Bachelor Unclaimed (14 page)

He was right, she couldn’t. But still... “I’m no lightweight, Winston.”

Instead of responding, he stopped and kissed her. What was there about being with him that made her feel secure and protected, even when they were at odds with each other? He had looked out for her, provided her with shelter, food and clothes, even when being stranded on his island had been her fault.

And there was another type of security she felt whenever she was with him, one she couldn’t quite describe. But it had to do with how the warmth from his body seemed to spread right to hers, seeping through her skin to penetrate every muscle in her body. It made her feel wanted, needed and desired in a way she’d never felt before.

Her arms tightened around his neck as she kissed him back. And when he increased the pressure on her mouth, she responded by moaning deep in her throat to let him know how much she enjoyed his kiss.

She felt him lowering her to the steps while his hands began touching every part of her naked body, tracing a path over every curve, heating her naked skin.

“You know, I’ve never taken a woman on the stairs before, but I can’t make it to my room just yet.”

The moment her back touched a wooden step, his body straddled hers, and already parts of her were throbbing with need and a desire that she couldn’t control. This was simply madness. Never had her body been stirred to such a feverish pitch, driven to this degree of primal lust.

“Tell me you want me again, as much as I want you, Ainsley.”

She loved hearing him say her name in that deep, husky tone of his. “Yes, I want you again,” she whispered, meaning every word. Later she would dwell on the how and why he’d gotten embedded under her skin, but for now, he wanted to take her again and she wanted to be taken.

The house was quiet except for the sounds of their heavy breathing but his seemed to stop when he slowly eased into her, cupping her hips, lifting them higher so he could go deeper. And when he began moving inside of her, not missing a beat, stroking her at a vigorous tempo, she tried hard not to scream when pleasure began overtaking her, driving her to the brink of satisfaction so intense she felt like any minute she might be taking her last breath. And then it hit. An explosion that she felt all the way to the bone, denying her the ability to hold anything back. Demanding her to test the strength and endurance of her lungs when she screamed his name.

“Winston!”

“I’m right here, baby. I feel you all the way,” he whispered against her ear. “Literally.”

And she knew there was no way he couldn’t feel her when her muscles were clenching him the way they were. Then his body clenched as well and he tightened his hold on her hips, held them steadily in place when he continued to pound into her. And then she felt his hot, molten release shoot all the way to her womb.

They were mating.

Definitely not for the purpose it was intended, but for a sharing of pleasure so extreme all she could do was moan his name. And she liked the fluid sound of him moaning hers. Mating couldn’t get any better than this.

“This is true mating, the real deal,” he whispered, breathing the words softly. It was as if he had read her mind, had known her thoughts.

She glanced up and her eyes moved over his features, especially the dark eyes staring back at her. She tightened her arms around his neck. “Yes,” she said, looking deeply into his gaze. “This is the real deal.”

And then her body got primed for another orgasm and she knew at that moment it wasn’t about just sex for her after all. Winston Coltrane had stolen her heart.

Chapter 17

O
pening her eyes to the sunlight, Ainsley stretched languorously while sighing deeply. Never had she awakened feeling so exhausted yet at the same time feeling powerfully pleasured.

She shifted to her side to glance out the window, hearing the sound of the ocean. And then there was the heavy scent of the sea, something she was getting used to. She was beginning to love it here, too much. And last night had only added to her dilemma. Her heart had spoken and there was nothing she could do about the rendered verdict.

Winston Coltrane was something else, she thought as visions from the night before flashed through her mind. Starting at the sea horse tank and then culminating here in his bedroom...and she couldn’t forget that stop in between. He’d said he’d never made love on the stairs. Well, neither had she. But she would do it with him again in a heartbeat.

Only him
.

She glanced to where he’d slept beside her. She smiled at the thought. Actually they’d done very little sleeping. He was gone but he’d left a note pinned to the pillow. Ainsley pulled it off and read it.

Got plenty to do today, logging in all the details of last night...regarding the sea horses, that is. You’ll probably want to rest up. Go ahead and sleep late. I’ll be in the lab and when you get up we can cover the next five interview questions. I’ll leave your breakfast warming.

WC

She held the paper to her chest thinking that other than her father—when she’d been twelve and her mother had gone to visit her sister, Aunt Rose, who’d had surgery—no man had ever kept breakfast warming for her. In fact, no man had ever prepared breakfast for her period.

She pulled herself up in bed, hugged her knees as she glanced around Winston’s bedroom. Last night she’d been too drugged with lust to notice her surroundings. Today, in the brightness of a new day, she did. The room was huge, the furniture—which included the red maple California king bed she was in—was perfect. And the wall-to-wall window facing the ocean was simply breathtaking.

Easing out of bed she stretched her body again. She would take a shower, dress and then go down to the kitchen and eat the breakfast Winston had left for her. Before joining him near the tanks, she would take time to go over today’s interview questions.

At the thought of seeing him again, she felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Yes, she had fallen in love with Winston Coltrane and there was nothing she could do about it but try to keep a level head and remember that although she might love him, the feelings weren’t mutual.

* * *

Ainsley’s scent reached him even before he saw her.

Winston glanced up from studying the liquid in the vial that he’d collected that morning and waited, his heart pounding like crazy in his chest, while at the same time a stream of desire was stirring in his groin.

How could he still want her with such intensity after all they’d shared last night? The way he’d taken her on the workstation near the tanks, the stairs and then later in his bed. He hadn’t known there was that much desire in the world, but he was finding there was when it came to her.

He had awakened this morning and glanced over at her sleeping beside him. An inexplicable feeling of satisfaction had nearly overtaken him at seeing her there and in knowing after he took his shower, unlike that first night, she would still be there. She had no reason to flee.

In no hurry to move yet, he had lain there and watched her sleep, noting her breathing pattern and the way every once in a while the corners of her mouth would flinch. She had looked insanely beautiful lying there sleeping peacefully, and it had taken every ounce of control he had not to wake her, shift her body and slide right into it.

His mind was pulled back to the present when he heard footsteps outside the lab door. There was a soft knock and he said, “Come in.”

She eased open the door and, the moment their eyes connected, he felt an immediate tightening of every muscle in his body. The sight of her practically burned his eyes when they raked over her. Her hair was different. She had pulled it back and twisted it up on her head. And she was wearing another dress—a flowered sundress with pockets this time—showing off her legs. When she smiled at him, he’d almost lost it then and there. She had such a radiant look about her. Unabashed beauty that nearly took his breath away.

“Hi,” she greeted smiling over at him.

“Hi, yourself. You okay?” He needed to know. He had taken her hard more than a few times during the night.

“I am one-hundred-percent fine,” she said chuckling. “If I was any better I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.”

“I can come up with several ideas,” he said huskily.

“I’m sure you can. And I can come up with several myself. I bet it will prove dangerous for us to compare notes.”

He laughed. “Probably.” He placed the vial aside. “Ready for the next set of interview questions?”

“Only if you have time. I don’t want to take you from your work,” she said.

“No problem. Come on in and fire away.”

“All right.”

He watched her cross the lab, but stop when she noticed a framed picture on the wall. She stood there and studied it for a second and then asked, “Who are these guys with you?”

“My godbrothers.” He rose from the stool and moved to stand beside her. “I’m sure you recognize me.” And then he pointed out the others. “This is Uriel Lassiter, Zion—the youngest yet the tallest—and Virgil Bougard, Xavier Kane, and the one with the intense look is York Ellis.”

“Nice-looking. All five of them.”

He chuckled. “If you say so.”

“The six of you are standing beside a NASCAR car. Is one of them a racer?”

“No, but a friend of ours, Bronson Scott, is and we usually get together and attend the races.”

“Bronson Scott is a friend of yours?
The
Bronson Scott?”

“Yes, and before you get any ideas about an interview, Bron is worse than I am when it comes to protecting his privacy.”

He moved back to his workstation and watched as she walked over to sit on a stool at one of the counters. She crossed her legs and his gaze followed the movement.

“First question of the day,” she said, claiming his attention.

He glanced from her legs to her face. “Yes?”

“You’re incredible in bed. Why?”

That question had certainly not been on the list she’d given him. He smiled, though, liking the fact she thought he was incredible in bed. He thought she was pretty damn remarkable in bed, as well. “That’s an easy question to answer. If I was incredible, it was because of the woman I was with. She brought out the best in me. The kind of hunger I’ve never felt before.”

He could tell from her smile that his answer pleased her. “Do you consider yourself a womanizer?”

“Depends on your definition of womanizer.”

She uncrossed her legs and crossed them again. “A man who likes a lot of women.”

He shrugged. “I enjoy women, but only one at a time.”

He noted she wasn’t taking notes which meant she would probably file away the answers in her mind somewhere. Then she pulled a notepad from one of the pockets of her dress and went back to the scripted questions. “So, tell me about this new drug you’ve developed...the one before the FDA. Only tell me what you’re comfortable in sharing since it’s still somewhat of a secret for now.”

Not for long,
he thought, thinking of the conversation he’d had that morning with the head honchos at Premier, the pharmaceutical company that had gained the number-one position worldwide. They’d made him an offer, one that almost made him fall on his face. “Okay, my formula will not only enhance a man’s sex drive, but also his sex life more than one hundred percent with no side effects.”

“No side effects?”

“None. In fact, one of the ingredients is proven to reduce high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.”

“That’s a huge claim. Has it been tested?” she asked.

“Yes, in a number of trials. Men whose ages range from early fifties to as old as ninety-five.”

She nodded, writing down the information. “You know any of these men?”

He chuckled. “They’re mostly anonymous. But there is one man that I do know personally.”

“Who?”

“My father. But I prefer not seeing his name in print.”

She stopped jotting notes in her notepad. “Your father?”

“Yes. And I have heard from a very reliable source—my mother—that Norjamin works. And according to my father’s physician, he no longer has high blood pressure. Of course, my father had to do his part by shedding a few pounds, but the main thing is that Norjamin did what it is supposed to do and more.”

“Winston, that’s wonderful.”

“Thanks. Would you like to take a look at some of the studies that were done?”

Her eyes widened as if he’d just offered her a huge chunk of Mt. Rushmore. “You’ll let me take a look at them?”

“Just as long as you promise not to include any of it in the article without my permission.”

“Yes, yes. I promise.”

He got up and unlocked a file cabinet to pull out a huge stack of papers. “There’s a lot of reading here, but I think you might find it informative.”

“I’m sure I will. Do you mind if I sit here and start reading? Will my presence disturb you?”

“No.” What he wouldn’t tell her was that her presence was wanted and the mere thought of that bothered him. He never was the clingy type when it came to women. In fact, as far as he was concerned, out of sight meant out of mind.

However it wasn’t that way with Ainsley. From the first time he’d seen her, he had become fixated with her whether he wanted to admit it or not. He had thought about her, dreamed about her, and when it came to making love to her, he was totally captivated. It was as if she was the only woman he wanted to think about making love to. Ever.

He glanced over at her. She was quiet, busily reading the documents he’d given to her, engrossed in her own world while he was engrossed in her. He’d never been this taken with a woman, no matter how good the sex was. And he was allowing her, a reporter, to read documents he normally guarded with his life. Why?

Okay, whatever it was, he was certain it would wear off eventually. The most important thing was to make sure he didn’t get consumed by it. The last thing he wanted was getting whipped like three of his godbrothers. He was convinced there wasn’t a woman alive who would make him think twice about settling down. Not in this lifetime. It would take an extraordinary woman to put up with his work habits, moodiness and sexual hunger. At least he knew Ainsley could handle one out of the three. Each and every time they made love, her needs had been on a level equal to his.

She must have felt him looking at her because at that moment she glanced up. “What?”

“I was just wondering how long it’s going to take for you to finish all the interview questions.”

“Why? Do you prefer I not be here?”

He couldn’t help but smile at that. “No. I like having you here and you’re welcome to stay for as long as it takes.”

Her smile touched everything inside of him. “Thanks, Winston.”

“You’re welcome.” She returned to reading the report and he tried to concentrate on studying the contents in the vial containing serum from an Australian loggerhead turtle.

For the first time in a long time, he felt totally content.

* * *

“How am I doing so far?” Ainsley asked, putting the last ingredients into the bowl. She was trying to follow one of Winston’s grandmother’s family Gullah recipes and he was supervising. The fact that he was sharing the recipe with her was surprising in itself, but she would have to admit over the past few days there had been a lot of surprising developments.

“You’re doing great. You season it to taste. Your taste. I doubt if you can go wrong with this.”

Ainsley chuckled as she stirred up everything in the bowl. “Wanna bet? Like I told you, I am not a cook. I do better ordering out, but you make it look so simple and easy, I just have to try it.”

“You’re doing a great job. All you have to do is follow all the steps, season to taste and cook. No magic.”

She wasn’t so sure when he was in a kitchen. The man had all kinds of skills and cooking was one of them. She poured the mixture into a pan and placed it in the oven. “Okay, one hour at 350 degrees.”

“That’s right, and while we’re waiting, I’ll look over what you’ve written so far.”

It was hard to believe how fast the days went by. She had finished all the interview questions, written the first draft and had presented it to him that morning to review.

“So far I like everything I’ve read, but I do have one problem with it,” he said, leaning against the refrigerator.

“Oh? What?” she asked, slightly disappointed. She thought it was a good piece and had hoped he liked it with little, if any, changes.

“You’re painting me as brilliant.”

She couldn’t help but smile. “You are brilliant. Do you know the impact of your medical discovery on the human population? You should be proud of yourself. I am if you’re not.”

“Yes, but the FDA has to approve it first, Ainsley.”

“And they will. I read your report. You documented everything well.” She had studied the report and seen the numbers. What he’d done had taken dedication on his part and it hadn’t been cheap. According to him, in addition to grants he was able to obtain, his immediate family, godparents, godbrothers and his cousins from Mitchelville had all contributed to the Barrett Shores Research Foundation. The donations had not only been an act of love but also of strong support.

“But other than me painting you as brilliant, you liked it?” she asked, crossing her fingers.

He smiled. “Yes, I liked it. You did an outstanding job, although I was pretty difficult at times during the interview.”

She returned his smile, remembering those times. They would start out with a pretty serious interview session and, halfway through it, they would be tearing off each other’s clothes. “You weren’t difficult, not really.”

“I wasn’t?” he asked, leaving his post by the refrigerator to come stand in front of her.