HIGHER (The Indigo Lounge Series)

by Cox, Zara

“Bethany! Shit, baby, don’t cry.”

  He scooped her up and placed her in his lap. His mouth grazing her cheek triggered faster tears. “You’re shutting me out of the important bits of your life, and I can’t…I can’t take it. God, I’m so pathetic.”

  “You’re not pathetic and they’re not the most important bits. You are.”

  “If they’re not then why won’t you talk about them?”

  “Because some parts of it are not mine to tell.”

  “But they’re a part of who you are. That shouldn’t be a secret.”

  He sighed, then gripped her waist hard, before he raised her face to his. “They won’t be. Not for much longer.”

  “Do you give me your word?”

  He stared back at her for a long, hard moment. Then he nodded. “Yes.”

  Her breath shuddered out. “So what happens until then?”

  Molten grey eyes slid over her face, dropped to her mouth and stayed. “Until then…you use me for sex?”

  She started to snort, then realized he wasn’t laughing. In fact, his face, his eyes, his whole body was tense with a poised expectation as he waited for her answer.

  “God, you really mean that, don’t you?” she gasped.

  “I haven’t fucked you in ten days. Trust me when I say, I’d walk through a fucking volcano right now for another taste of your pussy. Then I’d walk back for a chance to bury my cock in your tight heat.” He crooned his need in a voice so husky with lust, she could barely hear him over the dark rumbled in her own ears.

  “That sound like…fiery work.”

  He smiled that tight, I-wanna-fuck-you-so-bad smile. “You don’t know the half of it, baby.”

  His cock swelled beneath her ass as he shifted.

  “I think I can feel…some of it.”

  He laughed. “More jokes, Peaches? Maybe I should tell Philip to keep driving. I could be buried deep inside you come morning.”

  The reminder had her glancing out the window for the first time since she got into the car. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed that they were approaching her neighborhood.

  Surprise rocked through her as the car glided to a stop in front of her favorite Italian take out.

  “How did you know?” she asked as Philip got out and headed into the restaurant.

  He shrugged. “You mentioned it when we were together. I haven’t forgotten a single thing of our time together, baby. I just did some research and hit the jackpot.”

  She had a feeling it was more than luck on his part. For the first time since he crashed back into her life, Bethany allowed herself to touch him.

  His face, stubbled and sexy as hell, felt warm beneath her fingers. Her hand drifted down his cheek and he turned to kiss her fingertips.

  “I’m scared that this won’t work out. That to keep doing this is asking to be hurt even more.”

  “Are you willing to let me go?”

  Quaking inside and out, she shook her head. “Not willingly. But—”

  He placed a finger across her lips. “No buts. I’m not going to let you go either. Which means the only way forward is to fight through this.”

  Philip returned to the car and placed the take out on the front seat.

  Zach kept her firmly in his lap as the car rolled smoothly back into traffic. When they reached her apartment, he opened the door and helped her out. The window slid down and Zach reached in for her food. In silence, he passed it to her and gazed down at her.

  Expecting him to push his way up to her apartment the way he’d done on Saturday night, she was acutely disappointed when he just said, “See you tomorrow.”

  The stark emotions coursing through her made her snap, “I don’t need a ride home every night, Zach.”

  His smile was enigmatic enough to cause tingles down her spine. She’d learned to her cost that when he smiled like that, it meant something was up.

  “I didn’t say anything about rides home, Bethany.”

  Before she could ask what he meant, he was back in the car and the door was shutting.

  Long after his car had disappeared from view, she stood on the sidewalk, staring into the empty space.

  Chapter Ten

  Zach watched the LED lights count up the floor numbers and tried to stem the unease swirling inside him as he waited for the elevator rushing up from the ground floor.

  The next hour would determine whether what he’d planned would succeed or backfire horribly.

  The past few days had been an exercise in panic-management. He’d never known anything like it. Not even with Farrah had indecision consumed him so completely.

  After his conversation with Bethany in his car, he’d nearly called off this meeting. He’d felt as if they’d made progress; that she would give them a chance while he tried to get over the hurdle of his erstwhile brother-in-law and the piece of paper that now stood between him and the woman he was coming to realize he couldn’t live without.

  The idea that he could lose Bethany was what had made him keep this appointment. Come hell or high water, he intended to hang on to her. This was merely another angle…

  She may not like what was coming next…hell, he was pretty sure she would have a thing or two to say about it…but he was damned if he would let the chance slip by to keep her with him until such time as he could come completely clean.

  The elevator door pinged open.

  He saw her first. Dark humor lit within him as he silently mocked himself. Hell, when didn’t he see her first? She was like a laser beam attuned to his radar. Wherever she was, his senses zeroed in on her.

  And today, as always, the sight of her knocked the breath from his lungs. Jesus, but she was fucking gorgeous.

  Her hair was tied away from her face in a loose knot that caressed her nape. Her navy pinstripe jacket covered a cute pink flowered shirt, and her skirt ended at her knee, leaving her knock-out legs exposed. Delicate studs adorned her ears and a single pearl string necklace rested against her collarbone.

  She looked prim and proper.

  He wanted to mess her up. Tousle her well and good, leave her glossy mouth and other equally captivating parts of her, used and bruised.

  He barely managed to tear his eyes away when Sheena Malcolm stepped out first, followed by Gary Wright.

  He hurried through the handshakes and glanced back at Bethany.

  Shock, surprise, then uncertainty streaked across her face. Before hurt and anger flashed through her eyes.

  His blood thrummed at the anticipation of fireworks even as he wondered whether he’d chosen the right path.

  “Mr Savage, this is Bethany Green, our very talented assistant,” Sheena said.

  Zach stepped forward. “Miss Green. Very pleased to meet you.”

  Bethany remained frozen against the elevator wall, her throat working as she watched him. He kept himself firmly in the elevator entrance to prevent her bolting. And he could see in her eyes that she was considering it.

  He held out his hand and cocked an eyebrow.

  Her eyes flashed as she glanced down at his hand and back at him. When the silence threatened to strayed into awkward territory, she finally stepped forward.

  “Mr Savage. It’s an honor to meet you, I’m sure.”

  The bite in the word made his lips twitch but the hurt and wariness in her eyes didn’t prolong the humor. Bethany wouldn’t take this situation lying down. And he had to play his cards right.

  But the moment her hand slid into his, the belief that he was doing the right thing reasserted itself. He was not willing to live without her.

  He held her hand for as long as it was appropriate without raising questions from the two Neon executives behind him. Then he reluctantly let her go.

  Jeff, who’d flown in that morning from San Francisco, was waiting in the newly set up meeting room. Introductions were made and coffee served.

  Zach made sure Bethany was seated first before he took the seat next to her. He caught her hastily indrawn bre
ath as he quickly squeezed her bare thigh under the table.

  She began to ravage her lower lip with her teeth and heat surged into his groin faster than he could process the reaction.

  God, please. Soon. He was dying of blue balls.

  Sheena Malcolm cleared her throat and smiled a brittle smile from across the table.

  “Mr Savage, Gary and I can’t express our appreciation at being given this opportunity to spotlight your company. I will be your first point of contact on anything to do with the Indigo Lounge, of course, but Gary and I—”

  Zach forced himself to concentrate on the meeting and not on the urge to flatten Bethany to the nearest surface and fuck her until the world stopped turning.

  “You made a PR bid for the Indigo Lounge last year, did you not?”

  Sheena nodded eagerly. “Yes, but we’ve had even more exciting ideas about profiling your company since then, and like we mentioned yesterday, we have a portfolio of clients who would be perfect for your New York events. The package we’ve put together is edgy and exciting—”

  He felt Bethany tense next to him and his neck grew hotter. Time to bring this thing to an end before she exploded. “Who spearheaded your initial research last year?”

  Bethany tensed further. Again he slipped his hand onto her thigh. She froze but didn’t move away. Zach chose to take it as a good sign even though her face was set in a quietly furious look.

  He’d have his work cut out to win brownie points after this stunt. But he was well up to the task. His hand slid higher, the need to connect with her clawing through his gut.

  She clamped her thighs shut, stalling his upward movement but also imprisoning his hand against her warm flesh. He barely managed to suppress a smile.

  Sheena exchanged a glance with her partner before her gaze moved to Bethany. “Well, Bethany was tasked with digging up the pertinent information about your company but putting the package together was a group effort.”

  “If I decide to go ahead with Neon, I’d like Miss Green to take point, guided by you two, of course. But before I make a decision I’d like to hear about the sort of New York clients you intend to attract and what fresh ideas you can bring to the table entertainment wise.”

  “Of course. We can do that,” Sheena replied quickly, hiding her surprise at his directive.

  Zach nodded to Jeff, who picked up the remote on the table and aimed it at the screen on the far wall. It flickered to life, revealing the familiar indigo jet with the custom trim. “This is the latest IL plane. It arrived two weeks ahead of schedule so we’re planning an extra IL trip before the scheduled trips commence.”

  Zach continued. “We already have a waiting list to fill the slot if needs be, but I’d like to give Neon the opportunity to stage this event. You have three days to put a package together—”

  “Three days?” Bethany snapped, her eyes firing livid blue flames in his direction. “Are you serious?”

  Jeff’s eyes widened. Sheena’s mouth dropped open. Gary Wright looked downright displeased. Zach didn’t give a damn about any of them. All he cared about was the fact that Bethany was engaging with him. “

  “Is that a problem, Miss Green?” He raised an eyebrow and her blue eyes flashed. She looked as if she was contemplating tackling him right there and then.

  His blood thrummed faster with anticipation. She read his reaction he didn’t bother to hide and her nostrils flared.

  Her mouth thinned into a prim line and her eyes slid from his. “Well, normally three days is ridiculously short notice but I’m sure we can come up with something more than suitable for your launch.”

  Gary, who’d been poised to intervene, relaxed. “Shall we come up with an itinerary for the trip or will your office provide us with one?”

  “I concede Miss Green’s point that this is somewhat short notice. Neon can take care of the first two stops and my people will arrange something else for the last two. Call it a collaboration. Also for the sake of clarity, Neon’s guests will only be on board for the first two stops. After which they will be expected to disembark.”

  Gary frowned. “I’m not sure how our clients will take an abbreviated tour, Mr Savage.”

  Zach narrowed his eyes. “It’s your job to sell it to them. Or I’m happy to pass the whole thing to my people?”

  Sheena hastily shook her head, shooting her partner an evil glare. “That will not be necessary. We’ll make this work.”

  “Miss Green? Do you think you can make it work, too?”

  Her eyes met his. Electricity zapped through him at the heaven and hell he glimpsed in her eyes. Her mouth compressed in further mutiny and he grazed his thumb across the top of her thigh.

  Her tiny jerk sent a pulse of heat and delight through him.

  “Yes,” she replied huskily. “We can make it work.”

  “Great.”

  Her bosses breathed a sigh of relief and everyone started to relax.

  Jeff grabbed the remote again and pressed another button. “The next slides show you the full extent of the various compartments of the plane—”

  “Jeff, I’ll leave you to show the slide to Sheena and Gary. I want to speak to Miss Green in private, if you don’t mind?” He raised a cursory eyebrow at the rest of the table and rose.

  Speculation quickly followed surprise on the faces of the occupants around the meeting table.

  He ignored the looks and stood, staring down at Bethany’s bent head. He was prepared to drag her out if need be. As if she heard his thoughts, her head snapped up.

  “Miss Green?”

  “Sure. Excuse me, please.” Her smile was stiff as she stood and followed him out of the room.

  He managed to stop himself reaching for her until they were in the hallway. Then his hands closed over that trim waist and half carried her into his living room.

  “Zach! What the hell…put me down.” Her voice was a fierce, husky, whispered demand, but he heard the catch nevertheless.

  He kicked the large door shut behind him, set her on her feet, and gave her a chance to face him before he propelled her backward into the wall.

  “No!” she protested.

  “Yes. Hell, yes.”

  Starved and desperate for her, he slanted his mouth over hers, taking full and merciless advantage of her shocked gasp.

  His tongue surged against hers, demanding and achieving entry. Wet and erotic, her tongue met his in a series of bold flicks that told him she hadn’t forgotten how he liked to be kissed. He surged deeper, eager to drown in her taste and touch.

  He pressed closer, imprinting his body on hers as his craving escalated. His cock found the cradle of her hips, that sweet curve he was so desperate to rediscover.

  She whimpered and wriggled against his hold. His hands tightened, holding her still as he rocked his erection deeper into her pelvis. Once he was satisfied she could feel him, all of him, he let go of her waist and slid his hands upwards.

  Her full, covered breasts filled his hands, her nipples tight buds against his seeking thumbs. He gorged on her mouth until the need to breathe caused stars to dance behind his closed eyelids. Even then, he would gladly have suffocated in the kiss if the hands clamped in his hair hadn’t pulled desperately.

  Easy…he cautioned himself. For now.

  He broke the connection and stared down at her. Wide blue eyes locked on his as she sucked in air. His gaze dropped from her bruised lips to her heaving chest. She breathed in and her gorgeous breasts filled his hands once more.

  He groaned as his cock stiffened to stone.

  “You feel so fucking lush, Peaches. And so damned fuckable in that prim suit.” A tremor rocked through him as he continued to deny the forceful urge to rip her clothes off and do what he desperately yearned to do. “Jesus, baby, I want to fuck you so damn badly.”

  A long sigh shuddered out of her as he mercilessly kissed his way down her throat and barely resisted the urge to bite her supple, silky skin. He’d raised enough questions for one day. Alt
hough he personally didn’t care who knew, he cared too much about Bethany to leave her to explain a giant hickey on her neck to her bosses.

  But there were other, equally enthralling parts of her body he could explore.

  Sliding his hand beneath her skirt, he touched her between her legs. Hot dampness met his fingers. Tugging aside her panties, he plunged one finger into her tight heat, groaning deeper when her flesh closed greedily over his knuckle.

  Her shocked cry made him grin.

  “You naughty girl. Did you get wet imagining me having you here like this?” he crooned in her ear.

  She gave a jerky shake of her head. “Uhhn...No.”

  He laughed. “Well, something got you wet and hot. So what was it?”

  “I don’t…let me go, Zach.”

  He leaned even closer. “No way.”

  Her throat moved in a convulsive swallow. “Why? Why are you doing this?”

  “Because I know what you’re thinking.”

  “No. Trust me, you have no clue what I’m thinking.”

  “Yes, I do. You have a plan. You’ve made up your mind about what happens next. But you forget, Bethany. I’m a much better negotiator than you could ever be. And for me, there’s only one way this ends. You. Becoming mine. In every way.”

  “So you planned this. All of it,” she accused, her voice breaking as he pushed deeper inside her. “You met with Sheena and Gary yesterday, didn’t you? That’s why they were acting so weird at work.”

  “Yes.” He may have had some doubts before about what he was doing. But now he’d kissed her again, now her sweet, wet pussy pulsed around his finger, he regretted nothing.

  “Why?”

  “Access.”

  “Access? To me?”

  He bit lightly on her earlobe and delighted in her shudder. “Of course.”

  “But like this? How could you?” The raw hurt finally penetrated his fog of lust. He drew back and looked down at her.

  Confusion and a hint of despair grappled with her desire, causing her eyes to darken. He hated seeing that.

  “You told me you’d never lie to me.” Her voice was dark with accusation.

  He tensed. “How have I lied to you?” he demanded.