“Sometimes. I help Bec out when she needs it.”
He stood and gathered the plates, walked to the kitchen and setting them down in the sink. As he started rinsing the dishes and placing them in the dishwasher, she gathered the leftovers and followed him around the island into the kitchen. When he finished with the dishwasher, he shut it and washed his hands, as she tried to gauge his mood since he’d gone quiet. She heard him as he paced from one corner of the room to the other, and turned to find a frown marring his face.
“Bec is my sister.”
The discussion that they had in front of Ellie yesterday snapped into place. His concern was for his sister, not just a random woman. He knew that she didn’t have another escort to spare, so he’d volunteered to help his sister. She relaxed a little and slid onto the counter, crossing her legs, elbows on her thighs as she rested her chin on her hands. She traced his easy movements for a few minutes before she spoke.
“That’s nice that you help your sister with her business. I don’t know too many people who would date a stranger to help family out.”
“Don’t misunderstand. Yes, I happened to be there to talk to Bec, but when I spotted you sitting there, I had to get to know you.”
She nodded in understanding because she felt the same way. “I thought you were kissing me because it went along with the job, not because you liked me.”
When she looked up to see his reaction to her question, she was surprised to find him in front of her. She leaned back and her legs dropped to hang off the counter. Their bodies weren’t quite touching, but when he caged her in with his hands on the other side of her hips, she shivered at his closeness.
“I kissed you because I wanted to feel your mouth under mine. It has nothing to do with a job.” He paused for a moment. “Why are you so hung up on me being an escort?”
“I don’t have a lot of experience with men. I thought that we would get to know each other, but I didn’t think about the intimate moments between us. I was unprepared for this.” She pointed to herself, to him, and back again.
“This, as in how I turn you on? Or that you forget where we are when I kiss you?”
“Yes,” she breathed.
He brushed a kiss against her lips, and without a thought, she leaned farther into him. His hands opened on her waist and pulled her closer to the edge of the counter, all the while he teased the corners of her mouth with light caresses. When her hips brushed against his taut stomach, she groaned and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, needing more.
He kissed a trail to her ear, and when his deep, raspy voice spoke, she bit her lip to hold back the moan that threatened to escape.
“I want you and every time I touch you, I can feel and hear how much you want me. Let’s forget about how we met and concentrate on getting to know each other. You intrigue me. Even before the kiss in the elevator, I wanted to get to know you. Is that enough for now?” he asked.
She had never felt a connection with anyone in her life, but with Lucian, it seemed as easy as breathing. If her dreams were any indication, she hadn’t stopped thinking about him.
She had already taken a chance with a man she had known most of her life, and he’d betrayed her in a way that should’ve devastated her, or at least shaken her. But she felt nothing but a pang of hurt because neither her boyfriend nor her roommate could tell her the truth of their relationship before they were discovered. She was happy for Tim and Amanda because they had found each other despite their relationship starting with dishonesty, and it was obvious to anyone that they were dedicated to each another and in love.
She had waited her entire life to have a man look at her the way Lucian did every time they were together. He had knocked on her door first thing in the morning, and she hoped it was because he wanted to get to know her. She found him intriguing; the most handsome man she’d ever met, and she knew that whatever followed, it would be worth it.
“It’s enough,” she said, her voice steady.
Chapter Five
Lucian stared down at Ellie’s beautiful face, relaxed in sleep, as he ran his fingers through her hair, loving the feel of her long, soft strands brush against his hands. His hands stilled as she purred and burrowed closer to him, but when she relaxed back to sleep, he continued his movements.
They had settled on the couch in front of her huge curved TV, absently watching made-for-TV movies while he gave her details about his job and she told him about her current project at work. Throughout their day together, he would find ways of touching her, kissing her, and for the first time in his life, knew that he was becoming obsessed with a woman.
He had woken up at six and had every intention of going into the office and getting several projects sorted out, but he had found himself at her door at an ungodly hour because he needed to see her.
She was a refreshing change from the women he had dated in the past; and if he were honest, his other dates paled in comparison to Ellie.
He had never been the man who chose his dates based on any criteria, other than his attraction to the woman in question. Throughout the years, he’d found most women had shown an interest in him because he was the CEO of his own company or because he made billions from his ventures; none of them saw the man he was.
When he started his business, he hadn’t had the time to dedicate to a full-fledged relationship because of the long hours he put in to make Thomas Cole Technologies successful. The past three years, with his business on a steady footing, he could’ve stepped back and worried about the overall details of the company, but he worked alongside his other employees to grow the business in other areas. Because of that, they’d become one of the most successful tech firms in the country. But no matter how many projects he took on, or how hard he worked, in the back of his mind, he found something to be missing from life. Casual dating held no appeal. He found himself looking for a woman who was attracted to him because of who he was, not what he did or owned.
He couldn’t explain, even to himself, why he needed to get to know Ellie, but he found everything about her refreshing. She was successful and talented in her own right, but she was also self-effacing, funny, and oblivious of how beautiful she was. When her blue eyes landed on him, he was drawn to her in a way that threw out all logic. He knew that he would have to tell her the truth—the sooner the better—but until he could, he was going to stick as close to the truth about his life as he could.
He was pulled from his thoughts when she stretched her legs and groaned. He glanced down when she turned onto her back and stared up at him.
“Hi,” she breathed.
“Hi.”
“What time is it?” She sat up and rubbed her eyes, before she blew out a breath and glanced down at her watch. The band had twisted the other way; she righted the face of the watch and glanced at it.
“I have no idea,” he growled.
She blinked at him before gracing him with a huge smile that lit up her eyes. “You’re very sweet.”
He teased her with a growl before he cupped the back of her neck and brought her mouth close to his. He nipped at her bottom lip and groaned when she slid closer to him on the couch, and deepened the kiss. She cupped his cheeks and leaned into him.
When her tongue swept into his mouth, he pulled her onto his lap and took control of the kiss. He devoured her mouth and loved the pinch of her hands when she grabbed his shoulders for support. His hands drifted to her back and he rubbed his hands up her spine, feeling her body shiver as he continued his exploration. He pulled her closer on his lap; when he felt her heat through her thin yoga pants, he pressed her hips down to brush against his hardness.
She ripped her mouth from his and stared down at him, her eyes round, filled with surprise. “Oh, you feel so good,” she groaned.
He leaned toward her and blew out a breath when his forehead touched hers. He noted that her lips were swollen, and she shivered with unrestrained need. As he thought back to their conversations, he realized that his Ellie
was innocent when it came to men. He wrapped his arms around her and brought her into his chest. He smiled as she laid her head on his shoulder.
“Do you have any plans for tomorrow?” he asked.
“Sleeping in.” She laughed.
His fingers brushed over her sides and when she let out a squeal, he moved his hands to her back and caressed her until she relaxed against him.
“I would like to spend the day with you, so I was wondering if you had any plans?”
She pushed back just enough to gauge his reaction, and he brushed a kiss against her lips before he leaned back and waited for her answer. He was a patient man, going after what he wanted when the time was right. But he also realized that some decisions were out of his hands.
He found himself in an unknown area with Ellie. They were attracted to one another, but he could feel her trepidation. He would leave the decision in her hands, but he would try to convince her to give them a chance and stay close until she did.
“What did you want to do?” she asked.
“It’s a surprise.”
She pressed her lips to his, and when she ran her tongue along his bottom lip, he groaned and opened for her.
Their kiss grew out of control.
Several fevered minutes later, they pulled back and stared at each another, both of them panting as they worked to get their breathing back to normal. He craved to lay her down on the couch and strip her, before he plunged inside of her, pleasuring both of them until they were sated. Instead, he grabbed her hips and moved her to sit next to him, slinging his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.
“How about we meet for breakfast at nine?”
He placed a quick kiss on her mouth and stood. “The diner two blocks over?”
She nodded. “Sounds good. Are you leaving?”
He nodded and headed for the door. “I have to get to the office, and if I stay, I know that kissing will lead to more.”
She jumped up and straightened her clothing before she darted around the couch and came to a stop in front of him near the front door. For a second time that day, she rose on her tip-toes and kissed him on the cheek.
He held her gaze for several minutes; neither of them spoke. He wasn’t in a hurry to leave, but he brushed a kiss against her mouth and pulled back before he reached for the door handle.
“Tomorrow,” he said.
She nodded and smiled at him. He opened the door, and looked back once before he walked through it and closed it behind him. He inhaled a deep breath before he headed toward the elevator, hitting the down button.
“Thanks for spending the day with me,” her voice called out from her doorway.
“It was my pleasure,” he said.
He stepped into the elevator, and when the doors started to close, her voice carried to him and heated his blood.
“Mine, too.”
Chapter Six
“You graduated high school at sixteen?” Lucian asked.
Ellie took a sip from her cup of coffee and nodded. They walked around Central Park after meeting for a late breakfast, and for the first time in his life, he didn’t care what time it was or what work he had to complete; he dismissed everything else and relaxed as he walked next to her.
He thought back to their morning together, and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her close as they continued walking. It was a crisp fall morning, which allowed him to have her close, just where he wanted her to be.
He’d woken up early with the intent of getting some work done, which was his plan the night before when he arrived home from Ellie’s. But his mind kept going back to her, and the day they’d spent together. He thought that his need for her would wane as soon as he spent time with her, but the more he learned about her, the more he wanted to know all of her secrets.
He’d arrived early at the restaurant and sat in an alcove at the back of the place in a booth with a scarred Formica tabletop and comfortable benches. He had chosen that spot so they could have privacy. He was on his third cup of coffee when he spotted her pulling open the glass and metal door, and couldn’t keep his eyes off her as she strolled into the diner, across the black-and-white checkerboard tile. A knee-length black pea coat covered most of her. Her eyes scanned the space before her gaze landed on him, and as she walked toward him with determination, she unbuttoned her coat, revealing a fitted pink button-down shirt and jeans that outlined her beautiful curves.
His heartbeat accelerated as he raised his eyes and spotted the smile that lit her face, and he reassured himself for the hundredth time since he’d met her that he’d made the right decision.
He watched her hips sway as she made her way over to him, and he was held spellbound by her smile and the light that sparkled in her eyes. He had known that she was a sensuous woman, but he started to realize that she had no idea of her appeal. He growled as he glanced around and found other men watching her. But his eyes snapped back to her when she stood in front of him.
“Who are you glaring at?” she asked.
He opened his mouth to respond, but she took him by surprise when she hung her coat on the hook near the bench, and sat next to him and pushed her hip against his, an indication that he should slide over. He enjoyed the contact and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to pull her closer to his side.
She smiled at him.
He wanted to lean in and kiss her, but she reached across the table, brushing her shoulder against his chest, and grabbed a menu. She started humming to herself as she perused it.
“What’s good here?” she asked.
He shrugged; it was his first time here too. She kept perusing the menu as the waitress walked over and poured her a cup of coffee, taking the time to refill his.
She looked up and glanced at the name tag on the apron for a split second before she smiled up at the waitress. “Thank you, Molly.”
“You’re welcome, sugar. Know what you want?”
She nodded as she slid the menu back in its place, and he held back a groan, although she had no clue her effect on him with her innocent touches.
“Full stack with a side of bacon and scrambled eggs, please.”
Molly wrote down her order and glanced over at him.
“Denver omelet, thanks,” he said.
As soon as Molly left the table, Ellie turned back to him, her eyebrow raised.
“Do you make all women breathless?” she asked.
A loud bark of laughter erupted from deep in his chest that surprised him, but he couldn’t help it. He had a feeling that he could spend the rest of his life with Ellie, and she would keep surprising him. No woman had ever affected him the way Ellie seemed to in the short time that he’d known her. Over his thirty years, he’d been attracted to and dated women, but none of them had the instantaneous effect that she had. Everything about Ellie was wholesome and pure, and being near her was a breath of fresh air.
“Do I make you breathless?” he asked.
She pushed her shoulder against his and smiled at him. He didn’t care about her answer as long as she kept smiling at him. As a blush stained her cheeks, he found his curiosity rise. He sat back so he could see more of her face, and when she looked at him with desire in her eyes, he felt his breath rush out.
“You know you do. I can’t seem to stay away from you, even though you attract women like flies.”
He shook his head. “I don’t care about other women—I care about you. I love it when you turn your pretty ice-blue eyes my way. And trust me, love, men are aware of you.”
Her eyes widened at his blunt statement, and it took her several moments before she responded. “That’s why you were glaring when I walked in.”
He noticed that her eyes never wandered from his, even with the knowledge that other men in the restaurant were interested in her. Again, it shocked him that she was unaware of her appeal.
“Yes,” he said.
She became quiet after that as she thought about his admission, until her food arrived. He liked t
hat she had a healthy appetite and she wasn’t shy about her love of food. He relaxed his body as she snuggled into his side as they ate, and soon they were talking about anything that came to mind. As they left the diner an hour and a half later and walked toward Central Park, the topic changed from books and movies to their families.
“I’m the middle child, Bec is the youngest, and my older brother, Trent, is married with two kids. He’s an entertainment lawyer in California,” he said.
“And your parents?”
“My dad, David, was in real estate and my mom, Carol, stayed at home with us. Dad retired a couple years ago and they moved upstate. We’re still close with them, but they keep busy and try not to pry into our lives. Other than an occasional hint about grandchildren.”
Her smile was wistful as he described growing up with two siblings and the trouble they used to get into. He had to admit that he was the instigator, trying to get attention when his parents doted on his brother and sister, but when they grew up, they were closer than most siblings were.
“What about you?” he asked.
She shook her head and looked down, as if the memories were painful for her. He reached out and squeezed her hand, and waited until she was ready to tell him.
“My parents were in their mid-forties when they had me, and both of them were professors and loved their careers. They were brilliant, but had no clue how to raise a baby. So when I was old enough to take care of myself, they pretty much ignored me. I found early on that I enjoyed art and drawing so I taught myself, until I was old enough to take classes. I wanted to get out of their house as fast as I could, so I graduated early and left for college. I graduated with my bachelors at twenty, and moved here soon after.”
He tensed when a sudden rage washed over his body at the thought of her parents not showing Ellie love and affection as she grew up. He couldn’t blame her for being wary about people and their motives, but he made a silent promise not to ever hurt her. He needed to tell her, and soon.
The Mistaken Escort's Pleasure: A Liaison Novel Page 4
