by C. J. Thomas
She changed topics quickly, but not completely. “What about tomorrow? Is there a meeting tomorrow?”
“Yeah, we’ll meet with a designer friend tomorrow.” My fingers were busy exploring her, teasing the both of us. She sighed again, louder than before. I was starting to break her down for good.
“When is it?” She moaned. “Where is it?” Her nipples peaked. “Should I prepare for it?”
I should’ve known she wouldn’t make it easy. It was always work with her. She never made anything easy. I’d have to change that.
“I’ll tell you all about it over dinner,” I said. “I promise. First, let’s talk about more important details.” I opened my mouth and kissed her neck.
“Oh.” She tipped her head back. “Like what?”
“Like this bikini, and the way it’s covering up way too much of you right now.”
She giggled, but still tried to push my hands away. She wouldn’t give up as easily as I needed her to, and the frustration started to build inside me.
A determined growl rumbled from deep within.
“What do you want me to say right now? There’s nothing to say but how much I want you.” I nipped at her hot skin. “How badly I need you. Don’t you know? Can’t you feel it?” I took her hand, pressing it to the raging hard-on fighting against the loose swim trunks. She groaned, smiling a little.
I tasted her, delighting in the way the sun warmed her skin. She sighed, running her fingers through my hair. All the while, I thought about ways to stall her. How would I manage to keep her occupied? That sharp mind of hers, sharpened by that article. She wouldn’t bring it up, but I was more convinced that she’d read it and was waiting for me to bring it up.
I wouldn’t.
Not until I knew what to say.
And I didn’t know what to say.
What would I do about Reed? How long would it be before the storm blew over? Now that a tabloid had their hands on the story, it would only be a matter of time before the rest of the scandal-hungry media got their hands on it.
I couldn’t stay in the Azores forever, no matter how much I wanted to. I’d have to go back and face the music. How long would it take? How long could I keep her dangling on a string?
My fingers brushed lightly over her belly and caused her to suck in a breath.
Distracting her with sex would only go so far, no matter how many earth-shattering orgasms I’d rain down upon her.
I licked along the lines of her bikini bottom, teasing her, building her up. She moaned, her back arching, hips flexing to show her arousal.
She wanted more.
I would give her more, and more after that.
Anything to satisfy my need for escape, and her need for answers.
“Come with me,” I said, taking her hand. I pulled her from the chair with a grin. “I want to show you something.”
CHAPTER 28
Kenzie
He hadn’t said or done anything to reveal himself while I pretended to sleep.
He was too smart for that, of course. What had I expected? For him to give me a full confession of his crimes while I lounged in the sun? He didn’t even react to the open article.
Was I sleeping with a criminal? I could hardly stand the thought.
It wasn’t the same as violent crime, of course, but it was illegal just the same. And just as severely punished. I didn’t know much, but I knew the SEC didn’t mess around. There would be an investigation. Did I want to be near Aaron when it all went down? What would that do to my reputation—not to mention my heart?
Even if he got away with it—which he could do if he had the right lawyers—did I want to be part of his life? Part of his business? What they accused him of doing was wrong, and if he got caught I would have to find a new job.
I might even have to go back to Madison Media Group. At least I knew the ropes there. I couldn’t afford to waste time or take chances. Just when everything seemed to be going right in my life.
Let him explain. The voice of reason was always there in my head.
Yes, it would be nice to know his side of the story, but he could say anything at all. How would I know he told the truth? He must have seen the article there, right beside me where I’d left it. He pretended to ignore it but did his best to distract me from it; I was sure that was what he was doing.
That wasn’t something an innocent man would do.
Still, there had to be a good reason. Maybe he didn’t mean to do it, or his broker had done something illegal behind his back. I wanted so much to give him the benefit of the doubt, but with all his secrets as of late, I was extremely suspicious and I wasn’t willing to believe just anything.
It all made sense—the tension, the distraction, the distance. The way he insisted on shutting me out. I could see why he wouldn’t want me to know.
Still, I couldn’t stop wishing he trusted me enough to be honest. Honesty was all I wanted. I’d seen too many of my friends get dicked over by dishonest men, Emery only being the latest in a long line.
I was falling for him, hard. I didn’t know what to do. At that moment, as he led me to the bedroom, I did the only thing that seemed to make sense: I gave in to him.
He showed me to the bed, telling me to sit. In the closet was a small cardboard box. “I keep these here,” he explained. “Duplicates from my collection at home.”
“What is it?” I asked, my heart racing. I had a very good idea what he was about to show me.
From the box came a pair of handcuffs, a vibrator, a paddle. Heat spread across my cheeks and I blushed.
I couldn’t help feeling embarrassed, even as my body tingled with the promise of what he had in mind. “So you want to play, huh?” I ran a hand over his head, raking my nails over his scalp. He growled.
“Right now,” he confirmed. “On the bed. On your knees. Face the headboard.”
I did as he commanded, my knees almost weak with anticipation. He wrapped the cuffs’ chain around a cut-out in the wooden headboard, making it impossible for me to free myself once he’d restrained me. I gulped, knowing there was no way I could get out without him.
“Your wrists,” he commanded.
I hesitated only a moment before holding them up, allowing him to slap the cuffs on me. I needed to trust him. I wanted him to see that I did.
With one quick motion, he untied my bikini bottoms. I felt the cool breeze on my bare cheeks, then his warm hands fondling them. “You have such a nice ass,” he muttered. “Firm, ripe, smooth. Perfect.” I moaned softly as he caressed me, goosebumps rising on my skin.
Then, the sharp slap of the paddle. I winced, arching my back as the sting overtook my senses. As it faded, a glowing warmth settled in. I whimpered.
“You took your time letting me bring you up here. I don’t like to be denied.” Another slap, this time on the other cheek. I cried out a little that time, as he put a bit more force behind it. Both cheeks burned warm and I could only imagine how red they would be.
“I’m sorry,” I moaned. “I didn’t mean to deny you.”
“But you did. I thought we’d already gone over this. I make the rules. I set the tone. You do as I say. Yes?” Another sharp, hard smack, this time against both cheeks at once. I almost shot straight up off the bed, the pain overtaking me for a moment before a slow pleasure began to build. It pulsed all through me.
Aaron adjusted me, pulling my hips back, spreading my knees. I was at his mercy, and I only wanted more.
“Is your pussy on fire?” he asked, slapping the paddle gently against my mound.
It was.
The fire raced through me, an almost aching desire filling me down there.
“Yes,” I groaned. He chuckled, delivering a few sharp slaps to my ass again. I winced, but it didn’t hurt as it had before. Pleasure overtook the pain.
I heard buzzing, then. The vibrator. I cried out in surprise and pleasure as he touched the tip of the bullet-shaped cylinder to my swollen clit. “Yes,” I moaned, writhing, rocking my hips.
I humped it, grinding myself against it.
He took it away, chuckling darkly when I whimpered for it. “No,” he said. “You don’t get to come yet. You’ve been a bad girl.”
“Please,” I begged. “I won’t do it again.” All that mattered in the world was coming, releasing the unbearable tension inside me.
“You said that before,” he reminded me, applying the vibrator again, this time to my swollen, throbbing outer lips. The frustration was almost unbearable, even as he took me to new levels of pleasure. I had already been turned on from the spanking, so the delicious touch of the vibrator was almost too much.
“Are you going to be a good girl from now on? Will you trust me?”
Would I?
I wanted to, more than anything. I wanted to lose myself in the pleasure he brought me, in the way he swept all other cares and concerns from my mind. I wanted to be part of him, and for him to be part of me.
“Yes!” It was a confirmation and a plea all at once. “I trust you! Please, just let me come!”
He laughed as he touched the vibrator to my clit again, grinding it against my delicate tissues. My hips thrashed against it, not caring how it looked or how desperate I seemed. Because I was desperate, beyond the point of caring about anything but release.
I started to come, my body tensing, the sensation growing and swelling inside my core as waves of heated pleasure worked down my spine and over each of my limbs. I cried out, sure I’d lose my mind when it finally hit.
I tensed further, the final crest just about to break. That was when he impaled me, pushing me forward with the strength of his thrust. I screamed, the pleasure too much to bear. Between the vibrator on my clit and his hard length moving in and out like a piston, I thought I might die.
I didn’t die, of course, but sank into a sort of endless orgasm that rolled on and on, washing me in bliss as Aaron took me from behind. And still, he tortured me with the vibrator, forcing me to take as much pleasure as I could handle. He showed me what I was capable of and left me sobbing when he finally exploded in me.
He uncuffed me just in time for me to collapse in a heap on the bed. I was a mess—quivering, crying, shaking all over.
“Are you all right?” His voice was soft, low, and he held me tenderly.
“I’m fine,” I was finally able to croak out. “Just overwhelmed, I guess.”
He kissed the top of my head, stroking my back. “Your body is capable of so much more than you think it is,” he said. “I want to show you everything you can do. I want to give you all the pleasure you can stand, and more.”
A small flame glowed bright inside me at his words. “I want you to,” I whispered, and opened my legs again as he rolled me onto my back.
CHAPTER 29
Kenzie
A long, flowing linen dress was perfect for the balmy night air.
I decided to wear it to dinner along with a pair of beaded sandals. I pinned my mass of dark brown hair up on my head, then went downstairs.
Our meal had been set up in the living room, French doors open to the white sand just beyond. It was breathtaking, the way the moon hit the water. The light broke into a million little pieces, sparkling like diamonds. The scent of the water wafted in on the breeze. I was sure I’d died and gone to Heaven.
My dinner partner wasn’t so bad, either, dashing as always in a pair of khaki pants and a perfectly pressed linen shirt. It was the most casual I’d ever seen him, but he still looked fresh and put-together. The light color of his clothing set off his tanned skin, the flash of white teeth as he smiled.
“This place suits you,” he said, kissing me before pulling out my chair. “You look more relaxed than I’ve ever seen you.”
“Yes, well, that might have to do with our morning activities.” I winked, and he chuckled.
Sex, combined with a satisfying sleep, had left me refreshed and ready for more. I let my worries go with the wind, deciding to live in the moment as best I could. I feared I wouldn’t be able to get to sleep tonight if I let my mind continue to assume Aaron was someone other than who I thought he was. But, then, Aaron would probably be more than happy to tire me out. It was strange feeling sore, beaten, and battered, but still feeling like I needed more of what he had to offer.
“I do what I can.” He lifted the dome covering my plate, and I gasped at the beautifully plated food. “Fresh tuna—I mean, they caught it this afternoon,” Aaron explained. “The best you’ll ever have, seared to perfection.”
Along with the fish was a medley of vegetables, the whole thing resting on a bed of rice.
“It looks exquisite. I almost don’t want to eat it,” I admitted with a laugh.
“I’ll eat it if you won’t. Trust me, you’ll never taste anything like it.” He dug in with relish, and it occurred to me that I hadn’t eaten since the flight over. One taste told me he wasn’t kidding about the quality of the fish—it melted on my tongue.
“So, what’s in store for us tomorrow?” I couldn’t wait to meet with the designer. My hope was that I would finally feel like I was a part of something.
Reed had always held me at arm’s length, and I was tired of sitting on the sidelines. It wasn’t in my nature to sit back and watch. I liked getting my hands in the dirt and taking action. I wanted the coach to put me in the game. I was ready.
Aaron’s face maintained a blank, expressionless look. “Why don’t we talk about that when we’re finished eating?” he suggested. “I don’t like to talk about business while I eat.”
“Since when?” I asked with a laugh. “It seems like you always want to talk business.”
“Not while I eat.” His words were clipped.
I looked back and realized with a start that we’d never eaten together before. How was it that I could feel so familiar with him, yet know so little? I didn’t even know where he grew up, or how, or if he had a family. There was so much left to discover. I had to stop kidding myself, thinking I knew him so well.
Sex didn’t equal intimacy—something he proved time and again. No matter how great he was at pushing me to incredible heights, it remained only a test of endurance until he started to open up and see that I wanted more.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, going back to my food.
“Are you going to pout now?”
My head snapped up, my instinctual reaction being the need to hurl his insult back in his face. “I wasn’t pouting. I was reminding myself how little I know you, yet I willingly got on a jet with you and traveled nearly halfway around the world only to be insulted.”
“I wasn’t insulting you. I was only pointing out the way you sulked.”
“In an insulting tone of voice. Why is it too much to ask about the purpose of this trip?” I swallowed down the last bit of food I had on my tongue. “What are you hiding from me?”
He sighed, plucking the napkin from his lap, throwing it onto the table. I watched as he paced the floor behind his chair.
How had things taken such a turn, and so quickly? It wasn’t my fault, and I refused to let him corner me into thinking it was. If his intentions were pure, he wouldn’t evade every question I posed.
“Do you see how ridiculous this is?” I asked. “I don’t think I’m overstepping my bounds by wondering why I’m here and what we’ll be doing. Why do you act as though I don’t have a right to know?”
He glared at me, and I shivered like the temperature had dropped thirty degrees.
“Why do you have to keep pushing?” he muttered. “Why isn’t this enough for you?” He spread his arms out to the sides and looked around.
“Because I’m not some toy you can carry around in your pocket and use whenever you feel like it. You can’t just tell me what to do and give me a bullshit excuse and expect me to swallow it. I’m beginning to believe we’re not here for a meeting at all.”
“We are,” he assured me.
“So why is it too much to ask that you’re a little more upfront with me about it? Why do you get so insulted t
hat I want to know? I’m eager to do a good job for you—I thought you would appreciate that, instead of treating me like the enemy.”
“You’re not the enemy. There’s no enemy here.” He suddenly looked very tired. His voice reflected it, too. “I’ve been unfair, and I’m sorry. This is a business trip, and my meeting earlier in the day was with my legal team. There will be another meeting tomorrow. There’s a lot riding on this trip. A hell of a lot. You’ll know more tomorrow, I promise.”
He came to me, crouching down beside my chair. I searched his dark eyes, trying to detect a grain of truth there. I saw his sincerity and how badly he wanted me to believe in him.
There was nothing I could say.
“All right.” I shrugged. “I believe you. But please, stop shutting me out. I know you have your reasons, but I hate it. I hate feeling this distance between us.”
He ran a hand up my arm. “I didn’t think there was any distance between us.” I heard the real meaning of his words in the tone of his voice and I pulled my arm away to make a point.
“I don’t mean physical distance. I mean this tension, these walls you keep putting up. You don’t know it, but it’s very difficult to deal with you when you act that way. I want us to be close, not just in bed. We work together. You gave me a job. I want to do a good job. How can I when you keep putting up roadblocks?”
“I don’t see it that way, but I can see how you could.” I almost whooped with joy at his concession—it was like pulling teeth to get him to admit he might be in the wrong and that little grain of give felt like a victory.
“Just stop pushing me away. Please.” I took a chance in reaching for him, holding his face in my hands.
Something in his expression changed, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he leaned in, kissing me so deeply it took my breath away.
“Whoa,” I gasped when the kiss ended, my head a little fuzzy. “That was one for the record books.”
He only chuckled as he stood, and returned to his seat with a smile on his face. “Now, if we haven’t destroyed dinner by letting it get cold, let’s enjoy.”