Determined: To Win (Determined Trilogy Book 3) (3 page)

He stayed between my legs until I started to come down, and only then was I able to release him from the tight clutches of my thighs. He took another couple of licks, savoring the taste of my orgasm and preparing me for another, before he pulled his head up to look at me. I could barely glance at him; I was so spent from the release. But he didn’t let me rest.

He returned to my mound, and slowly started massaging a wide circle around it. He pulled me back onto the bed and arranged himself on top of me, again spreading my legs wide this time so they would wrap around him. He leaned in and kissed me. I could taste myself on him. It was so erotic. And his eyes. They were so hungry and full of need. I skimmed my hands over his strong arms and pulled his face in for another kiss. I felt the tip of his cock tease the entrance to my sex, driving me wild with desire.

“Can you see how much I need you, Samantha? Do you see what you do to me?” he pressed his length against my thigh, showcasing his power. It made me crazy. I tried to move under him, angling myself so he would go inside and give me another release.

And then I felt it. For a split second, just the head, and then a beat after, everything. His cock filled me completely, and my sex throbbed around him, engulfed in sensation. Then his hips started to rock, and he brought me with him, as he plunged deeply into me over and over. He hit that spot deep inside me, the one that was aching and itching for release. It brought me up fast, and I knew I was close.

“I’m going to come,” I moaned into his ear as my core wrapped around him. His eyes whipped to mine, and we locked our stares together, our eyes dilated from the arousal.

“Wait for me,” he commanded. And I did as I was told, concentrating on his countenance, and then I saw it. A flicker of something building on his expression. I knew it well. His rhythm picked up, and I felt him lengthen inside of me.

“Make me come, David,” I begged. And that was all he needed. He struggled to keep his eyes open as he unleashed a wave of hot cum inside me. As he bucked, I caught his body and drew an exceptional orgasm that exploded from inside me, ripping me apart as it spread across my body.

David made some kind of guttural sound once our hips settled, evidence that his mind was in a post-orgasm fog. I was too busy reveling in the warm haze to try to make sense of it.

Eventually, he pulled himself off me as we both caught our breath. Worldwide mogul or not, that man could fuck. He stayed there, lying next to me on the bed, as I slowly reentered reality. Finally, as he was fondling my breasts, he spoke.

“You know, your tits are like, perfect,” he said.

I was surprised. That statement … he sounded more like a normal guy than ‘David Keith.’ It was refreshing. I wasn’t sure what to say.

“Thank you.”

“Seriously, Samantha. Truly exquisite,” he repeated, before kissing me on each one and sitting up in the bed. Ah, ha. There he was. That didn’t last long.

He picked up his phone. “It’s seven-thirty. Are you hungry?”

Huh? Food? It’s a rare occasion that a meal is far from my mind. However, this was one of those times. He had managed to screw the hunger right out of me.

“What do you think,” he asked as he scrolled through his phone, “about sushi?”

I smiled. Sushi was one of our compromise foods. Healthy enough for my earth-crunchy boyfriend, but tasty enough for me.

“Sounds great. Can you get a double order of uni? Last time you ate all of it.”

“Three orders of uni, coming up,” he quipped as he pulled the phone up to his ear.

I smiled at him and shook my head. “I’m gonna take a shower,” I said quietly, lest the person on the other end of the line hear me. David nodded and started to give the order to the restaurant, his eyes following my naked body as I moved across the room.

Inside the white marble bathroom, I wasted no time and turned the shower on full blast, allowing the space to fill with steam. I was only in the spray for a minute before David silently joined me. I realized the last time we had showered together was when I was still recovering from the hit and run. David had treated me like porcelain at the time, which was sweet, but I much preferred to be able to take advantage of his strong hands. He pulled me into him, and I inhaled deeply. I wanted to smell him before the water washed the scent of sex away. He was musky and salty. Delicious.

After the shower we pulled on some white robes and headed to the living room. Hilde had set the sushi dinner on the coffee table, and the marble fireplace was lit and inviting on this cold January evening. David and I settled in on the floor next to each other and dug in.

As we negotiated miso soup and hand rolls, we shared highlights from our day.

“So I’m going up there tomorrow to do some measurements…” I explained to him. “Do you want the last spicy tuna roll?”

“Take it, please”

I reached across the table with my chopsticks and popped the piece in my mouth.

“You will take Elliot, of course?”

I turned to him, and tried to finish chewing. “Duh, how else would I get up there? I don’t have a car.” For a smart man, he sure could be dumb sometimes.

He paused for a moment, leaving a bite of seaweed salad mid-air as he looked at me.

“Do you want a car of your own, Samantha?”

I blushed. David had always been more than generous with me. He paid for everything when we were together, and he had given me a black card for all my other expenses. The last thing I wanted to seem was ungrateful. Besides, it wasn’t true.

“I don’t need a car,” I said finally. It was true. I didn’t need one because Elliot accompanied me everywhere. “Do
not
buy me a car, David.” I’ve learned that I need to be very clear when it comes to these types of things.

David put down his chopsticks and put his arm around me.

“I want to take care of you, Samantha. I want to do more than just buy you dresses. I want you to understand that what’s mine is yours. I want you to want for nothing when you are with me.”

I stared down at my sushi, a little embarrassed at this proclamation. Not that I didn’t like it. One day, some day, I may get tired of him putting me on this pedestal. But that day wasn’t today, or any time in the foreseeable future. I was sure of that.

“I know. I love you, David. And I’d love you even if you didn’t have all this. You know
that
right?”

“Yes. I love you too, baby.” He kissed me on my forehead and went back to his sushi.

His words stayed on my mind, even as we both finished our meal. Something had been bothering me. David had originally invited me to stay with him while Brian had been a threat. And now he was out of the country and not a threat anymore. Did that mean I was supposed to go back to my studio? It wasn’t about the time together—even before everything with Brian, we had spent almost every night together at David’s. I needed to know if he still wanted me there.
Formally.

I took a breath and put down my chopsticks. Now was a good a time as any.

“Hey, so I was thinking about the studio…” I started, not really knowing what I was about to say.

David looked over at me and nodded his head as he swallowed. “Me too.”

“Oh yeah?” I wanted to hear this.

“Yes,” he started, as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I was thinking, it might be wise to let Clark and Leslie know.”

Clark and Leslie were my landlords. They owned the main house, and my studio was located in their back yard.

“Let them know what?” I wasn’t following him.

“That you’ve moved. I mean, there is no sense in keeping the place. You won’t be working in the East Bay anymore, and since we’re living together now…”

I cut him off. “We are?”

He looked at me, confused. “Aren’t we?”

I felt a mind-spinning combination of elation and confusion. I tried to keep my lips in a neutral line and my voice calm but inside I was exploding. I stared at the floor as I spoke. “I mean, I thought you just wanted me here temporarily, because of Brian. Not that I don’t want to be here. I mean, it’s great, I just thought…”

“Samantha.”

I stopped and looked up at him. His eyes were deep and serious.

“Samantha,” he exhaled, “As much as I want to say having you move in was because of Brian, I’d be lying if I said that was my only motivation. And now that I’ve had you here, I just can’t bear the thought of living here without you. I need you here when I get home from work and at night when I go to sleep.”

My heart flew. That was assurance if I had ever heard it. David looked at me expectantly.

“Well, I guess I’ll have to figure out how to tell my parents. And Clark and Leslie.”

David’s solemn countenance started to give way to an enormous grin. “So it’s official then?”

I nodded and started to beam . “Yes. Yes, David, I will move in with you.”

We made love two more times that night. In
our
bedroom.

3

I left early on Friday morning to head up to Gina’s place. The ride to Tiburon was a counter-commute, so my preparations may have been a little overkill, but my Type-A instincts still wanted to make a good impression. And of course we rolled into town ahead of schedule, so I made Elliot stop downtown for a couple of coffees before continuing on to Gina’s. While I was waiting in line to order, David texted me.

Don’t forget, we have the gala tonight. Be ready by seven. I’ll have Hilde leave your dress in the closet.

I texted him back to confirm. Tonight was a fundraising gala for UCSF, where David was on the board of directors. The hospital had cared for his adoptive mother when she was dying of cancer, and, out of gratitude, he had devoted a large amount of funding and time to them.

When we pulled up to Gina’s it was just as I had remembered it. Huge. Modern. Perched on the edge of the bay, which meant the view alone was worth a couple million dollars. I gave Elliot a little nod as I walked up the steps to the front door, measuring tape in one hand, coffee in the other.

Last time I was here, Gina’s German Shepherd, Finn, had barked at me from behind the glass door. But now, he knew me, and sat calmly behind the glass, staring at me. I rang the doorbell, and he didn’t move until Gina came over to open the door.

“Hey, Sam. You remember Finn, right?”

“I sure do. How are you doing, big boy?” I reached down to give him a hug. He was a huge dog, bigger than any German Shepherd I’d seen. But he was sweet. I knew we were going to be fast friends.

“How was the drive up?” Gina asked, as we walked into her living room.

“Good, good. I think it’s going to be an easy commute.”

We sat down on the couch, and I looked around. The room looked about the same as last time I was there. The house was gorgeous but lacked much furniture. It was sparse, bare, and needed more than just some art on the walls.

Gina noticed me looking around. “I know, I know. It’s terrible. I left all the furniture behind in New York, and I have been so busy with the lawyers, I haven’t had time to shop. Maybe we can do some shopping next time we are out looking at art. I mean, if you don’t mind.”

I took a sip of my coffee. “Sure, I mean, why not. We can make sure everything accents each other that way. Sounds fun.”

Gina nodded, pleased with my response. “So how do we get started?” she asked, indicating the measuring tape I was carrying.

“Oh, well, I was thinking I could make most of the measurements on my own. I don’t think you need to stop your day. You can keep doing whatever you need to, I mean, if that is okay.”

She raised her eyebrows just a bit but quickly agreed. “Sure, Sam. Whatever you need. Feel free to wander around. I’ll order in for lunch, how does that sound?”

“Fantastic.” I had forgotten to pack a lunch, and was glad she had brought it up.

She stood up and smoothed her skirt. “Okay, well, I will leave you be then, and I’ll just be down the hall in my office. Just give a shout if you need anything.”

“Sure thing. Thanks, Gina.”

She left the room and sauntered down the hallway. I glanced around at the high ceilings and bare walls. There was literally a lot to cover, but I was ready to get down to business. I pulled out my trusty notepad and pencil and started to lay out the measuring tape.

Just the living room alone took about forty-five minutes. I took note of all the windows and electrical outlets, thinking about things like how different times of day might affect not just the colors of artwork, but the condition, as well. I didn’t want Gina to drop a chunk of change on a watercolor only to have the sun bleach it out. She was paying me well for this job, and I wanted to do quality work. I checked and double-checked my measurements before moving on to the next room.

I managed to get through the living room, family room, foyer, dining room, and most of the hallways before lunch. All that was left were the bedrooms and Gina’s office. At one o’clock we ate together in the sun room, the same place we had lunched when I first came to interview for the position. The sun room managed to capture the sun’s rays in a way that made this foggy January day feel warm and luxurious.

“So, Sam. I hope you aren’t regretting leaving your gallery for this dump,” Gina joked as we nibbled on Cobb salads.

I smiled and wiped my mouth with a napkin. “Oh, no. Not at all.”

“And your boss isn’t mad that I stole you away?” she said with a grin.

I took a sip of iced tea. “Curtis? No, quite the opposite, actually. When I told him about the position, he encouraged me to take it.”

“Oh really? You didn’t tell me that.”

“Yeah. He knows I want to do more than just work at a gallery for the rest of my life.”

“I see. So what’s the big goal? What does Sam Sharp want out of life?”

Ah, the million-dollar question. I only wished I knew how to answer it.

“I’m not sure yet. I think that was part of the reason I was excited for this position, Gina. It’s giving me a chance to work in a new field, get to know new people, and have fun. I couldn’t ask for anything more, really.”

Gina nodded and cocked her head at me. “Have you always wanted to work in the art market?”