palm. “Please, Nick. I don’t know how to do this.”
“Trust me, Julianna. Let me teach you.”
His movements remained unhurried and deliberate as he took her mouth again, each kiss more demanding, more possessive than the last. He ate at her mouth hungrily, only to back off and brush his lips over hers again, repeating it over and over until she thought she’d go mad.
Her breasts felt swollen and hot, as though they might spill from her lace bra. Need coiled low in her belly, causing her insides to spasm. She couldn’t hold back the whimpers against his mouth, whimpers that seemed to provoke him to newer heights.
By the time he lifted his head, she had no resistance left at all and slumped against the wall. Her head lolled to the side, exposing her neck, which he apparently took as an invitation to explore.
She cried out, the sharp pleasure of his teeth scraping over her neck sending hot jolts of awareness to her pussy and making it clench. Fisting her hands, she tried to straighten against the assault to her senses, but the hand in her hair prevented it.