Addicted to You (14 page)

He’d held her hips in his hands and served her pussy to his marauding mouth. She’d jerked like a plucked harp string when he’d bitten her clit gently. Then she’d been shaking beneath him, helpless and beautiful.

He groaned in agony when he started to come. It hurt. All of it. It hurt that he’d crossed this line with a friend because of his innate degeneracy, but it hurt being alone in the world, too. Hurt like hell. He couldn’t decide what felt worse, the numbness or this sharp pain of need.

It hurt the most shooting his seed onto the cold tile floor instead of in Katie Hughes’s furthest reaches.

Nine

When Katie woke up the next morning the house was empty.
Rill’s bedroom door was wide-open, a sure sign of his absence, since he religiously kept it closed when he was in there.

She wandered into the sun-dappled kitchen, feeling grouchy and exhausted after having slept a total of three hours. A bit difficult to sleep after the man of your dreams plays your flesh like a maestro and then turns around and walks out of the room.

What did it mean? Had he been unsatisfied with her?

Stupid question. He must have been. How else did his behavior make any sense? If she’d pleased him, he would have taken his own satisfaction. He would have wanted more of her, just like Katie thirsted for more of him . . . the feeling of his skin sliding beneath her palms, the sensation of his mouth moving over hers, the experience of holding him in her arms while he shuddered in pleasure.

He’d denied her all that, although he’d given her a pure, distilled blast of bliss.

Rill was trying to make it abundantly clear that the only thing he could give her was pleasure. He was highlighting the unnaturalness of them becoming sexually involved by walking away after sharing something so intimate.

If that was what he was trying to prove to her, he’d failed. Katie couldn’t imagine anything more total and natural than her body’s response to his touch.

She’d come downstairs last night for a while after he’d left her bedroom, determined to speak with him, to tear down the barrier he’d erected by tying her up to the bed and eating her until she hardly knew where or what she was except a quivering mass of pleasure completely at the mercy of Rill’s tongue. The house had been dark and his bedroom door closed by the time she’d finally worked up the nerve to descend. It couldn’t have been clearer that while he might exchange sex with her, he wasn’t willing to do something as intimate as sleep with her.

She’d gone back upstairs, undecided whether she was more heartsore or furious. The combination of her volatile emotions had been a key ingredient for a serious dose of insomnia.

While she was making coffee, she heard the sound of gravel popping beneath tires. Her heart leapt. Rill would have no choice but to face her in the full light of day. She smoothed her hair—hopeless cause—and tightened the sash of her short robe. She couldn’t resist racing to the front door when she heard the sound of a step on the front stairs.

Her heart sank in disappointment when she peered through the shut front door window and saw Miles Fordham approaching, wearing a pair of jeans, a button-down blue shirt and a well-cut blazer.

“Hi,” she said a little bemusedly when she opened the door before he had a chance to knock on it.

He looked surprised by her sudden appearance, and then pleased. A little too pleased, Katie thought as she tightened her robe yet again as Miles inspected her.

“Well, I’ll be,” he murmured appreciatively when his eyes finally found her face again. “The man who wakes up to see the vision of you every morning would be blessed indeed.”

“He’d have to be blessed to put up with me in the morning,” Katie replied with a frown. Miles gave her a helpless look and then grinned. She relented and smiled back. He really did have a charming smile.

“Are you looking for Rill?” Katie prompted.

“No. I came looking for you.”

“Me?” she asked in surprise. She motioned with her hand and he followed her into the house. She opened up a cabinet and held up a coffee cup with a questioning look. Miles nodded.

“I thought I’d stop by and see if you were interested in a drive. It’s going to get warm again in a day or two, but today is the perfect fall day—chilly, but nice in the sunshine. The foliage is gorgeous out at the club grounds.”

“Are you trying to court me, Miles?” she speculated casually as she poured both of them a cup of coffee.

He seemed a little taken aback. “Yeah, I guess I am. It’s not a crime, is it?”

She raised her eyebrows thoughtfully and handed him his coffee. “Not a crime, no. It’s not a very wise thing to undertake, though.”

“I see. Your affections are otherwise engaged, is that it? Who is he?” He glanced around the house. “Don’t tell me it’s Pierce.”

“What if it was?” Katie asked, scowling.

Miles shrugged. “He just doesn’t seem like ideal boyfriend material, that’s all.”

Katie gave him a wry glance and let her eyes move over the sexy wave in his light brown hair and his casually elegant attire. “And you’re what good boyfriend material is made of, I suppose.”

He laughed a little disbelievingly at her cheek. “Well, even if I was, I wouldn’t say so.”

“Why not?”

“Because modesty is just one of many traits of a good boyfriend.”

She laughed.

It was on the tip of her tongue to turn him down, but then she glanced out the window onto the brilliant day. It’d be depressing to sit in this empty house and wonder where Rill was. A horrible thought struck her. What if he didn’t come back? His car was missing from the driveway. He’d disappeared off the map eighteen months ago. No reason he couldn’t do it again if she’d pushed him too hard.

“Katie?”

“Hmmm?” She focused on Miles with effort. “Oh, right. Sure, a drive would be nice. Errol doesn’t have to be in physical therapy until next week, so my day is pretty free, although I should stop by later and make sure he’s keeping that leg elevated,” she muttered to herself as an afterthought.

“Excuse me?” asked Miles, looking politely confused.

“Oh, I ran Errol Banks over in my car,” Katie replied in a preoccupied manner. “Can you give me a few minutes to get ready?”

Miles laughed. “Take your time.”

Katie knew she was being ridiculous, but she couldn’t stop herself from sneaking into Rill’s bedroom before she got in the shower. It surprised her to see that he’d not only put clean sheets on his bed, but made it. Was that a possible sign that he’d abandoned her? She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw clothes in the closet along with a pair of tennis shoes and dark brown leather hiking boots.

Rill hadn’t left Vulture’s Canyon for good. Not yet anyway.

They sat at the best table in the Forest River Restaurant. From
her seat, Katie had a spectacular view of the dining terrace, landscaped grounds and, in the distance, the wild beauty of the Ohio River Valley. The colors of the trees were so bright it hurt her eyes a little to look at them. The terrace was bathed in golden sunshine and nearly filled with golfers and other diners who didn’t mind the bite of autumn in the air.

“It’s beautiful,” she murmured before she took a sip of the cool, dry white wine Miles had ordered along with their lunch.

“You’re looking right where I plan to put the boat,” Miles said, nodding toward the sparkling river in the distance.

Katie glanced over at him and smiled. He’d been a pleasant enough companion for the past two hours. A little full of himself, but nice. The tour he’d given her of the surrounding countryside and then the lush grounds of the Forest River Country Club had been relaxing. Fortunately, Miles’s favorite topic of conversation was himself and his business ventures, which was just fine by Katie. She didn’t particularly want to talk about herself.

Plus, it was kind of relaxing, not to be with someone who asked her a slew of questions either about her celebrity brother, Everett, or Rill, who was just as renowned in his own way.

“The gambling boat, you mean?” she asked idly, toying with the rim of her wineglass. “There isn’t a huge population around here, is there? Where will you get your customers?”

“St. Louis is only forty minutes away.” Miles tore his gaze off her circling finger on the glass and nodded toward the terrace. “Three-quarters of those men out there are from the St. Louis area. They drive up on Fridays and stay for a weekend of golf and relaxation. I hired a good portion of my employees from the St. Louis area, as well. The people around here are ignorant, for the most part. They don’t have the polish to work in this type of establishment. Once the gambling boat opens, people will come from miles away for an exciting vacation in Mother Nature’s embrace. Las Vegas can’t offer a man a view like that—”

Miles’s explanation was cut short when the waitress arrived with their food.

“Thanks, Debbie,” Miles said after she’d placed their lunch before them. He gifted Debbie with the kind of smile that had long ago lost voltage in Katie’s world, but apparently still had them buzzing in the vicinity of Vulture’s Canyon. Miles continued when Debbie walked away. “My lawyers should have the final approval from the Illinois Gaming Board for the boat by next spring, so I went ahead and started construction. See that over there?”

Katie turned in the direction where he pointed, seeing a portion of the large construction site that snaked out onto the grounds. She’d already noticed the building project next to the club when they arrived earlier. Miles had informed her it was the location of his new grand hotel.

“That’ll be where the walkway leads from the hotel directly out onto the boat. Customers won’t even know they passed from land to water,” Miles told her smugly.

“Nice,” Katie said politely before she placed a forkful of salad in her mouth.

Miles chuckled. “You don’t seem very interested, Katie.”

She took her time chewing and swallowed. “I’m not much for gambling. Not with money, anyway.”

Miles leaned forward slightly, his hazel eyes gleaming. “What
do
you like to take a gamble on, Katie Hughes?”

“Just the little things, like my future.”

Miles chuckled, clearly thinking she was joking. Katie didn’t mind.

“So I heard a rumor you were a tax attorney,” he prompted.

Her mouth was full, so she just nodded.

“Can I hire you to do some consulting? I could use a good tax attorney in my corner.”

She considered while she swallowed and took a sip of wine. It was a tempting offer. Her savings wouldn’t last forever. But she had other things in mind for her future—the gamble she’d referred to just now.

“I’ll pass,” she said with a friendly smile. “I don’t do the type of tax work you probably need, anyway. I might be looking for work, depending on how things work out for me in Vulture’s Canyon, but you’ll need a specialist, with all the tax issues that come from the gambling operation.”

“If you’re looking for work in this area, you’ll end up having to come to me anyway.”

She gave him an “excuse me?” look at his overconfidence. He chuckled.

“I’m just telling it like it is, not bragging. There aren’t many men in this area who could afford to pay a high-class Los Angeles attorney like you.”

“Actually, I’m thinking of getting out of the tax business.”

“You’re kidding. Why would you want to do something like that?” he asked, amused, as he reached across the table and grabbed her hand in his.

Katie found his attitude incredibly condescending. Miles Fordham didn’t know anything about her. What right did he have to be surprised at her choice of career even if she told him she planned to join the space program?

Someone touched Miles’s shoulder, saving Katie from his patronizing flirtation. She gently pulled her captive hand back. Miles was too preoccupied to notice. His eyes widened with male appreciation when he looked up and saw the woman standing next to him. Katie continued to eat her salad as she studied the new arrival curiously.

“Amber. Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” Miles complimented, his gaze roving over the tall, curvy redhead wearing a wool skirt, leather boots, a matching belt and a soft-looking angora sweater that clung to generous breasts. One thing was for certain: whoever this woman was, she didn’t do her clothes shopping in any stores Katie had spotted as of yet in southern Illinois. When Amber twisted slightly in her heeled boots, Katie was reminded of a six-year-old showing off her new party dress to Daddy. Whoever Amber was, Katie decided as she chewed a cherry tomato, she couldn’t be much older than twenty or twenty-one.