“Hello, Ariana,” she said, smiling as though she had no idea that I wanted to claw those perfect lips right off her face.
“Hi, Kara,” I replied, trying like hell not to succumb to my violent fantasy. Don’t be jealous. Don’t feel threatened. He invited you, not her.
So why is she here?. “Um, what are you doing here?” I asked, trying not to let my voice take on a bitchy edge.
“Tristan didn’t tell you?” she asked, looking over to where he was standing with the pilot. “No, I guess he wouldn’t have. Well, this is awkward. Thing is, I’m coming with you.”
“What? Why?” The words burst out before I had a chance to stop them. Couldn’t she have been here to drop off some paperwork? Or to do literally anything other than join us for our sexy weekend away?
She laughed, like she’d expected the question. Fuck. Even her damn laugh was pretty. “Because I’m his assistant in every way imaginable,” she said. “He needs me.”
The words ate away at my chest like acid. He needs me.
Of course she had to say that.
I wasn’t sure if she was trying to drive a wedge between us, to make me jealous, or was just so oblivious to my suffering that she’d spoken the truth. Either way, I wasn’t very amused.
“Come on, I’ll carry your things,” she said.
“I’ve got them,” I replied, my tone surly as I reached into the back seat and grabbed my small bags. I stormed away from her, unsure of whether to be angry with her, Tristan, or both.
When I got close, Tristan turned my way. “Ariana, this is Fredrick. He’s our pilot.”
“Oh. Hi,” I said, dropping one bag to the ground and shaking his hand. Much as I was feeling irritable, it wouldn’t do to take it out on the guy who’d soon hold my life in his hands.
“Kara is his co-pilot,” Tristan added, nodding towards the woman who was coming up behind me. I spun around to look at her, if only to see if this was some kind of twisted joke.
She nodded. “I told you, he needs me,” she said, letting out a funny sort of laugh before she and Fredrick proceeded towards the plane.
“Why the actual hell is your receptionist co-piloting your plane?” I hissed as Tristan guided me towards the steps that led into the cabin.
“That’s a very good question, and one that will be answered in due course. In the meantime, do you trust me?” he asked.
“Not entirely,” I replied, too annoyed to bother being dishonest.
Tristan chuckled. “That’s good enough.” When he reached out, I handed him my bags to carry. “You head up the steps ahead of me,” he said. “I want to enjoy the view.”
I did as he ordered, aware that my too-curvaceous, non-modelesque ass was his focal point for the next several seconds. But when I heard him moaning with pleasure from behind me, I softened a little.
Okay, Wolfe. I suppose I’ll give you a few bonus points for stroking my ego.
But only a few.
The inside of the plane was amazing, all exotic wood and leather finishes. Everything was sleek, glossy white, modern shades of light gray and silver. A long couch sat along the left side, a bedroom with what looked like a king-sized bed on the right side towards the tail. Luxurious armchairs with seat belts hugged the walls, offering excellent views out the windows.
“I could get used to this,” I said, my mood improving with each second that I spent perusing the interior.
“Good. I like to think it will entice you to spend more time in my company.”
I seated myself in one of the armchairs and, after he’d stowed our bags, Tristan tucked himself in next to me. “We’ll be taking off in a minute. When we’re at altitude, we can have the run of the place,” he said, a suggestive look in his eye. “We’ll be able to make ourselves more comfortable, so to speak.”
“You mean we can crawl into the giant bed back there and get it on?” I asked cheekily, nodding towards the tail.
“No,” he replied, not seeming to get the joke. “No beds for us, not yet. Not until you know what I need you to know.”
“Ah, right. The big reveal. I don’t suppose there’s any chance that you’ll just tell me this deep, dark secret that you’re keeping from me, is there?”
“It would be better if I showed you, Ariana. Sometimes words aren’t quite enough to explain complicated matters.”
“All right, then,” I sighed. There was no denying it; we were playing entirely by his rules now.
When the plane began to roll away from the hangar a few seconds later, I grabbed the armrests, my fingernails digging in hard to the soft leather.
“You’re not a good flyer,” Tristan said softly. It wasn’t a question.
“No. I’m a terrified flyer, actually,” I told him. “But still excited to be heading somewhere that isn’t here.”
He offered me his hand. I pulled mine away from the leather rest and took hold.
“You’ll be all right as long as you’re with me,” he said. “Do you hear me? I’ll never let any harm come to you—not so long as you’re next to me.”
I nodded and managed a withering smile. Something told me it was true. Tristan was probably an excellent bodyguard.
Too bad it was my heart, rather than my body, that I was worried about.
Chapter 13
We’d been in the air for half an hour when Tristan undid his seatbelt and invited me to join him on the leather couch.
I followed, seating myself and watching as he opened a refrigerated compartment that contained a bottle of wine and two glasses.
"Riesling okay?" he asked.
"Fine," I said. What did I care? I was on a private jet with Tristan Wolfe, flying to some unknown destination where we'd probably spend the entire weekend locked in some kind of seriously erotic naked pretzel formation. I might walk away sore and self-loathing at the end of it, but somehow, I was feeling pretty okay about that.
At least for now.
He poured us each a glass, his incredible eyes watching me closely as I took my first sip.
"Those lips of yours destroy me, you know," he said, his silken voice gliding sensually over my skin.
Reaching his free hand out when I’d moved my glass away, he slipped his thumb gently over my lower lip. I trembled at the eroticism of his touch, a deep, devastating craving setting into my core.
"You have pretty nice lips yourself, Wolfe," I told him, moving my gaze away in an attempt at self-preservation. Sometimes, looking at him felt like staring directly into the sun. I could only take it for so long before I started feeling like I'd burn up.
"Do I?" he asked. I could hear the smile in his voice.
"You know you do. Don't be coy about it."
"I don't know anything, Ariana. I suppose you might say that I don't see myself as others do."
"Is that right?" I asked, laying my glass on a small table to the left of the couch. I rose to my feet, slipped in front of him and pinned his knees between my own, taking the glass from his hand and setting it next to mine. "In that case, let me tell you a few things about yourself."
I pushed myself forward and pressed down, my knees landing on the couch cushions to either side of him until I straddled his lap, pulling myself closer and closer. I could feel the bulge in his jeans pressing against my sex now, my skirt all but hiked up to my waist.
We were so close to what I wanted, yet so far away. Sexual frustration seemed to be the flavor of the month for the two of us.
My eyes met his again, the immediate, unrelenting scorch of heat setting into the place between my legs, taking over my voice, my mind…my everything.
"For starters," I said quietly, "You have the most amazing eyes I've ever seen."
"Thank you." His expression was serious. Almost stern, like he wanted to reprimand me for pointing out his attractiveness. Part of me wished he would. A spanking from his hand would have been quite something.
"What else?" he asked, tucking a strand of my hair behind my right ear.
"Your body,
" I added, my voice betraying my desire, "though it's not like I've seen it naked, so I can't really say for sure just how fantastic it is."
"You will see every inch of me very soon, if all goes well." I watched his lips utter the words, my breath held tight inside my chest. The way he mouthed "well" was almost enough to bring me to orgasm.
"Good," I said, slipping my hand down his chest and stomach, my fingers stopping only when they reached the button on his jeans. "And something is telling me that what's hidden in here is pretty spectacular, too."
"Oh?" he asked, his stern expression changing to a self-satisfied grin. "Is it, maybe, the fact that you've made me hard as iron just now, pushing that sweet, succulent pussy of yours into me to remind me of the one thing I desire most?"
"Mmmmaybe," I whispered, leaning forward and biting his lower lip. It wasn't quite a kiss...not yet...but it was close.
Pulling myself backwards, I slipped down onto my knees on the soft carpet and stared up into those fierce eyes of his. I half expected him to protest, to grab my hand when I reached for the front of his jeans again, but he didn't. Instead, he leaned back and intertwined his fingers behind his head, apparently perfectly happy to accept whatever it was that I was about to do to him.
When I'd popped the button open and unzipped his fly, I peeled the denim away enough to see the swollen crown of his cock displaying itself enticingly, jutting out above the waistband of his boxers.
I held back an excited gasp. Good lord. His size was going to be a challenge, even for my mouth. If we ever had sex, he'd probably stretch me to my max and then some.
The thought of it made me want to purr with desire.
I leaned forward and licked away a drop of clear liquid, then sucked ever so gently on the tip, teasing him with the promise of more. He pushed his hips upward, moaning as I pulled his jeans and shorts down and took him in deeper, drawing his length into my mouth until he all but touched the back of my throat.
The sensation made me want to pull up my skirt and straddle him all over again.
Fuuuuck.
I didn't want to wait until we landed, or until he revealed whatever secret he was holding so close to his chest. Didn't want to wait another minute to have him inside me.
But I would, because that was our agreement. Because we were playing by his rules.
Even if it destroyed me now.
Teasing him with another lick and a shy glance, I breathed, "My oh my, what a big cock you have, Mr. Wolfe."
"All the better to fuck your mouth with, my dear," he replied, his voice a deep, needful growl.
"Why do I suddenly feel like I should be wearing a little red hood?" I asked as I massaged his slick shaft slowly with my fingers, offering the occasional stroke of my tongue as though he were the most delicious lollipop I'd ever encountered.
"I'd love to see you in that hood and nothing else, truth be told," he said, reaching forward, pinching my sensitive nipples through my clothing. "You're so lovely when you're almost naked, I can only imagine how much better you'd be with nothing on whatsoever."
"All good things to those who wait," I said before taking him in my mouth again.
With both hands wrapped around him, I stroked him all the way down to the base, milking him gently, my lips tight around his shaft. I could feel the gentle pulses that threatened his pending explosion of pleasure, which only made me want it all the more.
"Too good, Ariana," he said softly.
"Too good for what?" I asked, pulling free for a moment.
"You know what. You want me to come in your mouth, don't you? Tell me you want it."
I nodded. "Yes, I want it," I moaned before taking him in again.
He rolled his hips into me once, then again, then faster, until he was taking my mouth hard, his body savage, demanding, greedy for the pleasure that I was giving him. I felt him tense…and then, a rush of searing heat hit the back of my throat.
He didn't make a sound when it happened. Just grabbed my hair and wrapped his fingers up in it, pushing himself deep inside as his hot seed coated my tongue.
Good boy, I wanted to say. Oh, such a good boy to give me what I needed so badly.
"Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" I asked, licking him clean.
"Not hard?"
"Okay, yes, I take it back. It was very, very hard. Not to mention huge.“
He chuckled. “As for your question, no, it wasn't difficult to come for you. But fuck, I wanted to do that inside your pussy," he told me, his voice breathless.
"I want that too," I said. "More than you know, Tristan. I want a lot of things from you, for the record.”
I lay one final kiss on his shaft, stood up, and looked down at him. His cock was still ramrod straight, hard as a steel, begging for more. I was fully clothed, and he was vulnerable, half-naked on the couch before me.
I’d taken over the position of power. But when I looked down at him, he pulled his eyes away, like he was avoiding the intimacy of my gaze. Avoiding any acknowledgment of the temporary hierarchy between us.
Once again, he’d stripped away the advantage that I’d gained.
"Tell me what I am to you," I said, my voice weak with need.
He looked up at me, but didn't speak.
"Tell me what this is. This thing between us," I added, the words straining to let themselves escape my body. "Am I just a fun game that lasts a few days until you get bored?"
He shook his head. "You're no game. Not to me. Not to my..." He cut himself off before he could complete the thought. "Not to me," he repeated.
"Then what am I, Tristan? I think I need to know, before whatever's about to happen this weekend happens. I need to know how far away I should lock up my heart before I give my body to you completely."
"I'm not sure what to tell you, Ariana," he said, pulling his hips up to yank his boxers and jeans over his naked hips.
"Yeah? Well, I'm not sure isn't necessarily something I want to get too deeply involved with," I told him, pulling back, my self-preservation instinct kicking in. I could all but feel my heart hardening in defense, ready to pull itself away from any fantasies about an actual life with this man.
"Don't be like that," he said. "Don't make this difficult."
I let out a laugh. "You think I'm the one making this difficult?" I asked. "Look, I'm happy to suck you off. Hell, I was very happy with what you did to me yesterday. But I need to know if it's dangerous to fall in love with you. I need to know if you're going to hurt me, because my heart's not something I give away to just anyone."
His eyes moved up my body and landed on mine with all the focus of a laser burning into my mind. There it was again, the sun blazing in all its glory, masking itself behind the façade of that gorgeous face of his.
"Of course it's dangerous to fall in love with me," he growled. "Everything about me is dangerous. And if all goes well, tonight, you’ll find out why.”
Chapter 14
An hour or so after our mini-altercation, I felt the plane begin its descent. I’d been staring out the window for some time, sitting on the opposite side of the plane from the man who drove me insane, who was bringing me to God knows where, when my eyes caught sight of snow-capped mountains.
“We’re heading to the Rockies?” I asked, turning to him. He was leafing through a magazine of some sort, focused, apparently not at all concerned that we’d just driven a big wedge into the middle of our budding ultra-dysfunctional relationship.
“Yes,” he said. “Do you like mountains?”
I nodded. “Always have. My parents used to take me climbing, when we were very young. Well, hiking, really. We didn’t exactly use ropes and crampons. Still, I got a taste for it.”
“I’m glad to know that you’ll feel more or less at home,” he replied.
“Yes, I think I will.” I pulled my gaze to the outside again, quietly enthralled to know we were landing in the midst of peaks and valleys. “Where are we, exactly?”
“Headed to my chalet,” he
said. “It’s not too far from Breckenridge, Colorado. But not too close, either.”
“So you’re saying we’ll be alone?”
Tristan chuckled. “Not entirely.” He rose to his feet and came to sit next to me. The air changed immediately, his warmth engulfing me. I was grateful for it; I’d been feeling chilly ever since he’d used the word danger. “Kara will be with us,” he said. “Rather, she’ll be in the house. But don’t worry; it’s a large place. She won’t disturb us unless I request her presence.”
I wasn’t entirely surprised to hear it, though it wasn’t the best news I could have hoped for, either. “She’s a strange one, isn’t she?” I asked. “I can’t quite figure her out. She looks young, but something about her feels…I don’t know, mature in a way that I wouldn’t expect.”
“I suppose she is a little strange. But aren’t we all?” he replied, taking my hand. He pulled it to his lips and kissed it, and in spite of a flurry of conflicted feelings, I let him. The truth was, for all he confused, perplexed, confounded and maddened me, I liked these little moments of affection. They seemed to be the most real thing about him. I couldn’t imagine him kissing the hand of a supermodel or showing her these little intimate sides of himself. I told myself that these precious moments were just for me.
But maybe I was just deluded.
“So what’s on the agenda for the rest of the day?” I asked, twisting my wrist to look at my watch.
“Perhaps a little time in the hot tub, to relax,” he said. “Early dinner. After that, when night has fallen, I’d like to show you a little more of myself.”
I couldn’t control the smile that slipped over my lips. “You mean more than I saw a little while ago?”
“I’m not talking about nudity just now,” he said. “I want you to see what it is that makes me tick, so that you can decide how you want to proceed.”
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