Reluctant Surrender (24 page)

Waving her hand she made a
pffft
sound. “Oh, that? It was no biggie.”

He came forward and pinned her with a direct stare. “It was to us. Me more precisely, and I can’t tell you how fascinated I was when I discovered my two business partners, who make it their personal crusade to bend women to their wills, couldn’t get one pain-in-the-ass blogging photographer to change her set location even after she was asked nicely to do so.”

“Huh.”

She really was a piece of work. Standing there pretending she couldn’t imagine herself being so obstinate. “So, being forced to call you, I wasn’t happy about it until I had you on the phone. That’s when everything changed for me.”

She tilted her head. “It did?”

“Yes. Would you like to know why?”

“Sure.”

“You said no.”

“I did?”

He nodded.

“Well, you won in the end. Because I eventually agreed to use the backdrop of the fountain. Didn’t I?”

“It took me seven minutes and thirty-three seconds to make you comply.”

She mouthed the word “wow”. It wasn’t the first time she’d done that. He was almost getting used to her expressive displays. “You timed it?”

“Yes I did. It was the best stand-off I’d had in years. And when you finally capitulated there was a soft inflection in your voice. The kind of tone I pay particular attention to because when I hear that it says to me, ‘I defer to you. I give in. I surrender.’”

Her mouth dropped open. “You got all that from one okay?’”

“Yes, and I heard that same ‘okay’ from you today.” She looked as though she were getting uncomfortable, so he asked, “Tell me something you’ve learned about yourself since being here.” He expected her to say something flip or glib, like she hated kale chips or wanted the bigger desk. When she came and sat on the stool beside him and drummed her fingers on the counter he practically held his breath. She was giving her answer serious thought before she offered it.

“I’m hoping you’ll understand this when I say I feel like I’m on vacation being around you. You make me calm or something. It’s really weird.”

“It’s structure.”

Her fingers stopped tapping and she grumbled, “I knew I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Why do you do that?”

She swung around. “What?”

“Turn away when you talk? I don’t like it.”

Her eyebrows rose.

“I don’t like that either.”

She blew her cheeks up and then let the air seep out between her lips like a leaky tire. “You make me nervous. Sometimes. I don’t mean like all the time. But God,” falling forward she held out her arms, “you’re so…”

“Mysterious?” he offered, hoping to throw that back at her and put her at ease. He knew what kind of a hard time she was having. She had acute feelings he wasn’t allowing her to act on and being as stubborn, impulsive and intelligent as she was, it had to be killing her. All in all, he figured she was doing great.

Of course, right about now you wouldn’t know it. She straightened up slowly and countered, “I was going for bossy, but I’ll work with you on this one. And that said, what have you learned since I’ve come here?”

The way she flicked off an imaginary piece of lint from her shoulder and was barely paying him any mind at the moment told him she didn’t think he’d admit to learning jack squat about anything. “You’re a lost little girl, Colin, with a hole in your heart. Thanks to your father.” He trailed a finger from her neck to her left breast. “The moment he broke your mother’s heart he crushed you.” Gently patting the area on her chest, right where her heart beat he told her, “I’ve found it, Colin, and I intend to fill it with something that is for you alone.”

He watched while she tried to decide how to handle this curve ball. He was expecting her inner brat to rise to the occasion and he wasn’t disappointed.

“Sorry to tell you there, buddy, but I’m
so
over my dad and his little troglodyte, it ain’t funny.”

Taking a deep breath, he stretched out his back. “Not ain’t. Isn’t. And I’m not your buddy.” She narrowed her eyes at him and he warned, “Careful, Colin.”

“Why? You gonna make me eat more of those disgusting chips?”

“No. I’m going to leave you to yourself for a while.”

When he stood, she sputtered, “W-what? Where are you going?”

He didn’t answer that question, but offered, “When you’re in a better frame of mind I’ll be available. Until then I won’t.”

He walked away. Without a backward glance or giving her second chance, he left her. It was hard, because he knew she couldn’t help herself, but to his way of thinking, she had to. She needed to learn how to deal with that part of her personality because so far in her life she hadn’t. A byproduct of her guilt-ridden father. Clearly he let her get away with her sass and belligerence. That wasn’t going to be tolerated on his watch. She needed to come to him if they were to tame this bratty side of her personality. And tame it they would.

Once in his room, he took a moment. He needed to have all his wits about him because she was going to show up and when she did he wanted to be perfectly positioned on the bed. In preparation, he plumped the pillows behind his back, stretched his legs out and waited. He used the time to go over some paperwork Alistair had given him.

When she knocked he checked his watch and smiled. That hadn’t taken long. He tossed the papers aside and slid down in the bed.

Knock, knock.

“Ethan?”

He didn’t answer. Instead he closed his eyes, sprawled out totally relaxed.

“Ethan?” The door creaked opened and he didn’t move. He barely breathed. He wanted her close. “Ethan?” It sounded as if she were coming forward. It also sounded as if she were worried. “Ethan!”

It was all he could do to remain still and calm. She was close. Real close now. He waited until she was right beside him and then he pounced. Springing up, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her over him, letting her slide seductively across him until she landed flat on her back beside him. Leaning over her he growled, “Gotcha. Right where I want you.”

He was expecting her to demand her release. Scream bloody murder. Hit him. So when she only scrunched her nose up and looked him dead serious in the eyes and said, “Really?” he deflated.

His forehead came down to hers as he whispered, “Yes, really.”

She didn’t move. She didn’t speak, but her pleased smile was enough of an invitation for him to reach up and sink his hands in her hair. God, her hair sprang to life under his touch. “Your hair is so soft.”

“It’s—”

He didn’t let her finish telling him that it was a curse. Instead, he pushed her chin up with his thumb and kissed her. Long and slow. Sapping any resistance from her. She tasted sweet, like warm peaches and honey. The flavor of her burned him to the core, firing his need to possess, but he had to go slow. Be careful. Reluctantly he broke from her lips and nudged the side of her cheek with his jaw. “Umm…you taste good.” Dipping down, he caught her earlobe between his teeth and pulled.

“Hey.” Her shoulder came up in a shrug as she sensually rubbed her ear against where he’d tugged. The unconscious action sent a bolt of lust to his groin. “That’s my lip gloss you’re tasting.”

“So literal.” He bent forward and released a breath in her ear. “I can’t get over it. Your skin is like silk.” He slipped a hand under her shirt and skimmed the surface of her midriff until his fingertips touched the elastic ribbing on her bra. “I thought I took this away from you today? I want it off you.”

“Ethan.” She took hold of his jaw and squeezed. “Kiss me? Please?”

“Oh yeah.” He descended. Gentle at first until momentum built and he increased pressure as her mouth opened, giving him access to the hotness inside. God, her tongue connecting with his was like burning velvet. She was fire. Electric almost. And her hands? They raked through his hair, gathering and pulling him in tight.

He liked her aggression, providing she knew when to give it up.

When he shifted, she squirmed. He adjusted, she wiggled. He pulled, she pushed.

Fuck, she tasted good. And her tight little body molded against him perfectly. All warm and eager. He enjoyed the moment until her arms impatiently locked around his shoulders and her legs restlessly shifted, attempting to spread. A clear indication she wanted more. But this wasn’t about what she wanted.

“Colin?”

“Y-yes?” She didn’t let go of his hair. She didn’t even open her eyes. She just licked her lips.

“I’m going to give you something most women never get the chance to experience.”

“Okay.”

“I’m going to let you get angry at me for saying no.”

It took a few seconds, but crinkles appeared on her brow. Her hips stopped flexing and her hands eased in his hair. “I don’t understand.”

“You haven’t earned the privilege. Not yet.”

Her eyes opened and he knew that his words had registered when he saw the devastation in her eyes. “You want me to leave? But I thought…”

When she hesitated, he prompted, “You thought what? That if you came in here and threw yourself at me I’d bite and fuck your brains out?”

God love her, she nodded.

His leaned down, nose-to-nose with her. “No, honey, I’m sorry, but I’m not that easy.”

“You’re serious. You really want me to leave?”

He rubbed his nose against hers. “Don’t cry.”

“Don’t— What do you expect me to do? Thank you?”

He moved off her and eased back against the pillows. Fitting his hands behind his head he said, “Don’t be glib. I expect you to earn the privilege. Are you up for it, honey?”

She flipped over onto her stomach and eyed him through her shimmering tears.

He wasn’t going to be swayed by them. “Do you think you can convince me, baby girl?” When her eyes darkened, he added, “I want you to try.”

Chapter Fourteen

The instant Colin heard the endearment baby girl she was tingling. The way he said it, combined with his heated expression brought her right back to this morning and everything he’d done to her in front of that mirror.

“I want to try too,” she whispered.

He didn’t say anything to that. He didn’t move either. Clearly, she was on her own with this so she chose to do the one thing she was sure would clinch the deal. She shimmied toward the footboard of his huge bed, intent on heading south. She’d just gotten her hands on his belt when he spoke.

“What are you doing?”

She was actually biting her lip, trying to figure out how his fancy belt unbuckled, but stopped mid-tug and looked up. “I’m,” she eyed his fly pointedly, then shifted her gaze back to his and waggled her brows, “you know.”

Before she had a chance to blink he’d hauled her up until she was lying across his chest. “Don’t insult me.”

The gold flecks in his eyes gleamed and she gulped. “I wasn’t going to insult you. I was going to give you a blowjob.”

His grip on her arms eased when he sighed. “I know in your vast vanilla experience, sucking a guy off reigns supreme, but in my world things are different.”

“You don’t like to be—” Geez, there was no delicate way to finish this sentence. “Um, sucked off?”

“I like it just fine, Colin, and you will too when you earn the right to do it.”

Man, if she had a nickel for every time her jaw was left swinging by his abrupt statements she’d probably have enough dough to go on her dream trip to the Dominican. “Excuse me?”

“You don’t get to enjoy any part of my body. Especially that part, until you earn the privilege to do so.”

She blinked, trying to connect the dots. “But I thought…”

“You thought you could be forgiven for your earlier rudeness by giving me head.”

Damn. Her frying cheeks spelled guilty. No way to brazen her way around this one. “Yes.”

His eyes widened. Just a little, but enough for her to experience the satisfaction of knowing she’d surprised him with her honesty. Although by the way he calmly spoke you’d never know it.

“No. Sex is not what you need to do to get between my sheets. If you think things through and make an intelligent effort, sex will be the reward you get when I finally invite you into my bed.”

She sat up so fast her hair flopped in her face. Huffing it out of the way, she scowled. “What was with the gotcha? You said you had me right were you wanted me, when it’s clear you don’t.”

His eyes never left her. “Oh, make no mistake. My bed is where I want you. Once you’re prepared to do what you need to do to please me. And as to that list? Sex isn’t on it.”

She let his words sink in while she tried not to melt. His voice rumbled, low and sexy. He probably did it on purpose, just to rub it in because given a minute to think about the list, she was coming up empty. She had zip. Nada. How the hell did a woman please a man without giving him sex?

“You’ll have to figure it out.”

Yes. He read minds.
Dammit.

“But I’m going to make it easy for you.” Rolling over onto his side, he rested his head in his palm. “I want you to go to your room. Sit on the right side of your bed and think long and hard about how I’m not your buddy. I want you to revisit the comment you made to me about your father. I want you to see the
you
I saw in that moment. You have two hours to come up with an explanation and an apology.”

It wouldn’t take her two hours. Already she knew what a brat she must have looked like. “I’m sorry.”

He ignored this, adding, “At the end of the two hours I want you to change into something that you think will please me and then I want you to come back here. At that time you can show me how sorry you are.”

“No sex?” she asked, wanting to be clear. Because without sex involved she had absolutely no idea how she was going to accomplish this.

“No.” He lifted his arm off his hip to check his watch. “Your two hours starts now, Colin.”

She had just reached the door when he called, “Remember to sit on the right side of your bed.”

A minute later she knew why he’d instructed her to do that. Sitting on the left side, she’d be able to view the lake. On the right? Nothing but striped wallpaper. Not even a picture to distract her.