Billionaire's Contract Engagement / Money Man's Fiancée Negotiation (36 page)

She finished her arms then her hands moved back to her breasts. She cupped them in her hands, her eyes drifting shut as she swirled her thumbs over her nipples. They hardened into two rosy pink points, and he could swear he saw her shudder.

Goddamn.

God knew he'd seen Mel touch herself before. So many times that, honestly, the novelty had sort of worn off. But this was different. Maybe because she didn't know he was watching. Because she wasn't putting on a show for him. She was doing it because it felt good.

She did seem to be enjoying it, and he was so hard his slacks were barely containing him. He watched, loosening his tie as she caressed herself. He tossed it across the back of the toilet and started unbuttoning his shirt.

Melody's hands slipped down off her breasts, then moved slowly south, stroking her hips and her stomach and the tops of her thighs. It was obvious what her final destination would be and he thought,
oh, hell, yeah.
Unfortunately she chose that moment to open her eyes and see him standing there.

She shrieked so loud he was sure the people living beneath them heard it.

“You scared me half to death!” she admonished when she realized it was just him. He half expected her to try to cover herself, but she didn't. Her cheeks did flush though. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to enjoy what I was seeing.”

He could see that she was embarrassed, which made it that much more arousing.

“You know it's rude to spy on people,” she said, then her hands came up to cover her breasts. “Tell me you don't have a video camera out there.”

He chuckled. “No camera,” he assured her, unfastening the buttons at his wrists. “And I wasn't spying, I was watching.”

“Same thing.”

“You make it sound like I was looking through a peephole in the wall.” He tugged the shirt off and dropped it on the floor.

Mel watched it fall, and when she saw the tent in his pants her eyes grew larger. “W-what are you doing?”

He pulled his undershirt over his head and dropped that on the floor, too. “Taking off my clothes.”

Her eyes strayed to his chest. He didn't think she realized it, but she was licking her lips. “Um … why?”

“So I can take a shower.” He tugged off his socks then unfastened his pants and shoved them and his boxers down.

“With me?” she said, her voice suddenly squeaky and high-pitched, as if she'd been sucking helium.

“Unless you have someone else in there with you.”

He crossed the room and pulled the shower door open, his hard-on preceding him inside. If Mel's eyes opened any wider they would fall out of her head.

“I thought we were taking this slow,” she said, backing against the far wall, looking worried.

“Don't worry, we are.” He stepped under the spray, slicking his hair back. “We're just doing it naked.”

If they didn't make love that was okay with him; he just needed to touch her, get his hands on
some
part of her body. If she let him get her off, fantastic, if she returned the favor, even better. He was going to let her set the pace.

Mel stood in the corner watching him, chewing her lip. “This is going to sound stupid, because we've done this before, but I'm really nervous.”

“That's why we're taking it slow.” And if the anticipation killed him, well, he would at least die with a smile on his face. “So, tell me what you're ready for. What can I do?”

She thought about it for several seconds, then swallowed hard and said, “I guess you could … kiss me.”

The logical place to start. He didn't want to corner her, so he took her hand and pulled her to him, so they were both under the spray. But when he leaned in to kiss her, the head of his erection bumped against her stomach. She jumped with surprise, then laughed nervously.

“Outdoor plumbing,” he said with a shrug.

“I know, I'm being ridiculous. I'm sorry.”

The weird thing was, he liked it. He liked that she wasn't trying to take charge, that for once he could be the aggressor.

“You know what, I have a better idea. Turn around.” He grabbed the soap and poured some in his hand.

“What are you going to do?”

“Wash your back.” She cast him a wary look, and he said, “Just your back. I promise.”

She turned and faced the wall, bracing her hands on the tile as he smoothed the soap across her shoulders and down her back.

“Hmm, that feels nice,” she said, as he used both hands to massage her shoulders, and he felt her begin to relax. He
worked his way down, but as he got closer to her behind, she tensed again.

“Relax,” he said, sliding his hands back up. “This is supposed to be fun.”

“I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm so nervous. I wasn't like this in the hotel.”

“Maybe it's because you knew you weren't able to do anything then.”

She shrugged, and said without much conviction, “Maybe.”

His hands stilled. “Why do I get the feeling there's something you're not telling me?”

“It's stupid.”

He turned her to face him and she looked so cute, water dripping from her hair, her brow crinkled with the weight of whatever it was that troubled her. “If something is bothering you it's not stupid. If you don't tell me what's really wrong, we can't fix it.” And he would
never
get laid.

“It's those videos.”

“The shower one?”

She shook her head, eyes on her feet. “The other two. I know it was me, but it's
not
me anymore. That woman. she was just so confident and sexy. I don't think I can do and say the things she did. I can't be her anymore.”

He shrugged. “So what?”

Her eyes met his, so full of grief and conflict that he felt his scotch buzz wither away. “I'm
so
afraid I'm going to disappoint you, Ash.”

This wasn't one of the silly sex games she used to play with him, or even a mild case of the pre-sex jitters. She was genuinely distraught. He'd never seen her this confused and vulnerable before. Not even in the hospital.

“Mel, you
won't
disappoint me. That's not even a possibility.”

She didn't look as though she believed him. She lowered her eyes but he caught her chin in his palm and forced her to look at him. “Listen to me. I don't want the Melody who was in those videos. I want
you.”

He realized it was probably the most honest thing he had ever said to her. He wanted her in a way that he'd never wanted the other Melody.

So why was he still expecting her to act like her? Did he think that, despite being nervous and wanting to go slow, she would just magically shed her inhibitions the instant he touched her?

He wanted her, God knew he did, but not if it was going to hurt or confuse her. It just wasn't worth it. Physically she may have been ready for him, but emotionally she just wasn't there yet. He was pushing too far too fast.

Jesus, when had he gone so soft?

He turned and shut off the water.

“What are you doing?” she asked, looking even more confused, not that he could blame her. First he said they should wait, then he all but molested her, then he put on the brakes again. At this rate he was going to give them both whiplash.

Just because he bought her a car, and planned to give her a couple of credit cards, was he back to thinking she owed him? She hadn't asked for anything.

“We're getting out,” he told her.

“But—”

“You're not ready for this. And I'm really sorry that I pushed you. I feel like a total jerk.” He didn't just feel like a jerk, he
was
one. He grabbed the towel she'd hung on the hook outside the shower and wrapped it around her, then he got out and fetched one for himself from the linen
closet. He fastened it around his hips, and when he turned Melody was standing in the shower doorway, wrapped in her towel, watching him, her brow wrinkled.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

She nodded, but she didn't move.

“We should get dressed. And if the offer for dinner is still good I'd love it if you cooked for me. Or if you prefer we could go out. Your choice.”

“Okay,” she said, but didn't specify which one, dinner in or out. But before he could ask, she walked out of the bathroom.

He gathered his clothes from the floor and walked into her bedroom, expecting her to be getting dressed. Instead she was lying in bed, propped up on one elbow, the blankets draped about waist level.

She probably wasn't trying to look sexy, but damn it all, she did. At that moment he would swear on his life that she had the most beautiful breasts in the free world. And, God, did he ache to get his hands on them.

“Taking a nap?” he asked.

She shook her head, then she pulled back the covers on the opposite side of the bed and patted the mattress. “Get in.”

Get in? Into bed?

Now he was the one who was confused. “Mel—”

“Get in,”
she said more firmly.

“But … I thought … I thought we were waiting.”

“Me, too. Now come over here and get into bed.”

Though he still wasn't sure what was going on, he walked to the bed, tossing his clothes in a pile on the floor. His skin was still damp and the sheets stuck to him as he slid between them.

Since he didn't know what she expected from him, he
lay beside her, mirroring her position. “Okay, I'm in. Now what?”

“Now you should kiss me. And this time don't worry about the plumbing. I want you to touch me.”

Good, because he started getting hard the second he saw her lying there, and short of putting on pants, or lying on top of the covers while she stayed under them, there was going to be inevitable physical contact. The question was, how far was she willing to let this go?

“Just to be clear, so I don't cross any boundaries, are you saying that you want to make love?”

“Yes, I am. And I do. Right now.”

Thank You, God.

She lay back against the pillows, gazing up at him, waiting for his kiss. He knew what the old Mel would expect. She would want it hard and fast and breathless. But this Mel didn't have a clue what she wanted, so he was free to do whatever he chose, like a painter with a clean canvas.

But maybe this time, it was a picture they could paint together.

A
sh leaned in to kiss her, his hand cupping her face so tenderly, and Melody knew she was safe with him. That she would always be safe.

She wasn't exacatly sure what happened in the bathroom, but when Ash shut off the water and wrapped her in a towel, told her they were stopping, something inside her shifted. She knew in that second that she wanted him, that she was ready
now.
It was time to stop looking backward and focus on the future.

His lips brushed hers, so gentle and sweet, and whatever anxiety or fear remained dissolved with their mingling breath. It was the kind of perfect kiss that every girl dreamed about. And she had, she realized. She had been that girl. The memory was so near she could almost reach out and touch it. But she didn't want to think about anything right now, she just wanted to feel. And Ash was exceptional in that department.

His kisses roused her senses and his caresses trailed fire across her skin. It was as if he owned a road map to every erogenous zone on her body, and he explored each one until she felt crazy with want. He made her shudder and quake, taking her to the brink of mindless ecstasy then yanking her back the second before she could reach her peak.

He aroused her with such practiced skill it made her feel inept in her own efforts, but he never once gave the impression that her touch did anything but arouse him. And nothing could be more erotic for her than touching him all over. Learning him again. She discovered that his ears were exceptionally sensitive, because when she nibbled them he groaned and fisted his hands in her hair. And when she did the same to his nipple he dragged her face to his and kissed her so hard she felt breathless. What he seemed to like most though was when she straddled his thighs, took his erection in her hand, but instead of stroking, swirled her thumb in slow circles around the head.

“My God, that feels amazing,” Ash said, his eyes rolling closed, his fingers curling into the sheets. It was unbelievably arousing, watching him struggle for control. Knowing she was making him feel that way.

“Did I used to do this to you before?”

He swallowed hard and shook his head. “I don't want to come yet, but if you keep that up I will.”

“It's okay if you do.” She wanted him to.

He shook his head and opened his eyes. They were glassy and unfocused. “Not yet. Not until I'm inside you.”

Well, all he had to do was ask. She rose up on her knees and centered herself over him. When he realized what she intended to do, he asked, “Are you sure?”

She had never been so sure of anything in her life.

Her eyes locked on his, she slowly lowered herself onto his erection, taking him inside her inch by excruciating inch. She was sure that making love, no matter how often or how many times they had done it before, had never given her this soul-deep sensation of completeness.

“You're so
tight,”
he said, his hands splayed across her hips, looking as though he was barely hanging on.

She rose up until only the head was inside her, then sank back down. Ash groaned as her body clenched down around him. He reached up and hooked his hands around her neck, pulling her down for a kiss. It was deep and reckless and more than a little wild. And in one smooth motion, he rolled her over so that she was the one on her back, looking up at him. And he was wearing a cocky grin.

She opened her mouth to protest the sudden change of dynamics, but at the same time he rocked into her, swift and deep—
oh, so deep
—and the sound that emerged was a throaty moan.