When she looked around her, she also realized… “You brought me here to make out, didn’t you?”
“Guilty as charged.”
“Because of what I said at the restaurant about missing the high school experience of parking and making out with a guy.”
“Guilty again. It’s private, bare, stripped away nature, which in some ways reminds me of North Dakota as a whole. There’s something…freeing about leaving civilization behind.” He steered the car off the paved road, onto a dirt trail leading toward the lighthouse. “It’s good to leave baggage behind, and it’s safe to say we both have our fair share.”
Nerves took flight in her belly like the herons along the shore. “Like what I told you at lunch?”
“In part. Yes.” Tires crunched along the rocky road, spitting a gritty cloud of dirt behind them. “It’s clear we’re both members of the Walking Wounded Divorce Club, both with hang-ups. But we have something else in common, an attraction and a mutual respect.”
The way he’d analyzed them chilled her in spite of the bold shining sun overhead and the thoughtfulness of his gesture. He’d pinpointed them so well, and yet… “You make it sound so logical. So calculated. So…coldly emotionless.”
Stopping the car at the base of the lighthouse, the top of the bluff, he gripped the steering wheel in white-knuckled fists. “Believe me, there’s nothing cold about the way I’m feeling about you. I want you so much I’m damn near ready to explode just sitting beside you.”
Breathless, she leaned against her door, the power of his voice washing over her as tangibly as the sun warming her skin.
He turned toward her, leather seat squeaking, his green eyes flinty. “Just watching you walk across the room, I imagine resting my hands on your hips to gauge the sway.” His fingers glided along her shoulder. “Or when I see the wind lift your hair, I burn to test the texture between my fingers. Everything about you mesmerizes me.”
Tension crackled between them like static in her hair, in his words. “Before this past weekend, I’d been celibate for over six months. Attractive women have walked into my life and not one of them has tempted me the way you do.”
There was no missing the intensity of his words—or the intent in his eyes. His fingers stroked through her hair, down to the capped sleeves of her sundress, hovering, waiting. “Did anyone ever tell you what a truly stunning woman you are, how beautiful you will still be when you’re eighty-five years old? Not that it matters what the hell I, or anyone else, thinks.”
While she was flattered, his words also left her blushing with self-consciousness.
She resisted the urge to fidget. “Okay, I hear you. Now could you stop? I don’t need you to flatter me because of what I said earlier. I’m beyond needing affirmation of my looks.”
“I’m not flattering. I’m stating facts, indisputable, beyond perceptions.”
She realized now that he’d brought her out to this place for a private conversation, a better place to discuss her past than a crowded restaurant. She should have realized that earlier.
“Thank you and I hear you. Skewed perceptions played a part in what I went through.” Her hands fell to his chest. “But I’m over that now. It was hard as hell, but I’m healthy and very protective of that particular fact.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear it, and I don’t claim to be an expert on the subject. I only know that I want to tell you how beautiful, how sexy you are to me. Yet, that seems to make you uncomfortable.”
The ocean breeze lifted her hair like a lover’s caress, the scent so clean and fresh that the day felt like a new beginning.
“Maybe I like to speak with actions.”
“I’m all about that, too.” His hands brushed down the sleeves of her dress. “When I touch you, it turns me inside out to feel the curves, the silky softness, the way you’re one hundred percent a woman.”
He inched the bodice down farther, baring the top of her breasts.
Realization raised goose bumps along her skin as she grasped his deeper intent for bringing her here… “Are you actually planning for us to make love, here?”
He nuzzled the crook of her neck. “Do you think you’re the only one who can initiate outdoor sex?”
“That was at night.”
“Hidden away where no one could see us.” Where they could barely see each other.
Her thoughts cleared as if someone had turned the sun up a notch. Out here, there was no turning off the lamp or shrouding herself in darkness. Oh hell, maybe she wasn’t as over the past as she’d thought. She’d controlled everything about their lovemaking before.
This place, now, out in the brightest light of all, meant giving over complete control. That sent jitters clear through her. But the thought of saying no, of turning down this chance to be with him, upset her far more.
He cupped her face in both hands. “Do you think I would ever place you at risk? I chose this place carefully because I feel certain we’re completely alone.”
Alone and yet so totally exposed by the unfiltered sunshine. Seth was asking for a bigger commitment from her. He was requiring her trust.
Toying with his belt, she said, “Out here, huh? In full daylight. No drawing the shades, that’s for sure.”
“Sunscreen?” He grinned.
She raised an eyebrow and tugged his belt open. “You expect to be naked that long? You’re a big talker.”
His smile faded, his touch got firmer. “So you’re good with this.”
“I’m good with you,” she murmured against his lips.
“I like the sound of that.” He slanted his mouth over hers.
The man knew how to kiss a woman and kiss her well. The way he devoted his all to the moment, to her, in his big bold way, made her want to take everything he offered here today. She’d shared everything about herself at lunch. Giving all here seemed the natural extension of that if she dared.
And she did.
Easing back from him, she shrugged the sleeves of her dress down, revealing herself inch by inch, much the way he’d undressed for her their first time together. In some ways, this was a first for them. A first without barriers.
Her bodice pooled around her waist. With the flick of her fingers, she opened the front clasp on her lacy bra. And waited. It was one thing to bare herself in the dark, but in the daylight, everything showed, her journey showed. Her battle with anorexia had left stretch marks. Regaining her muscle tone had taken nearly six years.
Meeting his gaze, she saw…heat…passion…and tenderness. He touched her, his large hands so deft and nimble as they played over her breasts in just the ways she enjoyed best, lingering on her erogenous zones, the ones he must have picked up on from their time together.
She arched into his palms, her grip clenching around his belt buckle. Her head fell to rest against the leather seat. The sun above warmed every inch of her bared flesh as fully as his caresses, his kisses.
His hands swept down to inch the hem upward until he exposed her yellow lace panties. Just above the waistband, he flicked a finger against her belly button ring.
She smiled at a memory. “That was my treat to myself the first time I wore a bikini in public.”
“I’ll buy you dozens, each one with a different jewel.”
Laughing softly, she traced his top lip with the tip of her tongue. He growled deeply in his throat. But he only allowed her to steal control for an instant before he stroked lower, dipping a finger inside her panties, between her legs, finding her wet and ready.
Her spine went weak and he braced her with an arm around her waist, holding her. She unbuttoned his shirt, sweeping it aside and baring his brazened chest to her eyes, her touch. The rasp of his crisp blond hair tantalized her fingertips.
She inhaled the scent of leather and sea, a brand-new aphrodisiac for her. “We should move this to the backseat where we can stretch out somewhat.”
“Or we can stay here and save the backseat for later.”
She purred her a
greement as she swung her leg over to straddle his lap. The steering wheel at her back only served to keep her closer to him. Everything about this place was removed from the real world, and she intended to make the most of it. She opened his pants and somehow a condom appeared in his hand. She didn’t care where or how. She just thanked goodness he had the foresight.
His hands palmed her waist, her arms looping around his neck. He lowered her onto him, carefully, slowly filling her. Moving within her. Or was she moving over him? Either way, the sensation rippled inside her, built to a fever pitch. Every sensation heightened: the give of the butter-soft leather under her knees, the rub of his trousers against the inside of her thighs.
The openness of the convertible and the untouched landscape called to her. The endless stretch of ocean pulled at her, like taking a skein of yarn and unraveling it infinitely. Moans swelled inside her, begging to be set free to fly into that vastness.
He thrust his hands into her hair and encouraged her in a litany detailing how damn much he wanted her, needed her, burned to make this last as long as he could because he was not finishing without her. The power of his words pulsed through her, took her pleasure higher.
Face-to-face, she realized there wasn’t a battle for control. They were sharing the moment, sharing the experience. The insight exploded inside her in a shower of light and sensation as she flew apart in his arms. Her cries of completion burst from her in abandon, followed by his. Their voices twined together, echoing out over the ocean.
Panting, she sagged against his chest, perspiration bonding their bodies. Their time together here, away from the rest of the world, had been perfect. Almost too much so.
Now she had to trust in what they’d shared enough to test it out when they returned home.
Seth revved the Cessna seaplane’s engines, skimming the craft along the water faster and faster until finally, smoothly…airborne.
A few more days on the Outer Banks would have been damn welcome to give him a chance to fortify his connection with Alexa. To experience more of the amazing sex they’d shared in the front seat of the convertible, then the backseat. Except he was out of time.
He had to meet with Pippa tomorrow and hammer out a new visitation schedule. That always proved sticky since the ugly truth lurked behind every negotiation that he might not be the twins’ biological father. If Pippa ever decided to push that, things could go all to hell. He would fight for his kids, but it tore him up inside thinking of how deep it would slice if he lost. Acid burned in his gut.
If only life could be simpler. He just wanted to enjoy his children like any parent. The way his cousin Paige enjoyed hers. The way his cousin Vic was celebrating a new baby with his wife, Claire. That reminded him of what a crappy cousin he’d been in not calling to congratulate them. Paige had texted him that Claire was staying in the hospital longer because of the C-section delivery. He needed to stop by and do the family support gig.
That also meant introducing Alexa to the rest of his family. Soon. His relatives were important to him. He wasn’t sure how he was going to piece together his crazy ass life with hers, but walking away wasn’t an option. He also wasn’t sure how Alexa would feel about his big noisy family, especially given how strained her relationship was with her own.
If only life was as easy to level out as an airplane.
Easing back on the yoke, he scanned his airspeed, along with the rest of the control panel.
Alexa touched the window, an ocean view visible beyond. “I grew up with charter jets, but I’ve never flown on one of these before. And I certainly didn’t have a fleet of planes at my fingertips 24/7.”
“This wasn’t among my more elite crafts, but, God, I love to fly her.”
“I can tell by how relaxed you are here versus other times.” She trapped the toy bobble head fisherman suction-cupped to the control panel. Her finger swayed the line from the fishing pole. “I can hardly believe how much we’ve done since waking up. Starting in Florida, stopping in South Carolina, North Carolina by lunch. Now home again.”
“I still owe you supper, although it’ll be late.”
“Can we eat it naked?”
“As long as I have you all to myself.”
She laughed softly. “While I enjoyed our time in the convertible, I haven’t turned into that much of an exhibitionist.”
“Good,” he growled with more possessiveness than he was used to feeling. “I don’t share well.”
She toyed with the sleeve of her dress, adjusting it after the haphazard way they’d thrown on their clothes as the sun started to set. “I appreciate that you didn’t get weirded out by what I shared with you at the restaurant.”
“I admire the way you’ve taken everything life threw at you and just kept right on kicking back,” he answered without hesitation.
He meant every word.
“I’m determined not to let other people steal anything more from me—not my parents or my ex.”
“That attitude is exactly what I’m talking about.”
“I’m not so sure about the kick-ass thing.” Her hand fell to her lap. “It’s wacky the way a piece of cheesecake can sometimes still hold me hostage. Sounds strange, I know. I don’t expect you to understand.”
“Explain it to me.” He needed to understand. He couldn’t tolerate saying or doing something that could hurt her.
She sagged back in her seat. “Sometimes I look at it and remember what it was like to want that cheesecake, but then I would measure out how many calories I’d eaten that day. Think how many laps I would need to swim in order to pick up that fork for one bite. Then I would imagine the disappointment on my mother’s face when I stepped on the scale the next morning.”
What the hell? Her mother made her weigh in every morning? No wonder Alexa had control issues.
He wrestled to keep his face impassive when he really wanted to find her parents and… He didn’t know what he would do. He did know he needed to be here for Alexa now. “I wish I’d known you then.”
She turned to look at him. “Me, too.”
Suddenly he knew exactly where he wanted to take Alexa tonight. “Do you mind staying out late?”
“I’m all for letting this day last as long as possible.”
“Good. Then I have one more stop to make on my way to take you home.”
Of all the places she thought Seth might take her, Alexa wouldn’t have guessed they would go to a hospital.
Once they’d landed, Seth had said he wanted to visit his cousin’s new baby. Her heart had leaped to her throat at the mention of an infant. A newborn.
Her skin felt clammy as she rubbed her arms. Was she freaked out because of the baby or because of her own hospital stay? Right now, with her emotions so close to the surface, she couldn’t untangle it all.
Damn it, she was being silly. It wasn’t like she would even go in to see the new mom. This visit would be over soon and she could clear the antiseptic air with deep breaths outside. Seth was walking in on his own while she hung out at the picture window looking into a nursery packed full of bassinets. Her gaze lingered on one in particular, front row, far left.
Baby Jansen.
She could barely see anything other than a white swaddling blanket and a blue-and-yellow-striped cap. But she could tell the bundle was bigger than most of the others, nearly ten pounds of baby boy, according to Seth. Alexa touched the window lightly, almost imagining she could feel the satiny softness of those chubby newborn cheeks.
A woman stepped up alongside her and Alexa inched to the side to make room.
The blonde woman—in her late thirties—wore a button that proclaimed Proud Aunt. “Beautiful little boy.” She tapped the glass right around Baby Jansen territory. “Can you believe all that blond hair? Well, under the hat there’s lots of blond hair.”
Alexa cocked her head to the side. “Do I know you?”
The woman grinned, and Alexa saw the family resemblance so strongly stamped on her face she might as we
ll have pulled back her question.
“I’m Paige, Seth’s cousin. While I was getting coffee, I saw you walking in with him. My brother, Vic, is this baby’s daddy.”
It was one thing meeting his family with Seth there to handle the introductions, to define their still new relationship. This was awkward to say the least. Why, why, why hadn’t she waited in his SUV outside? “Congratulations on your new nephew.”
“Thank you, we have lots to celebrate. Hope you’ll join us at the next family get-together.” She cut her brown eyes toward Alexa. “How did the trip with Seth and the twins go? They’re sweet as can be, but a handful, for sure.”
Seth had told his family about her? Curiosity drowned out the rattle of food carts, the echo of televisions, even the occasional squawk of a baby.
“Nice trip. But it’s always good to be home,” she answered noncommittally. “The twins are back with their mother now.”
Paige nodded, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Pippa’s, well…” She sighed. “She’s Pippa, and she’s the twins’ mom. And Seth’s such a good daddy. He deserves to have a good woman to love him, better than…well…you know.”
Sort of. Not really. And she should really cut this short and get all of her answers from Seth. “I’m not in a position to—”
Pivoting, Paige stared her down with an unmistakably protective gleam in her golden-brown eyes. “I’m just asking you to be good to my cousin, to be fair. Pippa screwed him over, literally. There are days I would really like to give her a piece of my mind, but I hold back because I love those kids regardless of whether they’re my blood or not. But I don’t think I could take seeing him betrayed like that again. So please, if you’re not serious, walk away now.”
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Alexa struggled to keep up the barrage of information packed into that diatribe. “I don’t know what to say other than your family loyalty is admirable?”
“Crap. Sorry.” Paige bit her bottom lip. “I should probably hush now. I’m rambling and being rude. Hormones are getting the best of me, compounded even more by the nursery and being pregnant—a whoops, but a happy whoops. And I already get so emotional with how Pippa used Seth, the way she still uses him. I’m sure you’re lovely, and I look forward to seeing you again.”
Billionaire's Jet Set Babies Page 13
