Pretend It's Love

by Stefanie London

  “I asked you to stay the night.”

  She waggled a finger at him. “You told me to stay.”

  “You want me to beg, Tiger?” He pressed his lips to the hollow at the base of her neck, his teeth scraping at her skin. “Not gonna happen. If anyone’s going to beg, it’ll be you.”

  Her head lolled back. “I don’t beg.”

  “Oh you will.” He kissed farther down, his hands deftly popping the buttons on her blouse. “I won’t let you come until you beg shamelessly, incoherently. I’ll hold you right on the edge until you say my name like it’s the only word you know.”

  Her whole body trembled as his lips made it to the edge of her bra. Hot pink satin outlined with yellow lace, colorful and bold just like her. Hard nipples pressed against the fabric, drawing his eye and then his mouth. He tugged the cup down until he could taste all of her.

  “Is that a yes?”

  She sighed, her eyes fluttering closed. “You still haven’t asked me.”

  “May I fuck you into oblivion?”

  She laughed, her finger threading into his hair and yanking his face up. “Well, when you put it like that…”

  “Say it.”

  “Yes, Paul.” She brought her mouth to his in a hot open-mouthed kiss that set his whole body alight. “Yes.”

  Chapter Nine

  Somehow they made it to his bed, though he was sure he’d find a trail of clothes leading like breadcrumbs to his kitchen in the morning. That was a problem for tomorrow, however, because he was certain about one thing—Libby wasn’t leaving his bed until the sun came up.

  Copper strands of hair fanned out across his pillow like silk streamers. She stared at him with hooded eyes, her hands reaching out.

  “First things first, Tiger.” He came down between her legs and blazed a trail with his mouth from belly button to the waistband of her single remaining item of clothing.

  “Don’t rip this pair,” she said, her back arching as he pressed a kiss between her legs. “They’re too pretty to go into the trash.”

  Pretty was an understatement. The swatch of pink silk against her pale, white skin was striking. Captivating.

  It made him want to catalog every dirty thought he’d ever had and play them all out at once.

  “I’m impatient,” he murmured against the silk before tugging the panties down her legs. “I don’t want to waste a second.”

  He threw them to the side before capturing one ankle in his hand and hooking it around his waist.

  “We have all night.” She reached for his boxers, dipping her finger beneath the elastic to brush against his cock. The gentle scrape of her nails along his length dragged a moan from his lips.

  He moved closer, allowing her to grasp him fully. “I’m going to need it. There’s too many things I want to do to you.”

  Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. “Are you sure I can keep up?”

  “Don’t worry about that. Let me drive,” he said, pushing his boxers down and discarding them over the edge of the bed. “You just lie back and enjoy.”

  “Hmmm…” She wrapped her fingers around him and stroked slowly. “I like the sound of that.”

  His hands came down beside her as he lowered his face to hers, capturing her mouth in a deep, searching kiss. She tasted of marshmallow and chocolate, sweet. Decadent.

  Through the haze of arousal and desperate desire, fear settled over him. Something felt different. Having Libby in his bed wasn’t just about sex. It wasn’t scratching an itch like he had in the past. He wanted to drown in her, he wanted to use his body to show her that she was beautiful, worthy. He wanted to erase her past hurts and make her feel whole.

  “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you shouldn’t be frowning during sex, right?” Her teeth nipped along his jaw, her tone teasing.

  You got what you wanted, enjoy it. Don’t think about anything beyond this. There isn’t anything beyond this.

  He bent his head and drew a nipple into his mouth, running his tongue over the tightened peak. Her moan echoed in the quiet room, awareness gripping him and quickening his pulse.

  “I’m concentrating,” he said, burying his face between her breasts. “I don’t want you leaving until I’ve licked, kissed, and fucked every inch of you.”

  “You do have a way with words.” She let out a throaty laugh as her head lolled back against the pillow and she arched against him. “Or maybe you’re just good with your mouth.”

  “You should know the answer to that already.”

  A sly smile passed over her lips. “Refresh my memory?”

  “Gladly.”

  He worked his way down to the juncture of her thighs, pressing kisses along the sensitive join of her hip. Warm flesh greeted his mouth. Goosebumps rippled across her skin as he trailed his fingertips over her thighs, skating around the part where she wanted him most. Her hips bucked as she fought for control, but Paul stayed true to his word.

  “This is the part where you beg, Tiger.”

  He drew her clit into his mouth only to let it go a second later, lavishing maddening kisses all around her. One palm flattened against her stomach, holding her where he wanted her. Where she wouldn’t be able to move without his permission.

  “You can’t make me,” she panted.

  “You’re so close.” He blew cold air over her sensitive flesh, alternating direct pressure and feather-light licks. “It would be a shame not to hear that wonderful noise you make when you come.”

  “Paul,” she growled.

  “Yes, Tiger?”

  Silence. She was stubborn, something he’d grown to appreciate. But he wanted her to know that in the bedroom she was at his mercy. This was his domain and if she bent then he would give her everything.

  “Dammit.” Her fist came down hard on the bed as she bucked her hips against his mouth.

  “Say it.”

  “Please, I need it.” She tangled her fingers in his hair and yanked him into place. “I’m begging.”

  “That’s all you needed to say.”

  Her nails dug into his scalp as he applied the perfect pressure with his tongue, lapping at her until he tipped her over. The sound of her cries set his nervous system aflame. She trembled even after he drew his lips away, immediately curling into herself as the last shockwaves of orgasm ran through her.

  He crawled up the bed and drew her to him, her back lining his front. Hot skin against hot skin. Wrapping his arms around her, his fingers traced the peaks and valleys of her beautiful body. He felt so…alive.

  “It’s not so bad to let someone else be in charge.”

  She turned, her face tilting up to his and catching the moonlight streaming in through the window. “Don’t get cocky now.”

  He grinned. “Too late.”

  Shaking her head, she slipped out of his grasp and pushed him back against the covers, straddling him. His hard-on brushed the creamy skin of her inner thigh. Wanting spread through him like a drug, heightening his senses, switching on the part of his brain that screamed more, more, more.

  Rolling her hips in circles so that she bumped her heat against him, her eyes glittered. “Payback’s going to feel so very good.”

  His fingers bit into her hips, his cock twitching with each brush of her satin skin. “Just because you’re on top doesn’t mean you’re in the driver’s seat.”

  He reached out to the drawer beside his bed and felt around for a condom. The foil crinkled as he ripped open the packet, cutting through the air heavy with arousal. He sheathed himself slowly, not missing the way Libby’s eyes watched him intently.

  “Do you like to watch?” He wrapped his hands around himself and stroked.

  Pupils dilated, her breath hitched. Even in the dim light he could see the flush that crept across her cheeks, extending down her neck and matching the rosy shade of her nipples. Her hands curled into the bedspread as she watched, enraptured.

  “I’ve never…” She swallowed. “I’ve never seen a man touch himself befo
re.”

  The admission was fuel to his already out of control fire. He wanted to burst, but he controlled each stroke as though it were a master in resistance, power surging through him all the while.

  “Do you like it?”

  She licked her lips. “Very much.”

  “If I keep this up the show will be over before it’s begun.” He released himself, reaching for her.

  She came to him easily, her hips lifting to position over him. As she sank, a haze fell over him. His eyes rolled back, everything else fading away until it was just the sensation of her surrounding him.

  “Paul,” she gasped, her palms coming down on either side of his head.

  “Easy, Tiger.” He moved her hips to meet his thrusts, controlling the pace. Drawing out their pleasure.

  Hair tickled his chest as her head rolled forward, the sheet of copper surrounding them until it felt as though they were the only two beings in the world. The pad of his thumb caught her lower lip as his hand curled around her jaw. She kissed the tip of his thumb, drawing him into her mouth and sucking in a way that made him want to combust.

  “Keep that up…” he threatened.

  “And what?” She blinked her long, black lashes at him. “You’ll cross the finish line.”

  She squealed as he grabbed her hips, flipping them so that he hovered over her, still buried deep inside. Reaching down between them, he found the sensitive nub of her clit and started a slow assault. His favorite kind.

  Her head pressed back into the pillow, eyes squeezed shut. “Oh my God—”

  “I’m not going to cross the line until you scream my name again.” He pressed a kiss to her mouth, catching her bottom lip between his teeth.

  “You drive a hard bargain.”

  He chuckled against her throat, inhaling the scent of dampness on her skin mixed with faded perfume and soap. And something else…something uniquely her.

  “It is hard.”

  She laughed, the sound dissolving into a cry as she reached the peak. He could have held back, but in that moment he wanted to give her everything: pleasure, completeness, satisfaction. He was at her service, there to command and form her pleasure.

  “Paul,” she whispered as the waves subsided. “Don’t leave me out here alone.”

  “I won’t.” He thrust into her, driving toward the pinpoint of pleasure that blurred his vision and stole his breath. “I won’t.”

  When orgasm hit he drowned in her. He didn’t realize that he’d been calling her name until the rawness hit his throat, the echo of their lovemaking heavy in the air. Her arms wound around his waist, holding him against her.

  For the first time in forever, having another’s arms around him didn’t feel like a trap.

  Libby shifted, the haze of sleep slowly evaporating as she opened her eyes to the sunlight streaming through a window. A window with wooden slats and a distinct lack of color. In other words, not her window.

  Head thumping, she tested the severity of her hangover by trying to lift her head from the pillow. Moderate, certainly not her worst, but she needed to down a painkiller and a bottle of water. Stat.

  Heat prickled along her skin, the weight of Paul’s arm heavy across her midsection. The bare skin of her back was fused to his chest, the backs of her thighs pressed against him.

  What a night.

  Heavy breathing told her he was still asleep…perhaps she could wriggle out and make a quick getaway to avoid the awkward morning-after chitchat. Would it be awkward? They had no expectations of each other, and they weren’t in a relationship. They both shunned emotional entanglements.

  Last night was nothing more than two people with mutual attraction blowing off a little steam. Or a lot of steam, as the case may be. For a moment she wondered how many women had woken up in his bed.

  None of your business, don’t even think about going there with him.

  Aching limbs and niggling thoughts aside, Libby felt like a million bucks. Clearly all she’d needed to lessen the weight on her shoulders was a good, old-fashioned romp between the sheets. And too many orgasms to count. Paul was relentless, pushing her harder and higher each time until her body had nothing left to give.

  “What was that little shiver for?” His sleepy voice sounded in her ear, his lips brushing the back of her neck.

  “I think you’re dreaming.”

  “Feels like it.” He brushed his lips along the ridge of her shoulder. “I don’t ever have a beautiful woman in my bed when I wake up in real life.”

  “Do you kick them all out before the sun comes up?” She rolled onto her back so she could see his face.

  A hard mask settled over him, his eyes cold. “Something like that.”

  “I don’t expect you to make me pancakes.” Her hand came up to trace the hard line of his jaw. “Just so we’re clear.”

  “So I should put the milk and eggs away?”

  “You don’t fool me, Paul Chapman. I know exactly what you want, and it’s not breakfast.”

  He leaned over her, locking her down with his thigh and capturing her mouth with his. “You read me like a book.”

  “Right now you sound a lot like a teenage boy’s diary. Sex on the brain.”

  He pretended to be hurt. “What else am I supposed to think about when you’re lying there all naked and perfect like that?”

  A warmth kindled in her chest. “My sparkling personality?”

  “Not going to happen.” His fingertips traced the length of her throat, his thumb skirting over the hollow at its base.

  “What about how I’m a sharp business woman?” Her eyes fluttered shut as his hand trailed down to cup her breast.

  “Tiger, all of those things are wonderful. But right now the only thing I want is to taste that sweet honey of yours.”

  Her sex clenched, but she resisted the urge to give in to him. “I really should go. I’ve got a lot of planning to do for the wedding.”

  His hand dipped lower, a flat palm smoothing over her belly to cup the gentle ache between her thighs. “What if I’m not done with you yet?”

  “The best thing about sex without emotions is that I don’t have worry about hurting your feelings.” She sucked in a breath as he traced a line up her inner thigh.

  “No, you just have to worry about your own.” A dark shadow passed over his face, his eyes intently burning into her.

  Something about the look unnerved her, as though she were crossing into new territory and wandering in the wrong direction. That was the problem with Paul, he drew her to him like a magnet. She knew she should leave his bed, she had work to do and an exciting opportunity in front of her.

  But nothing else seemed to matter when he touched her.

  Her worries about her business, about her father…everything melted away. But she didn’t belong here with him. Her focus had to be on her business if she had any chance of making her own money and getting her own place. If she had any chance of being successful.

  Not to mention that this relationship was fake because she could never be with someone like him…perfectly charming and sexy as hell. She wouldn’t put herself in a situation where she had to compete for his attention. Been there, done that.

  Never. Doing. It. Again.

  “You know you’ve stopped telling me not to call you Tiger.” His lips curved into a smile. “Does that mean I’m getting to you?”

  “Or I’ve just realized that your persistence knows no bounds.”

  Deep down, in some dark corner of herself that she’d deny until the end of time, she’d grown to like it. A nickname signaled belonging, affection. Things she’d been hard up for most of her life, and he’d given them to her even when her reaction was to keep him at a distance.

  “You don’t get anywhere in life without persistence.”

  “Wise words.” She kissed the tip of his nose. “But I do have to go. We’re going to kill it at the wedding, you know. My cocktails will wow everyone, and I’m going to convince the whole family that you’re
perfect husband material.”

  “Let’s not get carried away.” He wrinkled his nose. “We’re breaking up after the wedding, remember.”

  A sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. “I know. But you want the family to think you’re Mr. Responsible, right?”

  “Right.”

  She pushed up from the bed, suddenly conscious of how naked she was without the nighttime darkness to conceal her. “We’ll make it happen, I promise.”

  “Looking forward to it.” He nodded, his eyes unreadable once more. “Hey…can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.” She looked around for her clothes but could only locate her underwear.

  “Will you help me put a business plan together? You know, since Des is being such a hard-ass about it.” He rolled his eyes as if the idea was a complete waste of time.

  “Absolutely.”

  By the time Libby had showered and changed, Paul had gathered up her supplies from the previous night and was waiting by the door. They walked to the car in silence.

  If it was only a night of fun between friends should she feel as though her heart wanted to drop through the floor? He kept his distance, helping her pack the box of now half-empty vodka bottles in her boot without so much as a brush of his hand against her. A far cry from the demanding, delicious touch he’d given her last night.

  Libby bounced on her feet, words escaping her.

  “I guess I’ll see you soon,” he said, standing back on the curb with his arms folded across his chest.

  “Yeah, see you soon.” She opened the car door and slid into the driver’s seat.

  Something told her each minute would be increasingly painful until she was in his arms again.

  Chapter Ten

  “Stop being such a baby!” Libby sat on a barstool at First, her laptop open in front of her and a half-finished cocktail next to it. She shook her head, sending copper curls bouncing around her face.

  Paul gritted his teeth. “Do you really not see this is the stupidest thing ever? Now I know why so many businesses fail, it’s not poor management…it’s paperwork.”