Chapter Six
The sun shone brightly through the bedroom window and Lachlan cursed himself for not closing the curtains the night before. April likes the curtains open. The thought was enough to cut through the morning fog in his mind, bringing him completely awake.
Beside him, she stretched like a cat and rolled onto her side to look at him. “Good Morning,” she said sleepily.
“Morning Beautiful.” He kissed her forehead and she responded by kissing his chest.
He sucked in his breath sharply. “I wouldn’t do that unless you’re looking for an encore.”
Grinning wickedly, she lowered her head again and sucked his nipple into her mouth, rolling her tongue around the tip. At the same time, she ran her fingers across his abdomen, circling dangerously close to his already straining erection.
A deep groan reverberated through his chest and he gripped her hand to stop her, then with lightning speed he rolled her onto her back and raised himself up until he was leaning over her with his elbows on either side of her head. He stared down at her, his face split into a wide grin. “I never would’ve picked you for a tease.” He chuckled before showing her just how much he appreciated her attentions.
By the time they both lay back again, panting, his phone began to chime the alarm. He groaned in response as he rolled over and turned it off. He’d forgotten he had a photo shoot to go to.
April sidled up to him and wrapped her arm possessively across his chest and he allowed himself to be drawn back into her embrace.
“You going to work?” she asked conversationally, although she sounded a little disappointed and that pleased him more than he thought it should.
“Yeah. You free for dinner again tonight?”
“Only if you bring the desert,” she murmured, planting a kiss against his bare skin. It prickled beneath the contact and his hand shot out to halt her movement. If she kept that up, he wouldn’t be leaving this bed all day.
“What about you? What are you up to today?” He wrenched his focus away from her touch and then another thought occurred to him and he sat up quickly. “Oh shit.”
“What?” she asked frowning.
“I just remembered you have that appointment with David. Would you like me to call him and cancel it?” She sat up beside him, staring at the opposite wall for so long he didn’t think she was going to answer him. When she finally did turn back to look at him, her eyes were filled with a mixture of hope and dread.
“Do you really think it’s possible for us not to be photographed together at the ball?” she asked quietly, dropping her gaze.
“Look at me.” He spoke softly, sincerely. “It won’t be easy getting in unseen but once we’re inside, I promise we can avoid the cameras. We can even walk into the building separately if that helps.”
She looked at him silently for a long moment before finally nodding her head. “Okay.” He released his breath and scooped her into his arms, pulling her firmly against his chest.
Lachlan contemplated why it seemed so important to have her go with him to the ball. It wasn’t as if he had any great affiliation to the Medical Research Institute—if it were up to him he would make a large donation and forget the event entirely—but Anthony insisted he attend a few well publicised events every year to keep his name in the tabloids. So why was he so adamant that April go with him? Avoiding the tabloids was precisely the reason she didn’t want to go and if he was planning on avoiding the cameras while he was there, then there was no real point to him going either. When he’d first asked her, he’d thought her company would help pass the time. But now it went beyond that, only he couldn’t quite figure out why.
Reluctantly Lachlan extracted himself from April’s embrace and dragged his clothes on. He needed to go back to his room for another shower and a change of clothes. Glancing behind him, he took a moment to drink in the sight of April sprawled brazenly across the bed, a come-hither smile seriously tempting him to ditch work for the day and stay in bed with her. The way the sheet twisted between her long legs and hung low on her hips, exposing her firm breasts and toned stomach. He wanted to run his hands across her skin just so he could feel it’s silky texture and watch it flush beneath his touch. She was beautiful.
Securing his jeans uncomfortably and mentally slapping himself upside the head to break the spell she’d cast over him, he leaned over her and dropped a kiss on her lips. “I’ll call you when I get a break,” he promised. Then, grabbing his wallet and phone, he let himself out.
An hour later, he stood on the set of the photo shoot, making short work of a breakfast roll from the buffet. Anthony had talked him into signing as the face of the new Armani fragrance for men, but from what he could tell, the primary focus would be the suits he’d be wearing and he would likely be changing outfits constantly. They hadn’t even started yet and already he could see this would be a long day. While he had the chance, he went to call April.