The Ultimate Treasure

by Anne, Melody

  He was glad for them, but it didn’t mean he had to follow in their footsteps. On the other hand, he wasn’t getting any younger. The days of living wild and free weren’t as appealing as they once had been. Thus, he found himself chasing after a woman he wasn’t sure wanted to be caught.

  Wasn’t that part of the fun though? Lance was wealthy, good-looking, and had a hell of a family. He could have his pick of women, but the one he wanted most was his sister-in-law’s little sis. It might not be the best idea to keep chasing her; he could think that all he wanted, but his course of action had been full-on pursuit.

  Lexie was gazing at him like he was an apparition as the plane lifted into the air. He wanted to reach out and touch her, assure her he was one hundred percent real, but he also enjoyed the shock on her face.

  “What do you mean, you’re my benefactor?” she asked him after several silent moments.

  “My company picked you for this project,” he told her as he lifted his Scotch and took an enjoyable sip. “You were recommended by some very reliable sources.” He wasn’t telling her they happened to be his father and uncles.

  Lexie ran her fingertip over her frosted glass before lifting it to her luscious pink lips, downing at least half of it in a single gulp. She was nervous and anxious, but he wasn’t sure if it was the surprise of him being there or simply because he made her antsy. He knew she wasn’t frightened of him, maybe of what they’d had together, but most certainly not of him. They’d been great together the night of his brother’s wedding, and he hadn’t been able to forget about her since.

  As a matter of fact, that might be half his problem. He hadn’t bedded another woman since that night three hundred seventy-six days ago. His pants tightened thinking about it. He desperately hoped being locked together in a foreign country for the next thirty days would make her just as desperate for him as he was for her.

  “Is this a joke, Lance?” she asked, her eyes narrowing.

  The flight attendant came and offered them a refill. Lexie accepted and the man disappeared quickly but returned to tell them dinner would be served in twenty minutes. Lexie gave him a semblance of a smile and Lance nodded as the attendant retreated again to give them some much-needed privacy.

  “Not at all. My company has been in the Philippines since the typhoon hit, rebuilding and bringing supplies. For this mission, we’ll be there for a month, teaching preparedness and bringing progress to the area.”

  “We?” she asked with a squeak before clearing her throat and taking another big drink from her glass. “You’re going to be there the entire time?” Lance wasn’t sure if he should be offended or not by the panic in her eyes.

  “Yes, I like to go over and help,” he told her. Sure he hadn’t stayed for a full month before, but then he’d never had such appealing company with him either.

  “I would think you have much more important things to do,” she told him.

  Lance chuckled. “I buy and sell businesses, Lexie. I can do that from anywhere. I’m all yours for the next thirty days,” he said. His pants tightened even more. He was hers in more ways than one. She only had to accept what he was offering.

  Lexie turned and looked out the window as the ground appeared farther and farther away. It was mid-November and many people had Christmas lights twinkling from their houses and fences, but they could no longer see them.

  Lance hadn’t always been a big fan of the holidays but as his family had grown over the past five years, he’d started to appreciate it all a bit more. He was a little bummed to be missing a huge Thanksgiving spread where his siblings and cousins all came together with their kids. The chaos was great, in his opinion, which was something he never would have thought he’d enjoy. But he didn’t appreciate a quiet house now nearly as much as he once had.

  Maybe he was getting old. At thirty-six, he shouldn’t be thinking that way. He had many years left to worry about the future, he assured himself. But the more he thought about Lexie, the more he felt his future wasn’t such a bad thing. Maybe he just needed to let go of what he had once thought was important and embrace a new journey.

  He had never thought about a woman a year after he’d slept with her. But he still dreamed of Alexa Mills. He still woke up in a cold sweat because his dreams were so vivid he expected to reach out for her and finish what his dream had started.

  There was a bedroom on his corporate jet. Maybe the two of them could make good use of it. The flight to the Philippines was long, and there wasn’t much to do after they had dinner.

  “Lexie . . .” Lance began to say. She lifted her arm to motion as she often did when talking, and Lance got an icy cold bath as she knocked his drink right into his lap. Her eyes widened in horror as he sucked in his breath, unable to utter any sound other than a gurgle. She’d efficiently taken care of the pulsing in his pants as ice coated an area frozen cubes should never be allowed to touch.

  Jumping from his seat, Lance brushed off the flight attendant who hurried to come over and help. At the same time, Lexie reached into her bag and came out with a handful of napkins.

  “I’m so sorry,” she spluttered as she reached for him. Lance instantly hardened again as her hands came toward him. As much as he wanted her touching him there, she wasn’t doing it for the right reasons, and he feared the second her fingers landed on him, innocent or not, he was going to turn into a caveman and throw her over his shoulder to show her that bedroom he’d just been thinking about.

  “I might have needed a cooling off,” Lance told her, his gaze burning into hers. She gasped and he had no doubt she’d gotten what he’d been saying because her eyes strayed down to his wet pants before flicking back up to his eyes.

  Leaning over her, he enjoyed the desire he saw flicker into her eyes. He could kiss her right then and there, and she wouldn’t fight him. But she’d find an excuse later and accuse him of violating her. They had a month together without interruption. He had to be smart about this.

  “I’d better go change,” he regretfully told her.

  “You have clothes in here?” she asked. He was happy to see what appeared to be regret in her eyes when he pulled away.

  “We’re leaving for a month. Of course I have extra clothes,” he told her with a chuckle.

  She glared at him. “I know you have extra clothes, I just meant that mine are packed in a bag below,” she said.

  “I keep extras inside. I travel often,” he told her. Then he turned and left, making his way to his empty bedroom. His gaze strayed to the bed and an instant image of the two of them entwined on top of the covers, their bodies sweating, their cries merging, had him so hard he was barely able to get his pants off.

  This was going to be a long flight.

  Chapter Three

  Lexie didn’t let out a breath of air until she heard the soft click of a door close after Lance disappeared down the hallway of the jet. How big was this plane? She was incredibly curious, but not enough to follow him. Not that the thought of doing so was completely abhorrent.

  She sat in her plush chair, sipping on her newly refreshed drink, feeling a buzz roll through her system as she imagined him sliding those wet slacks down his muscled thighs, then hooking his thumbs into the tight waistband of his underwear and peeling them down his legs. She remembered those legs. She remembered well what was at the junction of them.

  Closing her eyes, she thought about that magical night after her sister’s wedding. Lance had been so handsome in his dark suit, his bright eyes gleaming, that flirtatious mouth smiling — and she’d fallen hard for his charm. It hadn’t even taken alcohol to influence her. She’d had a little at the wedding, but she’d been fully aware of her decision to accompany him to his room.

  She couldn’t regret their night together. It had been unbelievable. She’d lost count of how many times the man had made her come with his thick package, his unbelievably magic fingers, and that
divine mouth of his. He’d touched every square inch of her body, and when they’d both been too exhausted to do it one more time, she’d fallen into a dreamless sleep in his arms.

  She’d woken in the early morning hours, her body tangled in his, her heart immediately racing. She’d barely been able to see the outline of his face, of his relaxed lips that almost appeared to be in a smile, but the thump in her heart at being there with him had scared her.

  Her father had been a violent man, abusive and domineering. She’d promised herself she’d never get trapped into marriage, and one night with Lance had made her hear wedding bells in her head. She was sure it hadn’t helped that she’d had the best sexual night of her life right after a beautiful wedding where her sister had made an exquisite bride, but it had scared her enough to untangle herself, grab her clothes, and sneak off before the sun rose in the sky. She’d then had to do the walk of shame through the posh hotel.

  She’d seen Lance several times after that night, but she’d kept herself aloof, telling him nothing could come of the two of them. It was easier to stay with her convictions when she wasn’t miles high in the sky, getting ready to fly to a foreign country away from her sister and her friends. What was she going to do if he put on his full charm? She wasn’t sure she could resist him, because she wanted him just as badly as he appeared to want her.

  Lexie tried to fill her mind with the dozens of women she was sure he’d been with after her. That thought only made her achingly jealous and made her want to stake her claim. But she didn’t have a claim on Lance. He wasn’t hers, and she certainly wasn’t his. Even if they were going to be working on this project together, they wouldn’t be with each other night and day. They’d be busy and exhausted, and she was sure she’d hardly see him. That would make it so much easier. She just had to survive this plane ride and then she’d be back to her normal self.

  Lexie didn’t hear the bedroom door open or close, didn’t hear Lance’s footsteps approach, but she felt him in the room with her again, felt that tug that ran through her entire system seconds before he sat down next to her. She couldn’t help but look over at him.

  Lance was spectacularly stunning when wearing a suit and tie, but in a pair of old college sweats and a tight T-shirt, the man had her panting. She lifted her drink to gain more liquid courage only to find it empty. It was as if the flight attendant was on call, because he was there offering her a fresh glass before she managed to set her empty one down.

  She should tell the attendant she’d had enough, but she had a feeling the entire bottle couldn’t calm her as long as she was in the same vicinity as Lance. She couldn’t make eye contact with him anymore. She feared she’d do something stupid like jump from her seat and straddle him if she did, so instead, she focused on the little side table next to her as her fingernails drummed the smooth surface.

  “I made sure to have some comfortable clothes brought in for you since we have such a long flight,” Lance said, his voice startling her out of her thoughts.

  “How did you know what size?” she asked, then felt her cheeks heat as she met his gaze and his eyes traveled over her form.

  “I’d say I’m pretty familiar with your body,” he told her with a wink.

  Her heated flesh became uncomfortably hot, and she wished for a fan to cool herself. He had touched every inch of her with his fingers and mouth, but it had been over a year since that night. He had surely forgotten by now. The look in his eyes told her he hadn’t.

  “Thank you. That was considerate,” she said, hating the breathless sound to her voice.

  Thankfully they were interrupted as delicious salads were set before them. The flight attendant told them their main course would be out soon.

  Lexie dove into her food like it was a lifeline and had a stilted conversation with Lance, who didn’t seem to notice her increasingly stressed mood. She’d been so excited to go on this adventure and now she wasn’t sure she’d last a day, let alone a month. She had to keep reminding herself that once they were on the ground, she’d be free of Lance.

  But the thought of being so close to him, but not close enough, was almost more torture than she could handle. She really needed to make up her mind. She’d only been with two men in her life, and that included Lance. It wasn’t as if she had a ton of sexual experience, but she almost wished she could be that girl who had a tawdry affair without it affecting her emotionally.

  Sex was soothing for the soul, wasn’t it? Maybe if she could convince herself that it wouldn’t be as emotional for her as it had been the last time, she could undo her pants and feel the magic only Lance could bring.

  But even as she had that thought, she pushed it away. She wasn’t a foolish girl, and she knew better than to think such a thing. He’d affected her that night in a way she hadn’t been able to forget. For her to think she could get away with having sex with him again without emotional consequences was a foolish notion.

  Their dinner was finished and, with a full stomach and a slightly light head, Lexie felt the blissful awareness of sleepiness. If she could sleep the flight away she wouldn’t have the damnable internal battle that wouldn’t stop plaguing her. They were less than two hours into the flight and still had one stop and fifteen hours to go.

  She accepted another vodka and tonic as she leaned back and closed her eyes. But her heart pounded as she thought about Lance being only two feet away from her. She could reach out, run her fingers over his hard thighs . . .

  “Why don’t you take advantage of the comfortable clothes in the back? You can even lie down in the bed for a while if you want,” Lance said, his tone darkening as he said bed. Her heart thudded in response.

  “I think I will,” she told him with a squeak. She reached for her seat belt and her fingers were trembling so badly she wasn’t able to get the dang latch undone. Without saying anything, Lance reached over and unclicked it, the back of his fingers rubbing against her thighs.

  On trembling legs, Lexie stood up, praying there wouldn’t be turbulence to knock her back down, and she turned to walk away. She had no idea where she was heading. But she felt Lance’s hot breath on the back of her neck as she made her way down a long hallway with several doors. She wanted to ask how large the jet was, but she didn’t.

  A door was in the middle of the wall at the end of the hallway, and he reached around her, his body brushing her back as he hit the handle and pushed it open. She didn’t move, relishing the feel of his body rubbing against hers for only a few fleeting seconds.

  “The closet to the left of the bed has some items hanging. The drawers have clothing in them, too. The bathroom has toiletries, and you’re free to take a shower if you want,” he said, his hot breath brushing her ear, causing a shudder to run through her. She had no doubt he’d felt it.

  Lance stood in the doorway for several seconds as she moved forward, her gaze straying to the large bed in the center of the room. If she had forgotten they were on a plane, she’d have thought this was a hotel room. It was larger than her apartment bedroom. The carpet was lush, the cabinets beautiful, and there were so many storage areas; she wished she had something similar.

  The click of the door closing was a relief. She turned to make sure he was gone and then backed up and plopped down on the bed before her knees gave out and she ended up on the floor where she wasn’t so sure she’d be able to get back up again.

  Lexie didn’t care how long she sat there. She didn’t move until her breathing and heart rate were under control. The flight had barely begun and she was already a mess. It was an omen of a very long trip. With reluctance she stood, hating that her legs were still shaky.

  Looking in the closet, she was shocked at how many clothes were available. She glanced at the tags and saw they were all her size. He’d been exactly right. She’d be able to change into a pair of yoga pants and comfortable top for the flight, then change into a new outfit of jeans and a sweat
er when they arrived.

  When she opened a drawer and found delicate lace panties and bras she was horrified to see the sheerness and the coveted lingerie brand name. Those sizes were exactly right as well, which brought an image of his hands cupping her full breasts rushing through her mind.

  She decided a shower was exactly what she needed. There was no way she was lying down in a bed that smelled like Lance, though. Her body could only be put through so much turmoil before she completely lost it.

  Lexie took a hot shower in the surprisingly large bathroom and then took her time putting on lotion before she changed into the casual clothes. When she’d procrastinated long enough, she made her way back to the front of the plane where Lance was sitting comfortably, typing on a computer. The tray tables had been removed, leaving just the side table, complete with a refreshed drink. She also noticed how close their chairs were to each other. Should she move? No. That would tell him exactly how much his presence was affecting her.

  She sat stiffly for a bit before she felt his gaze on her. Turning, the intensity in his eyes stunned her. His computer was forgotten as he lifted a hand and brushed a tendril of her damp hair away from her face. Lexie found herself wanting to run her tongue out and taste his fingertip that rubbed along her cheek before disappearing.

  “I love that smell on you,” he murmured. Her favorite lotion had been in the bathroom.

  “How did you get everything exactly right?” she asked. She wasn’t going to say the bras and panties fit perfectly. He grinned at her.

  “I might have called your sister,” he admitted.

  Lexie decided right then and there, even though she loved Savvy, she would certainly have to kill her. Savvy had known she’d be going away with Lance and she hadn’t warned her. What a traitor. They’d been in the bar for hours, and Savvy had been moaning and groaning about her leaving when she’d been aware of not only her departure, but of the fact that Lance was going as well.