by Duffy, Aimée
Miles walked up behind her, slid his arms around her waist, and pulled her back against his chest. “I’m guessing you like it?”
“Miles.” She turned in his arms and kissed his jaw, her eyes sparkling with tears. “I can’t believe you went to all this trouble for me. Thank you. I love it.”
“It was my pleasure. Don’t cry all your makeup off,” he whispered softly and wiped away a tear with the pad of his thumb. “The night’s not over yet,” he promised.
Annabelle chattered excitedly about what she wanted to do for the final. As he watched her his fears dissipated. What if she really had changed and what he was planning would hold her back? A few weeks ago, she was nervous and terrified at the thought of performing live.
Now, as she prattled on about songs eagerly, he doubted himself. Should he ask her to leave when this was clearly what she wanted? Or should he support her and hope she had what it took when the bad press started flooding in?
One thing was for sure, it wasn’t a decision he was in a hurry to make. Tonight was about Annabelle. The money had been transferred to buy her family’s debt. His lawyer said the paperwork was almost ready, but he wished he had it tonight so he could give it to her and lighten her load. He had a feeling she wouldn’t think he was prying or interfering in her business. They’d gone beyond that now, although he wasn’t quite sure where to.
Once they got home, they made love with Annabelle throwing all of her heady enthusiasm into it, blowing him away again and again.
In the small hours of the morning just as the first beams of sunlight shone in through his bedroom window, Miles lay with Annabelle’s soft, naked body curled against him and for the first time in far too long, he allowed himself to feel true happiness.
But that happiness couldn’t last long, not when the terror of losing her the same way he lost his wife was a constant worry at the back of his mind. Still, he reasoned with himself as he teetered on the edge of slumber, she was growing and she was getting stronger. Maybe she really could fight the fame monster and win. Nothing would please him more, especially if he got to be there with her, every step of the way.
Chapter 10
Seven Shades of Hell
Anna groaned as she reached a hand out of Miles’s bed to fish her phone out of her bag. The constant beep from the awaiting text woke her from a blissful dream involving Miles, a bed, and an unlimited supply of contraceptives. Her fingers found the phone just as Miles pulled her back to his side.
“Good morning,” he whispered into her hair, his voice thick with sleep.
“Mornin’.” She sighed and retrieved the text.
Take the day off Anna. U deserve it. Safri x
The cobwebs cleared from her brain and she brightened immediately. She turned to give Miles his first kiss of the day. His lips moved with slow deliberation against hers and she shivered all over.
“What are you looking so happy about?” he asked when she broke away, his lips curved in a wry, sleepy smile.
“Look.” Anna handed her phone to Miles. His smile grew as he read it.
“I think I’ll give Kev the day off too.” He picked his phone up off the bedside cabinet and his thumbs hit the screen expertly before he returned it to the table. “Any plans for the day, Miss MacIntosh?” Anna shook her head and pretended to pout. Miles laughed. “How about a day in bed?”
Now that sounded like a good way to spend the day. Before she could answer, his mouth was on the swollen peak of her nipple, lapping and caressing. She gasped and fisted her hands in his hair.
Every time he touched her, he lit a fire at her center that raged through her entire body. Heat pooled between her thighs and her nub swelled and throbbed at her core. She wanted his touch there, but she also wanted to make him feel like she did. She felt their time together was slipping away and she wanted to experience as much of him as she could. Recently, she felt like a drowning woman trying desperately to gulp in her last breath of air—time with him being more necessary than oxygen.
Anna used her hold on his hair to pull him away from her breast. His brows drew together questioningly, but before he could speak she pushed at his shoulders, rolling him onto his back. “It’s my turn,” she said by way of explanation, and his answering grin melted her heart.
She kissed her way down his lean torso, pausing briefly to flick her tongue across his nipples, drawing a growl-like moan from him. Her fingers lightly traced the grooves of his abs, raising goose pimples in their wake.
The taste of salt and man drove her further down until she reached his groin. She’d never seen anything quite like the erection standing tall and proud before her. Jess had discussed parts of the male anatomy with her before and by her descriptions, Miles was definitely above average in both length and width.
A small bead of moisture budded on the tip and Anna bent her head over him, flicking her tongue out and sweeping it away. Tasting him was like taking ten female Viagras for the effect it had on her body. Her nipples tightened and her core throbbed. Arousal licked through her veins, driving her insides wild with need.
Doing her best to ignore the carnal feelings playing havoc with her body, Anna encircled the powerful erection in her palm and dipped her head down again to swirl her tongue around the tip.
Miles groaned again and threaded his fingers into her hair, massaging her scalp. Shivers of pleasure skittered down her spine. As his breathing quickened, a feeling of empowerment washed over her, giving her the courage to try more. She slid her hand up and down the velvet skin of his shaft and took him further into her mouth.
“Annabelle…wait,” he gasped and gently pulled her head back.
“Am I doing it wrong?” Blood boiled in her cheeks, and she felt silly for even attempting such a thing. She wanted to give him as much pleasure as he gave her, but it was clear she’d have to learn how. At that moment, she wished she was more experienced, more confident. Someone like Safri, who always seemed so artfully sexy.
“No, of course not!” He sat up and planted a quick kiss on her forehead. “If you kept doing that, this would be over a lot quicker than I’d like.”
Oh. Oh!
Without giving her time to consider the idea that she could pleasure him, Miles maneuvered her onto her back and affixed his lips to the pulse point at her throat.
Fiery shards blazed through her senses and Anna’s mind went blank. His lips caressed every inch of skin on her body, teasing every nerve ending into a frenzy. The heat swirling at the bottom of her stomach raged out of control, and she couldn’t allow this torture to continue for much longer.
“Miles, I need…”
His mouth came down on hers, silencing her broken plea, and he settled himself between her thighs. He reached for the bedside drawer and she grunted her frustration beneath him. What on earth was he doing? Couldn’t he see she was about to spontaneously combust?
He pulled away briefly and sheathed himself.
She’d forgotten about the condoms.
Finally, he positioned himself at her entrance and slid into her welcoming heat. Anna pushed her hips toward him in jerky, needy motions. The fire was burning hotter and the pleasure-pain sensation was swirling furiously at her core.
Miles slid his hand between their sweat slicked bodies and caressed the sensitive flesh between her thighs with his skilled fingers. All the pleasure, all the pain and the fire exploded through her with the force of a wrecking ball.
When her body stopped convulsing, she noted Miles had stopped moving. He looked down at her with a rigid jaw and a wry smile. “Better?” he asked in a teasing tone.
Her grin must have stretched from ear to ear. “Definitely.”
Anna closed her eyes as he began rocking his hips, almost lethargically. Warm lips brushed each of her eyelids. “Open your eyes, Annabelle,” Miles urged, his voice so seductively sexy that she couldn’t not obey.
When she did, her breath escaped in a gasp. Though his jaw was rigid with iron-clad control, his eyes were op
en and full of an emotion which reached deep into her soul. The softness and depth of the feelings she saw there held her gaze transfixed while he rocked into her, driving the dim fire inside her into a smoldering heat. Maybe his feelings for her were growing. But into what? Love?
Surrounded by his masculine scent and velvet skin, Anna’s orgasm built with a slow intensity. When she shattered around him, pulling him over into oblivion with her, she held his intense gaze with her own and felt him ingrain himself in her heart, where she was sure he’d always remain.
* * * *
“I can’t believe you made me get up,” Anna grumbled before biting the tip off a slice of pizza. The taste of pepperoni and mushroom was lush, but paled in comparison to the taste of him.
His laughter set shivers through her raw nerve endings. “We have to eat,” Miles pointed out. He shoved the last of yet another slice of pizza into his mouth.
Where did he put it all? Anna swept her gaze over his tall, lean frame and wondered how he wasn’t as chubby as her with all the pizza he was munching. She only had one slice so far and knew it would go straight to her hips. Everything that entered her mouth always did.
She sighed and put the remainder of the second slice back in the box. Miles had ordered the pizza from a local Italian restaurant around the corner from his flat. It was delicious, but saturated fat on carbs was the last thing she needed. She eyed the slice woefully before returning her attention to Miles. He was watching her intently.
“Not hungry?”
Anna shook her head, and his brows furrowed. Before he could push the subject, she distracted him. “What are we doing tonight?”
For a moment he looked taken aback. “What would you like to do?”
Anna paused to consider that. They’d spent all morning—and most of the afternoon—in bed learning every sensitive spot and erogenous zone on each other’s bodies. He fried some bacon for breakfast to regain their strength sometime around noon.
They also had an adventure or two in the shower. She honestly didn’t think she had the energy for more of the same, but just thinking about the morning they’d spent had her insides turning to jelly and sexual anticipation soaking her knickers.
But there was this increasing urgency she felt, like they were trying to get as much of one another as they could before it was too late. It was making her edgy, and honestly, a little scared. Although she thought she’d seen a flash of deep emotion in his eyes when they made love, she still felt like their affair had an unspoken expiration date.
Not to mention the gnawing feeling eating at her stomach that something else was wrong. Only what, she had no idea.
A loud rap at the door made her jump, and Miles rose to answer it.
He returned to the living room with a scrawny man who barely filled his pinstripe suit. His hair looked like he’d run his hands through it all day and his tie hung loose around his neck. A stash of newspapers were tucked beneath his right arm.
“Annabelle, this is my assistant, James.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Anna greeted him.
“And you.” The man bent over at the waist in a sort of awkward bow before turning back to Miles. “Boss, I’ve been trying to call you all day.” He threw the newspapers down on the table. Anna froze when she saw a picture of her and Miles, walking out of the restaurant they’d visited last night, hand in hand.
“Ahh.” Miles picked up the top paper and skimmed the article. He shrugged awkwardly and tossed the paper back on the coffee table. Only a slight tightening of his eyes made her wonder if he really felt as casual about the news as he was acting. “Was bound to happen sooner or later. Are you okay?” he asked Anna.
Again warmth filled her chest and her heart fluttered uselessly. Even though this could cause him all sorts of problems, he was more worried about how it was affecting her.
“I’m great,” she said with growing enthusiasm.
“You’re not mad? Won’t this affect the competition?” James asked, sounding stunned.
“Of course I’m not mad.” Miles looked at his assistant incredulously. “Besides, they aren’t making a huge deal about it from what I can see. Was that all?”
“I have, uh, other news for you. Perhaps we could talk in private.”
Miles darted a look at Anna and she thought she saw guilt sweep across his features for the briefest second. “Sure, James, we can talk in the hall. Annabelle, this won’t take long.” He bent down, brushing a kiss on the top of her head before disappearing outside with James.
Unease swirled around in her stomach. Something wasn’t right, she could sense it. He blew off the story too smoothly. Anna shook her head and rose to clear the pizza box from the table to distract herself. As she reached for it, a picture in one of the tabloids caught her eye.
Miles was dressed in a prim looking suit—more polished than she’d ever seen him—and the woman on his arm was a gorgeous brunette. With heels, she was only an inch shorter than Miles with long dark hair, expertly styled, and a slim willowy figure. It was Miles’s wife Cassie. She recognized the woman from her research the other week.
But more than the picture caught her eye. The caption beneath shocked her to the core, stealing her breath and making her stomach drop to the soles of her feet.
Is Miles Slumming it with the Heifer?
Tears burned in her eyes as she read the vicious article. It slated her weight and her poverty stricken roots. As if that wasn’t enough insults, they compared her with Cassie and questioned what had gotten into the music mogul that he’d lowered himself to slumming it with the plainest contestant on the show.
She only made it halfway through the article before her hands were trembling and her vision blurry. She dropped the paper back on the coffee table, knowing it was no use trying to read it. The tears flowed freely down her cheeks and she bent forward, leaning her head into her hands.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” She felt Miles pull her toward him, and she sobbed onto his designer t-shirt, leaving it tear-stained and quite possibly ruined.
“Annabelle, talk to me.” Anxious hands ran over her back, trying to soothe, but all she could see were the horrible words. They’d really gone to town tearing her apart. What on earth had she done to offend them?
Miles pulled her down to the sofa and cradled her in his lap, all the while stroking her back, her hair, and murmuring reassuring words. She couldn’t bear it anymore. All her hard work, all her fear, her hope, her iron-clad determination, and all the effort to make herself strong over these last few weeks could be ruined by one article.
Then there were her feelings for Miles himself. Such powerful, all-consuming feelings with passion, carnal desire, and a love she’d never before known. Now reality hit home. Hard.
What was he doing with her?
“Please, tell me what’s wrong?” His broken plea sobered her a bit, but she knew she was nowhere near finished crying yet.
Anna reached over and pulled the paper from the table, handing it to him wordlessly. She rose from his lap and walked over to the window, staring out at the warm evening sun casting over the busy streets below. It was silent for a moment, then she heard the sound of paper rustling.
A string of creative insults and profanities poured from Miles’s mouth, each one laced with venom and she turned to him, her still damp eyes wide with shock. She’d never heard anyone use that language, especially all at the same time.
His face flamed with anger and his jaw was so rigid she was sure he’d worn down some of his back teeth. Once he’d finished with the paper, he tore it up violently and threw the shredded strips onto the wooden floor. He rose from the sofa and looked at her, the raw terror in his eyes overshadowing his anger.
“It’s only words, words of a…well, you already know what I think of him.” He was in front of her in a second, his eyes pleading. “Don’t listen to it. It’s a load of rubbish.”
Anna leaned into his chest, salty water still running down her face. “It’s true,” sh
e sobbed.
What was she doing? Didn’t she spend Friday evening insisting she was strong? If she couldn’t hold it together after one bad article, how would she convince him she’d be able to do it for the rest of her life?
His hands circled her upper arms and he pushed her back to glare at her. “No. It’s. Not. You’re the sexiest woman I know. On top of that you’re kind, caring, and good to the core.”
But there was something she couldn’t quite identify shadowing his expression and she wondered if he truly meant what he said. Unable to deal with anything else right now, she broke away from his hold and went to collect her things from his room.
“Annabelle, where are you going?” He was right behind her, but she didn’t turn back.
Everyone she knew called her Anna, a shortened version of her name. Jess claimed it was because her full name was a mouthful. Miles had never called her just Anna. She’d secretly hoped it was because he cared about her enough to make the effort to recite her full name, but that wasn’t important now. She needed to get out of there before she did something stupid.
Like breaking down in front of him.
Anna swiped her bag off the floor at the side of the bed and took one last look at his bedroom. It was such a guy room, with a dark blue paint job, basic furniture—no doubt from somewhere like John Lewis—and a massive king-sized bed with blue silk sheets which were rumpled and smelled of both their scents mingled with the faint sweaty aroma of sex.
More tears filled her eyes and she shook her head, hoping to pull herself together enough so he would let her leave.
When she turned, she saw Miles blocking the doorway. He wasn’t going to let her go quietly. She was about to fall to pieces and he was going to make her do it here. Surely he’d throw her out of his life for good if he saw that?
“Miles, let me go,” she managed to choke out.
“No.”
His jaw was set and his eyes were wide, like he was terrified of her—or for her. Either way, she didn’t have time to lie and tell him she was fine. She had to get away so she could sort herself out. Then she’d figure out what she was going to do.
