Читать книгу Desire Collection: November Books 1 - 4 - Charlene Sands - Страница 20

Ten

Sofia hesitated in the doorway of the suite. Not only was Eric’s room much bigger than hers was, it was much grander. There was a dining room table set for four with fine china and crystal goblets. The kitchen—not a kitchenette, but a real kitchen with full-size stainless steel appliances and granite countertops—was off to the left. She took another step in, her feet sinking into the plush carpeting. The couches in the sitting area were similar to the one in her room, but they were longer and deeper and had luxurious-looking throw pillows on them. This place was far more spacious than the apartment she’d lived in growing up.

Okay, she thought. If she had to arrange travel for Eric in the future, this was the sort of room he needed. She’d do well to keep that in mind. She was trying to be a professional here. True, a barefoot professional in a camisole, but a professional nonetheless.

Then all thoughts of professionalism came to a screeching halt when Eric appeared in a doorway across the room. He’d unbuttoned his shirt and was working his cuff links loose. Even though he had on a white T-shirt underneath, there was something about seeing him unbuttoned that sent another shiver down Sofia’s back.

Her nipples tightened underneath her camisole at the sight of him and that physical reaction had nothing to do with friendship.

She crossed her arms in front of her traitorous nipples. “So this is the kind of room you need when you travel?”

He notched an eyebrow at her, which made him look amused. “It is. In fact, when I come to St. Louis, I usually stay in this suite. I like the views of the park.” He motioned to the windows over his shoulder. Sofia had a view of buildings, but Eric had a sweeping vista of a huge green park.

“The next best thing to a view of a lake?”

His smile deepened and she got the feeling that she’d pleased him. “It is.”

They looked at each other for a moment. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do in a situation like this. After all, they weren’t acting in their capacity as boss and employee, but they weren’t quite operating within the normal bounds prescribed by “old friends,” either. She felt stuck. “I didn’t realize our rooms connected,” she said dumbly.

“I hope it’s okay with you that I opened them up?” Then he began to slide his shirt off his shoulders. No, that was not the same body she remembered from all those years ago. Eric had filled out. His white T-shirt strained across his chest and his biceps. He wasn’t overly muscled, but he wasn’t lean and lanky anymore, either. She smiled as she looked at his biceps. There was an inch of paler skin showing just below the cuff of the sleeve before his arm turned a deep golden brown. She stared in fascination at that strip of skin. Redheads with a tan were so very rare.

He was so rare.

She had no right to be in this deluxe suite with him, no right to be staring at that strip of skin. She had no right to him—but she wanted him all the same. Just for the weekend. Just for herself.

Sofia took a deep breath and let her arms fall to her side. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

His eyes darkened as his gaze fell to her breasts. Her nipples tightened even more, jutting out through the thin fabric of the camisole. She swore she heard him growl. But instead of pouncing, he said, “Feeling better?”

“A little.”

He moved closer to her and she stepped into him. They stopped just short of each other and he lifted his hand to brush her hair away from her face. “Hi,” he said softly, cupping her cheek in his palm.

She leaned into his touch. They’d spent the whole morning together, but this? She didn’t feel like she was standing in front of Eric Jenner, eligible bachelor billionaire. Without his bespoke shirts and other trappings of wealth, she was just standing with Eric, her friend. She hesitated before she jumped into the gap, resting her hands on the narrow vee of his waist. His body radiated heat underneath her hands, all the hotter now because he wasn’t wearing his jacket and shirt. “Were we going to lie down?”

“Absolutely.” He stroked his thumb over the apple of her cheek, his gaze on her lips. “Were we going to sleep?”

Heat flashed through her body, stronger and more insistent than what she’d felt in the car. Then, she’d been nervous about leaving the twins and the flight. All of that was behind her now—but the flight had left her drained. “We had a rough landing, Eric. And I don’t get to nap very much. Let me just...” She stepped in closer, her breasts pressing against his chest. Her nipples ached as they brushed against him. She leaned her head on his shoulder. Dear God, she’d missed the feeling of a man. “Will you hold me?”

His arms did not come around her and for a paralyzing second, she thought he would say no. But before she could back away, Eric bent down and swept her legs out from under her, just like Steve had done to Meryl. “Eric!”

“I’ve got you,” he said close to her ear. It was what she needed to hear. More than that, it was what she needed to believe.

And, as Eric cradled her lovingly, she did believe it. She relaxed into his arms and let him carry her weight. “Pick a room,” he told her. “Mine or yours?”

She didn’t have to think about it. “Yours.” That way, if whatever this was didn’t pan out, she could go back to her own room and not have to smell him on her pillows.

She should not be doing this but she seemed powerless to do anything but let him carry her to the very big bed. “Do you mind if I take my trousers off? I don’t want to wrinkle them.”

Such an innocent-sounding request, but there was no mistaking the fact that he’d be one step closer to naked. That didn’t stop her from saying, “Go right ahead.”

He sat her on the edge of the bed and stepped back. She looked up at him—and not at the buttons he was undoing. He paused and touched her cheek again.

She couldn’t hold back the happy sigh. It’d been so long. She knew she was being dramatic but it almost felt like her first time again—and in a way, it was. Her first time with Eric.

Everything about her wanted to reach out for him, pull him in close and trust that he would be right there if she needed him, however she needed him.

Instead, she stood and undid her own button and zipper. The white trousers were more or less a total loss—the rain had seen to that. But she needed to be close to Eric right now, needed the comfort his body could provide. What she was feeling for him wasn’t just about sex. Not entirely, anyway. It was about something more.

She tried not to stare at his bulge as he shucked his pants, but it wasn’t easy because... Oh, my.

Grinning to herself, she kicked her trousers aside and gave thanks to Clarice, who had seen fit to include undergarments in her total wardrobe makeover. Instead of the serviceable cotton she normally wore Sofia had on a pair of high-cut silk panties with lace around the waist. They were a sheer nude color, all the better to be worn under a pair of white pants—and the first thong that she had ever owned. Clarice would hear of nothing else because she claimed that a visible panty line would just ruin the look.

Sofia felt exposed and vulnerable. But it wasn’t a bad feeling, she realized. Instead of anxiety, tendrils of anticipation uncurled through her limbs, making her body feel heavy and needy.

For him. For the gorgeous man waiting for her in a very large bed. He pulled the covers back and slid in first, patting the bed beside him. “Come here.”

Sofia had not had a wild adolescence. She’d been raised in a fairly strict religious household that frowned upon casual dating and sex and besides, an accidental pregnancy would have made achieving her goals harder. She had been a virgin when she’d started dating David. She’d never been in bed with anyone else.

Except for now. Was there any turning back once she slid next to Eric and put her arms around his waist? Was there any hope of holding a part of herself back so she wouldn’t fall in love with him all over again? Because if she were lucky, this...connection would last the weekend—and not a moment longer. A weekend was long enough to have some fun and reclaim her sexuality with Eric’s help without it blowing up in her face. For a few days, she could pretend she belonged not only in his life, but in his bed.

A weekend would be enough. It had to be.

Eric’s gaze drifted over her camisole, her bare legs. His eyes darkened and he held out his hand for her and she knew there was no turning back. She scooted over to him. He pulled the covers up over them and settled her in the curve of his arm. She wrapped her own arm around his waist and slung her leg over his. And then, for the first time in what felt like months, she exhaled. “Eric...”

“Shhh,” he murmured, stroking her hair. “Just rest for a bit. I’ll be here when you wake up.” And although it didn’t seem like she would be able to—not with their bare legs intertwined, not with his arms around her—Sofia closed her eyes and drifted off, feeling safe and, somehow, that everything was going to be all right.

* * *

Eric felt the moment Sofia slipped off to sleep. Her muscles relaxed and she sank into him, warm and soft. It was strange, how easy it was to hold her like this. His body hummed at a high pitch, attuned to everything about her. The softer she got, the harder he got.

Was he preparing for one of the biggest business meetings of his career? Was he looking toward the future at all? No. Instead, all he could think about—feel—was the curve of Sofia’s breasts pressing against his side, her smooth leg thrown over his. She was wearing a see-through thong, which meant there was next to nothing between them. He could feel the heat of her body against his hip, smell the warmth of her skin.

This was torture, plain and simple. And he’d suffer it willingly because even with his dick throbbing, holding her was one of the most satisfying things he’d ever done.

How long had he told the Nortons? Two hours? It wasn’t going to be enough. It’d never be enough time, not when he was tucked into bed with Sofia, his body straining for hers. And the hell of it was, he might just keep right on straining. Just because they were half-naked and wrapped around each other didn’t mean that Sofia wanted anything else from him. She’d asked him to hold her and by God, that was what he was going to do.

Luckily, his watch was on the hand he could look at without disturbing her. Right before the bellhop had shown up with their luggage, he’d sent a quick message to the mayor’s executive assistant, stating the weather had delayed them and he would be in touch when they were able to make it. But he figured that meant he and Sofia only had an hour at most. Then they needed to get up and get changed and go back to being Mr. Jenner and Ms. Bingham, boss and office manager. And they had to stay that way until...

He mentally ran through the schedule. They had meetings with the mayor and the city planner this afternoon. This evening was a formal dinner with several members of the state government, including the lieutenant governor. Tomorrow was more meetings and site visits with negotiations. He needed Meryl to be his bulldog, Steve to convince everyone what they wanted was doable, and Sofia to be his eyes and ears. After all, this was a huge deal. St. Louis was ripe for the picking and if Eric played his cards right, he would be richer than his wildest dreams.

It was damned hard to care about that right now. He was already rich beyond his wildest dreams and following that carefully planned schedule meant he’d have to leave this room. He’d have to put distance between himself and Sofia and spend the afternoon and the next several days without holding her hand. Without touching her at all. He didn’t know how he was supposed to do that.

If Meryl and Steve weren’t here, Eric would claim the flu and cancel the whole weekend. But people depended on him. All of his employees, not to mention all of the locals he would hire for construction. He’d be sinking a lot of money into this project and it would do a lot of good. He couldn’t blow that off for something as selfish as a weekend in Sofia’s arms.

Besides, he was violating his own code of not getting involved with his employees. True, it was hard to remember that when he was with Sofia. But she did work for him. Technically, right now, they were on the clock. And mostly naked in bed together.

His last thought before he drifted off was that maybe he shouldn’t have hired her.

* * *

Eric floated in the space between awake and asleep. He couldn’t wait to get Eddy and Addy out on his boat. They might need to bring along a nanny to watch the kids. He wanted the kids to have fun, but he wanted Sofia to have a good time, too—and it might be hard to do that if she were constantly chasing after the twins. Because if the kids liked it and Sofia had a good time, then she’d come out boating with him again. And he wanted that.

How good would Sofia look on his boat, stretched out on a lounge chair, her body clad in a bikini, the sun kissing her skin like he wanted to? Instead of kissing her, he pulled her down into the cabin and stretched her out on the bed. She sighed as he put his hands on her body and the noise went straight through him. Her legs were long and shapely and he stroked his palm from her knees to her thigh and her hip and back down again. And again, and again. He couldn’t get enough of her. Maybe he never would.

As he massaged her skin, she turned into him, her body almost on top of him. Now he could reach her backside. She had a woman’s curves and all he could think was lush. Hopefully, when they woke up, he’d have a chance to do this in real life. He wanted his hands all over—not just stroking, but grabbing and feeling and knowing her, all of her.

His dream Sofia stretched against him and Eric half lifted, half rolled her onto his chest. Now he could grab her backside with both hands, filling his palms with her flesh. His fingertips grazed the lace edge of the barely there panties and he shifted her body so the hard length of his arousal was pressed against her very center.

His dream Sofia gasped, a noise that cut right through Eric’s daze. He blinked and then blinked again. The bedroom cabin of his ship resolved into a familiar hotel room—but Sofia was still on top of him.

Holy crap, this wasn’t a dream. Sofia was straddling him, staring down at him through heavy-lidded eyes. She pushed her hands through her hair and arched her back, driving her weight down onto his erection. Stunned, Eric was helpless to do anything but grind against her. She gasped again.

God, she felt so good, so damned right on top of him. He was afraid to say something, afraid to break the spell that would wake them both up from this dream. So he kept his mouth shut as he gripped her bottom in his hands and dragged her up along his erection again.

She moaned softly, so quietly he almost didn’t hear it. She kept that little noise of satisfaction deep in her throat and he wanted to let it out. He wanted to swallow it and take it inside of himself and let it rattle around until it drove him past all reason.

She shifted and he shifted with her, pressing against her center again and again. Her back arched, thrusting her breasts out. He grabbed the hem of her camisole and yanked it over her head.

And his head fell back against the pillows as he stared at her body. Lush was still the only word he could think of. Soft and curved and wearing a sheer lace bra. He could see the wide dark circles of her nipples.

There was too much and not enough and it completely short-circuited his brain. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t think. All he could do was stare at her. Worship her.

He worshipped just a moment too long. Sofia dropped her gaze as she put one arm across her breasts, the other across her rounded stomach. “I know, I know. Having the twins changed me and I’m not—”

Eric didn’t know what she was going to say, not exactly—but he knew he disagreed with it completely because she was perfect. He sat up and cut her off with a hard kiss. Sofia made a little squeaking noise, but then her arms came around his neck and she held on to him for balance as he slid his hands up and down her back. Then he began to work the catch of her bra, kissing her the entire time. She sank her fingers into his hair and refused to let go. He liked that she was a little aggressive and very sure of herself. The kiss in the car this morning had been a promise of things to come but this? This was a promise delivered.

The catch on her bra gave and he peeled the lace away. He didn’t want to break the kiss, but he couldn’t resist lowering his head to those beautiful breasts. They were full and heavy and he loved everything about them. Even the little white stretch marks along the sides—they were perfect because they were a part of Sofia. “Are these off-limits?” he asked as he kissed along the swells.

“No,” she said, throwing her head back and giving him better access. “I only nursed for a year.”

“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he murmured as he kissed the edge of her nipple and then swept his tongue over the tip. It went tight against his mouth and he couldn’t help the rumble of satisfaction that built low in his chest. He was already drunk on her. He had no intention of jumping on the wagon now.

“Oh my God, Eric,” she moaned, clutching his head to her breasts.

Her hips kept shifting back and forth, grinding down on his erection. With one hand steady on her backside, he slid his thumb down between her legs, over the silk of her panties until he found the center of her pleasure. She jolted as if he’d shocked her and he smiled against her skin before adding his teeth to her nipples.

“Oh, Eric,” she gasped, letting her weight settle over his thumb.

He began to rub in small circles as he nipped and sucked at her breasts. They found a rhythm together as he worked her body. All he wanted to do was flip her over and drive into her heat over and over again until they were both spent and sated and then, once he’d caught his breath, he wanted to do it again.

But he wanted to give this to her first. No demands, just the gift of pleasure. Just her trusting him. Just him earning her trust.

Like he was doing right now. She was letting him love her and he was making the most of it. Dimly, in the back of his mind, he knew there were good reasons to not do this. But he couldn’t come up with any of those reasons right now and besides, it was a little too late to keep his hands off her. That ship had definitely sailed.

As she shifted her hips back and forth, her warm heat stroked over his erection even as he stroked her body. The pressure was intense and amazing and when she pulled on his hair, forcing his face up so she could kiss him, he felt her entire body go tight and hard around his. “Let go, Sofia,” he murmured against her lips.

And she did. Her thighs clamped around his waist and heat flooded her center as she came for him. The force of her climax was so strong that, amazingly, it triggered his own release. He hadn’t been this excited, this eager, since he’d been a teenager discovering girls for the first time.

But that’s what this felt like. He had just discovered something new and amazing.

He’d found Sofia.