He pressed his lips to her temple. “You like?”
“I like very much.”
“I’m glad.”
She turned to face him then. The desire was back in his eyes, and Noosh gazed back at him, then began slowly unbuttoning her dress. Christo put down his wine glass and watched her, a lazy, sexy grin on his face. Noosh pulled the top of her dress aside, revealing her lacy pink bra. Christo bent his head, and pulling the lace of the cup down, he took her nipple into his mouth, flicking his tongue around the nub, sending shivers of pleasure through her body.
She reached down to unzip his jeans, taking his cock in her hands and stroking along the length of it. She heard Christo moan. “God, I want to fuck you so badly, Noosh.”
She gave a little chuckle. “Anticipation, baby.”
Christo gave a growl and in one swift movement, swept her into his arms and to his bedroom. “We may not be able to fuck yet, baby, but I’m going to kiss every inch of your heavenly body, and then suck your clit until you weep.”
Noosh felt her sex flood with arousal as he dropped to his knees between her legs. Always checking to make sure she wasn’t in pain, he buried his face between her legs and began to lick and gently bite at her clit until it was rock hard and she was moaning his name over and over.
Christo gently slid two fingers into her cunt as he pleasured her, moving them in and out until Noosh was screaming and crying out as a shattering orgasm hit her. Christo kept his promise and tears of joy, of ecstasy, flooded down her face.
“I want your cock inside me so badly,” she said breathlessly, kissing him. She hooked a leg over his body to test if she could do it, and then winced. “But my bloody back…”
“Don’t stress out, baby, we have all the time in the world.”
“There is something I can do for you.” She clambered down his body and took his diamond-hard cock into her warm mouth. She loved the silky feel of the skin over the hardness of him. He was so huge she couldn’t take all of him into her mouth. She kissed, licked, and teased the tip, her hands stroking down the length of him. She massaged his balls gently, then milked him dry as he shuddered and came, swallowing every salty drop of his cum.
Noosh crawled back to his side as he caught his breath and grinned at her. God, she adored this man, his boyish grin, his devastatingly handsome face, his playful nature that was so at odds with her first memory of him. You would be so easy to fall in love with, she thought with a shock.
Christo opened his arms and she went into them, pressing her skin against his. It was still only mid-afternoon, but they fell asleep together, waking only when Christo kissed her mouth so tenderly that she had to wake up to gaze at him.
It was early evening when they dressed, and Christo showed her around his workshop. Noosh marveled at his, running her hand over the hand-turned pieces of wood that would eventually fit into a beautiful love seat, or a table or chair. She laughed a little. “From organized crime to this…not that you were a criminal,” she added hastily, but Christo just smiled and shrugged good-naturedly.
“However innocent I want to think I am, yes, my family business is crime. Corruption.”
“Not anymore.”
“I hope not. Although if I ever find out who hurt you, my darling…”
Feeling uncomfortable, Noosh looked away, admiring a small side table he had almost finished. “This is gorgeous.”
“Not compared to what I’m looking at.”
Noosh flushed as he came to her, tilting her chin up so he could kiss her. “You’re completely intoxicating, Anoushka Taylor.”
“Right back at you, dude.” They both laughed then Christo turned to retrieve something from a cupboard.
“This is something else I’ve been working on…not furniture, but a little project I began when I was in rehab. Don’t freak out, but…”
He handed her a small wooden bust, only a few inches high. Noosh studied it then gasped a little. The female figure, her head and shoulders only, had long wavy hair that fell over one eye and fell in a cloud down past her shoulders. Her lips were full and her one visible eye was large and soulful. It was Noosh.
“I did it from memory, but I think I caught your likeness.” He sounded a little nervous, and Noosh turned tear-filled eyes to him.
“It’s incredible. God, Christo, I’m so moved.”
He stroked her face. “You’ve been haunting my dreams, Noosh Taylor, for months now. Is it too much?”
“It should be, but it isn’t. Not from you.” Her voice was a whisper and he kissed her gently.
“You know, I was strangely superstitious about this little woman. I thought if I kept her in the house, you would never actually come here. So that’s why she’s out here.”
Noosh grinned and he chuckled. “I know, dumb, huh?”
She shook her head. “Not at all. But…I am here.”
“So, we should bring her in.”
They walked back to the house. “Hungry?”
“Always.” She grinned. Together they prepared roast chicken with rosemary and lemon, and roasted vegetables.
“Almost a traditional roast dinner,” Noosh nodded approvingly and Christo grinned.
“The last time I was in London, I was unfortunate to try something called Marmite.” He grimaced at the memory of the savory salty spread and Noosh looked outraged.
“Marmite? On a piece of buttery toast, with a cup of tea? You haven’t lived, Montecito.”
“It was beyond gross.”
Noosh giggled. “You want to talk about gross? What about that sorry excuse you call chocolate over here? Waxy vomit bars.”
“Have you never heard of s’mores?”
“I hate marshmallow.”
She laughed as Christo threw his hands up in the air. “It’s over between us.”
She slid onto his lap. “I’m sad.”
Christo’s eyes lit up. “I’ll make you happy.”
You already have… She kissed him, the intensity growing between them until he laid her gently on the floor. He slid his hand under her t-shirt and stroked her belly, making it quiver with desire. Noosh traced the line of his full lips, and then brushed her fingertips through his thick, dark, eyelashes. “You are so beautiful,” she whispered, almost incredulously, and he chuckled.
“You stole my line.”
Noosh smiled at him, but her eyes were serious. “I keep waiting for something to ruin this perfect day, but it hasn’t. How cynical is that?”
“After what you’ve been through in your young life, it doesn’t surprise me.”
“Not that young.”
“How old are you?”
Noosh grinned. “I’ll be twenty-five in a month.”
“Old woman.”
“Hey!” She mock-punched his jaw and he laughed. “Then how old are you, crumbly?”
“Thirty-nine.” His smile faded. “Does the age difference bother you?”
She shook her head. “My mum always told me I was an old soul, and I am. The guys my age? Good god.” She shuddered and he laughed.
“I’m serious. When you’re forty, I’ll be nearly sixty.”
“And still the most devastating man on the planet,” she countered, a thrill running through her when he talked about the future as if they would be together. If Destry doesn’t kill you first.
The thought came out of nowhere and she faltered. She tried to hide it but Christo, watching her closely, noticed. “What is it, sugar?”
“Honestly, nothing.” She wriggled closer to him. “Everything’s perfect.”
Christo looked unconvinced but she was relieved when he seemed to let it go. “Wanna watch a movie together?”
“Love to.”
Later, after they’d gone to bed and Noosh was asleep, Christo slid from the bed. For a long moment, he stood at the end of the bed, watching her sleep. God, she was lovely. Christo knew he was falling for her – scratch that, he thought, I’m in this deep. I’m crazy about this little girl.
&nb
sp; He crept downstairs and snagged his phone. He’d had the idea after Noosh’s little hesitation earlier, but he didn’t want to scare her, nor did he want to make her uncomfortable.
It was just…he didn’t want her to live in fear for the rest of her life. If whoever shot her – Christo couldn’t think of that without cringing – came after her again… If they actually finished the job and killed his beloved Noosh…no. No fucking way.
He called Bertie, who he knew would still be awake at this late hour. “Hey, buddy.”
“Hey, Bert. Listen, I need to ask you a favor.”
“Go for it.”
“That guy you used when Dimitri Engles was trying to blackmail you?”
“The private dick?”
“Yeah,” Christo said, his voice grim. “Can you give me his number? There’s something I want him to find out.”
Chapter Eleven
“Anoushka Taylor, have you been taking some wonder pill I don’t know about? Because the progress you’ve made since we last met is incredible.” Beth shook her head in disbelief as she watched Noosh move around the physio room three weeks later.
Noosh grinned at her. Her back still ached a little but the swimming she had been doing had been paying off – it helped that she had the prospect of finally being able to be with Christo to motivate her. Tonight he was flying them to Europe, to a small island off the Italian coast, and Noosh was determined that they would finally make love, if not for the first time, then for the first time since their reunion.
And god, she couldn’t wait. Every waking moment, she thought about him, a permanent smile etched on her face of late. She had spent every weekend at his farmhouse, and every weekday he picked her up from work and took her back to his apartment. Ally complained that she never saw her roommate, but Noosh could tell that her boss and friend was delighted for her.
Now Beth, laughing, signed off her charts. “Well, kiddo, you did it – I’m so proud of you.”
“I couldn’t have done it – couldn’t have survived – without you, Beth. I’m serious. You made this so much easier than I thought it would be.”
“Aww shucks,” Beth grinned and Noosh laughed.
“And I meant it about keeping in touch. You’ve become a real friend to me.”
“And you to me, honey. Let’s get together soon.”
In the cab back to work, Noosh called Christo. “It’s on, baby.”
Thrills ran through her body when she heard his low, throaty laugh. “I can’t wait, baby. And those toys we talked about? I’ve ordered a bunch.”
Her sex quivered and she lowered her voice. “I’ll be thinking about you inside me all day.”
“The same, my darling. Later.”
“Later.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him she loved him, but she held back. She wanted to be one hundred percent sure of her own feelings and of his as much as she could. The last thing she wanted to be seen as was a silly little girl with a crush. Christo had a gravitas about him, even with his fun-loving side, that made her feel as if this were a real, adult relationship that she needed to be wholly mature about.
Still, the thought of his cock, huge and thick, gliding inside of her made her quiver with anticipation. At work she was distracted and Ally nudged her during a staff meeting to attract her attention.
“This is us, space cakes, you might want to get your mind out of Montecito’s pants for this bit.” Noosh colored as Ally chuckled softly.
Seth was talking. “We’ve been granted full access to Destry Papps’s campaign team, and the candidate himself. He has asked that ‘Sarah Marsh’ be his liaison – that’s a coup for you, Noosh, so congrats.”
Noosh felt her heart sink as the others gave her a little round of applause, and waited for them to stop. “With respect, Seth, being shot doesn’t make me qualified for this. I feel that the candidate would be taking advantage of my situation to further his own cause rather than to help women. I’d rather not have anything to do with it.”
The room was silent, her work colleagues looking at her in astonishment. Seth was the first to recover, clearing his throat, his shock and a little annoyance clear in his eyes. Noosh’s heart thudded uncomfortably. She could feel the tension rolling off her boss.
“Well, that’s something you need to work out with Ally, but it would be a big get for the station. But if you’re uncomfortable…” He trailed off, but his meaning was clear. She was letting the team down. Noosh felt like crying.
Ally asked her to come into her office as soon as the meeting was finished, and Noosh knew it wouldn’t be an easy conversation. She sat opposite Ally, wishing it was six o’clock and that she was on the plane to Europe with Christo’s arms around her.
Ally didn’t mince her words. “What’s your problem with Destry Papps?”
Noosh clenched her fists in her lap. “I find him fake, disingenuous, and a creep.” That was the strongest way she could find to express how she felt without giving anything away, but she could see Ally wasn’t convinced.
“Noosh, you’re not a child and I’m not an idiot. There’s something more.”
“No. He just gives me the impression that he wants to use my story for his own personal gain.” And besides that, he was the one who shot me. If only she could say that aloud and have Ally believe her. God.
Ally sighed. “Well, as Seth said, it would be a coup. We’ll tell Senator Papps that we’ll deal directly with him through me, but Noosh, do you realize the opportunity you’re turning down?”
“I do.” God, she hated Destry and his manipulative behavior. He knew exactly what he was doing, invading her work life. For once, she was glad Christo was from a mob family – Destry wouldn’t dare interfere with that…would he?
No. It was one thing to mess with her, another thing entirely to get tangled with the mob. At least that’s what she would tell herself – it was the only thing giving her any sense of protection from him at the moment.
She sighed and rubbed her eyes. “I’m sorry, Ally.”
“It’s just with this, and the story you abandoned… Seth will begin to wonder if you’re really cut out for this job.”
Noosh knew it was coming but it was still a shock to hear. “I know. I just need to get my head together…and maybe I’ll take another look at the club story. I might have an…in…there now.” She colored, but couldn’t help smiling a little. The thought of going to Christo’s club with him had been growing in the back of her mind, but she’d dismissed it as just her raging lust for him. Now though…maybe she could salvage her story too.
Ally looked mollified and studied her. “Take this week with your man, and come back to me refreshed. We will be working on the Senator’s story, Noosh, but maybe we can work around your objections. And,” finally she smiled, “if the BDSM club is something you want to revisit, then go for it. That story had wheels.”
When Christo picked her up, Noosh pressed her lips to his for a long time and he laughed when they finally broke away for air. “Well, hello to you too, baby.” He cupped her face in his palms. “Did you get even more beautiful?”
Noosh grinned, her whole body relaxing. “Nope, but you did.” She loved the way his thick, dark lashes brought out the startling green of his eyes. His skin, olive, was speckled with freckles, his beard as black as his hair. Noosh couldn’t imagine a more beautiful man.
He drove them straight to the airport, and she admired the deft, friendly way he dealt with passport control as he and Noosh arrived on the runway. The private plane, borrowed, he told her, from Bertie, was an Embraer Lineage with five cabin areas with every luxury, and a master-suite with a king-size bed and a walk-in shower. Noosh’s eyes were huge and she didn’t know whether to approve or disapprove of the opulence.
Christo was watching her, his eyes amused. “For your information, this thing cost fifty-three million and yes, it’s completely over-the-top and ridiculous. Usually, it’s not my thing – I’m a little more environmentally consciou
s, but just this time… For this occasion, I thought it was fitting.” He bent his head to kiss her then nuzzled her neck, finally whispering in her ear. “I don’t know about you, Noosh, but I’m not going to be able to wait until we get to Italy…and I owe you the very best for how I treated you the last time we were together. I want this to be perfect.”
Noosh leaned into his body, into his body heat, and gazed up at him. “It will be perfect.”
He stroked her face as the pilot came over the P.A. and asked them to strap in for the flight. Christo slid his hands around her waist and fixed her seat belt in place, even making that simple move so erotic that Noosh thought she might explode. Christo never took his eyes from her as he belted himself in next to her, and as they took off, he leaned over and they kissed. The kiss was soft at first, but as their desire grew, their tongues caressing the other’s, it became an urgent thing, their need for each other almost desperate.
Noosh strained against her seatbelt in her need to be next to him, but when the seatbelt warning light clicked off, Christo put his hand over the belt fastener, stopping her from opening it, grinning as he released himself.
He sank to his knees between her legs and smiled up at her. “I’m in charge now, beautiful.”
Noosh shivered with desire as he slid his hands under her dress and gently drew her panties down her legs before beginning to unbutton her dress. She had deliberately not worn a bra, wanting him to see that her nipples were hard and ready for his touch, wanting him to see her arousal. The sigh of happiness he gave when he pushed the fabric of her dress aside was heady. Christo leaned forward and kissed her mouth, her throat, down to her breasts. He sucked each nipple until Noosh was gasping for air, then trailed his lips down her stomach before burying his face in her belly. He kissed each scar before rimming her navel with his tongue, dipping it into the deep, round indentation, tongue fucking it until Noosh was squirming with pleasure.
No Promises: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Page 7