The Mistaken Escort's Pleasure: A Liaison Novel (11 page)

He led her to the bedroom and stripped her until she stood in her bra and panties.
 
She spotted a flare of heat in his eyes, but instead of touching her, he reached for the tee he’d left the last time he spent the night and slid it over her head.
 
Boldly, she watched as he stripped down to his boxers.
 
Her eyes traced every muscle on his chest and his stomach before her eyes slid down to his strong legs.
 
Her eyes moved back up his well-built and sexy body, memorizing as much as her tired brain would allow, and met his eyes with a feeling of breathlessness that he’d brought out in her.

The right side of his mouth curved up in a hint of a smile before he stepped toward her.

“Hop in.”
 
The covers were pulled down and he stepped back to give her room.

She crawled to her side of the bed, and the bed sank as he lay down next to her.
 
She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes, content for the first time that week.
 
His chest moved underneath her head as he reached for the lamp to switch it off, and they settled for the night.

“I missed you, too,” she whispered.

His kiss on the top of her head was the last thing she remembered before she drifted off.

Chapter Eleven

The painting in Ellie’s makeshift studio captured his attention from the moment he walked into the room, and hours later, he couldn’t pull himself away from it.

It was standing on an easel in the middle of the room, depicting a couple in love, walking hand in hand through Central Park in the fall.
 
The woman wore a beige pea coat, her hair worn long and, because of the breeze of the day, it wafted behind her to reveal her lovely features as she looked toward the man next to her.
 
The man wore an expression of such affection that Lucian’s presence seemed like an intrusion into their private moment.
 
He had seen her talent firsthand, but nothing could have prepared him for the mingled emotions swinging from awe to utter amazement at her talent.
 
A swell of pride surged in his chest.

He’d been out of town for two days, and after intense negotiations, he’d reached a settlement with a small gaming company that created games for phones and tablets.
 
He didn’t want to dismantle the company, or move it.
 
His main motivation was to own the company with potential, but with it hemorrhaging money, the prospects for the company being around in a year was slim.
 
Of course, the executives were hesitant to sell, and with much discussion, had come around to saving their business, even if it meant having Thomas Cole own seventy percent of the company.
 

Relief washed over him when he landed at JFK, and settled in the back of a cab, on his way to her apartment.
 
For years, he had concentrated on work and developing his company into something that would challenge him on a daily basis, but it wasn’t until Ellie that he realized what he was missing.
 
He enjoyed being near her, a sense of knowing that he was right where he was supposed to be.
   

He knew that she wasn’t expecting him until the next day, but he had found that he missed her more than he thought he could.
 
He’d heard mumbling when he arrived at her door, but what he’d found when he opened the door had caused rage to course through his body.
 
She was struggling to escape Ben’s arms, and without thought, he acted as the building anger clouded his vision.
 
Ben hadn’t hid the fact that he wanted Ellie, but he didn’t think the man would pressure her into anything. The reason he didn’t attack the man after he pulled him off was Ellie’s request for him not to, and he would never do anything to hurt her.
 
But hours later as he stood in her studio, he was still fuming.

He’d come so close to claiming her tonight, to stripping her down and carrying her to bed, and kissing every inch of her sweet body, before sliding inside and bringing them both to release.
 
Their encounter on the counter of her kitchen grew out of control because it was the first time that she had touched him with intent.
 
It had taken most of his control to pull away when he did, and his body screamed to take what they both had wanted.
 
But he couldn’t, not when she was so tired and exasperated by her friend.

When he had spotted another man kissing her, his brain screamed one word.

Mine.

She was his, and he was the one who would touch her, make love to her, and satisfy her.
 
He knew that she trusted him, and he would’ve never touched her with intent until she knew the truth about him.
 
But with that obstacle out of the way, he could think of nothing more than to bind her to him in every way.
 
She was his; he had no doubt about it.

“How long have you been up?”

He shivered at her raspy, sleepy voice, and turned to see her rub the sleep out of her eyes.
 
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to get his body under control.
 
Slowly, he opened his eyes to catch her sleepy gaze, and grew concerned with her fatigue.
 
He strode toward her and scooped her up in his arms.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I rolled over, and the bed was empty,” she said.

“I had some things to work through, and I saw the light on in this room.
 
You have a real talent.”

“Thanks.
 
Do you want to talk about it?”
 
She yawned again and snuggled closer to his warmth.

“I had a feeling that Ben might start something after the dinner we had together.
 
I’m angry with myself for not being here.”

She shook her head.
 
“It’s not your fault.
 
Ben’s not a timid man.
 
I’ve seen the women he dates, and they are nothing like me.
 
Trust me, if he had any interest in me, he would’ve told me before now.
 
He thinks our friendship is threatened, because he’s seen how happy I am with you.
 
And I didn’t feel anything when he kissed me.”

He relaxed a fraction when she confirmed what he suspected, that she had no romantic feelings for her friend.

“And what do you feel when I kiss you?” he asked.

“Everything.
 
I ache, but I feel as though I can’t get close enough to you.
 
I forget about everything but your mouth on mine.”

He groaned as he dropped his forehead to hers.
 
“I forget how innocent you are.
 
You’re mine, love, and when you catch up on your sleep, I’ll show you just how much I want you.”

Her cheeks bloomed in a soft pink tinge, and he smiled as he tucked her closer to his chest and carried her back to the bedroom.
 
They both had to work in the morning, and with the added pressure of their engagement, along with her friend’s confession, the stress was starting to get to her.
 
She had mentioned that she hadn’t slept well since he’d been out of town, confirmed by the dark circles under her eyes.
 
He had kept busy and fallen into an exhausted sleep while he was away, and he still dreamed of her, missing her each day.
 

As he neared the bedroom, her breathing deepened, and he could tell that she was already asleep.
 
He slid in bed with her still in his arms and pulled the covers over both of them, and then settled her next to him.
 
She murmured something in her sleep and cuddled against his chest, and he tightened his arm around her.
 

Tonight, he had planned to give her the ring he ordered online the day he’d come up with the engagement, but Ben’s impromptu arrival had spoiled the moment.
 
He wanted to claim her in front of her friends and everyone else, announcing to the world that they belonged with each other, but he would wait until this weekend to give it to her.

His mind wandered back to her collection of paintings in the next room, and he knew that she would be successful if she showed her work.
 
He thought about bringing up the subject of a show that he could fund, but he didn’t want to add to her already full schedule.
 
There would be time to mention a showing of her work.
 
He would have to bring it up when he had a chance.
 
She was exceptionally talented, and it evoked such emotion that he knew that she would be successful.

A low moan brought him out of his thoughts.
 
He tucked the comforter up to her chin and brought her closer against him, and she settled back into a peaceful sleep.
 
As he closed his eyes and was about to fall asleep, a surge of wonder filled his chest as he thought about how lucky he was to have met her.
 
He pulled her closer.
 
After two days and nights without her, he was right where he wanted to be.

Chapter Twelve

Ellie sensed Lucian a split second before his lips brushed against hers, and without opening her eyes, she slid her arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer.
 
Feeling brave, her tongue darted out and licked his bottom lip, drawing a groan from deep in his chest.
 
When he used his lips to open hers, she took him by surprise and darted her tongue inside to taste him.
 
She tilted her head to deepen the kiss.

When he draped his body on top of hers, he caught her loud moan in his mouth.
 
His fingers speared through her hair as he plundered her mouth, and she loved the small tug on her hair as he dominated her, body and soul.

His mouth trailed down her neck and burrowed just below her ear, taking a deep breath before he pressed a kiss to one of her sensitive spots.

“Breakfast,” he said.
 
He tried to lift her into his arms, but she pressed back onto the bed.

She shook her head.
 
“I want you first.”

Her eyes opened to his shocked face, but she could see his green eyes flared with desire.
 
She smiled at him and took advantage of the momentary distraction, pushing him onto his back, before she crawled up to sit on his stomach.

Two nights ago, she had allowed the stress of the week to overwhelm her.
 
When she made love with him, she wanted to be aware of every caress.
 
She wanted to feel him deep inside her, as they both found pleasure that they’d been dancing around for weeks, and this Saturday was the perfect time.
 
She had no clue how to please him, but she figured she would try anything, and see what he liked and what he didn’t.

She followed his gaze when they wandered to her skimpy tank that showed several inches of her stomach; his eyes wandered lower.
 
She shivered at his heated look, still not quite used to him seeing her as desirable.

He closed his eyes, and she took advantage of his momentary distraction and slipped her hand underneath his tee.
 
As she slid forward, she lifted the shirt higher with her movements, revealing a hard chest and stomach and a smattering of hair that led to the button of his jeans and below.
 
He lifted his arms and bent closer, so she could slip the shirt over his head, leaving him bare-chested.

Her breath caught in her throat and her mouth went dry, as she stared at him.
 
“You’re so sexy,” she whispered.

Her eyes zeroed in on the taut skin of his stomach, and without a thought or any experience to lead her, she bent her mouth down and placed a kiss near his belly button.
 
As his groan shivered along her body, she grew bolder as she kissed her way up to his chest, taking her time to savor the taste of his skin as a light sheen of moisture developed from her innocent touches.
 
As she buried her face in his neck, she inhaled the fresh smell of soap and his masculine scent, a faint smell of wood and citrus, and shivered with need.

“Ellie, love.”

She met his eyes as she rose to sit up, holding most of her weight on her legs.
 
Without breaking eye contact, she removed her tank and threw it somewhere behind her, forgotten the moment she released it.
 
She raised her hands to her hair and loosened the bun, letting her hair flutter down past her shoulders, loving his reaction when his fists clenched at his sides and his face became pinched in concentration.

A sudden growl that erupted from deep in his chest sent a spark throughout her body and straight to her core.
 
Absently, she pressed her core against his hardness, drawing moans from both of them.
 
She dropped down onto his chest and pressed her lips to his, striving to feel his hard chest pressed against her naked one.
 
The silence was shattered by her gasp as she clutched him closer.
 
Her eyes closed as she savored their first contact without any barriers.

Without a sound, he flipped her onto her back, and she wound her arms around his neck, afraid that he would stop at the moment when her body craved his the most.
 
Instead, his right hand skimmed her breast, down her side, until he reached the top of her boy shorts.
 
His fingers lingered there for several agonizing seconds.
 
Without a thought, a small sound of frustration pushed past her lips.

“That first morning when I knocked on your door and you were wearing your small tank and these shorts, it took all of my control not to strip you and take you on the floor of your living room.
 
You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”