“I was going to ask you how you were feeling about being here, but I think I have my answer.”
“You weren’t about to kiss me?”
Whoops.
“I wasn’t going to push my luck, but it seems to have worked out.”
She opened her mouth to explain herself, but his lips were already on hers, his free hand taking one of her hands and threading his fingers with hers. She leaned into him until their knees touched, opening her mouth to him when he deepened the kiss.
This time, she was the first to pull away, her breath coming in quick gasps, her excitement almost overwhelming her. She looked over her shoulder at the window between the back of the limo and the driver. It was up, but her gaze still lingered as she scrutinized the area around it.
“There are no cameras and there’s no speaker unless I hit the button.”
She looked at him, smiling shyly at being caught, then turned to look out the window.
“I want to see everything; can we open the sunroof?”
He hit a button and the roof opened up.
“It’s a panoramic roof,” he said when she watched it expose almost the entire roof of the car.
“This is amazing.”
She stood and he moved in behind her, pulling her against him so she was steady as the driver made his way around the bay toward the entrance to the I-5 North.
“What is that?” she said, pointing to a large, wooden ship stained dark with time.
“That’s the Star of India. A lot of these boats on this side of the bay are floating museums and restaurants. If you want, we can spend some time exploring this area before you leave.”
“I would love that.” She pointed west. “I’ve seen that bridge in postcards. What’s that city over there?”
“Coronado. There are some excellent restaurants there, as well as the Hotel Del Coronado.”
“Where the president stayed?”
“Which one?” he laughed. “Quite a few of them have stayed there. There’s a lot of San Diego that you need to see, but some of the most beautiful hotels and buildings you’ll see at the fundraisers we’ll attend. See that cruise ship right there? The Hornblower? That ship only sails in the bay. One of the fundraisers takes place on the ship at sunset, and you’ll get to see even more of the city than you can right now.”
“Are we getting on the freeway?”
“We are,” he said, pulling her down gently but leaving the roof open. “La Jolla is part of San Diego, but it’s a little way north of here. Luckily rush hour traffic is over and we won’t be delayed. We should get there in about twenty minutes.”
“The city is so big.”
“San Diego is a different sort of place. The city itself is in several parts of the county, connected by suburbs and communities that have their own names and personalities. When most people say that they’re from San Diego, they’re really talking about the county, which is huge. When we’re speaking to other San Diegans, we refer to our individual communities, but outside of here, it’s easier to say, ‘San Diego’ than to explain the difference between Imperial Beach and Pacific Beach. It’s all San Diego, but like the other communities, La Jolla has its own vibe and its own unique flavor.”
“I’ve never lived anywhere with a vibe,” she said, sitting up so she could watch the coastline and the businesses that lined the freeway. “This is all so amazing.”
“I’m glad you like it so far. Sometimes it’s hard to make the adjustment from a small town to the city.”
“I told you I’m from Chicago, right?” she said without taking her eyes off the sights around them.
“You did, but you also told me that you moved to Iowa pretty early in your life and that you’ve lived there ever since.”
“That’s true, but I’m not a country bumpkin.”
“You can take the girl outta the hood,” he said, chuckling.
“Where did you hear that?” she asked, rolling her eyes.
“Is it wrong?”
She shrugged.
“I don’t know. I don’t feel ‘hood’ but I don’t feel ‘country.’”
“Maybe that’s because you haven’t found a place to call home yet.”
“That could be it. I know I’m going to love living here for a few months. It’s already warmer than October in Iowa.”
“You can stay longer if you want.”
“I know that, and thank you. Right now, I want to stick with our initial agreement. I don’t want to make promises, and I don’t want you to make promises that we both might not be able to keep. I know you mean what you say; I just think it’s best if we see how the next few weeks go before we think about three months from now.”
“Sounds like a solid plan.”
“I’m glad that—” she cut off mid-sentence. “Is that you?” she asked, pointing at a huge billboard on the side of the freeway.
“It is.”
“Is that one of the billboards you were talking about?”
“Yes. I thought we could change it up a bit and instead of just me, you could play the satisfied homebuyer.”
“That sounds great.”
“We’ll do a few different takes on that scenario and we’ll pick the three best ones to put on the billboards. That way, the faces are familiar, but the scenes are different and catch the driver’s eye.”
“I can’t wait.”
“I’m glad you said that, because I was hoping we could do the shoot at the end of the week sometime. Or next week if you’re not recovered from your flight out here.”
“Recovered?” she laughed. “I slept the whole way here. It was amazing.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. Well, then we’ll sit down tomorrow and figure out our schedule.”
The limo slowed down, then stopped while the driver rolled down the window and gave the security guard at the gate an address on Neptune Place.
“Are we here?”
“Almost. This is the exclusive part of La Jolla, and a few years ago they put in a guard shack to make it harder for partiers to crash the private beaches and paparazzi to get in to harass the celebrities that occasionally rent beach houses.”
“That sounds exciting.”
“It’s not as exciting as you would think,” he quipped. “And our biggest problem is young adults—and I use that term loosely—breaking into vacant houses and holding huge parties.”
“What about your place?”
“I live at the very end of a cul-de-sac and we have to pass through another gate to access that final half-mile stretch of the neighborhood. I haven’t had a problem yet.”
“What about the other side of your part of the beach?”
“I own a mile that stretched out from the property line south of me to the north. North of my beach is a sanctuary for seabird nesting. So, there isn’t really much on the other side of me.”
“And this isn’t your main residence?”
“No,” he laughed. “This place is a little two-story bungalow on the beach. It only has five rooms, but you’re going to love the walls.”
“Only five rooms,” she teased. “What am I going to love about the walls?”
“All four outside walls are one-way glass. So, you can see out, but no one can see in. There’s even a screened-in deck with a small table and a bed.”
“It sounds like paradise,” she said.
“There it is,” he pointed.
She stared in awe at the beautiful house walled entirely in a thick, blue glass that was almost the same shade as the ocean beyond. Her mouth dropped open and she looked at him in shock.
“That’s not a little two-story bungalow,” she said. “That is a dream come true.”
Chapter3
“That was delicious,” Kelissa said, pushing her plate away and taking a sip of her rosé. “Thank you for a lovely dinner.”
He smiled, watching her over his glass as he took a sip of his drink.
“What?” she asked, smiling shyly.
�
�You’re just so beautiful,” he said. “But it’s more than that. You’re smart and funny, and a much better dinner conversationalist than I imagined. I’m looking forward to you giving those windbags I always end up sharing a table with a run for their money.”
“Thanks,” she said. “I decided a long time ago I wanted to use my modeling for more than just lining my pockets. I want to make a difference.”
“That’s noble,” he said. “And not something most people in your position think about.”
“And what position is that?”
“On the brink of being discovered. Living the moment that you will look back on and realize changed everything. Most people in your position would worry about how that eminent success can make them the most money. And they’d be worried about how many parties they can attend before their career fizzles.”
“I’m not interested in a fizzling career.”
“That’s smart. You have a good head on your shoulders. Before you ask, the money should be in your account.” He gestured at her phone. “It’s alright if you want to check. I would prefer it if you did, just to make sure the money is in there already.”
She opened her phone, checking her account and taking a deep breath when her balance loaded, and the numbers were there, staring back at her.
“Is everything alright?”
“It is,” she said. “I’ve just never had that much money in my account at once. And even if I did, it would only be because it was time to pay bills.”
“Well, your bills are paid for, as promised.”
“Thank you. It will be nice not to worry about paying them until next month.”
He shook his head.
“I paid your bills for the next six months.”
Her mouth dropped open.
“Why did you do that?”
“That’s part of our deal; I would pay your living expenses in addition to the ten thousand I pay you per month and your wardrobe. The contract is only for three months, but after I thought about it for a little while, I realized if you went home at the end of three months that you would really need a grace period to get back on your feet. Oh, and I got you one more thing.” He slid a flat piece of paper across the table. “This is a round-trip voucher for a First-Class seat anywhere in the United States and Canada. You can use it any time if you want to leave, or just go home and visit your dad, or you can use it for a vacation. It’s up to you. It doesn’t expire, and it’s under your name so even if you lose the paper, they can look it up.”
“Why are you giving this to me?”
“Because I want you to have choices. I don’t want you staying here because you have to pay the bills, or because you don’t have a way to get home. I want to make sure that every possibility is covered so you stay here for the right reasons.”
“And what reasons are those?”
“Because you’re having fun. Because you enjoy the work. Because being here benefits you as much as it benefits me.” He leaned forward and winked at her, a mischievous smile on his face. “Or because you’ve fallen madly in love with me and you want to stay here forever.”
She laughed because she knew he was joking about the last reason. They were on the same page about that, and she knew that her little crush on him wasn’t more than just puppy love and a whole lot of gratitude. He was changing her life, and for no other reason than because he wanted to.
Maybe she was naïve to believe that, but he seemed more than genuine, and he had an amazing reputation both in the business world and his personal relationships. No one had ever had a bad thing to say about David Roger. He was almost too good to be real. But he was very real, and he was sitting across from her, watching her with that smoldering look she knew he used to sell mansions. He was a man who knew his own power, and Kelissa found that incredibly sexy.
He reached across the table and squeezed her hand, then looked beyond her and motioned toward the stairs that led to the sand.
“It’s going to get chilly fast now that the sun is down. Want to take advantage of the last of the light and take a walk on the beach.”
“I need to change my shoes.”
“You don’t wear shoes on the beach. Leave them here.”
“Can we get our feet wet?”
“Of course. We can take a quick swim if you want.”
He waited for her to slip off her sandals, then took her hand, leading her down the steps and onto the sand. It was warm against her bare feet, the heat just hot enough to be soothing, the late afternoon breeze comfortable.
She looked at the water as they made their way down, mesmerized by the gentle waves that crashed lazily against the shore.
“I didn’t bring a suit,” she said. “I think I’ll buy that first now that I have money to spend.”
He shook his head, a wicked smile on his lips.
“It might not be much fabric, but swimsuits are part of a model’s wardrobe, so I’ll be picking up the tab on that.”
“Don’t think that means you get to pick the suits,” she teased.
“I wouldn’t dream of thinking something so ridiculous,” he said.
He was pulling her toward the water, the sand cooler here near the water’s edge, hard-packed by the waves.
“I don’t want to get my clothes wet,” she said, grabbing the hem of the thin summer dress she’d worn to dinner and saving it from the water as it lapped at her bare feet.
“Then take them off,” he said, already shedding his pants and his shirt.
She stared at him, incredulous.
“We’re in the middle of the beach and it’s still light outside.”
“Do you see that fence there, south of us?”
“Yes?”
“That’s the property line of my only neighbor. It’s a quarter of a mile from their house.”
“Your point?”
“Do you see their house?”
“No, because the shore curves.”
“Exactly. No one can see us.”
“Are you sure?”
He was down to his boxer briefs now, his tight abs just as tan as his arms, his legs long and muscled like the rest of him. He’d been hiding a killer body underneath his clothes, and now that he was almost naked, she wanted to see the rest of him.
“I’m sure that I’ll be the only one looking.”
He made eye contact, holding her gaze as he stripped out of the last piece of fabric he wore.
She gulped, watching him as he shoved the waistband down and stepped out of his clothes, tossing the pile far from the water’s edge. He stood there, naked in the last light of day, completely at ease in his own skin.
“The water isn’t getting any warmer,” he teased.
She looked down the beach again, garnering her courage, then pulling up on the hem of her dress and throwing the flimsy garment over her head. When he saw that she wasn’t wearing a bra, he arched an eyebrow, but said nothing else.
She slid her thong off and tossed it in the pile with her dress and his clothes, then stood there, taking in the peaceful, deserted beach and the gorgeous man beside her.
“It’s liberating, isn’t it?” he said, pulling her to stand beside him as they gazed out at the horizon.
“It is,” she said. “But you promised me a swim, and I can’t wait anymore.”
Before he could react, she ran into the surf up to her waist, squealing when the icy water splashed against her bare skin. He was in the water with her moments later, grabbing her and swinging her in a circle, then pulling her close as a larger wave crashed against them.
She moved against him, their bodies already slick, waves swirling and swelling around them as they moved deeper into the water until it was up to their chests.
David smiled down at her, smoothing away a droplet of water that clung to her cheek before he kissed her. She kissed him back hungrily, pressing her naked body against him and wrapping her legs around his waist when she started to float away from him.
“You’re playing with
fire,” he growled when she brushed against his erection.
“I hope so,” she said. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a while now.”
“Have you, now?”
“Haven’t you?” she asked seductively.
“I didn’t want to get my hopes up just in case you didn’t want to mix business and pleasure.”
“We were friends long before you offered to help me.”
“True,” he said.
He pulled her close and kissed her neck, working his way down to her shoulder, then back up again. When he went deeper into the water and jumped into and over a swell with her still in his arms she squealed and held tight.
“There we go,” he said. “It isn’t too rough here.”
Now that they were beyond the breakers but still where David could reach the ground, the water was rocking them rather than pummeling them with waves every few seconds. Kelissa snuggled against him, arms and legs wrapped around him tight, eyes locked on his. She bit her lip and he held her gaze as she lowered herself onto him and took the rigid length inside her. He moaned low in his throat, the sound drowned out by the heavy waves crashing just a few feet from them.
She moved her hips, slowly at first and with the rhythm of the water that churned around them. It was still light, but the light was fading fast, leaving the sky a pale pink as the gray crept in. The salty air, the feel of the cold water in between their hot bodies, and the way she had to cling to him to ride him was everything, and she lost herself in the moment. She had been fantasizing about being in his arms for weeks, but she’d never imagined this. This was amazing.
Her head was on his shoulder now as she thrust faster, driving herself closer to orgasm. She was hot now, muscles twitching, heart racing in her ears.
He grabbed her hips then, pulling her close and burying his fingers into her soft skin. He squeezed her ass hard, finally sending her over the edge. She cried out, but her cries were swept away in the wind, her focus centered on dragging every ounce of pleasure out of their coupling.
When David finally said her name and grunted, she was almost spent. He used his hand to move her on his shaft, sending her into another wave of orgasms. She clung to him, then collapsed against him with a final sigh and a shudder.
The Billionaire From San Diego Page 3
