Billionaire's Contract Engagement / Money Man's Fiancée Negotiation Read online

  She locked up and hurried out her door to the street where the driver waited. He ushered her into the backseat and they drove away into traffic.

  It amused her how exciting she found the whole experience. She could be a mistress at the beck and call of her über-wealthy benefactor, discreetly bundled into a private car and rushed to meet him at an undisclosed location.

  “Get it together, Celia,” she muttered.

  Lord, but she did lose all her brain cells when it came to this man. If she wasn’t careful, she’d throw away all her independence and start greeting him at the door every evening, wearing a kitchen apron with oven mitts and a piping-hot casserole dish.

  Oddly but the image wasn’t all that distasteful. For the first few seconds anyway. She laughed outright and it had the effect of someone popping her thought bubble with a sharp pin.

  The driver looked up in the rearview mirror, and she valiantly tried to look back with a straight face. If he only knew the absurd thoughts she was processing.

  If she was truly the naughty girl of her fantasies, she would have ridden over with only a trench coat covering her sexy lingerie. Then when she walked into Evan’s room, she could discard the coat and watch his reaction.

  The idea certainly had merit, and if she ever received another invitation such as tonight, she’d give it serious consideration.

  A few minutes later, the driver pulled up to the sumptuous hotel Evan resided in when he was in town, bypassed the main entrance and stopped at the second pull in where her door was immediately opened by one of the hotel staff.

  Maybe Evan had his own entrance. The thought amused her, but then he had so much money, it wouldn’t surprise her.

  She was immediately met by concierge and was handed a keycard.

  “Mr. Reese wishes for you to go right up,” the older man said.

  She blushed from head to toe. She knew well what it looked like. Like she was some hooker or mistress—precisely what she’d imagined on her way over—all set to have a clandestine meeting.

  She took the key card, murmured her thanks, and shot past the doorman and into the small hallway leading directly to the elevators. Thankfully she bypassed the lobby entirely. It seemed like everyone in the world knew what she was here for.

  In the elevator, she inserted her key and punched the button for the top floor. She was whisked to the top in no time at all and stepped into the eerily quiet hallway. There were only a few doors. The rooms must be huge because she only counted four doors total. Evan’s was on the very end, and she took a deep breath before inserting the key into the slot.

  When she opened the door and stepped inside, she immediately saw Evan standing across the room, drink in hand, his eyes fixed on her. He’d been waiting. She could sense his impatience and see the triumph in his expression when she closed the door behind her.

  She stood there, unmoving, as he put his drink aside and crossed the room in just a few, long strides.

  “You came,” he murmured.

  He swept her into his arms and kissed her. He wasn’t gentle or even particularly careful. Their bodies came together in a clash she felt all the way to her bones.

  “Did you think I wouldn’t?” she asked when she was finally able to draw a breath.

  His eyes glittered, and his throat worked up and down as if he was trying to hold on to his control.

  “If you hadn’t, I was prepared to go and drag you out of your apartment.”

  All her concerns fell away. Nothing else mattered but the intense need they felt for each other.

  “Next time I won’t come. I have my own set of caveman fantasies wherein the Neanderthal drags me off to his cave.”

  He growled low in his throat and before she could react, he had her in his arms and was striding toward the bedroom.

  Fourteen

  They made it as far as the dresser. Evan slid her onto the polished surface of the wood and leaned in until she straddled his hips.

  “I swore this time I’d savor first,” he said against her mouth. “Dammit, but when I see you, all reason flies out the door.”

  She hooked her legs around his back and pulled him into the V of her groin.

  “Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?”

  “Never a woman,” he murmured as he swept hungrily over her mouth.

  Her excitement mounted as Evan ripped at her shirt. He shoved it down over her shoulders, trapping her arms to her sides. His hands smoothed up her bare skin to her shoulders. He gripped her so hard, she knew she’d wear his prints.

  His breath blew hot over her chin and then her jaw. He kissed a line to her ear then sucked the lobe between his teeth.

  Shivers overtook her. Delicate little goose bumps dotted her flesh until she trembled uncontrollably.

  He stepped back, his hands falling to the waistband of her pants. His fingers hung in the snap and he stood there staring at her heaving chest.

  “You’re so beautiful.”

  He raised one finger to hook in the strap of her bra. He ran it up then down, and he grazed the tip over the swell of her breast.

  “I love the lingerie.”

  She leaned back on the dresser, resting her palms on the top to give him a better glimpse of her cleavage.

  “You’re absolutely merciless, aren’t you?” he murmured.

  She smiled and arched invitingly until the barest hint of her nipples peeked at him over the lace cups of her bra.

  He wrapped both arms around her waist and lowered his mouth to the valley between her breasts. He kissed and nibbled at the plump swells until she gasped and struggled for each breath.

  The straps had loosened and tumbled down her shoulders. He slid his palms up her body, hooked his thumbs in the straps and dragged them back down.

  He tugged until finally one cup slipped down and freed her breast. He licked the nipple until it puckered and strained outward. Then he closed his mouth ever so gently around the tip.

  “Evan,” she whispered as her hands tangled in his hair.

  He sucked softly and then with more pressure until her entire focus was the streaks of pleasure radiating from her nipple.

  Clumsily, he yanked and fumbled with the clasp of her bra until it fell completely free. He shoved it aside and focused on unbuttoning her pants, his mouth never leaving her breast.

  He lifted her hips. She hoisted herself up, giving him room to pull her pants down. They fell to the floor and he took a step back and ran his gaze up and down her body.

  She felt beautiful and desirable. Even irresistible. He ate her with his eyes. Appreciation didn’t adequately describe what she saw in his gaze. This was a man who saw only her. There were no other women.

  “I can’t say I ever fantasized about having sex with a woman on top of a dresser, but I’m re-evaluating. I can see the appeal.”

  She wiggled a little closer to him so that she was perched on the edge. Right now she wanted him so much, even the short distance to the bed seemed too much.

  He tucked his finger underneath the lace of her panties and ran it along the edge until he delved into her hot, liquid heat. She leaned back, closed her eyes and moaned as he grew bolder with his exploration.

  The sensation of his hands rasping lightly over her behind as he cupped her and began to slide her underwear off was enough to drive her beyond endurance. She had to have him. Her nerve endings were fried.

  And then she was naked under his seeking gaze and inquisitive fingers. He stroked and caressed until she was a mass of gasping, breathless anticipation.

  “No fair,” she panted. “You still have clothes on.”

  He gave her a faint smile before quickly shedding his clothing. Then he dropped to his knees in front of the dresser. His hands slid sensuously up her legs, setting fire with the barest of touches.

  Her breath caught and held when he parted her thighs and pressed his mouth to her most intimate flesh.

  “Oh …”

  It was all she could manage. Everyth
ing went fuzzy around her. Swimming. She was swimming in the most exquisite, mind-numbing waters she’d ever navigated.

  The man was talented. He was generous. Even when he was pushed to his limits, he brought her to the brink of ecstasy before satisfying his own needs.

  “Evan, please!”

  He rose up, gripped her knees and yanked her forward until she perched precariously on the edge of the dresser again. There was savage menace in his expression, the look of a man pushed too far too fast and struggling to hold on with everything he had.

  He paused only long enough to roll on a condom and then he found her center and plunged deep.

  His hands slid under her bottom, gripped tight and pulled her to meet his thrusts. He was deep and she felt him in every part of her soul. She ended, he began. He was a part of her, taking, giving and sharing.

  He leaned forward to bury his face in her neck as he rocked against her. Lightning sizzled down her spine as he nuzzled her sensitive skin and suckled the column of her neck.

  She wrapped her arms and legs around him until there wasn’t an inch of space between them. Still buried tightly inside her, he lifted her up and backed toward the bed. He fell, her on top, and they landed with a jolt.

  “Ride me,” he said in a strained voice.

  His pupils dilated and his brow constricted. Tight lines were etched into his forehead, and his hands gripped her hips so tightly that she could do nothing more than squeeze her inner muscles around his erection.

  “Sweat heaven,” he groaned.

  She wasn’t going to last, and she was helpless to do anything about it. She needed to move. She had to move.

  Placing her palms flat on his chest, she wiggled free of his grasp and began to move up and down, taking him, releasing him, then taking him again.

  Sweat beaded his brow. His eyes were narrow slits, and he never took his gaze from hers. He urged her closer so he could cup her breasts. They filled both palms and he rubbed the pad of his thumb over the painfully erect nubs.

  “I can’t hold on,” she whispered.

  “Then let’s go together,” he urged.

  His hands left her breasts and he gripped her hips, lifting her and pulling her down in time with his upward thrusts. The burn spread. Tension mounted. She wound tighter and tighter until it was all she could do to hang on.

  She threw her head back, her mouth open in an endless cry of agony. The sweetest, most breathtaking agony of her life.

  His hands left her hips to tangle in her hair. He rose up, pulling her harshly to meet his kiss. Frantically, his hands moved up and down her back, into her hair, through her hair, over her face as if he couldn’t get enough and wanted to memorize every feature.

  And then it was as if the world went silent. The wave rolled, crashed and then broke into a million tiny ripples, each feeding the other.

  She was no longer cognizant of holding on to him. She was riding high and fast.

  She had no idea how long she lay sprawled over Evan, her heart beating so frantically that she literally felt each thud. His arms were wrapped around her, and their legs were all tangled up. He was still buried inside her, and she could feel the remnants of his orgasm. Each little pulse sent a tiny shock of aftermath flooding through her body.

  Slowly she became aware that he was stroking her back and her hair. He murmured little sweet words in her ear but nothing seemed to make sense. She was completely befuddled by this man, by her reaction to him.

  “I think I blew it again.”

  She smiled and snuggled a little closer, tucking her head under his chin and nuzzling his chest.

  “You blew, all right. But I think I blew first.”

  His chest heaved as he chuckled. “You’re such a naughty girl.”

  Summoning energy she sorely lacked, she raised her head and propped up on his chest so she could stare down into his eyes. What she saw sent a pang of longing straight through her heart.

  He looked content. Sated, but not just in a sexual way. He looked at home, like they’d been together forever. Oh, she had an overactive imagination. She was sure of that. But when he looked at her like that, with the world in his eyes, a world where only she existed, it was hard not to get caught up in the fantasy they’d created between them.

  He ran a gentle finger over her mouth. “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m fairly certain a man should never ask a woman what she’s thinking right after sex,” she said lightly.

  “I’m fairly certain all women like to talk after sex. Well, talk and cuddle, or some girly thing like that.”

  She grinned and leaned down to kiss him. “I like the cuddle part.”

  He gathered her in his arms and rolled until they lay on their sides. “Not a talker, huh?”

  She reached down and carefully rolled the condom off him. He put his hand down to stop her.

  “No, I’ll do that. You don’t have to mess with it.”

  But she already had it off. She kissed him again then scooted off the bed to discard it. When she looked back, he was propped on one hand, watching her intently.

  His naked body was a gorgeous sight. Even in a relaxed state, his proportions were generous to say the least.

  “If you keep looking at me like that, it’s not going to stay down,” he growled.

  “You only have one condom?” she asked in mock horror.

  He reached over, grabbed her arm and yanked her back down beside him. “I’ll have you know, I had a case delivered.”

  She snorted with laughter. “A case? Are you planning an orgy?”

  “I may have exaggerated … slightly. But only slightly,” he said with a sly grin.

  “That’s good to know. I’d hate to think I was under that kind of pressure.”

  He tweaked her nose then followed up with a kiss. “Somehow I think you could hold up quite well.”

  She cuddled deeper into his embrace. She hadn’t lied about the cuddling part or the talking part. Well, maybe about the talking part. In truth, she’d love to bare her soul, learn all his secrets, tell him all hers. Tell him how much she loved.

  She froze. For a moment she simply couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t as if she’d just fallen in love with the man. No, it had probably been coming for a while now. But she hadn’t admitted it. Hadn’t even thought it much less said it aloud.

  Yeah, it was there in the background just waiting for the time when she let it slip in. She’d been so good—or so she thought—about keeping her emotional distance.

  She loved this man. Her heart seized. It was a painful admission. Wasn’t figuring out you were in love supposed to be accompanied by fireworks, a fanfare, a giddy thrill? Wasn’t it supposed to be the most wonderful thing in the world?

  Why then did she have the sudden urge to run to the bathroom and throw up?

  “We have options,” Evan said.

  She blinked and focused her attention back on the here and now and the fact she was in bed after hot, sweaty sex with the man she … loved.

  It was all she could do not to groan.

  “What options?” she asked huskily.

  “I can feed you. I can make mad, passionate love to you again. Or we can take a short nap and then do either option one or two. Or both. See? I’m easy.”

  She smiled and squeezed him. She did love him. It scared her to death just how much she loved him, and now that she’d admitted it, she was flooded by so much emotion. It was all she could do not to blurt it out like some teenage girl with her first crush.

  “Am I staying over?” she asked. She hadn’t wanted to assume, but she needed to know before she started choosing options.

  He leaned up and cradled her so he looked down at her. “Of course. That is, if you want to. If you didn’t bring clothes to go to work in, I can have my driver take you home.”

  She swallowed. “I did bring clothes. But if he takes me to work, I’m without a car. It would probably be best if he did take me home early enough for me to get my car. I can dress h
ere.”

  He looked for a moment like he’d say something but then evidently he thought better of it and didn’t push. She wondered what he’d wanted to say, but like him, she didn’t push.

  “All right. I’ll make sure we get an early enough wake-up call for you to shower and get ready here before he takes you home to get your car.”

  Unable to resist, she kissed him. It wasn’t a playful little peck this time, but a warm, deep kiss that showed without words the depth of her feelings.

  When she finally drew away, his eyes were glazed with passion, but there was also contentment that she didn’t want to speculate about.

  “In that case, I vote we go with eat, mad passionate love and then sleep,” she murmured.

  “Sold.”

  A half hour later, they sat cross-legged on the bed, devouring the room service Evan had ordered. She was swallowed up by one of his robes, and he was wearing a pair of boxer shorts.

  She ate indelicately, with her fingers, foregoing the utensils. It was finger food anyway, and it was too scrumptious to be all highbrow about eating it.

  They were nearly done when it hit her that she still hadn’t broached the subject of the baseball game. Where before she’d felt a little awkward about bringing it up during what was obviously an illicit rendezvous, here with Evan, she was completely at ease.

  “Tell me your plans for the rest of the week. Are you returning to Seattle until our presentation on Friday?”

  He cocked his head and studied her intently. “That depends, I suppose.”

  “On what?”

  “On whether I have a reason to stay.”

  Her cheeks warmed. His meaning couldn’t have been more clear. Her mouth suddenly went dry and she gulped a mouthful of water.

  “I meant to invite you to the Tide season opener. I have tickets. Good tickets. Are you interested?”

  He looked a little surprised, and for a moment she wondered if she’d overstepped her boundries. But then he smiled. A genuine, warm smile that told her he was pleased with her invitation.

  “I’d love to go. It’s Thursday night, isn’t it?”