His Absolute Proposal: An Illicit Billionaire Love Story (Elise, #3) (3 page)

He licked my nose.  Really, now!  Really.  This wasn't the time for that, Lucent.  I scowled at him, and then I licked him back.  He grinned, then turned away from me, speaking towards the bedroom door.

"I don't wish to intrude on your morning, Mr. Landseer," Lucent said, "but I believe it would be most prudent if we discussed our current situation.  I would like to leave this place sooner rather than later.  I hardly wish to rush matters, but I think you'll agree with me that time is currently of the essence."

As a finishing point to his statement, Lucent reached back and squeezed my butt.  His hands rested tight on my curves, pulling me against him.  He held me like that, forcing my body to grind against his, my core tight against the pent up energy hidden behind the crotch of his pants.  I shifted a little, pushing against him even more.  My hands moved from his neck, down his back, towards his butt, and I squeezed him there, too.  A butt for a butt, right?  A squeeze for a squeeze?  I was fairly certain this was how that worked.

I had a sudden idea, too.  Oh, this was good.  Not at all related to Lucent's butt, unfortunately, but I liked the idea nonetheless.  "Do you have any food here?" I asked, speaking to Asher and Jessika.  "We could all have breakfast together.  Wouldn't that be nice?"

Lucent glanced at me oddly.  "Miss Tanner, I don't think we're going to have time to sit down and eat an appropriate breakfast.  Something simple and expedited, perhaps, but—"

"Quick," I said.  "Something simple and quick.  No one eats an expedited breakfast, Lucent."

Oh, this was either the perfect thing to say, or a very bad one.  He squeezed me even tighter, picking me up off the ground slightly as he did, making me stand on tiptoes or risk falling down.

"I am absolutely certain that people eat expedited breakfasts," he said.  "There's no need for your nitpicking."

His fervid gaze said everything else I needed to know.  This wasn't about breakfast or nitpicking or any of that.  No, not at all.  This was a hunger of a different sort, and since I'd denied him earlier, he was making it clear that he'd take what he could get.  That's how I thought this was going, at least.

"I don't know why you're being mean to me," I said, biting my bottom lip.

"I'm not being mean to you," he said, biting my lip back, pulling it from my mouth with his teeth.

"You are," I said.  "A little bit."  And I pouted at him, trying to look coy and demure.  "I thought you were nicer last night, but now you're mean all over again."

He gave me a funny look; strange, almost hurt.  "I'm not—" he said, then stopped.  "I apologize for being mean."

"That's alright.  I love you," I said, smiling.  "I was just teasing you."

"I want to tease you," Lucent said, whispering into my ear, words for me and me alone.  "Miss Tanner, I so dreadfully wish you hadn't done this so I could tease you over and over again.  How do you expect me to do it when we're having a conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Landseer in the hallway outside their bedroom?"

"I don't know," I said.  "If you want to try, I wouldn't be opposed."

"No?" he asked.  The wicked smirk on his lips grew wider with each passing second.

I couldn't hear what they were saying, but Jessika and Asher were having a muffled conversation in the bedroom.  Distracted, no doubt.  I hoped they didn't think Lucent and I were actually angry at one another, though.  I mean, I was kind of angry with him still, especially because of everything that happened last night, but I thought that he could make it up to me.

His fingers were attempting to make it up to me, at least.  He had them bunched around the skirt of my dress, slowly pulling it upwards, reaching for the bare skin of my butt and my curves.  I moved my hands away from his butt and grabbed at my skirt, trying to pull it away from him and back down.

"Lucent!" I hissed.  "What if they come out and see us?"

"I don't care," he said.  He kept tugging, trying to get me to relent.

"Lucent, I'm being serious!" I said again, halfway between a whisper and a shriek.

"Miss Tanner," Lucent said.  "You have no idea how much I need you right now."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I need to be inside of you," he said.  "I've never felt a more pressing need than right now.  I want to apologize to you for everything I've done, and everything I might do, but I want to claim you as mine, too.  I need you so much.  It's fun to play at chasing games; I'm sure we can both agree on that.  The thought of losing you drives me mad, though.  I feel like I might risk going insane by even thinking about it.  I..."

He stopped, then swallowed hard.  I smiled at him and kissed him.

"Are you really sorry?" I asked.  "I know you apologized, but tell me truthfully.  Are you truly and honestly very sorry?  I can forgive you, Lucent.  I can.  Please, just tell me, alright?  Tell me the truth.  Tell me what you feel."

"I am," he said.  "I love you so much, Elise.  It's impossible to put into words.  I don't know of any that would do you justice.  I truly and honestly and deeply need you on so many levels.  I'm sorry for how I made you feel last night."

"I accept," I said.  "I accept your apology, Lucent.  But we can't have sex right now.  I'd like to... but we can't."

He grinned.  "Yes," he said.  "I know that.  Unfortunate as it is, I understand."

"Kiss me," I said.  "You can kiss me.  Please?  I want to."

He did.  Lucent kissed me.  I kissed him back, as well.  We became emotion; pure, unadulterated passion.  Our lips fought against one another with uncontested longing.  I didn't know what kind of battle this was, but it was rather obvious we were both winning in our own ways.

Lucent pushed me against the wall, pinning me there.  His knee spread my legs, dividing in order to conquer.  He lifted up, knee pressed against the wall, rising higher and higher until he had me completely trapped.  I was trapped by his body as much as I was trapped by my own lust; his knee and his thigh ground against my desirous sex.

I grabbed him, grappled with him, pulling him closer to me.  He came to me, giving in to me, all while forcing me to give in to him.  This was domination and submission of a different sort, a shared type of BDSM between the both of us.  I wanted him and he wanted me; we would do anything to not only control each other, but to give in to our deeper desires, too.

Sometimes Lucent's desires were dark, but I couldn't exactly say that my own were less than that.  He enjoyed tormenting me, but it was a pleasant torment.  He liked to watch me squirm and writhe, liked to watch me driven to the peak of passion, then brought down somewhat, only smirking as I begged him to lift me up and over the edge.

In truth, I didn't care what he did, though.  Lucent wouldn't hurt me.  Perhaps he enjoyed prolonging my orgasm, claiming me, forcing me to submit to his whims, but we shared many of the same whims and desires, too.  I thought both of us knew this better than anyone else.

We didn't need words, we just needed each other.  Our hearts and our souls spoke more deeply than any simple discussion ever could.

I heard something, but I didn't fully realize what it was at first.  And, honestly?  I didn't really care, either.  I only cared about this, about Lucent and I, us, doing what we were doing, doing what we must.

Unfortunately it wasn't always that easy.  Lucent broke away from me, refusing to meet my lips with his any longer.  I tried to pull him back, to continue kissing him, but he held me off, guarding himself from my thwarted lust.  Yes, well, that wasn't a very good thing to do, now was it?  A woman scorned and all of that, right?  I wasn't scorned, but I really just wanted him to kiss me again.

He used his lips for something else instead; words.  "My apologies," Lucent said.

He lowered his leg and backed away slowly, giving me ample space to move away from the wall, except for the fact that I didn't want to move away from the wall.

I turned to look at who he was speaking to, and saw Jessika and Asher standing in the doorway to her bedroom.  They both looked somewhat shocked, though also curiously intrigued.  I didn't know why, because I was fairly certain they did these sorts of things, too.  Perhaps not brazenly out in the hallway where someone might see them, but it wasn't like Lucent and I were doing it in public or anything.  It was just Jessika and Asher.

Yes, well, Elise, I had to remind myself.  Asher was the CEO of Landseer Enterprises, a billion dollar corporation, and technically speaking, Jessika, his wife, was my boss.  So, um... regardless of the fact that they were the only ones who could see us, perhaps I shouldn't be so lax in accepting that fact.

I didn't like this reasoning, but the logic remained steadfast and I needed to acknowledge it.

"Sorry," I said, trying not to pout or act childish.  That only worked for a second.  "I'm not actually sorry, though.  I'm a little sorry.  I don't want anyone to feel awkward, you know?  That was really nice, though.  For me, I mean.  Lucent is... I... I don't know what I'm saying right now.  I'm sorry that we got a little carried away, but I still liked it a lot."

Lucent sighed, and I thought I saw a spark of a laugh hiding behind is reluctant smile.  "You certainly have a way with words, Miss Tanner," he said.

"Why thank you, Lucent," I said, matching his smile with one of my own.

"Do you want some clothes?" Jessika asked.  "That's, uh... that's what I was going to ask.  Maybe Asher and Lucent can make some food?  There's not much, but there's a little in the fridge, and I can help you find some clothes, and then we can all figure something out while we eat breakfast and sit down and talk?"

"That sounds agreeable," Lucent said with a nod.

I nodded, as well.  "Sure."

With that settled, Jessika took my hand and pulled me away from Lucent.  This was probably for the best, because I didn't think I'd go with her otherwise.  Lucent was like my gravity, sometimes; I didn't realize I was stuck to him until someone pointed it out.

Whoops.  Um... oh well?  I didn't mind it.  I really did need to change out of this dress, though.

W
hile Jessika took Elise to find a new outfit, Lucent went into the kitchen with Asher.  Presumably to prepare food, except neither of them was doing that, nor did it appear they would be doing it any time too soon.

"So," Asher said.  "Did you tell Elise your plans yet?"

"Not exactly," Lucent answered honestly.  Or, not honestly at all; because he hadn't told her much of anything.

"Lucent, you can't just leave here without telling her what you're planning on doing.  Isn't that what got you in trouble in the first place?"

Trouble.  The idea of it made Lucent laugh.  Was that what this was about?  Why was it that he found the idea of Elise being upset with him far worse than the realization that he was currently wanted by the police, who wanted to take him in for questioning and accuse him of being guilty of arson?

He didn't know.  He doubted he'd ever know, to be truthful.  Yes, laws, rules, and regulations existed, and they served a purpose, but...

For whatever twisted reason, the rules and regulations governing Lucent's thoughts were all guided by the laws of attraction.  A simplistic way of putting it, but that's what this all boiled down to.

It wasn't just attraction, though.  No, not at all.  It was more, and he didn't even know how to begin explaining it.  Attraction?  God, yes, of course he was attracted to Elise, but she was more than just a pretty face.  She was intelligent, possibly too curious by far, alluring in her presumed innocence, though when she was with him he thought she was far less innocent than first appearances might deem.  She was cute, playful, and arousing on multiple levels.

He wanted to control her, but he also wanted to cuddle with her.  He wanted to spank her, fuck her, make love to her, have dinner with her, buy her roses, show her thorns; all of the passion and pleasure, sin and pain, he wanted to share that with her.

Yes, all of it.  Forever.

Their relationship defied logic, if he had to admit it.  By all accounts, she should be repulsed by him.  She should have fled from him much earlier than just last night.  And once she fled, she should have been gone forever.

That's what he thought.  That's what he'd always thought, too.  He remembered thinking this exact same thing during their time in the library, trapped during a blizzard.

He'd lied to her in a way.  It bothered him to remember that.  Back then, he'd told her that he went into the library because he had nowhere else to go, since he'd stayed late at Landseer Tower while working on a project.  That couldn't have been further from the truth, though.  He'd stayed late because he was watching her from the Tower.  He'd stayed—and then he'd gone to the library—because he worried about what might happen if she became snowed in.

He never would have gone to her otherwise.  His obsession with this woman he'd never actually met before bothered him.  She just seemed so...

Intense.

She wasn't that.  Or, he doubted many people would express their opinions of her in a similar way.  She was bookish, a librarian of sorts, and nothing much more.  Creative writing student at one of the local colleges?  Yes, well, what type of person gained a higher education in creative writing?  What were her career options after leaving school?  Starving artist?

Elise was intense to him, though.  And, more than that, she was intense beyond compare.  A smoldering sun, a God-given oath, completely incomparable to the luminescence of a flashlight or a whispered, unkept promise.

Also, many people misjudged the humanities.  Artists did not need to starve.  Entertainment was a thriving, flourishing industry.  It only took a certain sense of self to understand and appeal to the aspect of entertainment which an artist sought to amuse.

And, if anything, Elise was certainly amusing.  In a different way.  She wasn't necessarily funny, though she had her bouts of humor and quick wit.  No, she understood life in a way which distracted a person from everything else.  He'd seen her do it more often than not, and without even realizing it on her own, as well.