by Raina Wilde
“I don’t try to be.” His brow furrowed. He had clearly never considered this before.
“I know.” she placed a hand along the side of his face, “I think that is the best part.”
Drew placed his hand over Neelia’s and whispered her name. She could tell that it was a plea not to test his limits. She could see that the struggle to keep his distance had been wearing on him all evening and yet, she very much wanted to see what would happen if he let go.
Neelia leaned forward and pressed her lips against Drew’s. She knew exactly what message she was sending him, but could not bring herself to feel that it was wrong. Everything about connecting with this man suddenly felt right. It was difficult to remember the negative feelings that she had harbored for him only five days before. It seemed as if months of understanding had finally been made clear to her in a sudden revelation that had shocked her to the core.
Neelia wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself into his lap. She knew that Drew would honor his promise unless she made it perfectly clear that she was receptive to his advances. She felt his arms slide around her waist and settle on the curve of her lower back. Neelia pressed herself against him, her breasts crushed against his chest. She could feel his growing need pressing beneath her.
As she slipped her tongue into his mouth Drew released a sound that was a mixture of groan and growl. His vocalization exactly matched the raging desire that was coursing through her veins.
Neelia grasped the hem of his shirt and pulled it up over his head. She needed to feel their skin against each other. When she pulled her own tank top off Drew pulled back to stare at her body. His hands rose to her breasts and cupped her full bra. His thumbs stroked the mounds that rose and fell with her gasping breath. Never once did Drew look away.
“You have the most beautiful skin.” He muttered, more to himself than to her, she realized. His fingers trailed over her smooth shoulders, down her arms and over her stomach before coming to rest once again at her breasts. He raised his eyes to Neelia’s “I could look at it all day.”
Neelia smiled. This subtle worship of her body was something that she could get used to, and she did not want it to stop. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against the hollow of his neck. She could see the pulse beating fiercely against the skin.
“Would you mind if I stayed the night?” she spoke against his skin.
Drew exhaled. “I would love it if you stayed the night, Neelia.” The way he said her name sent shivers down Neelia’s spine. With a quick flick of the wrist he released her bra, peeling it from her body and allowing it to fall somewhere on the floor behind her. Neelia finally pressed herself against his firm chest, the blending of their bodies creating the sensation of rippling silk. A chill of excitement raced through her, causing the peaks of her breasts to contract. Drew hummed against her mouth. Whatever words he had been attempting to say were swallowed by Neelia’s kiss.
When her hand slipped down between them to rest against him, Drew’s reaction was instantaneous. He slipped an arm beneath her knees and shot off the couch, carrying Neelia with purposeful strides down the hallway and to his bedroom.
He set Neelia down carefully on the edge of the bed. In moments they were both devoid of clothing. Neelia giggled at the barely contained control that she saw on Drew’s face. He was reigning himself in for her sake, but she could tell that this moment was something that he had been wanting for a long time. It occurred to her that a part of her had been anticipating it as well. Even from the time of Hillary and Jake’s wedding the sexual tension that sparked between them had been immeasurable.
Neelia lay back against the pillows and took in the glorious view of the man approaching her. His skin was gently tanned from the summer sun, his muscles defined like some ancient hero of legend, and his engorged manhood stood before her in all its glory.
He joined her on the bed, pressing the front of his body against the length of her side. His fingers trailed lazy circles across her skin sending tendrils of heat to the center of her body. Their gazes collided when his hand came to rest at the joining of her legs. He paused, waiting for any sign of her discomfort. Instead, she leaned toward him and brought their mouths together with a passion that left him smiling against her mouth.
Neelia pressed her body against his hand. She could not help it. As his fingers danced against her warmth Neelia found her hips searching for more, searching for what she knew was to come.
When his finger slipped inside of her, Neelia threw her head back and gasped. She had never felt intensity quite like this moment. Her body was torn between the desire to allow him to continue and the need to shout that the sensation was too much for her to handle. When his mouth bent to cover her breast, Neelia could no longer contain the quiet sounds that were slipping past her lips.
His mouth transitioned to her other breast and Neelia, lost in the passion of the moment, cried out his name.
“Now.” She begged. Drew lifted his head to kiss her once more. “Drew, now.” She commanded, giving him a look that clearly stated that she was on the verge of losing control. He sheathed himself from the nightstand and positioned himself with his body suspended above her, the edge of his erection pressed against the heat of her center.
“You’re sure?” he looked into her eyes.
Neelia lifted her legs to wrap them around his waist, increasing the pressure between their bodies.
“I’ve never been more certain in my life.” She replied.
Drew’s mouth descended upon her at the very same moment that he eased inside of her. They both released a breath of air as the full length of their bodies collided. The connection was unlike anything that Neelia had experienced and she would guess, from the groan of pleasure elicited from her partner, that he was experiencing much the same reaction.
Neelia had the sudden realization that she had grown to love this man. Her heart urged her to utter the words that she had never spoken to a lover before. Her mind put a halt to the action in time for her to experience the gentle rhythm of their lovemaking, sending them both over the edge of an uncontrollable climax.
Neelia did not know what to expect from Drew after their lovemaking. She had been so floored by her realization that she had kept painfully quiet afterward. For a moment she considered returning to Hillary’s house. She was afraid of overwhelming Drew with the magnitude of her emotion, unsure of her ability to hide the truth for very long.
She had almost decided to leave when Drew wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close against his body. He nuzzled the back of her neck and mumbled something about her hair smelling wonderful, before they both drifted off to sleep.
The next morning Neelia awoke feeling slightly tender from their repeated lovemaking. She hung in the pleasant space between dream and reality, basking in the warmth created by Drew’s larger body.
As her brain lit on a thought, Neelia sat up with a jolt and a gasp. Her hand covered her mouth and she stared down at Drew who was watching her with an amused expression.
“What are we going to tell Hillary and your brother about where I’ve been all night?” Neelia muttered from behind her hand.
Drew pulled her back down, now facing him, and wrapped his arms around her.
“Would it be such a bad thing to say that you were with me?” The kisses that he was trailing along her neck were distracting Neelia from the problem at hand.
“I’m a journalist, and you are my subject.” She giggled as the shadow of his facial hair tickled her skin.
Drew leaned back and stared at her with a suddenly serious look.
“Does that change the truth? Would it affect the way that you write?” He asked.
“No.” Neelia admitted. It pleased her that he trusted that her story would not be swayed by their relationship.
“Good.” He returned to his trail of kisses. “Then we can say that you were with me and that you plan on staying here every night.”
“Every night until I leave
” she giggled again. His hands had now joined in roaming over the sensitive areas of her skin.
“Hmm,” he hummed against her breast, “Only if I fail at convincing you to stay indefinitely.” He nipped at her skin with a playful tug that turned their laughter into passion very quickly. Neelia only had a moment to wonder if he had been serious.
***
The next few days were a blur of happiness for Neelia. She spent the daytime writing and researching her article and the nighttime wrapped in the warm embraces of Drew Matherson. The newlyweds were not the least bit surprised at the turn of events. In fact, they seemed to have expected the couple to come to this conclusion as the looks of I told you so passed from wife to husband with a knowing smile. Drew did convince her to extend her stay for an additional week, though indefinitely had not yet been discussed.
The story was coming along beautifully. She had already received dozens of email responses to her letters, confirming the statements from MaryAnn’s tour. It had all the workings of a major award-winning piece. On Monday morning Neelia sent an outline to her editor, promising a final draft in the days to come.
Tuesday morning Drew crawled out of bed and left for work, as usual, promising Neelia that he would be back in time for dinner with Hillary and Jake. There had been no indication that the day would go any differently than those before.
At noon, Drew arrived back at his house, where Neelia had been working diligently on her final draft. His face was ashen and a look of utter disbelief had shadowed his features.
Neelia rushed over to him immediately.
“What’s wrong?” She asked, running her hands down his arms. She was not sure what to do or how to help but she had never before seen Drew in this state.
He turned his head toward her, his eyebrows drawn together. Without saying a word he held up a rolled newspaper and handed it to Neelia.
Preparing herself for another interview from the theatrical ex-girlfriend, Neelia shrugged. She knew that her own article would counteract any malicious intent from Melina’s front, though she and Drew had not discussed her work, having agreed to keep a distance between their professional and personal relationships.
She read the heading.
Award Winning Journalist Neelia Jones Writes Exposé: The Terror Behind Matherson Developments.
“What’s this?” she asked, thoroughly confused.
“I’d like to ask you the same question.” Drew stepped away from her.
“Well, this isn’t our publication so I’m not sure what to tell you.” she did not understand why he was so upset. This was clearly a fabricated article.
“How do they even know that you are writing an article? You told me it was being kept quiet until it went to print.” That was a good question, Neelia conceded.
“I’m honestly not sure. But,” she had been about to say that it didn’t matter because her article was nothing of the sort when Drew cut her off.
“Is this a joke?” his whisper was so soft that he might as well have shouted.
“Drew, I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“I knew you hated me in the beginning, but I honestly thought we had gotten past all of that.” He accused. “Is this some ploy to punish me because we didn’t get along at first? Were you just pretending the entire time that you were sleeping with me?”
Neelia’s jaw dropped. She could not believe what she was hearing. She was so stunned that she could not even formulate a response before he plunged onward.
“Here I was thinking that I was in love with you, and you are writing some cock-and-bull story just like the rest of them.” He threw up his hands when Neelia made a grab for his arm. “I wouldn’t even care if it was true, but its not and you know it, Neelia!” Now he was shouting. Neelia stammered to try to explain but she couldn’t get a word in edgewise. The small part of her heart that had soared when he had said that he loved her was instantly crushed by the realization that he thought her capable of utter betrayal, and lies.
“How dare you!” she yelled back him. “How dare you insult my writing. As if I would ever concoct some sensationalist story out of spite. If that is really what you think of me then you don’t know me at all.”
Neelia threw the paper down at his feet, grabbed her purse and stormed out the door. She made a quick call to Hillary apologizing about her sudden departure and requesting that her things be sent on to Neelia’s New York apartment. It was not until she hung up the phone, and was on her way to the airport, that Neelia let the tears fall.
***
Two days later her article was published. Her editor had discovered that his secretary was selling information to a competitor, explaining how they had been aware of an article but not its contents. Assuming that Neelia was conforming to the other journalist’s techniques they had assumed that she was attempting to take down the real estate giant once and for all.
Neelia could not bring herself to answer her phone on the day of publication. Part of her feared that the caller might be Drew and she knew that she did not have the strength to speak with him. For the entire day she allowed her phone to ring, the list of messages from her secretary piling up at an astronomical rate. Neelia did not read those either. She did not want to know. When Friday rolled around, Neelia was still avoiding her telephone. She promised herself that she would deal with the growing pile of messages on Monday and headed home for the weekend.
When she arrived at her apartment Neelia was surprised to see Drew waiting on the steps outside of the main door.
“Your doorman wouldn’t let me in.” He sighed. The doorman would have left for the night almost an hour ago.
“Smart man. I’ll have to remember to thank him.” she jabbed.
“Neelia, I’ve left you at least fifty messages. Please, just give me a chance to talk to you.” Drew stood up and followed her to the door that she was currently unlocking.
“Like you gave me a chance to explain?”
“I’m so sorry about that.” He ran a hand over his face. “Please let me apologize.”
She knew that she was being purposely argumentative, but his rumpled hair and frazzled demeanor were simply too cute of a combination. Her heart went out to the man that she loved, despite Neelia’s best efforts to hang on to her anger.
Neelia held the door open for him to pass.
They rode the elevator to her apartment in silence. Neelia berated herself for being excited that he was here. She very badly wanted to stay mad at him. The fact that he was here could only mean that he was ready to acknowledge that he had been wrong. Was she ready to forgive him? Neelia’s heart had already decided but her mind was putting up a good fight.
She stomped into her home and turned on him like an angry viper, ready to strike.
“Well?” she demanded.
Drew took a step toward her, stopping only when she held her hand out to halt his progress. She could tell that he wanted to touch her. The truth was, she wanted to touch him too, but she knew that even the slightest contact would destroy the last of her weakening defenses.
“I have absolutely no explanation for my behavior.” He sighed. “I was so certain that there was no possible way that you could feel as strongly as I do in such a short time and…” He began to pace across the small rug at the entrance. “I guess that I was worried that it must all be too good to be true.”
Neelia stared at him. She bit the inside of her cheeks to keep from telling him the words that had been trying to escape her from the moment that she saw him sitting on the stone steps.
“I never should have doubted your intentions. I do know you better than that, despite what you may think. I knew from the beginning that no matter what your feelings were you would only write what you had determined to be the truth.” Drew pulled a newspaper from the pocket of his jacket. “It’s a beautiful article and it tells more truth than I think I even realized that there was to tell.” He hung his head. “I don’t know what to say that can make this better except that
I have been miserable without you in my home. I want you there with me, every day. I know that you have a career and I am not asking you to change that. I don’t care if it means that I need to move to this tin can of a city as long as I can wake up next to you every day. Neelia, I’m so sorry.”
She realized that her eyes were welling up. Drew stepped forward and tentatively placed his arms around her shoulders. When she did not pull away, but leaned against him, he tightened his embrace and pressed his face against her hair.
“I love you.” he whispered into her tresses.
Neelia lifted her head to look into Drew’s magnificent blue eyes.
“I love you too.” She whispered in response.
His mouth descended upon hers and they shared in a kiss that had the power to communicate all of the emotions that their words were unable to describe.
THE END
Midnight in Monaco
Lydia Berkshire evaluated her reflection in the mirror. The satin gown pooled around her ankles in emerald waves as she stepped into the stiletto heels that rested on the plush white carpet of the hotel suite. The additional height lifted the fabric to skim just above the floor and allowed the risqué slit to peek open to the knee, though when she walked it would expose skin as far reaching as mid-thigh.
She adjusted the wide, square neckline over her breasts. The design of the gown lifted and cupped her body in a way that left no need for a bra. In fact, with her back exposed to the base of her rib cage, there was no opportunity for the undergarment had she wanted one. She smoothed her hands over her trim waist and turned to ensure that the seamless lines of her underwear left no traces of their existence.
She added an extremely thin silver chained necklace with a many-faceted diamond and a bold cuff bracelet before deciding that her outfit was the picture of perfection. She needed to be perfect tonight, she reminded herself. Her livelihood depended on it.
Lydia tucked a stray auburn curl behind her ear, grabbed her emerald studded clutch, and headed down to the lobby where her driver would be waiting. She had worked very hard to get where she was today. As a world traveling investment consultant she rubbed elbows with some of the most elite names in international business. She was on the prowl for investors for her most recent project, and Monaco was the place to find investors. The Monte Carlo Casino was where she would start, meeting and greeting some of the highest stakes gamblers; the type of men who would not blink an eye at throwing millions of dollars at her clients, the type of men who might have need of her skills for their own endeavors and investments.
