Private Scandal

by Jenna Bayley-Burke

  She reached for the towel, and then stood up tall, pulling her shoulders back as she started patting her body dry. She could do this because he would make it easy. Just like always, she’d lay out the invitation and he’d be on her before she could say RSVP.

  This was it. The escape hatch from the disaster her life had become. All she had to do was give him an inch and he’d take her all the way back to their old life. But her hands were shaking and her heart was racing and neither was conducive to temptation.

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, searching for the courage to seduce him. She’d done it countless times before, but then she’d needed nothing from him.

  “Megan?” His tone was low and husky, a sound so familiar and comforting her eyes drifted open. It really was like going back in time as he held out his hand and helped her step out of the tub. The bathmat was soft beneath her feet as she let him take the towel from her hands and slowly, oh so slowly, dry her skin.

  In a few more minutes she might not need the towel. Heat flared within and she figured the water would simply turn to steam. She looked down at Brandon, his broad shoulders and solid chest and desire spiraled within her.

  He’d always oozed sex appeal. It was what had drawn her to him long before she had any chance of being able to handle it. He had a sexual energy that was as tempting as it was intense and overwhelming.

  And it was exactly what she needed.

  As he crouched down to dry her legs, she spread them wider, her skin aware of his every move. His face was shadowed as he looked up at her, a grin curving his full lips. He flung the towel on the floor as he stood.

  As if by magic, he managed to lift her into his arms. On instinct, she wrapped her arms around his neck, the fingers of one hand pushing through the shorn hair at the nape. He carried her into the bedroom and laid her back on the pillows of the bed. He joined her before she could think, nuzzling his face against her throat as his hands caressed her body.

  “Whenever I smell almonds,” he whispered, his hot breath making her squirm, “I think about the time you got that kiddie pool and we slathered each other with bath oil and made love over—” he licked her neck, the scene playing in her head like a movie, “—and over—” he swirled his tongue against her throat as his hands slid up to cover her breasts, “—and over.”

  She moaned and reached for him, the stubble on his face rough against her cheek as she dragged his mouth to hers. She kissed him as if he were water in the middle of the desert.

  She felt exactly as she used to—wild and free and hungry for him.

  She flattened one palm against his chest, feeling the thundering beat of his heart beneath the wall of muscle. He rolled her aching nipples between his fingers and bolts of electricity coursed to her center. Her mouth opened beneath the power of his lips and all her apprehensions about being with him vanished.

  He kissed, he suckled and cherished her lips and tongue, driving her mad to the point where she could almost come from the kiss itself. It was a skill he’d perfected over the years and she’d never been so glad to be on the receiving end of his talents. Her wanton body tingled as his kisses crept down her throat. It was amazing how fast she’d gone from unsure to more than ready, but Brandon had years of practice and played her body like a talented musician.

  His tongue drew lazy circles around her nipple before he turned his head and rubbed his stubbled cheek on the sensitive tip. He rewarded her with a soothing lick before he pulled the nub into his mouth and flicked it with his tongue until her toes curled into the mattress. When he repeated the performance on the other breast, she moaned his name in pleasure.

  He slid his hand down her belly and between her legs, finding her wet and ready for him. She heard the zipper of his jeans release and opened eyes she hadn’t realized she closed. A precious shred of caution slipped through her wild reckless desires.

  “Do you have any condoms?” Her tummy flipped, both wanting him to have a stash and not wanting him to be prepared because of what that would mean.

  “Why? We haven’t used them in years.” His voice was gravelly and thick, but his expression was crestfallen.

  “The pill was an unnecessary expense, considering.” She’d only stopped using condoms because she’d thought they were exclusive. That had been a condition of not sending him to the store for more that Christmas Eve four years ago.

  His eyelids drooped and his mouth twisted into a near pout. She had to smile at the wistful way he dragged his gaze over her body. The pause in the action was enough to allow her brain to start working again. Was he not using protection with Gemma, or had he just not thought to bring any with him? Maybe he hadn’t wanted to have sex with her until she pulled her naked stunt. Maybe this wasn’t—

  “Oh no you don’t.” Brandon rolled on top of her and laced his fingers in hers. “Don’t you leave me again. You were right here with me and I have missed you.”

  “Have you?” She ran her calf over his jean-clad leg, once again allowing herself to slip into the illusion that he was telling the truth.

  He moved their hands out to the side and pushed up to look down into her eyes. “Easily the worst months of my life.”

  He delivered the words with such honest conviction that her heart squeezed for him, a voice too much like hers answered back, “Mine too.”

  Soft lips found hers again, savoring her at first, before she struggled against his grip so that she could use her hands to devour him completely. He pulled back, and then rested his forehead against hers.

  “Do you remember when somebody dared Ava not to have sex for forty days, and you thought it would be a good idea to play along?” A wicked grin tugged at the corner of his lips, full and wet from her kisses.

  “Why are we talking about my sister and her boyfriend?”

  “That was Sullivan?” Megan nodded. “Huh. Okay, but follow me here. We did make it for almost a week before you broke down and jumped me in the shower.”

  “You wish.”

  “I really do. But seriously, we managed. In fact, it was kind of fun to be creative.” He dipped his head and gave her nipple a slow lick.

  The naughty laugh she gave spurred him on. She relaxed into his ministrations, her dirty mind thinking of ways she could still accomplish her plan without him realizing what she was about. She wanted to feel like her former self, but she didn’t want to have to deal with the confrontations living that life again would lead to. Running her hands over the firm muscles of Brandon’s back felt delicious and right, reality had no place in it.

  He kissed his way down her belly and the sexual tension that had been arcing between them for weeks spiraled and focused itself into a delicious ache between her legs. He ran his hands over her hips and down the outside of her thighs.

  When he reached her knees, he parted her legs and moved between them. He placed open-mouthed, warm kisses everywhere he knew she liked—the back of her knees, where her knee met her inner thigh, the juncture of her leg and torso. Everywhere he touched, her skin tingled until she was completely intoxicated from his attentions.

  By the time he gave her sex a long, slow lick, she was pounding on the door of release. She rocked her hips against him and he anchored her steady with his hands. She reached down with one hand and threaded her fingers into his hair, the short ends prickling the sensitized skin of her palm. Every nerve ending danced in anticipation of her climax.

  With her free hand, she squeezed her breast, then rolled her nipple between her fingers, loving how the sensation travelled right where Brandon was. He slipped a finger into her, curling it towards her clit as he focused his mouth there. Her hips lifted from the mattress as the sensations crashed together like breaker waves, sending her higher and higher until every muscle in her body relaxed in sweet release.

  While her body drifted through delicious aftershocks, he teased her with lingering licks until she shifted her hips away from him. He kissed his way back up her body, tucking her head under his chin and stro
king his fingers over her scalp and through her hair.

  When she roused herself from the post-orgasm bliss, she smiled up at him. “You look pretty pleased with yourself.”

  “And you look pretty and pleased.” He kissed the top of her head.

  “I’m not buying your selfless intentions. I know you far too well for that.” With purposeful slowness, she slid her hand over the planes of his chest and ridges of his abdomen to toy with the open front of his jeans.

  “I never claimed to be a martyr, but I definitely enjoyed myself.”

  Through the thin material of his tented boxer briefs, she stroked the sizable proof. As she stroked him, he let out a low groan she could feel against her head. She turned and kissed the taut skin where his neck met his shoulder, excited by all she was about to do. She tasted the salt on his bare skin, nipping with her teeth and then alternating soothing licks with sharp sucks of her mouth. He either liked it, or he didn’t care what she did while her hand explored him over his briefs.

  It felt wicked and naughty.

  It gave her the control back she’d been lacking for far too long. When she was sure she’d managed what she intended, Megan pulled his penis through the opening of his briefs, amazed by how long and thick he appeared. With his black briefs still on his body, his cock appeared like an art sculpture, ready to be praised and enjoyed. A near overwhelming desire to mount him and take her pleasure anew washed over her. A few short months ago she would have, but now she had to play the game a few steps ahead and not in the moment.

  She lifted her gaze to meet his and licked her lips. The fire of passion burned his eyes when she wrapped her hand around his girth and started to stroke him again. She fought to stay in control of the moment, but her disobedient imagination started spinning thoroughly naughty ideas for how they might both get off again. It was tricky not to slip back into old habits, especially when he looked down at her with such potent sexuality that she felt every part the nymphet her body wanted to be.

  He dipped his head, stubble brushing the smooth skin of her cheek as he whispered, “I would give anything for a condom right now.”

  “Then it’s too bad I don’t have one. There’s no telling what I could get out of you.” She squeezed him and he jerked in her hand. With his face so close to hers she could see the warm brown of his eyes, the deep richness that always sent her pulse racing. Being this close reminded her of the times when she’d felt as if she knew secrets about him that no one else thought to guess. Now it was true, but in an entirely different way than she’d hoped.

  “Oh, Meg, there is nothing I wouldn’t give you.” He closed his eyes and gently brought his lips to hers. The intimacy of the moment made her heart lurch and her eyes started to prickle. If only he’d given her the one thing she’d always wanted, her entire world would be different and it wouldn’t have cost him a dime.

  She moved her mouth to his neck, and then his collar bone, not wanting the familiarity of his kiss. If he could continue to play her while they were in bed together, then he had been playing her all along. Sadness washed over her as she continued to kiss her way down his body.

  The thing about the last time you make love with your lover, is that rarely do you realize it is the last time. If she had, she would have done something more exciting than lingerie after dinner.

  This time would be the very last chance she ever had to love him. She wanted to make it good, as close to unforgettable as she could manage, and still accomplish her secondary goal. She laved his nipples, admiring the leanness of his body. She savored each plane and ridge of muscle, her hands and mouth traveling the path they knew so well. She found the firm edge where the muscles of his torso met his hip. The smooth skin was soft beneath her lips and she pressed her teeth deeper into his flesh by slow degrees. With her hands, she pulled at his jeans and boxer briefs. Brandon was so enthralled he helped her rid him of his clothing while she made sure her own brand of damage was done. She wrapped her hand around his erection again, stroking him while she pulled the sensitive skin of his hip into her mouth.

  He groaned and bucked into her hand, satisfying the primal part of her that wanted, needed to know her power. Content that she’d done what she’d set out to, she moved on.

  Wrapping her hand around the base of him, she played with his balls and trailed her tongue along the sensitive underside of his shaft. He hissed at the attention and tangled his hands in her hair.

  She ran her tongue along the swollen head of him until a tangy bead glistened at the tip of him. Then she took him in her mouth, her lips stretching around him while she flicked the underside with her tongue. As she eased him deeper into her mouth, she softened her tongue and sucked, using her experience with what he liked just as he had done for her.

  Her body began to tingle anew as she began to slide him slowly in and out of her mouth, using her hand to massage the lower half of his shaft. Her mouth and hand worked in practiced harmony as memories of other times they’d been together this way flooded her mind. Scenes from the balcony of his penthouse, her car, his shower, the stairway of the Hansen Auditorium where they’d been attending some ridiculously long fundraiser and she hadn’t been able to stand the way women were swirling around him.

  Brandon fisted his hands in her hair, his breathing becoming rough pants as his balls tightened and his legs tensed. Megan hadn’t realized she’d increased her pace as the memories played through her mind like naughty movies. She absorbed his growing fervor, her boldness growing in time with his pleasure. His hips rocked to the same rhythm as her mouth and she released his balls, pressing that hand between her own legs to relieve the pressure building there.

  It all felt so incredibly good, so amazingly right, that she knew her own orgasm wouldn’t be far behind his. His fingers clenched in her hair and she knew he was closing in, so she rubbed her fingers against her swollen clit, chasing down her climax as she brought his to him. His hips jerked and shook, so she stroked and sucked harder, her heart hammering in her chest in eager anticipation.

  Brandon roared her name as he spurted down her throat. She swallowed quickly, her hands starting to shake as her stomach fluttered and hot bolts of sensation coursed outwards from her core. She released him and rolled to the side, lying beside him as she caught her breath.

  In a moment she would have to get up and dress, grab Cash and tell Brandon to take her back to the apartment. If they wanted to evict her over the dog, it wouldn’t matter. She needed to get far away from Brandon because she obviously couldn’t be trusted within kissing distance of him.

  Chapter Five

  “I need you to take me back to Pasadena.” Megan’s warm hand curled around his biceps. Brandon had been listening to her bustle about the bedroom, refusing to open his eyes. Last night had been a doorway back to the way things were, and he’d bolted it shut. He was never going back through it.

  “Brandon, wake up. I have a meeting at ten.”

  His stomach tightened and he opened one eye. He did not want to let her go, not yet, not ever. He wasn’t deluded enough to think that things were back to normal, but at least they were moving in the right direction.

  Megan sat on the bed, fully dressed and looking better than anyone should in her jeans and T-shirt. He cleared the sleep from his throat and wished she’d woken him up in her usual under-the-covers manner.

  “Take your car.” He stretched his arms out, bringing one behind his head and the other around to her.

  “The Bentley is yours now, not mine.” She shifted away from him, clutching Cash to her chest, the dog’s Fendi bag of toys already over her shoulder. “You brought me here. I need you to take me back.”

  “No way. You’re not going to play this game with me again.” He sat up and reached for her, but she stood, still holding on to the dog as if fifteen pounds of puppy were the answer to all her problems. Cash stared at him as if he should know what to do.

  “I didn’t ask to come here and I can’t take Cash on the bus unless he’s i
n his carrier, and I can’t find one anywhere.”

  “You were going to leave and not even say anything to me?” He tossed back the blanket and stood, his heart hammering in his chest. Two minutes ago he’d thought he’d managed to get his world back in order, and now one small woman had turned it completely upside down. Again.

  “I have nothing to say to you.” She gave him a haughty smile and kept her gaze on his face, only slipping once to check out his morning erection.

  “Try again.”

  “I can’t stay here. I have a fundraising meeting that I need to be at.”

  He studied her for a moment, but he couldn’t pin down how she felt. He should be able to read her, but she had on such a front he couldn’t get past it to discern scared from angry, hurt from confused. “You need to be here. We’ve got to figure us out because I can’t keep going on like this.”

  “There is no us, Brandon. You made sure of that.” A hurt flickered in her eyes that hit him like a kick to the balls. “The Carlton Houses are struggling without my family’s backing, so I have a brainstorming session with the directors to think of some other ways to keep things running. It’s actually important business, not a grown man having a temper tantrum because he wants what he can’t have.”

  He gave her an aren’t-you-funny smile. “I’ll write a check. You’re not leaving.”

  “I don’t want your guilt money.”

  “Don’t let pride get in your way, Megan. Like you said, the Carlton Houses are actually important, unlike a grown woman having a fit because she can’t have things exactly the way she wants them. If the program needs the money, it doesn’t matter where it comes from. It matters to me that we talk this through without needing to trade insults.”

  “Go ahead and send your check. If you won’t take me to Pasadena, I’ll call the car service that will let me take Cash, and not have money for rent next week.” She hitched her bag higher on her shoulder and lifted her chin.