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“A liqueur, I think.”
Something potent and heady, just like him, she thought privately. Nate let her hand go and moved toward a built-in sideboard on the other side of the room. She gravitated toward the wall of glass that faced the inky darkness outside. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows she could hear the sound of waves rolling heavily into shore.
In the reflection of the glass she saw Nate come to stand behind her, one arm coming around to offer her a small glass of golden liquid.
“A toast, I think,” he said, his breath warm in her hair and making her scalp prickle in awareness.
“To what in particular?” Nicole asked, accepting her glass and raising it toward Nate’s pale facsimile mirrored before her.
“To wounded souls, and the healing of them.”
She nodded and raised her glass to her lips, her taste buds reacting instantly to the smooth, sweet tang of aged malt whiskey. She allowed the liquid to stay on her tongue for a moment before swallowing.
“Now that is pretty fine,” she said, turning to face Nate.
Her breath caught in her chest as she saw the look in his eyes. Eyes that were only a shade darker than the deep gold fluid in their glasses.
“Only the best,” he answered before closing the distance between their faces.
Nicole felt her heart race in her chest. If this kiss was to be anything like the one at the club she couldn’t wait to experience it. Her lips parted expectantly, her gaze focused solely on the shape of his mouth, on the sheen left there by the liqueur. Her eyelids slid closed as she felt the warmth of him, as his lips took hers, as his tongue swept gently across the soft fullness of her lower lip.
He made a sound of appreciation. “Now that’s what I call the best.”
His lips pressed against hers once more and she curved into his body as one arm slid around her back and drew her closer to him. He was already aroused, a fact that triggered an insistent throb in her veins—a throb that went deeper into her center. She pressed her hips against him, feeling his length, his hardness. Feeling her body respond with heat and moisture and need.
She could taste the liqueur on his lips, on his tongue—its fusion of flavors intrinsically blended with his own. When he withdrew she felt herself move with him, toward him. Drawn as if by some magnetic force.
Nate put his liqueur glass on a shelf nearby before also taking hers and doing the same again. He then lifted his hands to her hair, pushing his fingers through the long mass until his fingertips massaged the back of her scalp, gently tilting her face to his once more. This time his kiss held a stronger taste of hunger, a promise of things to come.
Nicole tugged his shirt free of his waistband and shoved her hands underneath, her nails gently scoring his back as she traced the line of his spine, up, then down. Logic tickled at the back of her mind a final time, telling her she shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t be doing this, but need and desire overcame logic with the same inexorable surge and release of the waves that echoed on the darkened shore outside.
He wanted her. She wanted him. It was basic and primal and it was all she needed for now. That, and a whole lot of satisfaction.
Nate’s hand shifted to the buttons on her jacket, swiftly loosening them from their button holes and pushing aside the fabric, exposing her to him. His hands were broad and warm as they swept around the curve of her waist before skimming her rib cage and moving up toward her bra.
He released her lips, bending his head lower, along her jaw line, down the sensitive cord of her neck and across her collarbone. She felt her breasts grow heavy. Her nipples beading tight, almost painfully so, behind her expensive lace-covered satin bra. When the tip of his tongue swept across one creamy swell she shuddered in response, the sensation of the point of his tongue electric as it traced a fine line across the curve of one breast. He awarded the same attention to her other breast, this time sending a sharp spear straight to her core.
His tongue followed the edge of her bra before dipping in the valley between. Her breath came in quick pants, her heart continuing to race in her chest. She felt his hand at her back, felt the freedom of the clasp of her bra being released, the weight of her breasts falling free as he slid her jacket off her shoulders and pushed her bra straps down to follow. With scant regard for the designer labels of both garments, Nate let them drop to the polished timber floor.
Nicole was beyond caring as his mouth captured one extended nipple, pulling it gently between his teeth, laving it with the heat of his tongue. Her legs began to tremble and she clung to him, near mindless with the pleasure his touch brought her. When his hands went to the waistband of her skirt she barely noticed, and then, with a slither of silk lining, her skirt joined her bra and jacket on the floor at her feet.
Dressed only in a scanty pair of black-and-gold panties and her high-heeled, black patent pumps she should have felt vulnerable, but as Nate pulled away, his eyes caressing every inch of her, she felt powerful. Needed. Wanted.
“Tell me what you want,” he demanded, his voice a low demand that vibrated across the space between them.
“I want you to touch me,” she replied softly.
“Show me where.”
She lifted her hands to her bare breasts, her fingers cupping their smooth fullness, lifting them slightly before her fingertips abraded the distended tips, sending another shudder through her.
“Here,” she said, her voice thicker now.
“And?”
One hand crept down, over her flat belly, and to the top band of her panties.
“Here.” Her voice trembled as she felt the heat that pooled between her legs, felt the moisture that awaited his touch, his possession.
“Show me what you like,” he said, his hand sliding over hers.
“This,” she replied, letting their hands push beneath the scrap of fabric.
She led his fingers toward her opening, dipping them in her wetness before sliding them back up toward the budded bundle of nerves that screamed for his touch. She circled the sensitive spot first with her fingers then with his, increasing the pressure then slowing things down before repeating the cycle once more.
“Keep touching yourself,” he commanded, even as he slid his fingers out from beneath her hand, dipping them lower until they played within the soft folds of her flesh.
He hooked his other arm around her, supporting her weight as he stepped in a little closer. She felt the fabric of his trousers against her bare legs—a fleeting awareness only before all concentration went when he stroked one finger inside her body, then another. Her muscles clenched against him as his fingertips glided in and out, caressing with careful and deliberate pressure against her inner walls.
Sensation swirled throughout her body, drenching her with heat and pleasure. The combination of both their touches filled her with an overpowering awareness of him, his strength, his power over her. She’d never felt anything this deep, this intense. Had never been this reckless.
Nate bent slightly, capturing one nipple with his mouth, drawing the sensitive bud into his heat, his wetness, and suckling hard. As he did so, she felt the pressure of his fingers inside her increase and with that subtle change, her body splintered apart on a wave of satisfaction so intense, so immeasurable, that her legs buckled beneath her and tiny pin pricks of light danced behind her eyelids.
Her whole body shook with the intensity of her orgasm as ripple after ripple of pleasure coursed through her. She felt Nate withdraw from inside her, even as her inner muscles continued to pull and tighten against him, heightening the sensations and sending her into another short, sharp paroxysm of bliss. He slid one hand behind her knees and, with his other arm still supporting her back, he swept her into his arms and strode across the open plan area toward a darkened room.
His bedroom, her shattered senses finally recognized as he placed her on the bedcovers. In the fractured blend of moon and starlight that shone through the massive picture window, she watched as he stripped away his clothing. Exposing every inch of his silver-gilded male beauty to her gaze. He reached for her feet, removing the shoes she only just now realized she still wore, then his hands slid up the length of her legs. When he reached her panties he slowly removed them from her before lowering himself to the bed and gently kneeing her legs apart, settling between them.
He leaned across her and ripped open a bedside cabinet drawer and removed a box of condoms. Extracting a packet he made short work of ripping away the wrapper and rolling the protection over his jutting erection. Her hands fluttered to the breadth of his shoulders, his skin burning beneath her touch. Despite his clear and evident arousal, his movements were smooth, controlled and deliberate as he positioned himself at her entrance and looked up to meet her eyes, even now giving her the chance to change her mind, to decide for herself what she wanted. In response, she instinctively tilted her pelvis to welcome his invasion.
Nate lowered his face to hers, his lips a heated seal against her own, his tongue gently probing her mouth even as he eased his length within her. She felt her body stretch to accommodate his size, felt an unmistakable quiver deep inside. Nicole lifted her hands to his head, her fingers lacing through his hair as she held him to her and kissed him back with all she had left in her.
Her body swept to aching life as he began to move, his thrusts powerful and deep, so deep it felt as if he touched her very soul before she plunged into the abyss of sensual gratification once more. In answer, his body stiffened, buried to the hilt, and a nearly stifled cry of release broke from him as he gave over to his own climax, shuddering as her body clenched rhythmically around him. His lips found hers again as he settled his weight on top of her, and she welcomed him. It was real, he was real. His heart thudded in his chest and hers beat a rapid tattoo in answer.
What they’d done together was something unsurpassed in her experience and finally, as she drifted to sleep, the cares and worries of her life wafted away into oblivion.
Three
As Nate woke, he slowly became aware that he’d fallen asleep not just on top of Nicole, but still inside her, as well. He silently castigated himself for his inconsiderate behavior as he carefully supported his weight without waking her.
He ignored the unfamiliar urge to settle closer to her rather than pulling away. After all, certain precautions had to be observed, he reminded himself. He reached between them, feeling for the edge of his condom and cursing when he couldn’t find it. He pulled farther away from her, his body instantly lamenting the lack of contact with her lush warmth. The condom was still inside her. In a moment of panic he wondered if she was on the Pill but that fear was quickly assuaged. A woman like Nicole wasn’t the type to leave things to chance. It was highly unlikely that pregnancy was something either of them needed to worry about just now.
No, now was a time to concentrate on pleasure. They’d had sex once and he couldn’t wait to repeat the experience.
He eased his hand between her splayed legs and found the condom, removing it carefully before disposing of it in his bathroom. As he eased his body back onto the bed beside her he safeguarded them once more by rolling on another sheath and gathered her to him. She curled instinctively against his body, her softness pressing against the hard muscled planes of his chest, her inner heat already beckoning to him.
Her eyes flickered open, a slow smile spreading across her face. He cupped one cheek in his hand. It was one thing to know from Raoul’s report that Nicole Wilson was an attractive woman with an incredibly sharp business mind, but it was quite another to discover that she was also a warm and generous lover. The knowledge skewed his vision of how this would ultimately play out.
Sending Nicole back to her father was no longer an option. With a little luck, her anger against her father and her brother just might be deep enough and strong enough to make her willingly defect to Jackson Importers … and to Nate’s bed. With Nicole at his side he could take Jackson Importers to the ultimate heights of success, while ensuring his nights were equally, if not more, satisfying.
Of course, there was always the possibility that loyalty to her family would win out. Nate would be a fool not to plan for that contingency. If that happened, he’d have to be more … creative in the methods he used to keep Nicole. He didn’t want to hurt her—Charles was his only target—but if upsetting her a little was the price to get his revenge and keep Nicole in the bargain, then that was a price he was willing to pay.
Sooner or later, she’d thank him for it. He’d already known her father hadn’t utilized her intelligence to his best advantage. But Nate would. And she’d know she was appreciated while he did it. Every glorious inch of her.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said, meaning every syllable.
“It’s dark,” she replied, a teasing note in her voice. “Everyone is beautiful in the dark. You can’t see their bad side.”
“You don’t have a bad side,” he said, leaning forward to kiss her.
“Everyone has a bad side, Nate. We just don’t always show it.”
There was a painful truth in her words. A truth he knew related directly to him and his intentions but he didn’t want to think about that right now. More pressing matters were most definitely at hand.
“Sometimes it’s better not to see, then, isn’t it?” he asked before leaning across the short distance between them and kissing her.
Their lips touched in a burst of heat and desire, his every nerve striving to attain the heights of fulfillment he knew he would reach in her arms. This time the fire inside him burned steadily, not threatening to overwhelm him as it had before, but his hunger for her had not lessened despite the change in his appetite. This was to be savored, slowly, completely.
Time faded into obscurity and nothing mattered right now except the giving and receiving of pleasure. Each touch destined to bring a sigh or a moan from its recipient, each kiss a seal of the promise of what was yet to come. And when she positioned herself over his body and lowered herself over his straining flesh he gave himself over totally to her demands.
Their peak was no less intense than that first time together, and this time, when Nicole fell into his arms lost in the aftermath and falling rapidly into sleep, he made certain the same accident with the condom didn’t occur a second time.
The next time he woke, sunlight was filtering through the native bush outside and into his bedroom window. He reached across the bed. Empty. Where was his quarry now, he wondered as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, stretching as he did so.
“Nice view,” a voice said from behind him.
He turned slowly, a smile on his face. A smile that widened when he saw that Nicole had found the camcorder he kept for filming some of the more wild surfing antics on the beach.
“Do you have a license to drive that thing?” he asked.
“I’m the kind of girl who likes to learn as she goes along,” Nicole answered in response.
She was wearing just the shirt he’d worn last night, the fine cotton covering her body but leaving her long legs exposed to his hungry gaze.
“So you’re more of the hands-on kind?” he said, feeling his body stir and his blood pump just a little faster.
“Oh, yes, definitely hands-on,” she said, her voice a little rough around the edges.
“I’ve always thought practical experience to be vastly underrated, haven’t you?” He was fully hard now. Every cell in his body attuned to her, to the camcorder she held, to the idea that now blossomed in his mind.
“Definitely underrated. And the value of visual aids, too.”
Oh, God, he thought. She had just read his mind. “I have a tripod for that thing, you know.”
She laughed, a deep throaty chuckle that made him clench his hands at his sides to stop himself from reaching for her.
“More than one, I’d say,” she said, dropping the lens of the camera down, then slowly back up again to his face.
She was wicked. He liked that in a woman. He liked that a whole lot. “I’ll go get the other one,” he said with a slow wink.
Before she could say another word he brushed past her, dropping a kiss on the curve of her lips as he went by. “Why don’t you get yourself comfortable on the bed? I’ll be back in just a minute.”
It took less than a minute before he was back in the bedroom and setting up the stand diagonal to the bed. She passed him the camera, her cheeks flushed with color, her eyes bright with anticipation. Beneath the fabric of his shirt he could see the sway of her breasts as she moved on the bed, not to mention the sharp peaks of her nipples that told of her excitement. She passed the camera to him and he carefully positioned it on its mount, ensuring the whole bed was square in the frame.
“You’re sure about this?” he asked.
“Oh, very sure. And later, when we review it, we can see where we can improve.”
He didn’t think it was possible to get any harder but at that moment he did. It was one thing to know they were videoing themselves, another to know she wanted to watch it later.
“Where do you suggest we begin?” he asked, fighting to keep a lid on the carnal urge to simply have at her, to let her have at him and to hell with finesse.
“I think I need to get to know you better, don’t you?” She patted the edge of the bed beside her. “Why don’t you sit down?”
He sat and watched her as she slid off the tumbled linens and knelt between his legs on the rug beside the bed, placing her hands on the outside edges of his thighs, scratching lightly with her fingernails.
“It seems to me,” she continued, “that last night was all about me. So this time, it’s going to be all about you.”
A fine tremor ran through his body and he watched as her hands stroked up his thighs and down again, each time working a little closer to the inside.
“Do you like that?” she asked.
He was beyond words and merely nodded.
“How about this?”
His mind nearly exploded as she bent her head and flicked the tip of her tongue over the aching head of his arousal. His penis jumped in response to her touch, a bead of moisture appearing only to be licked away just as quickly. Nicole’s hair brushed against his inner thighs, obscuring her face. He reached down and pushed her hair aside, holding it against the back of her head with each fisted hand. He wanted to see this, all of it. And, just in case, he wanted the camera to see it, too.
Nicole felt an unaccustomed sense of possession as she lightly stroked her tongue along the length of Nate’s erection, painstakingly following the line of each vein from tip to base and back again. Heat rolled off him in waves as she did so and she felt him tremble as he fought to maintain control. But that control shattered the instant she took him fully in her mouth. He groaned, a guttural sound that came from deep in his belly, and she knew the exact moment he was going to climax. She increased the pressure of her mouth, her tongue, increased the rhythm of her movements until he spent himself. She slowed her pace, taking the last drop of his essence as he groaned again, his hands falling to his sides and his body falling back onto the bed behind him.
She pushed herself up onto the bed and lay propped on one elbow alongside him, letting her fingers trail up and down across his belly and chest as he caught his breath once more. His recovery said a whole lot about his fitness and stamina, she thought as he reached one arm up to her and dragged her down to kiss him. Already he was stirring again, and the knowledge gave her a wonderful feeling. It was all because of her.
“Mmm,” she said, her lips bare centimeters from his. “Must be time for breakfast.”
“Not yet,” he said. “I think we should work up a bit more of an appetite first. And I think you should take that shirt off, too.”
He deftly flicked open each button and slid one hand inside, cupping one breast and flicking his thumb across its hardened crest.
“I’m very hungry already,” she purred. “I may take some convincing.”
“You want convincing? I can be convincing,” he said, pushing the shirt off her shoulders and then pressing her onto the bed.
What followed was an education in how someone could deliver a lifetime of hedonistic delight in very short order. Nate applied himself to her with assiduous intent, showing her just how artful he could be with the merest accessories—the tip of a tongue, a feather of breath, the stroke of a fingertip.
She was on the verge of begging, no, screaming for release when he finally sheathed himself with a condom and took them both over the edge of sanity and into a realm where only blithe elation resided.
The camera caught it all.
Their morning set the tone for the next three days. From time to time they would rise, bathe or eat—once taking a long stroll along the beach, Nicole wearing ill-fitting borrowed clothes—before the draw of their fascination with one another would take them back to bed again. By Monday morning Nicole was spent. Physically and emotionally, happy just to curl up against the hard male body beside her and revel in the intimacies they’d shared. Last night Nate had burned a DVD of their video and they’d viewed it while attempting to eat a civilized meal in the main room of the house.
