And when she came apart in my arms, it made it all worth it.
I shoved my face in her neck and held back my orgasm while her pussy contracted around my cock. Not coming inside her was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life, and I was not invincible.
I brushed my lips against hers. “Tessa, baby, I can’t hold on.”
Her leg around my ass didn’t loosen.
“Tessa, I’m not wearing a condom.”
This seemed to get through to her, and she quickly rolled away.
I winced as my tender penis was pulled from her body, but I didn’t climax. Ready to get myself off because I needed to finish or be in pain, I went to grab myself.
But Tessa practically flew down the bed, knocked away my hand, and sucked me into her mouth.
That was all it took for me to come, and while I couldn’t do it in her pussy, on her tongue was a very pleasurable second.
I collapsed onto my back and closed my eyes once I was done. One round with Tessa, and I was exhausted.
She climbed back up my body and kissed me. I willingly opened my mouth for her, wanting to know what the two of us tasted like together.
“Mmm,” I said as she pulled away.
“I’m sorry about the no-condom thing. I got a little caught up in the moment.”
“It’s okay. We survived.”
She laughed lightly and laid her head on my shoulder.
I rubbed her back and kissed her forehead. “I’ve seen you sleeping four times, and three of those, you were having bad dreams. Do you get them every night?”
She tensed for a moment and said, “No.”
That made me feel a little better, yet I hated that she had them at all. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Tessa
“Not really,” I admitted. “But I might feel better if I talk about it.”
It helped that it was dark and that I could still feel Seth between my legs and taste him on my tongue.
“No pressure,” he said as he ran his hand up and down my back as we laid on our sides. “But maybe saying it out loud will help you process whatever is giving you nightmares.”
“I’ll give it a try. But just so you know, I don’t have bad dreams every night or even almost every night.” I kissed his chest. “In case you thought I did.”
“I didn’t think that. And even if you did, it’s not a deal-breaker. No one is perfect.”
You are, I thought.
“My dad worked in maintenance at a private high school. One of his job benefits was getting free tuition for his kids, so of course, my parents wanted private schooling for their children. My brother is older than me and had already gone there for a couple years, and he loved it, so I figured I would too.”
“But you didn’t,” Seth already guessed.
“But I didn’t,” I agreed. “My parents were—are—working class. I grew up in a small, modest home, where my parents were blue-collar workers. I still remember how some months, they had to really scrimp to pay the bills, but we had a roof over our heads, so I didn’t mind. And all my friends in the neighborhood were like me. But going to a private school was different.”
“I bet.”
“There were some middle-class kids, and then there were the rich upper-class kids. The only thing was that the middle-class kids might not have had fancy cars or houses with pools in the backyard, but they could still wear the right clothes and buy the cool stuff that everyone else had.”
“And you couldn’t.”
I snorted. “Not even close. But neither could my brother. So, at first, I didn’t think it was a big deal, except it soon made sense why his friends never came over to our house. Anyway, the difference was, my brother played football, wrestled, and was good-looking. He dated a cheerleader or two and got invited to all the cool parties. But I was not athletic, and with the size of these hips, I was considered overweight.”
Technically, if you asked my doctor, I was still overweight, but the difference between then and now was, I had grown into my figure and wore my curves with confidence. Confidence a fourteen-year-old kid did not have.
I took a deep breath before the next part because it was embarrassing. “They called me Bessa.”
“Bessa?”
“It’s a clever nickname. It’s a combination of Bessy and Tessa. You know…Bessy, as in cow.”
“Oh damn.”
“Yeah. So, I was overweight, poor, and uncool.”
“Didn’t your brother do anything to defend you?”
“He didn’t know. Not the full extent of it anyway. They kept the grades relatively separated, so he wasn’t around to witness anything. He knew I didn’t like it there, but he didn’t really understand why.”
“I still feel like he should have done something.”
Even telling my story, I had to smile. “You’re sweet, but he really didn’t know. All the kids who made fun of me were freshman, like me. The older kids didn’t even know who I was. We even did lunch with only our own grade.”
“I can see how he wouldn’t know.”
“Anyway, as you can probably guess, no one wanted to be friends with me because they didn’t want to get made fun of too. I was lonely and alone. But the last straw was gym, when we started swimming. After everyone saw me in a suit, the teasing got worse. One day after class, which was the last one of the day, a bunch of kids cornered me after the teacher left right away because of an emergency. They pushed me into this thing that was part cupboard, part closet and locked me in. And the teacher didn’t come back for over two hours. I was lucky she’d left her things behind and found me, or I would have been stuck there all night.”
Seth rolled on his back and pulled me close. “Oh my God, Tessa. That’s awful.”
“It is. The only good thing was, I went home and begged—begged—my mother to let me go back to public school. She never asked me why, but she’s smart; I think she knew something bad had happened. She said yes, and I never went back.”
“Shit. I’m glad about that.”
“Yeah. I met some good kids at my public high school. And sure, there were still kids with money, but it wasn’t the majority, and they didn’t give me a hard time every day.”
“Kids are fucking assholes.”
I chuckled. “Yes, they are.”
“So, you mentioned the rich kids a lot. And I noticed you didn’t like Alexis’s ex…”
Seth was observant.
“Alexis’s ex would be a dick even if he didn’t have money, but yes, I’ve always had a bias against rich people. I almost didn’t come to work for you.”
Seth pulled back to look at me better even though it was dark in my room. “No shit?”
“It’s true.”
“What made you change your mind?”
“Alexis and our business. The pay was too good to pass up.” I snorted. “How hypocritical of me.”
“I grew up in a middle-class home, but I remember there were times when something big would happen, like the air conditioner would go out or we needed a new fridge, and my parents would worry about how they were going to pay for it. So, I can say, it’s one thing to seek out money when you need it, but it’s another thing to seek it out when you already have a lot. That’s one of the reasons I try to pay my employees well. I don’t want them to have to live paycheck to paycheck.”
I had wondered about that since Seth was paying me a good rate. I had also noticed that he didn’t force people to work long hours, except when the Paragon account had come up.
“Will you stay here and sleep with me tonight?” I asked.
“Nah.”
Oh. I hadn’t expected that answer. Ouch. After everything I told him.
I took a deep, calming breath. It’s okay, Tessa. He’s not your boyfriend. He doesn’t have to stay.
I rolled away from him and attempted to play it cool. “Well, I promise to have no more bad dreams tonight.”
He pushed the covers off hi
m and stood.
Damn, he’s sexy.
Despite my disappointment, I couldn’t stop admiring him. He turned and stuck his head under the sheet and dug near the bottom of the bed, and it made me smile. I wondered if that meant I was in trouble where Seth Crawford was concerned.
“What are you doing?”
He stood and held up our clothes with a grin. “Looking for our clothes.”
My face heated as I remembered how I’d attacked him. “Right.” I held out my hands for my pajama bottoms. “Thank you for finding them.”
He set them on the bed rather than giving them to me. “You don’t need these. You look better without them.”
That warmed my heart and helped ease the disappointment. “Thanks.”
“Now, if you lose the top, you’ll be complete.”
What was the point since I’d be sleeping alone?
“Again, thank you, but I’m not planning on doing any fashion shows.”
“Just a private one for me.” He smirked. “In bed.”
I stared at him, confused.
He jerked his head toward the door. “Come on. Let’s go.”
I still didn’t get it.
He sighed and came over to my side of the bed. He whipped the comforter off of me and picked me up in a fireman hold.
I screeched. “Seth, what are you doing?”
“Taking you to my bed since your legs don’t seem to work. But then again, they shouldn’t work after a good fuck.”
“They work just fine.”
Seth gasped mockingly. “How dare you.”
I laughed. “But why are we going to your room?”
He dropped me down onto his bed, where I bounced. “Two reasons. King-size bed and condoms. I figured it was easier for us to spend the night in here.”
I grinned. “So, you’re saying, you want me to sleep with you?” I asked coyly.
“Duh.” He raised his brow. “Although I can’t promise you’ll be getting that much sleep.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Tessa
The next morning, Seth got up early while I slept in. Since the meeting wasn’t until nine, I was taking my time, getting up and getting ready. I could take notes in my PJs just as easily as I could in business clothes.
Because of this, I took a shower, put on the fluffy bathrobe provided by the hotel, and lay on my bed to read. Thankfully, Seth hadn’t done any damage to my paperback, so he was still in my good graces.
Around eight-thirty, he came into my room. “You look comfortable.”
I was on my stomach, so I rolled up onto my side to see him better. “I am.” I looked at the clock. “We have some time before your phone meeting, so I thought I would relax. Do you need me to do something? I was planning to listen in and take notes,” I told him so he wouldn’t think I was totally lazy.
He grabbed my calf and flipped me on my back. Pushing my legs open, he rested his upper body on the mattress and said, “I wouldn’t say I need anything, but since we have some time, I thought we might have a little fun.”
“What do you have in—”
Seth shoved his head between my legs and licked.
“Mmm.” I dropped my book and slipped a hand in my robe, so I could pinch my nipple.
Seth’s phone rang on the dresser, where he had set it.
“No,” I whined.
“Ignore it,” Seth said.
I was about to, but something clicked in my brain. “Seth, what if it’s Ryan Jackman’s office? Maybe they’re calling early for something?”
He groaned and stood, adjusting himself in his pants.
I closed the bottom half of my robe while he picked up his phone.
“Crap. You might be right.”
I held out my hand, so I could answer for him, but he hit a button and said, “Seth Crawford speaking.”
He smiled. “Mr. Jackman, it’s a pleasure.”
I moved to scramble off the bed, but Seth stepped forward and held up his hand.
I didn’t understand.
And I still didn’t get it when he put up a finger in the universal symbol for I’ll be right back.
I flopped back on the bed and waited for him to come back.
He returned in just a few seconds with…a row of condoms.
My eyes widened in wonder of what he was going to do next.
He ripped one off with his teeth, threw them on the bed, and stripped off his shirt. Then, he undid his pants, opened the wrapper, and put the rubber on his dick. During this time, he didn’t stop talking to Ryan Jackman, but I had lost track of what they were talking about.
A girl could not be expected to pay attention to a phone conversation and her lover’s naked body at the same time.
Seth grasped my ankle and pulled me to the end of the bed while I had to bite back a squeak of surprise.
When my ass reached the end, he flipped open my robe again and slid his cock into me.
I immediately tightened around him and arched my neck as I bit my lip.
He felt unbelievably good, but I did have enough sense to remember he was on the phone, so I didn’t make any noise.
I didn’t know what kind of game Seth was playing right now, but at the moment, I was all in for whatever he wanted to do.
As he talked, he gently slid in and out of me. He was slow and methodical, and I understood why, but it was making me squirm.
He licked a thumb and placed it between my legs, landing right on my clit. I had to give this man props for never having to search for it.
I tried to keep my eyes open, so I could watch him, but they soon fluttered closed, and I completely forgot he was in the middle of an important meeting.
He stopped moving and whispered my name, and I blinked my eyes open.
He grinned, shoved his phone between his shoulder and chin, and put a finger to his lips.
Oops. I hadn’t even realized I was making noise.
As he continued to leisurely stroke his shaft inside me and circle my bundle of nerves, I kept my eyes open to watch him, hoping it would help me stay quiet.
But it didn’t help.
Even though there was no rush to Seth’s lovemaking, I was still getting closer and closer to coming. I tried to fight it, but it wasn’t working. I also couldn’t seem to stay quiet.
Seth’s brow furrowed at something Ryan Jackman had said, and he said, “Oh, sure. Yes. Yes,” as he slid a hand up and around my neck. It wasn’t enough to cut off air, but it was enough to cut off my voice.
And now that his upper body was closer to mine, his strokes got deeper until I couldn’t take it anymore.
My arms flung up, and I grabbed on to his arms and dug my nails in. My orgasm washed over me in a white-hot heat so hard that I could feel myself contract around him.
There was a soft grunt from Seth, and he tightened his hand a little more around my neck. I couldn’t quite keep myself quiet.
When my orgasm gradually passed, my arms fell to my sides, and I caught the end of the conversation.
“That sounds great. I look forward to it.” Pause. “Next month it is.”
Seth hit a button, threw his phone on the bed, and dropped his body over mine. He lifted my hip with a hand and grabbed my hair with the other as he let go of everything he’d been holding back.
He pounded into me so hard that I swore he touched my cervix. But it was all good. After the gentleness, I was ready for a rough ride. I was also ready to make all the sounds I wanted, and I moaned into his ear to encourage him.
It wasn’t long before he slammed into me twice and exploded. I held him as he rode his wave of pleasure.
When he lifted his head, he brushed my hair from my face and said, “You okay?”
Was I okay? That was the hottest fuck I had ever had.
“That depends,” I teased.
His eyebrows flew up. “On what?”
“On whether or not you got the account.”
He grinned and kissed me. “Oh, I fucking got the acco
unt all right.”
I’d pretty much already known he did, but I needed to hear it. “Does this mean you have a big head now?”
“How so?”
“You just gave me the best orgasm of my life while scoring a new account with a famous actor.”
“That depends,” he said, returning my words to me.
“On what?”
“On whether or not you still want to have Ryan Jackman’s babies.”
“Who the hell is Ryan Jackman?”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Tessa
The next afternoon, we were supposed to be leaving for the meeting with Paragon, but Seth kept refreshing his email.
“What is going on?” I asked him. “We need to go soon, or we’ll be late.”
He sighed. “I emailed the CEO of Spark Advertising over twenty-four hours ago about Paragon, but I haven’t heard anything back yet.”
“I’m sorry to tell you this, but I don’t think he’s going to email you in the next two minutes. Also, won’t you get the email on your phone?”
“I know. And, yes, you’re right.”
“What was your email concerning?”
Seth ran his hand over his fauxhawk. “I didn’t get the best impression of Gene Ainsworth, and I wanted to know what had happened between him and Spark.” He met my eyes. “I know you didn’t get the best impression of him either.”
“You’re right; I didn’t. But it was one meeting. Maybe he was having an off night.” I stepped toward Seth and put my hands on his chest. “Just because you go to this meeting today doesn’t mean you have to work with him. You know how I always look at things?”
He gave me a half-smile. “How?”
“Ask yourself if you’ll regret going today. My guess is, probably not. So we waste a few hours in this meeting.” I shrugged. “So what?” I poked him. “But then ask yourself if you will regret not going. I would say, you have a higher chance of regretting that. This is a big account for you and your company. Don’t you at least want to hear what he has to say?”
“No,” Seth grumbled.
I raised my brow.
Not Another Billionaire (Not Another Romance) Page 11
