The Wealthy Frenchman's Proposition (3 page)

She bit her lower lip, wondering if she was going to pass up the chance of a lifetime. And the answer was…she had no idea. She was torn between what she wanted—the man she’d wanted for so long—and self-preservation.

“Yes?”

“Would you like to stay here?”

No, she thought. But now she couldn’t say that she was swept away by the moment. He was putting the onus on her, which was exactly where it should be. Clearly, he was leaving…and the thought of watching another man walk away was too much for her. The decision was made that easily.

She had no idea what the future would hold, but on this night she was going to be with Tristan. And it could only be this night, because she was flying back to the States in the morning.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked.

“My villa.”

“You have a villa on Mykonos?”

“Yes. I own property all over the world,” he said.

“Why? There’s no real reason for you to be here for the magazine.”

“One of my best friends lives here. Plus, in the summer, it’s a nice place to holiday.”

She nodded. “I don’t own any property.” She was very lucky that her brownstone in Brooklyn was a fixed-price rental. She’d taken over the lease upon her aunt’s death.

He arched one eyebrow at her. “Is that important?”

She shrugged and realized that, to him, it wouldn’t be. And unless she wanted to ruin the wonderful attraction that was flowing between the two of them, she needed to stop being so mired in who she was.

“It’s not. So where is this villa?”

“Not far. Ready to go?”

She nodded.

She started forward but he stopped her with a hand on her arm, drawing her back against his chest. He leaned down and whispered something in French that she couldn’t understand and kissed her neck.

Tingles of arousal spread down her body, tightening her nipples and making her breasts feel fuller. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, one hand at her waist, one hand right under her breasts.

She tipped her head to the side to give him better access to her throat. He whispered her name and kept her close to him before biting her softly and lifting his head.

He took her hand in his and led the way out of the building. They waited for the car. Tristan kept his gaze on the night sky. But Sheri couldn’t help looking at him and marveling that, for tonight, he was hers.

Tristan Sabina is going to be mine.
The future didn’t matter at this moment, because she wanted him with the kind of keen longing she’d never experienced before with a man.

He turned to her and lifted one eyebrow as if he were asking her what she was thinking. She flushed and shook her head.

He smiled then lowered his head and kissed her, his lips feathering over hers and his hands skimming down the sides of her body. His fingers brushed against the curves of her breasts and came to rest at her waist, pressing her up into his body.

She liked the way he felt against her. His height made her feel delicate and very womanly. His hands were large enough to span her waist and she felt them wrap around her. Everything else dropped away.

There was just her and Tristan. His lips on hers, his hands on her body and the very essence of him seeping into her cold and lonely soul.

She suckled his lower lip, drawing it into her mouth. His hands tightened on her and his erection brushed against her lower belly. She swallowed hard and pulled back, looking up at him.

She had a little sexual experience, but nothing that had made her feel like Tristan was.

“What is it?” he asked, bringing one hand up to cup her cheek. His thumb stroked her skin and she looked up into his warm gray eyes and felt something shift inside her.

“Why me?”

“Why not you?”

She shook her head and realized that, if she asked questions, she should be prepared to hear an answer that might not be what she was searching for.

But she’d never been a coward, and this night with Tristan…well, she wanted to make the most of it. Be someone she’d never been before.

“Seriously, why are you making a move now?”

“That sounds so crass,
ma petite.
I have no ulterior motive. I have a beautiful woman in my arms and I don’t want to let her go.”

“I’m not beautiful,” she said, because she knew it was true. There were truly beautiful people in the world and she wasn’t one of them. She was more apt to be described based on her sterling personality. It wasn’t that she was unattractive, it was just that there was nothing that really made her stand out.

“Tonight you sparkle,” he said.

She felt her cheeks heat up with a blush. He lowered his head once again, kissing her, and in his arms she realized she did feel beautiful. She felt worthy to be on his arm as they got in his black Lamborghini and drove through the narrow streets of Mykonos.

He kept her hand on his thigh and his hand on top of hers, moving only to shift gears, and occasionally to lift her hand to his mouth to kiss the back of it.

She leaned her head back against the leather seat and turned to watch him. Tristan Sabina…she couldn’t believe she was alone with him at last.

He realized that no one had ever been good to her in the way that men should be toward women. He wanted to change that, at least for tonight.

When she was standing next to him, he tucked a loose curl behind her ear. He couldn’t get enough of touching her. He led the way into his house, tossing his keys on the kitchen countertop and hitting the light switch. She stood awkwardly just inside the doorway. Was this the moment when she’d change her mind?

He wouldn’t pressure her into staying, he thought. Then she nibbled on her lower lip and his entire body went on point. God, he wanted her. Why now?

He’d had a few inconvenient fantasies since they’d arrived here on Mykonos. Away from the office, Sheri had dropped her barriers and started to relax. He’d always liked her cheeky attitude, but seeing her in shorts on Christos’s yacht during the week and tonight in this dress that actually fit her…well, it got to him.

He tried to remind himself that she was his assistant and that this was the kind of situation that Rene always warned him against. Fraternization was firmly frowned upon at the Sabina Group, especially by the CEO, Tristan’s older brother, Rene.

And frankly, now that she was here in the villa, she seemed nervous. Not at all like the sexy woman he’d held in his arms on the dance floor.

“Would you like a drink?”

“No thank you,” she said. “I…Show me your place.”

He shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket and tossed it on the bar stool at the kitchen counter. He led her out of the kitchen into a formal reception room and up the stairs to the living room. He’d put on some music and dance with her again. That would relax her like nothing else would.

And he’d have her back in his arms.

“Look at the view,” she said as they stepped into his living room. One wall was all windows, showcasing the view of the city of Mykonos and the Aegean Sea.

“It’s even more spectacular from the balcony. Would you like to see that?”

She nodded.

He put his hand on the small of her back and lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her slowly. She shifted in his arms, turning to wrap her arms around his shoulders.

Blood rushed through his veins, pooling in his groin. He lifted his head. Her lips were wet and a little swollen from his kisses. “Come, let me show you the view.”

He led her outside and the cool evening air surrounded them. She rubbed her hands over her arms. He brushed her hands aside, caressing her and pulling her back against his body.

He kissed her neck and shoulders as she stood still under his touches. Then she turned around and rose up on her tiptoes, taking his mouth with hers. Her tongue teased his and he realized that, though she was a little nervous, she was with him right now.

Wanting him the way he wanted her.

He felt her fingers at his neck, loosening his bow tie and then tossing it away. “Can I unbutton your shirt?”

“Yes.”

She did with slow touches. “You have a great body, Tristan.”

“How do you know?”

“I saw it in
People
magazine’s spread on you last summer. A photo of you at the beach.”

He growled deep in his throat when she leaned forward to brush kisses against his neck. Her lips were sweetly shy as she slowly unbuttoned his shirt. Then she nibbled her way lower, and he felt the edge of her teeth graze his skin.

He watched her, his eyes narrowing and his pants feeling damned uncomfortable. Her tongue darted out and brushed his nipple. He arched against her and put his hand on the back of her head, urging her to stay where she was.

She put her hands on his shoulders and eased her way down his chest. She traced the muscles that ribbed his abdomen and then slowly made her way lower. He could feel his heartbeat in his erection and he knew he was going to lose it if he didn’t take control.

But another part of him wanted to let her have her way with him. When she reached the edge of his pants, she stopped and glanced up his body to his face.

Her hand brushed over his straining length. “I guess you like that.”

He muttered the French equivalent to the American “Hell, yeah,” and pulled her to him. He lifted her slightly so that her breasts brushed his chest. “Now it is my turn,” he said.

Blood roared in his ears. He was so hard, so full that he needed to be inside of her body
right now.

Impatient with the fabric of her dress, he drew it up over her head and tossed it out of his way. No bra. He caressed her creamy thighs. God, she was soft. She moaned as he neared her center and then sighed when he brushed his fingertips across the
V
of her panties.

The cotton was warm and wet. He slipped one finger under the material and hesitated for a second, looking down into her eyes.

They were heavy-lidded. She bit down on her lower lip and he felt the minute movements of her hips as she tried to move his touch where she needed it.

He was beyond teasing her or prolonging anything. He pressed her panties aside, slipping two fingers into her humid body. She squirmed against him.

He pulled her head to his so he could taste her mouth. Her lips parted and he told himself to take it slow, that Sheri wasn’t used to him. But one touch and he was out of control.

He held her at his mercy. Her nails dug into his shoulders and she pressed upward. He pulled away from her mouth, glancing down to see her nipples pushing against his chest. She closed her eyes and held her breath as he ran his finger over one nipple. It was velvety compared to the satin smoothness of her breast. He brushed his finger back and forth until she shifted on his lap.

He caressed her back, scraping a nail down the length of her spine to the indentation above her buttocks.

He wanted to give her so much pleasure, because he suspected she hadn’t experienced true passion before.

Women were vulnerable when it came to sex. Not just in a physical way, but in an emotional one, as well, and Tristan made it a point to make sure that his lovers knew how sexy and beautiful he found them.

She moaned, a sweet sound that he captured in her mouth. She tilted her head to the side immediately to allow him better access. She held his shoulders and moved on him, rubbing her center over his erection.

Gently he scraped his fingernail over her nipple again and she shivered in his arms. He pushed her back a little bit so he could see her. Her breasts were bare, nipples distended and begging for his mouth. He lowered his head and suckled.

He held her still with a hand on the small of her back. He buried his other hand in her hair and arched her over his arm. Both of her breasts were thrust up at him. He had been with many women, but he knew that he wanted Sheri more than he’d wanted any other woman in a long time. What the hell? This was sex, not about wanting her.

He wouldn’t let this be about anything other than the physical. One night together.

“Tristan?”

“Hmm?”

“Okay?”

Damn. He didn’t want her out of the moment. “I’m fine. Just enjoying you,
ma petite.
”

Her eyes were closed, her hips moving subtly against him, and when he blew on her nipple he saw gooseflesh spread down her body.

He loved the way she reacted to his mouth on her breasts. Her nipples were so sensitive, he was pretty sure he could bring her to orgasm just from touching her there.

The globes of her breasts were full and fleshy, more than a handful. He licked the lily-white valley between them, suckling at her to leave his mark. He wanted her to remember this moment, what they had done, when she was alone later.

Soon her hands clenched in his hair and she rocked her hips harder against his length. He lifted his hips, thrusting up against her. He bit down carefully on one tender, aroused nipple. She cried his name and he hurriedly covered her mouth with his, wanting to feel every bit of her passion. He was so hard he thought he’d die if he didn’t get inside her.

He glanced down at her and saw that she was watching him. The fire in her eyes made his entire body tighten with anticipation.

Since he’d always prided himself on being a conscientious lover, he knew he should ask about birth control, but that could be a mood killer with some women. So instead he reached for the condom he’d put in his pocket earlier before leaving for the reception. He’d planned to get laid so he could assuage the memories of his own wedding but he’d never anticipated he’d be here now with Sheri.

“Tristan.” She said his name with the hint of shyness he’d noticed in her earlier.

“Yes,” he said.

“I’m not…really good at this.”

“You will be in my arms.”

She shook her head. “Don’t wait for me to…well, you know. It’s hard for me.”

“It won’t be with me.”

“Tristan—”

“Shh,” he said, pulling her back into his arms and setting about arousing her again to the point where she would forget that she supposedly couldn’t orgasm. Because of her cheeky attitude, he hadn’t realized how innocent Sheri was. She seemed like a confident woman, comfortable with who she was, and only here on the balcony with her in his arms did he realize that she was as big a fraud as he was.

“Come to me now.”

She reached between his legs and fondled him, cupping him in her hands, and he shuddered. He needed to be inside her now. He eased her panties off then shifted and lifted her thighs, wrapping her legs around his waist as he leaned back against the wall of the balcony. The sky was full of stars and the lights of Mykonos spread out below them. Her hands fluttered between them and their eyes met.

He held her hips steady and entered her slowly, deeply, pulling her down on him until he was fully seated. Her eyes widened with each inch he gave her. She clutched at his hips as he started thrusting. He leaned down and caught one of her nipples in his teeth, scraping very gently. She started to tighten around him. Her hips moved faster, demanding more, but he kept the pace slow, steady, wanting her to come before he did.

He suckled her nipple and rotated his hips to catch her pleasure point with each thrust, and he felt her hands in his hair clenching as she threw her head back and her climax ripped through her.

He varied his thrusts, finding a rhythm that would draw out the tension at the base of his spine. Something that would make his time in her body, wrapped in her silky limbs, last forever.

He turned them around so that she was pressed against the wall, then he tilted her hips, giving himself deeper access to her body. She scraped her nails down his back, clutched his buttocks and drew him in. He tightened, and his blood roared in his ears as he felt everything in his world center on this one woman.

He called her name as he came. She tightened around him and he looked down into her eyes as he kept thrusting. He saw her eyes widen and felt the minute contractions of her body around his as she was consumed by another orgasm.

He rocked his hips against her until she stopped moving. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed the underside of his chin.

“Thank you.”

“For what,
ma petite?
”

“For giving me this night. It’s like something out of one of my dreams.”

With those words she brought him completely out of himself and into a place he’d been only once before. A place of vulnerability that he’d hoped never to find again.