With a giggle of girlish excitement, she fully unzipped the bag and slipped into the gown. The indulgent purchase had been sealed the moment she’d first tried it on. It fitted as though it were made just for her, hugging each curve. Tori reapplied her lipstick, ran her fingers through her hair and went back into the bedroom.
Wade had carried the food into the master bedroom and spread out a blanket for a picnic on the floor by the window. He had slipped back into his trousers but left off the dress shirt. It was thrown across a chair in the living room the last time she saw it, but Tori was glad he’d left it off. Wade had a magnificent chest, and she couldn’t spend enough time admiring the hard lines and the dark curls of his chest hair. Unfortunately she hadn’t found a reason for him to just stay shirtless all the time.
He was kneeling on the blanket, pouring flutes of champagne, when he looked up at her—and froze. His jaw fell open, and his gaze took in every inch of her body. He licked his lips before he spoke. “You did hear me say we were staying in, right?”
“Yes,” she said with a smile. “But I felt like dressing up a little bit for the occasion.” Tori held out her arms and spun around for effect. “Do you like it?”
He swallowed hard. “Very much.”
“Is it too much for a picnic on the floor?”
“Not at all.” He reached out his hand and helped her down onto the blanket. “Looking that beautiful, you can do whatever the hell you like.”
Tori blushed. She felt beautiful in this dress, but hearing him say it made her all the happier that she’d decided to put it on, impractical as it was. She settled down beside him, curling her legs to the side and spreading the gown out around her.
Wade handed her a glass of champagne and held up his own for a toast. “To…letting go of the past and embracing a new year and new beginnings.”
It was the perfect toast for them in so many ways. Over the past week it did seem as though they had come so far. There was a time in her life when the mention of his name would’ve sent her into a rampage. Now, sitting across from him, she felt that everything had changed. Thoughts of Wade brought on tingly, warm sensations and a nervous, excited feeling in her stomach.
Tori clinked her glass flute to his. “To new beginnings,” she echoed. And that was really what she wanted. A fresh start. Knowing the truth about the circumstances around her firing made the past, the past. She could finally set down the grudge she’d held all these years, and she was glad. She didn’t want that dark cloud hanging over their relationship.
Relationship.
Is that what this had become? Things had moved so quickly, but it certainly felt like something more than a fling. But a relationship required more than just attraction and compatibility. It also required trust. She wasn’t sure that she had much left. Wade had damaged it pretty badly. Whatever ability she’d regained after several years had been shattered by Ryan. Was trusting a man even possible? And trusting a man like Wade Mitchell? That seemed out of the question. Even with their past resolved, he still wanted her property. That hadn’t changed.
Taking a sip of her champagne, she realized how badly she wanted to trust him. This had started out as a game between them. A battle of wills to see who would crack under pleasure, so to speak. But now…she feared it was her. Wade seemed as though he’d put the game behind them, as she had, but she couldn’t know for sure. She wanted something more between them. Tori wanted to build her dream house. And if she was honest with herself, she wanted Wade living in it with her.
The thought made her champagne hard to swallow.
How had she made that kind of leap in just a few short days? Maybe it wasn’t much of a leap. She’d wanted him years ago. Fantasized about more. Perhaps that was why his supposed betrayal hurt her so badly. The feelings had remained, buried under her anger and rushing to the surface the moment the barricades were brushed away.
“I’m starving,” Wade said, oblivious to the thoughts running through her mind.
She forced the champagne down her throat to respond. “Me, too.” Better for her to focus on food than on her dangerous thoughts.
Wade made them both plates, and they sat eating quietly. They’d spent so much time together in the car on the drive down that they were clearly out of small talk. That left only serious discussions. She wasn’t sure either of them was ready for that.
Tori was biting into a chocolate-coated strawberry when Wade set aside his plate and looked down at his watch. “It’s getting close to midnight,” he said. “We don’t want to miss it. I’ll pour more champagne.”
Tori nodded and accepted his hand to stand up. She went to the window. The dim lights in the bedroom suite allowed her to see everything outside. The lights and activity in the square were stunning. It was amazing that so many people could be in one place at one time. Crowds were gathered around stages where musicians performed for broadcast specials. The sound was probably deafening, yet not a peep made it through to their room. She had seen this scene on television every year, but somehow looking down on it was a completely new experience.
As was the warmth at her bare back as Wade came up behind her. He brought an arm around her to hold out her refilled glass of champagne. On a nearby table, he’d set down the platter of strawberries and chocolate.
His hands gently swept her hair over one shoulder. His lips seared a trail across her bare skin, sending a shiver of anticipation down her spine. It didn’t matter how many times she’d had him, she wanted more. Her need almost seemed to get worse, like an escalating addiction. Her body reacted in an instant to his touch. Her breasts tightened within the confines of her gown. Her belly clenched with need.
Wade’s fingertips sought out the clasp of her dress at her neck. With a snap it came undone. The fabric slipped over her skin, gliding to the ground with the heavy thump of beads. Tori kicked the dress aside and placed her drink on the table with the fruit. He followed suit, obviously needing both of his hands for what he had planned.
Grasping her by the waist, he turned her to face him. “We’ve still got a few minutes,” he said. “Plenty of time for some dessert.”
Without his powerful green gaze leaving hers, he plucked a strawberry from the platter and dipped it in chocolate. He held the fruit in front of her lips, but before she could bite into it, he dropped it to her collarbone. He dragged the berry down her throat to the hollow between her breasts. It left a warm trail of chocolate in its wake. The plump, red fruit circled one breast, teasing at her aching nipple, then traveled to the other. Nearly devoid of chocolate now, the strawberry made its way back to her lips.
She took a bite, the sweet juice instantly filling her mouth. Tori chewed and swallowed as Wade patiently held the rest of the berry for her to finish it. “Don’t you want any?” she asked.
“No,” he said with a wicked grin. “I prefer the chocolate.” Wade set the rest of the berry aside and leaned in to kiss her. His lips tasted of champagne. He buried his fingers in her hair and moaned against her mouth. Tori drank him in, feeling a touch light-headed from his kisses and the alcohol.
When he did pull away, it was to clean up the mess he’d made. He bent Tori back over his arm, and she offered up her throat and breasts to him. He started with her neck, tasting and teasing her with his tongue as he licked every drop of chocolate from her skin. The scalding heat of his lips moved down her chest, following the berry’s path to curl around each breast. He bathed each nipple, coaxing it into painfully hard peaks, then biting gently until she cried out.
By now, Tori was certain the chocolate was long gone, but Wade was nothing if not thorough. He traveled back up to her lips and murmured against them, “It’s almost time. I don’t want you to miss seeing it.”
He spun Tori in his arms until she was facing the window and the chaotic scene below. She felt oddly exposed, standing completely naked in front of the glass. It was an exhilarating feeling. Dangerous, yet safe, since no one could see her. Firm hands pressed at her back until she b
ent forward and braced her hands against the glass. Wade’s palm glided leisurely down her spine. He gripped her hips, tugging her bottom back against his hard desire.
“One minute to go. Let’s see if you can last that long.” Wade sought out her moist center with his fingers. They glided expertly over her, coaxing the building tension of release deep inside.
Tori’s fingers clutched uselessly at the glass, but it was all she could do. In front of her there was nothing but the lights of the cityscape, as though they were making love on the roof. She gasped as a finger penetrated her, her muscles tightening around him. A wave of pleasure rocked her, but it wasn’t enough. “Wade,” she said, an edge of desperation creeping into her voice.
“Fifteen seconds.” He leaned over her and placed a burning kiss between her shoulder blades.
Tori glanced over her shoulder and saw him kick aside his trousers. Soon. Thank goodness. She needed him now. All of him. “Ten, nine, eight,” she whispered as the numbers began counting down, the building pressure of her orgasm certain to beat the clock. “Seven, six, five.”
His fingers glided over her moist flesh, taking her closer to the edge. “Four, three, two, one,” Wade said, thrusting inside her at the stroke of midnight.
The infamous ball dropped to the base, the number of the New Year lighting up, but Tori hardly gave it a glance before closing her eyes and absorbing the pleasurable impact on her body. He barely moved in her before she came undone. As the cheers and shouts rang out in the city below, Tori heard only her own cries.
Wade filled her, pushed her, thrilled her and touched her as no man ever had before. He took her to a place she hadn’t known existed, and she wanted to stay there with him in this moment forever.
“Oh, Wade,” she gasped as the last throbs of pleasure dissipated.
Wade’s arms snaked around her waist, tugging her up until her bare back pressed against his chest. “I could make love to you all night and never have enough.”
“There’s quite a few hours left,” she teased, breathless.
“Is that a challenge?” he asked, thrusting hard into her.
Tori laughed and tightened her muscles around him. “Absolutely.”
In one quick move Wade pulled away and swept Tori up into his arms. She squealed in surprise, but before she could recover, he dropped her, bouncing, to the bed.
He was back over her in an instant, driving into her body with renewed fervor. The laughter died in her throat as the pleasure began coursing through her veins once again. This time when her release came, so did his. He groaned low against her neck and lost himself inside her body.
Tori cradled him against her as his trembling arms and legs threatened to give way beneath him. After he caught his breath, she tipped his chin up so he could look at her. There was a green fire blazing in his eyes, and she was pleased she was responsible for it. She brought her lips to his, this kiss tender and meaningful.
“Happy New Year, Wade.”
* * *
The rest of the champagne was forgotten, the strawberries abandoned. Wade didn’t care. He had his red-haired beauty in his arms, and that was all he wanted. For the first time in months—hell, years—Wade felt at peace. It was possible that he’d never felt like this. The world was stable on its axis. Tori had done that. The woman whose spirit he had been determined to crush so he could get what he wanted.
Now, with her head resting on his chest and the flaming silk of her hair sprawled over her shoulders and his stomach, he knew he couldn’t go through with it. His plan to seduce her had backfired.
The implications were dire. It made him almost sick to his stomach to think of what it might mean for his family. If the body was ever uncovered, it would ruin everything. But that was his mistake. His price to pay. Not Tori’s.
There had to be another way. He’d figure something out. He always did.
“Wade, are you still awake?”
“Yes.”
Tori rolled off his chest and looked at him. “What was this trip about, really?”
Wade frowned. “What do you mean?”
“The hotel, the food, the champagne—that’s a lot of effort just to make up for the whole job thing.”
He supposed it might seem that way, but he didn’t mind. Having money and powerful connections allowed him the luxury of doing things for people when he wanted to. “You’re worth the effort.”
“You are, too, you know.”
Wade had the sudden urge to climb out of bed and go get a drink, but Tori had her arms clasped around him like steel manacles. He swallowed hard. “You’re just supposed to say thank you.”
“Thank you.” Tori held him in place with her icy blue eyes. “What happened to you, Wade?”
He knew what she meant without her elaborating. He was surprised. Few people ever bothered to ask him about his life before the Edens, so he didn’t tell the story very often. Those who mattered in his life already knew. Except Tori. She mattered. More than he ever wanted or expected her to.
“A person doesn’t become such an overachiever, so driven to prove himself, without a reason,” she pressed. “You don’t have to do things to impress me. I don’t need ten-course French dinners and penthouses in Manhattan to want to spend time with you. What are you trying to prove? And to whom?”
With a sigh Wade let his head drop back against the pillows. If he had to talk about it, at least it was dark and he didn’t have to look at her. “For a long time I thought I was trying to be a good son for the Edens. To repay them for taking me in and helping me turn my life around. All the good it did me, since they wouldn’t accept my money when I tried to give it to them. Then I wondered if maybe I wasn’t trying to prove to…those who left…that I was worth keeping.”
“Like your mother?”
“Yes. And others. My mother was still in high school when she got pregnant. I wasn’t exactly part of her plans. So, after she had me, she played at being a mom for a while. When that didn’t work out, she took me over to her aunt’s house. What was supposed to be a couple hours of babysitting turned into seven years. She just never came back.”
Wade could hear Tori’s breath catch in her throat. He didn’t want her pity. That was why he never told anyone about this. He’d rather people saw him as the strong, powerful businessman. That was the point, wasn’t it? To keep this part hidden? And yet he wanted to tell her everything now that he’d started talking. He wanted to let Tori in.
“My aunt never married and wasn’t particularly interested in having children, but it wasn’t bad with her. I didn’t know any different. When she died of breast cancer and my mother was still off the grid, I ended up in the foster system. She had never terminated her parental rights, so I couldn’t be adopted even if someone had wanted to. I doubt anyone but the Edens would have. I bounced around a lot. I was an angry child. Rebellious. A trouble starter. I had a lot of crap to work through for a ten-year-old, but it was how I coped. I guess it was easier to push people away than to get close to someone who would eventually cast me aside. But the Edens didn’t fall for that game. They wouldn’t let me push them away. They believed in me. So I changed my tactic to be the best man I could possibly be.”
“And now you’re successful, powerful and have a family that loves you.”
“And you know what that got me?” he said, a bitter edge creeping into his voice.
“What?”
“A mother showing up on my doorstep with her hand out.”
“What did you do?”
“Well, as you said, I’m always out to prove myself, so I did what I felt I should. I gave her a lump sum of cash and bought her a house as far from New York as I could get—in San Diego. And I made her sign a contract agreeing to never contact me or anyone in my family again, or she’d have to repay me for everything.”
Tori’s grip on him tightened ever so slightly. “And she agreed to that?”
Wade had not been there for the contract negotiation, but his lawyer told him she
couldn’t sign fast enough. There was a part of him that had hoped she wouldn’t. That she had changed and wanted to get to know the son she’d abandoned. He’d been a fool for even entertaining that fantasy. “Without hesitating. So in the end, my money and my success didn’t prove anything to anyone.”
“What about to yourself?”
Especially not to himself. No one else on earth was able to see inside him and know what he was truly like the way he could. Strip away the money and the suits and what was he left with? When things were important, truly important, he failed.
He couldn’t protect his family the way he should have. If he had done his job, Heath never would’ve had to do what no thirteen-year-old boy should have to do. Julianne wouldn’t have to carry those dark memories with her. His parents wouldn’t be secretly selling off pieces of the farm to stay afloat. No success in business could make up for that kind of personal failure.
“Is that even possible?” he asked. “Can someone like me ever reach the point where they’ve achieved enough? How would I know when I’ve expunged my sins? There’s always the opportunity to disappoint myself. Or someone else.”
“You haven’t disappointed me.”
Wade chuckled. “I haven’t, now? Well, considering I fired you erroneously, harassed you mercilessly and want to take your land away from you, I imagine you have very low standards.”
Tori sat up on one elbow and looked down at him. “I don’t have low standards. I think I’m just better at seeing past the bull.”
“And where did you learn that skill? Traipsing across America studying the human condition?”
“Something like that,” she admitted. “Attending the school of life has its perks and its pitfalls. I think never building real relationships handicapped me when I grew older. I was too trusting because I’d never had the opportunity to be hurt. I didn’t build relationships, like you, but because I couldn’t. We were gone too quickly. I was naive.”
“You?”
“Yes.” She smiled. “I wasn’t always so cynical. The real world brought that. What life didn’t teach me, my ex-boyfriend did.”
Undeniable Demands Page 12
