“Too late,” she said, the words painted with breathless desire…and with the hollowness of despair.
He grasped her blouse and ripped the rest of it open. Buttons pinged off the desk.
“Like hell,” he growled.
And then he kissed her.
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Fifteen
Trey’s mouth crashed onto Lacy’s. Desperation swirled through her.
Desperation…and an overwhelming rush of desire.
She wanted to fight him. She wanted to hate him. She wanted to strike out with her fists, over and over, and make him pay for all the pain and heartache she’d been forced to endure because of him.
But her body wouldn’t obey. Her body hungered to feel his lips and his hands on her, taste the ecstasy of his kiss, and once again drown in the sea of sensation of being his.
She moaned his name, and heard his answering groan.
His arm banded around her middle, lifting her up as their mouths devoured one another, kissing and tasting and moaning and drowning.
Suddenly, her back was pressed down against the smooth, polished wood of her desk, and he was canting over her.
“Oh, God, Lacy.” He groaned as his hand sought the hem of her skirt. “You have no idea.”
“Show me,” she said, breathless with want of him.
Then his mouth was on her breasts, suckling one nipple, then the other, through the silk of her bra. The tight, aching points sent ribbons of need to her center. She whimpered and reached for his belt.
In an instant, he’d ripped off her panties and unzipped his pants.
His knee came between her legs and she spread them to accept his body as it crushed onto hers.
“Hurry,” she urged.
She’d never been so hot in her life. She needed to feel him thrusting into her, claiming her, making her forget everything that had happened between that day on St. Grimaldi and this very moment.
Almost everything.
And then his cock was in her. Plunging in to the hilt. Filling her as she hadn’t been filled since that day so long ago.
Completing her.
“Sweetheart,” he whispered, as he had so often in her dreams.
Then she couldn’t hear, couldn’t see, couldn’t think. Could only feel the way his body moved over hers, in hers, and revel in the rightness of the feeling.
He thrust, and thrust, and she climbed higher and higher, until at last the world around her stopped spinning for an endless moment. She cried out, and, burying his mouth against her hair, he uttered a muted roar. And her whole body exploded into a thousand million shards of pleasure.
A long moment later, as they lay on the desk amid the scattered files and papers, panting and dizzy with release, there was a quick knock at the door.
And it swung wide open.
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Sixteen
“Ohmigod. I’m so sorry!” Lydia the receptionist squeaked, and the door whacked shut again.
Trey winced at the sound, and tried to calm his zooming pulse so he could think of some way to salvage the situation. But it was no use. He was officially brain dead after that monumental orgasm.
“Shit,” Lacy whispered from under him. “Damn it. There goes my job.”
He looked down at her as he pulled in gulps of much-needed oxygen. “What do you mean?”
She squeezed her eyes closed, still breathing heavily. “I’m just the interim curator. Not permanent yet. The board of directors…” She shuddered out a long breath. “They’ll never vote me in…when this gets out.” Her chest jumped with a tight laugh, but he swore he saw tears in the corners of her eyes. “Hell of a first day.”
His heart had stalled about her third or fourth word, and it felt like a lead weight into the pit of his stomach.
He cursed inwardly. Fucking hell. He’d lost her her damn job? Already? Even before he pulled the exhibit?
No way.
“That’s not going to happen,” he assured her, giving her a kiss. “This was my fault. I’ll fix it.”
He lifted up and grabbed a box of tissues that had miraculously not ended up on the floor with everything else. He did a speed-tidy, zipped up, and vaulted off the desk to his feet.
“I’ll be right back.”
Leaving the box next to Lacy—who still hadn’t opened her eyes—he slipped out into the reception area.
Lydia was on the phone, a gleeful grin on her face. He caught her just as she was saying, “You won’t believe what I—”
He whipped the receiver from her hand and replaced it in the cradle.
Her eyes widened guiltily. “Oh. Hi. I just…”
“Listen,” he said, casually taking a seat on the corner of her desk and giving her his most winning smile. “Miss Warrick and I, as it happens…we’re old friends. More than friends, obviously.” He captured Lydia’s gaze and held it meaningfully. “I hope you can be discreet.”
Her guilty look melted into a hesitant smile. “Sure, Mr. Treynor. I…won’t say anything.”
“Good. I appreciate that.” He lifted the phone again. “You know, every time I visit the Institute, you’re always sitting here at your desk working so hard. I think you deserve a little vacation. What do you think?”
She looked blank. “A— What?”
He dialed the number for his own office, and when Millie answered, he said, “I need to make a small bank transfer. Five thousand dollars. Hold for the account information.”
He stood, and held out the receiver to Lydia. Her eyes practically popped out of her head as it dawned on her what he meant. “What? Mine?” Her jaw nearly hit the floor.
He pulled the receiver back. “On second thought, make that seven thousand. Thanks, Millie.” He smiled at Lydia, and handed her the phone. “Pick somewhere nice.”
With that, he strode back into Lacy’s office.
She’d put herself together, and was busy picking up the torrent of files and papers littering the floor.
He pulled her to her feet, set aside the pile in her hands, and gathered her in his arms. “Don’t worry. You’re job’s safe. Lydia and I came to an understanding.” He gave her a kiss.
Lacy searched his face skeptically. “But… How?”
He winked. “I bribed her. Come on, let’s get out of here. You’re taking the rest of the day off.”
She hesitated, glanced toward the door, and apparently decided he really had fixed it. Her shoulders notched down, but she shook her head. “No, I couldn’t poss—”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “I’m the client, and I say you can.”
“But—”
He pulled her closer and gave her a long, lingering kiss. “The board of directors told you to do whatever it takes to keep me happy, didn’t they?”
Not a stretch. He’d always been treated like royalty here.
A little smile curved her lips. “I don’t think this was quite what they had in mind.”
He gave her a devilish grin. “Well, it’s definitely what I have in mind. Come on.” He nuzzled her throat, and whispered suggestively, “Let’s go to your place.”
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Seventeen
Lacy froze, her heart seizing in her chest.
Oh, God.
She gulped. Oh, my God. “My place? As in…where I live?”
Trey smiled down at her. “You have a bed, I presume?” He traced a finger over her cheek, and heat flared deep within her, despite having just experienced the most incredible climax of her life.
“Seriously? Already?” She managed to give him a coy smile, her pulse skittering madly.
Because a bed wasn’t the only thing he’d find at her place…
Lord, what should she do?
He bent down and gave her another of his toe-curling kisses. “We have a lot of time to make up for.”
She sneaked a look at the clock. It was only eleven. Caleb wasn’t due home from school until three. Plenty of time.
She wrapped her arms around Trey’s neck
and kissed him back, her heart pounding. “True. There’s definitely a lot to catch up on.”
Ho boy. He had no idea.
But in the meantime, she would just relax and try to enjoy the next few hours. This might well be the only time she’d get with him.
Because God only knew what he would do when the school bus rolled up.
And he found out he had a son.
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Eighteen
“Lydia, forward any calls to my cell phone,” Lacy instructed on their way out, doing her best to hide her flaming face. “Mr. Treynor has requested the nickel tour of Charleston, so I’ll be out for the rest of the afternoon.”
Trey winked at her in the elevator. “Perfect.”
“More like mortifying.” Lacy made a face. “What she must think.”
He gave her a wicked smile. “Then let’s not disappoint her.”
On the way to Summerville, the suburb where Lacy lived, she took him to a hole-in-the-wall Italian place for lunch. Tonio’s was one of her favorite places. The food was terrific, and she was glad for the break because it gave her time to calm her nerves…and fortify herself with two glasses of wine.
They talked, and caught up a little, and concluded they were totally insane for getting naked fifteen minutes after seeing each other for the first time in nine years. They shouldn’t be doing this. Were nuts to spend the afternoon in bed together rather than being rational adults and getting to know each other first.
But they were going to do it anyway. They literally couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
By the time they got to her townhouse—in Trey’s hired chauffeured limo—they’d flirted and kissed so much they barely made it upstairs to her bedroom before getting naked again. Which was good, because that way Trey didn’t see the framed photos of her and Caleb on the mantel downstairs, or his schoolbooks and projects scattered around, or his sneakers spilling out of the hall closet.
Lacy made sure of that, holding Trey’s face in her hands and distracting him with long French kisses as he carried her up the stairs.
This was her time with Trey. Just hers. She didn’t want to waste a moment of it—the idyll would be over soon enough.
And every single minute was wonderful.
They spent two too-short hours in bed, making incredible love. She didn’t know what it was about the man, but he left her absolutely breathless. She’d taken other lovers over the past years, but none had ever touched her the way he did—either physically or emotionally. It was crazy. But there was just something about Geoffrey Treynor that spoke to her, soul-deep.
When at last they lay tangled in the sheets, winded and sated, smiling at each other over how incredible it had been, she started to feel a trickle of dread. The alarm she’d set so they wouldn’t be surprised again—because this time the fallout would be a whole lot worse—would go off in only a few minutes.
Trey let out a long exhale, and reached out to brush a hand over her cheek. His eyes were soft and his hair was mussed, and there was a sheen of sweat on his awesome body. He was so handsome and sexy it made her throat ache.
Or maybe that was just the nervous tears she was swallowing down hard, fighting not to let them out.
“This was all so…unexpected,” he murmured, his gaze caressing her along with his fingers.
She smiled and nodded, and nestled closer against his side so he wouldn’t see the fear creeping into her eyes. “Yeah. I’ll say.” And just wait.
He gathered her closer. “Baby, I know we come from totally different worlds…”
She stilled.
Oh, God. Here it comes.
Her stomach cramped at his opening salvo. The small seed of hope she’d nurtured over the few hours spent with him withered and died. She knew very well what was coming next. Men were so damn predictable. First the sex, then the standard no-commitment speech.
Wow. And he didn’t even know she had a kid yet.
“Yeah,” she whispered, her heart sinking. Somehow, she’d thought he would be different.
He tipped her face up and met her gaze. “But I’d give anything… Do you think there’s a chance in hell your family would ever accept me?”
She blinked. And frowned.
Wait.
“My— What?”
“My background…it majorly sucks. I know that. But I’ve dragged myself out of that gutter and done well these past years. I’ve tried to make up for”—he grimaced—“everything, by doing good around the world with my import business.”
“No one doubts that, Trey.”
Where was he going with this?
He combed his strong fingers gently through her hair. “A woman like you deserves so much better than me. Your family would probably kick me out on my ass if I darkened your door.”
She was so confused.
“Trey, what are you talking about?” She shook her head. “I don’t have a family.”
For a moment he just stared at her uncomprehendingly. Confusion creased his brow. “But— The article said—”
Ah. She gave a half smile. “Bad research. I’m from Atlanta, and my name is Warrick. But trust me, I’m not part of that family. Not even a distant cousin. The magazine printed a correction the next month—at the family’s request.”
A tangle of emotions sped across Trey’s face. Emotions she couldn’t begin to guess at. “So, you’re not…a wealthy socialite?” he asked uncertainly.
She hiked her brows. “Have you noticed where I live?” She gave him a wan smile when he just stared at her in disbelief. “I worked two jobs to get through school and pay for—” She cleared her throat. “Anyway. No, not wealthy. I don’t even have a savings account. Maybe now with this new position, I’ll actually be able to start one.” She sighed. “If I get the job.”
He actually looked stricken. “Lacy, I— Jesus. If I’d known—”
But she’d never hear what he would have done had he known, because just then, the alarm went off.
He broke off, startled. “What’s that?”
She reached over to shut off the beeping, her heart leaping to her throat. Oh, God. This is it.
“Come on,” she said, proud of how she was able to get the words out without them shaking apart. She reached up and gave him a kiss. “Let’s get dressed. I have something to show you.”
“Wait.” He put a hand on her arm when she would have slipped out of bed. “Lacy, we need to talk about this family thing.”
“Okay.” She was mystified that he seemed so upset. She hesitated, suddenly even more worried. “Are you angry because I’m not rich?”
“What? No! Hell, no.” He grasped her arms. “It’s just, all this time…”
Time.
She escaped his hold, and started gathering their clothes from the floor. “Can we talk about this later? There’s really something I need to show you.”
He took his bundle from her. “Can’t it wait?”
She swallowed. “No. Not really.” She headed for the closet and grabbed the first top she found, pulling it on along with a pair of jeans. She could hear the school bus rumble to a stop down at the corner and let out the neighborhood kids. Her heart was beating so hard she thought it might punch through her chest.
When Trey was dressed, she took his hand and led him down the stairs. At the bottom landing, she halted, and turned to face him.
He gave her a puzzled look. “So, here we are. What’s so important?”
“Trey. Um…Just know that I wanted to tell you about this a long time ago. I really tried.”
Footsteps were coming up the sidewalk.
“Sweetheart, you’re not making sense. Tell me what?”
Fear gripped her, and she took a steadying breath. “Whatever happens, I don’t expect you to do anything you don’t want to do. Whatever you decide is fine.”
“Decide?” Now he looked wary. “Lacy, what the fuck?”
The front door banged open and a backpack sailed onto the couch. “Hey, Mom! You
won’t believe it. There’s a big black limo out front with a driver an—”
Everything descended into slow motion.
Caleb spotted Trey, and froze in mid-step.
Trey looked from Caleb to Lacy and back to Caleb.
She saw exactly the moment when her son’s age registered, and Trey’s jaw dropped.
And again, when Caleb’s resemblance to him hit Trey right between the eyes, and his face drained of color.
And finally, when her son noticed it, too, along with Trey’s reaction. “Mom?” he asked in a strangled young voice. “Who is this guy?”
She took a deep breath to quell the panic spinning in her head, and walked over to him. “Caleb,” she said, putting her arm around his shoulder, “this is Geoffrey Treynor, your father.”
She looked into Trey’s astonished eyes, her own filling with tears. This moment had been so long in coming. Years and years too long.
“Trey, this is Caleb. Your son.”
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Nineteen
Trey’s mind went completely and utterly blank. For a moment, he couldn’t comprehend a single thing that was happening.
Caleb.
His…son?
There wasn’t a single doubt the boy was his. Looking at him was like looking in a mirror to his past. Except this boy was obviously well cared for. And well loved.
“Dad?”
At that one word, shock stabbed from the top of Trey’s head to the soles of his feet.
He took a step toward the boy—his son—unable to get his tongue to work. Unable to rid himself of the painful clot of emotion squeezing his heart.
His son?
Was it really true? He had a—
He tore his gaze from Caleb to look at Lacy. Tears were on her cheeks, but she was smiling. She nodded.
He looked back at his son. His son. His vision prismed.
Trey hadn’t ever wanted kids. Not until he’d met Lacy…and started thinking about all those things normal people had—things he’d always denied himself. But the idea of kids had been impossible. It would never happen, he knew. Not with her.
Except…it had.
“Son?” he whispered hoarsely. Tentatively. It felt good in his mouth, so he said it again. “My son?”
Caleb.
Again, she nodded, and held out a hand to him. He swallowed thickly. And took a step forward.
Lucky 7 Brazen Bachelors Contemporary Romance Boxed Set Page 26