“What are your favorite childhood memories growing up here?”
Why did she want to know? He searched for a reason, so he could figure out the best answer to roll out that would win her over. While he wasn’t certain of her motivation for that question, he did know she regretted not having a family. “Jack would take me sledding. He was well past sledding days himself. Yet, he was patient with me.”
The memory scrolled through his mind. His much older brother trekking them out to the best hill on Steele land. He always made it an adventure. Named the animal sounds they heard. Would stay out in the cold for hours.
“Where were your parents?”
“Working long hours. Taking long business trips.” He gripped the steering wheel. “Our parents weren’t neglectful, if that’s what you’re implying.”
“That’s how you and your brother grew so close?”
Yeah. His brother had damn near brought him up. Even picked him up and dropped him off from school most days. They were a tight family unit. Family, their father always said, was the cornerstone of everything. “He looked out for me.”
“And you felt like you owed him,” she prodded. Gently, but he felt the pressure of the statement.
“It’s not a matter of owing anyone anything. It’s just what we do for each other.” He shot a glance her way. “What? You don’t believe me?”
“I completely believe you.” Her beautiful face was earnest, basking in the glow of the dash light. “It’s just...well... I read about this kind of bond and I see it with siblings sometimes. I just didn’t expect to hear this from you. You’re lucky to have each other.”
“Yes, we are.” He knew she’d been in foster care, but he hadn’t given thought to her biological family. “Do you have siblings?”
“I do. Half siblings. We were split up before we even finished elementary school.” She scratched a fingernail along the armrest, repeatedly, the only sign that relayed how the discussion upset her. She always kept her emotions close to the vest. “We tried to keep in touch for a while, but other than the occasional message online, we’ve gone our separate ways. Actually, I have more contact with my last foster family.”
How she’d built a life for herself in spite of everything that had been thrown her way was admirable. Rare. “You’re so damn incredible, you steal my breath.”
Her mouth spread into a wide smile. “Well, that’s a good thing. Because as much as I’ve tried to ignore the attraction between us, I’m not having any luck.”
He struggled to follow her shift from discussion of family and admirable character to...attraction. “Felicity—”
She pressed her fingertips to his lips. “Time to stop talking and take me to bed.”
Seven
Felicity had known from the second she issued the dinner invitation to Conrad that they would very likely end up in bed together. And now that they were stumbling through her front door in a tangle of arms and legs and passion, she couldn’t bring herself to regret the decision.
Her fingers dug into his shoulders as he pressed her against the hall wall. She stroked her booted foot along the back of his calf, looking forward to no barriers between them. The press of his body to hers with the solid wall of muscles and thick ridge of desire stirred the need inside her higher, hotter. She breathed in the lingering scent of his soap—sandalwood, patchouli and man.
Sliding her hands under his custom-fit jacket, she explored the breadth of his back, her nails scoring along the fine silk of his shirt. In her restless roving, her elbow bumped the hall table. The box of candy he’d brought earlier slid to the floor.
At the thud, he looked to the side. A smile creased his handsome face. Easing back a step, he leaned down to scoop up the wrapped box. “It’s my pleasure to indulge your weakness. I’d like to learn what else you have a weakness for.”
The promise in his words and in his blue eyes set her on fire, leaving her eager to learn the same about him. His mouth pressed to hers again as they made their way deeper into her apartment. The warm glide of his tongue brought hints of their after-dinner coffee and how easy the conversation had been between them. He was a bold, brilliant man and that attracted her every bit as much as his well-honed body.
She steered him, her body against his, kissing and walking and wanting. She wrestled his coat off, and her cape slid to the floor as they moved. Shedding the layer didn’t begin to cool her off, however. As she stumbled past her tufted leather sofa, foot catching on the rug, her desire for this man went from a blaze to a wildfire.
Why had she ever thought this was a bad idea?
The connection between them was combustible and undeniable. She would indulge. Her heart was on lockdown. She deserved this much for herself.
Felicity saw her living room only in glimpses as she charted a course for her bedroom, moving quickly past the bookcases full of professional reading and a collection of her favorite romance novels. She bumped open her bedroom door, her haven.
Her place wasn’t a high-end mansion like those his family owned. But it was hers. A space for decompressing after the stress and weight of social work. The downy blush comforter in her room accompanied three rows of pillows—just like a posh upscale hotel room. Her bedside table sported a half-read book, open and facedown to save her place. And yes, in spite of her personal life where happily-ever-after had ceased to be an option, she still gravitated to romance novels, books where life turned out for the best in spite of obstacles. She needed that uplifting message after the stress of her work life.
Right now, she was far from wanting to chill out, and her little decadences in the room would serve a new purpose. From the high-thread-count sheets to the essential oils diffuser steaming sweet lemongrass.
He tossed the candy on the bed, the box landing with a thump an instant before the backs of her knees hit the mattress. She fell into the soft give of the comforter, the toes of her leather boots just grazing the carpeted floor.
Kneeling, he tugged the zipper down one of her red boots, inching off her sock and kissing his way along her calf. Peeling away her restraint along with the leather. She flung her arms back, her eyes sliding closed as she savored the sensation of his mouth on her skin.
Imagined his lips all over her.
Anticipation notched higher.
He took his time slipping her out of her dress, kissing her shoulders and murmuring sweet words in her ear as he unveiled new places to his touch. She told herself to savor the moment, to relish every touch, but her fingers grew impatient. Her hands twisted in his shirttails when she tugged them free. Her lips lingered on the hard planes of his chest when she slid aside the garment.
With a hiss of breath between his teeth, he threw aside the rest of his clothes in a haphazard array on the floor. She elbowed up to take in the naked magnificence of him, from his broad shoulders to his lean hips. To his thick arousal against his six-pack stomach.
A smile of sensual intent lit his face an instant before he dropped to his knees again. Between her legs.
Her breath caught in anticipation. He nudged her wider, dipping his head to nuzzle, then give her the most intimate of kisses.
A breathy sigh carried a soft moan between her lips as her eyes slid closed. Her elbows gave way and she sagged back on the bed, surrendering to the magic of his touch and tongue. His hands skimmed upward to caress her breasts, his thumbs teasing and plucking her nipples into tight, tingling buds. She twisted her fists in the sheets, tension building. All too soon, she soared toward release, her body arching into each ripple of sensation pulsing through her.
Air teased over her bare flesh, every nerve ending alive and in the moment. She struggled to gather her thoughts enough to give him the pleasure he’d brought her. She elbowed up just as he angled over her to kiss her neck.
“Hold that thought,” he said just before he popped a truffle into her mouth.
>
When had he opened the box? She must have languished longer than she’d thought after the incredible orgasm he’d given her. She let the truffle melt on her tongue, the creamy chocolate and raspberry filling saturating her taste buds.
Conrad angled away and she clasped his arm. “Where are you going?”
“Not far.” He reached for his suit jacket. “I’m just getting protection.”
“I have some in the bedside table.” She reached for the drawer, her elbow bumping a jar of sunflowers and daisies. They breathed life into this space, pulling together the pale metallic lamps with beaded lampshades that cast a dusky, beckoning glow on the bed.
“So you planned for this,” he said with a smile, a condom packet between his fingers.
“I had a strong sense this was a definite possibility.” She picked up the open candy box and placed it beside the lamp. She couldn’t resist scooping out two more truffles.
“Just so we’re clear... I need to make sure you want this.”
Angling up to sit beside him, her hip against his, she popped a truffle into his mouth to silence him. “If you recall, I asked you on the date. I want this. And I know my own mind.”
“You’re one hundred percent right about that.”
She put the other truffle between her teeth, drawing him toward her to share. The candy and kiss blended, their legs tangling as he rolled on top of her.
The hard planes of his chest called to her fingers, the heat of his skin searing through her palms. He stayed in shape, but she’d already known that from their outing riding horses and the way he’d carried her to his SUV. Still, feeling the cut and ripple of those muscles without any barriers between them outdid her expectations.
She nipped his bottom lip. “How do you know just what to do to have me melting faster than those chocolates on my tongue?”
“I’m just listening to you, to your body.”
A man who listened. She could get turned on by that alone. And yet he brought that and so much more to the bedroom.
She slid her hand between them, stroking the length of him, learning the hard, velvet feel of him. His low growl of appreciation spurred her on until he angled away, panting. He tore open the condom packet and sheathed himself.
The intensity of his gaze, the urgency in his taut jaw, echoed the feelings swirling through her. She stroked her feet up his calves on her way to hook her legs around his waist. Open. Eager. For him. He thrust inside her, filling her not just with his body, but with a fresh wash of sensation. Her nerve endings sizzled to life in a way she’d been so long without.
In fact, right now, she couldn’t recall ever experiencing this incredible kind of a connection. He was everything and yet also had her wanting more. More of him. More of this.
Her hips rolled against his, her breasts teased by the hair bristling his chest. Conrad’s husky moans matched hers, their whispers of pleasure and encouragement creating a sensual symphony between them.
Conrad threaded his fingers through the tangled locks of her hair, kissing her. Or was she kissing him?
Both perhaps, because this was a meeting of equals between them.
And already she felt another wave of release ready to crash over her. She did her best to hold back, to hold on to this moment awhile longer, because truth be told, trusting in the future was hard as hell for her. But the building passion couldn’t be denied. The orgasm slammed into her without warning, stronger than the one before, wrenching a cry of bliss from her throat. Her nails sunk into Conrad’s shoulders, biting in with half-moons.
His breathing heavy, sweat dotting his brow, he followed her with his own completion, the muscles along his back tensing under her touch. His pleasure launched another ripple of aftershocks through her already sated body. Her arms slid from him in an exhausted glide to rest on the bed.
The scent of them lingered in the air, filling her every ragged gasp.
Before the perspiration cooled on her body, she wondered what the hell she’d done. Because no way was this a one-time deal. And that realization rocked her. So much so, she needed space to deal with it.
She pressed a kiss to his temple before easing out from under him. Already, she had to resist the urge to climb right back into his arms. “I’ll make us some coffee before you go.”
He sat up, sheet wrapped around his waist, his chest sporting the light scratches she’d left on his skin in the heat of the moment. “You’re booting me out of your bed.”
“I thought you would be relieved.”
“Hell no.” He sat on the edge of the bed, studying her through narrowed eyes. “I think we could have an incredible affair.”
“I agree, but I’ve been clear there can’t be feelings involved between us.” She searched for the words to explain why she was sending him away. “Sleeping over takes this to a level that, well, I’m not comfortable with.”
“Understood.” He clasped her hand, tugging her closer until she stood between his knees. “I can’t see us being able to ignore that while we’re working together on the hospital dinner.”
She could see his point. “What exactly are you suggesting we do about it?”
“Let’s call these next few weeks a no-pressure window of time to see each other, to be together.” His thumb caressed the sensitive inside of her wrist over her racing pulse.
“And when the event is over, we go our separate ways? Just like that?”
“If that’s what you want, then yes.”
Could she trust him?
She wanted to. And she also wanted to have more nights like tonight with him—while keeping her heart safe. “What if I agree to that, but we still take things one day at a time?”
“For another chance to be with you? I say, hell yes.” He tugged her onto his knee, his other hand sliding up to cup her breast. “What do you say we make use of your stash of condoms before we have that coffee?”
Even knowing she might regret it later, she sank back into the covers with Conrad, already losing herself in another chocolate-flavored kiss.
* * *
The next day, Conrad pulled up outside his brother’s waterside mansion. Nestled up against an iced-over lake, the impressive structure seemed to double in size, its dynamic log-cabin-inspired reflection flickering on the glass-like surface of the water. Wind tore through the lone pine tree near the water’s edge. A shiver in the tree’s spine as it bowed forward.
Over coffee at four in the morning, Conrad had asked Felicity to join him for this family gathering and he was surprised she’d agreed. Especially since she’d held firm to her decision that he couldn’t spend the night.
He’d gone home to shower, returning to pick her up just before lunch. He couldn’t deny he was pleased to have her by his side today, at this luncheon around the indoor pool. No question, his brother needed to have the support of his family. In reality, all of them needed this, a positive get-together, after the stressful meeting with Brea.
Conrad shifted his SUV into Park as Felicity gathered her pool bag. “Thanks for coming along.”
“I enjoy your family.” She angled across the center console to kiss him quickly. “Just no PDAs when we’re inside, please.”
“Understood.”
Sex with Felicity had been even more incredible than he’d expected—and his expectations had been mighty damn high. He’d half thought she would boot him out, and granted, she’d tried. But he’d been given this window of time with her and he intended to make the most of it.
He exited the SUV, boots punching through the snow as he made his way over to her door. Conrad’s eyes locked with hers, that electric recognition passing between them. Offering his hand, he helped Felicity out of the car. Regretted that they had to make their way to the house’s side entrance, which would lead to a glassed room, heated indoor pool and people. Even in the subdued touch her leather gloves provided
, Conrad hungered for more time alone with her.
She stepped through the threshold, Conrad following her into the din of noise. His family milled around the indoor pool area. His youngest niece, Delaney, sat on the gray stones that flanked the pool, feet casually moving in the water. Her infectious peals of laughter echoed in the glass and wood hall.
A large table filled with hummus, pita, kalamata olives, pineapple and strawberry spears, juicy moose burgers and garlic lime chicken wings drew the attention of the majority of his family. His older brother, Jack, handed a red plate to Jeannie as she smiled at some private joke. Across the pool, near the floor-to-ceiling glass wall sporting a breathtaking view of snowcapped mountains and feathering pine trees, Isabeau lay out on a lounger, fanning herself. She rested a hand on her pregnant stomach, a calm smile on her face as Trystan kept her well stocked with water and food. Her service dog was tucked under the lounger, head on her paws, ears and face alert.
“You made it!” Jeannie exclaimed across the pool, her eyes bright and welcoming. Marshall clapped Conrad’s back in greeting on the way to the array of food. Royce and Naomi laughed with the twins in the pool, doting over them with care. Broderick and Glenna nudged little Fleur in her baby float, their daughter squealing in delight, kicking her chubby legs underwater.
Felicity waved to all as she dashed for the changing room. Conrad opened a beer, taking a swig before he ducked into the other changing area. He stepped back out just as Felicity rounded the corner to return. Conrad’s heart threatened to jump out of his chest and skip across the room.
Sexy as hell, Felicity walked toward him in a sleek emerald green one-piece with a plunging neckline. Her curves perfectly highlighted threw him back into memories of their night together. The taste of her on his lips. The suit and her beauty reminded him of a mermaid, a siren, luring him in.
The Billionaire Renegade Page 9
