Page 18 of Bargain With The Boss (Crescent Cove: The Moguls #2)

Xavier

Fuck.

It had to be the ivory dress.

And damn if I didn’t want her at my mercy in far too many ways. Somehow, I managed to step away from her and meet her at the door. Her scent wrapped around me as we locked up. I guided her down the hall, my hand at her lower back.

Her skin was so damn soft.

When she lightly brushed against me at the stairs I had to swallow down a groan. I wanted to drag her against me. To make sure everyone knew she was mine.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t and that made me surlier than it should.

She was Jude’s sister which made it sticky. I honestly wasn’t sure how upset he’d be if I was into her, but the fact that we had to work together made another layer of problems.

When we got to the lobby, I stared down a man looking at her.

He put up a hand in surrender and looked away. Annoyed at how easy it was to feel proprietary, I hustled her out the door to the valet. Jerry hopped up and ran for my car, leaving us on the sunny sidewalk.

“Maybe I should have put up the rest of my hair.” She tucked a curl behind her ear as the wind kicked up.

“I like it down.”

“All men like it down. We’re the ones who have to deal with it.”

I took her shawl from her and draped it over her shoulders, over her hair. “Short drive.”

“Fine.”

I swapped a bill for my keys on the way by. Jerry gave me a wide grin and went back to his station. Pulling out, I turned toward the lake. Instead of the congested area near the food trucks and boardwalk, I kept driving.

Her red hair floated around her face, the shawl little help in keeping it under control. I caught the smile on her face and turned up the radio. The acoustic rock song suited the sunshine and the moment.

When we got up to the vista, I went a little farther. There was a rocky lookout closer to the water. I’d been in a bidding war for the property, but lost out to a nearby architect.

As long as it wasn’t Maitland, I hadn’t been overly pissed about it. We’d worked with Kainoa N’ai a few times and he was all about keeping the land, as we were.

But it was one helluva view and I knew he wouldn’t mind me showing it off.

He was still working on the perfect blueprints for his home.

When I pulled into the pitted road she gave me a look.

“Just wait.”

“Okay.” She left the shawl behind when I opened the door for her.

“A friend of mine bought this land. I was bidding against him until I figured out it wasn’t one of Maitland’s friends.”

“It’s very rough.”

“Kain will work with the land and wants to make a home.”

“That really is important to you.”

I simply nodded and took her hand and led her across the uneven ground to the path that led through some overgrown flowers.

She fingered a few of the purple and white blooms. “I’ve never seen so much wild rose of Sharon.”

“Is that the name? We have a ton of it over here.”

“Yes. It does tend to take over if you aren’t careful.”

Surprised, I grinned down at her. “Are you a plant lady?”

She shrugged. “Maybe a little.”

Interesting. I remembered her looking around the garden in rapt attention as well. Not just a suit then. I filed away the detail and led her up to the natural rock formation. I wasn’t sure if it was from an old hunting post or just someone who also had an affinity for the view, but I loved it.

Her breath caught as we cleared the rose of Sharon and other overgrown vegetation.

I climbed up and held a hand out for her. When we got to the top I helped her sit down and settled beside her. “I come up here to think sometimes. There’s a place I go a little farther back that isn’t someone’s property—yet.”

She glanced over at me. “I can see why you wanted this one, though.” Then she looked out over the lake. You could see the entire lake and a great deal of the properties. “I can see Lakeview Terrace from here.”

I propped myself on my hands a few inches behind her. “One of the reasons I was interested in the property. It had been up for auction, and I’d gone to look at it impulsively. In the end, the three of us had gotten a crazy idea to go in together.”

“Whose idea was it first?”

I laughed. “Mine.”

“That makes sense. You’re the gambler.”

“I am.” I turned to look at her and she was smiling. Following impulse again, I leaned into her. When she didn’t rear back, I laid a light kiss on her lips.

She tasted of the wind and the lake.

Of things I never knew I wanted.

She licked her lips when I eased back an inch. “Why did you do that?”

I grinned. “Gambler, remember?” I leaned in again and licked along her lower lip until she dragged in a surprised breath. “I didn’t see you coming, Duchess.”

“You aren’t the only one.” Then she closed her mouth over mine and I was the one breathless.

The kiss went from tentative to sweet as she learned my taste. I let her take the lead for a few minutes, content to see where we went. If she wanted it to be just a kiss, I’d leave it here. Even if it killed me.

She drew back, her eyes still closed. She pressed her lips together as if savoring our kiss, and my chest ached.

Her eyes slitted, the honey gold of her eyes pulling at me.

A brief flash of a future moment slammed into me.

This is what she’d look like on a Sunday morning.

The lazy contentment there as pleasure overtook sleep-filled eyes.

I cupped her cheek, her silky sun-warmed hair twining around my hand.

I saw something else in the warm gold before she shut me out and kissed me like she meant it. Like there was no time to hold back. Rocked by the sudden change in the flavor, I pulled her closer until her breasts crushed to my chest.

Her arm wound around my neck and we fought for dominance. Her mouth hot and wild as a hint of something cherry lured me even closer. Her fingers tunneled through my hair and the groan between us was a harmony of need.

The angle wasn’t right for much more than kissing, but my hand slid down her side, my fingertips brushing under the side of her dress.

She sighed into my mouth, and I teased the soft fullness of her breast. Nothing under her dress.

God.

She reached behind her neck and broke the kiss for a moment. Her golden eyes were like fire. She glanced down at my mouth then back up to my eyes and one of the ties to her dress slipped down.

“You’re going to kill me dead, Duchess.”

Her swollen mouth spread into a delighted smile, then I couldn’t focus on anything other than her amazing breast.

Cinnamon-tipped and full, I lowered my mouth to her nipple. Her nails dug into my neck as I lightly sucked at the tight tip. I looked up at her as I cupped the fullness of her. Her lips parted as I let her free.

My thumb swiped over her nipple, and I went for her mouth instead. The moan vibrated over my tongue. I swept in, tangling with hers—starved for her.

Something I never knew I needed.

Her surrender.

I wanted to lay her out and worship every inch of her, but the rocks were unforgiving and hot from the sun. Her sensitive skin was already pinking up from my late-day stubble.

I flipped down the other strap until she was completely bared to me and the sun. In our own little alcove, there was just her and me. Just her taste burning on my tongue until I tore my mouth from her to race over her skin again.

I forced myself to slow down. This was all I could have and I needed to make it enough.

I knew if I broke this moment she’d be gone.

So I kept her in the moment even if my dick was so hard I couldn’t concentrate. The need rose up so fast and strong it was all I could do to push it down and block it. I concentrated on her. On the texture of her smooth skin versus her puckered nipple and how sensitive her left one was.

Her mumbled curses mixed with my name made me smile on my way up to her neck. She tipped her head back and her scent intensified behind her ear. I nibbled on her ear around the little hoops she wore.

I couldn’t remember the last time I rounded first and second base so many times.

She was restless, her hands traveling over my chest and lower. I had to reroute her a few times, distracting her when I found something new that made her gasp or sigh.

My nose brushed against her ear. “If we keep this up we’re both going to end up falling off this rock.”

Her laugh wrapped around a moan as she finally drew back from me. She pulled up the straps and I caught them.

“One more kiss for my favorite twins.”

She rolled her eyes, but she was biting her lower lip as I showed my appreciation for each.

“Lift your hair. I’ll do it.”

She turned her back to me, draping her hair over her shoulder as she looked back at me.

Goddamn, she was beautiful. I brushed a kiss across her shoulder to the nape of her neck then pulled the straps up making sure she was tucked inside.

“I think I’m covered, Xavier.”

“Just making sure. They are far too perfect to be showing off to anyone other than me.”

She tossed a look over her shoulder, her eyebrow arched. “You think you’ll be getting the privilege again?”

“Damn right I am.”

I tied the two triangles together at her nape, my fingers drifting down her spine to the dip at her waist. I couldn’t help sliding back inside her dress to cup her breasts one last time. “Your skin is addicting, Duchess.”

She leaned against me for a moment. “We shouldn’t do this again.”

“But we will.” I kissed her neck. “Soon.”

She straightened and turned to me. “We wouldn’t work.”

“We are working damn fine here.” I brushed my thumb along her swollen lower lip. “These lips kept sighing my name.”

Her golden eyes flashed. “Don’t get cocky, Xavier. It was a moment. I got a little?—”

“Close to orgasm?”

She turned away.

“If I reached under here”—I gripped the hem of her skirt—“you’d be so damn close.”

She swung around to face me, her eyes hot, and God, she was magnificent. “I’m not surprised you’re good at getting a woman off, Xavier.”

The hit was direct and I withdrew. My jaw ached as I swallowed back a smart-ass reply. “Right. Understood.” I rolled into a crouch and stood. I held out a hand to her even as part of me wanted to leave her.

To walk off the truth of it.

Because she was right.

I was good at it. I fell back on fun, unrepentant sex. Emotions were inconvenient.

Which was why I was even more pissed that her words sliced.

She took my hand and let me pull her up.

The silence between us sucked all the easy fun out of the afternoon.

I helped her to the car, but instead of getting in, she folded her arms over those glorious breasts. “I’m sorry.”

Surprised, I frowned down at her.

She stared at the middle of my chest. “It was wrong for me to say what I did. I don’t know you enough to make such assumptions. I was just...off balance.”

I lifted her chin to meet my gaze. “You’re not wrong, Syd.” Her nickname didn’t feel right on my tongue right now. “Why you pissed me off.”

The fire was banked now. Ice was back, and her face was calm as the water below us.

“It could just be sex. It’s easy for me to offer up a good sweaty fuck.”

Her lips thinned and her hands fisted under her arms.

I reached for her hands and pulled them away to rest on my chest. “Relax. I’m not going to toss you against the car. Not that I’d hate that stupendous ass leaving a print on my hood, mind you.”

Exasperated her fingers unfurled and flattened on my chest.

I was pretty sure she wanted to push me back and maybe off the ledge a few yards away.

“Duchess, I’d spread those long legs of yours and eat you out until you were blind. You’d love it.”

“You’re vulgar.”

“And your eyes are dilated. You want me, even if it pisses you off a little.”

Her nails dug through my shirt. I was quite certain I’d have a few half-moon nail marks in my skin. and I was half hard again at the way she was getting riled up.

“I like when they’re hot instead of that calm ice. Though it has its place too.”

“Is this supposed to be making a case for us getting...horizontal.”

I threw my head back with a laugh then hauled her in and wrapped my arms around her in a hug. She froze against me, stiff with surprise.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s a hug. I’m pretty sure you know what that is.”

Or maybe she didn’t.

I held onto her tighter and she slowly relaxed, her hands sliding up my chest to my shoulders. We stood there in the afternoon sun. The breeze was cool enough that we were comfortable where we were and I really didn’t want to let her go.

I wasn’t quite sure what to do with that either.

Instead of breaking the spell, I held on, letting her be the one to break us apart.