Taking Beauty (Taking Beauty Trilogy Book 1)

by Wild, Nikki

  “Like what?” I asked.

  “Well, let’s just say if I never see another trombone in my life, I’ll be happy. I hated soccer, too. I wanted to play football and basketball and all the full-contact sports, but Mom insisted she wasn’t about to let her only son play such barbaric games.”

  “What else were you interested in?”

  “I wanted to be a writer, actually,” he replied. “I loved literature and growing up, I dreamed of being the next Mark Twain, or maybe a poet, but Dad said writers didn’t make money these days and insisted I find a more lucrative career.”

  “I see,” I replied. “Do you still write?”

  “Not really,” he shrugged. “I wrote a few screenplays in college. I have a half-written novel that keeps me up at night sometimes, but I don’t really have time for those things these days. My company takes up a lot of my time and energy.”

  “It’s important to find a balance, though, isn’t it?”

  “I guess that’s what people say, but I’ve never been much of a balanced individual. I tend to go all-in with everything I do.”

  “I see,” I said, feeing a slight blush creep up my neck.

  “What else, Chloe?” he asked, smiling at me, his eyes deep as the ocean.

  I took a deep breath, the warmth of the wine spreading through me deliciously.

  “Where are your parents now?” I asked.

  “Dead. Long gone. Dad died of stomach cancer and Mom killed herself a year later.”

  “Oh, my god!” I exclaimed. “I had no idea.”

  “It’s okay,” he replied. “I don’t talk about it much. It happened my senior year at Yale. I finished school and started my company right away, determined to make it on my own. Sure, I inherited tons of money and I could have just lived off of that, become a writer and hung out on the slopes with Bruce for the rest of my life, but I needed to be in control of something. They’d ruled my life for so long, once they were gone, I was free. It’s hard to explain.”

  “I think I understand,” I replied, softly. “I’m sorry about your parents.”

  “I’m not,” he said. “I’m glad they died. Now, I have a life. Now, I make my own decisions. I do whatever I want, when I want, even if I tend to be a little obsessive about it,” he said, his voice lowering to thick, husky growl. “I give the orders now.”

  I swallowed hard, nodding solemnly as everything suddenly began to make sense.

  “Look,” he continued. “I know I’m not like everyone else. I’m blessed that I had those two as parents. They taught me a lot about what it takes to succeed in life, they instilled a serious work ethic in me. They left me a ton of money that enabled me to start the company on the scale that I needed to. I wouldn’t be who I am without them. But until they were both dead, I had no idea who I was, Chloe. If someone had asked me if I wanted to buy a pair of brown boots or black boots, I would have asked one of my parents first. It wasn’t that I didn’t have opinions, it’s that I didn’t trust the opinions I did have. I was constantly seeking their counsel. I think Mom recognized that in that last year after Dad died. She knew it had gone too far. I think she thought she was doing me a favor by taking all those pills and I have to say that she was right.”

  “Bear, that’s…that’s…,” I stumbled for words, shaking my head.

  “It is what it is,” he shrugged. “It’s the truth. And the truth is always worth speaking.”

  I nodded, my heart swelling with emotion for him.

  “So, now you have this company,” I said, wanting him to talk more. I loved the sound of his voice, the deep tones that turned into low growls and murmurs when he turned emotional. I wanted to hear everything he had to say. “And it satisfies you?”

  “Does it satisfy me?” he asked, crossing his arms behind his head and leaning back in his chair as he pondered my question. “It allows me the freedom to find satisfaction in other places, I would say. It’s definitely work. And sometimes, I get off on it. A big deal goes through in my favor. There’s an art to getting your way in business. It’s different from personal relationships. You have to be subtle, you have to convince your opponent you’re on their side, when you’re mostly looking out for your own interests. There’s a sense of betrayal to it that I don’t enjoy at all.”

  “No?” I asked, watching the way the muscles twitched in his jaw. Outwardly, he was calm and serene, but the tension in his voice, the way he was gripping his glass, told me a tornado was churning inside of him.

  “I don’t like betraying people. At heart, I like to think I’m a good person, Chloe,” he said, his eyes flashing, searching mine, “you know? I hope you can see that. I have my quirks, but I try to be kind, to do the right thing, to help everyone I can. But, when those deals go through, when I manage to persuade someone to work with me and we create something beautiful together, that is satisfying, yes. I get off on that part of it. So that’s why I keep at it. ”

  “I get it,” I smiled.

  “I could never have a job where I wasn’t the boss,” he nodded firmly.

  “You always have to be in charge,” I whispered.

  “Yes. Always,” he said. I stared back at him, drowning in his piercing gaze, my body tingling with excitement. There was something so attractive about his unshakable resolve. I’d never been sure of anything in my life. Leading was never something that came naturally to me, and yet I’d envied my friends who did so naturally. Like Marie. Like my Mom.

  That wasn’t me.

  But the steeliness in Bear’s eyes every time he nodded like that, his jaw set so firm you couldn’t cut it with diamonds—that turned me on. It drew me to him, in a way that I was only beginning to understand myself.

  “My life was the complete opposite,” I said. “Complete freedom. Matilda was never there.”

  “Your dad?” he asked.

  “Left. I guess Matilda and an infant was too much for him and he hasn’t been in my life since I was born,” I said. “The glass ceiling has always been Matilda’s baby. I admire her for it, I do. But it’s hard when you’re the only kid at the dance recital without a parent watching. I learned to take care of myself early on,” I shrugged. “I didn’t need anybody. I was always the one in charge, and I longed for someone to remind me to brush my teeth at night or make me eat broccoli or come to one of my fashion shows.”

  He nodded at me silently, staring over at me thoughtfully. I’d have given anything to know what he was thinking, to see what he saw when he looked at me. I wanted to know why. Why me? Why was I here? Why had he picked me to spend all this time with?

  “Parents have a way of shaping their children in such an insidious way. The subtle ticks we develop, the eccentricities we take on, the very fabric of our souls are woven by how they treat us. It’s a sacred act to be a parent. To be able to court that kind of power over another human. It’s the ultimate act of oppression, I think. I never want to be that person, the one who could fuck up someone else so profoundly.”

  “So you don’t want children?” I asked.

  “Never,” he replied, that determination returning to his steely jaw.

  “I see,” I nodded. “Me, neither.”

  “You don’t want children either?” he exclaimed.

  “You sound surprised.”

  “It’s just that most girls your age fantasize about that,” he said.

  “I’m not most girls,” I said, lifting my chin defiantly. I’d defended my stance on children many times before and it was a sore spot with me. Even Marie wanted children someday. She always said as soon as she was done being a slut, she was going to settle down and have a gaggle of kids. The idea sounded exhausting to me.

  “No, you aren’t are you?” Bear said, reaching over and putting his hand on my knee. He hadn’t touched me throughout dinner and the sudden contact shot daggers of electricity up my thigh. My pussy twitched as a shudder began in my neck and traveled down my back. I took a deep breath, struggling to retain my composure. It was merely a slight touch a
nd I was melting. I’d barely had half a glass of wine and I felt dizzy already.

  Maybe it wasn’t the wine that was shaking me up after all, I thought.

  “You’re nothing like other women your age,” he replied. “Or any other age, I might add.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” I said.

  “You should,” he nodded, reaching over and grabbing the pie from the table. I’d been eyeing it for a few minutes and once I saw Bear cut into it, I squealed with delight when I saw it was peach.

  “It’s peach!” I exclaimed.

  “Yep,” he nodded, sliding a slice onto a plate and handing it to me. “Your favorite.”

  “How did you—oh!” I said, blood rushing to my face. “Right.” Of course. The safe word.

  Bear’s eyes twinkled mischievously as he smiled.

  “How could I forget?” he asked.

  I nodded, biting my lip.

  “I asked Bruce to make it for you,” he said.

  “Thank you,” I said, diving my fork into it. As soon as it landed on my tongue, I moaned in ecstasy. Perfectly sweet and tangy, with light, flaky crust, it melted on my tongue. “It’s perfect.”

  “I told you. Bruce is great,” he said. “He’d make a perfect wife,” he laughed.

  “Is he single?” I asked.

  “A perpetual bachelor,” he nodded. “He dates around sometimes but as soon as anything starts to get serious, he ends it.”

  “Kind of like you?” I asked.

  “Me? Maybe,” he said. “It’s a little different in my case. Women don’t seem to stick around too long. I’ve been accused of being high-maintenance and too demanding, if you can believe that.”

  I laughed, hard, my laughter echoing off the walls. Bear laughed, too, and I felt myself relax even more. I felt comfortable with him. Something about him was beginning to sooth me in places where it ruffled my feathers before, and I didn’t know why, but I welcomed it. I wanted to sink into him, in more ways than one. I just wasn’t sure how deep it could all go.

  I watched him with a smile as he took another bite of pie onto his fork and brought it to my lips. I opened my mouth, meeting his gaze as the fork slid between my lips slowly. I closed my mouth and he slid the fork out, the pie like heaven on my tongue. I swallowed and smiled, licking my lips, the sticky sweetness of the peaches sticking to them.

  Bear smiled and then his eyes flashed with hunger.

  “Stand up,” he whispered, his voice so low I barely heard him.

  “What?” I said.

  “Stand up. Now.” He jaw was set again and his voice was hard and firm. I pushed my chair back, laying my napkin on the table and standing in front of my chair.

  “Come here,” he said. I took two steps towards him, smiling down at him.

  “What are you—,” I said.

  “Hush. Take off your sweater,” he demanded.

  “What? Now?” I asked, looking over my shoulder. “What about Bruce?”

  “He’s in his cabin. He won’t come back in here all night,” he put one hand on my hip, pulling me closer as he looked up at me. “Take off your sweater.”

  I shrugged and did as he asked, grasping the bottom and pulling it over my head. I stood in front of him in my jeans and bra, waiting for further instruction. I fought the awkwardness that threatened to overwhelm me and stood stoic in front of him.

  He reached up behind me and unfastened my bra, the brush of his fingers sending chills up my back as he slid the bra forward and down my arms, leaving me topless, my breasts heaving with excitement.

  He drank me in with his eyes, his gaze devouring my naked breasts before turning back to the table. He plunged his fingers into the pie, scooping the peach filling out with two fingers. I gasped as he turned back to me and smeared the pie filling around my hardened nipples, first one, then the other. I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Bear!” I said, watching with amusement as he pinched my nipples with his sticky fingers. He smiled up at me before lowering his head and slowly licking my left nipple. His tongue swirled hotly around it and I shivered with desire. My hands flew up, holding his head, his soft hair falling over my fingers as he licked it all away.

  “Bear,” I murmured softly, my breath ragged, my body yearning for more of him. He brought his head up, his lips crashing on mine, his kiss hard and searching as he pulled me close, kissing me deeper and deeper until we were scratching at other, the passion igniting between us like a wildfire of lust and need.

  He tasted like peaches.

  He tasted like me.

  He tasted like everything I’d ever known and the only thing I’d ever need again.

  I clawed at his arms as he kissed me, needing more of him. Tearing his lips from mine, he knelt down and swooped me up in his arms effortlessly.

  “Grab the pie,” he growled, dipping me down towards the table.

  Chapter 15

  I leaned over and picked up the pie from the table, holding it on my chest as he carried me through the house. He trailed down a back hallway and opened a door at the end of it. My eyes widened when I saw it. A small replica of the living room, it had wooden beams lining the ceiling and a huge stone fireplace with another raging fire already lit in it.

  But it was the bed that demanded the attention in the room.

  Made from logs, the four log posters surrounding it towered over the room, the raw knots and cracks in the wood only adding to the rustic ambiance. Candles were lit on the mantle, a low, amber glow flickering around the room from the fire. Gently, Bear laid me on the bed. I was still topless, my bra and sweater left behind on the floor of the dining room. I knew Bruce would probably find them later, but if Bear didn’t care, then neither did I.

  As he towered over my half naked body, splayed out on the bed with the mangled pie next to me, I stared up at him hungrily. His eyes flashed with lust as he looked at me, his voice heavy and thick in the darkness.

  “Take off your jeans,” he growled.

  I reached down with a smile, unbuttoning the top button and sliding the zipper down smoothly. I pulled the fabric apart, revealing my bare skin underneath.

  “I did what you said,” I whispered. “No panties.”

  “Good girl,” he growled. “Off!” he barked.

  I jumped into action, pushing the denim over my hips and down my thighs and kicking them off of my feet. He nodded his approval and pulled his sweater over his head, revealing the smooth, perfectly sculpted body that I was quickly becoming addicted to. I bit my lip as he pulled open his Levi’s, the distinct pop pop pop of the buttons sending ripples of pleasure down my spine.

  When his gorgeous cock came into view, I gasped. It was so perfectly shaped, so hard, so smooth and beautiful that I couldn’t help but lick my lips while I watched him grasp it in his hand and squeeze it gently, before kicking out of his jeans. He stood naked in front of me and he paused, staring down at me and shaking his head slowly.

  “You’re perfect,” he whispered. “Do you realize how beautiful you are, Chloe?” He moved between my legs, his body hovering over me as his eyes peered into mine. “Your lips,” he said, tracing a finger along my quivering bottom lip. “Your eyes,” he whispered, his voice lowering to a rumbling growl, his cock, now pressed against my thigh, throbbing hotly. He pulled his head down, darting his tongue out and licking my bottom lip. “Your taste,” he murmured.

  He pulled himself back on his knees between my thighs, his gaze raking over my naked body. He reached over and pushed his hand back into the pie, grabbing a handful and smearing it inside my left thigh. He leaned down, kissing my knee, his lips trailing up, leaving feathery kisses on my skin, going up slowly, so slowly, it sent electricity straight to my brain. It took everything I had not to grab his head and push him into my sex, beg him to lick me, plead for him to take me.

  Instead, I took a deep breath, silently enduring the torturous pleasure he was raining down on me. Slowly, excruciatingly slowly, his mouth slid up my thigh, licking the pie
filling from my skin, his tongue firmly pressing against my flesh until I was whimpering and writhing beneath him.

  Once more, he plunged his fingers into the pie, scooping up the sticky peachy sweetness and smearing it higher this time, his fingers sliding up my upper thigh and then lightly moving across my bare pussy, smearing a generous amount on my clit. I gasped at his touch, an electric shock of pleasure ripping right through me.

  When his mouth returned, his hot breath searing my skin, my body ignited with yearning for him to fuck me, to lick me, to do something, anything that would provide some relief from the sweet painful yearning I felt.

  “Please, Bear,” the plea escaped from my lips, despite my resolve to stay quiet. It was impossible. Bear churned up so much emotion, so much turmoil, so much hunger inside of me that I would have burst if I kept it contained any longer.

  “Shhh,” he said, his lips licking the sweetness from my skin, his mouth inching higher and higher until my hips were flailing towards his mouth. When his lips finally touched my pussy, I thought I would die from the relief, the satisfaction, the pure adrenaline that raced through my veins as I opened my thighs, welcoming him in, pulling him closer, needing all of him inside of all of me.

  His mouth worked expertly against me, licking the peaches up quickly and then sliding his tongue along every inch of my quivering pussy, diving deep inside of me, fucking me with his tongue and then siding back up and twirling around my throbbing clit, his mouth pulling pleasure from my body that I’d never felt before.

  When his finger slid inside of me, I cried out into the darkness. He pulled my clit into his mouth, sucking rhythmically, sucking hard, his mouth so perfectly skilled that I was sure he’d sold his soul to the devil for that mouth.

  His fingers and mouth felt amazing, but they weren’t enough. I needed so much more. I needed all of him, every single inch of him as deep as I could get him.

  “Bear, please, oh please,” I said, his mouth working so perfectly against my clit. “Don’t stop, baby, please, don’t stop…”