She arched up to meet his mouth as he tasted her nipples and moaned her acquiescence. He pressed light kisses along her stomach before tracing the same kisses up her inner thigh, starting at her feet.
Her breathing came in short bursts and caused her head to feel dizzy and light. His kisses creeping up her leg were unbearably wonderful and came a second to the feel of his mouth on her nipples. Seconds after she realized he’d removed her g-string, Isabelle felt his tongue tease between her legs and she thought she would explode with pleasure. He sweetly tormented her with his mouth until she thought she would have to beg for release. When he finally gave her what she craved, she cried out in pure pleasure. When he eased himself inside her he brought his lips back to hers and she could taste herself on his lips, and this intensified the excitement building inside her once more.
His desire and passion had never been this urgent and intense, and he thought he would never be able to get enough of her. He wanted more and more. As they rode together towards their simultaneous release, she cried out his name.
Mitch lost all control of his limbs so he lay staring at her for a few moments to give his body a chance to recover.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, placing gentle kisses on her neck and shoulders.
“So are you.” Her flushed face almost had him ready to start again.
Easing himself down to lie beside her, he ran his fingers across her jaw and through her hair.
“Now I am definitely glad you’ve had plenty of practice,” she joked.
His expression was serious and pensive when his eyes lifted to meet hers, and he didn’t speak for several moments. She wondered if she had offended him.
“Practice has nothing to do with what we just shared. I have never felt like this in another woman’s arms. I hope my past won’t ever come between us. Just because I’ve been with a lot of women doesn’t make you any less important to me.”
“I’m sorry, that was a lame joke. I didn’t mean to offend you.” She brought her hand to his face, hoping to ease the discomfort and hurt she saw there. “I was simply stating how good you are and that the rumors are true.” She grinned but the tension didn’t leave his expression. Isabelle chastised herself for making light of the situation again.
“I have never made love to anyone like I just made love to you.” His tone sounded injured and she kicked herself internally.
“I was worried that I wouldn’t compare. I’m not very experienced.”
“It has nothing to do with experience but the feelings involved. Tonight I have discovered when they are there, it is a whole lot better on a totally different level. I went through the motions before but never felt anything when I did. Let’s never mention the past again. It’s all about the future now.”
“Sounds good to me,” she replied, easing him back and sitting astride him. “I think now though it’s my turn.”
* * *
In the early hours of the morning Mitch woke and watched the moonlight dance across her skin as it glowed through the window. It occurred to him that he’d never slept with a woman in his bed before; he’d always gone to them. Perhaps he sought to bed his conquests elsewhere because deep down he hadn’t wanted to taint his bed for the right woman. Now here she was lying beside him where she belonged. He was astounded but thrilled that after three days with Isabelle he was in love with her. In the past he’d never contemplated that it was possible to fall in love so quickly even though his brother assured him that you could. Mitch had never believed it until this moment.
Her eyes fluttered, then opened, and she spoke with her voice full of sleep. “Hey, gorgeous, what you doing?”
“Wondering how I got so lucky.”
She flashed the smile he adored. “Being charming will continue to bring you that luck.”
“I hope so,” he said with a grin.
Kissing her ardently, he made love to her unhurriedly, his eyes not leaving hers. They fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms, contented with the world.
***
Light poured into the bedroom window, waking Isabelle. She rolled over to find she was alone. For a moment she panicked and then with a giggle realized it was his house and he couldn’t run out on her here as she feared.
After dressing, she wandered down the stairs to locate the man she now knew she was completely in love with. Music and singing greeted her on the stairs and she followed the sound to the kitchen. His voice was deep and out of tune and she was delighted by the sight that greeted her. Wearing shorts and nothing else, he cooked bacon and eggs on the stove.
“I could get used to this,” she said as she strolled into the kitchen.
“Oh,” he said twisting around to smile at her. “You scared me. I didn’t hear you come in. How did you sleep?”
“You know the answer to that,” she said giving him a contented smile. “I thought you didn’t cook.”
“I don’t usually, well not much more than toast and coffee, but I’m a changed man. My brother, Jared, is the chef in the family but I don’t do too bad when I give it a go.” His crooked grin sent her pulse into a frenzy.
“Well I must say it is nice to wake up to a gorgeous half-naked guy cooking me breakfast.”
“If Jared saw me cooking like this he would give me a lecture about kitchen accidents and appropriate clothing. I don’t pay any attention.”
She laughed. “Well, I don’t mind one bit.” She came up behind him and ran her hands over his chest and stomach.
“You doing that will cause an accident. How about you sit down so I can serve you breakfast?” She sat and he dished out breakfast on two plates and brought it over to the table. “What time are you working today?”
“I have to be on the set at eight. It’s a night shoot.”
“At the foreshore?”
“Yes, how did you know?”
“Because I, sexy lady, will be photographing you again.”
“Good. The thought of working with anyone else doesn’t appeal to me.”
“Now eat,” he said as he poured her coffee which had been sitting in a pot on the set table. In the center stood a vase filled with flowers that she assumed he’d picked from the front garden.
“You have been busy this morning.”
“I wanted to impress you.” He shrugged as color touched his cheeks again. She could get used to the coy side.
“Well, I’m suitably impressed.”
After eating his yummy breakfast, Isabelle reluctantly decided she had better go home and get some more sleep. Going to work with bags big enough to travel the world wouldn’t exactly impress the client. He agreed, stating he should as well. Mitch walked her home and they both slept the afternoon away with pleasant dreams of their passionate night.
Chapter Ten
Conquest
Mitch’s dream-filled afternoon slumber was cut short by the shrilling of the phone. He glanced with bleary eyes at the time. The red digits on his clock radio told him it was four-thirty and he had only caught up on a few hours. Reaching for the phone, he cleared the sleep from his throat before answering.
“Yep, it’s Mitch.”
“Hey.”
“What’s up, Jared?”
“I need a favor.”
“Anything.”
“Chelsea just had her baby. A girl.”
“That’s great news. What do you need from me, though?”
“It is good news and the baby is fine but Chelsea had complications from the birth and lost a lot of blood. She’s in surgery at the moment. I don’t want to leave Charlotte alone here at the hospital and she won’t leave until she has news about Chelsea. I have to go to work and I have no-one to cover me while Sam is on vacation.”
“Say no more. One quick phone call for work and I’ll be there.”
“Thanks.”
After ringing the agency that coordinated his schedule, he jumped in the shower and headed to the hospital. His mind circled around what Charlotte and Chelsea’s husban
d Lucas must be going through and hoped she would be alright. His thoughts went to Isabelle for a brief moment and he wondered if he should call her but didn’t want to disturb her in case she was still resting. He would see her at their shoot tomorrow and believed she would understand why he hadn’t called or attended the shoot that evening.
Mitch found Charlotte sitting in the waiting room on one of the hard uncomfortable plastic chairs. Her slumped shoulders, lowered head, and shaking leg indicated her tension and worry. Vacant eyes studied the floor while her hands were clenched together in her lap, turning her knuckles white. Lucas paced the lino floor while his sister Carrie offered words of reassurance. Mitch went to Lucas first and passed on his support and congratulations. He nodded his acknowledgement and continued to pace.
Charlotte still hadn’t seemed to have noticed his arrival, so he went over to her, sat in the chair beside her and spoke softly so he wouldn’t startle her.
“Hey, Charlotte. How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine. Chelsea will be OK,” she said, though Mitch thought she didn’t sound very convinced.
“Where is she?”
“Still in surgery. It’s been a while now ... Too long ...”
“Have you seen the baby yet?”
“Elle, her name is Elle, and yes, she is beautiful and asleep in the nursery.” A brief smile touched her lips before her brow furrowed with anxiety.
Charlotte rested her head on his shoulder. With the hope of offering some comfort, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close. They sat like this as the minutes passed and Mitch knew this was what she needed. He didn’t have to speak. Hours passed before a doctor finally returned to update them.
“Mr Hudson?”
Lucas stopped, turned towards him and held his breath. “Your wife is going to be fine. We were able to stop the bleeding and she is in recovery. There has been no permanent damage and she will be able to have more children. There was a problem with the placenta which is uncommon and unlikely to occur again. Perhaps next time your wife should take it a little easier during the last weeks of her pregnancy.”
Lucas let out a loud relieved breath and returned the doctor’s smile.
“You try telling her that,” Lucas said. “Can I see her?”
“Yes, come with me.”
Lucas followed the doctor out into the hall and the spring had returned to his step. His relief was huge. This was the second time he’d nearly lost Chelsea, and from what Mitch’s brothers had told him, almost losing her the first time made him crazy and Mitch dreaded to think what would have happened to him if she hadn’t pulled through.
“She’s alright,” Charlotte spoke in a whisper. “Thanks for staying, Mitch, but I’ll be OK now.” She lifted her head from his shoulder and offered him a wide grin.
“I’m not leaving until you are ready and then I’ll take you home.”
“Once I see Chelsea, I’ll be ready.”
When Lucas returned, Charlotte went briefly to see her sister before Mitch drove her home. Upon arriving home himself he checked the time and wondered whether Isabelle was still at the shoot or home. Due to the lateness of the hour he decided not to call so he wouldn’t disturb Jesse, regardless of how much he wanted to talk to her. He would see her at work tomorrow and he hoped she would understand his absence.
* * *
Isabelle arrived early at the foreshore hoping to catch Mitch before she went into hair and makeup. After a quick scan she noticed Anton and not Mitch setting up. Why was Anton - whom she disliked immensely - the photographer and not Mitch? Where was he? She wandered into the styling area to find Amber, another makeup artist she had a strong rapport with.
After exchanging pleasantries, Isabelle decided to see what Amber knew about the absence of the man she had spent the previous night with. Concern prickled her skin and she wondered whether he was avoiding her. Had she been womanized?
“Why is Anton shooting? I thought Mitch Montgomery was working tonight.’
“He was but apparently he called in to say he couldn’t make it.”
“Oh, do you know why?”
Amber shrugged and launched into the latest gossip of who was doing who. If only Amber knew exactly who had done who and then been duped.
All through the shoot Isabelle mulled over why Mitch had cancelled. Perhaps there was an emergency. No, he would have called her. The reason was suddenly very clear; he was avoiding her. The very thing she thought would happen, had. Fooled by the womanizing creep. His charm and what she had thought was true sincerity had sucked her in good and proper and she had become another notch on his proverbial bedpost. How could she have been so stupid, especially since she’d introduced him to Jesse? What had she been thinking? Was she that desperate for sex that she jumped into bed with the wrong man?
She believed he was genuine and had taken a chance, but it appeared he was exactly as she had assumed. Stupidly, she was the one who had initiated the date and then the ‘sleep over’, thinking there was a connection between them, something special, when in fact she was just another conquest.
Somehow she managed to complete the shoot, changed the moment it was over, then left without saying a word to anyone. When she arrived home, the house was quiet due to the late hour. She crawled into bed and attempted to sleep, to no avail. How could she have been so naive? Like a lovesick teenager she’d thought maybe she was different, maybe he felt the same way she did. Jesse murmured in his sleep and her heart lurched. How was she going to explain to him why he wouldn’t see Mitch again?
Fuming, she muffled a frustrated cry in her pillow. Then the hurt crept up and wedged in her throat and she stifled a whimper. The first time she’d began to fall in love it had been with a man like him. The same type of man she detested, just like her father. It had all been a cruel deception by a lying playboy. How could she have let this happen, she wondered, as an errant tear slid over her cheek.
Would be there tomorrow to face the music?
Chapter Eleven
Playboy
For the first time ever, Mitch was early for the shoot the following morning with the aim to arrive before Isabelle. While he waited impatiently for her to appear, one of the stylists beckoned him over - a girl he’d spent an evening with, and he realized with a stab of guilt, that he couldn’t remember her name. She was standing on the far side of the studio and seemed anxious to speak with him, so he decided to find out why.
“What’s up?”
“I haven’t seen you for a while, Mitch. I really enjoyed our night together.” She winked.
“Yeah, me too,” he answered politely. These situations always went smoother if he was nice but not too charming. “I’ve been kind of busy lately.”
“Would you like to have a drink with me tonight?” She run her hand up and down his arm and gazed at him with an expression which showed her intent. He could barely recall their time together, and even if there was no Isabelle, he didn’t want to repeat what he couldn’t remember.
“Um, no thanks ...” He paused and searched his brain, trying to remember her name. “I’m actually seeing someone.” He gave her his best, most charming smile, hoping to avoid a scene. He’d encountered situations like this before. Some girls didn’t do casual sex.
“Oh,” she said, the disappointment written all over her face.
His ego did a little dance but his conscience told it to hit the road. Leaning forward, she whispered in his ear all the things she wanted to do to him. As she regaled him with whisperings of their night together, memories surfaced in his mind and caused him to chuckle. She was a firecracker, he remembered now. As he opened his mouth to decline again, he spotted Isabelle across the studio and her icy stare indicated her displeasure.
“Sorry, but I have the girl I want. Will you excuse me?”
Without waiting for a reply, he strode across the studio and followed Isabelle as she stormed out the back to the dressing room.
“Isabelle,” he called.
She stopped and turned to glare at him over her shoulder.
Taken aback by her reaction, he approached her with caution. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there last night. Something important came up -”
“I’m sure it did,” she said in a cool tone, cutting him off. “I can see you were nice and cozy over there with Amber. Is she next or was she the one from last night?” Her face contorted and he started to explain again but she cut him off. “Look, I don’t want to know.”
She turned on her heel and strode away.
Although he understood her reaction, he was still a little puzzled over it. Yes, he had been talking to Amber, but he was turning her down. He thought Isabelle was reasonable and would’ve listened to his explanation. Impatience became his companion as he waited for her to reappear.
When Amber sauntered over and attempted to make small talk with Isabelle, she would have none of it. Her jealousy at the sight of their obvious intimacy was frustrating and hurtful all at once. When she’d heard him laugh after their whispered exchange she felt like someone had taken a spoon and shoveled out her heart with it.
“I’m glad Mitch is here today,” Amber prattled on. “I so want to go out with him again. I might have got him too, then you turned up and now it is so obvious.” Amber offered an apologetic gaze.
Isabelle wondered what it was she was sorry for exactly. “It has nothing to do with me. I’m sure he’ll come around,” Isabelle managed to reply between calming breaths.
“I don’t think so. He said he is seeing someone and I think I know -”
“He sees lots of people from what I’ve heard,” she said, cutting her off and not wanting to hear anymore. “It’s probably why he didn’t turn up last night. I think I know what came up.”
Womanizer (Spoilt) Page 6
