Undercover in the CEO's Bed(19)

“I’ve been chatting with your grandmother,” she said.

“She likes you. A lot. She’s been telling me that all day every time I bump into her.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. She thinks you’re sweet, intelligent, and very pretty.” His fingers brushed against her bare arm resting between them. “I told her I agreed a hundred percent. I think you’re very pretty too.”

His feathery touch sent sparkles across her skin. She schooled her muscles not to react, and didn’t quite succeed.

“Lex, I feel bad about deceiving her like this. When we were talking earlier, I almost blurted out the truth.”

His fingers tightened around her wrist. He pulled her toward him. “What exactly did you say?” All trace of laziness vanished from his tone.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t tell her anything, but it’s eating me up.” His nearness stirred her. His thigh pressed up against hers, heavy and insistent. She inhaled the night air. “She’s your grandmother. I can see how much she means to you. Doesn’t she deserve to know?”

His body was coiled like a spring. “It’s her ninetieth birthday. She has all her family and friends here. You really think this is the time or place?”

“When, then?”

“Later. When the time is right.”

“That’s very vague.” She lowered her head. Lex’s fingers softened around her wrist and began to stroke her skin with gentle, absentminded movements, as if he wasn’t even aware what he was doing. She bit her lip. The exquisite pleasure was almost too much to bear. “I just think—”

“You know what your problem is?”

“Oh boy. I’m sure you’re just dying to tell me what that is—”

Her words cut off as he curled his free hand around the back of her neck. “Your problem is,” he said huskily, “you worry too much.”

He leaned in and claimed her mouth with unhurried, deliberate intent. He held her and kissed her as if he had every right to do so, as if he expected nothing less than her full reciprocation. And she gave that to him. All thoughts fell from her head as she responded instinctively to his kiss, softening her lips around his, parting them, allowing his tongue to enter, licking him back in return. He slid his fingers through her hair, unraveling her hairdo as well as her control as he bent over her mouth. Blood thrummed in her ears, a primeval beat that drummed out her qualms as she drank in his kiss, his fire pouring into her mouth. She traced her fingers over his face, relishing the feel of his square jaw, the cords in his neck, the crispness of his hair. How she loved the exhilaration of losing herself in mindless pleasure with him.

He angled her body into the corner of the bench, the better to run his hands over her body, all the while continuing his greedy kissing. He explored the contours of her dress, following the drift of the silk as it flowed over her breasts and stomach and down to her hips and legs. Oh God, this is so good...but maybe she should stop him—

She inhaled sharply as his fingers eddied around her breast. How could she stop him now?

He took his time, leisurely stroking the underside of her breast, teasing her while she shuddered. He swirled his fingers about the tip until her nipple grew hard, before his hand closed possessively around her, his rough palm grazing her sensitized peak until she was light-headed and almost panting.

She was helpless and burning with need. Desperate to touch him, she pushed open his jacket, fumbled at the buttons of his shirt, undid a couple, and slid her hand inside the soft material. His skin seared her as she caressed his sculpted pecs. She scraped her fingernails over him, relishing the crispness of his chest hairs. The air between them pulsated. Logic and restraint receded as it always did when Lex came near her.

When he tipped her head up to crush her mouth with his, she welcomed it. His boldness always excited her, released her. He freed her aching breast to run his hand over her hips and then under her dress. She arched into him, eager for more. Memories of the way he’d fondled her in the changing room of the boutique made her breathe harder. Lex was such an expert at the slow tease. Was he going to make her ask for it again? He gripped her thigh with surprising force, his handhold urgent. Fervent need swelled between her legs.

He wanted her, and God did she want him too.

“Lex...” She heard herself moaning. How hoarse and desperate she sounded. Desperate for him, for his hands to possess her, his hot skin sliding against hers, his body moving inside her in perfect unison. How had she ever imagined she could stay aloof from Lex? She didn’t care if this was a bad mistake. She didn’t care if there’d be regrets afterward. She didn’t care about anything except one thing.

He lifted his head a few inches. His pumping breath matched hers. In the darkness his eyes burned. His hand held her thigh as if he’d never let go.

“Jacinta...” he muttered, his breath fanning her cheeks. “I’m only flesh and blood. If you don’t want me to ravish you right here and now, you’d better do something. Fast.”

His searing gaze devoured her whole. She knew he wasn’t thinking straight either. They were both captive to the same overpowering need.

She pushed herself upright and stood. He blinked as she caught his hand and tugged him to his feet.

“Come on.” Excitement thickened her voice. “If we’re going to do some ravishing, that bed upstairs is way more comfortable than this old bench.”

In reply his eyes flared. His fingers crushed hers as he followed her into the house.





Chapter Nine

Hand in hand, they stole into the house like a couple of teenagers. Music spilled out of the library, but they tiptoed unnoticed up the staircase and slipped into their room away from the rest of the house. The excitement simmering in Jacinta’s veins came to a fast boil as Lex pushed her up against the shut door and pressed the full length of his body against hers.

“This is long overdue.” His voice condensed with urgency as his fingers danced through her hair, rousing every sense. “I’ve been wanting to do this since...forever.”

She stroked the side of his jaw, reveling in the prickle of his light stubble. “You know what they say. Anticipation is half the pleasure.”

“Anticipation be damned.”

His head dipped, and the moon-speckled room spun about as he kissed her voraciously. The vortex whirled around her, sucking away her breath as she clung even tighter to him. Her hands took on a life of their own and roamed feverishly over his back, his shoulders, his waist, his hips. As the breeze tickled the curtains and crickets chirped outside, he became something more to her, not just a man, but the phantom lover who had stalked her nights for so long and was now reality.

He continued to kiss her as he pulled off his dinner jacket. She broke off the kiss to push his shirt away from his shoulders. Gauzy light gilded the curve of his mouth, the cords in his neck, the bulk of his arms. His masculine beauty made her throat constrict, and she almost whimpered before lavishing kisses across his broad chest, her greedy fingers catching in the fine, dark hair swirling down toward his stomach.

“Jacy.” He cupped her face and made her look at him. “What is it about you? You’ve always known how to drive me crazy.”

Just as he had always been able to whip her into a frenzy. She’d tried to keep him at arm’s length, but it had been a losing battle, and maybe she’d known that from the moment he stepped back into her life. Now, all she knew was that she would die if she didn’t get complete skin-on-skin contact soon.

“Stop talking before I change my mind,” she panted, reaching for the zip of his trousers.

“I love your enthusiasm.” Grinning, he caught her hands before she could unzip him and bent them behind her back so that she arched her spine, bringing her breasts hard up against his chest. “But I like being in charge.”

Her breasts tingled against him, and then a wave of delicious heat rushed over her as he ran his tongue from her earlobe all the way down to the base of her neck where her pulse kicked like a bronco. Still imprisoning her hands behind her back, he pushed down one strap of her gown and then the other. Her chest rose and fell as he pulled the dress down to her waist before stopping to admire the view. Using a forefinger, he traced the outline of her collarbone, her waist, and her breasts encased in their lacy strapless bra.

“Gorgeous,” he murmured, his face dark with passion, before he unclipped her bra and feasted his eyes on her full, naked breasts.

The look on his face made the blood pound in her thighs. She could never get enough of that ravenous lust blazing in his eyes, the fervor in his hands lifting and caressing her breasts. Her hands were free now to sweep across his bare chest and arms, recalling every muscle, every bone, every inch of skin, delighting in the renewed memories.

He gripped her dress and shucked it off her hips. A moment later his fingers coiled into the lace of her panties. She heard a ripping sound, and suddenly the panties were gone and she was naked except for her red high-heels.

She must have gasped, because he muttered in her ear, “Sorry, I couldn’t stop myself.”

“I can’t either.”

Reaching for his trousers, she unzipped him. He got rid of the pants, underwear, shoes, and socks with lightning speed. Suddenly he was standing inches away from her in all his naked glory, and she had trouble breathing. His body was perfectly proportioned, exquisitely muscled, blessed with grace and confidence. When her gaze fixed on his erection, she almost sputtered in awe. How could she have forgotten how well-endowed he was? She hadn’t forgotten; she’d pushed the memories away to protect herself. But now it was right in front of her, hard and thick. Her mouth watered, her fingers twitched. She gulped and wiped the back of her hand across her lips, sure she was drooling like an idiot.