by Nicola Marsh
Cooper broke the kiss to stare into her eyes, his hands pushing the curls off her face in a gentle caress.
She couldn’t fathom the expression in his eyes and reality hit as he shifted slightly beneath her. Here she was, lying on top of an extremely hot guy, a guy she could easily fall for in the blink of an eye if she completely lost her mind, a guy she’d been in the process of dismissing from her life a few moments ago, a guy who had just sent her spiralling out of control with a simple kiss.
What on earth was she doing?
Okay, so maybe the kiss hadn’t been so simple. In fact, it had been downright amazing. But that wasn’t the point. She still needed to get rid of him, and fast. No telling what her kick-started desire might do in the next ten seconds or so.
Disengaging his hands from her face, she slid onto the floor in an undignified heap before leaping to her feet like some bumbling clown act in a circus. ‘Well, that was an interesting diversion but I hate to tell you, it didn’t work. I still want you to get out of here.’
Cooper stood with a lot more grace than she had, his inscrutable expression annoying her. Couldn’t the guy at least look the teensiest bit shaken by the cataclysmic kiss they’d shared? Then again, maybe it wasn’t so extraordinary for him. He probably went around kissing half the female population in Melbourne like that.
And, no, that sharp stab of pain in the vicinity of her heart wasn’t jealousy; it had to be all that cheese she’d consumed earlier mixing with the tea to give her heartburn.
‘If you don’t shut up, I’m going to kiss you again till you do.’
She opened her mouth with an instant rebuke, but shut it quickly as he took a threatening step towards her.
Then again, the thought of more of that sensational kissing wasn’t so bad…
‘Good, now that I’ve got your attention, I want you to listen up. Yes, I want this deal to go through and, yes, it’s very important to me. In fact, it’s more than important, it’s imperative.’
He paused for a moment as if searching for the right words and she waited, prepared to give him a little leeway. After all, it was the least she could do before she booted him out the door permanently.
‘As for what’s happening between you and me, it’s got nothing to do with business. Do I wish you were some shriveled-up old prune that wouldn’t tempt me? Yeah. Do I wish I could completely separate business from everything about you that entices me? Yeah. Do I wish I could seal this deal and not look back without remembering the curve of your smile, the fire in your eyes, the passion of your kiss? You bet. But there’s no use wishing for the impossible and, right now, pretending that something doesn’t exist between us would be doing just that and I won’t. I can’t.’
Ariel’s jaw hit the floor and her mind whirled as Cooper stared her down, the bad-boy businessman daring her to disagree.
Okay, so he was man enough to acknowledge the spark between them. Big deal.
That didn’t mean she had to agree with him or encourage him, despite how her heart raced at the wonderful things he’d said about her and the fact he found her just as attractive as she found him.
He was still the enemy and would still tear her world apart given half a chance.
A chance she had no intention of giving him.
‘Got nothing to say? Come on, give it your best shot,’ he said, the grim look in his eyes at odds with the sardonic half-smile playing about his lips.
‘What do you want me to say?’
Apart from the obvious: I like you, I desire you, I can easily lose my head and go crazy for you.
But then, she wasn’t the type of girl to lose her head. She had too much at stake, too many responsibilities, starting with making the gallery a viable proposition for the next umpteen years just as Barb would’ve wanted.
‘How about you start with the truth?’
Ariel compressed her lips, a simple, defensive gesture to prevent her from blurting a whole host of truths that Cooper wouldn’t want to hear: the truth was, she was petrified the gallery would slip through her fingers despite how hard she’d worked to keep it afloat, she was petrified she’d let everyone down and, the biggie of them all, she was petrified of how this guy made her feel.
So, despite her usual trait for brutal honesty, she opted for the easy way out.
She lied.
‘There isn’t anything between us beyond the usual guy-girl chemistry. We’re opposites in every way and you want something from me I can’t give you, imperative or not.’
Avoiding his penetrating stare, she continued, ‘I won’t sell, you don’t get what you want and we have no reason to keep meeting like this so let’s call it quits while we’re both still being civil to one another, okay?’
She expected him to bamboozle her with a whole lot of convoluted arguments, similar to the ones in his long-winded business proposal, to change her mind.
She expected him to pressure her, to ram home the reasons why obtaining her gallery was so darn imperative to him.
Instead, he surprised her yet again.
He took a step forward, invading her personal space with his overpowering presence, and she resisted the urge to lean into him, to experience the thrill of having his arms slide around her one last time and making her forget every single reason why they couldn’t be together.
Placing a finger under her chin, he gently tipped it up and stared into her eyes. ‘You know the interesting thing about chemistry? It can lead to explosive reactions and unexpected outcomes.’
She should look away.
She wanted to look away.
Instead, she stared at him like a hypnotised dummy while his thumb brushed her bottom lip with infinite tenderness and he smiled, a hot, loaded smile.
‘Oh, and one more thing. Chemistry was my best subject.’
Before she could gather her wits and tell him exactly what he could do with his subjects, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
This was her last chance.
Push him away, and ignore all the great things he’d said about her.
He deepened the kiss, his hands winding through her curls, angling her head for better access, and the second his tongue touched hers she lost it.
The point of no return.
She pushed him back against the sofa, her hands everywhere, sliding under black cotton, stroking the hot skin of his tight abs beneath.
Someone moaned, a low, sexy sound, and in the passionate haze that had invaded her brain she had no idea if it was him or her. Nor did she care.
The scent of him, the feel of him, the taste of him, the sounds of ragged breathing and low moans set a spark to her latent libido.
‘You sure about this?’
Cooper broke the kiss for a second, capturing her face in his hands, staring deep into her eyes.
‘Shut up and kiss me,’ she said, the blatant lust radiating from his too-blue gaze setting fire to any tiny residual doubt she might have harboured and sending it up in smoke.
‘Your call.’
And he did exactly as she’d instructed, with one heck of a difference.
He didn’t hold back.
Their mouths clashed in a heated frenzy of lips and tongues, challenging, duelling, an erotic game where there were no losers, only winners.
Ariel sighed as his lips slid down her throat and she arched against him, bringing her into direct contact with his erection, his very impressive erection if the size of his hardness against her belly was any indication.
‘God, you’re beautiful,’ he said, his lips ceasing their leisurely exploration as he swiftly unbuttoned her top and peeled it open, the anticipatory gleam in his eyes like that of a man opening the best present ever.
The few times she’d had sex in the past, she’d hated the undressing bit. Inadequacies had plagued her growing up, and they manifested at the oddest of times, such as now when she hoped her boobs weren’t a disappointment and he wouldn’t find her too skinny.
‘Stunning,’ he breathed,
unclipping her bra with a deft flick of his fingers and staring at her breasts as if he’d found treasure, before capturing a nipple in his mouth.
‘That feels so good,’ she murmured, writhing beneath him, wishing their clothes would disappear, burning up from the inside.
‘You feel so good.’
And he set about proving it, drawing his tongue slowly across her chest, sucking one nipple then the other, feasting on her as if he hadn’t eaten in a decade.
Ariel throbbed in so many places she didn’t know whether she should shock the living daylights out of Cooper and devour him now or prolong the sweet agony and let him continue to lavish her with more of the exquisite licking and sucking that was sending her into meltdown.
‘I need you,’ she whispered, proving just how much by sliding a hand between them and cupping his erection.
Cooper tensed, muttered a very sexy curse and pulled away, staring at her in such a searing way that desire shot through her veins, her nipples pebbled and a heaviness settled in her core.
‘Now.’
He hovered over her, a sexy smile playing around his mouth. ‘You know you’re bossy and sassy and thoroughly irresistible, don’t you?’
‘I’ll show you bossy.’
She surged upwards, her hands against his chest, pushing him upright against the back of the sofa and straddling him.
He laughed, a low, rich, wicked sound that provoked her to show him just how bossy she could be.
She whipped his T-shirt over his head in a second, leaning forward to nuzzle his neck and drape her hair across his bare chest. He groaned and she smiled, a small, self-satisfied smile of a woman who knew she had the power to drive a guy crazy.
‘Hmm…think you’re in charge, huh?’
His hands spanned her waist, holding her in place while he shifted beneath her, leaving her in little doubt that the second their clothes vanished down below, she’d be in heaven.
‘You ain’t seen nothing yet,’ she said, sliding off him to kneel at his feet, her fingers making short work of his zipper and button, easing the denim down his long legs with her gaze locked on his the entire time.
His low moan turned her on.
His glazed look empowered her.
His stirring erection beneath tight black boxers encouraged her to toy with the elastic, brush her fingertips against his penis and slowly, tantalisingly peel the cotton down his legs.
‘Oh, wow,’ she said, sitting on her heels and admiring the view. A very hard, very large erection was standing to attention, liquid heat pooling between her legs as she reached out to stroke it.
‘Hell, Ariel,’ Cooper gritted out, hanging onto what little self-control he had left when her hand wrapped around his shaft and started moving up and down in slow, rhythmic movements.
‘Don’t you mean heaven?’
Her sassy mouth curved into a knowing smile as she flicked her thumb over the hood, sending him into overdrive.
‘You’re a minx.’
He stilled her hand, sliding to the floor next to her, grateful for the soft, plush rug over the boards.
‘Hey, what happened to me being in charge?’
‘My turn,’ he said, knowing he couldn’t last much longer.
He’d been fantasising about Ariel for too long, wondering what she’d look like naked, wondering what colour her nipples would be, wondering how she’d sound when he took her.
Her breasts were gorgeous, a perfect handful, with dusky pink nipples that stood out at the slightest provocation. Considering his hands and mouth hadn’t left them alone since he’d taken off her top, they were very provoked.
Now, he had to see the rest of her, taste the rest of her, feel her hot and tight around him before he lost it completely.
Sliding a slow, sensual kiss across her swollen lips, he had those sexy little hot-pants off her in one smooth tug. The red satin G-string beneath got tangled up at the same time and when he broke the kiss to stare down at her, his sigh bordered on reverence.
‘You’re stunning. Every exquisite inch.’
He kissed her again, softly this time, teasing, pleasing as his fingers delved in her moist heat, finding her nub and circling it with his thumb, loving the small, excited sounds she made in his mouth.
She broke off the kiss, her head falling back, her breathing ragged as he slid two fingers inside her, his thumb stroking her folds, her clitoris, with increasing pressure.
‘Cooper.’
Their gazes locked as she convulsed around his fingers, her body arching upwards, her orgasm heating the gold flecks in her eyes till they glowed amber.
He had to have her, right at that precise second, with her soft and pliant and sated in his arms.
‘More.’
He stared at her sassy mouth, knowing a woman like Ariel would be a never-ending source of surprises and hoping he’d get an opportunity to discover them all.
Though he wasn’t a fool.
This was sex and she’d probably withdraw from him in a big way in the morning. Not if he had his way. This attraction had been simmering between them right from the very beginning and he had no intention of letting this be a one-night stand.
Besides, he had a feeling sex with the stunning artist could become addictive. Very addictive. And he didn’t have too many vices.
‘More, huh? Boy, there’s no pleasing some women.’
‘I’m pleased all right,’ she said. ‘You, on the other hand, could do with a bit of pleasuring yourself.’
She sent a pointed look at his groin, her fingers closing around his erection, and he groaned.
‘Hold that…thought,’ he said, fumbling through the back pocket of his jeans for his wallet, grabbing a condom and ripping open the little blue foil packet while Ariel continued to stroke him, her sexy laugh driving him as insane as her hand.
Ariel loved the silky hardness of Cooper’s penis, loved the fact she turned him on. She reluctantly released him, watching him slide the condom on, her insides constricting at the thought that she’d soon be sheathing him just as effectively.
‘Hurry,’ she said, wondering when she’d become such a floozy and not particularly caring.
She wanted Cooper.
Inside her, pleasuring her, hard and hot and pounding, satisfying the ache that had begun the first time he’d taken off his clothes for her.
‘Come here.’
Cooper opened his arms to her and Ariel didn’t hesitate, straddling him, kissing him, revelling in the tip of his penis nudging at her entrance as she sank down, almost passing out with sheer satisfaction as he stretched her, filled her.
‘You feel…’ he groaned, loudly, as she raised up and sank down again, taking him in deeper, relaxing her muscles around him, savouring the fullness, the heat.
‘Good?’
‘Sensational.’
She lost it after that. Thankfully, he did too. Her hands tangled in his hair, she bit into his shoulder as he thrust upwards so hard she almost hit the ceiling and he flipped her over, driving into her with a wild pounding that sent them both into orbit.
Her abandoned scream matched his noisy groan and as she floated back to her senses her first thought was, That was absolutely incredible.
Closely followed by, What the heck have I done?
CHAPTER TWELVE
PALE gold filtered through the tiny bathroom window, heralding the dawn of another perfect Melbourne day.
Though it wasn’t just another day.
Ariel braced herself on the antique washbasin, staring at her tousled reflection in the bevelled mirror.
You had sex with Cooper Vance.
And not just ordinary sex. Scintillating, mind-blowing, burn-up-the-sheets sex, though they’d never quite made it to the bed till later. Much later.
She’d never be able to look at her favourite rug in the studio again without remembering the way he’d felt inside her, the way he’d touched her all over, the way he’d made her crave him with every turned-on cell in her body.
The man was a menace.
She’d known it from the first second he’d set foot in her studio and now she had proof. And how!
Closing her eyes, she leaned forward and rested her forehead against the cool glass. What had she done?
She’d been doing her level best to push him away, to ignore the sizzling attraction between them, to focus on saving her business—which meant getting as far from corporate Mr Big-Shot as possible.
Instead, she’d melted into a puddle of lust the minute he’d kissed her and nothing would ever be the same again.
At least, not for her.
She didn’t do casual sex, never had. She could count her past encounters on one hand and each had been with guys she’d been dating for a while, boyfriends. The scary thing was, nothing about last night with Cooper felt casual. She felt as if she knew him and that was what scared her more than the way she’d been with him. Or how much she’d enjoyed it.
‘You okay?’
Ariel jerked upright and her eyes flew open; she wished she’d kept them tightly shut. The sight of Cooper, a very naked Cooper, reflected all too clearly in the mirror and her heart flipped.
‘Fine. Just a bit tired.’
‘I’m not surprised.’
He smiled, a warm, intimate smile that notched up the temperature in the bathroom by a hundred degrees.
‘I didn’t mean to wake you,’ she said, fiddling with the tie of her favourite kimono, wishing he’d stop staring at her as if he were starving and she were breakfast. ‘I’m usually up pretty early.’
‘No problems.’
Silence stretched between them, an awkward, tense silence she would’ve given anything to avoid. Why couldn’t he get dressed and get the heck out of her life? Why couldn’t he stop gawking at her?
‘You’re okay about what happened last night, right?’
To her annoyance, she blushed. ‘Fine.’
‘You sure about that?’
She stiffened as he came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, leaving her no option but to lean back against him or jump up on the antique vanity.
‘You’re gorgeous,’ he murmured, nuzzling her neck, sending shivers through her body, resurrecting erotic memories of the way he’d kissed every inch of her last night. Every inch…
