In answer he pulled his hand from her panties, rolled to her side, gripped the waistband, and tugged them downward. When the stretchy fabric caught on her hips, she reached down to help, lifting her hips to speed things along. All at once they gave way, and she felt him rip them down her legs and off. Heaven only knew where they landed because his hand drifted up her stocking-clad leg, urging it to fall to the side. Mouth still working, he once more moved between her legs as he kissed his way down her body, skimming her stomach, moving lower, until he slipped one hand beneath her hips and lifted her to his mouth.
Oh! She’d never been kissed there before. It was wonderful and naughty. Her mouth watered at the thought of returning the favor to him. What would he taste like? Would she like it as he seemed to like tasting her?
Only briefly he touched her clitoris, leaving her writhing in need. How could he? She’d be sure to torture him when her turn came around. She’d never given a blow job, had never wanted to wrap her mouth around a penis, but when it came to Ozzie, oddly, she didn’t want to wait a moment longer. But wait she would, because he wasn’t letting her move beyond burying her fingers in his hair.
“Yes. There.” There. The man was going to drive her to insanity if he didn’t…
One finger entered her, stroking, seeking, touching every part of her. She’d touched the smooth walls of her channel, but it hadn’t felt this good when she did it. No, his finger was larger, more invasive, but in the right way.
“So tight.” He worked his finger gently, slowly stretching her until he could add another.
Oh yes. That was what she wanted. “More.”
“Slowly, love. Don’t want to hurt you. You’re so tight, it’s as if…” He delved deeper, then stopped.
She was watching as his startled eyes flew open and met her gaze.
Not wanting to speak, she merely nodded and burned with embarrassment. His gaze noted her hot flush, his eyes softening to something that looked a little like affection.
“I’ll take proper care of you.” His softly spoken words created a vibration she felt very deep inside.
She nodded again. He would. She knew that much about him. He lived up to his word.
Ozzie bent his head again, and when his lips closed about her clit, her eyes rolled up into her head, and she dropped back on the downy pillow. Nothing felt as good as this. His lips and fingers thrilled her, brought her alive in a way she’d only read about. No wonder women trailed after men like him. Not only was he gorgeous to look at, but he knew where and how to touch. The room spun as he took her higher, digging himself deeper under her skin, molding her into someone new.
The man was a god as he suckled just right, lightly biting down, filling her with wickedly wiggling fingers. Before she knew it, she was flying, light bursting behind her eyelids, sending her into the stratosphere, her body no longer her own as her head tossed back and forth on the pillow, the blood pounding in her ears the only sound she heard.
“Again,” he demanded.
* * * *
Oswald watched as Courtney shattered under his touch for the third time. How he wished his conscience would let him strip off the rest of his clothes and crawl right up into her body where he knew the fit would be more perfect than anything he’d ever experienced before. The grip of her muscles around his fingers was enough to tell him she didn’t have much experience. In fact, the tightness he’d encountered on his first foray into heaven, and her blushing nod, had confirmed what his gut had been telling him all along.
This woman was a virgin.
And he’d be damned if he took that from her now. Not with the level of alcohol bubbling through her system. Not with her parents downstairs in the ballroom. In fact, he’d have to find a graceful way to exit before she worked her wiles enough to tempt him into completing what he’d started when he touched her.
“Come ’ere,” she whispered, eyes still shut as her body relaxed into the soft mattress. Maybe now she was exhausted enough to fall asleep so he could make his escape.
Slowly he pulled his drenched fingers from her, taking time to stuff them into his mouth and suck her taste greedily from them. Good God she was just as sweet as she looked. And the remaining trace of her signature lemon scent blended perfectly with her luscious juices. If ever there was a woman made for bedding, she was it.
“Oz,” she called softly.
This time he obeyed, slowly working his way up her body, worshipping as he went. Her eyes were open just enough to watch him, something he found incredibly erotic. If only he could answer her demand to see this all the way through. If she pushed, he’d go down on her again and again until she passed out. A state she was already close to if he was any judge.
Courtney pulled him down on top of her, and he had to work to resist the temptation to dry hump her. She didn’t deserve a horny bastard like him rubbing against her only to get off in his pants.
She licked his lips. “So that’s what I taste like.”
“Mmm, delicious.” Even better when she opened her mouth and kissed him. Long and deep, their tongues lazily dueled, neither one wanting supremacy, only the intimate tango of two people enjoying the give and take, take and give, of being close, making love without intercourse. Warmth like he’d never felt before started in the vicinity of his heart and spread throughout his body, making it even harder to think about walking away from her. No one had ever taken the time to play with him like this, and Oswald discovered a new joy. Kissing had never been about intimacy before. Never about merely kissing just to be close.
He never wanted to stop.
That thought brought him back to his senses. Mostly. Head swimming with new emotions, he rolled to his side, cuddling her close.
“Don’t let me fall asleep. I just want to rest a moment….”
“Take your time, love.” He’d hold her until she was deeply asleep, and then he’d exit stage right. Too bad he wasn’t the one taking off for a couple years in a foreign office like Drew. No, he had long months of torture to look forward to. Just this afternoon Court had asked him to mentor Courtney when she joined the London office. Court and Randi wanted to travel more and visit each of the satellite offices, leaving him in charge of the home office. With their daughter in Oswald’s direct care.
Like he could be trusted with her care. He was the one she needed protection from. Hell, he needed protection from these feelings erupting from his heart.
And if being assigned as her mentor didn’t suck, he didn’t know what did. Now that he’d crossed the line and touched her, how would he keep his hands off her at work?
Chapter 4
Birdie woke to sunlight peeking around the edges of the curtains of her room. And a bed empty of Ozzie. In fact, all signs of him were gone, from his cufflinks to his tie. She pushed her hair from her face and realized she’d fallen into a deep sleep right after he’d snuggled her into his arms. When had he left?
Why had he left?
A sunbeam worked its way between the curtains and stabbed her in the eye, bringing with it a pounding in her head. Damn. A hangover. She’d never gotten around to taking a couple aspirin along with a quart or two of water. Neither had she removed her stockings, washed her face, or brushed out her now impossibly snarled hair.
With a groan, she dropped back on the pillow and tried to block out the morning. But she was naked between the sheets, and her body gloriously relaxed. Down there her parts pulsed with a satisfaction she’d never felt before. She smiled at the memory until she remembered she hadn’t taken her turn to satisfy him. Which meant, dammit, she was still a virgin. Mostly. Did it count that he’d had his fingers inside her?
From the desk across the room the phone rang, driving another spike of pain into her head. Brunch with the family. She rolled her head enough to glance at the clock and noticed she was supposed to be downstairs right now.
Instead of running for the hotel phone, she grabbed her cell phone from the bedside table where s
he’d left it before the wedding and reception. Saw three texts from her mother.
She punched out a fast reply: Just woke up. Give me 30.
The return ping was fast. You okay? Need me to come up?
As if. No. I’m good. Just a little hung over. 30 mins.
Another fast reply: Okay. See you then.
Well that bought her a little time, but not much. She could only imagine the conversation between her parents downstairs. Surely she’d get concerned looks and maybe some inquiry. However, she was a grown up. As Ozzie now knew.
As tempted as she was to stay in the shower for a solid hour—it felt that good—she rushed through it only taking time for an extra dose of conditioner to comb out her tangles. Thoughts of seeing Ozzie again helped speed her through getting ready. Wet hair twisted into a simple up-do, she casually tossed on her favorite yellow sundress and a pair of sandals, completely skipping makeup except for the lip gloss she applied in the elevator down. With a minute to spare she sauntered into the private dining room set aside for the wedding party brunch that included out of town guests staying at the hotel.
Which meant Ozzie would be there.
Or should have been there.
A quick glance didn’t show the sneaky Englishman anywhere. Frowning, she searched the room again. Skip out of her room while she slept and then hide out in his? Was he so cowardly? Or aghast at what he’d done? Her mood deflating a little, she bit her bottom lip in confusion at the thought, then caught her mother’s concerned look with a questioning brow raised. Oops. Time to look happy for the newlyweds.
Pasting a smile on her face, she stopped by the drinks table just long enough to pick up a glass of orange juice. Mom was already pouring her a cup of coffee at the table. A spot was open for her between Mom and Grandpa. Mom’s dad still looked handsome and vigorous with a full head of steel colored hair at seventy-one. Birdie only had the two grandparents now, Grandpa Dailey and Grandmother Robinson. The first adored her, the second wanted to improve everything about her. But she knew the old woman loved her in some warped and twisted way.
Birdie slid into her seat and gratefully accepted the cream pitcher her grandfather passed her.
“Feeling a little under the weather this morning, eh?” He nudged her with his shoulder.
“Nothing some coffee and juice won’t fix. Maybe half a pound of bacon.”
Grandpa snickered. “If you want a Bloody Mary, they make a pretty good one here.”
“No thank you. Vodka on top of last night’s champagne? Sounds like a nightmare in the making. Especially if we have to sit through the happy couple opening five hundred gifts.”
“Only two hundred,” her mother answered. “The rest are at the Wu’s house.”
“Oh thank God. I hope most of them are gift cards.”
“I expect so. Most of what’s on the table are envelopes.”
Birdie had kept her gift very small. Personalized His and Her leather travel tech organizers. Perfect for holding passports, phones, charging cords, earbuds, and a little cash. She’d even thrown in matching luggage tags, also personalized. Useful for all the traveling in their future. For the bridal shower she’d given Meilin a pair of panties with “Groom Landing” printed on the front. Not every gift had to be practical.
“Am I the last to arrive?” She looked around the room, making note of all the groomsmen minus the traitorous Ozzie, who was still a no-show. The rat.
His uncle, the ever nosy Larry Attenborough, looked up from his plate and gave her a wide smile across the table. “Looking lovely as usual today, Miss Birdie.”
“Courtney,” she corrected absently. Too many people were looking at her with speculation in their eyes. Was her almost un-virginized state that obvious? Or was she too obvious about looking for Ozzie?
Dad leaned around Mom. “Everyone is here, except Oswald who caught a ride to the airport about an hour ago. His flight is in a few hours. He needed to get back to be ready for a meeting on Friday morning. This way he’ll be able to grab a few hours sleep once he gets in.”
“Ah.” She busied herself sipping her juice, then stirring her coffee.
“Want me to get you something from the buffet?” Dad asked. “Eggs? Sausage? Rolls?”
“Um, sure. A little of everything, I guess.” Not that she was especially hungry, but food would help the last of her hangover.
Dad pushed back from the table and came around to kiss the top of her head. “I know what you like, puddin’.” The silly nickname made her smile up at him. For all the years they’d missed, they were making up time. If a childish nickname made him happy, then it made her happy. They’d had a rough start, but things were cool now. Last night while dancing with him she’d even called him Daddy and nearly brought both of them to tears.
“So other than opening gifts, what’s on for today?” she asked her mother.
“Not much else. Some folks want to see Alcatraz. Your aunt wants to go shopping. Thank God we’re already on Union Square and won’t have to travel far. Your grandfather is taking your grandmother to the Legion of Honor Museum. I think Albert is taking the kids down to Great America. We’ll all meet back here for dinner at seven.”
It was a given that Dad’s sister, Liza, wanted to see the best of what San Francisco had to offer in the way of shopping. Heck, they could even do a quick cruise of Chinatown, which was also close by.
“I’ll go with Liza. Not that I need much.” Other than some sexy new underwear. Oh yes, she wanted something better than the plain Lycra she’d been wearing last night with the idea of holding her up and in. If she was starting a friendship with benefits, it was time to up her game in the lingerie department.
Birdie looked to Drew’s two friends from London. “You two on the Alcatraz trip?”
“Yer,” Phillip Hammond answered. “Don’t need to follow the women around and carry shopping bags when I can do that anytime at home.” His smirk said he wouldn’t do it there, either. “What are your plans on arrival in London?”
“I’m not sure what Mom has planned. Other than the next event on Sunday, and then on Monday I report for work.”
“Once you’re settled in, I’ll be happy to squire you about town, help you get a feel for things,” Drew’s other friend from London, Calvin Whetmore, offered. The smile on his face was just a tad too smarmy for Birdie’s taste, although she thanked him.
“I’m sure I have plenty of guides, not to mention my own brain, to get around. Plus, it’s not like I haven’t been there before.” Granted it had never been longer than two weeks at a time, but she had been on the tour of London and knew the Vauxhall area around the condo and offices fairly well.
“We’ll look you up in a couple weeks,” Phillip said. “Get you introduced around so you have some friends to hang with.”
If nothing else, they might know a few of the more fun night clubs. “That’d be great. Thanks.”
Dad returned with a pair of plates, each one loaded with more than she could eat, but he had a fair sampling of the buffet tables. Had Drew been sitting beside her, he’d happily help, but the newlyweds were occupied on the far side of the room.
However, before she took off for the day, there was one person she very much needed to talk to. Jack.
Shortly before graduation, he’d done his best to talk her out of moving to London. He’d used the argument that her grandfather needed her here in California. If she wanted to run a company, there was one readymade for her, especially with her mother moving halfway around the world.
It was a good argument, and one she’d discussed in depth with her grandfather. While he’d miss her, he said, there were plenty of people who would love to buy his business, so she wasn’t to worry about it for even a second. She glanced his way, and Grandpa winked back at her. They were good. Always had been. More often than not, they teamed up as co-conspirators in teasing her mother. Mom claimed she was the sandwich generation, or more specifically, the turkey i
n the middle getting squeezed between the elder and younger generations.
So she just needed to clear the air with Jack. It took a little maneuvering, but once she’d finished eating, she got up from the table, picked up a fresh glass of juice, then wormed her way into the group surrounding the newlyweds. It didn’t take long to cut Jack from the group and get him off to the side.
“Jack,” she started.
“Courtney, we really don’t have anything else to say to one another.” Although he smiled for their audience, she couldn’t miss the hurt in his voice.
“I don’t want to leave with you mad at me. You’re a good friend. I’ve very much enjoyed, and appreciated, having you around. Once Drew left, you became my best buddy.”
Jack winced at the buddy designation, but he also sighed and looked at the ground for a second before raising dark eyes that held a lot of sadness and hurt, but also resignation.
“I’d say you were more than a buddy, Courtney.”
She rested a hand on his arm. “I know. But I never tried to lead you on. I made it clear from the beginning my aim was London, and now it’s happening. My next goal is to become indispensable to Lynford.”
“And rule the world as the first female CEO of the family business. I get that.” He sighed and looked toward the newlyweds and their court of admirers. “I’d just hoped you’d change your mind.”
“I’m sorry I hurt you. I never wanted to, you know.”
“I know.”
“And we did have fun.”
Jack nodded, his eyes full of so much emotion she wanted to cry.
“Please don’t be mad at me.” She couldn’t keep the pleading tone from her voice. It really hurt to turn Jack down this way, despite the forewarning she’d given him.
“I’m not.” Jack sighed and his shoulders slumped. “As much I want to be angry with you, I’m more upset with myself. You were clear, but I ignored it. I wanted to sweep you off your feet the way Drew did Meilin. I was jealous of their romance and wanted it for myself.” The crooked smile he gave her was self-deprecating.
Her Improper Affair Page 4
