by L. P. Dover
April took up the flank and mirrored Lia’s stance. “Yeah, you had us worried, Mel.” Her gaze landed on Brett and she bit her lip to keep from smiling. “I … uh … I guess you’ve been a little too busy.”
Brett let go of my hand so that I could reach into my purse. “Girls, I’m really sorry. My phone’s been off and I honestly just lost track of time.” I fetched it and showed them that it was off.
Lia blew out a frustrated breath and relaxed. “Okay, well now that I know you’re not dead in a gutter somewhere, do you want me to take you home?”
It was the moment of truth … what did I want to do? Against my better judgment, I did what my body screamed at me to do.
“Actually, I’m going to go with Brett,” I replied.
April and Lia’s eyes both went wide, shocked. “Are you sure?” Lia asked.
“I’m sure,” I said, nodding my head.
Smiling, Brett put his arm around my waist and squeezed. “I’ll get her home safely, ladies. I can promise you that.”
April and Lia both turned to me, lifting their brows, unsure. They may be a little reckless at times, but they cared about me. “Girls, I’ll be fine. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
After they nodded, I smiled at them and walked with Brett through the club and out the door to the bustling city streets of downtown Charlotte. “So where did you park?” I asked, scanning the parked cars on the side of the street.
Chuckling, he took my hand and pointed in the direction behind us even though we were going the opposite way. “I didn’t. My car is parked a few blocks over at my condo building.”
“So we’re not going to your place right now?”
Shaking his head, he smiled and peered up into the sky. “I told you … there was somewhere I wanted to go.”
I looked up and all I saw was the midnight sky and the lights adorning the tallest buildings of the Charlotte skyscrapers. “And where exactly is that might I ask? The sky?”
When my gaze landed on his, he nodded and pulled me down the street. Oh hell, what have I gotten myself in to?
WHEN HE MENTIONED the sky, I had no idea he literally meant the sky … well, almost. We were at the very top of the tallest building in Charlotte, gazing down at the lights of the bustling city. I had lived in Charlotte all of my life and never once had I been able to see the beauty of it at night. Daniel never cared about such things.
“It’s so beautiful,” I murmured. “How did you get permission to come up here?”
The floor we were on wasn’t at the very top, but it was close. The large room he took me to was basically a suite of sorts, with a large boardroom-style desk, accompanied by couches and chairs off to the side. Placing my knees on the couch, I leaned over the edge and peered from the tall expanse of the building down to the street below. My stomach dropped at how high we were, but the excitement was exhilarating.
Brett joined me and looked out the window. “I have some connections around here,” he confessed. “It pays to know the right people, or in my case sometimes the wrong ones.”
Furrowing my brows, I turned to look at him but he kept his stony gaze focused on the city beyond. “Like who?”
Sighing, he smiled halfheartedly and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I think we all have people in our lives that we don’t exactly care for.”
I snorted. “Tell me about it.” That got his attention.
Moving closer, Brett lifted his hand to my cheek and rubbed his thumb along my bottom lip. “Do you ever get tired of never finding what you’re looking for?” he asked softly.
“All the time,” I answered, leaning into his touch. “Sometimes I feel as if it’ll always be like that.”
Not expecting him to kiss me, I froze when he closed the distance and brushed his lips against mine. His lips were soft yet hard as he pressed into me, opening my lips with his tongue, tasting me. His hand wrapped around the back of my neck, pulling me closer while the other one stayed firm on my cheek, holding me in place. My insides tightened, and my skin broke out in chills, but in between my legs was on fire, throbbing. It was the first real kiss I’d had since my ex-husband and I wanted more … a lot more.
Holding me to his body, I could feel his cock pushing against my stomach as he lowered me down on the couch. It was a huge couch, too; brown leather and spacious enough for us both to lie side by side on. However, Brett had other plans because he stopped and looked down at me, his gaze guarded.
“What are you looking for, Melissa?” he asked. “I can tell you’ve been hurt before, and that’s the last thing I want to do to you. What do you want from me?”
What did I want? I wanted to forget about the last few years of my life and move on. He couldn’t give that to me.
Sighing, I closed my eyes and licked my lips. “I just want a night where I can forget it all.”
He leaned down and kissed me again, rubbing his body against mine. “What if I can give you more than that?”
Moaning, I wrapped my legs around his waist, my dress falling down to my sides. If he meant more by giving me his body then I’d happily comply, but if he was talking about the heart I had to pass. I couldn’t go down that route again.
“I don’t want more,” I admitted nervously. “I don’t want to get hurt.”
Slowly, Brett pulled away and gently fixed my dress, helping me up off the couch. His gray gaze was serious as he looked down at me. “No one wants to get hurt, but you can’t live your life in fear. Give me a chance to show you that I’m not like the other guys you’ve been with. Can you do that?”
Sighing, I nodded my head and took his hand. He wasn’t like anyone I’d ever met, but I wasn’t about to get my hopes up. “Okay,” I whispered, “but only for the night. That’s all I can agree on.”
He brought his hands up to cup my cheeks. “Then it’s a night I won’t let you forget.”
IT TOOK ALL I had not to jump in his arms and demand he take me in the elevator as we descended the fifty floors down to the bottom. Brett kept his calm, circling his fingers on the small of my back the entire time, driving me insane. He didn’t say where we were going next, but I had a feeling it was going to be his condo since he lived a few blocks away.
After we left the building and started down the street, I wanted to ask him questions and get to know him, but if I did that it would make us closer; I couldn’t have that.
“I know what you’re doing, Melissa. Mentally pushing me away isn’t going to work.”
Rolling my eyes, I shook my head and sighed. “It’ll work for tonight. That’s all that matters.”
Chuckling, he opened the door to his condo building and ushered me inside. “Keep telling yourself that. Just remember, it’s not just you in this. I’m in it as well.”
I highly doubted he’d be hurt if I left him in the middle of the night. Tomorrow he was probably going to be off with another female for all I knew. For tonight, however, I could have my fun and go my separate way when it was all over.
His condo was on the top floor of the building, and each second we rode the elevator to the top, my heart started to beat out of control. I was nervous. I hadn’t been with a man in months. Putting his hand on the small of my back, Brett guided me out of the elevator and down the hall to the door at the very end.
“So you moved here how long ago?” I asked. “Most of the people I know who live in this area are high up in society. Who are you exactly?”
He opened the door to his condo and stepped out of the way. “Are you sure you want to know? I’ll tell you.”
Other than his name, I wanted to know who he was, but then again it was probably best I didn’t. “No,” I replied quickly, “don’t tell me. It might be good if I don’t know.”
Shutting the door, he locked it and turned around, removing his jacket and throwing it over the top of the couch. “Then I guess there’s no need to talk, is there?” He grabbed his tie and slowly undid it, tossing it over the couch before unbuttoning his white shirt. As
he began to move closer, I steadily took steps back until I couldn’t go any further.
“I guess not,” I whispered.
Before caging me in, he threw his shirt on the floor and placed both hands on the wall, holding me prisoner against his body. Leaning down, he lightly grazed his lips along my neck on up to my ear, his warm breath tickling my senses.
“I want to touch every inch of your body,” he murmured huskily. “I don’t know what it is, but when I saw you I knew you were different.”
“How so?”
Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I held him tight and waited on him to respond … to look at me. When he did, I almost wanted to rethink what I was doing with him. He wasn’t a one night stand kind of guy, and I was afraid that if I stayed he wouldn’t let me go; I’d fall for him.
“Because in your eyes,” he began, brushing the hair off my forehead with his gentle hand, “I can see who you truly are. You’re beautiful, care-free, and smart. I don’t like women who are desperate, and you proved that you weren’t when you ignored my letter.” He paused and kissed the palm of my hand, keeping his gaze on mine. “You keep your heart guarded, but I’m hoping one day you’ll let me in.”
Not going to happen, I wanted to say. There’s too much pain involved with letting someone in.
Swallowing hard, I shook my head. “That’s not something I want to think about. I’m here … right now. Let’s just live in the moment.”
Brett moved closer and put his fingers underneath my chin, lifting gently. “If you’d let me, I’d like to turn your focus onto other things. Like …”
He trailed his hands down my shoulders and over the skin of my back until he reached the zipper to my dress. “Like what?” I asked breathlessly.
Unzipping my dress, he let it fall to the floor with a mischievous smirk on his face. “Like how I’m going to make your body scream for my touch … and how I’m going enjoy making you come in every way possible.”
Eyes wide, I didn’t have time to speak before he closed his lips over mine, silencing me. My clit throbbed in anticipation, aching for release. It had been so long since I’d felt any pleasure from a man’s touch; I wanted it … needed it. In one swift move, he lifted me up in his arms and I straddled his waist, holding on tight as he led me through his condo to what I assumed was going to be his bedroom.
It was dark in the hallway, but when we entered his room, it was illuminated by the shimmering lights of downtown Charlotte. His windows were massive—floor to ceiling—but I knew no one could see in since they were private from the outside.
Laying me on the bed, he covered me with his body and spread my legs with his knee. I still had on my strapless pink bra and pink thong, but Brett’s gaze was focused solely on mine as he kissed me … claimed me. He rocked his body against mine, lifting my left leg around his waist so he could press his cock harder in between my legs.
The momentum built to the point I couldn’t contain the silence any more. “Brett,” I gasped, my chest rising and falling rapidly.
Digging my nails into his arm, he knew what was about to come. Quickly, he slid his hand down my thigh to the inside of it, and finally over my thong, rubbing my clit with his thumb.
I wasn’t fully there yet, but as soon as he slid his fingers in it was all over. My body tightened and I screamed out my pleasure, grasping onto his arms and squeezing until the tingling subsided, leaving me breathless and aching for more. Lifting his fingers to his lips, Brett put them in his mouth and closed his eyes, moaning as he tasted me on them.
When he opened his eyes and gazed down at me, my breath hitched in my throat. They were raw, primal … heated. There was no restraint, no holding back; he wanted me and there was nothing I could do to stop him.
Ripping off my underwear, he threw it across the room before lifting me up in his arms so he could unlatch my bra. Roughly, he kissed me and I couldn’t help but moan when he threw my bra off to the side and pinched my nipples. He bit my lip and sucked it hard, making a strangled cry escape my lips as he massaged and squeezed my breasts.
I was in heaven.
I had never felt this level of intensity with Daniel when were together, not even when we were in the early stages of dating when everything was new. This was completely foreign to me.
What was it about Brett that made it all different?
I couldn’t wait any longer to have him inside of me, so I grasped the button on his pants and opened them; it’d been too long. Chuckling, Brett slid off the bed and lowered his gray pants and boxer briefs to the floor.
“Is this what you wanted?” he asked. “I figured you’d want to take things slow.”
“No,” I moaned breathlessly. “It’s been too long. If you make me wait any longer, I’m probably going to go insane.”
As soon as I got a good look at his body, I visibly trembled, which earned a chuckle to escape his lips. He towered over me on the bed, and spread my legs wide so he could rest between them. Reaching toward his dresser, he opened the top drawer, pulled out a couple of condoms, and expertly slid one down his long, thick cock.
“Well, then I guess I can’t leave you waiting.” Smirking, he lowered his lips to my breasts and flicked one of my nipples with his tongue. I gasped and arched my back, waiting on him to do it again. This time, when he closed his lips over me, he bit and sucked hard while massaging me with his strong hands.
Groaning, he opened my legs wider and pushed his cock in just an inch; it was enough to get me panting. More, I wanted to scream.
As if he heard my silent plea, he rocked his hips and slid in further … and further until he was fully inside of me, filling me. It hurt like hell—the burn making me clench and grit my teeth to keep from crying out—but it was a pleasurable pain. Slowly, Brett moved along to a silent rhythm and held me tight, alternating those lips of his to each one of my breasts, suckling and nipping them with his teeth.
“You feel and taste so fucking good,” he growled, moving his lips to my neck. Holding my face in his hands, he brought his mouth to mine and thrust his tongue inside, claiming me in every way he possibly could.
He picked up his pace and thrust harder inside of me, lifting my legs and wrapping them around his waist; I gasped when I felt him go deeper. Instead of pulling out and pushing back in with long strokes, he stayed deep and rocked his hips hard, keeping a continual rhythm against my clit.
“Oh my God,” I cried, closing my eyes. “Please keep doing that.”
His low growl vibrated in my ear, and I could feel him getting harder inside of me. He was close … so was I. Squeezing him harder with my legs, I held on tight and bit his lip this time, feeling his cock pulsate.
“If you keep clenching down on me, baby, I’m not going to last.”
I wasn’t going to last either. Rocking my hips, I let my orgasm send me over the edge, crying out when Brett dug his fingers in my back as he too released inside of me. Slick with sweat, his muscles tensed and flexed beneath my hands as I held onto him, silently waiting on the pain to hit when he pulled out.
“Are you okay? I could see it in your eyes that it hurt you in the beginning.” Gently, he pulled out and rolled over to his side so he could slide the condom off and throw it away before holding me in his arms. He was so gentle; it made my heart ache. How I wish it could all be real.
“It hurt,” I admitted nervously, “but I figured it would once I got a good look at you.”
He smiled, but then it disappeared. “When was the last time you’ve been with a man?”
Sadly, I looked over at him and sighed. “A while.”
Brushing the hair off my face, he held onto my chin and kissed my lips. “Stay here and I’ll be right back. I know what’ll help you.”
Sliding off the bed, he strolled into the bathroom and shut the door. Water began to run and I could hear him moving around in the bathroom. A few minutes later, the door opened and I expected the light to blind me, but it didn’t; there was a soft glow coming from ins
ide.
I started to get up, but Brett stopped me by pulling me up into his arms before I could get off the bed. “I got you, baby,” he murmured.
“I can walk you know,” I teased as he carried me into the bathroom.
The room was lit with candlelight, and the bathtub—big enough to fit ten people—was surrounded by dozens of them, and steamy from the hot, bubbly water.
“What did you put in the water? It smells amazing.” I couldn’t pinpoint it, but it kind of reminded me of chamomile and something else.
Shrugging his shoulders, he looked down at the water, his gaze far off … almost sad. “I’m not exactly sure. It was given to me years ago by someone very special to me. I was told it could help heal anything. I figured we both could use it tonight.”
He set me in the hot water and climbed in behind me; I immediately relaxed when he put his arms around me. I wanted to ask him who the special person was, but figured it was best to not know. I didn’t want to imagine him being with another woman.
Instead, I laid my head against his chest and breathed him in, trembling when he ran his warm hands over my heated skin. There was nothing sexual about the way he caressed my arms and my back, but my insides clenched and lit up like fire; I wanted him again. My body was sore, but if I only had one night with him I needed more.
The bathtub was filled almost to the brim with water, so I slowly turned around to face him, straddling his waist. Furrowing his brows, he gazed down at my lips, and then back up to my eyes.
“Are you okay? Do you want to get out?”
I shook my head and reached down into the water, wrapping my hand around his cock. Immediately, it jumped and began to get hard. Brett groaned and leaned his head back against the tub.
“Melissa, are you sure this is what you want? I don’t want to hurt you.”
The harder his cock got, the harder I massaged him. “I’m not worried about that. Just sit back and let me do the work this time.”
