Blackmailed by the Billionaire Brewer (14 page)

In eight days, it would be
adios, arrivederci
,
adieu,
and she had to get used to the idea quickly. She had agreed to go along with it and
if she was going to back out, it really had to be now.

She should back out before she got sucked in deeper, before he’d had his fill and
spat her out…

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” he said with a million-dollar grin and fished a
key card out of his pocket. “You have
got
to see where we’re staying tonight.”

Chapter Fourteen

They took the elevator to the top floor of the chateau, and the suite door opened
straight into an enormous room with the trademark high-beamed ceiling, panoramic windows,
and a crackling log fire. It was dominated by a colossal bed that had white silk drapes
hanging over it like something out of
Arabian Nights
, but it promised much more than a good night’s sleep. In the corner of the room surrounded
by flickering candles was the biggest, deepest, most luxurious Jacuzzi she had ever
seen. It was set into a wall of rough rock and stones that gave it the feeling of
being a deep, languid pool in the mountain forests.

A specially positioned domed ceiling above it was subtly lit with tiny spotlights,
like stars or fireworks. A secret place for lovers. Scarlet rose petals were scattered
around the wide ledge, and to the side was an ice bucket holding an unopened bottle
of champagne.

Piper felt more relaxed already, safe in this sensuous hideaway. “Wow, anyone would
think we were the bride and groom—talk about luxurious.”

He took her by the hand and led her closer to the hot tub. “See that red glass bottle
set into that little alcove in the rock?”

“Yes, it’s gorgeous, catching the candlelight like that.”

“Any idea what’s in it?”

“It’s probably just an ornament,” she said with a grin and slipped off her shoes,
relishing the feel of the mellow wood on her stiletto-ravaged feet.

He plucked the bottle from its resting place and offered it to her. “Open it.”

She took the cold crystal stopper between her fingertips and eased it out. The fragrance
hit her immediately and she closed her eyes with pleasure. “Moroccan rose…you don’t
forget a damn thing, do you?”

“Nope.” He took it gently from her and poured a stream of the precious liquid into
the glassy pool before using the tiny remote control by the champagne bucket to start
the bubbles working. “I remember you raving about it over that rose martini in Sanibel.”

“I’m not going to be able to resist getting in there, you know that?” She giggled
“Of course you know that, you planned all this.”

He smiled and pulled her into his arms, gently brushing her lips with his. She melted
into him, soft pliant flesh gripped by rock hard muscle and male sexual intent. Matt
DeLeo was a fantasy man and this was a fantasy situation, an amazing erotic dream
that she wasn’t going to fight and hoped she wouldn’t wake up from until it was well
and truly over. And that would be on the sixteenth, the day their fling had to end.

She whispered into the fine silk of his shirt. “Help me off with this dress, will
you?” She shivered as he slid down the zipper and the fine straps so that the gossamer
material slithered into an aqua puddle on the floor.

He stood back and drank in the sight of her dressed in just a strapless ivory bra
and matching panties as he opened the buttons of his dress shirt. “You’re more beautiful
every time I see you, Piper. I think I’m addicted to you.”

“I think that wedding turned your head into mush.” She helped him shuck off his shirt,
marveling at the smooth contours of his hard-muscled torso, running her fingertips
over the thick black swirls of his body art, and leaning forward to recapture his
lips.

This time the kiss was slow and more intense. His mouth moved against hers, and she
shivered as the tip of his tongue teased her lips apart. She felt him slide one hand
around the back of her neck and the other down the side of her body and into the naked
small of her back, pulling her against him and pressing her softness into his hard
contours. She kissed him hungrily back, desperate for wild physical contact. She wound
her arms around him, savoring the play of muscles in his back as his arms tensed and
shifted, and where their hips were pressed together she felt the unmistakable ridge
of his erection.

He moaned softly as she broke the kiss and ran the tip of her tongue down the side
of his neck and over the hard bunched muscles of his shoulder, and then his determined
mouth was back on hers, hard and hungry. He cupped her breasts, and then reached one
hand around her back to undo her bra. It fell with a whisper to the floor and he ran
his thumbs over her nipples, hard and erect and as eager as he clearly was.

She eased her hands around his firm buttocks and curled her fingernails into the tantalizingly
soft skin, loving the warmth and scent of him. He ran his hands through her hair and
then down over her curves before hooking his fingers under the elastic of her panties.
He ripped the sides away and the flimsy material joined the rest of her clothes on
the floor. She noticed his breath caught as she stood totally naked under the dome
of stars next to the sea-green foam of the Jacuzzi.

He threw his head back as she moved her hands around the front of him, brushing his
hard groin teasingly with her fingertips before moving to the button on his fly and
pulling the zipper down. She circled his freed erection, and he swore softly as she
began to move her hand slowly up and down the velvet skin, running her thumb over
the already slippery tip.

“I want to taste you,” she murmured huskily, and he cursed as she sank to her knees.

“Christ,” he groaned as she traced the contours of the swollen head with her tongue.
She licked him slowly at first, flicking over and around, then took the head in her
mouth and sucked, gently for a moment and then harder, moving her lips and fingers
slowly up and down, whirling her tongue over the delicate flesh. He twitched in her
mouth, and then she felt his hands on her head, guiding her upright.

“Not yet,” he said and kicked off his trousers, quickly followed by his briefs. “Unfinished
business, remember?”

She followed his dark gaze to the bubbling water and understood immediately, taking
his hand and tingling with excitement. They sank down into the warm fragrant water
and she leaned back against the cool marble side of the pool, stretching her arms
above her head so that her tight red nipples were just visible above the white foam,
deliberately provoking him to come and take charge. He plunged his hands under the
water and massaged her from her feet to her thighs. He dropped kisses lightly onto
her parted lips as he splayed his palm over her flat stomach, and then his fingers
were between her legs, pushing her thighs apart so he could explore the tight heat
within.

She shuddered as he found her clitoris and rubbed it in tiny circles with his fingertips.
Then she closed her eyes with shock and pleasure as he slipped two fingers from his
other hand into her. Her spine arched as he leaned in closer and bit possessively
down on the taut muscle between her neck and shoulder. The sensations coursing through
her were like wild electricity, pulsing erratically, zapping shocks that contrasted
intensely with the soft, slippery rose water that she floated in.

“Come inside me,” she whispered. “I can’t take much more.”

Silently, he shifted position so he towered over her, crushing her against the stone
wall of the Jacuzzi and plunging his tongue deep into her mouth. She arched her hips
upward as his hands slithered over the soft mounds of her breasts beneath the water.
Her fingers mirrored his on his hard buttocks.

“Wait,” she said, and his hands stilled. “Lean back.” She caressed him under the foam
until his eyes fluttered shut with pleasure.

“Whatever you say,” he said with a tremor in his voice.

She was over him in seconds, her movement made so much easier by the water, and positioned
herself above him. “Are you ready?” she purred.

He nodded and grasped her by the hips as she sank slowly downward, inhaling the warm
mist of sensuality and exotic oils. She watched his face darken into sexual oblivion,
and the power she felt over him was intoxicating. Then her own eyelids fluttered shut
as she began to rock slowly, gasping as he matched her thrusts, and she felt as if
her heart might burst with beating so fast.

His wet hands explored her shoulder blades, buttocks, and breasts, and she eased an
erect nipple into his open mouth. She felt him swell and flex inside her—it wouldn’t
be long before they both gave in to the moment. He gripped her hard and his rhythmic
strokes became urgent thrusts that were so powerful she clung to his shoulders like
some kind of anchor, digging her nails into his warm skin.

“I’m coming,” she cried out as orgasm began to overwhelm her. “God, I’m coming so
fast.”

“Yes,” he said and she felt the huge surge begin. He pulled her down onto him hard
and it took her breath away. “Yes. With me. Now.”

She gasped at the feel of him exploding inside her as he shuddered his release. Long,
hot, lengthy spasms shook his body, and the feel of him coming so violently pushed
her over into the abyss. A supernova of sensation exploded in her, sucking him in
with her orgasmic muscle spasms. He cried out in what sounded like agony as they climaxed
together and then collapsed, flesh on sated flesh in a rose-scented mist.

…

Matt was disappointed that he hadn’t been able to find a flicker of emotion on Piper’s
face when he’d announced he was leaving Passion Creek. They’d made love like they
were possessed for most of the night after the Jacuzzi, but surely it couldn’t still
be
just
sex for her? Then Matt felt angry with himself for even thinking about what he wanted
Piper to be feeling. He should be hoping with all his heart that it really was just
the physical act that was keeping her close to him for the next seven days because
anything else would be plain cruel. And he wasn’t a cruel man. Was he?

Her head stirred beneath his arm where she’d fallen asleep a few hours ago, and he
found himself staring at the deep lustrous red of her hair as he wound a tress around
his finger. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever met, but it wasn’t just her
gorgeous coloring, bright green eyes, and cool creamy skin. It was the fire that glowed
deep within her, the thing that made her who she was. Maybe that was her soul.

Her eyes flickered open and it was clear for a moment that she didn’t have a clue
where she was. “What did you dream about?” His voice sounded soft even to his own
ears. He must be going soft himself, except a certain part of him was becoming decidedly
un-soft as her rosebud mouth unfurled in a yawn.

“I had my favorite dream.” She snuggled into the soft skin of his armpit. “The one
where I have a wooden house by the ocean. It has pale blue shutters that are kind
of battered, but cute all the same, and out back there’s a workshop.”

“A workshop? Isn’t that a kind of a middle-aged man’s dream?”

Her tiny laugh feathered his shoulder. “Only if the old dude is into silvering whelk
shells and making mosaics out of abalone.”

“Oh, I see.” He brushed the hair out of her eyes. “Warmer than your workshop downtown,
I guess.”

“I don’t have a workshop. It all happens on my kitchen table. Or at least it did until
my sister and Aspen moved in. The chemicals worry me, too dangerous.”

“I had no idea,” he said and felt like a heel. He had no idea because he’d never made
the effort to find out. And he had never made the effort because he never got involved
with women and didn’t know how. And she wasn’t really his girlfriend, she was someone
else’s ex-girlfriend…and his head was getting seriously messed up. “You should find
a place to work safely.”

“I will when there’s more money in the bank,” she said lazily and stretched. “Oh,
but this time the dream had a little doggie in it, a cute black and white Jack Russell
terrier. He went like the wind around that shack chasing gulls.”

Matt suddenly felt sick. Timmy had been a black and white terrier.

Too fucking weird.

“Want some breakfast sent up?” He tried to shatter the intimacy of their conversation.
“You must be hungry.”

“Which means you’re hungry,” she said and jabbed him in the ribs. “I’d be more than
happy with another one of those fancy cigarettes and…you.”

Lust kicked involuntarily in his groin as he looked down into her mischievous face
and watched her pink tongue slowly lick her bottom lip. He felt a strange emotion
constrict his belly and that feeling of a hand closing over his throat. “You’re irresistible,”
he said and covered that soft inviting mouth with his.

Chapter Fifteen

Piper fiddled nervously with her phone, checking every few seconds to see if there
was a text from Matt. There was nothing, and she should be glad he wasn’t demanding
her attention every few hours. She’d made it clear she didn’t need him checking if
she was okay all the time. But today she wasn’t glad. Now she realized that him calling
her meant he might have cared.

She was in the lush waiting room of Melanie’s wedding planner business, Decadent Events,
a pre-planned appointment to discuss future commissions that would tie in with her
friend’s bookings. Most bridezillas planned meticulously and months ahead, which made
life easier and more lucrative if their requirements were made to order. However,
Piper was more eager to get a weight off her mind today, rather than pretend she was
the businesswoman she felt she ought to be.

Melanie popped her head around the office door and beamed her usual gorgeous smile.
The sight of it was enough to make Piper well up. Life had been so dull and uncomplicated
up until recently. Even the Stanley house of horrors at Christmas hadn’t reduced her
to the thin soup of a woman she felt like right now. But walking into Mel’s office
and sinking into a luxurious, silk-covered armchair felt as good as a hug. And she
needed a hug.

“Soooo,” Melanie crooned. Putting people at ease was what she did best. “Latte? Juice?
Champagne? It’s all a business expense so go wild.”

“Tissues. Are they tax deductible?”

“Oh.” Melanie slid a pretty looking box over the desk. “They sure are. I see a lot
of tears in here.”

“Tears of joy?” Piper grabbed a couple just in case one might not be enough.

“It’s a fifty-fifty thing to be honest.” Melanie smiled and sank down into her counseling
chair. “Are we going to talk accessories and favors this morning?”

“If you want.”

“So that’s a no.” Melanie folded her hands in her lap and waited silently for the
dam to break.

The words flooded out in a torrent. “I’ve fallen in love with Matt DeLeo and I don’t
know what to do about it.” A tear slid down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away
with the tissue.

Melanie’s eyes grew as wide as saucers. “Are you sure?”

“Look at me. What do you think?”

“Realizing you’re in love is a serious call and it’s happened very quickly—”

“Have I ever done something like this to you before? Come in on my knees because I’m
so scared and confused?”

Melanie frowned. “No, sweetheart, you haven’t.”

“I’m deadly serious, you understand? This is not just an infatuation or being on the
rebound from Stanley. Something inside me has changed and it’s tearing me into pieces.”

“Would it be forward of me to ask if you’re looking to book my services?”

“Jesus, no! I love him, but he’s crazy, and he’s leaving Passion Creek on the sixteenth
forever.”

Melanie winced. “Forever? That’s kind of dramatic. Shoot, you really do pick them,
Piper. You’ll forgive me for wondering if you two actually talk to each other because
there appears to be a serious communication problem going on here.”

There was an awkward silence while Piper rocked back and forth slightly in her chair.
“We talk…but not like that.”

Melanie sighed deeply and put on her stern voice. “Well, honey, you have to tell him
how you feel. You’re a mess.”

“I
can’t
.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Because…it’s so not him. I mean, commitment is like the Antichrist to him—he doesn’t
even have a picture of his mother, or his dead dog. His dad’s an asshat, so that’s
excusable.”

“But you say you love this guy in spite of his aversion to family and animals.” She
shrugged and took another tissue out of the box for Piper. “It’s not unusual for women
to fall in love with men like that, the kind of guys who our moms would warn us against
and who drive fathers into a protective rage. I see it a lot, and sometimes they even
manage to get married.”

“They do?”

“Yeah. I won’t bore you with the divorce statistics, though.”

“You follow through on all that? After your bill’s been settled and they go on their
honeymoon?”

“I have to, it’s my business. High-profile dream weddings that end in acrimonious
divorce are embarrassing. I avoid commissions that have Temple of Doom written all
over them.”

“And I thought your job was a dream number. Your gut instincts must be really good
unless you plant bugs on them.”

“Believe me, it would be so tempting if I could get away with it.” She cracked open
a luxurious box of Belgian chocolate-coated caramels and put it in front of Piper.
“Trust me, you have got to tell him.”

Piper lowered her head to look at the knot of her fingers in her lap. Her voice cracked.
“I can’t.”

“Tell me exactly why not.”

“Because he’ll probably start frothing at the mouth and throw himself out of the nearest
window.”

“Of course he won’t. You have to do it.”

“I’m too scared.”

“You still have to do it or wonder for the rest of your life what would have happened
if you had stepped up to the plate and opened your heart.”

Piper threw her head back and stared at the ceiling. “You’re way too good at this.”

“I have a lot of experience from what I’ve seen of other people’s lives–doesn’t mean
I’m that good at dealing with my own.”

Her head dropped back down. “Holy crap, I’m sorry. I haven’t even asked about you
and Nathan—”

“And you don’t need to because the next five minutes are all about you.”

“Five minutes?”

“Yes, that’s all you’re going to get from me before you go out there and spend the
next seven days with your perfect man doing everything you can to make him stay. I’ve
seen him, remember? I’ve seen you together as well, and so has
Us Weekly
, which means the entire world can see how right you are together.” She stood up and
leaned her fingertips on the edge of the desk. “There’s every possibility he’s feeling
exactly the same as you but, being a man, can’t articulate it. Open the dialogue for
him, Piper. You have
got
to tell him how you feel.”

The next seven days flew by in a whirlwind of laughter, fine dining, sightseeing,
and thrill seeking. Melanie’s advice was lodged in Piper’s mind. It was good advice,
and advice she should follow…but not yet. She had stepped out of Decadent Events shaken
and red-eyed, but full of purpose because a plan had formulated itself before she
even pushed open the door and stepped onto the icy sidewalk outside.

Her plan was to enjoy their limited time together to the absolute max and to tell
him how she felt on their last day, on the fifteenth. She couldn’t bring herself to
do it before then in case it ruined everything immediately. At least if Matt was repulsed,
she would still have some happy memories to cherish, and he would have an excuse to
leave to avoid embarrassment.

She had taken Melanie’s words to heart and had spent the last six days
doing everything to make him stay
. It was probably futile, but if their time together was amazing then maybe, just
maybe, he would begin to feel as strongly about her as she did about him. She could
never hope that he would love her, but he might reconsider his plans and stay a little
longer and then…well, at least she could hope.

Piper woke in the bed of his hotel suite on the morning of the fourteenth and felt
an ache at the top of her rib cage, just about where her heart must be. This day was
so important, their last chance to be alone together before she had to tell him how
she felt.

Matt emerged from the bathroom with the customary towel wrapped around his hips, grinning
as he slicked long fingers through the damp black strands of his hair. “I thought
I’d let you sleep,” he said quietly. “And I got a few emails out of the way, so today
is freed up.”

“Anything important?”

“Just CNN making arrangements for the camera crew and things for tomorrow. Quite a
media coup getting them to feature PCB as part of their Passion Creek Arts Week coverage.”

“I’ll say.” She smiled indulgently. “And with all the excitement about our recession-busting
cannabis industry they might never leave.”

The last few days had found them living comfortably together as a couple. She had
made an effort to think before she spoke, having discovered that saying yes instead
of no was kind of liberating for a change, and that being with someone didn’t have
to be the same as being subjugated by Stan. She didn’t even mind that he was always
working one way or another anymore. That was who he was, what he did, she had no right
to try and change that, and what would be the point anyway?

“Your pink brew will get worldwide coverage. You must be thrilled.”

“I am,” he said lightly, standing in front of the mirror. His towel slipped to the
floor as he slapped a dab of gel in his hair. “You bring me the best luck.”

She watched with renewed wonder at how his muscles flexed and his body swayed slightly
as he did his hair in the morning. The tattoos almost seemed to come to life as he
moved and she yearned for the touch of his fingertips on her bare skin once more.

“Tell me about your tattoos,” she murmured. “Why all the sealife?”

His head turned and he shot her a sexy grin. “I like the ocean.”

“Is that it? No deep meaning?” She rolled over to his side of the bed, twisting the
bed sheets around her body like a cocoon. “I thought people had tattoos for a reason.”

He turned back to face the mirror and she could see him churning something over by
the way his mouth was set. “I had my second one done the day I left IT and set up
on my own. The seagull, to remind himself, and show the world, I wasn’t a cog in the
corporate machine anymore and that I was free.”

“That’s so cool.”

“And then I just kept going because I liked them and to prove that I can do what the
hell I like with my money, my body, and my life.”

“So what was your first one?”

“My first one was a piece of shit I got a buddy to do on me when I was fifteen. A
silver dollar, an act of rebellion. I thought it made me look tough.” He laughed at
his own reflection and then their eyes met in the mirror. He pointed to his shoulder.
“It was consumed by the octopus.”

She giggled. “Do we have plans for the day?” she said and sidled up behind him, hugging
her arms around his tight waist. She hoped not because she wanted him all to herself
one way or another.

“There’s just one job to do this morning and then we’re free.”

Free…if only she was, but her heart was well and truly stolen. She could never be
free now, and she didn’t want to be. She wanted to be his captive for forever and
a day. “Good, what’s the plan?”

“Wait and see.” He twisted around and placed a kiss on her forehead. “It’ll take less
than an hour. What do you want to do after that?”

“What do I always want to do?” She bit his shoulder playfully, leaving a small pink
tooth mark on the inky octopus on his skin.

“We can do that,” he said and caught her up against him.

“Do you know what I’d really like to do?” He gestured for her to continue. “Let’s
go back to your cabin, just us.”

“Without the cat?” he said cheerfully. “I’m not sure Princess would forgive us.”

“Princess Aspen is doing just fine now, and she’s way too fat to cart around.”

“Want me to call Super to cat sit?”

“Mom and Dad are happy to pop in when I’m not there to make sure she’s okay. In fact
I think Dad likes somewhere to go for some peace and quiet now and then—it might even
give him an excuse to stay over. Mom and Sophie are arguing a lot.”

“Has she asked to come live with you again?”

“No, she hasn’t, not yet. But I’m afraid the answer would be no this time. We get
along much better at a distance.”

He nodded and his voice took on a more serious tone. “So I don’t even get to stay
over at your place on our last night?” His statement took her by surprise; it was
as if the significance of their last day and night was preying on his mind, too.

“You know my rules on that,” she said quietly.

“Oh yeah, I remember, and no special treatment for me. It’s okay.” The spark of hope
that he might suddenly conform to her rules and commit to some kind of future was
quickly extinguished.

“So what do you think of my idea?” she asked.

He pulled away from her embrace and made for the drawer where he’d put his underwear.
“The cabin’s occupied right now, but I could offer them a massive upgrade to leave
for the night.”

Just for the night?
said a small voice in her head. Yes, of course just for the night, she reminded herself.
Time markers of their precarious last hours together were at every turn. It was getting
exhausting and she knew deep down that her tears were bound to revisit her sooner
rather than later.

“Do that,” she said firmly. It was their cabin in her heart and she didn’t like the
thought of other people staying there. It was crazy, but being in a state of unrequited
love was tipping the balance of her mind.