Between Marriage and Merger

by Karen Booth

  “You’re so sexy, Lil. I don’t know how I could not want more. I want you. If you want me.”

  Goose bumps popped up on her skin. She looked around at the other guests on the dance floor. No one was paying a lick of attention to them. Toasts had been made. Cake had been served. She returned her sights to Noah. He was so adorable right now, tentative and unsure. She’d never seen him like this before. “Do you want to get out of here?”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes, seriously.”

  “Yes. A million times, yes.” He took her hand and they beelined off the dance floor as stealthily as they could. Out of the reception hall, through the pool area they raced. Noah set the pace with his long legs, but even in heels, Lily had no trouble keeping up. She was highly motivated.

  Noah pulled his key card from his wallet and swiped it to get them through the gate to the private cabanas. The wind always picked up the instant they were out of the safe confines of the pool area, where high walls helped to keep the two worlds separate. The night air was warm and soft against her skin, but it was nothing compared to Noah’s hand as he pulled her along eagerly. He was a man on a mission and she loved that about him. It made her feel good. He wanted her.

  They wound along the walkway to their cabana. The heel of Lily’s shoe dropped between two planks. She stopped. Noah yanked on her arm, then rounded back.

  “I’m stuck.” She tugged on her leg, twisting her foot back and forth, but it wasn’t going anywhere.

  Noah dropped to his knee and wrapped both hands around her ankle, tugging on her leg.

  “Ouch. Ow. Stop it.”

  “Sorry. I can’t pull you loose.” He looked up at her. The wind blew his floppy hair all over the place, making it an even sexier mess than usual.

  “Damn. And I love these shoes. Charlotte convinced me to get them.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll save your shoe. Let me figure this out.” Noah looked down at her foot again, but as he was assessing her plight, he started caressing her calf.

  Lily sucked in a breath sharply. His fingers on her bare skin felt impossibly good. How was she going to handle it when there was even more touching? She might never recover. Which, right now, was perfectly okay with her. “Unbuckle it.”

  “Good idea.” He freed her foot, then tried to pull the shoe out. “If I pull too hard, it’s going to ruin the heel. Are you okay with that?”

  “No. Don’t do that. You paid a fortune for these shoes.”

  “Then what do you want me to do? Call maintenance and get them to remove the board?” Noah dropped his shoulders. He was frustrated again.

  “Leave it. We’ll get it later.”

  He straightened to his full height. “Really?”

  Lily loved those shoes, but she’d waited an awful long time to be with Noah. This might be her only chance. “Yes.” She stooped down and unbuckled her other shoe. Before she could take a single step in her bare feet, she was no longer standing. She was in Noah’s arms.

  “I’m taking zero chances. You get a splinter out here and it’ll ruin everything.”

  She wrapped her hands around his neck and he headed straight for their cabana. This was a much faster way to travel. They arrived at their door in under a minute, easy. Noah put Lily down and swiped his key card. They both hustled inside. Lily dropped her saved shoe to the floor, rose to her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around Noah’s neck. He kissed her with such force, she was glad she was holding on to him.

  It was like he was sending a message. I want you. She not only received it loud and clear, she returned it with the same raw enthusiasm with which Noah had delivered it. Their tongues were a mad frenzy. Noah’s hands were everywhere—her waist, her hips, her butt. He scrambled to pull up the voluminous fabric of her skirt, but Lily had no patience for that. He could be searching for her legs for days.

  She turned her back to him and pulled her hair to the side. He cupped one of her bare shoulders and pressed his hips against her bottom. She felt his gentle breath at her nape as he skimmed his lips over her skin. She dropped her head to the side as he trailed openmouthed kisses along the slope of her neck. Luckily, he was also drawing down the zipper at the same time. The cool air on her skin was such a delicious contrast to Noah’s velvety, red-hot kisses.

  He slipped the straps from her shoulders and they both let the dress flounce to the floor. Lily fought the urge to cover herself, standing in nothing more than a bra and panties in front of the man she’d fantasized about countless times. Noah was accustomed to such flawless beauty it was hard not to worry about every little imperfection.

  He cupped her shoulders with his hands, drew his fingers down her arms, twining his hands with her own. He pulled her closer, her back against his chest.

  “I want to make sure you’re okay with this,” he muttered into her hair. “This was never part of our arrangement and I respect that, no matter my frustration. Just say no and I’ll jump in the pool.”

  She giggled. “Does that really work?”

  “It did yesterday when I first saw you in your bikini.”

  “You’re joking.”

  “Nope. Boner city.”

  She closed her eyes, realizing that things might not have been the way she’d thought they were over the last few days. She wasn’t the only woman he didn’t want. He’d been resisting. She turned in his arms and raised her hands to his handsome face, forcing him to look right at her. She wanted her words understood. She wanted them to make an impression. Then she wanted to forget about them and take off his clothes. “I am more than okay with this. I want you. And I’m more than a little excited by the fact that you want me.”

  A smile crept across his face and he took his jacket off so fast that she was surprised he didn’t tear the sleeves off.

  “Careful,” she said. “I’m sure that suit cost a fortune.”

  He unbuttoned his shirt and she helped. “Like the shoes, that’s the exact last thing on my mind right now.”

  As soon as his chest and torso were naked, she took a moment to admire the carved contours of his body, but she also didn’t waste any time unhooking his belt and unzipping his pants. Noah shucked them nearly as fast as he’d dispatched the jacket.

  Finally, they were on a more even footing, Noah in dark gray boxers, Lily in something that seemed to be making an impression—thank goodness for the power of lace and satin. He grasped her rib cage and squeezed, making her breasts plump inside her strapless bra. She never imagined Noah would see her lovely underpinnings, except perhaps by accident, and she was so glad she’d been judicious with her selection.

  His hands slid to her back and he unhooked the bra. Lily flung it across the room and it connected with the flat-screen TV. Noah slid his palms to her breasts, molding his hands around them, then rubbing her nipples in small circles with his thumbs. Lily gasped at the pleasure. Noah was a master.

  He dropped his head and drew one tight bud into his mouth, drawing circles with his tongue and sending Lily into near oblivion when she dared to watch him. His lips against her skin, his thick hair slumping to the side—each inviting detail was almost too much to take. This was happening. With Noah. She wanted him with every ounce of desire she had built up inside. Everything between her legs yearned for his touch, longed to have him make love to her.

  She reached down and took his hand, rushing into the bedroom. She kissed him, hard, cupping her fingers around his stiff erection. She pressed into him with the heel of her hand, which brought a sexy rumble from his throat. Then she wiggled his boxers past his hips and took his length in her hand, stroking intently, watching his face as his eyes shut and his tempting mouth went slack. Having Noah Locke at her command was an awfully emboldening experience. She had to wonder if once would ever be enough. She worried that it wouldn’t.

  “Do you have a condom?” she asked, trying to hide the desperation in
her voice. If the answer was no, she might explode.

  “I do. In my shaving kit. One second.” He ran off to the bathroom. Lily loved watching the defined muscles of his frame in motion, especially his butt. Noah had an especially amazing butt, complete with heartbreaking dimples right above it.

  Lily sat on the bed, swishing her hands against the silky linens as the seconds ticked by and anticipation bubbled up inside her. Noah appeared in the doorway, tall and muscled and ready for her. She thought she might faint. The only thing that kept her from doing exactly that was the fight inside her. She’d waited for a long time to have sex with Noah Locke. She wasn’t going to let anything ruin it.

  * * *

  That first glimpse of Lily perched on the bed, wearing nothing more than maddening black panties and a smile, stole Noah’s breath right from his lungs. She was so much more beautiful than he’d ever imagined, just as she’d been more heavenly to kiss than he’d ever fantasized. He wanted her with every inch of his body, but some parts of him were more insistent and begging for attention. He was glad he’d opted to put on the condom in the bathroom. He was sure he’d never been so hard, was sure he’d never ached for a woman the way he did for Lily. He couldn’t wait much longer.

  He dropped his knee on the bed and stretched out on his side, smoothing his hand over Lily’s bare stomach and urging her to her back. He caressed her breasts, cupped her cheek and brought her lips to his. They fell into a kiss that had no logical end. He could’ve kissed her forever then, their tongues winding in a perpetual loop. He could’ve dug his hands into her silky hair forever, rubbed her soft skin with his fingers. He breathed in her sweet scent, which seemed even headier in the sticky tropical air.

  His fingers slowly trailed along her spine, building the anticipation when he honestly didn’t want to wait another minute. Lily arched her back, and a smile interrupted their kiss. They exchanged a breathless laugh, their lips softly brushing together, then things got serious again when his hand slipped into the back of her panties. He cupped her bottom and pushed them past her hips, removing that final barrier between them. Lily hitched her leg up over his hip, grinding her center against him. She needed him and he loved her urgency, the way she told him everything he wanted to hear with an insistent rotation of her hips. He slipped his hand between their bodies and found her apex. Lily groaned so fiercely that he wasn’t sure at first that the sound had actually come from her. She nipped at his lower lip. He moved his fingers in rhythmic circles, listening for the changes in her breath as they were drawn back into another perfect kiss.

  Lily nudged him gently to his back and she straddled his hips. In a move he never expected, she sat back for a moment, lazily drawing a single finger back and forth across his chest, then trailing it down his midline. Noah watched in utter fascination. She was so beautiful it boggled the mind, but he was drawn to some features in particular—her deep rose lips, the swell of her hips, those beguiling blue eyes.

  She shifted and raised one leg, taking him in her hand and guiding his erection between her legs. As she sank down onto him, a torrent of heat and pleasure rushed through him. She molded around him. Warm. Hot. Soft and hard all at the same time. Being inside Lily was so much more than he’d hoped for. They moved together, Lily lowering her chest to his, but not resting her body weight on his. Instead, she rubbed her nipples gently against his bare chest. That vision alone was enough to send him over the edge.

  Her breaths were already rough and short. Her eyes drifted shut, then opened, and closed again. She rolled her head to the side, shoulders rising up around her ears over and over again. He loved the way she surrendered to the pleasure. It was such a turn-on.

  Finally, she pressed her chest against his and he was able to kiss her deeply, the way he wanted to. Things were different now—frenzied and fitful, like neither of them could settle down. Noah thrust more forcefully, lifting Lily from the bed. The need coiled in his hips. It was like a cat about to pounce. He pulled her flat against him and flipped her to her back. He might have been a bit too forceful, judging by the way it sent her hair up in a flurry, but she seemed to like that, a lot.

  “I’m so close,” she mumbled, digging her fingers into his shoulders, her heels into the backs of his thighs, and bucked against him with her hips. He was soaking up her raw beauty, the way the color had rushed to her cheeks, when her chin rose, her mouth fell open, and the orgasm hit her, causing her to gather tight around him.

  His own pleasure felt like it was torn from the depths of his belly, relentless waves of tension letting go. Lily gasped and pulled him close, kissing his cheek and neck over and over again. He rolled to his side and they were in each others’ arms, breathless with contentment. He could hardly believe he’d finally had a taste of this woman he’d desired for so long.

  She turned to him and nuzzled his chest with her nose. When she lifted her head to look at him, the vivid blue of her eyes kept him in the moment like a jolt of caffeine from a potent cup of coffee. They’d given in. This had really happened.

  “That was wonderful,” she murmured, kissing him softly.

  “I couldn’t agree more.” He wanted to tell her how long he’d waited for this, for her, and that he’d spent so much time thinking that it would never happen. But that would ruin everything when they had to return to work. Better she think that this was just another Noah tryst. Hopefully she already knew that she meant a lot to him on other levels, most important was friendship.

  “I’m wiped, though. I hardly slept last night. It was tough being in the same bed with you, knowing I was supposed to keep my hands to myself.”

  “Really?” He was surprised by her admission. He’d assumed that his frustration with physically staying away from each other had been one-sided.

  “Yes, Noah. Really. Have you looked at you? I’d be a fool to not want to try something.”

  He smiled and pulled her closer. “And why didn’t you?”

  “I was waiting for you to give me a sign.”

  A sign. Had it been as simple as that all along? If he had met Lily in a bar or at a party, yes. But they’d met at work, she’d become indispensable before he could figure out a way around it and the rest was already determined. Tomorrow, they’d go home, the charade of their fake engagement would be far less necessary, and it would end as soon as the Hannafort deal was signed.

  Lily’s breaths were already soft and even. She was falling asleep in his arms and it was a surprisingly pleasant feeling. He kissed her temple, wondering if he should let her sleep for long. Now that he’d done the thing he’d sworn he wouldn’t, he refused to live with regrets. He wanted more of her. If he was going to get her out of his system, and he really wanted to, tonight was his only chance.

  Eight

  Lily woke up to two things—the amazing landscape of Noah’s naked back and a knock at their cabana door.

  “Did you order room service?” She was half-awake and more than half-tempted to tell whomever it was to go away. Forget food. She wanted to press up against Noah and get him to go for one last round before they had to leave for New York.

  “No. I hope it’s not more champagne. We still have another bottle to drink before we leave.” He rolled toward her, now flat on his back. He absentmindedly scratched his stomach, eyes still sleepy. The sheet was barely covering him. He was so hot she was surprised the bed wasn’t on fire.

  Another knock came at the door, this one more insistent. “Do you want me to get it?” he asked.

  “I’ll get it. Maybe they have the wrong room. Or it’s housekeeping.” Lily scrambled for some clothes, but all she could find was Noah’s shirt from last night. She threaded her arms into the sleeves and buttoned up lightning fast, then bolted for the door.

  Lily was greeted by Charlotte, wagging her fingers.

  Oh crap.

  “Morning. I think you lost something.” Charlotte held up Lily’s sp
arkly shoe.

  Lily felt the blood drain from her face. So much for keeping this quiet. In the flurry of rushing to bed with Noah, she’d completely forgotten about sending him out again to retrieve her beloved shoe. “Thanks. I was wondering where that went.”

  Charlotte bounced her all-knowing eyebrows at Lily. “There are only three things that make a woman leave behind a brand-new designer shoe. A flood, a fire, or a man. So which is it?”

  Lily wedged herself into the door opening. “Unless I missed something, I don’t think there were any natural disasters last night.” Woman-made disasters, yes.

  “Nice shirt, by the way. It looks better on you than Noah.”

  That was impossible, but there was no use arguing the point. Plus, if there had been any doubt that Charlotte knew exactly what had happened last night, it was gone now. “Somebody was pounding on the door. I had to answer it wearing something.”

  “Where is my brother, anyway?”

  Lily cleared her throat. “In bed.”

  Charlotte handed over the shoe. “Look. I’m all for a woman taking whatever she wants. I just want to be sure that you’re watching out for Lily. I love my brother to pieces, but I guarantee you that he isn’t worrying about your career or your feelings. It’s not on his radar at all. Honestly, I don’t know that he’s capable.”

  Lily didn’t want to believe that either. Noah had been the most attentive man she’d ever gone to bed with, by a long shot. Simply thinking about it was enough to send Lily grabbing the wall to steady herself. But Charlotte was probably right. Noah had a horrible track record, one he did not try to hide. Plus, he was her boss and this was technically the last day of their fake engagement. Tomorrow, they would be back in the office working together. No more kisses. No more holding hands. Certainly no sex. Bummer. “Okay. I’ll take that under advisement. Thanks.”