Nothing Like Love (13 page)

Oh, God.

She closed her eyes as sensation washed over her.

Zach was relentless, teasing her with wicked precision until every nerve ending in her body started to thrum. She was so wet . . . she should have been embarrassed, but she was too turned on to care. His fingers slid easily over her sensitive skin, circling and stroking and massaging until she started to squirm a little, restlessly, her body longing for release.

Not that she would get it, of course. Zach wouldn’t take this all the way. Would he?

No. That would be insane. Zach Hammond was not going to give her an orgasm on this airplane.

Then he slid two fingers inside her.

She gasped. “Oh, God, that feels so good. Oh, God, you have to stop.”

“Not a chance,” Zach told her, sounding as blasted by lust as she was.

He pushed his fingers in deep and withdrew them slowly. Simone wanted to thrash her body around, to arch against him, to writhe. But the need to stay still, to pretend nothing was happening, only added to the feverish excitement of this mad, impossible moment.

She couldn’t hold back a low moan when Zach added a third finger, stretching her and invading her. He settled his thumb on the bundle of nerves that ached for his touch, rubbing in hard, quick circles that drove her higher and higher until—

She threw her head back. Blinding waves of ecstasy swept through her as her nerves pulsed and throbbed. Zach drew his fingers from her body, but he pressed his palm against her, heightening the spasms of her climax until she thought she might fly to pieces.

Her heart thundered in her chest as she gasped for breath. Every inch of her skin was deliciously warm and every cell in her body quivered.

“Oh, my God,” she said when she was finally capable of speech. “I can’t believe that just happened.”

Zach’s talented hand was gone. She curled up in her seat to face him, her lap still decorously covered by the airplane blanket. A feeling of extravagant well-being suffused her and tiny aftershocks made her fingers and toes tingle.

“I can’t believe you did that,” she said, unable to stop smiling.

He ran the backs of his knuckles over her cheek. “Your face is flushed,” he told her, his blue eyes more wicked than she’d ever seen them.

“No kidding.”

He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, his hand lingering on the side of her face.

“You look so beautiful,” he said softly. “How do you feel?”

Ten minutes ago she’d been terrified to the point of panic, certain she was about to die in a fiery inferno. Death had loomed in front of her, ugly and inevitable.

And now?

Zach’s touch was making her shiver. Pleasure coursed through her, but it was more than pleasure.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“I feel alive.”

C
HAPTER
T
HIRTEEN

Z
ach had brought a lot of women to orgasm in his twenty years of dating, but he could honestly say that this particular encounter had been the most satisfying.

Not just because it had happened on an airplane, although that had contributed to the thrill. But it wasn’t the circumstance that had made this so exciting.

It was the woman.

Simone had said she felt alive, and that one word captured what drew him to her. She was more alive than anyone he’d ever met—more dynamic, more vital, more original. She was brilliant, funny, sexy . . . and she never did or said what he thought she would. The more he got to know her, the more he wanted to know.

There was no shyness or embarrassment about what had just happened between them. She wasn’t wondering what he thought of her now or second-guessing what they’d done. She loved how he made her feel and she was happy to let him know it.

Simone wasn’t a game player. She was as open and honest about her sexuality as she was about everything else.

He spoke without thinking. “You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met.”

“Oh, please,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I’ve seen pictures of some of the women you’ve dated.”

“You,” he said again, “are the sexiest woman I’ve ever met. The. Sexiest. Woman.”

She still didn’t believe him. “You can’t be serious.”

He picked up one of her hands in his. “You’re like fire. Like lightning. I get turned on just looking at you.”

She smiled at him. “Yeah? Well, you may not know this, but I get a little turned on by you, too.”

She looked so gorgeous curled up on her side like that, her big brown eyes sparkling and her face glowing with satisfied desire.

“I just have one question for you,” she went on.

“What is it?”

Her gaze dropped below his belt before she met his eyes again. “When do I get to return the favor?”

A rush of heat made him even harder than he was already. “Not on the plane,” he said huskily. “Too messy.”

She grinned at him wickedly. “Some things are worth getting sticky for.”

His whole body tightened. “Simone.”

“Yes?”

“Here’s the thing.”

“There’s a thing?”

“Yeah. So, you made it clear you don’t want anything to happen between us in Ireland.” He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “I’ve already told you I want to change your mind. The thing is, I’m going all-in. I want to sweep you off your feet and give you the most romantic two weeks of your life. I want to—”

“Yes.”

He blinked. “Just like that? I thought I’d have to work harder to persuade you.”

“Are you kidding? After the way you made me feel just now?” She shook her head slowly, her full mouth curving up in a smile. “If that’s a preview of coming attractions . . .”

“Oh, no,” he murmured, kissing her hand again. “I can do much better than that.”

“I’m not sure my body could handle anything better than that.”

He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I look forward to finding out.”

“Good evening,” a cheerful voice said behind him. “May I offer you something to drink?”

Zach settled back in his seat and cleared his throat. “Yes, please,” he told the flight attendant. “We’d like a bottle of champagne . . . and fresh strawberries, if you have them.”

“Certainly, sir.”

Simone had her eyebrows up when he turned back to her. “Champagne and strawberries? Wow.”

“I wanted to give you a taste of what the next two weeks are going to be like.”

“But we’re going to Ireland to work, not to play. We’ve got six performances to do.”

“We’ll still have plenty of free time. And don’t you remember where we’ll be staying?”

“County Clare, I think you said. On the west coast? You said your mother has a house there. That’s where the company is staying, right? Although it’s hard to imagine a house big enough to put up twenty people.”

“That’s because it’s not a house. It’s a castle.”

Her eyes widened. “A
castle
?”

“Yes. You really didn’t pay attention when I talked about this trip, did you?”

“Nope. My mind got stuck on the flying-across-the-Atlantic part and stayed there. I was too nervous about that to think about anything else.”

“You don’t seem nervous now.”

“I don’t feel nervous. I don’t know if I’m over my fear of flying, but I’m definitely a lot calmer than I was an hour ago.” She glanced over his shoulder. “And I think this will relax me even more.”

The flight attendant had returned. Since this was first class, there was room enough for a small table between them and the next row of seats. The steward covered it with a crisp, white tablecloth and set down an ice bucket and two champagne flutes, a bowl of perfectly red strawberries, and a selection of gourmet chocolates.

“This is positively decadent,” Simone murmured as the flight attendant poured them each a glass of champagne before departing. “You don’t have to spoil me like this to get me to put out, you know. I’ve already promised you sexual favors.”

Zach grinned. “For the next two weeks, I’m going to spoil you like you’ve never been spoiled before. I’m going to spoil you even if you don’t have sex with me. But if you
do
have sex with me, I guarantee you a very good time.” He held up his glass. “Here’s to a fortnight of pampering . . . in bed and everywhere else.”

Simone hesitated. “That sounds amazing, Zach—but I meant what I said. You don’t have to pamper me.”

“I know I don’t have to. But I want to. So let me.”

She didn’t look convinced, but she clinked her glass against his and took a sip. “Mmmm,” she said appreciatively. “Delicious.”

Zach held out a strawberry and she took a bite. “That’s delicious, too. So, Mr. Hammond . . . tell me about this castle. And tell me about your mom while you’re at it. It just occurred to me that you know a whole lot about my family and I don’t know anything about yours.”

“I’ll start with the castle, since that’s more fun.”

“More fun than your mom? I’m going to tell her you said that.”

He chuckled. “Julia Hammond would be the first to admit that the castle is the most entertaining thing about our family.”

Simone took another sip of champagne, following it up with one of the chocolates. “Okay, then—tell me about the castle.”

“Well. The current structure is only three hundred years old, but—”

“
Only
three hundred years old? That’s older than most of the buildings in America.”

“America is a young country. As I was saying, there’s been a castle on the site for more than eight hundred years.”

Simone looked impressed. “Eight hundred years? Wow. That’s a lot of history. Did you grow up there? No—you grew up in England. Didn’t you?”

He nodded. “My mother’s family is Irish, but my father was English. I grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon.”

“Shakespeare’s birthplace?”

“Right. We lived there until my father died.”

“How old were you when that happened?”

“I was twelve. He was a pilot in the RAF. He was killed in action in the first Gulf War, almost twenty-five years ago.”

Her eyes filled with sympathy. “Oh, Zach. That must have been so hard on you and your mom.”

He nodded. “She was devastated. She and my dad had a fairy-tale romance. It’s been more than two decades since his death, and she’s still in love with him.”

“She never remarried?”

“No. She never will.”

Simone looked surprised. “Never is a long time. You don’t think your mom might—”

“She worshiped my father. He was the love of her life. She said once that no man could ever compete with that, and she would never put someone in the position where he had to.”

Simone was quiet for a moment, and Zach felt an odd defensiveness rise in him. But then she changed the subject.

“So when did your mom go back to Ireland?”

“A few years ago. When the Irish economy went south, her family decided to turn the castle into a luxury hotel.”

“Oh, wow. Her childhood home. Was your mom upset?”

“Not at all. She loved the idea of sharing her favorite place with people from all around the world. Besides, innkeeping is her career—she ran a boutique hotel in London for years. When the family started discussing plans, my mum took charge of the project, and she’s been overseeing the renovations ever since. The place will open in September, which is why Mum was so excited about your company coming for a visit. It’s to be their dry run. We’re the hotel’s first guests.”

“We get to stay in a luxury castle hotel for free?”

“That’s right. So it’s not just you being pampered—it’s the whole company.” He grinned at her. “Of course, you might get a little special treatment . . .”

Just then the captain’s voice, indistinct, came on over the speaker system. Zach couldn’t understand what he was saying, but he could guess. The seat belt sign turned on, and the plane began to go through turbulence.

He fastened his seat belt and looked over at Simone. Her face was chalk white.

He checked her seat belt and then took her hand. “This is nothing to worry about,” he reassured her. “This happens on every flight I’ve ever been on. It’s completely normal.”

She nodded, but her eyes looked wide and frightened. When the turbulence became a little more severe, she clutched at him. “Oh, God,” she whispered. “I don’t want to die before we get a chance to sleep together.”

Even scared out of her wits she could still make him laugh. “I promise you that’s not going to happen.” He leaned in close. “Maybe I should try distracting you again.”

She shook her head. “No. Not that. But . . .” She looked at him.

“What?”

“Would you . . .”

“What, Simone? Tell me what you need.”

A flush came into her cheeks. “Would you kiss me?”

“God, yes.”

He slid his hands into her hair, pressed her back against the seat, and brought his mouth down on hers.

Her lips were as soft as he remembered, and as sweet. She made a little
mmmm
of pleasure as he urged her lips apart, and the sound went straight to his groin. His tongue stroked inside her mouth, thrusting against hers, imitating the act that was all he could think about. He was desperate to be inside her hot, sweet, perfect body, buried inside the fire and lightning of her until everything else burned away.

There was another spate of turbulence, and Simone’s grip on his arms tightened.

He hated that she was afraid. He wanted to soothe her, to comfort and protect her, to keep her safe from anything that might harm her. He wanted to drive away all her fears. He wanted to stand between her and anything that might cause her pain, whether it was real or imaginary.

He broke the kiss and looked into her eyes, his hands still framing her face. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She laughed a little shakily. “You’ll keep the plane from crashing?”

“Yes.”

“You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.” She took a deep breath. “But that’s the sweetest lie anyone’s ever told me.”

He smiled. “Did it work?”

“I’m not sure if it was that or the mind-blowing kiss, but I definitely feel better.” She paused. “Also, the turbulence seems to be over. Thank God.”

“The kissing doesn’t have to be, though.”

She started to say something, but she interrupted herself with a huge yawn. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I could actually sleep. I didn’t think that would ever be possible on a plane. Or that I’d ever choose sleeping over kissing.”

“You should,” he said immediately. “May I offer you a shoulder?”

She smiled up at him. “Yes.”

She kicked off her shoes and drew her legs up, tucking them underneath her. Then she nestled against him and rested her head against his upper arm.

Zach was surprised at the rush that went through him. It was a mixture of sensation and emotion—protectiveness, affection, and a strange sense of belonging, as though he and Simone just . . . fit, somehow.

He lifted the blanket off her lap and spread it over both of them. A flight attendant appeared and started to ask something, but Zach put his finger to his lips. The man nodded in understanding and mimed clearing the champagne and strawberries away. Once that was done, Zach glanced down at Simone.

She was asleep.

He, on the other hand, didn’t feel tired at all. A warm glow of well-being made him want to stay awake so he could enjoy it.

As the night wore on, he found himself building ridiculous fantasies in his mind. Was there really no possibility of a future for him and Simone? Was there a chance, for instance, that she might consider moving to England?

Probably not. But what about him? Would he consider moving to New York?

It was crazy to think like this. Once they were on the ground again he’d have to put these thoughts aside.

But when daylight came and their plane touched down, Zach wasn’t ready to let them go.

Did he have to? He wouldn’t say anything to Simone, of course—but he’d make sure she enjoyed the hell out of the next two weeks.

And then?

Then they’d see.