“I’m not stopping until you are, sugar.” He kept moving, his pace never faltering as he brought her closer and closer to the edge.
When she lost herself again, he stilled inside of her, waiting for the ripple of quakes to calm. As soon as she caught her breath, he sat back on his knees, taking her with him, raising her off the bed so she was on an angle in front of him.
He held her hips tightly as he moved. The change in position was a whole new sensation that had her trembling. This time he stayed slow and steady, only building how hard he thrust, not how fast. She pushed her hands flat against the headboard, propelling her body toward him to counter each movement. He groaned.
“Look at me. I want to see your beautiful eyes.” She pulled herself out of a haze to peer up at him. Sweat creased his brow as his breathing grew more ragged, matching hers.
He was so intense, so focused, so damn good at what he did. She climbed toward climax again. Never had any man she’d been with previously been able to give multiple anythings back-to-back without so much as a snack or a nap in between.
When Rex finally called out his release, saying her name as if it was a sacred word, and joining her in post-orgasmic bliss, he collapsed beside her and cradled her against his chest. Every muscle in her body felt tired from the exertion of keeping up with him, every nerve ending alive and humming.
Rex was so much more than she expected, in more ways than she’d ever thought possible. He was incredibly sexy and powerful in the movie business, funny and caring on personal level, even comforting her earlier when she’d gotten upset about the incident that ended her last job, and he’d also proven to be unbelievably amazing in bed. The man had skills.
Sighing, she tried to stop thinking and enjoy the moment of quiet contentment of being in his arms. Being with Rex in the privacy of his room, where there was no one around to worry about, felt like a taste of heaven.
She felt peaceful, possibly for the first time ever.
The knowledge that she felt that way while naked and in the arms of the man who was Hollywood’s favorite hunk, a target of serious anonymous threats, and her boss, was terrifying.
Rex might be Hollywood’s leading man, but he could never be hers.
She couldn’t help but wonder if sleeping with him had made that reality more difficult to achieve. Or more impossible to avoid.
Rex woke with Lacey cuddled into the crook of his arm, wishing he could stay there all day. During the night he’d cooked up an idea and he was dying to see it through to fruition. Slipping out from the tangle of sheets, he grabbed his phone and closed himself in the bathroom. While the water was heating up, he placed a few calls to make all the necessary arrangements and then called Gabe to cancel brunch. Seemed Alexia wasn’t up to eating anything anyway, so the two of them were happy to sit poolside for the day. That gave Rex all the freedom he needed for his plans with Lacey.
By the time he’d showered Lacey was awake and lounging in bed with a cup of coffee she’d made in the tiny in-room coffee machine. Even with bedhead she looked stunning.
“How’s the coffee?” he asked, filling a cup for himself and adding a creamer and packet of sugar.
“Terrible,” she responded with a chuckle. “But it’s caffeinated, so I’ll drink it.”
He took a sip from his mug and scowled. She wasn’t kidding. Terrible was being nice. He took a second sip and decided it simply wasn’t worth it, abandoning it on the cabinet. Perching on the side of the bed, he leaned over and gave her a kiss that made him want to forget about the plans he’d made.
“Go shower and dress. I’m taking you for a good coffee in thirty.”
She set her cup aside and stretched. As she did, the sheet fell to her waist exposing her breasts for his viewing pleasure. He captured one with his mouth and the other with his hand. Lacey laughed and tried to push him away, but he grunted a response and continued to enjoy suckling her tight bud.
Her fingers raked through his short hair. “I thought you wanted me ready soon. How am I to do that exactly, with you holding my breasts hostage?”
He nipped at her bud again before finally pulling his mouth away from her so he could talk. “Screw coffee. I want to screw you instead.”
“Well, it is hard to resist that loving sentiment. But I think I’ll go shower if you’ll kindly release my nipples.”
The area of her body in question rolled between his fingers. He pinched her, and she gasped then moaned as he did it again. No, he couldn’t walk away from gorgeous and naked Lacey. Not without being completely distracted for the rest of the day.
“I don’t think so. You’re mine,” he said, his voice rougher than expected. He threw back the covers and pulled her to the edge of the bed, forcing her legs to either side of his hips. Goddamn the woman was beautiful the way she looked up at him with a mixture of surprise and desire gracing her face.
“What exactly are you doing?” she asked, almost panting already with the movement his fingers made across her flesh. “This isn’t helping me get cleaned up. If anything, you’re making me dirtier.”
“You can shower later.” He reached for a condom on the bedside table, thankful he’d left extras there in the night. Dropping his pants to the ground without ceremony, he stroked himself while she took in the sight of him. He was hard already but seeing her lick her lips made his erection painfully stiff. Once he was properly covered, he pressed her thighs open until they rested flat against the edge of the mattress and slowly eased into her, letting her muscles relax around him.
She groaned and squirmed on the bed as he moved his hips, keeping his pace steady and deep. With his palm resting on her lower belly, his thumb found her center and rubbed circles over her skin. When she arched her back, he knew he’d found her sweet spot.
“Rex. Don’t. Stop,” she panted out between breaths that were coming hard and fast.
Their eyes met, and he saw every ounce of passion he felt reflecting back at him. She rocked her hips to match his pace as they reached the end together. He stilled and tried to catch his breath for a moment before stepping back and pulling Lacey up from the bed.
He held her against his chest for a moment then turned her toward the bathroom, giving her ass a little smack as it passed in front of him. “Don’t be long. We’re on a schedule.”
She scoffed at him over her shoulder. “You’re the one who prevented me from showering.”
“Are you complaining?” he asked.
She bit her lower lip and shook her head.
Rex cleaned himself up at the bathroom sink while Lacey hummed in the shower. With a couple of calls he pushed their schedule back fifteen minutes, hoping it would give them enough time to get ready and leave, but not enough time to be tempted to make Lacey his again.
“What are we doing at the airport?” Lacey asked. “Where are Gabe and Alexia?”
“They’re recovering from yesterday and relaxing at the pool today. We’re going to do something that neither one of us gets to do very often—sightsee.”
“We are?” Her voice rose, mirroring her building enthusiasm. She never got to do this kind of thing on the job.
Exactly. On the job.
Her smile fell. “You should’ve told me. I need to secure our travel arrangements and destination. I’m supposed to be vetting everything in advance so there are no surprises. I’m your bodyguard. Remember?”
“I made an executive decision today to be impulsive and have a little fun. I’m allowed to do that. I’m the boss. Remember?” His expression dared her to challenge him.
Goddamn it was tempting. Every time he looked at her today, all she could think of was Rex between her legs. Exactly what she shouldn’t be thinking about while working.
She swallowed hard, ignoring the growing desire inside of her. “Regardless of what happened between us last night—”
“And this morning,” he added, sounding proud of himself.
“Regardless,” she stressed, “I’m still your bodyguard and I
’m on the job whether you want to admit it or not.”
He grinned easily. “Our pilot is an old friend, someone I completely trust. And we’ll be away from the crowds. Only a few people know where we’re going and there won’t be any chance of the paparazzi or anyone else finding us because I used a fake name for the arrangements. By the time anyone figures out it’s me, it’ll be too late.”
It seemed as if he’d taken ample precautions, but it was hard to relax and give someone else control. “I’m still not totally comfortable with this.”
“Besides, if anyone does find us and threatens my life, then it will narrow down your list of suspects since very few people know about this little side trip.”
She hesitated a moment longer before resigning to the situation. “You win.”
“I always win,” he said with a wink. “And I always get what I want.”
Lacey didn’t think he was talking about the sightseeing trip anymore, judging by the glint in his eyes.
11
Lacey sucked in a breath at the sight—hundreds of feet down and spreading out for as far as she could see, was the Grand Canyon. The deep browns and rusty reds were gorgeous and awe-inspiring to see firsthand.
How did I get so lucky?
Lacey wasn’t a lucky person. She’d worked hard for everything she’d gotten over the years. She’d moved away from Los Angeles after high school, found her own martial arts and weapons training, and figured out how to earn her dream job.
It’s not luck. It’s Rex.
The helicopter touched down a hundred yards from the edge of the canyon and Rex popped open the door, hopping out and reaching back to take her hand. She slipped hers into his and it felt good, too good, to have him help her out of the aircraft, holding her close as she found her balance.
“I got you,” he whispered into her ear, his breath tickling her skin.
She had her balance the entire time. In fact, she could’ve jumped out of the helicopter before it even hit the ground, if she’d wanted too. Rex didn’t need to know she could do that. No reason to let him know that she didn’t actually need to steady herself with a hand on his chest while he wrapped his arms securely around her waist. It felt so good to be held by him that she couldn’t help but give in to one little damsel-in-distress moment, playing along for the sake of a good chest groping.
The man did have great pecs. And great abs. And a fantastically tight ass.
“I’m okay,” she said, looking up at him. His hand slid down to grab her ass, while the other snaked into her hair. His lips locked onto hers. She gasped when he bit her bottom lip then lazily dipped his tongue into her mouth as if they had all the time in the world to savor this moment.
Goddamn he knew how to kiss her.
Lacey deepened the kiss. She wanted more of him, all of him. Right here, like she’d had him last night.
No. This has to stop.
She turned her head and stepped back, forcing him to let her go. Being with Rex felt amazing, too amazing, and that was exactly why she couldn’t keep giving into him or to her desires. Doing so would only make her distracted and she wouldn’t be able to do her job properly.
Already, she’d made mistakes. She’d gotten out of the helicopter second, not first. To make matters even worse, she’d spent the first few minutes on the ground locking lips with her client instead of making sure the area was secure and safe.
That couldn’t keep happening. Today was one thing because he’d taken them somewhere private and remote where he should be completely safe. But every other day, she needed to be thinking about her job and his wellbeing, not how much she wanted his lips dancing across her body again.
If she kept giving in when she knew she shouldn’t, someone was bound to get hurt. She couldn’t let that happen.
“You okay?” he asked, his brow furrowing.
She shrugged. “Fine.”
She wasn’t fine. She was making one mistake after another, and this last one was the worst so far. How had she gotten so involved with Rex when she knew it was dangerous for both of them? She’d have to be smarter.
He took her hand. “This way.”
They walked down a path cut into the inside edge of the canyon and began a slow descent into the valley. The cliff beside them was high and straight down to the bottom. One wrong step and either one of them could slip over the edge. She wasn’t worried about herself. She’d been on dangerous footing before, but could Rex really traverse this safely?
“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” she asked.
“A little further. You tired already? Neither of us got much sleep last night.”
Sleep had been limited, but she’d make up for it by sleeping alone for the duration of her assignment with Rex.
“I’m not tired. I’m concerned about where our destination is and how we’re out here alone without any transportation if needed.”
He grinned. “You hate not being in control, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Deal with it. I know exactly what I’m doing so you don’t need to worry about a thing.” He led them further down the path. “And we’re not alone. Frank is staying with the helicopter. We can leave anytime.”
“I’d know that if you let me in on your plans sometimes.”
“I would, but then it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun surprising you. Close your eyes.”
“On the edge of the Grand Canyon?” she asked, feeling completely flabbergasted. There was no way she was closing her eyes on this trail.
Rex stared into her eyes. They were the deepest pools of dark brown she’d ever seen. She felt as if she might drown in them if she gazed at him too long.
“Trust me?”
Despite her wanting to keep things on a professional level, when he looked at her like that, she felt herself melting. “Yes.”
“Then close your eyes,” he whispered. Turning, he placed her hands on his hips then put his hands over hers, making sure there was no way they could be disconnected.
Even though she knew she could open her eyes at any moment and he’d never know, since his back was to her, she played along and kept them closed. A few terribly long seconds later, they stopped.
“Open your eyes,” Rex said, bringing her to his side.
Laid out before them, on a small outcropping, was a picnic basket and blanket. He sat and motioned for her to join him. She was too stunned to move. This had to be one of the nicest things anyone had ever surprised her with.
“How did this get here?” she asked, sinking to her knees, feeling dangerously close to the edge.
“I have my resources.”
“You must. This is amazing.”
He shrugged as if it was no big deal. A private picnic in the Grand Canyon might be something he did all the time, but it was magical to her. No one had ever done anything like this for her before. It was a fantasy moment she’d wake up from at any second. Stuff like this was a movie moment, not a real life one.
“Sometimes it pays to be Rex Randall.” He opened the picnic basket and handed her a bottle of water and a container of food. It wasn’t the fanciest meal, but the view and the company more than made up for it.
“Why did you bring me here? Isn’t this something you should do with a model and the paparazzi hanging around in the bushes getting pictures? I thought we were more on a burgers-in-the-backseat level.”
“Someone sounds jealous.”
Was she? No way in hell.
“I’m not jealous,” she scoffed. “This just seems over the top for a little sightseeing with your bodyguard.”
“The last time I was here, I was working on Canyon Cave In and never really got to enjoy the scenery. It was all running, jumping, fighting, and by the time I had a moment to myself, I was too tired to leave my trailer.”
“Poor tired movie star had to work hard,” she teased before she could stop herself.
He didn’t look amused.
She stifled her giggle. “Sorry. Conti
nue.”
“This time, I wanted to enjoy the moment. And silly me, I thought you might enjoy it too. I know it’s not often you get downtime to do something like this.”
Why did Rex have to be so damn considerate of her feelings instead of seeing her like another employee? Why did he have to care about whether or not she got to enjoy something like this? It would make it a hell of a lot easier to ignore her desire to be with him again if he went back to being the arrogant asshole she initially thought he was.
“Thank you,” she said simply. “This was really nice of you. I’m not… People don’t usually…” She sighed. “This isn’t my normal life. I feel like I’m in one of your movies right now. This is beautiful.”
“Yes, it is,” he said, his gaze burning into hers, not even glancing at the view. “You should get used to the star treatment while you’re with me.”
“I’m not with you. I’m your bodyguard.”
“Right now, the only body I’m thinking about is yours.” In one quick swoop, he was on his back and had her straddling his hips. The fact that the canyon edge was less than a foot to her right sent a thrill up her spine, making his moves extra exciting. He slipped his hand under her skirt and rubbed circles between her thighs. She instantly forgot every reason why she’d thought she shouldn’t get involved with him again. The only thing she could think about was how good it felt when he touched her, when he laughed with her, when he gave her one of his Oscar-winning smiles.
“I’m a thrill ride to you,” she said, bracing her hands on his chest and trying her best to ignore his fingers as pleasure crested inside of her.
“No, you’re not. But we’re here, alone, and I don’t know about you, but once you’ve seen the Grand Canyon for five minutes, you’ve seen the Grand Canyon for a lifetime. I’m ready to see something far more interesting—like you, riding me here in the sunshine and open air.” His hands moved to grip her hips.
Her last ounce of restraint melted. Damn it. Why not give into something she wanted as much as he did one more time? It wasn’t as if this opportunity would present itself ever again.
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