by Heidi Rice
She grinned as she thought about the way she’d caught him out over the note. She’d never felt confident enough to flirt with a man before, but she’d almost been flirting with him.
Who knew it could be so empowering and so exciting? He certainly didn’t think she was a pushover any more.
The grin faded as she recalled the weight of his palm on the small of her back as he’d propelled her out of the room. And the way her heart had lurched into her throat when he’d demanded to know if she was coming with him to LA or not.
The bad news was, she had the strangest sensation she’d just grabbed a tiger by the tail.
Chapter Ten
JUNO’S keep-things-real plan began to unravel on the first-class flight over the Atlantic.
Luckily she wasn’t a complete stranger to luxury travel, having flown down to the wedding in Connor’s private jet, so she nobly resisted the urge to squeal when she saw the wide leather seat that folded down into a bed. And her eyes didn’t get much bigger than dinner plates when she was handed a glass of champagne straight after take-off. Having Mac’s hand settle on her thigh as the plane soared to thirty thousand feet had been more of a challenge. But she thought she’d handled herself surprisingly well, only peppering him with a thousand or so questions about Hollywood and Los Angeles and his home in Laguna Beach before she dropped into an exhausted sleep.
Unfortunately, nothing could have prepared her for the shock of opening her eyes, her mind still groggy from sleep and travel twenty hours later, and finding herself in Mac Brody’s home.
She couldn’t even remember that much about how she’d ended up in the enormous bedroom suite. After getting through the necessary ordeal of customs and passport control, she’d fallen straight back to sleep on the helicopter flight from LAX down to Laguna Beach. She vaguely recalled opening tired eyes during the journey and being wowed by the sight of the sun peeking over the Southern Californian coastline, then inhaling Mac’s tantalising scent and feeling his muscles bunching beneath her cheek as he’d carried her into the house, but that was about it.
She propped herself up on the huge fluffy pillows and stared out of the wall of glass at the far end of the room.
‘Good God.’
The whispered exclamation rang out above the sibilant purr of the air-conditioning.
Even spending time in Connor and Daisy’s magnificent home in Portobello had not prepared her for living in the lap of this sort of luxury. A wide bleached-stone terrace gave way to the brilliant blue of an infinity pool, its lush lagoonlike feel accentuated by a thicket of yucca palms and exotic potted plants.
Throwing off the coverlet, she scrambled across the thick woollen carpet to get a better look at the eye-popping view.
The house sat perched on a low cliff, the rugged, sundrenched coastline stretching away round the promontory to afford complete privacy. She placed her palms on the glass and gawped at what she could see of the metal and glass frontage of the house. Stretching onto her tiptoes, she spied the empty cove below the house accessed by a set of stone steps carved into the rocks. Lazy surf pounded onto sand so white it made her squint.
Her breath backed up in her lungs. Kubla Khan eat your heart out. Mac Brody’s pleasure dome beat Xanadu hands down.
Then she caught sight of her reflection in the glass. Dressed in a vest-top and a pair of simple white panties, she looked like a scrawny schoolgirl cast adrift in a sea of splendour. The ever-present blush heated her cheeks.
What was she doing here? She couldn’t have looked more out of place if she tried!
She took a deep breath. Eased it out slowly.
Calm down.
Staying here for two whole weeks was going to be the biggest adventure of her life. And if she was going to enjoy every second, she simply did not have time for a nervous breakdown.
She glanced back at the bed. Only her side had been slept in. She wondered where Mac had spent the night. She dismissed her disappointment. He’d probably been as exhausted as her. The few times she’d woken up during the flight he’d been busy working on his laptop, so he was no doubt catching up on his sleep. Or maybe he’d gone to work. Even with two weeks before his next project started, he might still have meetings and photo shoots and interviews and stuff like that to do. She doubted movie stars ever had very much free time and she didn’t intend to be some annoying little limpet constantly begging for his attention. Come to think of it, she probably wouldn’t see all that much of him. Which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, considering how short of breath she got every time she got near him.
She spotted her suitcase by the door. Inside were the array of brightly coloured outfits Daisy and she had ummed and aahed over the day before. She lifted out a lipstick-red retro dress that she wouldn’t have dreamt of wearing a month ago—and felt the jangle of nerves retreat a little. Once she looked the part, she’d go and explore the house—if she kept occupied, she wouldn’t have too much time to think about how far out of her depth she was.
An hour later, Juno had showered in an en suite bathroom bigger than her whole bedsit. Discovered four other bedrooms, a staggering six other bathrooms, a curved living room with a plasma TV the size of a small cinema screen, a fully equipped gym, a study with what looked like top-of-the-range computer equipment and a library packed full of dog-eared paperbacks, dry literary tomes and enough DVDs to outsource her local Blockbuster.
Exploring Mac’s house hadn’t quite had the palliative effect she’d been hoping for.
The one thing she hadn’t found, though, was any sign of her host. Apart from the series of framed posters in the lobby depicting films of his she’d never seen and the remnants of a hastily eaten breakfast in the kitchen.
She pressed her palms to the waistline of the expertly tailored red dress and stared at the empty bowl. Feeling a lot like Dorothy after she’d landed in Oz.
The gleaming stainless-steel cabinets, inlaid countertops and wardrobe-sized fridge ensured this room was as starkly modern, spotlessly clean and impeccably designed as the rest of the house. She sighed. It was certainly a far cry from the cramped galley kitchen in the bedsit co-op, which she shared with Jacie and her son, Cal, Mr Robertson the seventy-year-old Rastafarian on the top floor and Mrs Valdermeyer and her army of cats. But oddly enough, for all its sleek lines and imposing perfection—and the refreshing absence of cat pong—Mac’s kitchen made Juno miss the constant noise and clutter of Mrs V’s.
Finding a selection of cereals in one of the cabinets, she poured herself a bowlful and sat down to eat. But as she swallowed the muesli she imagined Mac sitting at the table and eating his breakfast alone every morning and wondered how he dealt with the suffocating silence.
The wave of sympathy was quickly quashed as she tidied both their bowls away into the dishwasher. Don’t be daft, the silence was probably what attracted him to this place. Peace and quiet was no doubt a precious commodity to a man who made his living surrounded by people. And who said he ate alone here? He probably had a string of women he could invite to sleep over.
The minute the thought entered her head, a vision of all the women he’d shared breakfast with in his luxurious kitchen popped up to illustrate it. And every one of them looked a thousand times more at home here than she did.
She squeezed her eyes shut. Don’t even go there.
It was way too late to start panicking about Mac Brody’s other women. She was here now, not them, and that had to count for something.
She opened her eyes. Maybe a bit of sea air would help keep the nerves at bay.
As she ventured through the sliding glass door onto the terrace the stone tiles warmed the soles of her bare feet. The outdoor temperature had to be a good twenty degrees hotter than London. Despite the salt-scented breeze, her dress stuck to her skin moments after she’d left the air-conditioned cool of the house. She shielded her eyes against the glare from the sun, and spied a movement on the beach below.
A tall, tanned and painfully familiar figure st
rolled out of the surf and bent to take a T-shirt from the sand. As he rubbed it across his torso Juno’s eyes dipped to the lighter strip of flesh across his bare buttocks and the temperature shot up another twenty degrees.
Sweat dampened her armpits and her breathing stopped.
He tugged on a pair of jogging shorts and she managed a shallow breath. Picking up his sneakers, he crossed the beach in long strides, his short hair moulded to his head, the dark locks glistening in the sunshine. She wrapped her arms around her waist in a vain attempt to control the throb of arousal.
Oh, my, the man was at least as impressive as his home.
He stepped onto the terrace and his head came up, almost as if he’d scented her presence. A pair of feral blue eyes locked on her face.
He looked magnificent, the water beading on his chest and running in rivulets down the lean slopes and valleys of his abdomen. Her gaze followed the trickles that dripped from his shorts onto powerful thighs. He looked like a rampant male animal.
And he was all hers, for a little while at least.
She gulped, giddy from lack of oxygen.
‘You woke up?’ The gruff question had her eyes lifting to his face.
Had she? She was beginning to think this was all some extremely vivid and rather scary erotic dream. She nodded. ‘I helped myself to some cereal. I hope you don’t mind?’
One dark eyebrow lifted sardonically and a slow, seductive smile spread across his face. ‘Juno, you’ve my permission to help yourself to anything that takes your fancy.’
Her nipples peaked painfully and she took a jerky breath.
She might be a novice at this sort of thing, but she definitely didn’t think he was referring to his low-fat, fake-sugar, Swiss-style muesli any more. ‘Are you sure about that?’ she heard herself say.
His teeth flashed white and his eyes gleamed. ‘Absolutely.’
Her heart jumped into her throat and sweat pooled between her breasts. It was a dare, plain and simple, now all she had to do was prove she was up to the challenge.
She took a tentative step towards him, not taking her eyes from his face. Placing her fingertip against her own lips, she took a deep breath and then reached towards him.
He quivered, like a tiger ready to pounce, as her fingertip touched his pectoral muscle, but he didn’t move, giving her the sharp burst of courage she so desperately needed.
Her short, neatly trimmed fingernail trailed across his chest and traced the line of hair down his six-pack. But then she spotted the powerful erection already stretching his jogging shorts and gasped.
He swore softly and hauled her against him. ‘Enough of that, you little tease.’
His wet chest dampened the front of her dress, and she shivered despite the heat coursing through her body.
‘It’s my turn now,’ he rasped.
Before she could guess his intent, he stepped back, bent over and hoisted her onto his shoulder.
‘What are you doing?’ The scent of seawater and man engulfed her as he marched through the kitchen and down the hallway. ‘Put me down. I haven’t finished my turn yet,’ she said, wriggling like crazy as her midriff bounced on the broad shelf of his shoulder.
‘Tough,’ he said, anchoring her legs with one arm across the backs of her knees. ‘You were taking too long.’
His comical frustration had a laugh popping out of her mouth, the heady rush of arousal making her dizzy. He kicked open his bedroom door and dropped her unceremoniously onto the bed.
‘So you think that’s funny, do you?’ he snarled, caging her in as she scrambled up.
He looked so handsome and so determined, excitement gushed and pulsed under her skin.
‘Hilarious actually,’ she teased as he grabbed her ankle. Who knew flirting could be this much fun?
‘That’s it,’ he declared as he hauled her down the bed and settled over her. ‘You are so going to pay for that.’
His mouth covered hers, the kiss going straight from playful to punishing. She ran her fingers through his wet silky hair as he pinned her to the mattress.
He tore his mouth away first. ‘Let’s get naked before we explode.’
‘O-okay,’ she stammered.
He grappled with her dress, cursing as he fumbled with the zip, while she gripped the waistband of his shorts, letting instinct take over as she struggled to pull the clinging fabric down flanks knotted with muscle.
His erection sprang out, thick and long and impossibly hard. Her eyes widened and she bit into her bottom lip. Goodness, had it got bigger?
He lifted her face to his. ‘Don’t panic. I won’t hurt you.’
‘I’m not worried,’ she said, and knew she wasn’t. What she was was fascinated. ‘Can I touch it?’ she asked, feeling foolish when his eyebrows shot up.
He choked out a laugh. ‘I told you. You’ve my permission to help yourself to anything you like.’
‘I want to touch it, without you touching me.’ It was a bold request. But she knew she’d get sidetracked if she let him caress her. And she wanted to explore his beautiful body, and revel in her newfound power, without fear of interruptions.
He swore softly, then flopped back on the bed and folded his arms behind his head. ‘All right. You’ve about a minute. But be gentle now, I’m close enough to the edge already.’
She still wore her bra and panties, which made her feel even more powerful as she studied him. Everything about him was so incredibly gorgeous—and his naked body was entirely at her disposal. She followed the sprinkling of hair, which curled on the slabs of muscle defining his chest, then thinned to a line down his abdomen. Finally her gaze rested on his magnificent erection. She took her time assessing the rigid evidence of how much he wanted her. And only her.
Heat pounded at her core.
He shifted. ‘I hate to rush you,’ he murmured, his voice gruff, ‘but I’ve so little blood left in my brain I’m about to pass out.’
She giggled, the feeling of power making her light-headed. To have him at her mercy was more of a thrill than she could ever have imagined.
She touched the head of his erection. At his sharp intake of breath she glanced up to see heavy-lidded eyes watching her and waiting. Unable to hold back a moment longer, she circled him and drew her fingers down the swollen length.
He hissed and his flesh bobbed violently.
She snatched her hand back, horrified. ‘Did I hurt you?’
He chuckled, the sound tense. ‘Not in the way you mean, darlin’.’ He inclined his head. ‘But would you take off the lingerie? I’d be a lot happier if I could enjoy the view while you torture me.’
Despite the cheeky tone, it had been more demand than request. She blew out a careful breath, then got off the bed and unhooked her bra. She let it drop to the floor, then with clumsy hands slipped off her knickers. Heat spread across her chest as she stood before him. Her nipples hardened, stimulated by the air-conditioning and the fierce appreciation in his gaze.
‘You’re gorgeous,’ he said as he took her hand and coaxed her back onto the bed. He dipped his head, looped his arm round her neck as she settled beside him. She could feel the heat pumping off his body, took a staggered breath and tasted sea and sun and the musky scent of man.
He shifted to lean over her, fumbled for a moment, then lifted the telltale foil package out of a drawer in the bedside table. Holding her cheek, he kissed her long and hard, his tongue dominating, exploring and then retreating in a rhythm that robbed her of breath.
As he concentrated on sheathing himself she trailed her fingers down his chest, and cupped the heavy weight of him in her palm.
He drew away and caught her wrist. ‘I’m too close, darlin’. We’ll have to leave that lesson for another day.’
Drawing his palms down her sides, he moved down the bed, his lips capturing her nipple.
She gasped as his teeth tugged and teased the swollen peak. She writhed, sinking her hands into his hair as his mouth moved lower, his tongue circling her be
lly-button. The rough, torturous strokes had her breath lodging in her throat and her skin burning hot.
But then he moved lower still, his head no longer within range of her grasping fingers. Pushing her thighs gently apart, he cupped her bottom and placed his mouth on her core.
Juno jerked in shock at the intimate caress. Fire rocketed through her, her body pulsing with a need so fierce she thought she might faint. ‘I can’t think,’ she cried.
His palms rested warm on her thighs as he smiled up at her. ‘There’s no need to think,’ he said. ‘Just let go.’
His lips were on her again, branding the heated flesh. She squirmed and struggled against the exquisite torture, but he held her in place, and completely open to him, as his tongue probed and ravished. The shocking sensations sent her senses spinning as the vicious spirals coiled at her core.
‘I can’t. It’s too much. Please stop,’ she moaned.
But he didn’t stop, his tongue, his lips, his mouth, crucifying her on an altar of ecstasy as she soared over that impossible peak. Her back arched as she sobbed out her release, then collapsed shaking onto the pillows.
She still shivered moments later, shuddering with the aftershocks of the vicious climax when she opened her eyes and saw him smiling down at her, his body poised above her.
‘That was beautiful to watch, Juno.’
And unbearably arousing, Mac thought as his erection throbbed against the soft skin of her thigh.
Her face coloured a dark and vivid pink.
‘Don’t…’ He stroked a hand down her cheek as she tried to look away. ‘Don’t be embarrassed, sweetheart. You’re incredible, the way you respond. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.’
‘I know, it’s just…’ She gave a shy smile, which had his heart flip-flopping. ‘I can’t believe…I’ve never done that before.’
The amazement, the astonishment in her voice had the brutal ache in his groin twisting harder. He touched his forehead to hers, tried to slow his breathing. He wanted, desperately, to bury himself inside her, to pound away until he’d slaked himself. But, more than that, he didn’t want to hurt her. ‘Let’s wait a minute now.’
