by Joanne Rock
“Why wouldn’t he just call you if he wanted to talk to you?”
“He happened to be having dinner nearby, so it wasn’t a big trip for him. But he made the effort to show up at the club because I haven’t been taking his calls,” Trey admitted. “I met with him last week and felt like we’d reached...an impasse.”
I frowned. “Do you mind me asking what he wanted?”
Trey took his time answering as he turned down Interstate 405.
“He wants to bring me back on board with Fraser Films to oversee production of his new movie.”
“After the huge public falling-out you had?” I’d read enough about their rift to understand some of the ramifications, at least from a business standpoint. I’d had to include some of my concerns in my report for Fawn. And now I had to take them into account for Trey’s financial well-being.
“Tough to believe, isn’t it?” Trey shook his head, a lock of dark hair falling over an eyebrow and giving him an air of disrepute that would make any woman sigh. “But that’s just how he operates.”
“Is it the POW film you wanted to do from the start?”
“Of course not. It’s his POW film that he just purchased the rights for. And he wants me to develop it with bankable stars and an American sensibility...” Trey shook his head. “It could be a good film. But it’s not my film. And I’m ready to start putting my own stamp on my work.”
“Me too,” I said with a surprising amount of vehemence. “I mean, I want that in my own professional life. To put my stamp on my work.” I felt embarrassed to have jumped in with my own issues while he was talking about his for once. “Sorry to change topics like that. I just totally identify with the need to claim some recognition.”
“Thanks.” He sped up as we got closer to Mar Vista, and that was saying something, because he’d wasted no time leaving downtown behind us. “It means a lot that you understand where I’m coming from. I’ve had people in my life before who really championed my dad, always assuming my father must have my best interests at heart and thinking if I would just knuckle under I could have had the world by the tail right now.”
I debated how to respond to this, because I had the sneaking suspicion the elder Thomas Fraser had his son’s best interests at heart as well. “When you say ‘people,’ do you mean old girlfriends?”
He laughed, a warm sound that danced over my skin like a caress.
“Those too. But I’ve had guys that I thought were friends really take up the old man’s cause. A lot of people are drawn in by his image.”
“I’m taking up your cause,” I assured him. “And not just because you’re paying me to.” I stopped suddenly, hearing the words in my head. “That came out wrong.”
“I know what you meant.” His voice softened, his shoulders relaxing a little for the first time since he’d spotted the white Escalade outside Backstage. “I shouldn’t have put you in such an awkward position—insisting on working with you when we already had a personal relationship.”
“It’s been a good nudge for me, though.” I wasn’t going to have a problem separating work from my personal life. I hoped. “If you hadn’t insisted on working with me, I’d still be stuck in a rut.” As he neared my neighborhood, I pointed out my street. “I’m on Ocean View.”
“I know.” He slowed down as he neared my place. “I did a Google search on you when I was trying to untangle the mystery of Natalie/Courtney.”
“Really?” A thrill shot through me at the thought of him looking for me. Thinking about me.
“Yes. And I searched even more once you started working on my finances.”
“Well that’s just astute business,” I assured him, even though I was a little nervous now. “And what exactly did you find out?”
He put on his left signal light.
“I know you live here.” He correctly indicated my home. “And I know your father signed it over to you on your twenty-first birthday.”
“Well. Technically he sold it to me for a bargain-basement price.” With no interest. I could never have afforded the house otherwise.
“It’s a great place.” Trey turned off the engine before coming around to my side to open my door.
I glanced out toward the street to make sure no one was around. Trey’s jacket covered most of me, but I’d rather not be seen strolling into my house in the dancing outfit and a man’s suit coat.
“My dad is an antiques dealer and my mother is an interior decorator. She helped him out with this house when they were still together.” For all of three years.
But I tried to tell myself the house was like me—one of their few good collaborations.
I slid down into Trey’s waiting arms, my body gliding down his as he lowered me to the ground slowly. Slowly. His eyes raked over me and the hunger that had been banked back at the club flared hot again.
I tingled everywhere at the thought of being with him again.
“I might not be able to fully appreciate the aesthetics of your home tonight.”
“No?” I nipped at his lower lip and he tasted so good I had to close my eyes to savor him.
His hands slid underneath his jacket to smooth down my hips. Hot. Possessive.
“Then I’ll just show you one of the house’s best features and save the rest for another time.”
“You’re the best feature.” His words whispered hotly along my neck, and even though he hadn’t kissed me yet, pleasure smoked through my veins.
“Come on,” I urged, taking his hand to lead him around the back of the house to avoid the porch light and the small street lamp on the far corner of my front yard. “Let’s go somewhere more private.”
Was I still a little scared that I might be Trey’s secret indulgence? The woman he wouldn’t share with his friends and family? Definitely. But that wasn’t going to stop me from taking this crazy, heated attraction as far as I could.
* * *
THIS WOMAN HAD him turned all around.
Sexy as hell one minute. Sweetly vulnerable the next. And underneath it all, smart and funny. Courtney appealed to him on all levels.
Trey followed her down a twisting flagstone path until he spied a blue glow from the backyard. They rounded the corner of the house, dodging crepe myrtles, to find a courtyard with a hot tub and swimming pool tucked between the building’s L-shaped wings. Eight-foot hedges blocked out the neighbors, creating a private oasis. The water of the hot tub flowed over a ledge into the pool, the trickling sound as soothing as any fountain. Lotus flowers floated on the pool’s surface, their flickering glow suggesting battery-operated candles. They must be on a timer or a light sensor.
“Nice.” He ran a hand up a smooth wooden post supporting a balcony on the second floor that ran the length of the house.
Potted dwarf palm trees dotted the smooth stones around the pool, and a gauzy white tent concealed what he’d guess was an outdoor shower.
“It’s not exactly Fraser-family luxurious, but it’s home.” She paused by a wide bamboo chaise longue, looping her arm through his, her fresh scent teasing his nose.
“Luxury doesn’t have to be over-the-top. This is beautiful.” His father had experienced so much poverty as a kid, it seemed he’d never have enough stuff to make up for it. Courtney’s home, smaller than either of his parents’ places, was probably built in the fifties and had the kind of charm most larger homes could never attain.
Then again, maybe the house’s appeal had more to do with Courtney herself. He liked everything about her. Too much.
“You want to come inside?” she asked softly, her finger dipping just inside the sleeve of his shirt to trail along his wrist.
“Loaded question.” He spun her to face him, needing to forget everything else. Forget everything but her.
“In the house?” She smiled, flirting with him as her finger found the cuff button on his sleeve and slid it through the buttonhole.
Her thumb lingered on his pulse, a simple touch made erotic because it was Courtney.
She didn’t need costumes and feathers to turn his head. She could bring him to his knees with just a look.
“Depends.” He mulled over his options. Ready to be with her anywhere at all. Wanting it to be right for her.
She tucked a hand in his other sleeve and undid that cuff, too.
“I’m waiting...” she whispered against his neck, her lips the barest brush of softness along his throat.
Damn. She was just... Damn.
He couldn’t form a thought, let alone words, so he shoved his jacket off her shoulders, tossing the silk aside. Her skimpy dance outfit glittered in the moonlight, the clear sequins making pinpricks of fire over her skin.
“Will you be too cold?” he asked, stepping back to unfasten a button on his shirt and then dragging the whole thing over his head.
Her gray eyes tracked his movements, her gaze dipping low before lifting back up to his face.
She bit her lip as she shook her head.
“Perfect.” He nodded his satisfaction and reached for her, peeling the straps of her spangled bodysuit off her shoulders.
Her flesh was fragrant and supple, and she twined her arms around his neck while the rest of the costume slipped. The fabric caught around her chest, resting on the curve of her high, taut breasts.
Her skin glowed pale, a lock of dark hair twining along her collarbone to rest in the slight cleavage. Palming her spine with one hand, he plucked at the dark strands with the other, smoothing the silky softness between thumb and forefinger. Courtney sighed her pleasure, her head tipped back. Trey felt like the luckiest bastard to see her this way, uninhibited and sensual, her guard down and her fingers hooking into the waistband of his pants.
Gently, he kissed her. She tasted like cinnamon lip gloss, and he took his time licking it off, suckling the full bottom lip to savor every last bit. Her fingers flexed against his scalp, twisting in his hair before she dragged them down the back of his neck, his bare shoulders.
Her hips found his and she arched into him, rocking seductively until he crushed her to him. Her breasts flattened along his chest, their soft weight conforming to him as he peeled her outfit down to her hips. She was naked beneath the sequins, and her nipples beaded against him.
The night air felt warm here, the breeze lessened by the high hedges. Still, he edged them closer to the hot tub, wanting to make sure she wasn’t cold. Besides, he was scorching both of them, his skin so damn hot he’d probably melt the rest of her outfit off in another minute.
She worked the clasp of his belt while he walked her backward to the steaming water. They stepped out of their shoes by a patio table and he ditched his belt near the screen door into the house. While he undid his pants and retrieved a condom from his wallet, she grabbed a remote from a stone bench and punched the buttons to dim the exterior lights. The spa light went off, and the pool light changed to a moody red setting beneath the surface, the floating lotus flowers still flickering above. But his eyes were well adjusted to the dark by now, and he could see her just fine.
Better than fine.
She didn’t wait for him to lead her into the water. As soon as she set down the remote, she kissed his chest. Then moved lower. Trey tried to nudge her toward the pool, but she shook her head and kissed a path down his ribs, settling back on her knees.
He wanted to wait. To get her warm first and pleasure her thoroughly, but she dragged his boxers off with the crook of her finger, and he was lost. Her mouth went around him and he couldn’t do anything but appreciate the feel of her soft, silky tongue gliding around the tip, down the length.
Fire blazed up his spine in answer, his hands knotting in her hair. To stop her or hold her there, he wasn’t sure. He hauled in a ragged breath and looked down at the picture she made, her body twined around his while her hands glided over his hips and down his flanks.
Holy hell.
The sight of her long eyelashes resting on her cheeks, her face a picture of perfect contentment or maybe even pleasure, had him ready to go over the edge. He released her hair and gripped her shoulders, tugging her to her feet against her soft protest.
Just looking at her glistening lips had him so amped up he had to force himself to think about something—anything—else.
With unsteady hands, he tried to focus on removing the rest of her costume. Awkwardly, he slid a hand beneath the silk and sequins to free her hips. Hooking a finger on the strap of a pale G-string, he took that off too in one slow sweep.
Only when she stood there, spectacularly naked, did he lead her into the hot tub. A wide sun shelf formed the first shallow step and he pulled her down onto it. The water level was perfect for what he had in mind, but first he wanted to get her completely wet and very, very hot.
“Come on,” he urged, guiding her down into deeper waters.
She reached over the edge of the tub and hit a recessed button. Bubbles rumbled beneath the surface and then broke, spraying their faces with warm water while hiding their bodies in white foam.
Her sudden smile made him want to kiss her. Taste her. Return the sensual favor she’d given him. Maybe by the time he tasted her, he’d have recovered from what she’d done to him. He still teetered on the verge of coming and he hadn’t even gotten inside her yet.
“You like this?” he asked, tracing her curved lips with his finger.
“I love it,” she told him, her voice steady. Sincere.
He kissed her hard, wanting to seal the moment in his memory forever. Seal her to him.
He licked and tasted, exploring every corner and nuance of her mouth until she wrapped herself around him under the water, locking his hips between her legs. He carried her that way, his hands cupping her hips, back to the sun shelf.
She didn’t protest when he released her mouth to kiss down to the soft hollow at the base of her throat. To lick a circle around each breast and draw the hard tips into his mouth. She bucked toward him, but he pinned her hips with his hands, keeping her in place in the shallow water.
Then he nipped and tasted his way down her slick body, pausing to stir the tiny pool of water nestled in her navel. Pausing a whole lot longer to lick her inner thigh until he rested between her legs, right where he wanted to be. He moved to kneel on the step below the sun shelf, the perfect height to drape her thighs over his shoulders.
Her scent drove him wild, and he breathed her in, licking a path down the seam of her sex. She opened for him, wet and ready, but he took his time lapping along the plump folds of her core until she writhed and moaned. The first time she neared the edge of release, he backed off and built the tension all over again, wanting to take her as high as she’d ever been.
The second time, he couldn’t hold back, and when her spine bowed off the deck, he came at her harder, giving her everything she needed while she rode out the lush spasms.
He’d never seen anything more beautiful than Courtney right then. His head was spinning, his emotions raw as hell when he sheathed himself and entered her in one smooth stroke. He lifted her so she could straddle him, her body so pliant he could have done anything with her.
He wanted to do everything.
But for now, he anchored her waist with his arm and drove in deeper. She buried her nails in his shoulders, her cries sweet, erotic music in his ear until she came again and so did he.
His release went on forever, hot wave after hot wave pulsing through him and into her. She called out his name, collapsing against his chest, and still his body simmered with the aftermath of that release. He wrapped both arms around her, dropping kisses on her damp hair while they found their breath again.
When he could move, he shifted them into deeper water. He helped her to sit sideways on his lap while he rested with his back against the edge of the tub. The motor on the heated spa kicked off, leaving the water tranquil and steaming all around them.
She nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder, her eyes drifting closed. Trey looked up at the stars overhead, feeling lucky as hell to hold her. Too bad the ragged e
motions inside him told him he couldn’t afford to risk much more time in Courtney’s arms.
Something had changed between them tonight. A new understanding. A deeper look inside each other. At least, he thought he understood her better, and he was damn sure she’d started to see right through him. And that gave him pause.
Courtney was one of the warmest, most genuine women he’d ever met. She didn’t deserve the drama of the Fraser family, the scandal waiting to happen that was his everyday life. And already, his father knew who she was. Had to suspect something about their relationship.
Would his dad drag her name through the press? Reveal her secrets to her conservative workplace?
“My eyes are closed,” Courtney told him suddenly, never looking up. “But I can hear the wheels moving in your head.”
His low bark of laughter was as pained as it was amused. How the hell had she known that?
“I’m still recovering.” He tipped his head to rest a cheek on the top of her head.
“Liar,” she accused him softly. “I feel the tension in you.” Her hand skimmed to his hip. “And not the good kind.”
As spent as he was, his body responded to her suggestion. He’d trade a lot to forget about the pressures of his professional world and lose himself in her again.
“I don’t like that my father saw us together. It’s going to draw public attention to you.”
“You can’t keep hiding me.” She raised her chin and lifted a hand to his cheek.
“I’m not hiding you.” Although, even as he said it, he understood why she thought as much. “I’m just...trying to protect you.”
“Okay.” She nodded, but from her quick acceptance, he got the impression she didn’t quite believe him. “What if I said I don’t need protecting?”
He thought about her hasty retreat from the conference room that first day he’d met her.
“My life is a glass house.” There was always someone staring in. Judging.
“If I can’t handle myself, I don’t belong in your life in the first place.” Her thumb traced a wet circle on his cheek. “Right?”
