He couldn’t help reaching out and trailing a finger down her cheek, though. “I’ll see you later,” he said before turning and walking away.
Chapter 10
“What do you have planned for tonight?” Brianna asked as she stood before the mirror in the living room. She slipped on a pair of turquoise earrings to match her turquoise-and-brown sweater dress.
“Probably just hanging out here,” Bailey said. “After all that time doing nothing in St. Thomas, you’d think I could go a year without watching another made-for-TV movie, but I just want to veg out for the rest of the night.”
“Of the two of us, I definitely have the better plans for the evening,” Brianna said with a wink.
“Whatever.” Bailey rolled her eyes but laughed. She could never begrudge Brianna for the fun she was having. Seeing her sister so happy had been one of the highlights of being home these past few weeks.
“When are you and Collin planning to let the rest of the family know about the little bun in the oven?” Bailey asked.
“Collin is ready to let the world know, but I don’t want our news to take away from Kyle and Zoe’s wedding.”
“It won’t,” Bailey assured her. “There’s no such thing as too much good news, especially right now.”
“I guess you’re right,” Brianna said. “Hey, don’t wait up for me. I’m spending the night at Collin’s, so I won’t be back until the morning. If you need anything—”
“I have a building full of fiercely loyal protectors just waiting to rush to my rescue. Don’t worry about me, Brianna. I’ll be fine.”
“Good. I know I don’t have to tell you to lock up after me, but I’m telling you anyway.”
Her sister kissed her cheek before leaving the apartment. Bailey couldn’t help but follow what had become her usual routine, checking several times to make sure the door was locked, and then going around the apartment checking all the windows, even though she’d done so just a few hours ago. Clearly, she had moved past run-of-the-mill crazy to downright insane, but she couldn’t stop until she knew every lock was secure.
She went into the kitchen and eyed her cell phone on the counter, trying to decide if she really had the gumption to go through with the plan she had devised earlier today.
“You can do this,” she said, picking up the phone and calling Micah before she lost her nerve.
“Hello,” he answered in his deep, smooth voice.
“Micah, it’s Bailey,” she said. “I was wondering if you could come over. I had a couple of things I wanted to discuss about the documentary. After seeing your mother’s Lladró collection, I thought maybe I could describe a few of my pieces on camera. It would be a way to humanize me.”
“You don’t need to be humanized,” he argued.
“That’s debatable, but I’d still like to add it to the documentary if we can.”
She heard rustling, then Micah said, “Give me about an hour.”
She disconnected the call and sucked in a deep, reassuring breath. One hour. That was how long she had to set up the seduction.
Bailey groaned. “You are out your mind,” she said, cradling her head in her hands.
She was no seductress. She would be lucky if Micah didn’t laugh in her face.
Bailey picked up the phone, intending to call him back, but forced herself to put it down.
She could do this. She wanted to do this.
She’d finally found someone who saw more than just the fashion model, someone who was able to look beyond the glitz and glamour to the real woman she was inside. She wanted to show him every part of her.
Bailey looked down at her slacks and turtleneck sweater. Her ensemble was as appealing as a cactus to bare skin. She took a quick shower and changed into a persimmon-colored loungewear set. It was decent enough to be worn outside the house, but the lace trim around the V-neck bodice gave it a hint of sexiness.
After spritzing a bit of Brianna’s fragrance at her wrists and behind her ears, she looked herself over in the full-length mirror.
“Not bad.” She twisted and looked over her shoulder at her rear end. “Not bad at all. And not too desperate.” She didn’t want Micah to walk in and know right off the bat that she was planning on seducing him.
The doorbell rang, and Bailey nearly jumped out of her skin. Now that the time was here, what little confidence she’d convinced herself she felt was melting away like a polar ice cap in the desert.
“You can do this,” she said, taking a deep breath.
Bailey called on that inner strength she used when striding down the runway as she walked across the living room to answer the door.
“Hi,” she said, reminding herself to breathe as she stared at Micah.
“Hi,” he answered. “Can I come in?”
“Oh, yes, of course,” she said, moving out of the way so he could enter the apartment. “Good show,” she said. She gestured to her television when he looked at her with a curious arch to his brow. “I DVRed your show with the former director of that children’s charity.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Bailey frowned at his lackluster tone. “What? You don’t think it went well?”
“No, the interview was fine. I accomplished what I set out to. But...”
“But?” she asked when he didn’t continue.
Micah expelled a frustrated sigh. “Someone accused me of being harder on George Stevens than I’ve been on some other guests.”
Bailey caught the subtle suggestion in his voice and the lightbulb went on in her head. “Like...me?”
He nodded.
“Have you been taking it easier on me?”
“Bailey, you know my objectivity goes out the window when it comes to you. Do you think I take all of my guests out to a club, or to visit my mother?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say the answer is no.”
“You would be right.” He ran a hand down his face. “This is the kiss of death in my line of work. Impartiality and journalistic integrity is everything. No one will take me seriously if they believe I’m taking it easy on you because of...well...other reasons.”
“And those reasons would be?” she asked.
The heated look in Micah’s eyes told her everything she needed to know, and Bailey suddenly realized that this seduction would be much easier than she’d first anticipated.
He started to answer, but she put a finger to his lips and whispered, “Show me.”
Bailey saw the moment the fight went out of him. His eyelids closed and he pulled her to him, slipping a hand behind her neck and tilting her head up. The minute their mouths met, Bailey’s knees went weak. She grabbed on to Micah’s shoulders, fearing her limbs wouldn’t be able to hold her up as he unleashed an onslaught of sensual passion on her. She opened her mouth and drew his tongue inside, gently sucking it, savoring the taste.
Micah wound his arms around her and pulled her in close, crushing her chest against him. He walked them to the sofa and sat, pulling Bailey on top of him so that her legs straddled his hips. All the while their mouths continued to dance.
Bailey reached between them and tugged his shirt from his waistband, then tunneled her hands underneath and splayed her palms against his solid chest.
She trailed one hand down to his zipper and cupped the growing erection she found there, squeezing it, teasing it, marveling at the way it grew bigger and stronger underneath her hand.
Micah let out a groan as he pumped his hips up, reaching for her touch.
Then he stopped short, catching her wrist.
“Where’s your sister?” he asked.
A smile pulled at the corner of Bailey’s lips. “She’s at Collin’s tonight.”
“All night?”
She nodded. “All night.”
&nb
sp; “Thank God,” he said, then he pulled her to him again. Their tongues jousted as their hands continued to explore each other. Micah pushed her shirt up and wrapped his fingers around the sides of her waist. Bailey finished the job, pulling the top completely off and tossing it onto the floor.
The heat that shone through his hooded eyes caused an instant blush to rush along her skin. She could only imagine the picture she created, straddled across his lap in her sheer black bra. Micah leaned forward and flicked his tongue across one nipple and then the other. The erotic picture her breasts must present, swollen and wet from his tongue, caused moisture to pool between Bailey’s legs.
“Micah, please,” she pleaded, unsure of what she was asking for, but knowing that she needed something more to happen. Now.
“What is it you want me to do?” he whispered against her throat as his fingers plucked and pinched her nipples through the thin fabric.
“Let’s go to my bed,” she said.
He pulled away and stared at her. His eyes were filled with so much fiery desire that Bailey felt it on every inch of her skin.
Micah pushed them both up from the sofa. He wrapped her legs around him and cradled her butt in his hands as he took them the few yards to her bedroom. Once there, he let her fall back onto the bed, immediately following her and heading yet again for her breasts. He lowered the cups of her bra, freeing her breasts from their sheer barrier. While he sucked on one nipple, he used his fingers to pinch and rub the other.
Bailey held his head to her chest with one hand while the other, of its own volition, traveled down her stomach and into the waistband of her matching sheer black panties. Her fingers rubbed back and forth across the swollen nub of nerves pulsing at her cleft until it tightened unmercifully.
“That’s my job,” Micah whispered against her neck as he pulled her hand away and replaced her fingers with his own. He teased her clitoris, flicking his thumb back and forth across it as his middle finger dipped inside her. Her body instantly clutched around him, pulling his finger deeper inside.
The bevy of erotic sensations drove Bailey to the edge. Her stomach tensed as the orgasm began to build. She tried to stanch the desperate moans climbing up her throat, but it was no use. It had been too long since she’d done this—she couldn’t hold back.
Micah sucked hard on her nipple and she let out a sharp gasp. She was on the brink of exploding. Almost there. Almost.
Bailey’s head pitched back as she screamed, her body convulsing as the tremors of release coursed through her. After several moments she floated back down to earth. Her limbs were weak and trembling, her entire body humming with sated relief.
Micah pushed himself up and knelt on the bed between her spread legs. Bailey thought he was about to finish undressing, but instead, he drew his hands down his face and said, “We shouldn’t go any further, Bailey.”
Oh, no. No, no, no.
She would die if he walked away from her right now. She needed him to fulfill the promises he’d made with his hands and tongue.
“Micah, don’t do this. Please, don’t walk away from me.”
“I should,” he said.
Bailey closed her eyes, her entire being recoiling at his words. She bit her trembling bottom lip, and tried like hell to keep her emotions in check.
“But I can’t.”
Her eyes popped open as his softly struck words registered.
“I know I’m crossing the line here, Bailey, but there’s no way I could leave you in this bed. Even if it’s just for one night, I have to have you.”
He climbed off the bed and slowly, deliberately released the buttons on his shirt. Bailey crawled to the edge of the bed and helped him tug it off his broad shoulders. She went for his undershirt, but he caught her wrist and shook his head.
“I’ve got this.” He jerked his chin toward the bed. “Go.”
She did as he commanded, sliding back until she was resting against the headboard.
Micah pulled his undershirt over his head, then dropped it on the floor with his other shirt.
Bailey’s eyes were instantly drawn to the narrow trail of hair that started at his navel and disappeared into his waistband. She wanted to trace her tongue along that path until she found the treasure awaiting her behind his zipper.
Anticipation had her breath coming out in audible pants, though Bailey could barely hear it past the thumping of her heart within the walls of her chest. With every garment he discarded, the pulse between Bailey’s legs beat harder and harder.
Micah drew his wallet from his back pocket and retrieved a gold foil packet. He tossed the wallet on the nightstand, and the condom to her. Bailey caught it in both hands and tore the package open. Then she returned her eyes to the show.
He unbuckled his pants, and with the same deliberate slowness, drew the zipper down. He hooked his hand in his waistband and pushed the pants down his legs. He stood there in a pair of black boxer briefs—RHD boxer briefs.
Bailey pitched her head back and laughed. “Did you wear those for me?”
He nodded, and she laughed again. But then her eyes narrowed into slits. “Which means you had intentions of letting me see your underwear,” Bailey said in an accusing voice.
“It was wishful thinking.”
“Well, now that your wish has come true, I’m ready to see you without the underwear.”
A sexy grin tilted the edge of Micah’s lips as he shoved the last piece of clothing from his body.
Goodness. He was magnificent.
Every inch of him was practically perfect, from the way his skin shone over the firm muscles of his arms and legs to his tight washboard abs. But Bailey was shamelessly drawn to his impressive erection. She needed to get that inside her as soon as possible.
Micah climbed onto the bed and knelt between her spread legs. He took the open packet from her and pulled the condom out, rolling the slippery latex over his erection. Then he caught her hips and pulled her toward him. With a look of hunger in his eyes, he splayed his fingers over her inner thighs and stretched her legs apart. With one deep plunge, he entered her body.
Bailey’s eyes closed and her hands went to his chest. As Micah drove his thick, firm erection into her with deep, insistent thrusts, Bailey massaged his flat nipples until they grew into hard peaks. She lifted her head and traced her tongue down the column of his throat and along his collarbone. Micah nudged her head up and covered her mouth with his, thrusting his tongue inside, matching the rhythm of his hips as they continued to pump over and over.
“God, Bailey, you’re killing me,” he breathed against her lips.
Without leaving her body, he flipped them over, planting her on top.
A moment of self-consciousness tiptoed up her spine, but Bailey dismissed it when she caught the passion and desire in Micah’s eyes.
With a reverence that stole her breath, he tenderly drew his fingers over her body, trailing them along her sides, cupping her breasts, rubbing his thumbs in gentle circles around her nipples.
Levering himself up on one elbow, he lifted his head and drew her nipple into his mouth, then quickly switched to the other, going back and forth as his right hand traveled down. He clasped her hips and guided their rhythm as she rode his lap, her body undulating, moving faster and faster as that sensation she’d felt before began to build low in her belly once again.
Bailey braced her hands on Micah’s chest, rolling her hips again and again. And when Micah reached down and rubbed her throbbing clit, her entire world exploded. Her back bowed as she shouted toward the ceiling. Her limbs trembled as wave upon wave of pleasure crashed through her, rendering her speechless, unable to do anything but collapse onto Micah’s strong chest.
Moments later, his body stiffened and he came with a ferocity that left them both breathless.
* * *<
br />
Micah pulled Bailey closer against him, taking pleasure in the feel of her moist skin against his own. Yet even as he fitted her body to his, he knew he needed to step away.
He couldn’t even count how many ways he’d violated the ethics he’d pledged to adhere to as a journalist. Not only had he taken advantage of Bailey while she was the most vulnerable, he’d knowingly disregarded the numerous warnings in his head. He knew this was wrong. Yet it hadn’t stopped him.
“You’re frowning.”
Micah looked down to find Bailey’s brown eyes staring up at him from where she lay on his chest.
“Bailey, you know we shouldn’t have done this, don’t you? I can’t even explain how wrong this is.”
She stretched her entire body over his, rubbing her leg against his steadily hardening erection. Micah fisted the satiny sheet in his hand in an attempt to bring his body under control. It wasn’t working.
“You can say that, even though your body is saying otherwise?”
He blew out a weary breath. “I didn’t say I didn’t want to do it. I said we shouldn’t have.”
“You can still be impartial, Micah. What we did tonight doesn’t change that.”
He looked down at her. “Are you serious? Do you really think I can be objective after the things I did to your body tonight? Do you think I can ever look at you again as just work?”
Bailey shook her head. “But you can’t go back and undo it,” she said. “So, please, don’t ruin what happened with regrets. Tonight was too beautiful for it to end with either of us regretting it.”
Micah pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and caressed her cheek. As he stared into her eyes, he couldn’t help falling deeper under the spell she continued to weave around him.
“No, I can’t undo it,” he said. “And I don’t want to. I know I crossed a line tonight, Bailey, and I’ll eventually have to deal with the consequences. But, given the chance, I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
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