ROAD TRIP (BILLIONAIRE BAD BOY ROMANCE Book 1)

by Linzi Basset

  Sage’s eyes went as wide as saucers as she felt the nudge of a large dolphin against her arm.

  “Oh lord,” she wailed as Cole took her hand and gently folded it around the front of its back fin. He kept his covering hers as he guided her other hand to the other end of the fin. She was still basking in how smooth and rubbery it felt when the dolphin began to swim … with the two of them hanging on!

  “Cole! We’re gonna die,” she screeched as she felt it move with the waves.

  “Don’t let go, Sage. Deep breath, baby.”

  She had just heaved oxygen into her lungs when the dolphin dived underwater. She squeezed her eyes shut and just when she thought her lungs would burst, they surfaced.

  “Holy shit,” she laughed as the dolphin circled back to the boat.

  “Again, love.”

  Now that Sage realized she wasn’t going to die, she completely gave herself over to the experience. She felt invigorated, on top of the world and totally overcome with joy at sharing such a wild ride with Cole.

  “Whoo-hoo! You go, Ms. Porter,” the students cheered as Cole helped her back onto the boat. She smiled and laughed with them, still unable to believe what she’d just done.

  She smiled at Cole and, taking a bold step forward, reached up to tangle her fingers behind his neck. She pulled his head down and whispered against his lips, “Thank you so much for this.”

  The kiss she offered was one of sweet surrender, of giving thanks to a man more considerate than she’d ever thought he could be.

  Chapter Ten

  Sage gazed out over the primrose sand, the hue as gentle on the eye as a vintage photograph. She could feel a steady warmth from the grains under the soles of her feet. Already the stars glowed as if they had kept a pocket of the daytime to shine all through the night sky. A nostalgic thought weaved its way through her mind. That the earth and the moon chose to give of their borrowed warmth and light until the return of the sun, the brilliance forever promised at dawn. Until then, she was left to breathe deeply of ocean-carried air, listening to the percussion of waves that sounded like a familiar lullaby she couldn’t quite place.

  The chitter of the students broke through her reverie and she glanced around. The day had given way to the early evening, the only sign remained in the final golden shards of the sun as it set over the horizon, bowing to the purple and blue hues of the rising night.

  They were gathered around a roaring wood fire on the beach in front of the Seahorse Landing Condos. Sage had been stunned that Cole had gone to so much trouble to arrange a tour of such luxury and enjoyment for the students. While he’d been chatting to the manager upon their arrival, she had roamed around the reception area and came across a photo album on display. It showcased the history of the condos, from when they broke ground, the building process and, finally, the opening. She was surprised to notice a much younger Cole in many of those pictures until she saw a notice that Blue Grade Financial owned it. She realized it was none other than Cole’s investment company when she came across a photo and an article of the owner, Cole Sawyer, opening the condos to the public on June 1st, 2011.

  Her stomach rumbled as the smell of barbeque drifted towards her. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was, since she was still struggling to come back to reality after her dolphin experience earlier.

  “Now I can relax,” Cole said as he settled behind her on the sand and drew her against him with his legs on either side of her.

  “Cole! Everyone is watching,” she protested and did her best to shuffle out of his hold. He would have none of it and wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her in place.

  “It’s healthy for young adults to see two people comfortable enough with their relationship to share it with them. Relax, Sage. I’m not about to ravish you in front of them. All I want to do is feel your softness and smell your tantalizing scent.”

  She sighed. Maybe she was making too much of it, but heaven help her, she was the one who would most probably make a fool of herself. Just feeling his hardness cocoon her in his strength was enough to send a rush of pheromones through her body to present itself in an embarrassing wetness between her legs. Especially as he delivered his response nibbling on her nape.

  “Okay, I’ll stay, but on one condition.” Her voice sounded breathy to her own ears.

  “I’m not the kind of man who takes kindly to conditions, love.”

  “Well, this one isn’t negotiable.”

  He sighed in a pretense of heaviness as he leaned his chin on top of her head. “Shoot.”

  “You stop kissing and caressing me. I can only take so much more,” she ended in a soft admittance to the dire need pulsing through her body.

  “That’s a tall order, baby. I like kissing you and how can I resist the soft silkiness of your skin under my fingers?”

  “Enough, Cole Sawyer. Leave the seduction for when we’re alone. I intend to enjoy the evening, not be on tenterhooks the entire time in an effort to curb the climax you’re deliberately stoking.”

  “Me?” he rasped, feigning innocence.

  She turned her head and looked at him reproachfully. “Yes, you.” She couldn’t help but return the devilish smile that curved his lips.

  “Just say the word, love, and I’ll take good care of that climax of yours … otherwise, I’ll honor your request for two days’ grace.”

  Sage opened her mouth to defend herself. She had never actually asked for it but she knew him well enough to know it was a debate she would lose. It wasn’t a chance she was prepared to take. He might just decide to add another day for the fun it brought him. She faced forward and leaned against him, her arms resting on top of his. She had never felt as much at peace as she did at this very moment.

  “It’s a beautiful spot. I can understand why you chose this location for the condos.” She sighed as her gaze returned to watch the last slivers of orange disappear from the ocean surface. “How many properties do you own?”

  “Personally, ten. It includes three apartment units specifically for single mothers and abused women. One division of Blue Grade Financial is property investment.” He gestured to the condos behind them. This was one of the first registered to BGF.”

  Sage felt deflated. She had known he was rich but it was only now sinking in what it meant to be a billionaire. It warmed her heart that he used his wealth for a good cause as well but she couldn’t help but struggle to comprehend anyone having so much money, especially since she battled to get by on her salary. Not that she was earning a low income, to the contrary, it was the reason she’d applied for a teaching position at Sawyer Academy. Cole paid his staff double what other universities did but her rent was high, she had just paid off her student loan, and recently splurged on a new car. Some months it was difficult to scrape by. She couldn’t envision how it would feel to never worry about money.

  Suddenly the social gap between them stretched wider.

  “And the other seven?” She forced her attention back to the topic at hand.

  “My house in New Orleans, an organic farm in Dallas, and because my business takes me all over the country, I have a couple of penthouses in various cities. Also, a beach house in Key West.”

  “Grub time, Dean Sawyer. Come and get it,” Barry Flint, one of the senior students, called out from where he was in charge of the barbeque. A couple of the girls scattered around and started opening the side dishes they’d prepared in the condos earlier.

  “I suppose no one is going to dish up until we have. Come, I’m starving.” Cole pulled Sage to her feet and with her hand clasped in his, walked toward the food table. “This looks scrumptious, ladies.”

  “Of course it does, Dean Sawyer. Our mothers taught us to cook while we were still in diapers,” one of the girls cooed.

  Sage smiled as she noticed the starry-eyed and glazed looks the young girls slanted at Cole. Not that she could blame them. He looked quite edible in a pair of white board shorts and a blue tank top. Even his bare feet looked manl
y and sexy.

  Food, Sage. Concentrate on the food before you climax purely from drooling over the dratted man!

  The rest of the evening went by quickly, but Sage couldn’t remember that she’d ever enjoyed being on the beach as much as she did singing along with the students and listening to ghost stories.

  “Well, it’s time for bed.” Cole laughed at the unanimous voice of complaint from the students. “Tomorrow we’re going offshore oystering, clamming, scalloping, and crabbing. Believe me, you want to be rested for that. It’s not as easy as it looks on TV. Those who prefer to stay behind can sleep in. There are many activities to keep you busy.”

  “Like what, Dean Sawyer?” Ally cooed in a seductive lilt. It was evident she didn’t wish to go fishing. Sage wasn’t surprised. She was a glamor girl and always dressed like she was going to an upscale event.

  “You can visit the winery, museums or the movies and shopping. If you feel like something a little more active, you can always go kayaking.” He took Sage’s hand and started walking toward the condos. “To bed everyone. Don’t let me find anyone skulking around later and then have to baby you tomorrow when we go fishing.”

  Amidst jokes about not comparing them with old timers, Cole waved them off as he opened the door to their unit.

  “These kids have way too much energy, or maybe they’re right, I’m getting old.”

  Sage dimpled as she looked him over. Unbeknownst to her, her eyes packed a punch of sensuality that kicked Cole in the stomach. His cock twitched in response.

  “I have to say, Dean Sawyer, you do carry your age well.” Her finger flicked up and down, indicating his body. “Not many men your age looks as good as this.” She nibbled on a nail. Her eyes glimmered in the dimness of the lamps lit all over the large open plan area of the room. “Quite scrumptious, I must say.”

  She retreated as he moved towards her and held out a hand to ward him off. “Oh no, you don’t. You’re adamant not to have sex with me tonight, remember, so … I feel sticky from the sea air and I’m going to take a bath.” She pointed at the sofa. “Then I’m going to sleep there.”

  “Good luck with that, baby.”

  Sage ignored his laughing response as she rushed to the bathroom. Her entire body was tense and covered in goosebumps. He’d been attentive, caring, and so openly loving throughout the night that her defenses had slipped. She was running on the fumes of her desire and if she didn’t gain some sense of control over them, she would combust.

  Maybe I should masturbate in the tub. At least it will give me some relief.

  But Sage knew she wouldn’t. Whether she believed herself to be a proper submissive or not, one of his rules was that she may not climax without his permission. The fact that she would endeavor to please her Dom and obey his rules was telling. Not just to herself but to the fact that the submissive inside her had finally found the man it wished to belong to.

  “I love this bathroom.” She looked around the luxurious interior as she added fragrant bubble bath to the warm running water.

  It had an earthy feel. The walls were large format tiles of white honed travertine, with dark brown marble tiles covering the floor. The vanities were a dark wood with brilliant white quartz counters. Walnut framed mirrors gave added warmth to the large room, as did the fluffy towels on the rails behind the door. The towels were color coordinated with the thick bathmat and wicker laundry basket.

  The sigh echoing through the room was one of pure bliss as she sunk into the tub. She felt like a water nymph with her hair spread out underneath the surface. She breathed in the orchid scented bubbles that filled the large Jacuzzi nearly to the brim

  She could feel the tension from the long hours on the bike ease from her muscles as she breathed in the steam from the warm water, which soon lulled her to sleep.

  Sage was so relaxed that she didn’t realize Cole had entered and stood watching her with a closed expression. He shook his head after a while and reached in to pick her up without any effort. Apart from a sigh and a barely audible moan, Sage didn’t move at all.

  “Damn irresponsible woman,” Cole muttered as he carried her toward the bed. She started awake when he placed her on the bed. Her eyes fluttered open. For the briefest of moments, she stared quietly at the powerful man looming over her.

  “What are you doing?” she croaked in a sleepy voice.

  The intensity of his gaze unsettled her, especially as there wasn’t a wisp of a smile on his lips. His proximity and her nakedness enhanced the yearning for his touch. Sage didn’t bother to hide the need from her eyes.

  Cole glanced at her mouth, stealing her breath away with that one look. She willed his soft lips that currently contrasted with the hard lines of his jaw, to kiss her. Her breath caught as his face lowered until a hair’s breadth separated them. She could feel their breaths mingling in the minuscule space between their mouths. He glanced up; he hesitated.

  “Cole …” She couldn’t have suppressed the moan of desire if she’d tried. She wanted to kiss him; to feel the possession of her lips with the rough and raw need she could feel raging through his body in tandem with hers.

  Instead, his head moved lower. With deliberate sensuality, he licked the droplets of water running down her neck, trailing his lips to her shoulder. His warm breath flowed over her skin, raising gooseflesh, causing her exposed nipples to turn to hard stones.

  “So perfectly beautiful,” he murmured as he cupped her generous breasts. He continued to rain kisses to the hollow of her neck, dragging a hiss from her deep within her throat as he nipped at the muscle along her shoulder.

  Heaven! It’s absolute heaven to have his hands on me.

  Heat flared inside her chest at his caresses, rapidly turning into an inferno she had no control over. His hands moved under her back to lift her and pressed her softness against his hard chest, which ... thank the lord! ... was naked skin. Her body shuddered as he continued to explore her skin with light brushes of his hands.

  “Yes,” she sighed into his mouth as he finally pressed his lips against hers. He consumed her. It was a kiss that stole her breath and ignited a lust inside her that threatened to devour her.

  “If you don’t want me to fuck you, little one, you have to stop me now,” he growled against her lips, nibbling on her puffy bottom lip with sensual bites.

  Sage tried to control her erratic breathing, but she might as well have endeavored to control the weather. A trickle of sweat made its way down the small of her back.

  “Then you shouldn’t have kissed me,” she whispered.

  Cole was enraptured by the flare of passion darkening her eyes to a stormy green. He smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck to drag him with her as she fell back on the bed, his hard length settling deliciously snug between her legs.

  Sage’s self-confidence stirred as she felt his hard arousal digging into her stomach. She arched her back, her movement exposing the gentle curve of her breasts. His eyes burned along the hills and valley she so generously offered. Everywhere his gaze touched, left her skin feeling scalded by his desire.

  He flicked his tongue over the pulsing nerve in her throat. “Your heart is racing, love.” His eyes dilated, the orbs turning as dark as the midnight sky.

  The increasing stir of lust held her firmly in its tentacles, urging her on to let go of all her inhibitions. She gladly complied. She brushed her hands over his stubbled cheeks. “You have set my blood on fire, Cole. I can feel the heat as it rushes through my veins. Please, I’m in need … so much.”

  “For what, my pet? What exactly do you want from me?”

  The shift was immediate. Whereas the gentle and tender giant had warmed her body with his touch and kisses, the powerful Dom sparked every nerve ending to life with the need to be controlled, to be possessed in any way he wished.

  For the first time ever, Sage paused to consider her response. Not because she didn’t know what she wanted but because the submissive inside her spoke to her for the first time
. Never had she felt such a need to please, to give unconditionally, and to accept whatever he had to offer without complaint.

  “I want … everything you have to offer, Master Cratos. I wish to please you and give you my unconditional submission. You are the only Dom who has ever awakened the true submissive inside me. For that … I offer you … me.”

  “Ah, my sweet little sub, you have no idea to what extent you just sealed your fate.” He leaned back to study her with narrowed eyes. “I wonder if you’re truly ready for me, Sage.”

  “I am. I have never felt the way you make me feel and no, it’s not lust speaking. I know my mind, I know me and yes, I want you.”

  “I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, love, because once I fuck you, there will be no turning back. You will belong to me and I’m as demanding a man as I’m a Dom. You will belong to me … body, heart, and soul.”

  “Then make it so, Cole … Master Cratos,” she responded without hesitation, her gaze open and clear. “For know this, as much as I will belong to you … so will you to me.”

  “As it should be.” Cole was bowled over by Sage’s surrender. Not only as a woman but as a submissive. It was the kind of combination he’d been searching for since Alexandra died. He spurned the thought immediately. Now wasn’t the time to recount past memories and hurts. It was a new beginning.

  “Are we done talking now?” Sage didn’t bother to hide the surliness in her tone. Her entire body was on fire and if he didn’t take care of it soon ...

  “Quite, yes,” Cole chuckled at her expression as he quickly kicked off his boxers and settled between her thighs. His breath hissed through his teeth when she wrapped her legs around his waist and forced his aroused cock harder against her softness. Her nails dug sharply into his back as her loins clenched with desire.

  “Hmm … I need a taste, my pet. I’ve had this yearning since I fucked you in the club.” He slipped a broad finger inside her pussy to stroke the inside walls, watching her eyes spread wide open.