Читать книгу Untamed Billionaires: Marriage: For Business or Pleasure? / Getting Red-Hot with the Rogue / One Night with the Rebel Billionaire - Элли Блейк, Ally Blake - Страница 17

SLEEPING with Britt had been a bad idea.

Not that there’d been much sleeping involved.

Their cataclysmic night had changed everything.

‘This place hasn’t changed a bit,’ she said, tugging his hand as she ran towards the river’s edge, leaving Nick no option but to follow.

And follow he would, to the ends of the earth if she asked, for last night had shattered any illusions he had about this marriage being all business.

With every kiss, with every caress, with every gut-wrenching moan, she’d stripped away the years, catapulting him straight back to a time he was so crazy for her he couldn’t see straight.

Nothing had changed, absolutely nothing.

Even that was a lie.

Ten years ago, he’d been a fool, kidding himself all he felt for Britt was lust.

Now he knew the truth.

What they’d shared had never just been about lust; it was more than that, so much more.

And their night of passion had hurtled him back a decade, to a time he couldn’t get enough of her, to a time where his heart clamoured towards her while his head reeled back with the implications of trusting a woman.

‘Do you miss Jacaranda?’

She stopped, alerted to the seriousness of his question by something in his voice as he waved towards the river, trying to distract her.

It didn’t work, for she reached up, cupped his cheek, her simple touch as catastrophic as if she’d reached into his chest and squeezed his heart.

‘I tried not to. I tried to forget.’

Her fingertips trailed down his cheek, lingered on his jaw, before dropping lower where she placed her palm flat against his chest, directly over his heart. Claiming ownership. It was hers, had always been hers, he just never admitted it.

‘But I couldn’t. This place is in my blood. I never forgot it.’

She paused, massaged his chest gently as if soothing his soul. ‘I never forgot you.’

‘Same here.’

He settled his mouth over hers, needing this kiss, aching for it. Nothing like the ache of how he’d wanted her last night, when he’d been blinded by lust and passion.

Uh-uh, this ache settled right over his heart, exactly where her hand was, the kind of ache that scared the hell out of him.

Her lips parted, so soft, so moist, and he groaned as his tongue touched hers, going a little crazy as he backed her up against the nearest tree, their bodies melding perfectly, his hands sliding under her top, cupping her breasts.

‘Nick…’

Her wanton plea made his hard-on throb as he lifted her top, ducked his head, and captured an erect nipple between his teeth, plucking at the lace covering it, her low moans firing him to flick the clasp and allow the tempting lushness to fall into his hands.

But the Jacaranda fauna had other ideas as a raucous cackle of a nearby kookaburra pierced the silence and reminded him of where they were.

In the good old days this river bed was deserted but now the worn track along the bank showed exactly how popular this spot was with bushwalkers and tourists and he had no intention of providing an X-rated show for any of them.

Reluctantly tugging her top down, he brushed a soft kiss against her lips.

‘You used to love those damn birds. Too bad this one has shocking timing.’

She laughed, a clear, joyous sound that had him chuckling right along with her. ‘Remember the time we made out down here and—?’

‘Can we change the subject?’ He sent a pointed look at his groin. ‘You’re killing me, in case you hadn’t noticed.’

As she ground her pelvis against his her smile was pure evil. ‘Oh, I noticed.’

She slid her hands around his neck, bringing her breasts flush against his chest. ‘Why don’t we continue this discussion back at the farm?’

‘You’re one wicked woman,’ he said, smoothing stray tendrils of copper gold away from her face, his heart bucking at the adoration in her eyes.

He wanted her to look at him like this, wanted her. Then why the faintest doubt he was deluding himself, about everything?

One night and he’d been blinded to the transient nature of their marriage: her job, her promotion, their deal.

Last night changed everything, but they hadn’t discussed it, any of it, and while now wasn’t ideal there would come a time soon, very soon, where they’d both need to lay it all on the line.

‘Come on, let’s head back.’

He didn’t need to be asked twice and as they sprinted back to the farmhouse, laughing and falling over their flying feet, he banished his doubts and decided to live in the moment.

For now.

Brittany paced from one end of their suite to the other, casting malevolent glances at her laptop on each circuit and the incriminating email on the screen.

The promotion was hers.

David had seen the preliminary pitch she’d emailed, blown away by the video footage, pictures of the plantation and the accompanying spread, had evaluated it and made his decision.