“That’s a shame. What can we do about that?”
“Not sure.” She made another appreciative survey of him in his navy carpenter’s pants and a white cotton shirt rolled at the sleeves. “You’re not exactly dressed for what would be appropriate here.”
“I’m not...” He leaned over, trapping her beneath him. “But you are,” he whispered near her temple.
It took no time at all to free one of her breasts from the bikini top. He worked the nipple around his tongue and between his perfect teeth until the bud pebbled. Minka responded to the sensation with a weak moan. That moan turned into a whimper when his hand moved to wedge between the deep valley of her breasts, down to her torso. There, he circled her navel with the tip of an index finger until she fidgeted, gripping his wrist and directing his hand to a more preferable locale.
“I really came here to give you an update on the meeting,” he said.
“But why?” Her voice was a purr as she eased his hand inside the triangular front of the bikini bottom. “You do this so well.”
Her comment, meant only to tease, gave Oliver pause. But then his fingertips were grazing her welcoming folds. When she smiled her satisfaction, relaxed back into the bed and spoke his name in the softest pleading manner, she also dissolved any lingering hesitation. Only faintly then did her eagerness and acceptance for their relationship to be about sex and nothing more nag at something inside him.
Minka bit down on her lip, arching her body when he tended her sex with faint up and down strokes that transitioned into a plundering of her sex. She was moist and instantly ready for him.
Oliver’s insatiable desire demanded gratification. But for once, his gratification was about her pleasure.
Minka was tumbling into a sweet abyss comprised only of her desire for the man who explored her body with such rapt attentiveness that she felt sustained by it. She smoothed her hands across the bed, indulging in the feel of the cool, crisp sheets against her skin. The sensations contrasted beautifully against the sultry intimate heat he stoked where his fingers claimed her.
Oliver’s smile was a mingling of pleasure and possessiveness as he watched her losing herself in a tidal wave of arousal. Her hips rolled, moving in a decadent rhythm of beautiful hunger while she took his fingers, two, then three inside. He was so in tune to her reaction, in tune to the way her inner muscles clenched and squeezed his fingers as she bathed them in a flood of need. He was captivated by her dark and lovely face—his expression was one of elation and desperation.
“No... Oliver, please.” Minka squeezed his wrist when she felt him withdrawing. Her moan was one of disappointment when he overpowered her restraint and made good on his threat of retreat. She turned her face into a pillow and attempted to quell her body’s cravings. Her breathing spiraled out of control.
Her hips continued to arch and circle on the memory of his touch. She called his name as though he were torturing her. Then she felt the ties loosening at her hip bones.
The bed dipped beneath Oliver’s weight as he shifted upon it. Minka turned from the pillow, smiling with a hopeful curiosity when she saw his face so close to hers. Gently, she stroked his jaw, marveling in its flawless appeal. Her expression was alight with more intense curiosity when he shifted again, moving down her body with a predatory stare.
He settled between her thighs, the material of his shirt grazing her bare skin. Minka arched off the bed when the tip of his nose traced the tops of her thighs before giving her sex its greatest attention. Her hands shot up, her fingers threading through the chestnut-brown curls crowning his head. She had but a moment to luxuriate in their uncommon silken texture before Oliver was securing her wrists to the bed, one at either side of her waist.
His nose rotated the sensitized batch of nerves at her center, causing her entire body to seize in mindless pleasure. She braced against his hands, but it wasn’t her freedom she sought.
“Oliver...” She moaned her pleasure when he submitted to her. His tongue was soothing, a warm massage upon her folds. He explored her silken crevices at length and then took her with a sudden thrust as she peaked. She cried her enjoyment with no shame, filling the room with sound.
Oliver cupped her hips in an unrelenting hold meant to still the robust stirrings of her hips. His tongue lunged deliberately, but with a surety that proved he was well aware of how far he was taking her, how close she was to coming apart on him.
With her hips imprisoned, Minka expressed her frustration as well as her delight in the way her body was being treated. Intermittently, she beat her fist to the tangled covers and curled her fists into the crisp material. Her thighs trembled furiously, her back arching while the pressure of release grew heavy at her sex. The dazed and breathless way she called Oliver’s name did nothing to attract his attention. Her lids felt heavy, but she could see his head moving tirelessly between her thighs. He feasted as though what he found at her core was in some way nourishing.
Oliver moaned out words of satisfaction. He took pleasure in the pleasure he gave to Minka. There was something else at work there, however. While the giving of pleasure was indeed satisfying, he had never experienced gratification while orally stimulating a woman. Yet, there he was. His dick was swollen, throbbing and promising release within a few more moments of having his tongue so erotically squeezed.
Their mingled breathing was shattered by the effects of the climax laying claim to them both. Oliver kept Minka’s hips in a grip that was firm but not bruising. His shoulders were broad, powerful enough to keep her quaking thighs spread to his preference. Minka opened her mouth to share another moan with the room, but no sound emerged. She threaded her fingers into his hair again and was immediately taken over by the nudging his head made against her palms as he so steadily moved.
Sharper cries ricocheted through the air then, and they both labored beneath the weight of an immense satisfaction. Oliver’s hands glided up over her torso until they closed over her breasts, partly covered by the triangular swatches of cloth of her bikini top. Her tremors were beginning to cool, as were Oliver’s.
He needed a bit more willpower to cool what raged in his bones, however. Minka tugged at his shirt, and he accepted her invitation to kiss.
Minka treasured the act. Her body on his mouth was a treat she wanted to savor without end. But something told her she wouldn’t get that chance. Too soon, he was brushing her cheek with his thumb and giving her a resigned look that said his mind was on more than their mutual pleasure.
“I should let you get back to what you were doing,” he said.
Her smile was a wicked one. “So get undressed, then.”
Smiling, he let out a soft rush of breath. “I didn’t mean to take advantage of you...following you through the house and...having my way with you.” He winked.
“Would you have a problem with me telling you that I like the way you take advantage?” she sighed.
“As long as you don’t have a problem with me saying that I did, as well.”
“Well...” She sang the word while scooting up in bed. “It’s why we’re here.”
“Right—to have fun.” He bowed his head, feeling a jaw muscle clench from rising tension. “In Miami.”
“Ol—”
“No, it’s okay, I’m sorry.” He cupped her face, putting a kiss to the corner of her eye. “I’ll see you later.”
Minka watched the doorway long after he’d gone.
Chapter 10
Miami houses were a study in excess. Austin Sharpe’s place in the coveted Star Island area of South Beach took that truth to another level. The fifty-thousand-square-foot Spanish colonial villa flickered like a gem against the backdrop of the Atlantic.
Minka put on her happiest face when she arrived that evening, even though she wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. She hadn’t spoken to Oliver alone since he’d left th
e condo yesterday. She’d wanted to call and had picked up the phone many times to do that very thing, but she’d made herself be patient.
She shook off the memory of what she’d seen in his eyes when he left, and then observed the party with a hopeful gaze. There were only a few people she knew, as she hadn’t been introduced to Austin’s full staff since they had arrived.
Smoothing her hands over her hips, which were snug in brick-red slacks, Minka headed in. She introduced herself to those who were unfamiliar.
Austin found Minka by the time she was engaged in her second conversation of the evening. “Gunther! I see you’ve met our brain trust.” He sent a flourishing wave in Minka’s direction.
“I have.” Gunther Dubose favored Minka with a smile that was without a doubt flattering. He surveyed her curves in a manner that wasn’t overtly lecherous, but obvious nonetheless.
“I wonder if you could excuse us for a second, Gun?”
“Right now?” he blurted.
Austin was already leading Minka away. “You won’t even miss her,” he told his VP of Research and Development.
“Austin—”
“Trust me, Gun, when I say this is for your own good.”
“What was that about?” Minka asked when they were away from the frowning VP.
“Oliver’s here.”
Minka’s heart attempted an awkward flip inside her chest. “Does he need to talk to me?”
“Not right now. He’s talking to his team.”
Minka quietly considered the information. “So...what’s the urgency?”
“Urgency?” Austin’s thick wheat-blond brows drew close, a look of cool realization crossing his face. “He just doesn’t want you talking to Gunther, is all.”
Minka stopped midstep. “Are you serious?”
Austin shrugged, and Minka could only shake her head at the ease with which men staked claims. Instead of feeling angry or outraged, she felt like laughing.
“I’m sorry he’s making you babysit.”
“Ah, happy to do it. It’s rare to see a guy like Oliver Bauer lose all that smooth swagger of his over a woman.”
“Rare?”
Austin winced, apparently not agreeing with the word either. “It’s almost nonexistent.”
“Should I be concerned?” She knew she had no reason to be, but was curious to hear Austin’s take on her lover.
“You only have reason to be concerned if you don’t wish to be pursued.”
Minka inclined her head in a flirtatious manner. “Being pursued isn’t so bad, and from what I’ve heard, Oliver does it very well.”
“But to hear him talk, Minka, you’ve not only attracted him, you’ve got his full attention.”
Her dark eyes narrowed. “What’s the difference?”
“Can I speak frankly?”
“Haven’t you been?”
Austin took a few seconds to chuckle. “I’ve known Oli a long time. It’s a thing of beauty to see him charm a woman, but now, this is an Oliver Bauer I don’t know. He’s questioning the potency of that charm, second-guessing everything he does when it comes to you. The only thing he seems sure of is that he wants to please you. Unless it’s about business, he doesn’t want you within sniffing distance of another man.”
“Did he say that?” She sounded stunned.
“Told you he wasn’t acting like himself.”
“Where is he?”
“Meeting with his crew out on the veranda.”
“Thanks.” She squeezed Austin’s arm and set out.
* * *
Minka waited at the entryway of the veranda. She stood just inside and watched Oliver shaking hands with a few members of his design crew. Their gazes locked, but he didn’t urge her to join him once the last crew member had headed off to rejoin the party. Instead, Oliver left the area to take the steps down that led to the shore.
Undaunted, Minka followed after slipping off her heels. Oliver charted a path away from the house, not stopping until they were ensconced in more moonlight than lamplight. The liveliness of the party was only a distant roar.
“Oliver?”
Oliver scarcely tilted his head in response to Minka’s call. He faced the ocean, watching the energetic waves crash determinedly against the shore.
“So I guess I wasn’t just imagining that you were upset with me when you left yesterday?”
He turned his head then. “You thought that?” His voice carried over the tussling waves.
She moved closer then. “It was pretty obvious, Oliver.”
“Yeah, I guess...” He gave a quick shake of his head. “I don’t know if I’m coming or going lately.”
Minka gave a puny shrug. “Sorry.”
“Why?” He turned to her then. “You haven’t done anything. Hmph...actually you have.”
Minka looked playfully uncertain. “Is this where I’m supposed to say that I’m sorry?” She smiled when he laughed.
“You never have to apologize to me, Minka. If anything, I should be thanking you.”
Curious, Minka moved to one of two deck chairs set a few feet away on the private strip of beach.
“Thanking me, huh? I hope you plan on explaining that.”
Oliver wore a small path in the sand. “My parents...they were crazy in love with each other. My dad almost lost his mind when my mom passed. I had to witness the scariest aspects of that. I had to prep myself to take my dad’s place sooner than I was ready, since we didn’t know if he would ever be able to function again.” He dug his fingers into the bunched muscles at his neck while he spoke.
“I was happy to be there for my dad, but I hated seeing him that way and knowing it was all about love...the loss of it...it made me never want to put myself in a position of having to experience that.”
“You’re not a hermit, Oliver. Any man with a social life puts himself at risk of falling in love.”
Oliver was sure Minka couldn’t see his expression in the moonlight.
“I can see you don’t know a lot about the way men operate,” he said.
“I know enough.”
“Then you should know how greedy we are. We take what we want, and we give only what’s necessary to ensure we keep getting what we want,” he explained. “Our lists of wants are quite short, but I can assure you, Ms. Gerald, that love doesn’t usually make the cut. Not until we want it to.”
“Like I said...” Minka sighed, smoothing her hands over the chiffon sleeves of her gold blouse. “A social life does put one at risk for love.”
“It’s not my social life that’s done that.” He paced slowly before the chairs. “It’s watching Vectra’s face light up when she talks about Sim.” He shook his head briefly as he grinned. “The girl even lights up when she talks about how bad things are going with Sim.” He joined in when Minka laughed.
“It was the same with my dad.” Oliver sobered. “It got me curious...”
“Curious?”
Oliver stopped pacing. “You have me curious.”
“About...love?” Minka bristled. She heard a gushing undertone to the word. She couldn’t help it. She was truly stunned by what he seemed to be confessing. “Oliver, you don’t even know me. You’re basing this on physical—”
“Damn straight I am. It’s all I know. Physical is all I know, all I’ve wanted to know. And then here you come out of the clear damn blue.” He sent an airy wave in her direction. “You shattered all that without lifting a finger.”
“So, you’re curious.” Minka slapped her hands to her thighs. “What do you plan to do about it?”
The words were hardly past her lips before Oliver was trampling the distance between them and tugging her against him.
“I want to know you, Minka, and I’m gonna need longer th
an Miami to do it.”
“Oliver—”
He kissed her, smothering what he was sure he didn’t want to hear. She moaned, welcoming the act as he was sure she would. Eagerly, she clutched his shirt, sleeves rolled to reveal powerful forearms the tone of rich cinnamon. The shirt’s tails hung outside his loose-fit jeans.
Her fingers crept beneath the shirt’s hem to stroke his bare skin. Her tongue battled furiously with his as she felt the sleek perfection of the defined muscles shaping his abdomen.
Oliver was helpless to do anything other than comply. As much as he wanted to remain loyal to his willpower, his need for her raged at a far more demanding level.
Her body was a study in dark, curvaceous beauty, a treat that he was ill-equipped to deny himself. The sand beneath his feet seemed an inadequate foundation given the way she weakened his legs.
She moaned his name and added the tiny, infectious whimpers that stroked his desire for conquest like nothing he’d ever known. Determination sharpened his features as he took her down to the sand and focused on getting her out of her clothes.
Moonlight shone upon their bodies. Oliver saw sheer delight enhancing the loveliness of her round face, and it satisfied him to know he was pleasing her.
The thick, lengthy fringes of his lashes fluttered when his fingertips skirted the lacy stitching along the seam of her panties. The knowledge of what the garment protected roused a groan from the depths of his chest. He rested his forehead against her clavicle.
“Oliver...” She bucked her hips to entice him into doing more than simply admiring her lingerie. Her next moan was deepened when those exploring fingers of his slipped past the barrier of fabric.
“Yes...Oliver, there, please there,” she begged when he only stroked her folds and did nothing more.
“Oliver...”
“Reciprocity, Minka...”
As desire-addled as her brain was, Minka heard and comprehended his response.
Oliver raised his head to give her a devilishly charming smirk. “Give me what I want—time beyond Miami...” He spared a glance around their moonlit environment. “And I give you what you want.” He barely eased the tip of his middle finger inside her moistened core.
Treasure My Heart (Kimani Hotties) Page 10
