by Lauren Wood
“No,” she muttered. “Look, I just need to rest and relax. My boyfriend of two years just announced that he’s been cheating on me with my friend. Apparently they’re in love. So yes, I am having a bad day. And I promise not to take it out on any more passengers.”
He whistled. “I thought it might be something like that. Of course, I only heard part of the conversation. Were you two having problems?”
“Problems? Greg and I never had problems. From the first date, everything about our relationship was so easy. That was what was so great about us. We didn’t fight. We enjoyed each other’s company. When he moved in, we found a routine. Everything worked. And now, suddenly, that wasn’t good enough for him. Cheating bastard,” she spat.
Joshua downed his whiskey. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a relationship that was easy.”
“Now you can understand why I’m upset.”
“That’s why you’re upset?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
Selena shrugged. Was there another reason she should be upset?
“Relationships are hard. When you find one that’s easy, then that’s supposed to be the one.”
“I don’t think that’s true. What about your relationships before Greg?”
Suddenly, she felt uncomfortable. “Look, I’m not really willing to dive into my love life with someone that I just met.” She walked over to the window and stared out at the city below. Even this late into the night, London was lit up and buzzing with activity. In the reflection of the window, she saw him step up closer to her. Her muscles tightened, and she couldn’t believe when she felt a spark of lust.
What the hell was wrong with her? “I came here to help you, Selena. I just wanted a conversation.”
Her breath hitched. “Bullshit,” she whispered. “You don’t bring a woman up to your penthouse hotel room to talk.”
In the window, she saw a slow smile spread across his face. “You are attractive. I won’t lie and tell you that I haven’t had other things on my mind.”
She felt her mouth go dry. “What kinds of things?” He was so close that if she leaned back even an inch, she’d be touching him. It was slowly driving her insane that he wasn’t touching her. God, he was a completely stranger, and her body was so ready to wrap itself around him.
“I could show you.”
Abruptly, she turned and slid away from him. Her heart was racing as she put her hand up on the wall to brace herself. It was a bad idea. She told herself that over and over again. “I don’t even know you.”
“Be honest, Selena. You didn’t react to anyone else on that plane. You didn’t snarl at anyone else. You felt a reaction to me, and it scared you. But you don’t have to be scared now. I’m offering you a night to indulge. Forget about your ex. Forget about all your problems.” He moved closer to her, and she pressed her back against the wall. Her eyes dropped to his lips. He was so close. She could taste him if she wanted. And God, she wanted. Maybe it was the fact that she’d gone almost twenty hours without sleep. Maybe it was that she was still raw from Greg’s betrayal, and maybe it was simply because Joshua Guard was unbelievably sexy, but Selena was tired of resisting him. He tipped a finger under her chin to lift her head and stared intensely at her. “The decision is yours, Selena. There is no pressure and no consequences either way.”
“Why? Why me? You could have any woman in this city,” she whispered. With a small smile, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You intrigue me. That’s very rare these days. I spend my life around people who try to please me, and you’re so brutally honest. I want to taste you. I want to bury myself within you. I want to know what makes you tick.”
His words were her undoing. With a sigh of surrender, she lifted up to her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. As soon as she kissed him, she lost all control of the situation. Immediately he had her hands cuffed above her head, and he slanted his lips over her as he urgently and desperately drank from her. His free hand skimmed down the thin layer of her shirt and slipped under to caress her skin underneath.
When he finally released her hands, she wrapped them around his neck and tried to pull him in closer. Selena barely knew this man, and yet everything about him was intoxicating.
Suddenly, he pulled away and took a deep and haggard breath. Without saying a word, he slipped her shirt over her head and unsnapped her bra. Unsure of what she should do, she pressed the palms of her hands against the wall behind her and waited. He never broke eye contact as he danced his fingers along her skin. It was as if he was searching for a reaction from her. The air around them thickened, and she visibly reacted with ever touch. Her sides had always been sensitive, and she parted her lips when he skimmed his fingers over them. By the time he reached her breasts, she was panting and desperate with need.
“I’m tempted to see if I can make you come without ever touching your sex,” he whispered in a low voice. As he pulled on her nipple, she whimpered. “But I’m far too impatient right now for that. Next time.”
Without warning, he dropped to his knees and pulled down her pants. Only the thin layer of her black panties separated her ache from his touch. He caressed her with his thumb through the fabric, and her legs trembled. She wouldn’t last much longer.
“God, yes,” he muttered. Ripping her panties down, he hooked one knee over her shoulder and slid his tongue along her slit. She nearly lost her balance as the intense pleasure washed over her, and only his grip on her hips kept her from falling. He didn’t tease her. The whole night had been a tease. When he raked his teeth over her clit, she was done for. Scraping her nails along the wall, she cried out as the orgasm hit her in one sudden wave.
Her knees buckled, and she would have fallen completely had he not reached up to catch her. “So sweet,” he murmured as he kissed her. She hooked an arm around his neck for balance and tasted her juices on his lips.
“More,” she murmured. “Please.” Her other hand pulled at his shirt. She didn’t have the patience to slip the buttons through their tiny holes. Instead, she heard the ripping of thread as she searched desperately for skin. When his shirt finally hung open, she ran her hands over his abdomen. His taut muscles rippled under her touch, and she reveled in the power. The man who had been in control this whole night was hanging by thread. She wanted to push him over. She wanted to know what it would b like if he finally lost control.
“Selena,” he growled. “You’re playing with fire.”
“Shut the hell up, Joshua,” she muttered as she released him and slid down along the wall. Making quick work of his pants, she slid them down and licked her lips when his erection finally sprang free. God, he was beautiful. Without a second thought, she wrapped one hand around his base and slid her lips over him.
“Ah, fuck,” he moaned. He pumped his hips slowly, and she danced her tongue under him. His thighs quaked under her hand, and she knew that he was almost there. “No, baby. Not like this.”
He drew away from her and bent down to help her up. She offered him her lips, and he picked her up. Wrapping her legs around him, she rubbed her slick crevice against him, and he staggered as he tried to make it to the bed. His eyes were wild as they finally fell backwards, and she was ready for him. Without preamble, he pushed her knees up and sank into her.
“Yes,” she moaned as he filled and stretched her. He was bigger than anything she’d every taken before, and he slid over that sweet spot inside of her. Digging her nails into his shoulder, she couldn’t help but gasp. He fit inside her perfectly. It wasn’t just physical. Nothing was awkward about this. Nothing was lewd. Their union was natural and right. She felt completed.
“You feel perfect,” he whispered in her ear as he slowly began to pump his hips. “Look at me, Selena. I need you to look at me.”
She locked eyes with his, and everything else in the world melted away. There was only him and the way that he made her feel. Special. Loved.
God, she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t handle it. Pressing her hands the mattre
ss, she pushed until he flipped them. Straddling him, she felt more in control. She couldn’t handle the sweet lovemaking. She wanted to lose herself in him, and as she rose above him and plunged down, she did just that.
Rotating her hips, she moved over and over him faster and faster until sweat covered her skin. He leaned up to capture a nipple in his mouth, and she gasped. “Joshua,” she moaned.
“Stay with me, baby,” he muttered. “Let’s do this together.”
She fell forward and grabbed a fistful of sheets to hold on to. She was so close. Everything inside her was wound so tight, and she was going to break any minute. “I can’t,” she panted. “I’m going to…oh….”
Suddenly, he reached down and pressed his thumb to her clit. Everything inside her snapped, and her whole body quaked with her climax. She bowed her back and screamed his name as the white-hot pleasure raced through her body. He dug his fingers into her hips and anchored her to him as he shouted his own release.
A simultaneous orgasm. She’d never been on the same wavelength a Greg to achieve that. She’d never been on the same wavelength as anyone like that. She couldn’t hold on to that thought for long. As she collapsed on top of him, exhaustion and satiation gripped her in their arms. Drifting off to sleep, she felt Joshua’s fingers stroke her back. “Mine,” he whispered. She was asleep before she could even consider the implications of the single word.
***
She woke to the sounds of his steady breathing. The soft sheets slid over her body as he moved and swung an arm over her. She froze in shock and waited, but he didn’t wake up. Her memories from last night’s event slammed into her head, and she cringed. She hadn’t just slept with her boss. She’s slept with the owner. She’d slept with a multi-billionaire. And half the time, she couldn’t even pay her rent on time.
Last night had been amazing. It had been more than amazing. After a few hours of sleep, they’d woken up and indulged in each other’s bodies all over again. She’d lost count of how many orgasms she’d had. And each time they connected seem to pull them closer and closer together.
She had no doubt that he took women like her to bed all over again. She wasn’t desperate to feel like she was different, but she probably wasn’t. Joshua was so skilled in bed that he probably made every woman feel special and loved. Loved. As soon as the word entered her bed, she felt anxiety nestle in her chest. What the hell was she thinking? She could actually fall in love with this man after only one night. That was absurd.
And yet that was exactly what was happening. She wanted to roll over and stroke a finger down his cheek. She wanted to kiss him lightly until he woke up, and then she wanted to just cuddle in bed and talk.
No. This is not happening. After what happened with Greg, she didn’t want to feel like this again. She wasn’t strong enough for another man to rake her over the coals. She needed to leave. Now. Carefully, she slipped out of his arms and scrambled quietly to get dressed. Luckily, she hadn’t had a chance to unpack a single thing from her suitcase. Grasping the handle, she cast one last look at his sleeping body.
His gorgeous body. Her nerves tingled with the thought of enjoying him one last time, but she couldn’t risk it. In sorrow and regret, she turned and silently exited the room. It was for the best. She had no doubt that when he woke up, he’d be relieved to find her gone.
One lucky perk about being a flight attendant was that she could grab ny open seat available. Her main goal was to get out of London as quick as possible. And if that meant flying to California instead of flying to DC, then that’s exactly what she would do. As she settled in the seat and pressed her head against the window, she tried to tell herself that she was doing the right thing. She simply wasn’t ready for a man like Joshua to break her heart. It would be far more devastating that anything that Greg had ever done to her, and she’d been with him for two years.
“Stupid,” she muttered to herself. How had she gotten herself into this position? Was she such a masochist that she needed to find over-the- top ways to break her heart? Greg wasn’t enough, so she needed the man who paid her bills to destroy her.
She needed therapy.
A few hours into the flight, the captain came over the PA system. “I’m sorry folks, but we’re experiencing some flight difficulties. We’ll be heading back to London to make some quick fixes before departing again. Please check with your flight attendant about making arrangements for your connecting flights.”
Going back? What the hell? She unsnapped her belt and ducked behind the curtain.
“What’s going on?” she asked anxiously. The young flight attendant shrugged. “We’re not sure. The captain has been ordered back.”
Ordered back? That usually only happened when there was a dangerous passenger on board. She couldn’t help but sigh as she made her way back to her seat. Of all the flights she got on, she just had to pick the one that didn’t actually want to leave London.
After their unexpected arrival, the passengers began to murmur restlessly on the plane. A stewardess walked towards her and bent down to whisper in her ear. “Selena? You’ve been asked to disembark from the plane.”
“What?” She frowned. “Why? Do they need me to work a flight?”
Sometimes emergencies liked this happened.
“I’m not really sure. If you’ll check in at the desk in the airport, they’ll give you more information.”
“Fine.” It didn’t really matter which flight she was on and whether she did it as a passenger or as a flight attendant. She just needed to get as far away from Joshua as possible. Grabbing her bag, she moved quickly down the flight of steps. The wind whipped around her as she ducked her head and crossed the tarmac.
A ramp had been pulled out for her. She frowned as she crossed it. Of course it hadn’t been pulled out for her. That would have been absurd. Obviously it was left over from the last plane. Lucky her. Crossing the threshold of the gate, she made a beeline for the desk.
“Hi. I’m Selena Cutler. Should I be boarding another flight?”
“I don’t think so.”
Selena felt her heart skip a beat as the familiar voice enveloped her. Turning slowly, she found Joshua standing behind her with anger in his eyes. “What the hell were you thinking,” he snapped.’
Her jaw dropped. “You did this? You turned an entire plane around just to fly me back?”
“Yes, and it cost me a pretty penny to do it. Not to mention that I’m missing my meeting,” he grumbled.
The attendants at the desk were hanging on to every word, and she moved away from them. “What is wrong with you? What did you think was going to happen this morning?” she hissed softly. “One night stands end in the morning. That’s why they’re called one night stands.”
“What gave you the impression that we were just a one night stand?”
He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the corner. She could only gape at him. “My God, you’re serious. Joshua, you own an airline. You own several hotels around the world. Sleeping with flight attendants is probably a hobby for you. I can barely pay my bills. I’m up to my eyeballs in student debt, and you wouldn’t even consider that pocket change. At what point did you think that we were compatible?”
“Christ, Selena, this isn’t about money. I don’t give a damn how much you make, and I know enough about you to know that you don’t really care about how much I make.”
That was true enough, but it was an easy enough excuse to hide behind. “Okay, let’s consider the fact that we barely know each other.”
“I’m not proposing, Selena. I’m trying to get to know you better. I can’t do that if you take off in the morning. This has absolutely nothing to do with me and everything to do with you. You felt a connection last night, and it terrified you.” Shaking her head, she tried to move past him. “I can’t do this right now.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her back. “Damn it, Joshua, people can see us!”
“If you walk away right now, I won’t come after you
. I’ll let you go. But if you do leave, know that you’re not doing it because I did something wrong. You’re doing it because you’re too scared to open you heart.”
“I just went through a break-up, Joshua. You can’t really expect me to jump into another relationship.”
“Really?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. “Not once last night did you tell me that you loved Greg. You told me that you trusted him. You told me that you thought things were good. But you didn’t tell me that you loved him.”
She opened her mouth to refute him, but the words didn’t come. He smiled in satisfaction. “You didn’t lose the love of your life. You lost something that you were comfortable with. I don’t think you ever loved Greg. I think he was easy to be around, and it was easier to stay with him than to find someone to love.”
His accusations sunk in, and she knew that he was right. “What do you want from me?” she whispered.
“There is something here, Selena. I just want you to explore it with me. I want you to take a chance.”
She gazed into his eyes and felt her heart skip a beat. Last night had been unbelievable. No man had ever made her feel that way. And no one had ever turned a plane around just to yell at her. Of course, she’d never dated a man that had the money and resources to do that. But no one had ever made that kind of gesture.
Joshua was right. She wasn’t running from love just because of Greg. She’d been doing it all her life. And she’d never had to face the truth before now. “I live in DC,” she said lamely. He chuckled softly and brushed a finger down her cheek. “Location is not an issue. I own three hotels in DC. Are there any other excuses you’d like to throw my way?”
Short of admitting that she was terrified, there really weren’t any. She closed her eyes and leaned forward to rest her head on his chest. His arms came around her and held her tightly. “I’ve never felt like this before, Selena. I don’t sleep with flight attendants as a hobby. From the moment I saw you, I felt the world pull the rug out from under my feet. Although, I have to admit that I lied earlier. If you walked away, I would have shut down all of the planes to keep you here.”
