A Wonderful Kind of Love: A Billionaire Small Town Love Story (Kinds of Love Book 2)

by Krista Lakes

  “Yes,” he said, looking up. “It'll only be for a couple of days. You'll barely even notice I'm gone.”

  Laura made a visible show of pouting. “I just like having you here.”

  He chuckled and stopped packing to lean over and kiss her.

  “I like being here,” he told her. “However, W Motors is still based out of California. I have things I have to do there.”

  “And you're sure you can't do those things here?” she asked, still pushing out her lower lip. “I mean, telecommuting is a real thing.”

  “Believe it or not, I have done it,” he replied, going back to his suitcase. “I have to do this in person. Not everything can be done through a computer screen.”

  Laura crossed her arms and pouted, doing her best impersonation of a three-year-old. It made Ethan laugh.

  “I'll be back before you know it,” he said, closing the lid to his suitcase and zipping it up.

  “Promise?” she asked, still keeping her pout going.

  He smiled. “Promise.”

  He came around and kissed her again, wiping the pout from her lips. It wasn't possible to pout and kiss him at the same time. It wasn't possible to be anything but happy when he kissed her.

  “Now I really do have to leave, or I'll be late for my flight,” he said, giving her a stern look.

  “I thought it was a private jet? Don't you get to pick when you take off?” she asked. She fluttered her eyelashes at him. “Maybe in, I don't know, thirty minutes?”

  “You temptress woman,” he told her shaking his head. “I have meetings. And a flight plan. And we already went once today.”

  “So?” She grinned, and he chuckled.

  “So... you are a bad influence,” he told her. He paused, obviously considering his options. He checked his watch. “You have ten minutes.”

  Laura grinned. It took seconds for her to have her shirt and bra off. As she bent over a bit to unbutton her pants, she could see Ethan lick his lips, then begin to unbutton his own shirt. He was being far too slow, and as soon as Laura had her pants down, she stepped toward him, grabbing onto the bottom of his shirt and beginning to undo the buttons. “Come on, come on! Ten minutes isn't a lot of time to work with!”

  Ethan grabbed her hands and stopped her. She looked up at him to see him smiling. “I appreciate your enthusiasm,” he said. “Like you said, though, I get to pick when I take off.”

  Laura smiled back at him. “Do you get to pick when you get off also?”

  “Of course I do, it's just whenever the plane la-” He stopped, then laughed. “Oh, you weren't talking about the plane, were you?”

  Laura bit her lip and shook her with a naughty smirk. “Nope.”

  “Well, in that case, I do get to pick when I get off.”

  “Oh, is that right?” Laura asked, with a bit of a mocking tone.

  “Yep. There are some perks to being a billionaire.”

  “Well then, sir. Do you want to get off now?”

  He shrugged. “I guess that depends on you. Am I cleared for take off?”

  Laura went back to undoing his buttons. “I was trying to take off your clothes, but you stopped me!”

  Ethan laughed. As Laura kept messing with his shirt, she leaned up and kissed him. He reached around her, running his hands up and down her bare back. She loved the feel of his fingers against her skin. It almost tickled, but it felt so good she shivered. Finally, when she got the last button undone, she pulled the shirt over his broad shoulders and down his arms, nearly tangling him up in the process.

  He flicked his arms free and resumed touching her skin. His hands went down to her butt, feeling her silk panties for a moment before going to his own pants. She heard the soft sound of the metal buckle slide across leather and before she knew it his pants were down around his ankles.

  Laura pushed him back, insistent with her kisses. She had ten minutes, and she wasn't about to waste them. He fell back onto the bed, her body on top of his. She wanted him all to herself, and she wasn't about to stop.

  “Wait, Laura. Wait!” he insisted, chuckling as he held her back.

  “What?”

  “Let me at least get my pants and shoes all the way off,” he said with a laugh.

  She waited impatiently, checking him out as he bent over to remove the last of his clothes. She loved the way his lithe muscles flexed and moved with even the most simple of tasks. If she were an artist, she would have insisted on painting him every second of the day. He was her own personal David.

  She realized as his he finished removing his shoes that she should have used this time to take off her own panties, but she had been too busy looking at his body. She shrugged. They still had at least eight minutes left.

  She was back in his lap, her legs straddling his perfect naked body beneath her. Her hand touched his smooth skin, trying to feel every part of him she could reach. He was sprawled out beneath her and hers for the taking. She wanted to touch and kiss every inch of his skin. There were, of course, some impressive inches that she wanted to touch more than others.

  Ethan's hands were back on her ass. His fingers grabbed at her through the silky fabric in the back and his manhood pressed against the fabric of the front. Heat rolled up her spine and straight into her brain. All she could think about was getting him inside of her.

  “Condom?” Laura asked, sitting up and looking around for his pants.

  He held up the small square between his two fingers. “Grabbed it while I was taking off my pants,” he told her, ripping it open. He quickly sheathed himself.

  She was panting with need now. She only had five minutes to make him hers forever. She had five minutes before he was gone. She was determined to make the most of them.

  Laura leaned down to put her lips next to his ear. “There. Now, you're clear for take-off.”

  He chuckled and thrust deep. Laura's world condensed into one purely of pleasure. She gasped and writhed as he plunged within her. How did every time he filled her it felt better than the last? He groaned and bucked his hips to meet her, heat rising in them both.

  There wasn't much time left.

  “You feel so good,” he said, his voice deep and husky with desire. “I could stay here all day.”

  “No, sir! The clock on the wall says you only have...” She pretended to strain to see the clock, but she had lost track of time anyway. “Three minutes to get off.”

  He laughed, then hugged her tight. He thrust his hip up, flipping them both over so that she was on her back and he was on top. He placed his arms on either side of her head, giving her the perfect view of his muscled arms. He was in complete control, and she liked it.

  She felt safe and wanted like this. He leaned forward and kissed her before starting the motion with his hips that left her gasping. Their bodies moved in tandem, each seeking the edges of rapture. Skin to skin, his lips fused to hers as they crescendoed to their fabulous ending. Her body was ready to be his completely.

  He felt so good it was unbelievable.

  Together, her legs wrapped around his waist and his arms straining to keep him up, they came apart at the seams and joined. Heaven wrapped itself around the two of them and held them tight for a moment of bliss.

  She hated that it was over, but happy it had happened. She wished she didn't have to wait for the next time she had him like this, but he had a plane to catch. Their ten minutes in heaven were up.

  “Time to get going,” she whispered, but she didn't move to help him up. She liked the feeling of his weight like a blanket on top of her.

  “Just five more minutes,” he muttered into her ear.

  “Don't make me use my mom voice,” she warned. He opened one eye and looked at her. She raised her chin up so she could look down her nose at him. “Ethan White, you get up and get on your plane right this instant.”

  He laughed and said, “Yes, ma'am.” In a moment, he had pulled out of her, then staggered to the bathroom.

  Laura saw his tie on the ground. S
he couldn't help herself. She reached down and grabbed it, quickly slipping the loop over her head and tightening it back up so that she was wearing the tie, and only the tie.

  Ethan came back and began pulling on his clothes. Laura sat on the bed, just waiting for him to notice, but he really was in a hurry now. When he had his button-up shirt back on but still open, he began lifting up pillows and searching under his pants. “Laura, have you seen my tie?”

  “Yes, I have,” she said.

  “Where is it?”

  “Right here,” she said, thrusting her chest forward a little bit. It rested on top of her breasts, and when he finally looked, she saw his eyes dilate again.

  He leaned forward and grabbed it. At first, Laura thought he would just lift it up over her head. Instead, he grabbed hold of it, pulling her in for a kiss. The kiss was long, passionate, and for a moment Laura wanted to go again.

  Billionaires don't have a refractory period, do they? She thought to herself. What was another ten minutes anyway?

  Chapter 29

  Laura

  She put her clothes back on and watched as Ethan did the same. It was a wonderful and sad thing to watch. Wonderful, because he was such a sexy man that seeing him naked was a treat, and sad because he was putting clothes on rather than taking them off.

  “Okay, this time I really do have to go,” he said, buttoning the last button on his shirt.

  “Can't blame a girl for trying,” she replied, and he chuckled.

  “You can only use that tactic for so long,” he said. He grew quiet as he looked at her. “I'm going to miss you.”

  Her chest tightened a little. “It'll only be for a couple of days. You'll barely even notice I'm gone,” she said, repeating back his own words to him.

  He kissed her cheek. “Would you like to come to the airport with me? The kids won't be home from school for a while yet.”

  Laura hated the airport. Especially this one. It was the last place she knew her parents were alive. They'd taken off in their small little twin engine plane from that airport and never come back.

  She almost said no. She almost shook her head and ran from the memory, but she knew that it wouldn't change anything. She needed to get over her fear of that place.

  “I'll just ride with you,” she said. “I don't really want to go inside.”

  He nodded and offered her his hand. She took it and together they left the hotel room.

  Downstairs, Craig was waiting with the car and driver. He didn't look surprised to see them running late. He sat in the passenger seat while Laura and Ethan climbed into the back. Laura put her head on Ethan's shoulder as the car pulled away from the hotel and headed toward the airport.

  They didn't say much on the ride. They didn't need to. Laura's mind was going a million miles per hour, and she wasn't sure she could have carried a conversation anyway. With every mile closer to the airport, the more her chest tightened. The anxiety and fear were living things inside of her.

  She took a deep breath and did her best to clear the memories of driving her parents to this same airport. The way they smiled and laughed as they boarded the plane with their friend. The roar of the engine as they took off. The way they had never come home.

  “You okay?” Ethan asked.

  She shook herself to find she was staring out the window and her hands were clammy.

  “I'm fine,” she said, more to prove to herself than Ethan.

  “Okay,” Ethan slowly. “We're here.”

  “We are?” She looked out the window to see they were in front of the airport and the car engine was off. Craig wasn't even in the car anymore. “How long have we been here?”

  “Just a couple of minutes,” Ethan replied. “Are you sure you're okay? I'll have the driver take you straight home.”

  Laura forced a smile. “I'm fine, really. Just thinking. I'm sorry.”

  “Thank you for coming with me,” Ethan said, kissing her temple. “I'll call you as soon as I land.”

  “That would be great,” she said. She let out a nervous chuckle. “I would really appreciate it.”

  An airplane flew overhead, and Laura winced. Coming to the airport was a bad idea. She wasn't ready for this. She knew she shouldn't have come, but it was too late now.

  “Can I see your plane?” she asked. Maybe if she saw it wasn't the same as her parents her anxiety over him flying would go down. It was at least worth a shot.

  “Sure,” he opened the car door and then helped her out. “It's right over here.”

  Together they walked to a chain link fence with a gate. Craig was on the other side waiting for Ethan. Behind him was a beautiful, sleek jet that didn't look anything like the tiny plane her parents had left on. This one looked more like a miniature jet. It didn't really help as much as she'd hoped.

  “Please call me as soon as you land,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around him. He seemed surprised but hugged her back.

  “Of course,” he promised, kissing her temple. “I really do have to go.”

  She nodded but didn't release him. She took in a deep breath, memorizing everything about him. The way he smelled, the way he felt, the heat of his skin, the way he made her feel. She didn't want to forget a thing.

  Using every ounce of self-will in her body, she pulled away from him. “Go. Have a safe trip.”

  He kissed her cheek one last time before quickly hurrying through the gate and walking up to the jet's stairs. She watched as he climbed the stairs with Craig right behind him. He turned at the top and waved before disappearing into the airplane.

  A tear trickled down her cheek. What if it happened again?

  She couldn't stand there and watch it take off. She hated that she had even come here. This was a horrible idea, and she should have just said goodbye in the hotel. The memories of her parents assaulted her from every side.

  The parking lot where she parked to drop them off. The way they waved and laughed as they carried their bags to the small plane. The smell of asphalt and fuel. The hum and throb of airplane engines as they took off and landed.

  It was too much.

  Laura ran past the car and into the airport. She knew there was a restaurant with a bar right off to the left of the entrance. She needed a drink, or she was going to have a meltdown. She didn't feel like she could keep it together without something to dull the pain of her memories.

  “I need a shot,” she told the bartender. “I don't care what. Anything. I just need something.”

  The bartender raised his eyebrows, but pulled out a glass and pulled a bottle from the shelf. He poured a nice splash of liquid into it. She didn't even wait for him to completely pull the bottle away before reaching for it and chugging it down.

  Whiskey. It burned as it went down but she didn't care.

  “Again.” She put the glass down, holding it in place while the bartender poured her another.

  Behind her, she could hear the whine of a bigger plane's engines start. She assumed it was Ethan's jet, but she didn't want to look. She didn't want to look and see his plane take off. The last plane she'd watched take off had crashed and ruined her life.

  She didn't want to do it again.

  She chugged the second shot. It still burned like the first. “Again.”

  “You okay, miss?” the bartender asked, pouring her a third.

  “I have a problem with flying,” she replied. “My boyfriend is on a plane, and I'm freaking out a little.”

  “We get that a fair amount around here,” he said. He put the bottle away. “Hopefully he doesn't have to fly much.”

  Laura's heart sank.

  Her boyfriend was a businessman in California. He was going to be flying all the freaking time. He couldn't just come and stay in Colorado. Even if he did relocate to the new R&D department, he would still have to fly back and forth until it was ready. There was no way flying wasn't a part of his life for the near future.

  She downed the third shot. She felt sick to her stomach, and it wasn't bec
ause of the alcohol. She was going to have to do this again. And again. And again.

  “You should have something to eat,” the bartender recommended, pushing a menu and some bar nuts towards her.

  “I'm just going to go home,” she told him. She pulled out some bills and threw them on the bar. It was more than her bill would be, but she didn't want to wait around for the change. She just wanted to curl up under her blanket and forget the day.

  Chapter 30

  Laura

  “Laura? Are you home?”

  Laura cracked open an eye and pulled the pillow off her face. It smelled like whiskey. She groaned as she sat up. She'd fallen asleep and now felt terrible. Drunk sleep was the worst.

  “I'm here, Dallas,” she said, moving slowly as she swung her feet to the floor. She glanced at the clock to see it was almost five. They'd gone over to a friend's house after school, but now it was almost dinner time.

  Dallas' small face peeked around Laura's bedroom door as he looked for her.

  “How was school?” Laura asked. She was just glad she wasn't hung over. Just exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

  “It was movie day,” he replied, standing in her doorway. He frowned as he watched her. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” She ran a hand through her hair to find it super tangled. “Why?”

  “You look sick.”

  Laura looked over at the mirror hanging on the wall and had to agree with his assessment. She looked awful. Her hair was a mess, and her mascara was all over her cheeks.

  “I'm okay,” she told her brother. “I just fell asleep.”

  “In a tornado?” he asked. “'Cause that's what it looks like.”

  She threw her pillow at him. He ducked, and it bounced harmlessly off the door.

  “Where's your sister?” she asked. She wanted to go back to bed, but she had to get up and be the parent. At least she didn't feel too hung over. She stood up and stretched.

  “Getting a snack,” Dallas answered. He picked up the pillow and chucked it back at her.