Turbulent Waters (Billionaire Aviators Book 3)

by Melody Anne

  His muscles felt good and were flexing nicely. She came up for air and moved over to the controls. She kept pushing the speed up, and Nick didn’t even breathe heavily as he quickened his pace.

  Four might not seem like a high speed to an athlete like Nick, but with the resistance of the water, it wasn’t easy to do. Chloe certainly wouldn’t admit to it, but she didn’t last a heck of a long time at that speed in the water, and she ran six days a week.

  Chloe kept an eye on Nick as he faced forward, his stride perfect, his arms pumping. She kept a careful watch on his features to see if he was feeling any pain. He ran for fifteen minutes and didn’t even break a sweat. He was stronger―so much stronger than when she’d first arrived.

  Chloe realized he wouldn’t need her the entire six weeks. There wasn’t a heck of a lot more she could do for him that he wouldn’t be capable of doing on his own. He was walking without a limp, understood his limits in the gym, knew which stretches to do before any activity, and had all the equipment he could ever hope to have at his disposal.

  She might not need to stay past the end of the current week. The thought sent a pang of unease through her. She should be elated she’d be able to leave early, because she would still get paid. She just wouldn’t have to deal with Nick Armstrong anymore―or his family. But she liked him. And them.

  None of that mattered. She couldn’t have a relationship with any of them. It wouldn’t work out―it wouldn’t be right, even if she never discovered anything nefarious in any of their lives.

  “Okay, time to stop,” she said. She turned off the machine and had to take a few deep breaths before she could speak again. “I want you to do a cooldown by swimming across the pool and back very slowly, as slowly as you can.”

  He stepped off the treadmill and looked at her, the expression on his face unreadable. He moved a bit closer before he stopped himself. Chloe didn’t even realize she was holding her breath until he let out a sigh, then turned and jumped into the water, slowly swimming away.

  She went to the steps to wait for him. She climbed from the pool with him and had him sit down while she examined his leg. Everything was in perfect order. Soon, it wouldn’t even be possible to know he’d been injured unless he decided to tell a person.

  Chloe told him they were done for the day, and then she walked away. Shutting herself in her room, she hung her head and wondered why she felt so despondent. This was all a good thing. She just had to convince herself of that. More than anything, she had to come to a decision and stick with it instead of faltering so much.

  For the next few days, Nick wasn’t his usual self with her. Maybe he’d been rejected too many times, maybe he’d lost interest, but as the countdown began for Chloe to leave, she felt a growing sense of unease.

  She wasn’t sure what she was going to do about it. She knew the best thing would be to let it go, finish her job, and get on with her life. If that’s what she would actually do, she wasn’t exactly sure. That would be smart, no doubt―but she wasn’t always the shrewdest person.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  By day five of Nick and Chloe’s standoff―him flirting but never making a move, and her refusing to make any kind of advance—she was exhausted, mentally, physically, and emotionally. The current day had seemed to take forever, but at the same time, it had been incredibly successful. Nick would never be called an easy patient, but he was mending. She wished she could still hate him, but she knew there was so much more to his story than what she’d first thought. Nick wasn’t the devil.

  But what exactly did that mean? Chloe wasn’t sure. One thing she knew for certain was that she couldn’t resist him any longer. There was a hunger burning inside her that she’d been fighting for weeks. She didn’t want to fight it anymore. The pain of choosing Nick over her family, though, was ripping her in half. Was she telling herself that Nick meant more than her deceased brother? No! She wasn’t doing that at all. She was just admitting he wasn’t guilty of her brother’s death and that she wasn’t going to continue letting her father control her.

  She moved to the kitchen and put away the leftovers from their dinner. Nick was in his home office doing some work. She had no idea what he did in there for hours on end, but she did know that he succeeded at anything he put his mind to.

  Chloe knew she should call it a night, go to the safety of her room, shut the door, and tuck herself into her nice comfortable bed after taking a really long and extra-hot bath. That’s what she should do.

  Instead, she found herself moving through the dark kitchen to the large back window. She spent a lot of time there looking out at the moonlit bay. The view was spectacular and soothing. It calmed her after particularly stressful days.

  Turning, Chloe glanced over to Nick’s open office door. He was looking down at his computer, giving her time to take a nice perusal of him. The man truly was spectacular. He covered his pain with humor, but she saw what he didn’t want her to notice. Maybe that’s why she’d gained such a deep measure of respect for him. Even with a frown between his brows, he was impressive.

  Something drew Chloe closer to him.

  She stood in his doorway for several moments, wondering what in the world she was doing. She tried to walk away, but it just didn’t seem to be happening.

  “Would you like something to drink before I call it a night?” she asked.

  He looked up, flashing her his brilliant smile. Damn, that smile took her breath away. There was that gleam she was very aware of in his eyes that told her all she’d have to do would be to walk up to him and he would take her again and again and again.

  Instead of doing just that, she waited for him to answer. The longer the moment stretched, the more she realized she should have just run to her room. It wasn’t too late. She began to turn.

  “I could use a cup of coffee,” he said, his words dripping with sexiness. She knew coffee wasn’t what he really craved.

  Spinning on her heels, Chloe rushed from the room, finding her fingers trembling when she pulled down the coffee cup. She took her time fixing it the way he liked it before she braved the walk back to his office.

  “This is nonsense. It’s just a cup of coffee, nothing more,” she murmured quietly, then looked around to make sure he wasn’t behind her. She didn’t need him knowing what she was thinking. That would land her on top of his desk in seconds.

  The mere thought of it sent a thrill down her spine. Chloe was in incredibly bad shape at the moment, and it didn’t seem to be getting any better, no matter how long she stalled in the kitchen.

  Holding the cup tightly in her hands, she braved the walk back to his office. She moved slowly across the large living room to his open door. This time, he wasn’t looking down. He watched her approach with a knowing gleam in his eyes. She wished he was wrong in what he was thinking.

  As Chloe got closer to him, she noticed he’d unbuttoned the top of his shirt, showing an enticing view of his smooth chest. His sleeves were rolled up, and as he flexed his fingers, the ripples in his muscles drew in her gaze. His lower half was getting stronger by the day, but his upper half was pushed to the limit each hour she wasn’t working his legs. He was strong and fit, and she found herself wanting to run her hands across his tight skin.

  “I’m going to head to my room,” Chloe told him, hating that her breath was coming out too softly. She hoped he didn’t hear the desire just beneath.

  Nick winced, and she was immediately concerned. She stepped closer to him, her hand going out, but she pulled it back at the last moment. This was way past their therapy time, and she didn’t need to be touching him.

  “Can you rub out my shoulder first? I think I might have pulled something,” he told her.

  Chloe searched his eyes. She didn’t see anything underhanded in his expression.

  “That’s because you push yourself far too hard. I’ve been telling you that for quite some time,” she scolded him. She found herself moving behind him. He leaned forward so she could easily get to
his shoulders.

  Chloe’s fingers were trembling as she rubbed them together to warm up. Though she’d touched Nick many times in therapy, this was different, more intimate. The lighting was low, it was late, and she was hot.

  A jolt fluttered through her at the contact with his shirt. She could feel his body heat pouring through the thin material. She closed her eyes and inhaled his spicy scent, trying to get herself under control. She had to remind herself she was a professional, and she was simply helping a client.

  When a shudder passed through Nick, she felt it reverberate through her entire body. She squeezed her hands over his tight muscles and tried to think of anything unsexy―doing dishes . . . taking out the garbage . . . clipping toenails. None of the thoughts helped her mind stray from her feelings of lust for too long.

  Her thumbs moved to the bare skin of his neck, and she expertly ran them in circles as a low moan escaped Nick. It went straight to her core. Her legs were trembling as she continued with the massage, her mind alternating from wanting to flee the room and hide, or to lean down to taste his salty skin just below where his trim hair was cut.

  “That’s amazing, Chloe,” Nick said, his voice a low growl. She was so out of focus, she had to concentrate to figure out what he’d said. Leaning forward turned out to be a big mistake. His scent grew stronger, and she found herself growing slightly faint.

  “Um . . . what?” Chloe asked, her words barely a whisper.

  “I love your massages,” Nick told her. He reached up and clasped her hand, stopping her from rubbing his shoulder. She didn’t know what to do.

  “Let me finish,” she told him, her voice a little stronger that time.

  “Your turn,” Nick said.

  Chloe had no idea what he was planning, but suddenly his office chair spun around, making her take a quick step backward. Before she could retreat too far, he grabbed her waist and spun her, plopping her down in his lap. She landed with an oomph of air escaping.

  “What are you doing?” she demanded, trying to get up.

  “My shoulder is much better now. I thought I’d return the favor.”

  One hand was wrapped around her waist, locking her on his lap while the other slid up her back, and he began kneading her neck. Without her permission, a moan escaped. She was tense, probably more than he was, and the feel of his fingers massaging her was absolutely perfect.

  She stopped trying to pull away from him without even thinking about it. It was so wrong for her to be sitting on him. It was far too intimate for a PT-client relationship, but when he moved the other hand that had been restraining her and began really kneading her muscles, her body turned into jelly.

  Maybe minutes passed, maybe hours, but Chloe stiffened when she felt the warm air of Nick’s breath brush across her neck before his lips followed in a soft kiss. His hands still rubbed her shoulders, but they were more gentle now―seductive.

  She should rise from his lap. She knew she was playing with fire. She could feel the evidence of his arousal beneath her, and she knew he was more than capable of performing. This would be the time to thank him and then quickly run away.

  But for some reason, she couldn’t command her brain to tell her legs to move. She sat on him, limp and relaxed as his tongue swept across her neck and his fingers moved over her shoulders, dipping lower across the tops of her breasts.

  Chloe’s breathing turned shallow as she fought for control. It had been weeks of torture with this man flirting with her, showing her too much of his skin, pushing her to the limits of her sanity. She wasn’t sure she could walk away―not tonight.

  “I should go,” Chloe said, but there was zero conviction in her voice.

  “Don’t fight me, Chloe. We both want this―need this, and I can’t keep waiting for you to make that first move,” Nick said as he trailed his lips along her neck before taking the lobe of her ear between his teeth and biting down.

  One hand slid back around her as if he were afraid she was truly going to escape. She knew she could tell him to leave her be, knew she could stop this. She had several times in their short acquaintance. The difference was, she couldn’t fight both him and herself any longer. She wanted him too desperately.

  “You taste like sugar and smell even better,” he whispered while his hand slid beneath her shirt and rubbed along the trembling muscles of her stomach. His thumb brushed the underside of one breast, and she felt heat surge through her core. Nick pushed against her butt, his arousal thick and hard. She knew what it felt like deep inside her, and she wanted to feel it again.

  “Tell me to stop, Chloe, and I will,” Nick said. The confidence in his tone told her he knew she wasn’t going to do that. “It would be an excruciating night for both of us.” He pressed into her again, just in case she hadn’t managed to already notice his excitement.

  A moan escaped her as his fingers climbed over the curve of her breast and he squeezed the sensitive flesh. She wiggled on his lap, trying to hold her thighs together to relieve even the slightest bit of the ache that was resting there.

  “Damn, you are soft in all the right places,” he said as his other hand came around and slipped beneath her shirt. He quickly grabbed her other neglected breast and squeezed before his fingers slipped inside the lacy bra and he pinched her nipples.

  “Nick . . .” His name came out a low moan as her back softened into his chest, making her even more accessible to him.

  “Tell me how much you want me to strip off these clothes,” he demanded before expertly unsnapping her delicate bra. Without hesitation, he took the weight of her full breasts in his palms and rubbed and squeezed them until she was moaning his name over and over again.

  “Tell me, Chloe, or I won’t know,” he warned.

  “Please . . .” she said as she reached her arms up and clasped them behind his head, her back arching, her legs opening. She wanted his touch in so many other places on her body.

  “Please what?” Nick said as he flicked his thumb across her nipple before his hand began moving lower on her body, stopping at the button on her pants.

  “Please touch me, Nick,” she whimpered.

  He chuckled in her ear, and for the briefest second, she found herself mad at him, but then his fingers slipped between the waistband of her pants, and she sucked in her breath in anticipation.

  The entire night she’d been restless, pacing the house, knowing this was what she wanted. She just hadn’t been able to admit it―not even to herself. She didn’t care if she regretted her actions in the morning. The pleasure he would bring her tonight made it all worthwhile.

  “Your body is softer than satin. I can’t get enough,” Nick told her. His fingers were caressing her lower belly, not going deeper inside her pants.

  “Nick . . . I want more,” she told him on a sigh.

  “You’ll have plenty more,” he assured her as he pulled his fingers away. She wanted to reach for him and lead him exactly where she wanted. But Chloe didn’t have a lot of experience with men, didn’t know how to show what it was she was craving. She truly wished she did.

  Nick reached up and held her face, turning her so she was even more vulnerable. He leaned forward and pressed his mouth to hers, taking her lips in a gentle kiss that surprised her. She melted more fully against him as one of his hands cupped her naked breast and his tongue traced her lips.

  She turned as far as she could, pressing her backside against his thickness while she connected with his lips in a hungry kiss. She pulled on the back of his neck, wanting him to devour her as she got lost in him.

  Quickly, the gentleness stopped. Nick tugged on her hair while he took her lips more roughly and pushed his erection hard against her bottom. He was growing more excited, and she wanted him to lose control in her arms. She needed to turn around and press her breasts against him, open her thighs, and feel his hardness pushing against her. She wanted them to be locked together.

  When he pulled back, she whimpered. “Nick, please.”

  He
suddenly pushed her off his body, and for a moment she was confused and hurt, but then he did exactly as she was hoping and pulled her to him. quickly turning them both so she had her back to the desk as he scooted forward and pulled her into his arms and between his thighs.

  She wanted her legs open, not his, but at least her tender breasts were now pressed against him, even if he was tugging on her to pull her down to his level. Thank goodness for tall chairs, was her only thought before he grabbed her head and ravished her mouth again.

  Nick’s hands gripped and squeezed her ass as his mouth traced hers, his tongue diving inside. He moved his fingers down and gripped her thighs before slipping between them and rubbing where she ached most.

  She was so hot and wet, she was sure her pants were ruined, giving away how much she wanted him. She didn’t care. She was almost delirious with lust. Her need was so strong, she doubted she’d ever be able to stop what was happening.

  Nick’s lips broke away from hers as he gasped, but his hands climbed back up her body. He found the V of her shirt and tugged, ripping the material, allowing him to view her swollen breasts and peaked nipples. He murmured his approval before leaning forward and taking one bud into his mouth.

  His hot tongue danced around the puckered flesh, sucking hard, making her sway on unsteady legs. She was going to collapse, turn into a puddle, and melt at his feet.

  Nick seemed to know exactly how she was feeling, because he released her nipple and grabbed her leg, pulling it up and making her straddle his lap. She moaned as her wet flesh rubbed against his arousal. She pushed against him, wanting their clothing gone.

  Nick didn’t give Chloe any more time to think, though. He grabbed her head and pulled her to him to meet his lips again while she pressed her aching breasts against his chest. She wanted them both nude, but she didn’t want to part long enough to strip.

  He took care of that for her. Reaching between their bodies, he ripped off his own shirt, then pulled her against him. The feel of her swollen breasts tightly pressed against his chest was delicious.