LOVE AND HATE (A Billionaire Romance) (34 page)

“Thank you for a great day,” she said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

***

Claire jumped out of her sleep with a smile on her face and a glow deep inside her. She remembered how that used to feel so many years ago; she felt especially blissful this morning.

She threw the covers back and leapt from the bed. She checked the clock on the bedside table and saw that it read a quarter to seven. Her alarm had been set for nine. She sighed and went to the bathroom; she might as well wash up. She wouldn’t go back to sleep. As a matter of fact, she couldn't remember the last time she’d felt more awake. Her mind snagged on Chance, and she remembered how his lips felt on hers. She touched them in lieu of the actual kiss she would have preferred.

It was too early for breakfast, so she pulled the robe tighter around her and ventured onto the balcony. She slid the lattice doors back and saw Chance doing the same. The sight of him left her breathless, and she gripped the door, watching him watch her. His lips curled upwards, and her heart skipped several beats.

She eventually found her voice and mobility and moved to the rail as well. "I find it a strange coincidence," she told him and folded her arms.

"What?" he asked her.

"That you just happen to be in the room directly across from mine," she replied, laughing.

“I needed to keep an eye on you," he said nonchalantly. “Besides, it’s a nice view from here.”

Claire blushed at his insinuation. "I bet," she giggled.

"So, what are your plans for today?" he asked her.

"I'm doing it," she said and waved her hands around.

"You have got to be kidding me," he said. "You want to stay in on a day like this? Come on!"

"Well, Amy is busy, or I think she will be, and so is my mom. I think I’m on my own,” Claire said, hoping he’d take the bait and offer her company.

“Not with me around,” he beamed. “I can find something for us to do.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yes,” he told her. “Right after breakfast?”

“Why not?” Claire shrugged. Not like she had anything better to do. She hadn’t seen Amy for a while, and the last time she had, she had been with some guy. Chance wasn’t a bad way to spend the day, so she waved and went back inside.

She had just finished dressing and was heading downstairs when she ran into Willow in the hallway. “Mom?”

“Why does that sound as if you aren’t certain?” Willow asked.

“Because I haven’t seen you much since we got here,” Claire said. “That mystery guy has made you wild.”

Willow blushed and fluffed her hair. “Perhaps.”

“And I take it you are off to see him now?”

“As a matter of fact, I am,” Willow said. “You should probably do the same. I’ve seen a lot of good looking men out here.”

“Mom!” Claire exclaimed with a laugh. It was embarrassing talking about men with her mom.

“Just have some fun, Claire. Please? For me.” Willow kissed her on the cheek. “See you later.”

“Bye, Mom,” Claire replied. She turned to Amy’s door and knocked. There was no answer. “Amy!” She could hear shuffling inside, so she placed her ears at the door to discern what was happening. “Amy!” she called again and pounded on the door.

“Hold on,” she heard a muffled voice say from the inside before the lock clicked and Amy stuck her head out the crack.

“Yep!” she said, clearing her throat. “What?”

Claire narrowed her eyes and tried to look around Amy. She shifted to her right to prevent Claire from seeing inside. Realization hit Claire and her mouth fell open. “Is there a man in there?” she asked in shock.

“Uh-huh,” Amy giggled.

“Oh, my God.” Claire tried to look again.

“Get back,” Amy said and gave her a little shove into the hallway. “So, I need to…um…get back,” she whispered.

“Okay,” Claire laughed. When Amy went back inside, pangs of loneliness hit her, and she was suddenly eager to see Chance. It seemed as if her mom and Amy had deliberately set her up with Chance, but she knew that wasn’t possible. She headed downstairs to get breakfast.

“Ready?” she heard a voice say on her left. When she looked, he dodged her and came up on her right.

“Chance, you can be such a kid,” she smiled to ease the sting of her words. “Have you already eaten breakfast?”

“We can do that elsewhere,” he told her and took her hand.

“Where are we going?” she asked him.

“You’ll see,” he told her with a wink.

He led her to a limo waiting for them and ushered her into the back. He followed after and told the driver to take them to the marina. Her eyes widened when she saw the boats and yachts lined up there, and she looked at Chance expectantly.

He helped her from the car. “Let’s go see St. Lucia in style.” Claire gripped his hand nervously as she followed him.

They got on a yacht named Rosie, and he whispered something to a man standing on the boardwalk. The man nodded and walked away, and Chance signaled for her to follow him. When Claire stepped onto the main deck of the yacht, she felt as if she had been transported to a different world. If she had been blindfolded before boarding, she would have mistaken the place for a five-star hotel.

“Wow,” she whispered as she looked around and followed him to the lower deck. “Where did you get this? And how much did you pay to rent this? Chance, this is too much,” she started, feeling guilty he might be spending that much money for her when they would separate in a matter of days.

“It’s not rented,” he explained as he walked to the bar in the corner and poured himself a drink.

Claire’s eyes widened at his announcement. “This…it’s…” she stammered as she struggled to find words.

Chance smiled at her. “This belonged to my mother. Dad gave it to her for her birthday some years ago. She willed it to me.” He turned to her with a smile and offered her a drink.

“What happened to your mom?” Claire asked.

“She died. Years ago.”

“I’m so sorry, Chance.”

“Thanks, it’s okay. But yeah, she wanted me to own the boat, so now it’s mine.”

“She must have been amazing.”

“Yes, she was. But Dad needs to move on and find happiness soon. He’s long overdue,” Chance said. “But come on, take off your shoes and kick back.”

Claire laughed. “So your mom got this for her birthday? Wow. The best gift I ever got was a trip to the spa.”

Chance laughed as well and sputtered in his drink. “Now you made me mess up my good shirt.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that is the best one you have,” she replied sarcastically.

“It was. I wore it especially for you.”

“I can imagine,” Claire said. Then the vessel shook as it moved onto open waters. She tried to hold on to a nearby railing.

“You okay?” Chance asked, moving close to her and holding her.

Claire felt her throat dry out as a sudden heat surged through her body and ended between her legs. This would never do! She hoped he didn’t notice her reaction to his touch. She tried to distract him by talking. “I hope I don’t get seasick.”

“You won’t; Chris is one of the best sailors I know. You want to go back up top?”

“Sure,” she said, wondering what he had in store for her up there.

Chance held her hands and led her up the one flight of stairs and onto the main deck again. There she found breakfast ready and waiting. She turned to him and smiled.

“This is nice,” she giggled. “Must be nice to own a boat.”

“Very nice, actually,” he smiled as he led her to the table and pulled a chair for her. Every kind of breakfast food was represented on the table, and she indulged in a few familiar goodies. “Are you watching your weight?” he asked as he stuffed just about everything in his mouth.

“I’m never on a diet; however, not everyone can eat like that and still look the way you do. As a matter of fact, women put on weight much easier than men.”

“That’s because we are more active. We don’t just stand around and stare at the mirror,” he teased.

“Oh, I don’t do that,” she defended. “It has to do with our makeup.”

Claire could hardly believe how easy it was to be around him. He made her feel simply good. It wasn’t just his beautiful face; he had a stubborn and persistent streak she loved. There was something special about him, and she wouldn’t mind getting to know him a little better. Suddenly she realized they had been quiet for some time, and he was staring at her.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked him.

“I just love the way you laugh,” he admitted. “It makes me want to make sure you always do.”

“I will be leaving here in four days. Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?” she asked. “Who knows if I’ll see you again.”

“You will,” he told her. “You certainly will.”

There was a long and uncomfortable silence filled with thoughts floating around in the vacant space. Claire wasn’t quick to admit it, but there was no denying she wanted to be with him in that moment. She could see that he wanted her, too, but she wasn’t about to blow her cover. As far as he knew, she was hard-headed, so she would leave the work to him.

She could see it in his eyes that he was trying to read her thoughts because they showed visibly on her face, and she wasn’t surprised when he got up and kissed her. Claire’s lips parted, and she received him gladly. She closed her eyes and forgot about everything that made her sad and all the reasons she had come to this beautiful place. All she could think about was Chance and the way his lips moved over hers. Her hands involuntarily went up, locked at his nape, and pulled him closer.

Suddenly he rose and took her hands to lead her to a room. He passed the bar she had seen earlier and opened a door with the most elegant décor. Her heart was racing as she realized what was happening, but she had no intention of stopping him. He looked at her as if to get her consent, then he started kissing her again. He tugged at her lips with force as all his needs hit the surface, and he pulled her aggressively towards him. Claire slammed into his hard chest, but she showed no signs of discomfort as she allowed his free hand to roam her body.

She shifted on her legs to quell the rising tide of need. She was breathing hard by the time Chance slipped his hand inside her blouse and covered her left breast. He moaned then, and Claire let her head fall back and moaned when he buried his head at the base of her throat. His tongue danced along her skin as his finger tickled her taut nipples. When he let her go and led her to the bed, her hands were working at unbuttoning his shirt. She bit her lip when she did, and he watched her work. When she was done, he did the same, taking meticulous care to remove her top slowly and gently.

Claire’s chest was heaving as she sat on the bed and lifted her feet so he could pull off her leggings to reveal silk black underwear that easily came off with his teeth. Chance kept his eyes on hers the entire time, perhaps scared that she would disappear if he moved them. Slowly he eased her back onto soft pillows, and Claire shivered as his hot lips came into contact with her skin. His tongue started at her earlobes and slowly moved down to her neck and made patterns on her firm breasts. He sucked them both, circling his tongue on nipples hard and ready for the taking.

He made a trail downwards as he nibbled her sides and sank the tip of his tongue into her belly button. Claire gripped a handful of his golden hair as he ventured even further, and she could almost see the steam rising when his lips found her clit. He began massaging it, threatening to drive her crazy.

Slowly he stepped out of his pants and knelt on the bed next to her. He raised her buttocks from the bed and positioned his cock next to her pussy. He looked at her for consent, and Claire nodded wildly. He kissed her inner thigh and slowly guided his cock deep within her.

Claire almost screamed.

She gripped the bed linen as Chance moved in her, gently at first, allowing her to adjust to the girth of his cock. When she seemed comfortable, he started thrusting faster and harder. Claire wasn’t experienced with sex, but she had some moves of her own; she started gyrating in that same position with just her upper body resting on the bed. Chance held her hips in place as he sank into her again and again, and Claire let go of the sheets and pinched his nipples. Chance’s head fell back as he was overcome with pleasure, and he started thrusting faster.

Suddenly, he stopped and flipped her onto her stomach, gripping her ass as he forced himself into her tight pussy once more. He moaned as he felt her pussy walls cling to him, and Claire buried her head in the pillow to muffle her own screams. The more he thrust into her, the more she moaned and groaned until a warm sensation started spreading through her body and in her pussy. She was coming for the first time in her life, and it felt good. She grabbed every part of his body that her hands could reach, digging her nails into his skin as the orgasm overtook her. She felt him sink deeper and deeper into her, and he groaned loudly just as he squeezed her hips and emptied himself inside her. He remained in that position until their breathing resumed normalcy, then he fell next to her.

Claire straightened herself and relaxed on her stomach, her face turned towards him. Something about being with him felt right, and she wondered how easily she had given herself to him when she had never done the same with Trent. She smiled at him, and he used his forefinger to sweep back the hairs clinging to her forehead. They remained in blissful silence, enjoying the bobbing of the yacht as it circled the bay.