by Duffy, Aimée
As the pleasure built uncontrollably, he rose above her and slid into her with one long thrust. Her hips rose to meet his of their own accord and he continued his sensual kiss, which grew deeper and sweeter with every dip of his tongue.
The warm feeling in her chest blossomed into something more, something that felt an awful lot like love. She opened her eyes and looked up at his face, the moonlight shining on it from the side, his eyes fixed so tenderly on hers that her heart melted.
The words were on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to tell him how much she cared for him, that she was falling in love with him.
Before she could open her mouth to let the first word out, Miles changed the angle he was entering from. Heat coiled and whirled in her stomach. Seconds later, she exploded into a million pieces and cried out her pleasure, her body convulsing around his and pulling him toward his release. He collapsed on top of her and his mouth caught hers in a kiss so full of hunger and gratitude and joy that she thought she might cry.
She realized then that she wasn’t just falling in love with Miles Oliver. She’d probably been there for weeks. He rolled off her and pulled her against him. Anna rested her head against the damp skin at his shoulder and closed her eyes, reveling in the warmth and love coursing through her.
At that moment she was able to think clearly, and she was glad that she hadn’t declared her love for him. He’d been married before, been in love with another, and his shattered heart was just beginning to heal. If she were to put the pressure on him to love her now, it would only add to his burden.
So for now she would keep her mouth shut until she was sure he was ready to hear how she felt. The only worry then was could he love her back? Anna hoped so with all her heart.
Chapter 9
Stolen Moments
“I’ve missed you,” Miles groaned before pressing his lips against hers. They didn’t have much time. Soon his acts would arrive in the recording studio and he’d have to help them with their songs for the semi-finals on Saturday.
“I’ve missed you too,” she whispered when he freed her mouth to feather kisses down the narrow column of her throat.
It had been more than frustrating only being able to see her for these stolen moments. They’d both been so busy rehearsing and working on the show that there was no time for conversations, much less kissing or making love.
And now that his manhood was no longer on the fritz, he was more than eager to spend time with her. This Friday, he’d ask her to stay with him and planned to spend the night with her tied to his bed. Although the way she was currently wrapped around him made him think that restraints wouldn’t be necessary.
“I have to go.” The words came out like a sulky child’s moan and he laughed, understanding her disappointment completely.
“I know.” He sighed and bent to taste her again. There was something so sweet about Annabelle’s smell. It had him hooked. The rest of her was pretty awesome too.
He deepened the kiss further as his mind clouded with a mixture of desire and panic. She’d sailed through the competition and was now officially the favorite to win. He had to step up his game if he wanted to convince her to leave the show. The papers were digging deeper into her life and although they hadn’t found anything too upsetting yet, he feared they might bring up her family’s debts.
He’d noticed too that her sweetness and kind, innocent nature were still her best traits, but after the weeks of good press and sailing through to the semi-finals, she’d become more confident. Just not stronger.
“I really have to go,” she said and chuckled when he only moved his lips to her collarbone. He pulled her closer in a vise-like grip. “Keep this up and I’ll end up exploding.”
Miles raised his face to hers and forced his lips to curve, but knew she’d see the pain in his eyes.
“Miles, it’s okay,” she assured him, cupping his cheek with her palm. “We’ll have some time together next week. I know you’ve been swamped having three acts in the semi-finals.”
He sighed and touched his forehead to hers. “If not, I’ll make time.” It was part of the reason he was down, he really had missed her these last few days. More importantly, he was terrified that she’d get through. If Annabelle ended up like Cassie, he didn’t think he’d be able to go on.
She pulled away, an apologetic smile on her face. He tried to brighten his, but must have failed because she winced. “I’ll text you later. Have fun with the boys.”
“See you later.”
Annabelle closed the door behind her, and he waited until the sound her footsteps trailed off.
He pulled his iPhone out of his pocket and said “James Simpson” into the mouthpiece. The speed dial function connected him to his assistant.
“Hey, boss,” James greeted him.
“Have you found out anything about the debt I asked you to look into?” he asked, too panicked to be polite.
“Yes. I should warn you though, it’s a lot more than you initially thought.”
Miles shook his head. Honestly, he didn’t care. He just wanted the weight of Annabelle’s family’s debt off her shoulders. “Buy it all and then send me the paperwork.”
“Miles, don’t you want to know how much it is?” James’s voice rose a few octaves.
“It doesn’t matter. Just buy it and get the papers to me asap.”
Without waiting for James’s answer, he hung up. His chest felt lighter knowing he could save her from the hell to come. The only problem now was getting her to leave the show. It wasn’t something he was feeling great about, nor was it something he was looking forward to. But he’d have to do it, just as soon as he’d taken the burden of her family’s debt off her shoulders.
* * * *
“Wow, Jess. This is too much, you really shouldn’t have.”
Anna looked around the large, swanky hotel suite her friend had booked them for the weekend. The lounge was whitewashed and hosted a mini-bar and a balcony looking out over London. The luxury red leather sofas faced a fireplace which was centered by a 3D television. There were separate rooms for them, both with double beds and en-suite bathrooms. This must have cost a fortune.
“Relax, Anna, I’ve been saving up for months. Now that you’re through to the semi-finals tomorrow, I thought you deserved a little bit of luxury. Especially since those stuck-up house mates have been ignoring the hell out of you.”
If Anna had known Jess was going to go to all this expense just to come to the semi-finals, she wouldn’t have invited her down. Truth be told, she missed Jess terribly and knew she’d pay her friend back for this one day.
So, in the spirit of not spoiling their time together, she pushed the guilt away. “I know, I’ve missed you like mad and we have a celebrity party to go to tonight. You in?”
Jess grinned, clearly pleased with Anna’s change of heart. “I’m in. Let’s start getting ready. I want to look like a million pounds tonight.”
* * * *
“Why are you checking your phone every two seconds? Got a hot date you’re not telling me about?”
Anna looked up from the home screen on her phone, feeling like a squished whoopee cushion again. She wanted to introduce Miles to Jess. Where the hell was he?
They’d been at the party for almost an hour and he hadn’t shown up, neither had Kevin Jones, Miles’s favorite act. She looked around the bar again, the upscale club was a million miles away from anywhere she’d visited back home. The floor was covered in expensive looking dark wood with illuminated glass blocks edging the dance floor. A DJ was playing the latest house music at a reasonable level at the other side of the room. Mirrors lined the back walls and the rest were painted a deep purple.
The only people in attendance were her fellow contestants, the judges—minus the man she was impatiently waiting for—and others working for the show.
“It’s not a date. Not really.” Anna hesitated. She hadn’t told anyone about the thing with Miles and her. Probably because she didn’t k
now what on earth it was. She couldn’t tell Jess she was sleeping with him, that had only happened once and they hadn’t a bed since. He did, however, call and text her every day—sometimes he was flirty, but most of the time to see how she was doing. It was really sweet. Plus, whenever they found time alone, he ravished her with sexy kisses that made her feel that he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
In a way, she was sort of glad she hadn’t seen much of him because she doubted she’d be able to hold off on telling him she loved him. He was still hurting over the death of his wife—any idiot could see that—and until he got better, she wouldn’t put pressure on him to love her back. But she still hoped…
“It’s more…someone I’d like you to meet actually. I’ve been seeing him, and I really like him.” Her phone beeped, interrupting her and she opened the text with clumsy, impatient fingers.
I’m running late. Will be there soon xx
Warmth swelled her chest and her lips curved involuntary.
“Anna, who’s the guy? C’mon, you can’t leave me hanging on like this.” Jess stared at her with penetrating brown eyes. She pushed back her auburn hair impatiently, waiting on Anna’s answer.
Anna felt the blood rush into her face. “Miles Oliver,” she whispered, aware of the others in the trendy bar close by.
“You’re kidding,” Jess whispered excitedly back, her huge eyes almost popping out of her pale face. “You lucky sod. Have you slept with him yet?”
Anna was sure her face was crimson by now. It felt like her skin was on fire. “Jess,” she chided. That really wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have with her friend.
“Oh. My. God! You have.” Jess slammed her hand on the table and a huge grin lit up her face.
The babble of voices around them cut off at Jess’s outburst and Anna felt the heat spread to her neck. She kept her head down at the chrome table and hoped the others would quit staring at her soon.
“Oops. Sorry,” Jess whispered, and Anna shook her head, a wry smile curving her lips.
“Don’t worry about it.” The babble of chatter picked up around them again and Anna relaxed the rigid set of her shoulders. “I want you to meet him though. I think you two will get on like a house on fire. He’s really not the meanie the show makes him out to be. It’s in his contract to be rude and outspoken. He’s actually really sweet.” And kind, and caring, and a master in the bedroom.
Her tummy did a little flip with the idea of revisiting that part of their relationship. Her eyebrows mashed together as she realized that they would probably have no time alone at all if—no, when—Anna got through to the finals along with his acts.
“Hey, I like that about him. I told you before he’s hot in a bad boy, indie sort of way. Well done, girl, you’re now officially a woman.” Jess grinned from ear to ear, and Anna remembered a conversation between them years ago when they agreed neither of them would truly be a woman until they had lost their virginity. Jess beat her to it almost five years ago.
“I guess I am,” she confirmed and grinned. Now all she needed was for Mr. Tall, Dark and Sexy to get his butt there.
“A toast.” Jess lifted her glass from the table. “To womanhood.”
Anna clinked her glass against Jess’s and shook her head before sipping the wine. She had a feeling she was going to enjoy womanhood very, very much.
* * * *
A huge grin spread across Anna’s face as she watched Miles banter with Jess. The pair had hit it off really well and even Kev joined in on occasion.
She’d spoken with Kev a lot tonight and he’d confirmed Jess’s theory that the others in the house were ignoring her because they were jealous of her voice. Miles’s death glare around the room had frightened her, so she assured him and Jess she really didn’t mind. After all, she didn’t, not really.
She had Miles and Jess and her family back home—hell, even her friends and, she supposed, fans on EconEkt. Her life was spectacular at the moment, and she wasn’t about to let a bunch of superficial people get in the way of her happiness.
As the night progressed it became clear from the eyes Jess was giving Kev across the table that she was totally into him. Anna hoped her friend got lucky. Now that she’d spent some time with him, she could see Kev really was a nice guy.
Plus, he was pretty good looking. Like Sander, Kev had muscle—serious muscle. It didn’t do anything for Anna, but Jess seemed to like it. He had dark hair and bright blue eyes. Anna could definitely see why Jess fancied him, but she only had eyes for Miles.
He wore a simple navy shirt and oversized jeans. His hair was all askew like he’d just woke up or had a round between the sheets with her. She was really struggling to keep her eyes—and hands—off him.
Of course, the public venue meant she couldn’t be as close and flirty with Miles as she’d like, which was more than a little frustrating. He did, however, send her the occasional wink when Jess and Kev were engrossed in conversation. Each time he did it, and each smile he threw her way, had her heart fluttering uselessly in her chest.
“Wanna dance?” Kev asked Jess, and she looked to Anna for approval. Anna nodded, glad to have some alone time with Miles.
When they left, Miles moved to sit in Jess’s chair next to hers and bent over so his face was so close she could see the gold flecks in his leafy green eyes. His aftershave was spicy and alluring, making her want to lean closer still to get a better sniff. Sexual awareness sizzled in the air between them and she wished like mad she could transport them somewhere else—preferably his bed—and have her wicked way with him.
“Can you stay with me tonight?” he whispered close to her ear. Goosebumps rose at the feel of his warm breath against her skin, and she wanted to say yes more than she longed for air to breathe.
Disappointment speared through her. “I’m staying at Jess’s hotel tonight. I wish I could.”
His smile was one of understanding and he leaned in, brushing his lips briefly to her temple. Anna’s gaze darted around the room, making sure no one else noticed, but they were all too busy dancing or flirting or drinking to pay any attention to them.
“It’s okay. I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.” His hand found hers under the table and he linked his fingers with hers, gently rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.
Anna chuckled, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “Tell me about it.”
He looked away from her and she followed his gaze to see Jess necking with Kev on the dance floor. Good for her. Anna giggled and turned back to Miles who was grinning down at her.
“Looks like Jess made a new friend.”
She rolled her eyes in response. “You honestly can’t take that girl anywhere.”
“The kid needs a pretty girl to distract him. He’s been so nervous about tomorrow.”
“Hey,” she chided and mock punched his shoulder. “Kev’s the same age as me.”
“Oh, I know.” Miles’s grin was positively knee melting.
“Hey, Anna,” Jess interrupted, and Anna turned to face her. Jess was struggling to meet Anna’s eyes and she twisted her hands nervously in front of her.
“You okay, Jess?”
Jess leaned in close to Anna’s ear on her other side. “Yeah, actually…I was kind of wondering if you’d mind staying at the house tonight. I’m really sorry, but Kev and I are getting on great. I think it might end up back at the hotel. I’m sure you wouldn’t mind some alone time with Mr. Bad Boy here.”
Anna laughed. Miles was a lot of things, but bad boy wasn’t one of them. “Sure, Jess. No problem. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Anna hugged Jess, then Jess loped off to the dance floor. She turned and winked just before she reached Kev. Anna winked back.
“Do I get to hear the joke?” Miles asked, and Anna turned to beam at him.
“Is that offer of a sleepover still on the table?”
Miles cocked a bushy dark eyebrow. “Jess getting lucky tonight?”
She laughed. “Not as lucky as I
hope to get.”
His answering smile was so full of promise it melted her insides. It took every ounce of self-control she had not to drag him out of that club then and there and demand he take her back to his flat.
* * * *
“Come here, Annabelle.”
Anna rushed into the circle of his arms and his lips descended on hers. They’d barely shut the door to his apartment and already she was being ravished, wedged between the wall and a hot, fully aroused male.
Not that she was complaining.
Her body was on fire for him. A few weeks ago, she hadn’t been able to imagine—even in her raunchiest daydreams—her body could be capable of this kind of reaction. It certainly never had before with any man. That’s probably why she’d held onto her virginity for so long. All Miles had to do was look at her in that sexy way he did, eyes all dark and hungry, and her heart palpitated in her chest while her core melted with longing.
Mind boggling.
“We should have wine first,” Miles said when they came up for air, and Anna shook her head. He was always the gentleman. She couldn’t believe she’d once thought him controlling like her dad. He was anything but.
“We’ve had wine already. I think we need to get to the bedroom before I explode.”
His lips were on hers the second she finished speaking and she was lost to the devilish taste of him. He smelled of soap and musk and man, all mashed together. It was to die for. If she wasn’t so desperate for his touch, she’d stand here for hours, drinking in his scent and flavor just to experience it fully.
But she was desperate.
And so was he.
He lifted her off her feet and had them in his bedroom in seconds. Anna pushed his leather jacket off and began fumbling with the buttons of his shirt with shaky hands, far too impatient to do it right. She grunted her frustration against his lips.
He released her and pulled the offending shirt over his head. She stood there and gaped at him. His long, lean muscles rippled across his chest all the way down to his abs. She’d seen muscled-up torsos in magazines, but this was way better than any of that.