“I bet you all had a big Christmas tree, family vacations, huge birthday parties.”
“Yes to all of that,” he confirmed. “The downfall of the siblings, when you’re a kid, no matter what you got for a present, you had to share. I never liked that rule. When something belongs to me, it’s mine for good.”
Zara’s lids lowered a touch, from the alcohol or from the double meaning she’d taken from his words. Had he subconsciously said that just for her benefit? Maybe, maybe not, but he wasn’t sorry now that the words were out.
“This morning, when we...you know...”
“Had sex,” he finished when she trailed off. He had no clue where she was going with this, but he knew exactly what topic she was dancing around when she couldn’t even say the words.
“Yes. I didn’t handle that very well.” Her fingertip toyed with the binding running along the outer cushion; her eyes remained fixed on his, though, which only made her sexier, to realize that she wasn’t afraid to face this head-on.
“I don’t know,” he amended. “I think you handled the sex perfectly.”
A flirty smile spread across her lips. “I meant afterward. I’m not used to such a giving lover. I didn’t know how to react, and with you being my boss, I thought it was easiest to just ignore everything and try to pretend we were on the same level playing field as before we stripped out of our clothes.”
Braden didn’t say a word. The wine was apparently making her more chatty than usual, and now that she was discussing the proverbial elephant in the room, he wanted to know what she had to say.
“I guess I should’ve said thank you,” she added quickly. “Circumstances have us here together, and you could’ve been selfish, you could’ve totally ignored me after, but you didn’t. You were...”
“If you say nice I’m going to be angry.”
“Sweet.”
Braden groaned. “I would’ve rather been nice.”
He eyed her for another minute, more than aware of the crackling tension that had just been amped up in the past two minutes.
“I’m trying to thank you,” she went on, talking louder to drown out his mumble. “It’s refreshing to know there are guys like you out there.”
Guys like him? He wanted to laugh, he wanted to confess just how ruthless he truly was and he wanted her to never look for a man like him in the future. Yes, he’d been caring in bed; yes, he’d rescued a cat. Those were qualities any man should possess. Braden didn’t go above and beyond. For one thing, her pleasure brought him pleasure. Call it primal, territorial, whatever. When Zara had been turned on, that made him all chest-bumping, ego-inflated happy because he’d caused her arousal, her excitement.
“Does that mean you’re looking for a guy who will treat you right, and you’re done with the asshats you’ve been dating?” he asked.
“Maybe it means I want you to show me again how a woman should be treated.”
Braden froze. The bold statement slammed into him. Nothing much could catch him off guard, but this woman kept him on his toes.
“Your wine is talking,” he stated, attempting to blow it off, give her an out in case she hadn’t meant to say that aloud.
“Maybe so,” she admitted. “Or I’m just saying what I’ve been thinking all day. Every time I’d look at you or accidentally touch you, I’d think back to how amazing this morning was. Even though a relationship would be a huge mistake, I’m finding it rather difficult to stay over here while you’re in my bed.”
Had the heat cranked up more in here? Braden was sweating after that speech she just delivered.
Zara stretched out even more on the chaise and rolled on to her back, staring up at the ceiling as she continued to talk. “Wanting you isn’t new, though. You know what you look like. I’m sure women throw themselves at you all the time. I don’t want to be that typical, predictable woman.”
“Baby, you’re anything but typical and predictable.”
Her soft laugh wrapped him in warmth. “I’ll take that as a compliment and I like when you call me baby. But I meant that I wanted you when I first saw you, but this job had to take precedence and I refused to be so trite as to hit on my boss.”
Oh, he would’ve loved had she come into his office that first day and had her way with him. Before his fantasy carried him away too much, Braden concentrated on her as she continued.
“Then I was mortified you had to see that whole incident with Shane, but when you and I were dancing, I wasn’t thinking about Shane. I was thinking how great you smelled, powerful and manly.”
Braden smiled into the dim light. She would be so embarrassed tomorrow when she woke and realized all she’d verbally spewed out tonight. But there was no way in hell he was stopping her.
“Now that you’re stuck here, all I can think about is how amazing this morning was and how I’m going to lie here tonight and replay it in my mind.”
Braden came to his knees and slowly closed the space between them. He laid a hand across her abdomen, startling her as she jerked to stare him in the eyes. Their faces were inches apart, so close he could ease forward just a touch and have that mouth beneath his in seconds. From this closer vantage point, he could see the slight flush in her cheeks from the wine, the moist lips where she’d licked them from being nervous, the pulse point at the base of her neck.
“Who said you had to lie here and replay it?” he asked, easing his hand beneath her shirt. His palm flattened out on her stomach, and the quivering beneath his touch only added to his desire for her. “Maybe that bed was lonely last night. Maybe I got sick of rolling over and inhaling your jasmine scent. Maybe I was awake all night wondering when you’d come to your senses and join me.”
Zara lifted her arms, her hands resting on either side of her face. The innocent move, or maybe not-so-innocent, arched her back and pressed her breasts up.
“I couldn’t join you, Braden. I don’t have a good track record with men, not that I’m looking for one right now, and I couldn’t risk my job no matter how much I wanted you. Besides, I would’ve died had you rejected me.”
That right there was the crux of her issue. Rejection. She’d been rejected by so many people. Well, maybe not so many in quantity, but definitely all of the important people, save for her grandmother. She feared rejection, and here he was using her. Taking advantage of a vulnerable woman was a straight ticket to hell.
“I wouldn’t have rejected you,” he murmured. “I was battling myself back at my party because I just wanted to drag you into a room, a closet, anywhere that we could be alone, and I could show you how much I wanted you.”
He trailed his fingertips over her heated skin, earning him a swift intake of breath as her eyes drifted closed. “That wouldn’t have looked very good for my reputation,” she muttered. “I’m a professional and I can’t afford for people to think I slept with you to get the job.”
“Nobody will think that,” he assured her. He’d make damn sure she had more jobs lined up than she could handle. He’d make sure she could choose the ones she wanted and didn’t have to worry about taking them all.
“Keep touching me, Braden.” Her voice, a throaty whisper, washed over him. “Your touch feels so good.”
She was killing him. Those soft moans, her body all laid out on display. He’d told her he wasn’t a nice guy and he was primed and ready to snap and take what she was blatantly offering. But he wouldn’t want anyone else treating Zara disrespectfully. She deserved better than a man who couldn’t control his hormones and took advantage of the fact she loved wine and couldn’t hold it like the rest of his Irish family.
“Zara.” He stilled his hand to get her attention, to let her know he couldn’t take her to bed. But her soft snore greeted him. Braden sat back on his heels, kept his hand on her stomach and simply stared.
When was the last time she
’d fully let go and relaxed? Did she trust anyone in her life on a personal level, or were all of her acquaintances the closest things she had to family and friends? Dating men who were users, jerks and not looking for commitment was a surefire way to keep yourself closed off from the world. Zara was excelling at being a loner. The irony wasn’t lost on him that she planned parties and lavish bashes for people to mingle, socialize and enjoy the company of others, yet she refused to put herself in a position to enjoy anyone.
From the investigating he’d done before hiring her officially, he’d learned she’d had a small apartment in Boston, mostly kept to herself and rarely dated. She threw herself into her work, and it showed, but wasn’t there more to life?
Braden snorted. Yeah, there was, and he was going to find it as soon as his family business was a bit more secure in a new territory.
As he watched her sleep, something shifted inside him. He didn’t want that damn shift. He didn’t want to care so much about Zara, about her loveless childhood and how it molded her into the fierce woman she was today.
All Braden wanted to do was wake her up, take her to bed and make love to her all night. Then he wanted to get home tomorrow and show Mac that tube so they could figure out how the hell to proceed from here.
Yet none of that was going to happen, so here he sat staring at the most complex, beautiful woman he’d ever known. Parts of her reminded Braden of his sister. He hadn’t been feeding Zara a line of bull earlier when he’d said that, either. But Laney had something Zara didn’t, and that was the strength and backing of a family.
It bothered him more than it should that Zara had nobody. He’d been fully aware of her living situation and family life before he’d hired her. He’d made a point to know exactly who Zara Perkins was so he could come at her the right way, the way that would ensure she trust him, work for him and allow him access into her home.
Granted, he hadn’t planned on a snowstorm, but he wasn’t looking a gift horse, or Mother Nature, in the mouth.
Braden sighed and raked a hand through his hair. He should rest, he should get back up and start searching. But he didn’t want to do any of that. Not when Zara’s body felt so warm beneath his palm, not when she was sleeping so peacefully and beautifully.
For once, he wasn’t thinking work or how to get those coveted scrolls. No, for once Braden O’Shea was soaking in all of the goodness from another, hoping it would somehow rub off on him and make him not so much of a bastard. Because if Zara ever found out what he’d done, she’d hate him forever.
And that chilling thought scared the hell out of him.
Thirteen
Zara rolled over onto her side, coming to rest against a warm leg just as her arm crossed over a taut chest. She stilled, blinking into the darkness. No candles were burning, but the soft glow from the logs helped her get her bearings. She wasn’t on the chaise where she’d been drinking her wine.
Wine. Zara froze. She’d gotten pretty chatty if she recalled correctly, but thankfully she was still dressed. So nothing had happened between Braden and her, but she was lying in bed beside him. Had he put her here?
Zara slowly started easing back to her side instead of crawling all over her temporary roommate.
“And here I thought you wanted to touch me.”
Braden’s thick tone filled the room.
“I didn’t mean to... I had no idea we were...that you were...”
Lightning fast, Braden grabbed her arm and held her still. “Don’t move. I put you here because I want you here.”
Zara had to admit being in her own bed with her feather-down duvet was like heaven. Okay, fine, she loved being next to this man, knowing that he carried her and put her in bed, then climbed in beside her. What woman wouldn’t get all giddy over that fact?
“Did I ask you to have sex with me again?” Mercy, the fact she had to even ask that question was even more embarrassing than the actual question.
“You implied you were willing.”
Pathetic, party of one?
“Which just proves my theory that you’re a nice guy.”
In an instant, Braden had her on her back, her hands above her head, the entire length of his body on hers. “Do you feel light-headed at all? Headache? Dizziness?”
Breathless from their current state, Zara shook her head. “Why?”
“Because I’m about to strip you and take you up on that offer now. I want you to be fully aware of what I’m doing to you.”
His lips captured hers before she could even comprehend what he was saying, but words were moot at this point. The fierce kiss, the tilt of his hips against hers and the way he gripped her wrists above her head were all very telling signs as to what he wanted. Added to that, her body had lit up from within, and she wanted everything he was willing to give her. She wasn’t denying herself, not now, not with Braden.
He was right. She dated jerks. She did so to keep a distance and not form any relationship. So why shouldn’t she sleep with a man who was considerate, obviously wanted her and wasn’t asking for any type of commitment?
Oh, right. He was her boss. Well, at the moment, her boss was removing her pants and panties right along with them. Even as Zara’s mind told her to put a stop to this, her body shifted so he could continue ridding her of the unwanted clothes.
She kicked the pants off her ankles and groaned when Braden placed open-mouth kisses on her stomach. She threaded her hands through his hair. She’d already slept with him once; stopping now wouldn’t change what had already happened. And Braden’s promise of stripping her down was already proving to be amazing because he currently had his teeth on the hem of her shirt, sliding it up her torso.
When the material bunched at her breasts, she tried to pull her hands free to help.
“I’ve got this,” he whispered. “Your only job is to relax and let me work.”
Who was she to argue? He was her boss, after all.
He eased back enough to jerk the shirt over her head and toss it to the floor.
“If that cat pees on my—”
Braden’s tongue trailed down her throat and into the valley of her breasts, cutting off any thought she’d had. Zara’s back arched—she couldn’t move much with his weight on her, but she wiggled beneath him enough to let him know he was absolutely driving her mad with this slow pace he’d set.
“Braden,” she whispered. “Please.”
“Anything.”
He cupped one breast, stroking her skin with his thumb, his other hand trailing down her side and settling on her hip. His mouth, his hands—he seemed to be touching her all over at once. Zara’s legs shifted anxiously, waiting for his next move. How could he be so thorough when she just wanted him to touch her where she ached the most?
Finally he slid his fingertips over her thighs, inching higher. Zara tilted her hips, near ready to beg him for more when he finally covered her with his hand. She eased her legs wider, giving him the access he needed.
While his fingers stroked her, he moved his other hand to lace their fingers together over her chest. His lips slid over her abdomen, and Zara thought she was going to shoot up off this bed if he didn’t finish her soon.
“You’re squirming,” he murmured against her stomach.
“You’re going too slow.”
His soft laughter filled the room. “I’m hanging on by a thread trying to give you pleasure, and you’re complaining.”
Zara pulled her hand from his and framed his face, forcing him to look up at her. “Put us both out of our misery. I want you. Now.”
Braden crawled up her body, leaned over to the nightstand and pulled out a condom, quickly sheathing himself. When he rested his hands on either side of her head and hovered right above her, Zara’s gaze locked on to his. Something flickered in his eyes, something she’d never seen
from him before...or any other man for that matter. Before she could read too much into it, he plunged into her, making her cry out.
Gone was the slow, patient Braden. This Braden had snapped, was staking his claim and pulling her into his web of passion and desire.
His lips trailed over her shoulder, her neck, up her jawline as he continued to pump his hips. Zara could only grip his biceps and arch into him because he was in total control and doing everything absolutely perfectly.
Perfect. That was the one word that kept coming to mind every time she thought of Braden and how they were together.
When he kissed her, roughly, passionately, all thoughts evaporated. Her entire body heated, rising higher and higher as he increased the pace.
“Braden,” she panted against his mouth. “Braden... I...”
He kissed his way to her ear and whispered, “Zara.”
Her name softly on his lips when his body was so hard, so intensely moving against hers was enough to set her over the edge. She couldn’t control the tremors racking her body; she couldn’t control the way she screamed his name, clawed his shoulders.
Braden’s entire body tensed as he arched back. Clenching his jaw, he stared down at her as he climaxed. The intensity of his stare stirred something so deep within her, so deep she was positive nobody had ever even uncovered that area before.
But Braden had. He’d uncovered so much about her, even more than she knew about herself.
When Braden eased on to his back, pulling her to sprawl on top of him, Zara could no longer deny the fact she was falling for her boss. And she could say that with certainty because he was the only man to ever care, to ever put her first, to ever pull feelings from her she hadn’t even known she’d possessed.
The best part was that he did every bit of that without even trying. He just...was. He was everything she hadn’t known she was looking for, and here he was, holding her so tightly after he’d made love to her in her own bed. His heart beat against her chest, and Zara had never been more aware of another the way she was with Braden.
Trapped with the Tycoon Page 12
