I slept with Pierce. Literally just slept. The bed shifts behind me, his arm pulling me in closer. “How did you sleep?” he asks, nuzzling my hair.
“Great. I don’t think I moved an inch.”
“You make these little sounds when you sleep,” he says softly, still nuzzling.
“Like what?” I ask, keeping my eyes closed in an effort to stay in the moment.
His warm breath brushes against my ear. “You mmm in your sleep. It’s soft and sweet like the purr of a kitten,” he whispers. The way his words hit me he might as well be between my legs because I feel him there.
“Is that it?” I ask, rubbing my thighs together.
His hand slowly moves from my stomach to the outside of my thigh. “I think so. It lulled me back to sleep.” He reaches mid-thigh then moves his hand back up.
“Pierce,” I breathe. Control is something a woman thinks she has until a man touches her, especially in the morning when they are laying skin to skin with nothing else in the world to distract them. Too bad my fucking heart doesn’t control my libido.
“I can’t do this with you now. It has to be the right time, or it will never be right.” He’s struggling to hold his voice steady. If I wanted him, he’d be mine.
His hand slips down again. “Touch me,” I say, all remaining strings of control slipping from between my fingers.
His fingers still, but I hear him breathing. I hear his struggle even without words. “I can’t,” he whispers brushing his lips against my neck.
“Please. I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t ready.”
Another pause then his fingers find my bare stomach, tracing circles around my belly button.
“Please,” I whisper again, begging.
His fingers curl against my skin. He’s fighting—his heart beating against my back, his breathing growing increasingly heavier. I wiggle against him, trying to make his decision easier. Desire wins out when his hand dips beneath the band of my shorts and panties all at once.
“Is this what you want?” he asks, trailing a delicious line of kisses down my neck and shoulder.
I moan, his fingertips circling my sensitive skin.
It’s the only answer he needs before he presses deeper … harder. I’ve starved myself of lust over the last several months—to the point where I didn’t know what I was missing—and now I could orgasm all day and night and not feel as if I’ve had enough.
He shifts, suddenly, sending me on my back without his strong body to hold me steady. With the light shining through the curtains, he stares down at me and sees everything. There’s too much there I’d rather he not unravel … so much I don’t want him to know.
Closing my eyes, I rest my cheek against the soft pillow much like I’d been a couple minutes ago.
His hand stills. My eyes shoot open. He looks down at me, irritation written all over his face in simple English. “Look at me when I’m touching you. I don’t want there to be any confusion about who’s doing this to you … who’s making you feel this way.”
I read between his words. He doesn’t want me thinking about Blake, and I’m not, but I’m not thinking about him either. I’m selfish, and he knows it.
I nod hesitantly, staring up into his bright eyes. Over the last several months, I’ve developed a deep admiration for Pierce. I know what he can do—how he could be with me—and I could easily fall much deeper.
I could love him.
I don’t want to love him … I don’t want to love anyone.
Yet, I need this. I need him.
He could make me love him.
Our eyes hold as he presses one finger inside me then another. Everything is so intense—what I feel emotionally … physically. I can’t take it, but I can’t stop it either. Gripping each side of his face, I pull him down for a kiss. He’s a master at that too, gently brushing his lips to mine then pressing his tongue between them as his fingers push in further.
I feel it … the heavenly tingle that occurs right before I fall apart. It’s my favorite part—the beautifully painful ache that sweeps my body before I climax. Pierce makes it almost impossible, though. I fight it, but he wins. I come hard around his fingers, back arching to control the trembles that take over the rest of my body. Instead of breaking the kiss, he swallows my screams.
It’s amazing. It fills a void I didn’t realize I had, but I could still go again … and again … and again. He’s that good.
He breaks the kiss, looking down at me while his fingers are still deep within me. He’s putting the puzzle pieces together again, and I don’t like it.
He leans in for a kiss but stops just short. “You’ve never looked more beautiful than you do right now. Sensuality stripped you bare, and all I see is you.” He kisses the corner of my mouth then whispers, “Just you.”
His fingers work again. The second orgasm rolls through my body soon after followed by a third.
“Pierce,” I gasp, trying to catch my breath. “We can’t do this anymore, or I’m not going to be able to walk today.”
The corner of his mouth turns up. “It’s worth it though, isn’t it? I’d carry you on my back just to do this a million times over.”
God, help me.
“How about you?” I ask, turning to my side to get a better look at him. He looks just as satisfied as I feel, and I barely touched him.
The fact that his fingers are still buried inside me doesn’t go unnoticed.
“We should probably get ready for work.”
“Pierce—”
“Lila, the first time I come with you, I want to come inside of you. I control your pleasure, and I control mine.”
“It doesn’t seem fair.”
His fingers slip out of me as his hand slowly slides back up to my stomach, trailing the evidence of my desire along the way. “Watching you, being with you like this … it’s enough for me. More than enough, actually.”
In defiance, I brush my hand against his smooth stomach then let it slip further until my fingers are wrapped around his impressive bulge. His hand wraps around my wrist, pulling my fingers away. “I’m glad you follow directions a little better than this at the office, or we’d have a big problem.”
“You have a big problem, Mr. Stanley. A very big problem.” In fact, it’s the biggest problem I’ve ever come across, and I can’t help but wonder how it would feel inside me.
He smiles. “If I play my cards right, I’ll have a resolution soon enough.”
Is he right? I don’t know if I want him to be. I’m walking a dangerous line, not that I haven’t done this before a time or two.
“I slept with him last night,” I tell Mallory as soon as she picks up her phone.
“With who? With Pierce?”
“Yes,” I reply, pacing back and forth across my room. Pierce left a couple minutes ago to shower and get dressed. I finally feel as if I can breathe again.
Long pause. Damn her … she’s giving me too much time to think.
“Are you there?” I ask, needing something to fill the silence.
“I wish you hadn’t done that, Lila. You’re not ready for this … you’re not ready to put your heart on the line again.”
I shake my head, knowing full well that she can’t see me. “It’s not like that. I mean … we didn’t…” I pause, trying to grab hold of my thoughts. “I meant we slept together in the same bed.”
“That’s it?”
“And he gave me three orgasms, but not in the way you think.”
She sighs, quiet once again. “Promise me something.”
“What?”
“Don’t. Not in New York. I don’t want you getting hurt again.”
“I won’t do anything my heart won’t allow.”
“Damnit, Lila. Just listen to me on this one. Besides, your heart is broken which makes it an unreliable instrument.”
She’s right, yet she’s so wrong. The fractures haven’t healed. The bruises are still visible by those who know me. But the scars will always rem
ain. The marks Derek made on my heart still show through from time to time. Blake was in my life for a short time, but he did the most damage; nothing will ever quite be the same, but that doesn’t mean life can’t be good. Besides, she’s one of the people who have been encouraging me to move on.
“I need this,” I finally answer back. It’s true.
“Just promise me something, Lila.”
“What?” I ask, pulling a dress from my closet.
“Don’t take it any further this week. It’s too new, and I don’t want to see you jump into another relationship. You need to walk slowly this time.”
I blow my bangs away from my face, looking to the clock. I really need to get going. “I will try really hard not to have sex with Pierce this week. Is that what you want to hear?”
“I’m so convinced,” she answers back, sarcastically.
“Good because I really need to get in the shower.”
“You’re difficult.”
I laugh, untying my robe with my free hand. “But you still love me.”
“Behave, Lila.”
“Bye, Mallory.”
Before she can get another word in, I end the call and step into the steamy shower, letting the hot beads of water hit my skin. I haven’t felt this alive in months—this aware. Pierce woke me up in more ways than one.
“Jesus Christ, Lila. Are you trying to bring attention to yourself or your designs?” Pierce asks when I meet him in the lobby.
“What?” I ask, throwing my arms up.
He motions the length of my body. “That dress. Are you trying to distract Wade or drive me crazy?”
I glance down at my form-fitting red pencil dress and four inch red pumps. Power was all I had on my mind this morning. “Is it too much red?” I tease, tucking a long curl behind my ear.
He steps close, placing his hand on my lower back to pull me into his body. I feel exactly like I did just over an hour ago when we were lying in my bed, and he wouldn’t have to do much to get this dress off me so we could do it all over again. “That dress wraps around you the way I want to be wrapped around you, and if the stares in this lobby are any indication, it’s not a dream I’m alone in.”
Leaning in closer, I whisper in his ear, “But you’re the only guy in the room who really knows what’s under this dress.”
He hardens against my stomach. I want to feel that so badly. I want him to erase some of the marks that have been left behind, to wash away my bad memories.
“Lila,” he breathes, holding me even tighter.
I stare up into his bright eyes. “Yes?”
“There’s going to be consequences for this later.”
I bite my lip. He twitches. “I’m up for the challenge.”
A throat clears behind us, breaking the stare but not the physical contact. “Mr. Stanley, your car is waiting.”
“Just wait outside. I need ten more seconds with Ms. Fields here.”
“As you wish,” he answers before disappearing.
“Can we go now?” I ask when the driver is out of earshot.
He shakes his head, letting go of me to adjust his suit. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
And, you’re going to be the life of me, I think as we make our way to the car.
PIERCE WAS RIGHT. Wade’s eyes stayed on my legs through the entire meeting this morning. He made sure to get a seat right next to me during lunch with a small group of investors, and now as we walk through the hotel building for the first time, I can’t help but notice his gaze fixed on my backside every time I turn to ask a question.
For me, a man will never be attractive if he tries to undress me before he woos me. He has zero chance at winning me over, and I’ll never see him as anything but a creep.
“Can I use that ladder?” I ask, wanting to get a look at the lobby from a different angle—one that a person might have coming down the soon-to-be glass staircase.
“Of course,” Wade says. “Let me help you. I don’t want you to fall in those heels.”
Pierce practically growls at him; it’s not the first time today. “I’ve got her,” he says, standing behind me. He knows by now that my interest in Wade is below zero, but he’s also well aware that Wade’s intentions aren’t good.
The space is huge with an industrial feel—a blank canvas really. “I think the design plan is perfect for the space. I can’t wait for you to see it,” I say, carefully climbing back down.
“I’m excited for tomorrow.” Wade smiles, hands tucked in his pockets.
I smile back, feeling an interesting mix of excited and nervous. “Me too.”
“So, what time can I expect you at my place tonight?” he asks, eyes dancing between me and Pierce. It’s been such a long day, I almost forgot about the little get together Wade planned.
“We have a few things we need to do beforehand, so we’ll plan on nine o’clock.”
“Perfect,” Wade answers, walking us out to the street.
I wonder what we could possibly have to do, but Pierce knows way more than I do, so I just go with it.
“Do you want a ride?” Wade asks, pointing to his black Escalade. At lunch, we went three blocks from his office, yet he still insisted on taking the car.
Pierce shakes his head. “We’re staying just down the street. We’ll catch you later.”
After Wade is safely tucked away in his oversized ride, I turn my attention back to Pierce. “What do we have to do before the event?”
“That dress was a bad choice. A really bad choice.”
“That doesn’t answer my question. What do we have left to do?”
He wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me close as we walk down the street. “If you’ll let me, I’d love to take that dress off you. What happens after that is up to you.”
My heart flutters. A tingly sensation runs down my spine. Watching Pierce talk business in his charcoal gray suit wasn’t easy for me today either. Every time his hand touched me, I thought of this morning, and when he’d lift his hand to make a point, all I could think of was what those fingers can do.
He may think I’m the mouse, and he’s the cat, but I think it may be the other way around.
We walk quickly back to the hotel, past the bellboy, straight to the elevator. It seems like forever before it opens, and when it finally does, we’re the only ones inside.
Sometimes I think before I act. Sometimes I don’t. I’m not sure my head’s all in the game, but every other part of my body is.
As soon as the door closes, I slip my fingers in his waistband, pulling him to me. He stares down at me, eyes hooded, and I can’t stop. I don’t want to stop.
“Are you taking my dress off in your room or mine?” I ask. He said we were going to move at my pace, so I’m moving us right along. Might as well get a speeding ticket; it’s been a while since I let myself have a little fun.
“Mine,” he answers before pressing his lips to mine. His kiss is punishing—meant to leave me wanting more. I let go of his slacks, running my fingers over his impressive bulge. He moans against my lips just as the elevator opens.
“Just a second,” he says, pulling me in front of him as we walk down the hallway. “You have no idea what you’re doing to me, Lila. No idea.”
I think I do because he’s doing it to me, too.
He splays one hand over my stomach and uses the other to unlock his door. As soon as we cross that threshold, there’s no going back.
I have a second of control left before I lose it all.
All I’ve ever wanted is for a man to make me feel this way, but it’s scary, too. I’m opening myself up again. Time heals all wounds, or that’s what they say. Time might make them better—might ease the pain—but it can’t protect you from new cuts or hide old scars.
I enter his room, making my choice. My back is pressed against the wall. He uses his strength to lift me as he stares down into my eyes. So fierce … so beautiful. He slips my left heel off then right, trailing a line of kisses down
my throat.
I’ve been starved of affection, but he’s given me permission to lust again.
I thought this would feel wrong, but it feels so right.
I’ve held my breath for too long, and it feels so good to breathe again.
He holds me securely in his arms, carrying me to the oversized king bed. I bury my head in the crook of his neck, relishing in his masculine scent. He’s amazing in every way. Every. Freaking. Way. He sets me down, using his long fingers to pull my zipper to my lower back. One sleeve falls down my arm then the other, leaving me standing in nothing but my white lace panty set.
His finger lifts my chin until my eyes are even with his. “You’re stunning.”
He kisses one cheek then the other. “Sometimes, I have to ask myself if you’re even real.”
Then his lips fall on mine—soft and tender. “And, now I know you are.”
His words wrap around my heart, squeezing tightly. He could break me, but he’s worth the risk.
I fumble with the button on his pants as he kisses me deeply. My lips are numb by the time I have him stripped to his black briefs. Our lips part, eyes meeting. He grabs my face in his hands. “Promise me this is real.”
“This is real,” I whisper.
My bra falls to the floor.
“And you’re not running?”
I shake my head. “I’m not going anywhere.”
I’m lying on the bed with him between my legs. He trails a hot path of kisses around my belly button to my breasts, sucking and nibbling until I want to scream for him to be inside me.
“Pierce,” I moan, his lips pressed against my neck, slowly working their way up to mine.
He looks down at me, tracing a line around my lips with his fingertips. “The wait,” he whispers, trailing his finger between my breasts, around my belly button then between my legs. He circles once then slides his hand back up to my stomach. “The wait makes it even better.”
My breath hitches as he sits back on his heels. I can’t hold the weight of his stare, not with the day’s light shining through the curtain. Closing my eyes, I hear the sound of paper ripping. For the first time since we entered the room, I feel nerves creeping up. If left for too long, they would suffocate me.