by Demi Damson
“Ow!” She bounced but before she had a chance to recover, he sprawled onto the bed, pinning her beneath him. “Charlotte Nichols,” he said. He kissed her again. “Well, maybe everything I knew was wrong but you taste the same.” He grabbed her hands and pulled them above her head. “Well, some of you does. I need to check the rest.” He bent and licked her cleavage, trying to push her t-shirt out of the way with his teeth.
She giggled and he gave her a stern look. “You are being punished, woman. Although, I’ve already decided how you can make it up to me, you know.”
“You have?” Her mouth was slightly parted and it was all he could do not to ravish her on the spot.
But he wanted just a touch of revenge. He was willing to give up everything for her, if that’s what she wanted. But he also needed something in return for the two heartbroken weeks she’d put him through. “I spent a weekend believing that you took your clothes off for anyone and everyone.”
She opened her mouth but he growled at her and she stopped.
He rolled to the side, leaving her free. “Take your clothes off for me, Charlotte. Just for me.”
She gave him a long look and then sat up on the bed. She pulled him into a sitting position at the edge of the bed and then stood in front of him. “Like this?” She wiggled her hips and began to tug her t-shirt up, revealing a sliver of her soft stomach.
He just nodded. He’d spent all this time trying to keep her out of his head and now here she was, inches away, pulling her clothes off. Stripping just for him, and now he knew that it had only ever been just for him.
“And like this?” She pulled the t-shirt off, shaking her hair out as she dropped it on the floor. Her bra followed soon after.
He smiled to know she was as eager as he was. “Like this,” he said, and pulled her into his lap, pulling her nipple into his mouth. “Tasting,” he mumbled against her as she arched her back. He sucked both of her nipples hard as his hands ran down her sides and to her jeans, swiftly unsnapping and unzipping them. She stood to help him pull them off and then posed in front of him wearing nothing but a pair of non-descript panties. “We need to buy you more lace,” he tutted as he tugged them off of her. “But first, your punishment.”
He pulled her down until she was face down in his lap, and gave her beautiful bare ass a light spank.
“Jordan!”
“Charlotte’s been a very bad girl,” he said. He spanked her again and then stroked her, sliding his fingers between her thighs. She was soaking wet and trembling.
And yet still, she managed to argue back. “I might charge extra for those services!”
“Charlotte!” He spanked her again. He stopped, his voice serious. “That was one of the stupidest things I have ever said and I’m sorry.”
She wriggled up and sat on his lap properly, her naked body pressed against his still dressed one, her hands around his neck. “I’m sure you’ve said stupider,” she said, a glint in her eye.
“You need to learn to not be such a smart-aleck,” he said, but as she wrapped her legs around his waist, he found it difficult to keep talking. His cock twitched through his pants, so close to heaven. She was fumbling with his shirt to get the buttons undone. Remembering her dress with the tiny buttons, he grabbed her hands. “Just rip it off,” he said. “Then we’ll be even.”
She grinned and tugged at his lapels. He laughed and then, not able to wait any longer to feel her skin against him, he grabbed the shirt himself and tore it off. The adrenaline flowing through him made him feel like the Incredible Hulk. He pulled off his pants and shorts just as quickly while she squirmed against him, making life very difficult.
He grabbed her, desperate to keep control. “Tasting, remember? I’m tasting.” He tossed her back onto the bed and crawled between her legs. She started to scramble back up but as he brought his mouth to her center she froze, her breath coming out of her in a rush.
“Good girl.” He flicked his tongue out and she groaned. “Say my name,” he said.
“Jordan.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
He spread her lower lips and licked her from top to bottom, loving the taste and the scent of her enveloping him again. She pressed her hips up, giving him better access. He circled her clit. “Louder.”
“Jordan!” Her body moved against him as she moaned for more.
He tongued her harder. “Tell me what you want, Charlotte. I want to hear it from you.” He lowered his mouth to her again.
“I want you,” she gasped. “Jordan, I never stopped wanting you. I want you to lick me and to take me and to keep me.”
He kept his tongue on her until her words became incoherent. And then as she began to raise her hips against him, he slid one finger inside her, a promise of what was to come.
“Please, Jordan,” she begged.
He could feel her close to the edge. Part of him wanted to stop and slide into her and feel her come, her muscles clenching his cock. But the sound of his name did him in and he kept licking relentlessly as her hips bucked against his face. She cried out as the orgasm came over her in waves. He licked her softer then, following the length of her wetness, until her cries were just a quiet whimper as the last tremors rippled through her.
He crawled up against her body, his cock so rigid he thought he might just burst at the touch of her silky thighs. Her head was still arched back with her eyes closed. “You are beautiful,” he whispered. “I don’t think I ever told you that.”
She opened one eye. “I have first-hand evidence that you have abysmal taste in women.”
He covered her with his body and kissed her. “Maybe so.” His hand fumbled at the bedside table. He shoved the condom into her hand. “Do you think you could get this on me without trying my patience beyond measure?” He really just wanted to feel her small hands on him. Now that he knew she wasn’t faking her fumbling, he needed her touch even more. Her fingers on him made his breath catch and he groaned as his breathing went ragged. “I need you so badly,” he said.
This time she pushed him onto his back on the bed, positioning herself above him. He raised his hips but she moved away, her beautiful wet center just out of reach. “Say my name,” she said, an evil grin on her face.
“Charlotte Nichols,” he said, trying to restrain himself from rolling her off him and back underneath him. “I can say it now that I know it.”
She lowered herself on him slowly, tantalizingly. “Don’t be a smart-aleck.”
He moaned, struggling to stay still. “Please,” he said.
“Tell me what you want.” The tables were completely turned.
“Charlotte, you know that all I want is you. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
She began to move up and down on top of him. He reached forward and rubbed her clit with his thumb, gratified as she flung her head back in ecstasy.
She stayed on top, moving up and down against him, but her eyes were glazed with lust as she pumped him in and out of her.
“I want you to come for me, darling. Come for me again.” He kept his fingers on her as she rode him fast and hard, his cock completely enveloped by her. Her breasts bounced as she shook her head, struggling to keep the pace on him as another climax threatened to overtake her.
She tensed and then she cried out his name, thrusting herself onto him as deep as he could go. It was too much. He shouted her name in reply, his orgasm ripping through him like a volcano, lava flowing through his veins.
Charlotte collapsed on top of him, a sweaty mess. Jordan wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. She was his now, completely his, and he had no intention of ever letting her go again.
“I love you,” he whispered, half hoping that she might not even hear him.
“I love you too, Jordan Lovett.” She stayed there, sprawled over him, her breath slowing to a gentle rhythm.
He lay there with his eyes open for as long as he could, just feeling her breathing against him. He would show her what ruthless really was, because there was n
o way he was ever letting her disappear on him again. And as he felt her heartbeat against his chest, his eyes fell shut and he slept, holding the woman of his dreams.
Epilogue
Return to Haven
Charlotte stared out of the window of the speeding McLaren, remembering the last time she’d been a passenger on the way to Haven. She had no idea what she was letting herself in for when she’d agreed to spend a weekend with the son of George Lovett. Now they were engaged and she was living with him!
She couldn’t help but feel nervous about going back to Haven. Jordan had gone home once, just overnight, but Charlotte was still frightened about showing her face there. She could only imagine what Jordan’s father would have to say about her moving in with Jordan and as for Lauren, well, Charlotte would die happy if she never saw the woman again.
This time, though, Jordan had insisted. “You can’t keep avoiding George forever. You’ve given him some time to get used to the idea. Now come and face the lion. He’s not so bad, I promise.”
So here they were. Charlotte tapped her foot nervously.
Jordan didn’t seem perturbed. He drove with confidence and even started whistling.
Charlotte rolled the window open, still remembering that first trip, and let the wind drown him out.
It was easy for him! Her family had completely accepted Jordan. In fact, her mother popped by their penthouse once a week or so to visit, ever since Jordan had loaned her the money to upgrade her wreck of a car. And she always brought a pie for them, which she’d never done when Charlotte was on her own. And Dad just couldn’t stop talking about what a great guy Jordan was.
Charlotte didn’t think she was going to get that kind of reception from George.
At least her business was doing well. He might respect that. She was doing well enough now that she had hired an assistant to man the phones and do the paperwork, so Charlotte could focus on paying clients.
As they drove through Haven towards the house, Charlotte smoothed down her sundress and rubbed a piece of dirt from her comfy sandals. She could have worn new clothes but this time, she was determined to just be herself. Now though, she wondered if she’d made a mistake.
As Jordan pulled into the white gravel drive, Maria came out to greet them. She gave Jordan a happy hug and then shyly kissed Charlotte on each kiss and Jordan pulled their shared suitcase out of the hood compartment.
“It is good to see you again, Señora,” she said.
Charlotte couldn’t help but smile at that. They were still struggling to plan the wedding but Maria already considered her married, it seemed.
She turned towards the house, still imposing as ever, to see George standing in the bay window, watching them.
“Your father,” she said, nodding her head towards the twitching net curtain. Lauren was nowhere to be seen, which was a relief.
Jordan took her hand and squeezed it. “C’mon, let’s go speak to him.”
“You go. I’ll take the suitcase up to the room.”
“You are in the same room as last time, Señora,” said Maria. Her eyes twinkled. “I have not made up the sofa bed, however.”
“No need for that,” laughed Jordan. He carried the suitcase into the house and then left it on the top stair for Charlotte to take to the room. “Don’t be long.”
She was grateful for his tact. He seemed to know that she wanted a moment to pull herself together. It was awkward. The last time she’d been in this house, she’d been rifling through his office and she had no idea what, if anything, Lauren had told him.
Anyway, she suspected women in Haven always freshened up before seeing people. Besides, Jordan had plenty to talk to his father about without her: the business was doing well and had finally expanded to a second site.
In the bedroom, Charlotte bounced up and down a few times in memory. The sofa bed was tucked away, as Maria had said.
She sat at the vanity table and brushed out her hair, preparing to face off Lauren.
Her summer dress looked old–fashioned and plain to her now. Maybe she should change? She had a light dress for the evening but if she wore that now, she wouldn’t be able to change for dinner, and she knew that was important to George. She would never like the man and certainly never trust him but for Jordan’s sake, she wanted to make an effort.
With both of them working long hours for their respective businesses, they’d gotten into the habit of sending each other text messages during the day. She wasn’t really surprised when her phone pinged with a new message. “Lots of news. Come down. I promise it’s safe.”
That cleared away the last of her reluctance. As if she was afraid of that man and his gold–digger fiancée. She straightened her dress and strode down the stairs, intent on looking confident and self–assured.
Downstairs, the men had retreated to the sitting room and were talking comfortably about a deal that Lovett Industries was in the middle of.
“You’ve done a good job of controlling the media presentation of this,” George was saying. “I’ve been very interested in the coverage even though I know what’s happening behind the scenes.”
“The PR team is great,” said Jordan. “It makes one hell of a difference.” He stood up as Charlotte walked into the room.
“You look lovely,” he said, with a smile on his face.
Charlotte smiled nervously back and turned towards George Lovett. “Thank you for inviting me,” she said. Her voice came out rather shakily but she maintained eye contact.
“Jordan insisted,” he said. Then he stood up and reached out to shake her hand.
Flustered, Charlotte just managed to keep from wiping her hand on her skirt, instead sticking her hand out forcefully, still repeating the word confident in her head. “I hope you are well?” Should she ask about Lauren? But she couldn’t face it. She shook his hand and smiled politely. Let him bring up their unfortunate past, if he wanted to.
“I’ve been better,” he said grumpily. “You look well, anyway. You are clearly special to my son. And I daresay Jordan’s proved that he has better taste in women than I do.”
Charlotte raised an eyebrow but didn’t dare ask what he meant.
Maria chose that moment to let them know that dinner was ready. “I made my special albondigas,” she told Charlotte with a smile. “They’re Jordan’s favorite and I remembered that you liked them too.”
Lauren’s seat remained empty as they took their places. Maria started serving the meatballs while Jordan poured water.
George cleared his throat and Charlotte realized she and Jordan were both staring at the space where Lauren wasn’t.
“She left.” George scowled. “And good riddance.”
“What happened?” Jordan looked like he was struggling to keep the relief off of his face.
“She decided she needed her own business and I should fund it.” He snorted. “Imagine, Lauren trying to run a company. She found this little dress shop and insisted that I had to buy it for her. But her reasoning was all wrong. She didn’t give a damn if the shop was in a good location or what the profit margins were. She seemed to think that running her own business would make her more attractive.”
Jordan raised an eyebrow. “I wonder what could possibly give her such an idea,” he said with a glance at Charlotte.
Charlotte shrugged but when George was distracted with the pepper grinder, Jordan leaned over to whisper in her ear. “She wanted to be like you.”
“She wanted to people to treat her with respect,” snapped George, whose hearing was clearly better than his son had realized. “But she never understood that you have to earn respect. You can’t buy it.”
His gaze raked over Jordan. “You understood that, however. You’ve done very well for yourself. I had my doubts at first but I have to admit… I’m proud of you.”
Jordan flushed with pleasure. “It’s good to hear you say that.”
George shoved a meatball into his mouth, as if to stop himself from saying anymore. Then h
e continued speaking about Lauren. “I refused to buy the shop, of course. If she’d spent some time on it or did any planning, I might have. But she picked the place because it was next door to her favorite nail salon.” He looked haggard but not heart broken. “I didn’t really expect her to stay. I guess I wanted someone as little like your mother as possible, if you want the truth. And Lauren sure was that. But nothing I could give her was ever enough. She cared too much what everyone else thought of her.” He shook his head and had another bite. “So she found someone else to buy it for her. I hope they are very happy together.”
Charlotte couldn’t help but feel sorry for the gruff old man. No one deserved to be treated like that. Still, it was a relief that she wasn’t going to have to face down Lauren.
As they finished the meal, George waved to Maria, who brought over an antique silver ice bucket with a bottle poking out the top. He pulled the champagne out of the ice and popped off the cork. “I’m afraid we never had a chance to drink to your engagement,” he said. “It all happened so fast.”
Charlotte’s hand went to her stomach as if it had a mind of its own. She saw George’s eyes follow the movement. The old coot never missed a trick. Well, this is as good a time as any.
“I’m sorry, I can’t. We might have a new announcement to make soon.” She left her hand on her stomach. This wasn’t how she’d envisioned telling Jordan, in the severe dining room of his family home. But then, there probably would never be a perfect time. “I have a doctor’s appointment next week but I’m pretty sure.”
Jordan looked at her quizzically. “You’re pretty sure of what?” He didn’t get it.
Her voice came out almost a whisper. “Jordan, I think I’m pregnant.”
Her nervousness fled at the look on Jordan’s face. He pulled her off her chair into an excited hug and then stepped back and looked at her face. “You mean it?”
