High (14 page)

“Oh, but it is. You had me at your
mercy just now. I wasn’t ready to come but you worked me with that wicked
tongue and that gorgeous mouth of yours. I blew my load long before I was ready
to. Now, it’s your turn to suffer.”

He lowered his head and blew a hot
breath on her clit. He held her down as she jerked and blew again then flicked
his tongue against her nerve-filled nub.

“Oh!”

“More?”

“Yes!”

He flicked his tongue several times
then pulled her clit into his mouth, the proceeded to suck on his like it was
his favorite candy.

Brutal pleasure screamed through her
and stars danced behind her clamped eyelids. Tension screamed through her
thighs as her sex clenched around his probing tongue.

“So fucking greedy,” he crooned.

He stabbed his tongue deeper and
Bethany bit down hard on the pillow to stop her from begging him to finish her
off. Sliding his fingers through her wet slit, he worked his way to her other
tight opening. At the first touch of his thumb pressing down, a different sort
of pleasure ploughed through her.

The triple sensation of finger, tongue
and mouth finally pushed her over the edge. She screamed her climax as she
gushed into his mouth. Shudders rolled over her as he drank her in, his tongue
lapping her over and over as he swallowed every creamy drop.

Caressing his body over hers, he rested
on his elbows and nuzzled his cheek against hers. “Feel good?”

“Hmmm. Better than good.” She felt limp,
floating on a sea of sheer bliss. Somehow, she found the strength to lower her
legs, grateful when he didn’t protest.

Of course, she found out a second later
he had other plans when flipped her over and positioned his cock at her
entrance.

Renewed excitement slammed inside her
as she gazed up into his gorgeous face. The ravenous hunger was still there.
When he kissed her with such bruising intensity, she tasted her juices on his
lips. The mouth that had devoured her sex moments ago now devoured her mouth.
Then he was trailing hot kisses all over her face, along her jaw to her
earlobe.

“Condom or no?” he rasped in her ear.

Although she’d known this moment would
come, Bethany froze at the question. She was stepping into totally unknown
territory here.
And not just physically.
This was a
first for both of them. Once she took this step, there would be no going back.

But then she’d already strayed further
out of her comfort zone than she ever had before. The moment she’d set eyes on
Zachary Savage, she’d been lost. He was like no other man she’d ever met.

And she believed him when he said he
would protect her.

She looked into his eyes. “I want to
feel your skin against mine. Inside me.”

His eyes darkened and his breath punched
from his chest. “Peaches,” he breathed.

One hand slid beneath her nape the
other caught her knee and curved it over his hip.

Slowly, he slid into her, inch by
delicious inch. The sensation was glorious, raw and earthy. Her tissues, swollen
by the force of her earlier orgasm, stretched as he pushed deeper inside her.
The head of his cock touched the edge of her womb, brushed that secret place
that made her whole body tingle with super-sensitive delight.

“Zach…”

“I know, baby. I feel it too.” Jaw
gritted tight, he pulled back and glanced down her body to his cock, glistening
with her slick juices. “God,” he groaned. He slammed back inside her, his
movements not as refined as before. A deep shudder rocked him from head to toe,
and she bit her lip with the profound knowledge that she was doing this to him.

Bethany stretched her legs wider to
accommodate him, to accommodate the overwhelming sensation of being fucked raw
for the first time in her life. When he lowered his head, she surged up to meet
his kiss.

Her mouth fused to his and clinging
onto his shoulders for dear life, she met him thrust for thrust, sucking him
greedily into her body each time. His groans escalated into prolonged moans as
he fought for breath.

Ecstasy danced close, teasing her with
its promise of the best climax of her life. The anticipation was almost as bad
as the unraveling. “Oh, God… I can’t…it’s too much, Zach!”

He fisted his hands onto her hair and
held her still. “You can. Just a little bit longer, baby. It’ll be worth it, I
promise.” He rocked his hips in a series of deep, stabbing moves that had her
gasping.

“It’s worth it now.
More
than worth it.
Please…I want to come so bad!” She tightened her thighs
around his waist and squeezed, feeling the tell-tale euphoria steal over her.

“That’s it, baby. Squeeze me with your
sweet, tight cunt.” He lowered his head and pulled one hard nipple into his
mouth.

The sensation transmitted straight to
the hunger between her legs, causing her muscles to spasm. She came long and hard
with a force that rocked her from head to toe.

“Fuck!” Zach groaned. “I’m going to
come so hard for you, Peaches.” His shouted release was the deepest she’d
heard. Hot semen flooded into her with such force that she feared she would
drown from it. Endlessly he spurted, his gasps music to her ears as he
shuddered helplessly in her arms.

The thought that this was his first
time sent a powerful sensation through her. She soothed a hand down his back
until his shudders gentled into occasional spasms, and she didn’t care one iota
that his weight crushed her into the bed.

After endless minutes, he lifted his
head. “I’m sorry, I know I’m crushing you but I can’t move.” His body jerked
again.

“I’m okay. Besides, I can’t move
either.”

He laughed, then relaxed back into her
arms. “Hey, Peaches?”

“Hmm?”

“You might want to consider getting
full-body insurance. I can’t promise you won’t be permanently bow-legged by the
time I’m done with you.”

“Ditto,” she whispered in his ear.

His deep laugh resonated within her. “Let’s
hit the shower, then I’m giving you the grand tour.”

Chapter Twelve

“You have a ballroom?” Bethany gasped
and moved deeper into the large, circular room. Frescoes depicting turbaned
sultans and voluptuous half-naked servants colored the walls and soared up the Moroccan
ceilings. Beneath her feet, the marble floors gleamed with high polish and she
had no trouble imagining the room filled with beautiful people enjoying
beautiful music while sipping champagne and nibbling on canapés.

Unable to help herself, she twirled in
a perfect pirouette and gave a quick fist-pump that she hadn’t forgotten how.

Zach was smiling when she turned to
face him, his head tilted slightly as he watched her. “It came with the house.
It serves as a perfect entertainment center when I’m this close to Europe.”

“Wow. I seriously love it.” They had
passed the entrance to the room on their way to Zach’s bedroom but she hadn’t
had a chance to see it fully. She glanced around again and then
self-consciously tucked her hair behind her ears when she realized how intently
Zach watched her.

“Enough to do that pirouette thing for
me again?” he asked with another devastating smile.

With an answering smile, she stepped
back to give herself enough room. Then, raising herself on her toes, she
performed the move for him again then added a couple more just for good
measure.

When she finished her last twirl, he
caught her face in his hands and kissed her. “That was beautiful. Stay here. I
have a present for you.”

He left her standing in the middle of
the room and walked to where a box stood at the far side she hadn’t spotted
when they entered the room. Striding back to her, he held out the large,
ribboned box to her.

The most glorious satin ballet slippers
lay within luxury tissues. She caught sight of the specialized designer label
and gasped. “Oh, my God, Zach. These cost thousands of dollars!”

He shrugged and dropped the empty box.
“Money doesn’t matter. Do you like them?”

“Are you kidding? I love them!” Stupid
tears stung behind her lids. She forced them away and glanced up at him. “But I
don’t know when I’ll ever use them.”

“Have you given any thought to dancing
again, just for your own pleasure?”

“Not really. But I suppose it’s not out
of the question.” She stroked the slippers, the old yearning rising to the
fore. “I’ve put on too much weight to even think about it.”

“Bullshit. You’re perfect. If it makes
you happy, do it.”

Tears stung harder, and her heart did
that stupid little kick again. Suddenly breathing became difficult as
sensations that had nothing to do with sex pounded at her. She could fall for
this guy so very easily.

“Besides, my motives weren’t altogether
altruistic.”

She blinked. “Oh really?”

He shook his head, caught her around
the waist and twirled her once before pulling her close. “Ever since you told
me about your ballet training, I’ve dreamed of fucking you while you hold the
arabesque position,” he breathed into her mouth. He swallowed her gasp and let
her come up for air a full minute later.

“I think I’ve fallen into the arms of a
kinky freak.”

He laughed. “You have no idea.”

Taking the slippers from her, he placed
them back in the box, and set it down on the floor. He took her hand. After
kissing her knuckles, he wove his own through them and led them from the room.

The hallway held the same elaborate
frescoes but in a broader subject matter, leaning towards more Eastern
influences. “These are stunning,” she said.

“They were crumbling a little when I
bought the house. Restoration took a while, but I’m glad I stuck with it.”

“You keep calling it a house. I think
the right term is palace. It’s huge. Certainly more than big enough for one
person.”

He turned his face away from her. “I
needed a private place. It suited my purpose.”

He led her out onto a wraparound
terrace that overlooked the mountains. The air was dry and humid and stung her
lungs. But the combined scents of spices and clean air thrilled her sensory
receptors. She took another breath, turned around and saw the enormous hot tub.

Frozen, she stared at it.

Zach glanced from her stricken face to
the tub and back again. She heard him speak but her attention was riveted to
the sight in front of her.

“Bethany!”

She turned wide eyes to him.

“What is it?”

“I don’t…I don’t like water.”

He frowned. “It’s just a tub.”

She shook her head. “Not to me,” she
blurted.

His frown intensified. “Do you want to
leave?”

“No. I love this place.”

“Aside from the water.”

She tried for a shrug. “As long as you
don’t expect me to swim in the pool or take a bath with you, I think I’ll be okay.”

His eyes dimmed with disappointment and
he walked her back into the house. The rest of the tour was conducted in a
subdued manner. Each time they neared his pool or the fountain, he glanced
anxiously at her.

Bethany knew she’d grown pale by the
time they entered the bespoke kitchen. He led her to one of the large islands
and pulled out a stool for her. Pouring a glass of mineral water, he set it in
front of her.

“How long have you had a fear of
water?”

She shrugged. “I don’t remember when it
started exactly. But I nearly drowned when I was younger. Twice.
Once by accident.
And the other time…”

His eyes narrowed. “Someone
deliberately tried to drown you?”

She nodded.

“Who?” he breathed in that quietly
dangerous way she’d come to denote as fury. She’d heard the same note in his
voice when she’d talked about Chris.

The power behind it sent a shiver over
her skin. As cowardly as it was, she wanted the atmosphere gone. “It doesn’t
matter, Zach. I don’t want to talk about—”

“Who was it, Bethany?”

She passed a hand over her nape to
soothe the anxiety rushing through her. “Our neighbor’s son. He was a little
older than me and used to come over to swim in our pool when he was home from
college. I was fourteen at the time and he…he used to watch me.” She shrugged.
“I kinda had a little crush on him. But I never thought…”

“He would return the crush?”

“Yes. Anyway, one day he tried to kiss
me. Things got a little heavy. I tried to get him to stop. He got angry.”

“And he tried to fucking
drown
you? Where were your parents?” His
nostrils were pinched and his eyes were a dark, furious grey.

“They were next door with his parents.
It all happened so fast.”

“It only takes seconds, Bethany.” His
eyes grew stormier. “Did you tell your parents?”

“No.”

“Surely they must have wondered why you
didn’t swim anymore?”

She shrugged again. “I think they
assumed my old fear had come back. It’s not a big deal, Zach—”

“It is to me.” Cradling her face in his
large palms, he tilted her head and looked deep into her eyes. “You’ve suffered
two near-death experiences and contended with that asshole of an ex on top of
all that. It may not be much to you, but it’s a fucking big deal to me. Tell me
how to make it better,” he said.

Her heart lurched. “Zach, you don’t
need to,” she replied.

“I do. So many things could’ve kept you
from me. I will take away all of your fears, Bethany.
Each
and every one of them.
Or fucking die trying.”

Her gasp made them both freeze. His
eyes remained squarely on hers. Unwavering. Nonetheless, she felt him withdraw
slightly, as if he’d also realized the emotive and shocking meaning of his
words.

Abruptly, he dropped his hands. “Come
on. We’re almost done.”

She followed him, sedate on the
outside, raw and shaky on the inside. Lush plants, palm trees and luxury hammocks
made up the elaborately designed garden.

But again, Zach’s love of water was
what caught her attention.

The pool extended from underneath the
west side of the house and dissected the garden before dropping off in an
infinity-style design almost a hundred meters away. Lined in slate grey, the
bottom of the pool was almost indiscernible, escalating her nervousness.

Zach’s fingers curled around hers and
he forced her to stop.

“The water isn’t deep at this side. You
don’t need to come out here if you don’t want. The other side of the house has
a garden without a pool. If you need to come out here for any reason, I’ll be
with you. If not, a member of my staff will always be with you.”

She gave a jerky nod and his fingers
relaxed a touch.

He curled a hand over her nape and
pulled her close. “Don’t let the assholes win, Bethany. Just say the word and
I’ll help you put the bad memories to rest.”

She pulled back and looked into his
eyes. “Will you let me do the same for you?”

His eyes shadowed immediately and he
looked away, staring off towards the white peaks of the Atlas Mountains. “No
need, baby. I have my demons well and truly covered.”

“So you do have them?” she probed, her
heart stalling then accelerating in anticipation of finding out a little bit
more about this enigmatic man.

“Don’t we all?”

“That’s not really an answer, Zach.
You’re ready to cut down the people you think have wronged me but you refuse to
tell me even a little bit about what created those shadows in your eyes.”

His frown made her pulse stutter but
she refused to look away or cower from it. “They don’t impact us in any way, so
they’re irrelevant.”

Again she noted the evasive non-answer
and curbed the frustration rising inside her. In the grand scheme of things,
she was in danger of losing sight of the fact that she’d only known this man
for three days.

Three. Short. Days.

That it seemed as if a lifetime had
passed was something she’d have to keep reminding herself was possibly just in
her mind.

In all ways
except
carnal, they were virtual strangers.

Patience.

It wasn’t a virtue she possessed in
abundance but she knew deep down that Zachary Savage wasn’t a man you pushed.

Her stomach growled loudly, breaking
the tension.

The smile that replaced his frown held
a hint of relief. It was also blatantly calculated to fry her insides with its
brilliance. “I guess our final destination is now determined.” He tugged her
after him as he rushed through the rest of the tour.

Twelve bedrooms, fifteen bathrooms, a
golden domed tower room accessed by interconnecting arches and endless hallways
later, they ended up back in the lavish kitchen.

Ordering her to sit at the high stool set
into the center island, Zach strode to the giant fridge and started setting out
ingredients on the counter.

“Can I do anything?” she asked,
although secretly she wanted to do nothing more than sit and stare at the
graceful movements of the man who succeeded in taking her breath away even as
he performed the most mundane of tasks.

“You can get us some wine,” he
indicated the deep alcove that held rack after rack of wines. “I’m making us a
chicken couscous salad. Is that okay with you?”

She nodded as she slid off the stool
and went to wine chiller. She was by no means a wine connoisseur, but she
guessed that anything she chose from Zach’s selection would be a good choice, so
she grabbed the most familiar-looking label and returned to the island,
grabbing two glasses from the cabinet on her way.

Uncorking the wine, she poured and
passed him a glass.

Eyes on hers, he took a long sip, set
the glass down and moved the preparation to the center island. As he passed
her, he stopped and dropped a kiss on top of her head.

He grabbed a large glazed earthenware
pot and set it on the far side of the island.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a
tagine
pot.” He lit the portable fire underneath it before he
returned the middle of the island where the chopping board was set.

Sunlight slanting through the large bay
windows glinted off the knife and the short silky hairs on his wrist as he
chopped vegetables and diced chicken. He tossed the chicken into the pot with
herbs and a dash of oil then started on the salad.

“Where did you learn to cook?”

He shrugged. “Here and there. I picked
up quite a bit on my travels, but I don’t always get the chance to indulge.” He
looked up at her. “Forgive me if I’m a little bit rusty.”

“You’re talking to a girl whose other best
friend is the local Italian take-out menu. You won’t get any complaints from
me.” She took a sip of wine and told herself that watching him chop vegetables
really wasn’t as sexy as her jumpy hormones were trying to imply.