"I'll be right there," he said, wondering what in hell had happened. Although he could have sent one of his staff to collect the woman whom he was sure was Bella, he preferred to handle this task himself. He turned on his windshield wipers to fight off the downpour as he drove the short distance to the gatehouse.
As soon as he pulled next to the small building, Bella dashed out. He flipped the locks and she plopped into the passenger seat. Her dark hair was plastered to her scalp, her huge violet eyes a stark contrast against her pale skin, her plum-colored lips pursed into a frown.
"What-"
She lifted her hand and shook her head. "You have no idea what I've been through to get here tonight. If I believed in heebie-jeebie kind of stuff, I would think someone was trying to tell me not to come to your house. My car stalled out on me just after I got off the interstate. My car service is defunct because I forgot to renew it. But it wouldn't have helped anyway because my cell phone said No Service every time I tried to make a call. It wasn't raining that much when I first started walking-"
Appalled that she'd been wandering around alone after dark, he cut her off. "Tell me you weren't walking on Travers Road after eleven o'clock at night."
"Well, what else could I do? Flag someone down? That didn't seem like a smart idea."
Michael drove them back, grinding his teeth as she continued.
"I did take my umbrella, but it was useless against this wind. I misjudged the distance a bit."
He pulled to a stop in the garage. "This won't be happening again," he said, surprised at the intensity of his protectiveness for her. He hadn't known her long enough to feel this way.
"Lord, I hope not," she said, rolling her eyes.
The way his gut clenched irritated the hell out of him. He swore. There was only one solution. "I'm getting you a new cell phone and service and new car," he said and got out of the car.
He opened her car door to find her gaping at him. "New car," she echoed. "You're crazy. I love my VW. It's never given me any trouble," she said then corrected herself. "Until tonight."
"Stranding you at night on Travers Road is enough of a reason to replace your car. Do you realize what could have happened to you?" She looked like a drowned little girl. Resisting the urge to pick her up and carry her, he extended his hand to her and led her into the house. "I'll send one of my staff to take care of your car. Do you need anything out of it?"
"I left an overnight bag in the backseat, but about a new car, I can't let you-"
He lifted his hand to cut her off as he pulled his BlackBerry out of his pocket and punched a number. "Jay, I need you to arrange for a tow-a VW on Travers. I'll leave the key on the table in the foyer." He extended his palm for Bella to give him the key. "There should be an overnight bag inside. Just drop it in the foyer. Thanks," he said and turned to her. "Now, I want you to take a hot shower." He glanced at the time on his BlackBerry. "You've got two minutes."
"To shower?" she said, her eyes round with surprise.
"Until I join you," he countered.
He hadn't thought it possible, but her eyes widened even more. "Oh," she managed, her lips forming a tempting circle of invitation. She stood as if her feet were superglued to the floor.
"Bella," he said gently.
"Yes?"
"You're down to one minute forty-five seconds."
She turned and flew down the hall.
Prying off the wet garments that clung to her as she entered the bedroom, Bella snapped her chattering teeth together. She raced to the bathroom to turn on the jets to the shower and wondered what Michael would have done if she'd said she didn't want a shower. It would have been a lie, of course. This wasn't how she'd pictured the consummation of their bargain.Telling herself to stop thinking, she jumped into the shower and closed her eyes, treasuring the few seconds she would enjoy alone under the spray.
Sure enough, the shower door opened behind her and she felt a shot of cool air before she heard Michael's feet step on to the wet tile. He would be totally naked. The memory of his strong, male body made her pulse race.
"Is the water warm enough?"
She nodded, focusing on the tile wall in front of her.
"Want me to wash your back?"
She opened her mouth to say she could do it herself, but his hands on her bare skin stopped her. He massaged her shoulders and neck, making her relax despite herself. He skimmed his hands down the outside of her arms then back up along the inside. The sensation was both soothing and erotic. The warm water washed away her resistance.
"Not so bad, is it?" he asked.
"No, it's … " She took a deep breath.
He continued to touch her, sliding his hands over the sides of her waist and down over her hips. A slow drag of want pulled through her, starting below her skin and fanning out. Although he hadn't touched them, her breasts grew heavy and her nipples tightened.
Surprise slid through her. How was it so easy for him to turn her nerves into arousal? Must've been the shower, she thought. Not the man. But then he guided her around to face him, pushed her wet hair from her face and brushed his lips over her cheeks. With the water streaming down on them, he took her mouth and her pulse spiked again. Her eyelids fluttering against the shower drops, she caught flashes of his body, his broad shoulders and slick, tanned skin. Another flash, his flat abdomen and hard erection.
She moved closer to him and heard his breath hitch when her naked body slid against his. "I've wanted you since that night we spent together." He slid his tongue past her lips and a primitive yearning beat like a drum inside her.
There were all kinds of reasons she shouldn't want him. This was just supposed to be sex, but for some reason, it felt like more. She felt protected and desired at the same time. She couldn't remember feeling this sensual even with …
Michael lifted his hands to her breasts, short-circuiting her brain. Half a breath later, he lowered his head and took her wet nipples into his mouth. The sight and sensation was so erotic she couldn't look away. He slid lower still and kissed her intimately. Her knees turned to liquid.
"Wrap your legs around me," he said in a low voice. Catching her against him, he picked her up, turned off the water and carried her out of the shower. He grabbed a couple of plush towels folded on a small bathroom table and pulled one around her as he strode into the darkened bedroom.
He put her on the bed and followed her down, his eyes plundering her the way she suspected he planned to plunder her body. A shiver of anticipation raced through her.
"Cold?" he asked.
She nodded, reaching up to stroke a drop of water from his forehead. He captured her hand and lifted it to his mouth. "I can get you warm," he promised and slid his hand down between her legs where he found her swollen.
His fingers sent her in a sudden spiral upward. Unable to contain her response, she arched upward.
He growled at her response and pushed her thighs apart. In one thrust, he filled her to the brim.
Bella gasped, feeling her body shake and tremble around him. She clung to him as he stroked her in her most secret place. Her breath meshed with his and her climax ripped through her like a lightning bolt. A second later, she felt Michael stiffen, groaning in release.
A full moment passed and Bella began to understand why she'd been so hesitant about becoming Michael's lover. He had just taken full possession of her mind and body, and that made him a very dangerous man.
After a full night of lovemaking, Michael awakened refreshed. Still out like a light, Bella sprawled stomach down on his bed. Smiling to himself, he wouldn't bother her this morning. She'd had a rough night in more ways than one.He left the bed and went to his in-house gym down the hall. He did the elliptical and followed up with weights. Working out was just one more way of staying strong and focused for Michael. Like his brothers, he never wanted to be at the mercy of any person or circumstance. He returned to his suite to take a shower. Bella still slept soundly. After dressing, he went downstairs and read The Wall Street Journal as he ate the breakfast his staff prepared for him.
Just as he stood to leave, Bella stumbled into the kitchen, dressed in a bathrobe too large for her and pushed her mussed hair from her face. She tugged at the lapels of the robe and stared at him. "It's not even six o'clock," she said. "How long have you been up?"
"Since just before five," he said with a shrug. "How are you?"