by Nina Croft
She was in one of the cubicles, working on Internet searches again. She wished she was out somewhere, doing something interesting enough to take her mind off the weekend ahead.
She didn’t mind admitting—to herself at least—that she was nervous. She’d spent weekends with Jake before—he’d taken her diving and skiing. But this was different. He’d never taken her for wild, torrid sex before. No one had.
What if she was no good? It would be horrid and awkward and she’d feel like a failure and…
On the other hand, what if it was too good…?
She banged her head on the desk to knock some sense into her brain.
Someone coughed. Kim glanced up and found Sally standing in the entrance of the cubicle. Sally was Dave’s wife. She was seven months pregnant and looked it. At the sight of her, Kim’s hand went to her stomach; she was still avoiding thinking about the whole pregnancy thing. Well, as much as she could with a pregnancy test hidden in her underwear drawer. It was too soon yet, but the day was drawing closer. She still thought it wasn’t possible—she didn’t feel pregnant.
“You okay?” Sally sounded suspicious. But maybe pregnant women could recognize each other, some sort of pheromone thing. God, she hoped not.
“Why?”
Sally grinned. “Well, you were banging your head against the desk. Anything the matter?”
“Just clearing my mind,” she muttered. “You looking for Dave?”
“I just saw him. He’s finishing up, said he would meet me in here. I thought I’d come for a little chat.”
She liked Sally; she’d met her a few times at company parties. She was always cheerful, and today she was positively blooming. Pregnancy agreed with her.
“So how are things going with you and Jake?” Sally perched on the edge of the desk.
Kim shot her a wary glance. “There is no me and Jake.”
“That’s not what Dave says.”
“Did Dave put you up to this little chat?”
“Maybe. He’s worried about Jake.”
“So now, just because Dave’s wallowing in domestic bliss, he wants everyone else to do the same.”
Sally laughed. “I guess. But he is. Wallowing, I mean, and he wants to spread the happiness.”
“Aw, how sweet.” But it was in a way. “So are you excited about the baby?”
“We were trying for years before it happened. Now it’s hard to believe in a few months we’ll be a proper family.”
Her happiness was so obviously genuine that Kim shoved aside her skepticism and let Sally chatter away about the preparations for the baby. How Dave was fixing up the nursery in his spare time. Her face lit up every time she mentioned Dave. Who would have thought it? She had a momentary flash of jealousy. What would it be like to feel so loved and secure?
Dave appeared ten minutes later. “You two having a nice little chat?”
“Wonderful,” Kim murmured. “You know, someone told me recently that there’s a bet going on in the office about whether Jake and I will get together. I can guess where Dave’s put his money.”
He laughed. “You’re a cynic.”
“Oh, yeah. But it’s nice to see that the two of you aren’t. I’m happy for you both. And he or she”—she pointed at Sally’s bump—“ is a very lucky baby.”
“Not tempted to try it yourself?” Sally asked. “Jake would make a dreamy father.”
“I don’t think so.” Kim resisted the urge to touch her stomach. Instead, she crossed her fingers under the desk, as an image of a blue-eyed baby flashed up in her mind. Never going to happen. But the image lingered. “And, I told you, there’s nothing like that with me and Jake.”
The phone beside her rang, and she picked it up. It was Margie.
“Jake says he’s delayed. Go home, pick up your things, and he’ll meet you on the roof at seven.”
“Meet him on the roof? Why?” The roof sounded an odd place to meet.
“Apparently, you’re going wherever it is you’re going by helicopter.”
“Scotland. And it’s a job.”
“Of course it is,” Margie replied smoothly.
She put down the phone and looked up into Dave’s grinning face.
“It’s a job,” she snapped.
“Of course it is.”
…
“Oomph.”
Jake had tightened her harness.
“Too tight?”
Kim wriggled about and found she could still breathe. Besides, she wanted to be locked in tight and safe—she was afraid of heights, though she’d never admitted that to Jake. “I’m good.”
He sat back and surveyed her. “I like you all strapped in…at my mercy.”
“In your dreams.” But a frisson of sensation shivered down to settle in her belly.
“Oh, it is.” His gaze ran over her, and the frisson sank even lower. She squirmed in her seat. “Have I mentioned I like the outfit?” He frowned. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a skirt before.”
She was wearing clothes she’d bought for the kick-ass-chick makeover. She might as well get some use out of them, even though she’d decided the whole kick-ass-chick image was way too much work.
The skirt was short, black, and made of soft, supple leather. She wore it with stockings and her four-inch stilettos—she had no plans to walk anywhere tonight. She’d been totally gratified by Jake’s expression when he’d caught sight of her. He’d hustled her into the helicopter as though he couldn’t waste a moment. But now that he had her strapped in, some of his urgency seemed to leave him. He laid a hand against her knee then pushed it up between her legs to rest on her inner thigh. She shifted in her seat but couldn’t move with the harness holding her so tight. A mere inch higher and he’d be touching her where she needed him the most.
But in a helicopter?
He leaned in and kissed her mouth. Her lips opened, and her thighs parted. She moaned low in her throat as he slid his tongue inside to caress hers and his fingers grazed the black lace at the junction of her thighs.
Heat stole through her body, desire blossomed into a heavy weight in her belly, an ache in her core. She was wet, and she knew he must be able to feel how much she wanted him through the thin material. She jerked her hips to encourage him to move his fingers higher. Instead, he drew away.
“Something to think about during the flight.”
Then he sat back and strapped himself into the pilot’s seat.
She sat there, unable to say a word. She had a few she’d planned to say, but they didn’t seem important when all she could think about was the incessant throb of need between her thighs.
They flew high above the city for a while and then left the crowded buildings behind and headed into the open country. For the duration of the flight, she was aware of his muscular thigh close to hers, his long, elegant hands on the instruments.
Despite her fear of heights, she relaxed. She felt safe. She always felt safe with Jake.
Their destination was up in the Highlands, north of Rannoch Moor. The flight took just over three hours, including a brief landing at a small airport just north of the border to refuel, and the sun was starting to sink below the horizon as Jake landed the helicopter on the roof of the castle.
Kim unfastened her harness while Jake undid his, but she waited until the whirl of the blades slowed and he opened the doors. She climbed down and tottered to the edge of the rooftop. They were on top of a tower, high above the main building, but protected by a low wall, complete with battlements, that enclosed the area. A fabulous view spread out below her, south over Rannoch Moor and north to the mountains. The air was cool and fresh after the city, and she inhaled deeply.
She sensed Jake’s approach. He’d collected their bags from the helicopter, but he dropped them and came up beside her.
“What do you think?”
“It’s perfect.”
“Well, why don’t you admire the view, while I take care of a pressing problem?”
�
�A pressing problem?”
He took her hand and placed it against his groin so she could feel the steely hardness of his erection. He was fully aroused, and moist heat welled between her thighs. Resting his hands on her shoulders, he turned her gently so she faced the wall.
“What are you doing?” She sounded breathless.
“Trust me.” He positioned her palms on the warm rock of the wall. She had to bend slightly to reach and realized what he was about to do. He stroked her ass through the leather of her skirt, then shifted his hands lower to her stocking-clad thighs and dragged the skirt up until it bunched around her waist.
Jake hooked a finger in her panties at either hip, and tugged so the lace rubbed against her sex, arousing her clit, starting a fluttering low down in her belly. Then he slid the thong down her legs. “Lift up.” She raised each foot in turn, and he slipped her underwear off and tossed it over the wall. “You won’t need them again.”
She watched the scrap of black float down to the treetops below.
“Holy shit,” Jake said. “That is like all my fantasies come true. Well, maybe not all, but a good few.” His voice held the rough edge of desire, and without conscious thought, she bent slightly so her ass pointed up higher, then widened her stance.
One warm hand came down on her buttock. He squeezed, then teased down the line between to delve into the hot wetness of her sex. He pushed one finger inside, then withdrew and slicked her juices over her clit. Pleasure rolled through her as he massaged the sensitive nub.
“Oh God, Jake.”
“You like?”
She shook, and he soothed her ass with his other hand.
Aching with need, she pushed against him. This time he thrust two fingers inside her and stroked her inner walls, then back to her clit until she thought she’d scream.
He withdrew his hand, and she moaned, then heard the rasp of his zipper and the tear of a foil wrapper.
“This is where we were interrupted last time,” he said. “And I feel like I’ve been hard ever since.”
His hand returned to her sex, parting the drenched folds, then his cock was nudging at her opening, and she held her breath. His big body curved around hers, and his breath feathered her throat. He nuzzled her for a moment. “What’s the chance of my mother turning up now?” he whispered.
“Jake, shut up.”
He chuckled, then flexed his hips and filled her with one fluid move. He was big, and the sensation bordered on pain.
He stilled for a moment while she became accustomed to the size of him. “Okay?”
She nodded, and he moved slowly, pulling free of her. Her muscles tightened around him as if to keep him inside. Then he shoved in again. Her inner walls tingled, and the heavy weight in her belly built.
“You ready?” he asked.
Ready for what? But she nodded again.
He gripped her hips as he pumped into her hard and fast. She spiraled out of control, reaching for something, every cell focused on the hard male shaft thrusting between her thighs.
She moaned and pushed back against him. She was so close, but release eluded her, and she thought she might go mad, the sensations too intense.
Then he slid one hand around her, burrowed between her thighs, found her clit, rubbed once, twice, and she exploded. A second later, his cock pulsed inside her, signaling that he’d found his own release.
They stood wrapped together as her heart rate slowed and the ripples of pleasure subsided.
“That was…”
“Good?”
“Sensational.”
“Well, let’s get inside, and we can fulfill a few more of my fantasies.” He picked her up in his arms and carried her easily across the rooftop to a steel door. “Crap,” he said. “Do you have the security codes?”
“They’re in my bag.”
He looked back at their abandoned luggage, then at her in his arms, a small frown turning down the corners of his mouth.
“You can put me down. I can walk.” At least she was pretty sure she could walk, though her legs still felt shaky. She’d thought on top of the desk was as good as it got. Boy, she’d been wrong. She had another little twinge as she remembered the feel of him deep inside her.
“I like carrying you. It gives me the illusion that you’ll let me take care of you.”
Her brows drew together. “I can take care of myself.”
“Couldn’t you pretend to pander to my masculine pride?”
“I don’t think your masculine pride needs any pandering.”
“You’d be surprised,” he muttered. “We men like to imagine we’re useful.”
“Oh, you’re very useful, but that doesn’t mean you have to be all macho, take control all of the time.”
Surprise flickered across his face. “You believe I try to control you? Sweetheart, not even close.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but he gave her a swift kiss and put her down to retrieve the bags. Did he really believe he wasn’t controlling? Or was it just a matter of relativity?
Kim took her bag from him and rummaged through it for the property file. She punched in the code, and the door swung open. But she hesitated before entering. “You really don’t think you’re controlling?”
“If I was, I’d have tied you to the bed years ago and kept you there. Where you belong.”
“Ha. I might think you’re a sexist pig from that comment, but I know you’re not.”
“Not with women in general. Maybe with you a little. Something about having you tied up and helpless appeals to me.”
“Pervert. I’m getting a little concerned about your fantasies,” she muttered as she followed him inside. He appeared to know where he was going. “Have you been here before?” she asked.
“I came to a party once, soon after Kieran bought the place. It’s great for a getaway, but a security nightmare. There’s a lot of valuable stuff in here, and it’s vulnerable.”
“Well, it won’t be when we’ve finished.”
“Tomorrow. Tonight I have plans.”
So did she. But first, she needed food. She hadn’t had lunch; she’d been too on edge waiting for Jake to call. Then too on edge waiting for him to turn up. And now she was starving.
Jake led her down two flights of narrow stone steps and into a wider corridor. The place had been modernized very sympathetically so it still bore the resemblance to a medieval castle inside, with bare stone walls covered by tapestries and paintings. He eventually came to a halt outside a large oak door decorated with iron and with a big iron key in the lock.
“Here we are,” he said.
Kim twisted the key. It turned smoothly, and she pushed open the heavy door.
“This is the master bedroom,” Jake said, stepping in behind her.
…
Jake studied her as she took in the room. She couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the bed. The thing was impressive, a huge four-poster with crimson brocade hangings.
Pleasure still coursed through him, and he already wanted her again. The whole time he’d been away he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Kim and this weekend. He’d jerked off so many times he’d lost count. Now they were here.
He wanted food, and then he wanted to make love with Kim again. This time in bed. Oddly, beds hadn’t featured much in his fantasies. But this one, with its brocade hangings tied back with heavy crimson cords, had possibilities. He stroked his finger over a velvet cord. It was soft to the touch.
He thought about his fantasy of tying her to the bed and his cock pulsed. Definite possibilities. Glancing across, he found Kim watching him, her regard flicking from the cord, to his hand, and back to the bed.
“I’m hungry,” she said. “I hope there’s some food. The housekeeper was supposed to leave the place stocked for the weekend and then make herself scarce.”
“Give me a minute to clean up, and we’ll go find out.”
He washed up in the en suite bathroom. When he came back, Kim was still staring at th
e four-poster, a thoughtful expression on her face. He hoped she had the same thoughts he did. He’d never considered himself particularly kinky, but after the dance she’d led him on, something about having Kim tied up, naked and at his mercy, appealed to his sense of justice. And his dick. Suddenly, he was in a hurry.
“Let’s go get that food.”
Chapter Fifteen
They ate at the huge oak table in the vast kitchen.
“I love this kitchen,” Kim said. “I could live in this one room.”
“This was the old castle kitchen, though it’s not as old as the main building. When that was first built the kitchen was in a separate structure to avoid fire.”
“You seem to know a lot about the place.”
“Kieran is considering selling. He thought a castle sounded like a good idea, but he likes to be warm—he’s more a Caribbean style of guy. I liked the place when I was here last, and I know Dad would love it.”
“You’re going to buy a castle?”
She sounded shocked, and he smiled. “It’s a good time. Property prices are low right now. It would be a bargain.”
“A bargain castle?”
He took a sip of red wine. He’d selected a bottle from the well-stocked wine cellar. There was also champagne in the fridge, and he’d take a bottle up with them after they finished eating. Kim drank her wine slowly. Good. He didn’t want her drunk—on the other hand, a little champagne in her veins might make her more amenable to his plans.
The fridge was also well stocked with local produce, smoked salmon, venison steaks, cheese. They dined on a picnic of crusty bread and bits and pieces.
He loved watching her eat. He’d spent too much time dating models who watched everything that went into their mouths. His lips quirked as he remembered one girl who refrained from swallowing during oral sex because she claimed his semen had too many calories. He reckoned Kim wouldn’t hesitate. She’d eat him up.
He shifted on his seat and glanced up to find her studying him, one eyebrow raised.
“Just thinking about oral sex,” he murmured and grinned as a flush stained her cheeks. She had so much to learn, and he couldn’t wait to start teaching her.
He pushed his plate away. “Have you had enough?”
