Robert nodded again and turned back to the car but then an image of Jeannie notching an eyebrow at him in challenge floated before his mind’s eye. He turned back before he could think better of it. “Kelly?”
“Sir?” The young man snapped to attention.
“Thank you. I know this is far outside your normal purview but...” Bordering on criminal, in fact. “But I appreciate everything you’ve done for me and my mother. So thank you.”
There, was that so hard? Jeannie’s laugh echoed in his mind.
No, it wasn’t. In fact, it was getting easier all the time.
“Oh. Well. Uh, you’re welcome?” Kelly sounded just as confused by receiving this compliment as Robert had felt giving it.
“Where to, sir?” Reginald asked and dammit, the man had a twinkle in his eye.
“The beach,” Robert said decisively because he was a Wyatt and the time for second-guessing was over. “Take us to see the stars. Please.”
Reginald nodded smartly as he opened the door for Robert. It wasn’t until the door had closed behind him, leaving him completely alone with Jeannie, that Robert was able to breathe.
Champagne and oranges and Jeannie. The scent surrounded him and he felt his shoulders relax. “Well?” she asked as he settled into his seat. Instantly, she was at his side, curling into him.
Without consciously choosing to do so, his arm went around her shoulder, gathering her tight. He could hold her like this now without hesitation, without flinching. She’d given him that.
“Everything is fine,” he said and, at least for the next hour or so, it truly was.
“Good,” she replied, her hand sliding under his tux jacket. She undid his vest and then rested her hand on his stomach. That simple touch, muted through the layers of his shirt and undershirt, still pushed his pulse faster. It took so little for her to affect him now.
She pushed herself onto her knees without letting go of him, her breasts brushing against his chest as she shifted. Her scent, warm and inviting, filled his nose. He could get drunk on her, he realized. Maybe he already was. “What are the rules?”
Here in the dark interior of his car, nothing else existed. Just him and her. A woman who had stood by his side through one of the hardest moments of his life and yet still wanted him. Not his fortune or his name or any of it. Just him.
It was a hell of a thing.
He wished he could give her so much more. But tonight was all he had. So he said, “Same as last time.”
But this time it wasn’t because he was worried he would hurt her. He wouldn’t. No, this time he needed the restraint to remind himself that she was not his to have and to hold.
Would that she was. But it wasn’t safe. Not now. Maybe...
If her lips twisted to the side in disappointment, he couldn’t say. “Hold out your hands.”
It felt right, letting her do this again. It’d worked the last time. He’d lost himself in her, but he hadn’t lost control. Hadn’t become the man Landon had demanded he be.
Tonight Robert had come closer to being that man, that Wyatt, than he ever had before and it was necessary and important but it was also...unsettling that he had it in him.
He could do bad things, even if for good reasons.
But not to her. Never to her.
He trusted Jeannie, tonight more than ever. He needed her this one last time and then he’d let her go.
Jeannie lifted his arms into the air and then slid onto his lap. Instantly, the warmth of her core rocketed through his body. She wasn’t wearing panties, he realized with a jolt. “Jeannie,” he groaned as she pulled his arms down so his knotted wrists were looped around her neck. Because this counted as touching and God help him, he needed it. Needed to feel her over him, around him, under him.
One last time, he repeated silently to himself. That was all this was.
“Hush.” She shifted back, her weight perfect on his lap as her hands moved to his trousers. She undid his belt and zipper in silence.
He opened his mouth to tell her where the condoms were—inside pocket of his jacket—but that was when she reached over and snagged that tiny purse Maja had handed her. When she opened it, a strip of condoms popped out like a jack-in-the-box without the terrifying clown.
“You’re prepared,” he said, his breath coming faster as she snapped off one and tore it open.
“Luck favors the prepared. Now quiet.” She had to grab at his jacket as they took a corner. In that moment he felt the strength of her thighs’ grip on his legs. She was so strong. God, he loved it.
Then she grinned at him as she smoothed out his lapel and added, “Or else.”
Desire pounded through him at that challenge. She’d already tied him up. How far would she go?
She rolled on the condom and Robert realized he was holding his breath as her fingers stroked over his length, hard with wanting her.
“Or else what?” he heard himself ask through gritted teeth.
Her grip on him tightened. “Or else,” she whispered, leaning forward to let her lips brush over his earlobe, trapping his aching erection between them, “I’ll touch you. Slowly.”
As if to demonstrate, her fisted hand slid up over his shaft, the lubrication of the condom smoothing the way. His breath caught in his throat as he strained against her. It was too much—far, far too much—and yet not enough.
“Yes, like that,” she whispered, her voice nothing but breath that caressed over his skin. “And harder.” Her grip tightened as her hand moved back down, inch by agonizing inch.
A groan ripped free because she was touching him and he was letting her and it was something new, and he’d never been so turned on in his entire life.
“Then,” she said, shifting so his length was pressed against her sex, trapped in her embrace, “then I’d touch you here, too.”
Her hand slipped down, cupping his balls and pressing up ever so gently as her hips moved, dragging his tip over her.
“Jeannie,” he moaned, helpless to stop her, helpless for her.
“And then?” She pushed back, his arms still around her neck, his hands in tight fists as he let go of everything but the way her hand squeezed him, tormented him—made him whole again.
She smiled, wickedness brought to life. “Then I’d stop.”
She pulled her hand away.
For all that he’d trained himself to control his emotions, control his reactions, Robert couldn’t help it—he whimpered.
Her smile was pure victory. “Will you be quiet?”
He nodded. It was all he could do.
“Thank God,” she said, raising herself onto her knees and positioning him at her entrance.
Then she sank down on him, taking him in completely until Robert was on the verge of losing control.
“Just be,” she said, her breathing faster now. “Just be with me, Robert.”
Although it was a risk, he had to let her know. “Always.”
She would always be this perfect memory, this utterly wonderful moment in time when he was the man she needed and she was his everything.
One last time.
The car came to a somewhat sudden stop and she scrabbled to grab hold of his jacket to keep from falling right off him. He used his bound hands to pull her back to him, her breasts flush with his chest and in that moment, he wished he hadn’t insisted on the clothing because he wanted to see her in her nude glory, feel her body against his.
He didn’t just want part of her. He wanted all of her.
One last time. Dammit.
Giggling, she leaned back, but he didn’t let her pull away. He kept her against his chest, feeling her nipples harden through the thin fabric of her dress as she rose and fell on him.
He needed to touch her. He’d never needed anything so badly in his life.
Somehow, he got
his wrists shifted so he could cup the back of her head and tangle his fingers in her short hair.
“Robert,” she sighed softly as he angled her head toward his. “What...”
“Kiss me.” He wasn’t begging because Wyatts didn’t beg, but it wasn’t an order, either. “I need you to kiss me while I’m inside you.”
He felt the shudder move through her body and then her lips were on his, their tongues touching and retreating and touching again, all while she rode him and he held her, and this was the moment he would never forget. No matter what happened in an hour or tomorrow or next month, no one would ever take this moment from him.
She moved faster and faster, chasing her climax and all he could do was grit it out and hold on until she’d found her release.
When she threw back her head, the lines of her neck taut, he did the only thing he could—he leaned forward and buried his face between her breasts. The diamond pendant hit him in the nose but he didn’t care as he kissed her there, thrusting up into her as he let go.
He let go.
How could he ever let her go?
Fifteen
Jeannie could feel the goodbye in the air as Reginald opened the car door after what felt like an unnaturally long pause. Probably giving them time to set their clothing to rights.
Thoughtful man, that Reginald. She hoped Robert gave him a raise.
But he needn’t have worried because after the most amazing orgasm of her entire life—which was saying something because the one last week had been pretty damn spectacular—Robert had gently lifted her off him and then buttoned up. In complete silence.
Yep. The goodbye was definitely in the air.
Robert helped her out of the limo and then, with an unbelievable, “Thank you, Reginald,” he swept Jeannie right off her feet. Literally.
“Robert!” she shrieked as he tossed her into the air a little, adjusting his hold.
“Your shoes aren’t made for sand,” he said as if that was all the explanation necessary.
“Honestly,” she laughed, but she linked her arms around his neck and let her head rest on his shoulder.
He hummed. He sounded happy. Please, she thought, let him be happy.
Without another word, he carried her down the beach. She didn’t know where they were, but far north of Chicago proper, she guessed. She could see the orange glow of the city to the south but out over the lake, all she could see were...
“Stars,” she breathed. Hundreds of them. Millions, maybe.
“Yes,” he agreed in that Robert way as if he had personally decreed there would be stars and lo, the universe had made it happen.
He walked on, his pace slow as he ruined his shiny tuxedo shoes in the sand. “Where are we going?”
“Away from the light,” he replied, as cryptic as ever.
The night sky stretched out vast and endless before her. The moon was nowhere to be seen, so the only way to differentiate between the water and the sky was the twinkling of light.
“It’s beautiful,” she sighed. So many stars—if only she had that many wishes.
But she’d already gotten what she’d asked for, hadn’t she? More than that. She had a nanny and a maid and a reasonably good grip on how to care for Melissa. She had a lawyer who was working on a settlement from the hospital to make sure Melissa would always be cared for.
And she’d had the most amazing, complicated, messy, perfect man in Chicago at her mercy.
No, she wouldn’t wish on another star. If there was one thing she’d learned over the years, it was not to push her luck.
After long, quiet minutes, Robert set her down on her feet. She slid her hand into his and leaned against his shoulder. A breeze flowed off the lake and despite the warm summer temperature, she shivered. It was always cooler by the lake.
“Here,” he said gruffly, removing his jacket and draping it over her shoulders.
“Thank you.” The superfine wool smelled like him, dark and spicy with just a hint of champagne and orange on top. The smell of them together. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, holding her tight.
Her knees began to shake. “Robert?” She wanted to ask before she lost her nerve.
“Hmm?”
“Have you ever been in love?”
“No.” He didn’t even hesitate. The word was out like a gunshot and it made her heart ache for him.
Then he leaned down and pressed his cheek against her hair. “At least...not yet.”
Dammit. He was going to make this painful, wasn’t he?
“What about you?” he asked when she failed to come up with anything to say.
Oh, how their situations had reversed. “A few times.”
“What happened?”
She shrugged. “I was young and foolish. Sometimes...” She had to swallow to get around the rock that had suddenly appeared in her throat. “Sometimes you fall in love with the wrong person at the right time and you don’t realize it until times change. And sometimes...”
She blinked against her stinging eyes and focused on the stars. Their light, hopeful and bright against the darkest of times, wavered. Must be the breeze.
“And sometimes,” he finished for her, his voice thoughtful, “you fall in love with the right person at the wrong time.”
She had to blink some more. Damned wind.
“I don’t want this to be the wrong time,” she said. Demanded. “This isn’t the wrong time. And you’re not the wrong person.”
“No,” he finally said.
But she knew him too well, didn’t she? She heard the pain and confusion and loss and love in his voice, all blurred together in that one syllable. Two measly letters were all it took to break her heart, apparently.
“Robert, listen,” she began, desperate to hold on to him. They’d only just gotten started! There was so much more between them. So much more than a perfect Manhattan and a fake lady. “I’ll—”
“No.” Another two measly letters. She was really beginning to hate that syllable. He looked down at her, cupping her cheek in his strong hand. “I won’t ask it of you.”
“Please,” she whispered. “We can—”
He just shook his head and then he leaned down and kissed her.
He kissed her goodbye.
“Ask me,” she murmured against his ear. “Please, Robert. Just ask.”
He stared down at her, his forehead resting against hers. “I have to keep you safe, Jeannie. I won’t let any harm come to you or Melissa.”
“You won’t. I know you won’t.”
When he didn’t reply to that, she snapped. To hell with his rules. She dug her fingers into his hair and dragged her lips across his, biting and sucking and showing him how much more there could be between them, if only he’d trust her.
If only he’d trust himself.
He was breathing hard when he broke the kiss. He pulled her hands away from his head and then swept her back into his arms. The walk back was silent and awful and far, far too short because he’d made up his mind and who was she to try and change it? She was nobody.
She was just his bartender. A pretend lady, a willing accomplice, a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to lean on. Nothing more.
She would not cry. Wind be darned.
Eventually, they made it back to where Reginald and the limo were waiting. This time Robert opened her door for her and handed her inside. But instead of climbing in after her, he shut the door.
“Robert,” she almost shouted, feeling frantic. Was he not even going to give her a proper goodbye?
Of course not, because talking was not Dr. Robert Wyatt’s strong suit. Instead, he heard the muffled sound of Reginald getting behind the wheel and, even more distant, Robert saying, “Take her home.”
“Yes, sir.”
The car started and she rolled down the wi
ndow. “Robert!” she yelled. “I’ll wait.” The car started to move. “I’ll be waiting!” she shouted out the window.
The car turned and the breeze blew so she couldn’t be sure but she thought she heard him say, “Sailboat.”
Damn him.
But then, what had she expected?
* * *
“You’re back early. How was your evening?” Maja said from the recliner where Melissa was asleep on her chest. The whole place smelled like lemons and every surface shone like the top of the Chrysler Building.
That was because of Robert.
The right man at the wrong time.
“Fine,” Jeannie said dully. Because, really, it was the wrong time. He was about to go to war with his father, and Jeannie had to figure out how to be a mother for the rest of her life and she couldn’t expect Robert to foot the bill for polished woodwork and overnight nannies forever.
Maja’s grandmotherly face wrinkled in concern. “Is everything all right, dear?”
“Fine,” Jeannie repeated. She stared down at her sandals and the Valentino dress that had cost God only knew how much, at the heavy diamond pendant that had definitely cost too much.
Robert was the right man and she was hopelessly in love with him.
But Dr. Robert Wyatt, billionaire bachelor and noted surgeon—he was the wrong man. For someone like her. Because she could pretend to fit into his world, but they both knew she didn’t belong there.
God, she hated goodbyes.
“Dear?”
Jeannie looked up with a start to see Maja standing in front of her. “I’ve decided to go back to work. In two weeks. I don’t know how long you’re going to be able to watch Melissa for me but—” she swallowed “—if you could at least help me line up alternative childcare before you go. Something I could afford.”
Because she couldn’t afford Maja or Rona or Reginald or any of them.
Maja looked tired in the dim light. “I’m paid for three months, which leaves us quite a bit of time to make plans.” She sighed again, disappointment on her face. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out with your handsome doctor.”
Seduction on His Terms Page 15