PIERCE : A Billionaire Romance Book Series (The Complete Van Doren Series) (10 page)

              “So,” Pierce begins, pulling out a chair next to her and settling down into it.  He puts his plate down, pokes at the doubtless decadent meal with his fork, then puts the fork down and reaches over to take both of Christina’s hands in his own.  “Let’s talk.” 

              Breakfast is forgotten for the moment.  Christina looks deeply into Pierce’s eyes, and sees nothing but open willingness to communicate.  All at once, she has an open book in front of her, and she has no idea what to ask!  Every question she had is just a blur in her mind, and all she can do is chew at her lip and wonder what the hell she’s supposed to do, now.  She shakes her head a little, takes a deep breath, and just dives in – asking the first thing that comes to mind.

              “Where’s your father?”

              Pierce squeezes her hands, and then responds. “In Barbados.  At a friend’s estate.”

              Christina nods. “And why is he there?  Is he hiding from someone?”

              Pierce nods. “Yes, he is.”  He pauses, as if to make her ask for clarification, but then continues on, giving Christina a chance to gather her thoughts. “He’s hiding from the Irish Mafia.  He got in deep with them, borrowed a good bit of money from them for an investment that failed.  He didn’t have the personal funds to repay them, so he embezzled some money from the company.” He shakes his head, sighing deeply. “If he’d just told me…” His eyes are earnest as they study Christina’s face.  She can’t see any trace of deception there, only anxiety and sadness.  “I told him to go into hiding until I could figure out a way to cover the losses – the board of directors wants his head on a platter.  The only way I could stay on the inside and avoid our assets being frozen was to play ignorant.

              The story rings true, if strange.  Christina gives Pierce’s fingers a reassuring squeeze.  “So you just maintained he’d run off, painted him as a criminal?  What’s your plan, now?  Are you going to pay the money back?  Is he going to get to come home?” 

              Pierce lets go of her left hand so he can take a long drink from his champagne flute.  He drains the glass, then reaches out and takes hers, which he also drains.  After a couple of moments of silence, he shrugs a bit helplessly. “He is a criminal, Christina.  But he isn’t a bad man.  He made some stupid decisions and acted out of fear.”  His hand takes hold of hers once again, and he pulls her hands into his lap, leaning forward so she can feel his breath wash across her lips as he speaks.  “If he’d told me what was happening, I would have advised him.  Or figured out some way to pay back his loan myself – but he didn’t want me to be involved.  Still doesn’t.” 

              Christina nods.  She can understand on some levels – she’s back home with her Dad, after all.  It’s hard to be an adult child of someone who’s set in their ways, and she can only imagine what it’s like for Pierce.  She slowly leans in and kisses him lightly on the lips.  “I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”  It feels strange to be dismissing something so huge as Mafia ties and embezzlement so quickly – the reporter in her is screaming in protest – but she wants Pierce to know she’s on his side, that she despite it all, she somehow trusts him.  “You’re going to pay the money back, right?”

              Pierce sits up, laughs a bit sarcastically, and nods. “Yes.  I’m going to have to sell the estate, and liquidate some other assets.  Once all of that is done I should be able to make good on the debt, and then I’ll probably resign as CEO and let the board buy me out.  My father has essentially destroyed my future with Van Doren Enterprises, but… maybe I need to follow my own path.”  His grin is sincere as he gives her hands another firm squeeze.  “And hopefully not alone.”

              Christina slides herself across the short space between them, wrapping her arms around Pierce’s neck and burying her face into the hollow of his shoulder.  She kisses him there several times, then stands up and reaches down to take his face in both of her hands. “Thank you for being honest, Pierce.  I swear, a few days ago I was so angry when I found out that not was I right about your father but it was worse than I thought. I didn’t realize that you were trying to protect him for the good of the company. Thank you for trusting me.”  Leaning close once more, she kisses him on the nose, then the forehead. “Thank you for understanding why I needed to know the truth.”

              Pierce stands up and pulls her close.  His lips meet hers yet again, lingering this time.  His tongue teases her own, strokes her mouth with familiar intimacy.  His hands roam her back, kneading and caressing her through her robe, and she can feel his cock growing hard again against her thigh.  Christina whimpers into the kiss and feels her hands sinking into his still-damp hair, her body arching towards his.  His hands begin to gather up her robe beneath her bottom, baring her rump to his questing fingers.  “Pierce,” Christina murmurs, the syllable muffled by his eager kisses.  “Come back to bed with me. Now.”

              He does not respond, but instead simply slides his hands under her ass and lifts her off the floor, prompting her to wrap her legs around his waist and cling to his neck securely.  The short trip to the bed seems almost excruciatingly lengthy, and only when she feels the cushy mattress give under her weight does she relax her hold on her stunningly gorgeous lover.  He immediately begins to climb on top of her, his hands working to open her robe and bare her breasts to him, his mouth kissing each inch of bare skin on his way up to greet her mouth once more.

              Christina is swept up in a rush of desperate need, all her pent-up confusion and anxiety regarding this man finally swept aside.  She wants him inside her, wants to feel his body joined with her own.  She’s fucked him before – but this time she wants to love him.  She’s pushing his robe away from his shoulders.  He’s pulling his arms free of the garment and tossing it aside, little grunts and growls of animal want escaping both their throats as they urgently entangle. 

              Pierce slides his hands under Christina’s arms and pushes her further up onto the bed, leaving her discarded robe behind.  Their naked, shower-cleaned bodies are hot and firm against one another, Pierce’s powerful body an undeniable presence between her legs.  She opens her knees wide, wraps her legs around his hips, digs at his ass with her heel.  Her hands roam the now-familiar plane of his back and shoulders, reveling in the muscles there, teasing the sleek skin with soft-yet-urgent desire.  Words are lost for the moment, their communications given through touch, taste, and warmth. 

              Pierce spares no time before he’s inside her.  There’s no preamble, no teasing. His hips press in against her own, his cock stretching her wide open and filling her up completely with one fluid, needy thrust.  Christina cries out breathlessly as he nudges her cervix, and as his hands grip her head and draw her into another ravenous kiss, she loves the connection, the way their bodies are bound together through sex, love, and want.  He assumes a slow rhythm immediately, fucking her with slow, dance-like insistence.  There’s no end goal in mind, here – only the pleasurable coexistence of two bodies, two minds, two hearts.  Their kisses go on and on – deep and slow, light and airy.  Their breath is mingled, their tongues entwined.

              Pierce pushes up onto his hands, his gaze dreamy as he gazes down at Christina.  Her hair has been loosened from its ties so she has a faint corona of fine curls around her face.  Her cheeks are flushed, her lips kiss-bruised and swollen.  Her mouth is slightly parted to allow her anxious respiration.  He smiles at her, and she smiles back.  Both of her hands rise to gently stroke and caress his muscular chest, and when she feels his heart pounding against her palm, she lets her hand rest there. 

              “I love you,” Pierce says, the words cautious.  He looks almost surprised that he said it, but makes no move to take those three words back.  For a few moments, there is a thick expectation in the air.  His hips slow, his breathing catches.  Christina’s hands flutter away from him, but then they reach up to seize his shoulders and she pulls herself up, wrapping her arms around his neck and smashing her naked chest against his.

              “I love you,” she breathes, punctuating the words with a kiss to his ear.  The breath caught in Pierce’s chest is expelled in a heaving sigh, and he begins to slip back into rhythm.  Christina drops back onto the mattress, her mouth spread into a blissful smile as she watches him move above her. 

              Their lovemaking is gentle, warm, and slow.  Orgasm is the furthest thing from their minds as they learn one another’s bodies, each other’s silent secrets.  Together, they are swept up into a gradually building intensity, and when Pierce finally feels Christina cresting towards a nearly paralyzing release, he holds her tight as his seed fills her up with joyous, body-wracking spasms.  Even after they’re both finished, he holds her tight and stays inside – their bodies only slipping free of one another after they’ve both dozed off into a post-coital nap.

⎔⎔⎔⎔

              The ride back to her house is quiet, but not tense.  Christina sits in Pierce’s car with her hand on his thigh, and she notices he makes a point to drive slowly and on as many side streets as possible.  He keeps looking over at her, smiling occasionally, and she does the same.  Like two teenagers who have officially begun ‘going together’, they are content to bask in the glow of their newfound status, amorphous as it still may be.  Despite the bubble of happiness in her chest, as they draw closer to her home, Christina feels some anxiety creeping in.

              She knows her father probably isn’t going to handle this well.  He’s been suspicious of Pierce from the beginning, and the way things have gone down in the past couple of days certainly does not paint a favorable picture.  She’s not looking forward to explaining things to him, and as they turn onto her street, she almost asks Pierce to drop her off and let her walk the last half block.  Her heart is tight in her chest.  She doesn’t want to fight with her father, she doesn’t want to stress him out in his already fragile condition. 

              As they pull up in front of the house, Pierce looks over at her and gives her hand a firm squeeze.  “Do you want me to come in with you?” he asks, apparently noticing her change in demeanor.  She shakes her head, smiling tightly.

              “No,” she says, uncertainly. “I should… I should handle this.  Him.”  Her hand does not move to slip out of his, though, and she sighs deeply.  Turning to look up towards the house, she notices the undeniable silhouette of her father in his chair at the window.  Looking back at Pierce, she leans in to kiss him on the cheek, then pulls her hand free and takes a deep breath. “I’ll call you.”  She says, opening the door and stepping out of the car.  Once the door is closed behind her, she hears the window hum down.  Turning around, she bends down to peer into the low Porsche. 

              Pierce smiles at her. “I’ll be waiting.”  He makes no move to put the car into gear, though – he simply sits there waiting, watching her.  Christina finds it calming to have him sticking nearby until she gets inside, so she smiles a bit more sincerely and turns to head up into the house.

              When she’s almost at the door, it opens and her father peers through the screen door and down the steps.  “Bring him in here,” he says, not even offering a ‘hello’ or a ‘where have you been’ or any other greeting.  Christina’s heart trips, and she glances back over her shoulder… only to see Pierce already stepping out of the vehicle and crossing around in front of it to join her on the stairs.  As he steps up next to her, he slips his hand into her own and gives it a gentle tug. 

              Christina’s father eyes the pair through the screen, then shoves the screen door open and steps back so they can enter.  Pierce seems inclined to pause and introduce himself, but Christina pulls him into the landing, through the hallway, and into the living room. 

              Michael Manning closes the door and follows, moving directly to his chair and easing down into it with a faith groan.  He makes sure he’s totally settled down before turning his attention to the pair in front of him, then gestures towards the sofa. “Have a seat, you two…” he offers, his voice low but congenial.

              Pierce waits for Christina to sit, then takes a spot at her side, leaving the right cushion of the sofa unoccupied.  He takes her hand again, and pulls it over so their joined fingers rest atop his knee.  He seems totally at ease, but Christina has bubbles of apprehension in her gut. I’m a grown woman! Why do I care what my father thinks?

              She looks towards Pierce, then towards her father, then back at Pierce, her tongue seemingly incapable of forming words, right now. Thankfully, Pierce comes to the rescue.

              “Mister Manning,” he begins, letting go of Christina’s hand and leaning forward from the sofa so he can cross the short space between himself and her father.  He offers his right hand, which Michael takes.  The pair shake briefly.  “I’m Pierce Van Doren.  It’s wonderful to finally meet you.”  He smiles, and Christina’s father returns it with one of his own.  It’s terse, but it’s there. 

              “I’ll just cut right to it, Pierce,” Michael says, making Christina grimace a little from her seat on the couch.  “You’re shady, and I don’t like it.  My daughter is smart, beautiful, and fully capable of making decisions for herself, but the way you’ve been acting since you got here…”  Michael peers out the window towards the Porsche, takes a deep breath, lets it out, then looks back towards Pierce. “…well, I’d be a bad father if I didn’t express some concern.”