A Billionaire for Christmas

by Phillips, Carly

  He gives me that sad smile again. “Being quiet and holding it in hasn’t worked well for me. When I saw you,” he says and his eyes burn into me, “I felt like you would understand somehow. Or at least that you would keep my secrets.”

  “Maybe you feel safe with me because I’m leaving,” I offer and when I do, his expression changes. He straightens his shoulders, and it’s obvious he doesn’t like what I’ve said. “I mean that I’m not a threat to you in any way.” I try to lighten the weight of my words as he recoils right in front of me.

  “You have no idea how much you threaten me. You make me feel weak, Lila.”

  Every inch of my skin tingles with awareness. I lick my lips as his eyes heat.

  I can’t breathe; I can’t even react. Just two weeks ago I was on the other side of the country, completely oblivious to this man’s existence.

  He runs his hands through his hair again and turns to his left, looking out of his window. “I’m sorry,” he says before turning to look me in the eyes and adding, “I know it must sound crazy.”

  “Someone asked me once if I believed in love at first sight,” I say without thinking, just speaking what’s on my mind. “I told them no, but I was lying.”

  Alec huffs a small laugh, and it makes me smile. “Not that I’m saying it’s love, because it could be lust,” I say.

  “There’s definitely lust,” Alec says in a low tone that vibrates through my body. My chest and cheeks warm and I take a sip of the lukewarm tea, feeling a mix of emotions. I keep thinking back to the tincture. How Alec drank it, how he stayed in a room all day and refused to see anyone. Maybe he delayed it? It’s naïve and childish to think of potions and magic, or rituals and séances. Those things don’t exist in real life.

  I shake off the feeling and my eyes catch sight of a young girl staring at us. Her mother’s hand is on her shoulder and everyone else turns away when my gaze reaches them, but not the young girl.

  I smile back at her and lift my hand to wave. With the motion, Alec looks behind him, and as the girl waves back he hesitates, but waves as well.

  “You’re cute,” I tell him as I reach into my purse for my wallet.

  “First, that’s my line. Second, don’t you even think about paying.” He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his wallet before I can reach mine at the bottom of my bag.

  “Well, thank you; it was going to be a business expense though.”

  “I think business is over, Lila,” Alec says with a look in his eyes that strums my desire to life. “We should get out of here.”

  Chapter Seven

  Lila

  “I should go back to the cabin,” I tell Alec, but I don’t mean it. Every bit of me, down to my very soul, feels for him. In such a short period, he’s opened up to me, confided in me. He needs someone so desperately.

  We drive in comfortable silence. Maybe he's thinking the same as me. Where is this going? What are we doing? How will this end?

  The moment we stepped into his warm foyer and out of the cold, the questions seemed to fall silent, replaced by a desire I can’t contain.

  I slip off my coat slowly, not looking at him, but watching in my periphery as he locks the front door.

  “You should…” Alec starts to say as he tosses the keys onto the front entry table. “You definitely shouldn’t come upstairs with me,” he concludes as he takes two steps closer to me. He stops a foot away, but the proximity is suffocating.

  “That would be bad, wouldn’t it?” I ask him, although it’s not really a question. It’s definitely a bad idea to give in to him. To set myself up knowing I’m going to fall hard for him.

  My heart begs me to question him. To ask him what he’ll think of me after, and try to plan how this could possibly work.

  But the moment my lips part, his large hands grip my thighs and pull me up into his arms. I slam into his chest, our lips crashing together and he steals the words from my lips with a hurried kiss. As if letting one more second pass would have killed him.

  My chest rises and falls as my fingers spear through his hair while he carries me up the stairs.

  As soon as I break the kiss, Alec’s lips move to my neck, his hands squeezing my ass as he kicks open a door.

  I should say no, but I have no intention of depriving myself of this man.

  I want him. It’s that easy.

  A gasp leaves me as he tosses me onto a large bed. The room is dark with the thick curtains shut, but it’s warm and the bed is soft and welcoming.

  My eyes are transfixed on Alec as he quickly pulls his shirt over his head, leaving it to fall into a puddle of fabric at his feet. My lips part, and my breathing quickens. My pussy is hot as my thighs clench of their own accord.

  I lick my lips as his muscles ripple in the dim light, accenting each hard line. My fingers dig into the comforter, gripping the fabric with the need to keep me right here. His light gray eyes, filled with nothing but desire, hold my own as he unbuttons his pants, shoving them down in a swift push and unleashing his hard as steel cock.

  Fuck.

  I’m fully clothed, and the man in front of me is naked and gloriously so as he crawls across the bed to get closer to me.

  I don’t have enough time to admire him, or to think even. My mind is a mess of thoughts, but the overriding one is to give in to every urge and let this man have me however he wants.

  “I need,” I clear my throat, suddenly feeling shy as he settles between my thighs and unbuttons my jeans.

  “What?” he asks me, leaning forward and sneaking in a kiss. I lean into it, but he pulls away and then reaches down, gripping my shirt in his hands and pulling it over my head.

  “I’m… I need,” I stammer and then just close my eyes to spit it out. “Birth control.”

  He laughs, his hot breath sending goosebumps over my body as he buries his head in the crook of my neck. “I’ll send for some in the morning. The morning after pill?” he asks, finally leaning away so he can look me in the eye with his brows raised.

  I push him playfully on his shoulder. “This is so embarrassing,” I huff in a whisper.

  Alec doesn’t seem to hear me, or if he does, he doesn’t care. I fall to the bed and reach behind me, unclasping my bra, preparing to show myself to him.

  He doesn’t hesitate to pull the straps down and rip the lingerie away, tossing it carelessly to the floor.

  I don’t have a second to let my self-consciousness show; he immediately leans forward and moans as he sucks my pebbled nipple. His teeth scrape along the sensitive nub, and I beg him to fuck me.

  “Please, Alec,” I whimper and it’s only then that he lets my breast go with a pop of his mouth. He picks my body up in his arms as though it’s easy, kicking the covers down and laying me higher up.

  It hits me then that this is really happening.

  His fingers slide up my thighs slowly and tug my jeans and panties off easily. The rough denim sliding down my skin only makes the pleasure more intense.

  Alec pushes my clothes to the side of the bed, and moves his hand to my pussy. His fingertips slide along my slick sex, and my head lolls back with the faintest touch of pleasure. My clit’s already swollen with need and begging for the same attention.

  “Fuck,” he says with his eyes wide and staring right at me. “You’re so fucking wet and ready for me.” I can’t breathe, and my body’s still as he sucks my arousal from his fingertips before moving them back down and pushing two thick fingers into me without hesitation.

  My back bows and my body begs me to turn and move away as he finger fucks me, stroking along my front wall. His other hand grabs my throat and pins me down.

  My hands instinctively fly to his wrist and fingers around my neck. His grip’s not tight or threatening, but the way he plays my body is too intense.

  It’s like he owns me. Like he could do whatever he wants to me.

  And in this moment, he could.

  He repositions his hand so his palm smacks against my clit ove
r and over, and the sounds plus the look in his eyes push me over the edge nearly immediately.

  A strangled moan and my nails scraping along his wrist and forearm are the only signs he needs that I’ve come undone. I struggle to catch my breath as he pushes my thighs wider and lines his dick up.

  Fuck, he’s too big. I squirm beneath him as the head of his cock slips between my lips and pushes into my hot entrance.

  A strangled cry pours from my mouth. My eyes squeeze shut tight.

  “Shh,” Alec hushes me, leaving gentle kisses on my jaw. “I’ll go slow at first,” he says in a comforting voice as he pushes in deeper, rocking his thick cock in and out of me, each time sliding in more. His girth stretches my walls with a sting that amplifies the pleasure still very much on the surface and pulsing through me.

  In one swift move, Alec slams himself in me to the hilt and my head arches back, digging into the mattress as a silent scream leaves me. My walls tighten around him, spasming from the shock as he kisses my neck and grips onto my hips to keep me in place. He gives me a moment, but only a small one and my hands reach down to his, holding on with my nails digging into his skin.

  “Alec,” I murmur with the insecurity I feel. I don’t know if I can take this. It’s too much.

  My head thrashes as he moves out slightly and then forces himself back in. He does it again and then once more, and I can already feel myself on the brink again. So close to being overwhelmed with another release.

  Alec’s hot breath travels down my skin like the lick of a flame as he groans, “Yes… Cum for me again. Let me feel you cum on my dick.”

  His dirty words are the last straw and for a second time, I come undone under him. But Alec doesn’t wait for me. He doesn’t let up. He continues to fuck me as the sensation washes through me and paralyzes me with unadulterated pleasure.

  He pistons his hips, thrusting his thick length into me over and over again mercilessly. I scream out, “Alec!”

  My heels dig into his ass, urging him on even though it’s too much. Waves of intense heat roll through my body, burning every inch in slow creeping waves. Each one more threatening, more consuming than the last.

  “Alec,” I moan as I feel the impending fall of my release coming. I know it’s close; I can feel it slowly making my fingers and toes curl. My head thrashes and I hold my breath, but Alec never stops.

  He’s ruthless and unforgiving as he continues to pound into me. The sound of me crying out his name and his low moans mix in the hot air. I struggle to breathe when he rides through my orgasm and forces more from me.

  His hard body lies on top of mine, pinning me down and keeping me still while he pushes my release higher.

  I almost cry out for him to stop, almost try to push him away. But the final wave of pleasure is too intense for me to do anything other than cry out and lie victim to its intensity.

  Alec groans deep and low in the crook of my neck as his fingers dig harder into my hips with a bruising force as he erupts inside of me. I feel his thick cock pulse as hot streams leave him, filling me completely. He pumps his hips in short and shallow thrusts until we’re both spent.

  Leaving me on the highest high I’ve ever had, my body shaking and the cold air slipping between us as he rises between my trembling thighs.

  I breathe heavily as my body lies limp on the bed, exhausted and sated and deliciously used. I’m vaguely aware that Alec’s climbed off the bed, but the dipping and creaking of the mattress is a telltale sign. I listen to the faint patter of his bare feet as he slips into the en suite.

  The warmth between my thighs leaks out slightly, and the realization wakes me enough to reach down and prevent it from slipping between my legs and onto the comforter. Before I have to shuffle awkwardly off the bed, Alec towers over me, pushing a hand against my chest. I fall easily for him and spread my legs.

  He wipes my thighs and between my legs with a warm wet cloth, kissing the inside of my left knee and then pulling the blanket up over my naked body.

  “No need for a dress shirt tonight,” he whispers and kisses me quickly on the lips before disappearing again.

  Although I smile and hum a small thanks of gratitude, inwardly I wish I’d just fallen asleep.

  This situation is a nightmare because there’s only one way for it to end.

  With me shattered. I can already feel it happening.

  Alec Kulls will ruin me.

  Chapter Eight

  Lila

  Tap, tap, tap. The only sounds in the room are of my fingers on the keys.

  I should be in the cabin; I should be writing my article. I should be getting ready to leave more than anything.

  Instead, I’m making myself comfortable in the library. Alec’s library.

  I lift my eyes as the door creaks open and Alec walks in, a bundle of small logs under his arm. My fingers stop moving for the first time in what must be hours.

  “Why didn’t you tell me it’d gone out?” he asks as he kneels in front of the fireplace. The smell of burnt wood drifts toward me as he picks up the cast iron poker.

  “I thought you were busy,” I tell him honestly. “That, and I’m…” I hesitate to say the truth, but I put the laptop down on the ottoman and shrug a bit as I confess, “I’m afraid of outstaying this welcome.”

  He huffs and doesn’t answer me, putting in another log and stirring the hot embers, exposing bright oranges and reds.

  “I don’t mind,” he says as he looks over his shoulder. He gives me a coy smile, letting his eyes drift over my body in a way that leaves no doubt he likes what he sees.

  I pull my knees into my chest, and hide my face from him. I’m in his pajama pants and a white undershirt… also his.

  We basically match, and I have no intention of getting out of these clothes.

  At least I’m wearing clothes now. I passed out in Alec’s arms and woke up to him hard and ready to fuck me again. And again. As I shift on the chair, I feel a dull ache between my thighs, and it only makes me want more of him.

  I like to pretend that I’m trapped here in this massive estate with him, but I know I’m not. I have no excuse for practically shacking up with him over the course of this business trip.

  This is bad. So, so bad.

  But it feels so good. It’s like the real world doesn’t exist here. Everything is fresh and new, and Alec wants me.

  I’ve never been with a man who’s so honest. A man who doesn’t mind catering to me, and acts like this is all completely natural. I can’t help but think it’s because it’s temporary. Because I’m leaving.

  The thought is unsettling and I shift in my seat, tearing my eyes from him.

  “Hey,” Alec gets my attention and makes his way over to me. He brushes his hands off on his pants but keeps his eyes on my face. “What’s that look for?”

  “What look?” I play dumb. I don’t want to be the clingy hookup that got emotional before leaving. But that’s exactly what I am.

  This isn’t me. I’ve never done a one-night stand before, simply because I don’t know how to handle it. Let alone a few one-night-stands-on-vacation. If that’s even a thing.

  “Stop it, Lila.” Alec admonishes me in a deep voice that sends shivers over my skin and hardens my nipples. “Don’t overthink it.”

  He bends down, taking my chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilting my head up so I’m forced to look him in the eyes.

  I pull away from him, hating that I’m getting emotional over whatever it is we have.

  “It’s easy for you to say,” I tell him and instantly regret it. He lets out a heavy sigh and takes a seat on the ottoman, pulling my legs into his lap.

  “I hate that you think that,” he says and I watch his expression for any indication he’s lying, but he’s not. Maybe this connection is real. But if that’s true, it makes it all the harder to leave.

  “Don’t think about tomorrow,” he says as he leans forward and braces his hands on the sofa on either side of my head. He towers over
me, staring into my eyes. “We have right now, so let’s hold on to right now.”

  I close my eyes as he leans forward, pressing his lips against mine for a sweet kiss. He deepens it and I react, moaning into his mouth and parting my lips for him. My hands reach up, gripping his shirt and pulling him closer to me.

  I don’t want this to end. I’m too afraid to say it out loud though. Too afraid to admit that I’m falling too soon, and too hard.

  This was never supposed to happen.

  Even as Alec moves his hand to my waist and pushes my legs apart with his hips, I know I can’t stop myself.

  I never had a chance with him.

  Chapter Nine

  Lila

  “I want a trinket,” I say lightheartedly, although my heart is heavy. It’s my last day here, and our time together is quickly coming to an end.

  I spent most of yesterday in Alec’s bed listening to the tales he remembers from when he was a child, or writing.

  The words flow easily here. But I've only written poetry and short stories. Not anything related to the interview. That can wait till I get back home. I won’t let it interrupt what this place is making me feel. The inspiration and muse are strong here. And I love it.

  “A trinket?” Alec asks as he picks up a piece of pottery. It's handmade of clay with filigree work, painted deep green and coated with a gloss. It’s beautiful and would be perfect for a candle holder. I take it from his hand, adding it to the small collection in the wicker basket that was at the front of the shop.

  “Trinkets,” I correct myself with a smile. This is the fourth shop we’ve been in, and every one is full of the most beautiful things. Handwoven blankets, old books with that aged smell I love, artisanal decor. And the food--I practically moan just thinking about it.

  “Is the entire island like this?” I ask Alec as I raise a candle to my nose. I inhale the lavender scent deeply and close my eyes.