The Mount Series Boxset

by K D Grace

  A smile flicked across her lips. ‘Nick, you’re looking at me like I’m the feast.’

  ‘I am very hungry,’ he said. ‘Ravenous in fact.’

  She gave his ear a little nibble. ‘I promise I’ll do my best to satisfy that hunger –’ she pulled away and held his gaze with eyes suddenly serious ‘– and I won’t ever let you go away hungry.’

  For a moment they stood wrapped in each other’s arms taking in the celebration going on around them. The night was warm and crystal clear and the sounds of the city below, waking to its nightly prowling, were strangely comforting in ways Nick had never noticed before. Kandi’s laugh rang bell-like through the air as Horse lifted her off the ground in a bear hug. Beetle sat next to Leo talking quietly. Tanya and Edward swayed in a tango that looked as though it could devolve into something more primal at any moment and Rita and Deb, Pagan and Pike had shed clothing and were chatting in the hot tub, champagne flutes in hand. From somewhere below, the sound of a jazz saxophone wafted in the still summer air. In the distance Nick could just make out the hulk of the mountains on the horizon. He pulled Elsa into a long, lazy kiss and, for the first time in his life, Nick Chase felt like he’d truly come home.

  To Rome With Lust

  Chapter One

  Liza thought she had only dreamed such an exquisite scent. She’d certainly never smelled anything so sexy while she was awake. It was all very strange. Her dreams had always been the only part of her life that was olfactory-free. She sat in the business lounge at JFK airport dozing, blocking out the noise and the smell of the busy shuffle. But this smell was different. This smell was just too delicious to ignore. It intensified, then faded, and she snuffled and inhaled and shifted in her seat.

  Delays due to heavy thunderstorms meant the place was packed with passengers awaiting a spate of flights going out at nearly the same time. Luckily, her flight wasn’t delayed. She was just there early, thanks to Carl. After an unplanned night alone in a hotel room, she couldn’t get out of New York City fast enough – not after what she’d seen … and smelled. But she didn’t want to think about Carl. Time to move forward.

  She had just slipped back into that space between wakefulness and sleep when the scent wafted over her again. There was no denying it was the primal smell of male. It was the smell of desert lightning, of sage and juniper and thick, dark night. It was the smell of sex – or at least the intimations of sex or what sex might be like with a man who smelled so irresistible.

  Jesus, was she really going to have sexy dreams right here in the airport? What next? Would she be rubbing herself against the sofa while all the businessmen and the tourists pretended not to notice? Surely it was only because of the sex she’d expected to get last night, but didn’t. Surely it was just her angry unconscious inventing an olfactory fantasy, but God, the man smelled good – better than anyone she’d ever smelled, and she smelled everyone! She inhaled again and her deep intake of scent came out sounding like a sigh. Her lips parted just enough to take in the fullness of the experience. She could almost taste that hypnotic smell of masculinity. Her nipples chafed against her bra until they dominated the front of her sweater with an achy tetchy fullness that matched the tightening she felt between her thighs. It was as though the man stood right over her. She could smell expensive fabric weighted and warmed with the heat of his flesh. His crotch, where the delicious scent was purest, was so close that her mouth watered. The scent was heavy, thickening, male – driven by passion. Letting the dream take control, Liza shifted, uncrossed her legs, and leaned forward to draw in his scent, wanting nothing so much as to touch, to caress, to experiment on ways to arouse from her dream man more of that delicious scent.

  There was a soft grunt, a startled gasp, and a large hand came down heavily on her shoulder. There was a desperate clearing of a throat and a slightly accented ‘Pardon me.’

  She opened her eyes and found herself nose to crotch with a very expensive suit not quite able to disguise a very nice package. Her fingers were fisted in the edges of the front trouser pockets, reeling their wearer ever closer and closer to her salivating mouth. She yelped and practically shoved the guy, who might have fallen if not for the hand resting on her shoulder. ‘Oh my God! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,’ she gasped. ‘I was dreaming.’ Her face burned and her pulse did a drumroll in her ears as she raised her eyes up and up and up the length of the well filled-out charcoal suit to meet rich caramel eyes looking down at her from beneath thick midnight lashes. The scent hit her in waves, making her giddy, making her want to sniff like a dog in heat, making her feel wrong-footed and out of focus.

  ‘Must have been some dream.’ His eyes sparkled and he offered her a half-smile. His warm hands fell to cover hers and disengage them from his pockets. ‘I can’t tell you how sorry I am that I woke you, but I’d really hate it if your dream got us both kicked out of the lounge.’ His thumbs brushed over the backs of her knuckles before he released her. ‘Is it all right if I share you sofa? The lounge is really crowded.’

  ‘Yes! Of course, please.’ She shifted and rearranged herself, resisting the urge to fold her arms across her perky nipples. It was even harder to resist the urge to pant and sniff. My God, if an aphrodisiac could be inhaled, his scent would so be that aphrodisiac. She felt moist and swollen, splayed in the crotch of her panties, too tender for the weight of her body against the sofa.

  ‘Are you all right?’ The man’s eyes had darkened with concern. ‘You seem in distress.’

  ‘Fine! I’m fine,’ she said with enthusiasm that made her sound like a dork. ‘Just outrageously embarrassed.’

  ‘Don’t be. You made my morning and gave me something I’ll smile about for what’ll be a very long, very tedious flight. You sure you’re all right?’

  ‘You smell amazing,’ she blurted out before she could stop herself, then she felt the flash-fire burn rise to her cheeks again. Jeez! Could she sound any more stupid?

  He raised an eyebrow and cocked his head. ‘Thanks. Eau d’generic hotel soap,’ he said.

  ‘No, it’s not the soap, I mean I can smell that too, but …’ What the fuck was it with her? She practically attacks the guy – who handled an embarrassing situation very graciously all things considered – and now she informs him she’s been sniffing? ‘Never mind. I … like I said, I was dreaming.’

  He leaned forward in a wave of scent that made her dizzy with lust. ‘No, please, don’t be embarrassed. I’m very interested in all things olfactory. And I’m really flattered that you like the way I smell.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I have a sensitive nose.’ She forced a laugh. ‘I guess maybe I’m a little closer to my animal roots than most people. I … I pick up on scent … way more than most people do. Bit of an evolutionary throw-back, I’m afraid.’

  His smile was practically edible. ‘Humans are mammals. Mammals live through their sense of smell. We’ve just gotten lazy and forgotten how to do that. Real scent is hard to come by in a world that’s been deodorized, sanitized, and scrubbed. Apparently you remember.’

  Oh, she remembered all right. She remembered so much more than she wished she did at times. She could feel his dark, rich gaze against her, feel his scent bearing down on her, now spiked with the cinnamon nip of curiosity. She knew what was coming. She waited for it.

  ‘So,’ he leaned still closer and everything in her felt giddy and humid. ‘Tell me what you smell?’

  God, she knew he was going to ask that. She should have kept her damned mouth shut. To ask her to describe his scent was like asking her to describe what she thought sex with him would be like, and with a scent like his, she could imagine it would be pretty fucking amazing. On the other hand, if he stayed leaning close like this, she’d have a few more seconds to sniff and enjoy before he suspected her of total nutterdom.

  ‘Don’t be embarrassed. As I said, the sense of smell and the way we humans use it is of special interest to me.’

  She leaned in and inhaled deeply through her nose. After all he
had given her permission to sniff. ‘You smell like summer lightning … at high altitude.’ She inhaled again and closed her eyes, hearing the catch of his breath. ‘Beneath that, you smell like evergreen and the earth around tree roots.’ His breathing accelerated. She leaned still closer, and the slip and slide of fabric on fabric informed her that he’d done the same until they were nearly touching. She inhaled again. ‘You smell like a rainstorm on the wind just before it arrives, but that’s because you’re skeptical, and I don’t blame you.’

  For both of them, simply breathing had become a challenge. Her belly muscles trembled and tensed way down low; in her panties, the clench and release, clench and release had left her swollen and pouty. She opened her eyes just a slit, then closed them again, but there was no mistaking the shape of his growing erection. Her own scent spiked all honey-butter and nutmeg.

  ‘What else?’ he breathed. ‘Is there more?’

  ‘Your curiosity smells of cinnamon and there’s a bit of irritation – tart, tangy, almost like lemon.’ Her eyes fluttered open at the same moment his did.

  ‘Oh it’s not you,’ he said quickly. ‘I mean I’m not irritated with you. It’s this trip. I didn’t plan to take it and now I find out … wait a minute. You can smell emotions?’

  ‘Kind of,’ she said, trying not to look at his erection, as he shifted to rearrange himself a little less conspicuously. Then she couldn’t resist. ‘What about me? Can you smell me?’ Jesus! Why did she ask such a loaded question?

  He squirmed again, which did nothing to hide his needy package. A blush rose to his cheeks. ‘Maybe … Possibly.’ He inhaled a shaky breath through his nose like he was afraid of what he might smell. ‘The more we talk … the more I smell.’ His eyes fluttered shut again. ‘You’re … not wearing perfume.’

  ‘I never do.’ She eased herself closer, resisting the urge to rest a hand on his thigh. ‘It interferes with other smells.’

  He nodded, as though he completely understood. ‘You smell like the sea, but you also smell like honey and butter melting over hot bread.’

  Did she just whimper? Oh God, please say she didn’t just whimper and shift her bottom against the sofa. Surely she didn’t do that.

  This time he inhaled boldly, pushing forward on the sofa, his eyes closed, suddenly making no attempt to cover the heavy strain against the front of his trousers. The cinnamon scent of him spiked and became more peppery. ‘Jesus, I can’t believe we’re doing this.’ His voice was little more than a whisper between parted lips, lips that Liza would only have to lean into to touch with her own. ‘I can’t believe I can smell all that. I’m probably imagining it.’

  ‘No you’re not. You’re not imagining it,’ she whispered back.

  He was suddenly breathing as though he’d just ran a marathon, each breath through his nose, each breath followed by a gulp, almost as though he were eating the scent of her.

  ‘People are looking. We should stop.’ She barely got the words out before he leaned in just a tiny bit further and, in his enthusiasm, his lips brushed hers. Everything spiked in a sharp stab of scent that went straight to her pussy, as they both gasped and sat back, eyes wide, fingers pressed to lips.

  The delayed flight to Paris was called over the intercom immediately after one to Frankfurt and, in the jostling and shifting and gathering of belongings, no one paid any attention to them. She wasn’t sure it would have made any difference even if they’d suddenly been centre stage. Their gaze locked on each other, cheeks flushed, chests heaving, they sat caught in a moment so tight, so full that its breaking apart was inevitable. It was ridiculous. She was seconds away from coming, and his cock was about to burst his trousers. And his lips, God his lips, she could think of so many places on her body she wanted those lips.

  ‘I have to know,’ he gasped. ‘Surely you want to know too.’ Then he did the unthinkable. He curled his fingers into the back of her hair and pulled her to him. This time their mouths met with a clash and a gasped swallow of oxygen that transitioned into parted lips and darting tongues and an absolute explosion of scent. If he had smelled amazing by himself, if his scent had sharpened hers to the cutting edge of orgasm, then the mixing and blending that happened when they touched, when those two scents came together was shattering. ‘I’ve never smelled anything like it,’ she breathed.

  ‘Me neither.’ He bit her lower lip and tugged and their blended scent became darker, spicier, with tones of earth and sea, pepper and honey, and God the guy could kiss!

  She came first with a guttural grunt of an orgasm that began deep in her pussy and washed over her like a riptide. She tried desperately to hide it, but he knew it. He felt it, she even thought he smelled it, and he tightened his fist in her hair, breathing her into his open mouth. Both his hands then slid to her shoulders in a grip that was almost painful as he pulled back. His eyes locked on hers, and his whole body convulsed, and again, and again, his deep mocha gaze holding her tight as pupils dilated and eyelids shuddered.

  For a moment they sat stunned, staring at each other, struggling to catch their breath. He looked shell-shocked, and she must have looked the same. ‘I’m sorry,’ they both said at the same time as they mirrored each other in a nervous laugh.

  Then the intercom called the flight to Rome. ‘That’s my flight,’ she gasped, awash in a wave of embarrassment. She babbled something about duty free and gifts, sounding like a total idiot. She grabbed her bag and her laptop and fled, feeling certain everyone was watching, feeling certain everyone knew exactly what they had done. It didn’t matter though, at the end of the day, she’d never see the man again. And she’d never smell him again. That saddened her.

  Chapter Two

  As Paulo settled into the first class cabin, he looked around, just in case the woman was there. Sadly she wasn’t. As the attendant announced they were waiting for a connecting flight from Atlanta, he did a little investigating and, sure enough, there she was back in coach. She sat on the aisle not far from the bathrooms, checking her BlackBerry. Just seeing her again, even from a distance, got his cock’s full attention. Christ! Had she really made him come, made them both come just by describing the way he smelled, by making him describe the way she smelled? His business was scent. How could he have missed the incredibly rich and outrageously sexy scents right under his nose? Of course he knew the scent of a woman aroused. But he’d only ever experienced that scent up close and personal when he was on top of said woman, fucking her hard, or when his face was buried between her legs. Sadly, these days that didn’t happen very often, in spite of his circumstances. He loved the scent of a woman, he loved the scent of sex, but this woman had taken the olfactory mechanics of attraction, the smell of a couple getting to know each other, to a level far beyond anything he could have imagined.

  His pulse rate picked up as he thought of the taste of her mouth. Unconsciously he licked his lips. He couldn’t keep from wondering what the rest of her tasted like; her nipples, pressed against light summer cotton, her armpits with the subtle piquant salt of clean female sweat, and between her legs … his mouth watered, his cock bucked enough to make him shift and tug his jacket down for extra coverage. He could still smell the faint scent of himself even after his efforts to clean up. Fuck! It was embarrassing. He hadn’t lost control like that since he was an adolescent. And yet, losing control with the lovely brunette sniffing him in the business lounge at JFK was like super-heated kink. With the beginnings of a plan forming in his mind, he motioned the attendant to his side for a short consult, then he settled back into his seat and waited for takeoff.

  Back in cattle car class, Liza tried not to elbow the rotund man sitting next to her as she checked her messages one last time and cursed the fact that she was too damned stingy to fork out for a business class ticket. High Rising e-magazine was doing well, better than they had ever dreamed when she and Addie began the venture four years ago. Addie reminded her of that each time Liza flew. They could afford it, and Addie would know. She kept a tight fist o
n the purse strings. Still Liza couldn’t quite bring herself to believe it just yet. Anyway, with luck the window seat would stay empty and the man would move over and give them both breathing space.

  There was a message from Addie wishing her bon voyage, and there was another message from Carl. She ignored it. What could he possibly have to say that she’d want to hear, or that she’d believe? She was too preoccupied with thoughts of what had happened in the lounge to think about anything else. Escapism, that’s all it had been, pure and simple escapism, and yet in all of her years of experiencing the world through her nose, she’d never smelled anyone like the man in the lounge. She regretted not asking his name, but after what she’d done, she figured she was lucky he hadn’t called airport security and had her taken away. It had only been the calling of her flight that had saved her bacon. Still, what were the chances of her ever smelling anyone so hot again?

  Some things in the world were honest. Some things were always straightforward and reliable. Her sense of smell was one of those things. She should have known in the beginning that Carl wasn’t for her. He just didn’t smell right. Funny how she had never really realized that until what had happened in the airport lounge. When she first started seeing Carl, she’d chalked it all up to some strange allergy she only ever had when she was in New York City. But it wasn’t New York, was it? It had never been New York.

  She’d just finished a job in DC when she’d gotten Carl’s invitation to come join him at his flat in Manhattan before she flew to Rome. He gave her the key last time they were together, saying that in the future he hoped to give her something a little less symbolic, and a lot more physical as to where he wanted their relationship to go. Funny he’d thought of it as a relationship. Funny she’d let him. Funny she’d almost let herself believe it, in spite of all of the warning signs that she should have seen months ago. Carl Blain was tall, blond, and well-muscled – and outrageously sexy. He was filthy rich, and unbelievably charming. He had broad shoulders, a great ass, ocean blue eyes. The man was a fucking cliché for one of the plethora of billionaire novels flooding the bookstores at the moment. He had taken over Blain Holdings after his father’s death and had acquitted himself well from what The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reported ad nauseum. He was the rather ruthless darling of the business world and everything he touched turned to gold. Six months ago he had allowed her to follow him around for a week on a story for High Rising. Almost from the first time they met, he’d asked her out, but she refused to date anyone she was working with. The minute the story was published, he asked her out again, and he hadn’t taken no for an answer.