Indulgent Pleasures (15 page)

What the hell, was she embarrassed to be seen with the former superstar athlete, now useless gimp? How fucking unbelievable was that?

Justin didn’t want to admit it, barely wanted to think it, but it hurt his feelings. That had never happened in a relationship with a woman before.

Of course, this was the first time he’d considered pursuing a real relationship so there you go.

He walked out onto the balcony, the clear and starry night welcoming him with a cool breeze. It was a salve to his heated skin, his more than hot anger and he breathed deep, told himself to get a grip. Glancing about the balcony, he noticed it was almost empty, probably because the air was so cool.

Good. He preferred not having an audience for what was about to go down.

Finally spotting her, he stalked toward the corner where she stood, hiding behind a giant topiary lit with twinkling white lights. Her arms were crossed in front of her, plumping up her breasts even more and they looked ready to spill out the front of her dress. All he wanted to do was touch them. Cup them in his hands and flick her hard nipples with his thumbs. Push the delicate fabric of her dress aside so he could draw one pretty pink nipple into his mouth.

She smiled in greeting though it faded when she saw the scowling expression on his face. She licked her lips, pushed a stray strand of hair away from her face and took a step toward him.

“I’m one of the top sole donors for this charity,” he couldn’t help but brag. What, was he trying to impress this woman with his generosity?

He was an asshole.

Her wide eyes finally met his. “Really? That’s so wonderful.”

Unable to resist he reached out, his fingers drifting down her upper arm. Her skin was soft, chilled from the cool air and a trail of gooseflesh followed in the wake of his touch. “Who’s the guy?”

Damn it. He hadn’t meant to jump right out with it but it was as if he couldn’t control himself around her. This he already knew. It just came as a shock every time he was with her.

She looked up and her gaze held his, her eyes bluer than normal. Must’ve been the blue of her dress bringing out the color.

Justin shook his head. God she was beautiful. Breathtaking really. A thousand words ran through his head as how to describe her but none of them did her any justice.

“He’s no one. Just a guy I work with. Truthfully, I can’t stand him.” Her expression said it all along with the dismissive wave of her hand. He believed every word she spoke.

Relief swept through him and he relaxed his stance, took another step closer to her. Her sweet floral fragrance drifted toward him, wrapping him in a soft embrace and he touched her again, his fingers slipping around the crook of her elbow.

“You look gorgeous.” That one word wasn’t enough. He wasn’t a poet by any means but damn if he didn’t want to write a sonnet or two about her beauty.

Okay, he really was losing his mind. All over a woman.

“Thank you.” Her cheeks warmed with a sweet pink flush beneath her freckles. “You look good, too. Very handsome in your tux.”

His gaze dipped to her feet, her long skirt swirling around them from the breeze and he saw she wore silver stiletto sandals. Her toes were painted a dark color, in the dim light he couldn’t tell what shade but they weren’t red. The only red thing on her was her lips, slicked with her trademark deep ruby shade.

That same shade he loved to kiss away. The same shade he’d found on his own lips once or twice before after a night with her. A reminder that always made him smile.

They didn’t say anything for a long moment, just stood there staring at each other with funny little smiles on their faces. A sash of navy blue ribbon wrapped just below her breasts and he had the sudden image of taking that ribbon and binding her wrists to his headboard with it, her arms high above her head. With her breasts stretched, her nipples hard and begging for his mouth.

His hard-on grew, straining against the fly of his trousers and he knew what he had to do.

“I want you.” The words were a harsh whisper carried on the breeze and she blinked once, twice, those pretty red lips parting as if she were about to say something.

And she did say something. “I—I have to go back to my table. They’re waiting for me.”

Frustration came back, raging full blown within him. The emotion made his head spin and his vision blur. He didn’t want her to leave. He wanted her to be with him. He wanted to be inside her.

He didn’t want to let her go. Ever.

Chapter Fourteen

Justin reminded her of a fierce, brooding warrior, all dark expression, heated eyes and wide stance. He cornered her, blocking everything from view until all she could see was him. His hungry gaze roamed over her, lingering on her breasts, her bare shoulders and she shivered, not from the breeze but from the passionate stare of her lover.

Her lover.
It was still difficult for her to grasp that she’d been intimate with this beautiful man on numerous occasions. That she knew what he liked, knew his body so well. His cock had been in her mouth, his mouth and hands all over her body. When she looked at him, she wanted him so much it almost hurt. It was as if she couldn’t get enough.

Those three simple words he’d spoken with such heat made her panties flood with cream, her nipples beading beneath the thin fabric of her dress. She wore no bra, she couldn’t because of the way the dress was designed and she was afraid he would reach for her and rip the top away so that she’d be exposed. Vulnerable.

Vulnerable to his touch, his sure hands and that magic mouth.

Her entire body trembled and she secretly wanted him to do exactly that. Rip her clothes off and take her right there on the balcony, where any of the party goers who happened to walk by and see them.

God, she was so crazy. He was making her lose her mind.

“They can wait for you a little longer. I can’t.” Voice rough, he sounded downright desperate and he reached for her, his hands grasping her upper arms. His touch was electric, sending currents of heat shivering throughout her body. He hauled her against him and she gasped, her arms automatically going around him.

Her impending words were silenced by his mouth crashing down upon hers. He kissed her with such force it stole her breath. His tongue was downright menacing, thrusting in and out of her mouth much like his cock would thrust in and out of her body and she clung to him, a whimper escaping when he broke the kiss.

“If you can walk away from me after that then you’re a much stronger person than I am.” He gazed down at her, dipping low so his forehead pressed against hers. She stared up into his eyes and saw the passion blazing in their golden depths.

“Where—where will we go?” Her voice sounded small, shaky and she swallowed, wishing for some sort of control. Unable to find any when he was near.

“I don’t know.” He cleared his throat, his gaze beseeching. “Anywhere, as long as I’m with you.”

His words tore at her heart, making her weak, making her wish for something he wouldn’t give.

It was hard to remember that they were merely caught up in a passionate affair when he said things like that. When he looked at her as if she might mean something to him.

“Justin.” She disentangled herself from his embrace and stood taller, caught the flash of disappointment in his eyes when she pulled away. They needed to get a grip, she needed some distance if she was going to speak to him like a civilized, rational person. “We can’t do this here. Not now.”

“Why not?” He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it and the urge to smooth her fingers through it was almost overpowering.

“You said so yourself you’re one of their biggest donors. Aren’t they doing a presentation soon?” How she missed his name on the gala announcement, she had no clue. Of course, she never really saw one since she’d only heard about the benefit from Zoe.

If she’d known Justin would be here she probably wouldn’t have come. It was too hard, too painful to be so close to him and not be able to touch him, indulge in him. They had an appearance to keep up and behaving like two slobbering teenagers was not the image they wanted to portray.

Plus, she couldn’t let Zoe know anything. It was too risky, having her so close.

He shrugged and shoved his hands in his pants’ pockets. His stance reminded her of a petulant little boy who didn’t get his way. “Yeah I guess so.”

“Well, we can’t sneak off before then, right? You should go back inside.” She lifted her chin, hoping like hell she looked strong, determined. She felt anything but. “Maybe we could meet...later.”

“We’re definitely going to meet later.” He grabbed her again, planting a drugging kiss to her lips before he pushed her away. His entire body was tense, his jaw tight and she wanted to go to him and offer him comfort.

Offer him her body.

But not yet. Soon.

“Yes.” She nodded, wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the sudden chill. It wasn’t good enough, not when she had his hot, hard body so close. “Okay.”

Oh, dear. This was a tough situation. One she wasn’t sure how to handle. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she squared her shoulders. “Of course not. I just figured you’d want to be more discreet, am I right?”

He still watched her but he didn’t say a word. His eyes grew colder with every passing second that she didn’t explain herself.

“You want the local media to get wind of this? Of us? And have them start asking you questions like who I am and what I mean to you? I know you’re a private person, Justin, and I know you don’t like to deal with any media intrusion. Well, I’m a private person too and I don’t want to deal with it either.”

His expression slowly cleared and he shook his head though he still didn’t look pleased. “I guess you’re right. Fine, you want discreet, go to the concierge desk in the lobby at eleven and give them your name. They’ll tell you what to do from there.”

Justin stalked away without waiting for her reply. He didn’t even bother looking back and she watched him go. Had she hurt his feelings? Made him feel bad when she said she didn’t want to be seen with him?

If she’d been doing something else, anything else but writing those articles, she’d be begging him to escort her everywhere. She’d be proud to be on the arm of one of the most spectacular baseball players of his time. A man still revered in this city, in his profession.

Not that his celebrity status was the reason she was with him. Justin was an amazing man. Amazing in bed and so sweet to her, passionate, talented and from what she’d just learned about the charity event, generous.

But she couldn’t do it, she couldn’t risk getting caught. Not yet, at least. It was too dangerous and if Zoe found out, their relationship would be dead in the water. He’d hate her for what she did, writing those articles about their most personal moments. For how she lied to him.

And the very last thing she wanted was for him to hate her.

Stephanie slowly walked back into the ballroom, glancing about the room for Justin. She spotted him near the stage, standing with a group of people getting his photo taken. He was smiling, seemingly jovial but she could see even from halfway across the room his jaw was still tight and his eyes were dim.

“I’m sorry, I spotted someone I knew and we talked for a while.” Trying to smile at him, she started walking, heading toward the table where she saw Zoe still sitting.

Caleb kept up with her. “Did I just see you out on the balcony with that baseball player Justin Hawkins?”

Her heart leapt to her throat and she stopped, her gaze meeting his. “Nooo.” She drew out the word and shook her head, her body literally shaking with nerves.

“Huh. I could’ve sworn it was you. Maybe it was someone else.” He shrugged, casting her a doubtful look. “I thought I recognized your dress.”

“Maybe someone else is wearing it? And I thought I was the only one.” She laughed, trying to mask her fear and hoping it didn’t sound fake.

Caleb was too damn perceptive for his own good. She hoped he didn’t start digging deeper and start piling on the questions.

“Well, you’ve been missing out. I’ve been talking to ladies left and right though I haven’t scored yet. I’m close though.”

“God, do you treat this like some sort of sport?” Stephanie wrinkled her nose and couldn’t help but think of Justin. How polite and sweet he’d been to her that first night they’d met.

But had that been the exception? She’d done a little research. He was a known player both on and off the field and had an endless string of women attached to his name. Many of them as famous or even more so than he.

She found that incredibly intimidating, to say the least. How could she compete compared to all of those other women in his life? Not that he seemed to be thinking of any of them when he was with her.

No, his intense focus seemed wholly concentrated on her.

“Of course, I treat it like a sport. It
is
a game, Stephanie. A game between a man and a woman and ultimately, I always like to be the winner.” Caleb grinned, the expression on his face wicked. “I like to be the one on top.”