Effortless (3 page)

“Um,” I glanced at the drink menu, “I’ll have the Secret Crush please.”

He grinned at me slyly after giving our drink orders to the server. My brows lifted a bit as I smiled back, anticipating what could possibly come out of his mouth.

“Is there a specific reason why you negotiated your contract to last only three months, which incidentally, is the length of your temporary visa?”

My stomach dropped and I did that really attractive fish mouth thing where my lips parted but nothing came out.

“Well,” I started, finally finding my voice, “I wanted to see if this job was a good fit for me. For us. For the show.”

“I see.” His blue eyes narrowed slightly. “And if it is?”

“Then I suppose you’ll be stuck with me.” I smiled at the server as she placed our drinks on the table. Grabbing mine, I took a long sip of the raspberry flavored cocktail. The shrewd look Julian still aimed in my direction led me to believe he wasn’t satisfied with my response.

“I’ve had a revolving door of executive producers over the last four years. Creative differences, incompetence, laziness, you name it. You came highly touted not only from your station in America but also from Sam and Robbie. If I’d known they were going to agree to such a short contract I would never have let you in the building.”

This must be the bad side Robbie warned me about. I sank further into the plush cushion, nursing my drink and feeling more than a little bit guilty.

“Wait a second,” I said, snapping out of my funk. “You didn’t know that I’d only signed on for a few months?”

“No.”

“They told me you knew. They said you’d be okay with it.”

“Did they,” he grimaced. “Sneaky bastards.”

“I’m so confused.”

Julian downed his bourbon like a champion and leaned forward. “The two of them have been scheming behind my back for months. They kept Gemma on for much longer than was necessary just to watch me slowly implode. They want me out. There’s some younger, hot shot presenter from London making the rounds. His ratings are astronomical and the fine people at our parent company want to jump on the bandwagon. We’d be used as a satellite location for interviews and such but The Archer Hour would essentially go away.”

The alcoholic fruity goodness of my drink slipped down my throat way too easily. I stared at the bottom of the empty glass, ordering another one through telepathy. I should have known being offered a three month contract in a different country without any pushback was too good to be true. Clearly, I was part of Sam and Robbie’s master plan to watch it die a slow death.

Good thing I didn’t sell my car and kept the apartment in Orlando
.

Another cocktail appeared on the table in front of me.

“Looked like you needed a refill.” Julian smiled and squeezed my knee with more affection than was necessary.

“Thanks.” I drank this one a little slower not wanting to give off the impression I was an uber lush. For some reason the drinks in Scotland tasted much better than the ones in Orlando.

“Sorry I laid all that out on you. You’ve been with us a month and I just assumed you were the savior I’d been waiting for. My job has meant everything to me and the thought of it being given to some little tit who’s nothing more than a glorified tabloid reporter pisses me off.”

I felt bad for the guy. I really did. If I’d learned anything from my former night team it was to always stay ten steps ahead of the next generation. That rang especially true for the on-air talent. I could practically hear Cynthia Steele’s strong, melodic voice in my head saying there was always someone younger with no morals waiting in the wings. I was fairly certain she’d been exaggerating about the no morals part but there had to be a grain of truth in there somewhere.

“Well, I’m not going to spend my time there going through the motions,” I asserted, taking another sip of my drink. “I’m working my ass off to make sure you have the best produced news magazine show in all of Great Britain. If Sam and Robbie don’t like it, tough shit.”

“Lia Meyers,” Julian said loudly. “You are amazing. If they do end up sacking me, you and I will start our own program.”

I laughed, enjoying the level of passion he exuded for his craft. Grabbing my drink-free hand, he squeezed it.

“We’re going to get on just fine, you and I. And by the way,” he paused, “nice ring. I had a feeling we’d be celebrating an engagement soon enough. If you can melt the notoriously frigid Alastair Holden, you can work magic with my television show.”

Shocked, I stiffened a little. I shouldn’t be surprised though. The ring was like a beacon.

“Not to worry. I won’t pester you to get an interview with him for me right now. I’m a bit of prat but I’m not that callous.”

“And then,” I said, perching on the edge of the desk in Alastair’s home office, “he called himself a prat and ordered another round of drinks.”

Alastair half-smiled, looking up from the computer screen. “Sounds like you two got along quite well.”

“We did. Most television personalities aren’t as horrid as they appear.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he responded dryly. “Sorry I wasn’t able to meet you there.”

Swinging my legs around so they draped over the arm of his chair, I grinned. “You’re forgiven, chief. This time.”

He sighed, running a hand along my left calf. I hadn’t changed yet and the fuzziness from all the fruity drinks I’d had suggested that I give him a strip tease in the middle of the room. I would have if he hadn’t been staring so intently at the open file on his desk.

“Hey,” I said, nudging him with my foot, “come to bed. It’s late.” I sensed he was stressed and bothered by his day at work but I knew better than to pry. He’d tell me when he was ready, if he wanted.

Silence spread through the room. I tried to see if I could get a read on what was going on in his head. Obviously, that didn’t happen. Hopping off the desk, I hitched up my dress and straddled him on the chair.

“Amelia.”

The strained way he said my name triggered an immediate response in me. I kissed him desperately, feeling him shudder in my embrace.

“Come with me,” I requested, skimming my lips over his.

I melted when he smiled.

“You like stealing my phrases.”

“What can I say? You’re quotable.”

Squeezing my waist gently, he laughed. The sound of it always filled me with such joy. Leaning his forehead to mine, he closed his eyes. Bit by bit, the protective shield locked into place. I ran my hands down his chest, disheartened to feel him stiffen beneath my touch.

“Sorry, love,” he said flatly. “I have to be in London for the rest of the week. I leave early tomorrow morning. Paxton will be here to make sure you get to and from work safely.”

I swallowed down my disappointment like it was a spoonful of salt. “Why do y—”

“My fucking uncle,” he snapped. “He’s trying to undermine my decisions regarding the music division. He set up an investor meeting behind my back and now I have to go talk everyone off a ledge.”

“What happened?”

Scrubbing his face with both hands he grimaced. “My grandfather is trying to convince me to dissolve the music end of the business and use the extra funds to launch a production company. I told him no and gave him my reasons but fucking Jason keeps,” he paused, scowling. “My uncle and I don’t see eye to eye on this and he’s constantly up my grandfather’s ass about it.”

Not really knowing what to say, I could only play with his hair in the hopes it would calm him down. He never talked about work and I never asked so I knew nothing of the intricacies involved with running a worldwide media empire.

“Well,” I said, “you’re the boss. Jason has to answer to you and your grandfather is retired so he really has no say, right?”

Alastair laughed bitterly. “If only it were that simple.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know—”

“My dad created the music division about a year before the accident,” he interrupted. “I was so young, I had no idea what it was but I do remember him being rather excited about it. He’d play records really loud on the weekends and my sister and I would dance around the living room. I think,” he paused, swallowing hard, “I think this was my dad’s dream. I think maybe he’d started it because he wanted to step out of my grandfather’s shadow. Jason was strictly the business minded one and yessed Samuel to death. My dad was the creative one.”

He looked up at me. “Since Jason and Katherine have no children, I’m the last one in line. If I fuck up the business, it dies along with all the hard work my dad put into it.”

“You’re not going to fuck up the business. You’re too smart to let that happen.”

His frosty exterior thawed. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

“No, you shouldn’t have. Watch those sore spots, chief.”

“Fair point.” He pulled me closer so our faces were inches apart.

I kissed him because I could and because that’s really all I’d been wanting to do since I returned home.

“Tell me to stay here with you.”

His quiet words ripped through me, shredding my soul into a thousand pieces.
Oh, Alastair
. I hugged him, marveling again at the tremors shaking his body. He never failed to surprise me with the strength of his affection.

“I love you so much, it hurts,” I whispered against his neck.

Gently breaking our embrace, he looked at me with clear, bright eyes. We didn’t have to say anything for us both to know what I’d meant. “Come with me to London. I don’t want to be away from you for one second.”

I smiled, completely aware of how easy it was for him to disarm me. “You know I can’t.”

“Then come down this weekend. I’ll have the plane ready and waiting for you after work on Friday. We’ll go stay at the May Fair and never leave the room” -he kissed me- “or I’ll send you to the spa and do whatever else you want.”

“Tempting,” I murmured, tracing my fingers along his jaw. “Why don’t we go to your cottage here instead?”

He frowned. “I may not be back for the weekend, Lia. I don’t want to leave you alone here.”

“I won’t be alone. I have Stephanie and Darren.”

“Maybe your sister would like to see you. She does live in London, you know.”

“Wow.” I laughed. “When did you turn into my mother?”

A sharp squeeze at my waist made me flinch. “I see your smart mouth also made the journey across the Atlantic.”

“It’s a package deal, Holden.”

Uncoiling a bit from his annoyance, Alastair kissed me firmly. “We could get married this weekend,” he said, playing with my hair. “Have a civil ceremony at Islington Town Hall. It would be just the two of us.”

The thought left me breathless. Every cell in my body, from my toes to the tips of my fingers, hummed with anticipation. Images of us exchanging vows and spending the entire weekend blissfully alone and entwined with each other filled my mind. It was perfect. It was…

“My family will kill me,” I blurted.

Alastair raised an eyebrow. “Not if I have anything to say about it. Besides, they’ll get over the shock. We’ll have a massive party back in the States. That’s why everyone has a wedding anyway, right? For the party.”

“But don’t we need, like, paperwork and licenses? And witnesses? We can’t just walk in and—”

He kissed me quiet and essentially halted all talk of eloping. “You really need to do something about this habit of overthinking.” The smile in his eyes and on his lips sealed the deal for me.

“Fine. You’re right.” I tugged on his tie. “Is there a reason why you’re still in CEO mode at home? I mean, the suits are hot and stuff but it’s well past quitting time.”

“There’s no rest for the wicked.” He smirked. “Would you rather I sat here naked?”

I slung my arms around his neck and grinned. “It would be an improvement.”

“Cheeky.” He felt his way down my body. “We do have some unfinished business to attend to, don’t we?”

Capitalizing on his softened mood and flirty playfulness, I nuzzled into his neck, kissing his warm skin and enjoying the low groans vibrating in his throat. “That depends.”

“On what?”

I loosened his tie and slid it off his neck. “Did you think about me all day?”

Yearning filled what little space there was between us as he knotted his fingers through my hair. We were so close our mouths nearly touched. “Trying to turn the tables on me, kitten? If I remember correctly, it was
you
who had all the thinking to do.”

The gentle but firm tug he gave my hair resonated deep within me. A little smile pulled at his mouth when I tried to move.

“I have you just where I want you, Lia. Tell me” -he nipped at my bottom lip- “every thought that crossed your mind.”

I’d have figured by this point in our relationship I’d be a little more immune to his level of seduction but I wasn’t and he knew it. If that satisfied grin on his face wasn’t so damn hot I’d have been able to form some sort of response. Leveling a dangerously sexy stare at me, he wet his lips.

“Are you going to tell me?”

“I’m going to show you,” I replied in a much lower, much more seductive tone than I normally used. Alastair’s grin grew larger but he wouldn’t loosen his grip on me.

“Fancy a shag on the desk, do you?” He pulled on my hair again. “I’d rather you come to my office building for that.” He sucked on my earlobe, making me squirm with pleasure. “I’ll spread you out on my big desk and have you for lunch. I do like the way you taste.”

An animalistic, guttural moan rushed out of my mouth so hard I clutched onto the back of the chair. I swear, his level of sexy should be illegal.

“Is my kitten enjoying herself?” he asked, keeping his mouth so close to my ear I could feel his lips brushing against it. I’d be lying if I said no. This more aggressive side of his had me firing on all cylinders.

Peeling my fingers off the chair, I ripped his shirt open. Blinded by the raging lust that overpowered me, I couldn’t move my hands fast enough to undo his belt. If I didn’t have mind-blowing sex with him right now, I’d go insane.

I stood up and yanked my dress over my head, dropping it to the floor in an unceremonious heap. Pushing himself off the chair like a predator about to strike, he pulled me against his body.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” I said, grabbing at the waistband of his pants.

I was a split second away from shoving him back onto the chair so I could mount him when I was halted by the detached way he looked at me.

“What is it?” I asked.

Shaking his head, he lifted my left hand and turned it towards the light so the diamond and emeralds sparkled. Immense sadness seized his beautiful face for the briefest of seconds but it was enough to deflate my mood.

“This was my mum’s ring,” he said in hushed tone. “It’s been sitting in a box at the house in Ascot for years. My aunt told me it was mine to give to the girl I wanted to marry.”

Oh my God…NOW he wants to get all emotional?

“She would have liked you.”

Partly controlled by my ravenous libido and partly by my fierce love for him, I lunged forward, knocking him back onto the chair and climbed on his lap. Holding both sides of his face, I covered him in kisses before hugging him tight. I knew how difficult it was for him to talk about his parents. Running my knuckles down his cheek, I tried to compose myself. I think he sensed I was having a problem with that and smirked.

“Did I interrupt your saucy ways by being too soppy?”

“Yes.”

He arched an eyebrow.

“Shit. I mean…you didn’t but…” I was so wired and flustered that nothing was coming out right. “You just have me so turned on and I’m a little buzzed and then you drop that on me out of the blue and it…what you said is so sweet and romantic and I just…I’m so focused on wanting to…to fuck your brains out that—”

“You thought it was sweet and romantic?”

“I…yeah. Who wouldn’t? It’s your mom’s ring. And coming from you that means a lot to me.”

“Does it?”

“Of course, Alastair. But you could have given me a plastic ring from a toy dispenser at a bowling alley and I would have loved it all the same because it’s from
you
.”

He looked thoughtful. “So I’ve finally conquered being cheesy, then?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “For now, Mr. No-Relationships-Non-Dater.”

“You,” he grabbed my waist and squeezed, “are asking for trouble.”

“No. You are. I was all ready to—”

“Fuck my brains out?” The dominant spark returned to his eyes, which drove me wild.

“If you keep interrupting me, then no.”

He squeezed my waist harder, making me jump. “I’m going to keep you up all night, kitten.”

“You don’t have an off switch, do you?”

“Not when it comes to you.” Running the pad of his thumb along my mouth, he remained quiet for several seconds. The same sadness that ghosted across his face before returned.

“Hey,” I said. “What’s going on in there?”

My pulse revved up as he caressed my cheek. A suffocating aura of want enveloped us. Hovering his lips above mine he said, “I love you.”

The vulnerable edge to his tone hit me hard. Hearing him say those words to me was a rare occasion. Sure, he showed me in so many ways all the time but hearing it? I never thought three little words could light up my entire being the way they did coming from him.

Without saying a word, I stood up and led him to the bedroom where I peeled off the rest of his clothes. He finished undressing me, brushing his fingers over every inch of my hyper-sensitive flesh before pulling me down on the mattress.

We remained tangled together in comfortable silence for awhile. I thought maybe he’d nod off seeing as I kept running my fingers through his hair and his breathing had become deep and heavy.

I knew on some level he was still struggling with finding a balance between trusting his emotions and keeping them protected. Shifting slightly on the bed, he inadvertently flexed his hips into mine kicking my heart rate up to a frantic pace. I heard a small moan vibrate in his throat. We were breathing in unison now. When he opened his eyes I inhaled sharply. Gone was the sadness. It was replaced by a craving so powerful I could feel it cloaking my body.

“All night, Lia,” he growled, rolling on top of me, the muscles in his face taut with lust and want.

At the rate we were going, we’d never sleep another full night for the rest of our lives. Not that I particularly cared. Feeling him inside me and knowing all of his love and attention was focused only on me was intoxicating. So were his soft moans and the unfiltered way he looked at me as we possessed one another, grabbing, caressing and claiming.

We were so connected now, so completely whole as a couple that we were unbreakable.

* * *

The next morning we showered together and spent our time talking, laughing and enjoying one another’s company. I loved watching Alastair when he was carefree and smiling. The way he carried himself with such quiet control always hit all my hot buttons but seeing him relaxed and sated made him even more beautiful.