Romance for Cynics (9 page)

‘Manhood? Seriously? Is that what you call it?’

To his immense surprise, he felt heat in his cheeks, as if he was about to blush. ‘Well, I don’t have a nickname for it, if that’s what you’re asking.’

‘I’m teasing.’ Her laughter subsided as she raised a hand to cup his cheek. ‘You’re the most confident, charming guy I’ve ever met and I like seeing you a little off guard.’

He could live with confident and charming. And her admiration.

For a fleeting second, he wondered what kind of a stupid bastard her ex-husband had been, to screw around on a woman of Lucy’s calibre.

If she was this sweet now, he could only imagine she would’ve been even more innocent nine years ago.

But no point dwelling on the dumbass now. He had a reputation to uphold for Lucy. Confident and charming. Yeah, he could do both.

‘You know the thing about teasing?’ He pressed his pelvis against her, savouring the soft moan that escaped her luscious lips. ‘I give it back in spades.’

He claimed her mouth. Possessive. Demanding. Relishing her frenzied response as she writhed against him.

He’d expected her to be a tad reticent, so her uninhibited responses stoked his fire further.

He supported her butt and rested it on a nearby hall table, wrenching his mouth from hers. ‘Bedroom?’

‘Here,’ she said, her eyes not leaving his as she snagged the hem of her top and peeled it upwards.

He groaned, his gaze riveted to her pink lace bra, her nipples dark and protruding through the sheer fabric.

His mouth went dry as she snapped the button on her jeans, unzipped and shucked them lower, stepping out of them, to stand barefoot in that sexy bra and a matching lace thong.

Pale pink lace against ivory satin skin. Stunning.

‘Want to see the rest?’ She rested a hand on her hip and cocked it in a provocative stance that accentuated her feminine curves.

‘Hell yeah.’ He hoped he didn’t drool as he said it.

She winked. ‘You’ll have to catch me first.’

Before his befuddled brain could process what she meant, she took off, darting towards the stairs. ‘You want to play tag at a time like this?’ he shouted after her retreating back. ‘Because a man in my condition can’t run.’

She paused on the second to top step and glanced over her shoulder, her teasing smile pure vixen. ‘I’m taking that as a good sign.’ Her sultry gaze slid over him, lingering on his groin. ‘All night, you said?’

He sprinted towards the stairs. The faster he caught her, the faster he could have her naked and pliant and begging for more.

She squealed as he leapt the steps three at a time and she took off again, dodging to her right. He chuckled as she reached the end of the hallway and glanced around, indecisive.

‘My bedroom’s this way, in case you were wondering.’ He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, in the opposite direction to where she stood, a vision in her underwear.

‘Guess you’ve got me cornered then.’

He stalked towards her, slow, deliberate strides, unbuttoning his shirt along the way.

Her eyes widened as she watched him and when he shrugged out of it and flung it on the nearest banister, her tongue darted out to moisten her bottom lip.

Damn, he wanted to do that. Kiss those lips all night long.

‘Come here.’ He crooked his finger, delighting in the way she openly ogled his chest.

‘What’ll you do if I obey?’

He pretended to think, before snapping his fingers. ‘I’ll take off my jeans.’

A spark of fire lit her eyes. ‘That’s a good start.’

He took his time with the button fly, undoing each button painstakingly slowly.

When he was done, he slid the jeans over his hips, edged them down his thighs, and kicked them off, sending them flying over the railing where they landed somewhere on the floor below.

‘Now you’re just showing off.’ She stopped a foot away. So close. Not close enough.

‘No, this would be showing off.’ He took off his grey boxers, incredibly empowered when she stared at his erection in open-mouthed surprise.

‘Well, I can see where your confidence comes from,’ she said, something akin to awe in her low tone. ‘And all I can say is lucky me.’

He grinned at her typical bluntness as he reached out, snagged her bra strap and tugged gently. ‘One of us is still overdressed.’

‘Show me your bedroom and I’ll remedy that,’ she said, her hungry gaze still roaming his body.

‘This way.’ He took her hand, liking the way it fit so perfectly in his.

When he’d suggested they spend the night together, he’d expected Lucy to bolt. He hadn’t anticipated that she’d respond like this. Playful. Sexy. As if it was the most natural thing in the world.

And the way she was teasing him? Her uninhibited sprint up his stairs in her panties? A major surprise. And a total turn-on.

The women he’d been with in the past were either voracious man-eaters who took the lead and wanted hard and fast, or simpering, sly game players who submitted because they thought he wanted it that way.

What Cash really wanted was a woman who matched him in every way, a woman to keep him on his toes, a woman who made him laugh.

Right now, Lucy ticked all the boxes and, by their verbal foreplay, he knew the sex was going to be mind-blowing.

They paused at his bedroom door. How many women had he brought up here over the years, eager for a night of fun, not caring whether they stayed or not? Didn’t say much about him as a man, though until this moment he’d never felt ashamed of the way he’d emotionally shut off from his entanglements. He liked complication-free sex. So why the tsunami of doubt swamping him now? Why the worry that he wouldn’t be able to stay shut off this time; that the moment they entered his bedroom their pretend relationship would move into complicated territory?

‘Having second thoughts?’ She squeezed his hand.

He tugged her into the bedroom by way of an answer, kicked the door shut and backed her towards the bed, keeping his eyes fixed on hers. ‘No second thoughts. Time to make good on my promise to ravish you all night.’

They stopped when the backs of her knees hit the bed, Lucy’s expectant expression making him experience his second flash of doubt in as many minutes.

Cash hated expectations. Every time he’d seen his dad’s disappointment in life growing up, he’d felt compelled to strive harder and work longer and be better.

It was why he set the bar high now in everything he did. And he was proud of his achievements.

But never had he experienced this desperate need to meet the expectations of a woman. And he guessed that these would be no ordinary expectations, just as Lucy was no ordinary woman.

She was a woman driven to drastic measures, like posing as his fake girlfriend for a week. She was vulnerable and strong, sassy and sweet, a bundle of contradictions he was just dying to disentangle. In short, she was unlike any woman he’d ever met before.

He saw the momentary concern in her eyes, and, determined to banish any doubts they both might harbour, he slid an arm around her waist, held her secure and toppled them onto the bed.

She laughed as they landed in a tangle of arms and legs, her joyful exuberance dampening the last of his doubts.

He wanted her. She wanted him. A night of explosive sex didn’t have to complicate anything.

She rolled onto her side, her face inches from his. She studied him, as if imprinting every detail of this significant moment in her memory.

He knew the feeling. He wanted to remember this later, wanted to replay every playful moment, every erotic second.

He traced the tan line of the sleeveless tank tops she wore for work, his fingertip skating over the top of her breast, over her shoulder, where he deftly unhooked her bra with one hand.

‘Clever party trick,’ she said, her lips curving into a saucy smile.

‘The first of many.’ He winked and rolled her onto her back, removing the bra and flinging it away.

He kissed his way down her stomach until he reached her thong, deliberately snagging his teeth on the elastic.

Her hips arched off the bed a little as he caught the scrap of lace underwear in his mouth and lowered it inch by inch until she was gloriously naked.

‘Wow,’ he said, filled with awe to see this incredible woman lying before him.

She wasn’t self-conscious or uncomfortable. She was magnificent, and when she opened her arms to him he didn’t need to be asked twice.

‘You’re beautiful,’ he murmured, a moment before he kissed her, savouring the pleasure of lying body to body, skin to skin.

However, as their kisses deepened to carnal she writhed beneath him, threatening his hold on his self-control.

Leaving her lips with reluctance, he kissed along her jaw, her collarbone, her breasts. Taking his time to suck and lick and tease her nipples, her panted cries of encouragement stoking his fire further.

He nipped the tender undersides of her breasts.

He nibbled his way down her stomach.

He parted her legs and swiped at her clit with his tongue. A long sweep that had her sitting half upright.

He raised his gaze to hers before continuing, knowing that she could watch him as he licked her, slow teasing laps at her clit alternating with faster circles that had her hips moving beneath his mouth.

He anchored her hips with his hands and picked up the pace, gauging her reaction to his ministrations and varying the speed accordingly. Until he knew she was close and one lick would send her over the edge.

She came with the type of honesty he’d expect from Lucy: loud, proud, ecstatic.

He loved it. Loved her uninhibited response, loved her keenness for more when her legs fell open wider.

Eager to be inside her, he sheathed himself in record time and rejoined her on the bed, propped over her.

‘That was fantastic,’ she said, her eyes wide and passion-glazed.

‘First of many,’ he said, nudging her entrance, gritting his teeth against the urge to plunge inside her.

‘All night, you said?’ She wrapped her legs around his waist and he eased inside her, the exquisite pleasure of her tightness making his head spin. ‘I like a man who can keep his promises.’

‘Yep, all night long,’ he managed to say, before instinct took over.

There were no more words, no more teasing. Just the two of them, caught up in the heat.

Their pants and groans mingled as their sweat-slicked bodies came together.

Hard. Soft.

Fast. Slow.

Lucy’s blunt nails scraping his back.

Her fingers digging into his ass.

Urging him on.

Cash didn’t need the encouragement. His body had taken on a life of its own, knowing on a visceral level how best to please Lucy.

Her thighs clamped his hips in a vice-like grip as he thrust into her over and over, the tension coiling through his body, the pressure building to exquisite agony.

‘Jeez, Cash...oh...yeah...’ Lucy yelled, her insides squeezing him, spasm after spasm, mind-blowingly incredible.

His orgasm slammed into him a second after she screamed his name and the strength of it blanked his mind.

He had no idea how long it took him to refocus but when he did, he found Lucy grinning up at him as if he’d just conquered Everest.

In a way, he had. The years of emotional detachment he’d fostered where women were concerned had just been obliterated by sex with a woman who made him feel more than a physical release.

Because for the first time ever, Cash felt the uncharacteristic urge to cuddle and snuggle and cook a gigantic fried breakfast in the morning.

It scared the crap out of him.

‘Be back in a minute,’ he said, easing out of her and managing to stand on his unsurprisingly shaky legs as he padded to the bathroom.

But not before he’d glimpsed a flicker of regret in her expressive eyes, as if she was worried she’d disappointed him somehow.

Damn, he’d better get back in there and make it up to her the only way he knew how.

Orgasms. Straight up, and all night long, as promised.

NINE

Lucy’s eyelids cranked
open at five a.m., her usual waking time. No matter what time she fell asleep, her body clock buzzed her awake when most sane people were still slumbering.

She snuggled under the covers for her regulatory five minutes, waiting for her head to clear enough so she could mentally list the day’s jobs.

However, as the sleep fog cleared work wasn’t the first thing that came to mind. Oh no, that honour belonged to a scorching memory of what she’d done with Cash. Many times over.

She flung a forearm over her eyes. Yeah, as if that would block out the memories.

A soft exhalation of breath, almost imperceptible, to her right made her stiffen.

And that was the moment she really woke up.

She hadn’t left last night after they’d done those wickedly pleasurable things.

She was still in Cash’s bed.

Dragging in a few calming breaths, she waited until his breathing resumed regularity before rolling her head towards him.

He had his back to her, rising and falling gently with each breath he took. By the rhythm, he was still asleep. Thank goodness.

With her head a muddle and her body twinging in places it hadn’t twinged in a long time, the last thing she needed was an awkward morning-after chat.

She knew how it would play out. Cash being glib and charming, her clutching a sheet as she made a dash to the bathroom, hoping to locate her clothes along the way.

Clothes that were downstairs if memory served her correctly.

What on earth had got into her last night?

She’d been bold and provocative, deliberately teasing him, strutting around in her underwear like a lingerie model. Pushing his buttons. Running up the stairs. Taunting him.

And the way she’d openly devoured him with her eyes when he’d stripped to nothing... Her cheeks heated at the thought.

Yeah, it would be much better if he continued to sleep and she slipped away to nurse her confusion in peace. Because that was exactly what she felt: utterly bamboozled.

Being intimate with Cash last night had made her feel emboldened and powerful and sexy.

Three things she’d never felt with Adrian. With her ex, she’d deferred to him in everything, including the bedroom.

But Cash was a very different man and he made her feel...feminine. Something she didn’t get to feel too often with her hands stuck in dirt or mulch.

Cash seemed to see beneath her detached exterior and she responded by allowing her natural playfulness to come through.

It felt great. In fact, it felt downright amazing and that more than anything made her want to flee before he tempted her into staying.

Because he would, no doubt about it. He’d roll over in bed, all sleepy and tousled, and reach for her. Wanting a repeat of last night, and the way she was feeling now she’d be all too willing to acquiesce.

No, she had to escape now.

With her gaze riveted to Cash’s sleeping form for any signs of movement, she eased towards the side of the bed and slid out onto the floor sideways.

Cash didn’t move and she breathed a sigh of relief. Relief short-lived when she glanced around and couldn’t find her underwear.

Mentally cursing her wanton abandon last night, she crawled around the end of the bed, spying her bra and panties within reach.

She wriggled into her panties, refastened her bra and stood, casting a last longing look at the bed.

Cash slumbered on and, for one crazy second, she wanted to climb back into bed and kiss him awake.

The way he’d made her feel last night...exhilarated, wild,
alive
...multiple orgasms plus sensational sex, with a guy she could actually like.

If any of this was real.

That thought was enough to propel her feet towards the door.

Last night had been fabulous. But it had been a one-off. A few hours of unbridled pleasure between two people who had fostered an attraction by their play-acting.

The sooner they got back to faking it, the better.

* * *

‘Lucy, Mrs Gramola at the deli said she saw you kissing some hunk online.’ Gram slid another pancake onto Lucy’s plate. ‘I told her she was cuckoo.’

Uh-oh. The last thing Lucy needed after a sleepless night was to face one of Gram’s legendary interrogations.

She didn’t want to have to discuss Cash in any way, shape or form. Not after the best sex of her life. All night long, as he’d promised. She had a lot of respect for a man who kept his promises.

Lucy quickly shovelled a forkful of pancake into her mouth and tried not to choke.

‘She is cuckoo, right?’ Gram hovered over her, waving the spatula in the air.

Lucy chewed and mumbled a non-committal response.

Predictably, Gram wouldn’t be deterred. She banged the pan back on the stove, ditched the spatula and sat opposite Lucy.

‘What’s going on, missie?’

‘Nothing,’ Lucy said, prevented from forking more pancake into her mouth when Gram laid a hand on her forearm.

‘Would you prefer I head back down to the deli and hear the gossip from Mrs Gramola?’

Considering the Gramolas were known for their notorious gossip spreading with every sale of small goods, Lucy had no choice but to set Gram straight.

She laid her fork on her plate and nudged it away. ‘You know I’m doing that mega landscaping job in Williamstown?’

Wariness pinched Gram’s mouth. ‘For that handsome man paying fifty grand for his new garden?’

Lucy nodded. ‘Yeah. Well, Cash wanted something in return.’

Gram’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. ‘To attend a few functions, right?’

‘Um...yeah.’ There was no way Lucy could sugar-coat this so she blurted it all in one go. ‘And to pose as his girlfriend for a week in a PR stunt leading up to Valentine’s Day.’

Gram’s mouth dropped open.

‘I know, sounds crazy, huh? But there’s not much to it, really. We attend a few functions, the couples are filmed and snippets posted on the PR firm’s website for people to vote.’

‘Vote for what? The most delusional, exhibitionist pair of losers?’

Lucy chuckled, buoyed by Gram’s signature bluntness.

‘Honestly, Gram? I feel the same way. But it seemed a small price to pay to save your house.’

Gram sighed and shook her head. ‘I should never have agreed to accept that money from you.’

Lucy patted her hand. ‘I wanted to do it.’

‘But to parade around on the Internet...kissing some stranger?’

‘Cash isn’t a stranger.’

Not any more. Not after last night. She now knew his body in intimate detail: where he liked to be licked...stroked...nibbled...the ticklish spot near his armpits, the zigzag birth mark on his left hip pointing to his sizable...assets.

Gram tilted her head to one side, studying her. ‘Well, well, well. Never thought I’d see the day.’

Lucy ducked her head and stared at her pancake drowning in maple syrup. ‘What?’

‘You’re blushing.’ Gram sniggered. ‘And you’ve got a glow I haven’t seen since...’ She trailed off and cleared her throat. ‘Never mind that. I’ve seen his pic that first time you showed me online. Now tell me more about this young man you’ve been kissing in public.’ Gram winked. ‘And don’t spare the details.’

Lucy didn’t want to talk about Cash kissing her. Because then she might be tempted to relive in exquisite detail every kiss last night...every caress...every touch.

‘Cash is a good guy. We get on okay—’

‘I want to see him.’

No way. She knew Gram. Inflicting her on Cash would result in a catastrophic attempt at matchmaking or interrogating or both.

‘He’s a busy guy. I don’t think—’

‘I meant see him online, with you,’ Gram said, exasperation audible.

‘Oh, right,’ Lucy said, not knowing what was worse. Launching Gram on Cash in person or showing Gram their X-rated pash at the disco.

‘I’m not getting any younger, dear.’ Gram drummed her fingers on the table with exaggerated impatience.

Without any other excuses to dredge up, Lucy fired up her electronic tablet, clicked on her bookmarks and opened up the PR firm’s website.

She’d already watched the footage countless times, and had moved on from cringing to being transfixed in voyeuristic heaven.

They looked like a real couple on that dance floor. A couple that couldn’t keep their hands off each other. A couple in love.

Didn’t surprise her they’d ranked the highest after that little impromptu make-out session. Pervy people loved that sort of thing. Problem was, she did too. Loved Cash kissing her as if there were no tomorrow, that was.

Heat flushed her cheeks just thinking about the very inventive ways he’d kissed her last night.

‘Whoever can make you look like that, my dear? I have to see this kiss.’ Gram pointed to her cheeks and mock fanned them.

‘Here. Knock yourself out.’ She thrust the tablet at Gram and inadvertently braced.

Gram was a pretty good judge of character. She’d called Adrian a sleazy, heartbreaking upstart after the first time she’d met him. Turned out, Gram had been spot on. Which made Lucy all the sadder that Pops had fooled her for so many years.

Gram hit play on the video clip and settled back in her chair to watch while Lucy took the opportunity to finish her pancakes. A girl couldn’t face an impending interrogation on an empty stomach.

‘Oh my Lordy...’ Gram stared at the tablet, her wide eyes almost a perfect match for her O-shaped mouth. ‘You’ve got a live one there, my girl.’

And didn’t Lucy know it.

She’d been so smug at the start of this week, thinking she had the upper hand by almost doubling her fee for the job in exchange for a little harmless acting.

She’d expected to breeze through the functions with an updated wardrobe, a new haircut and a few simpering smiles.

She hadn’t expected Cash Burgess to be so darn appealing, with deeper facets to his personality than she’d ever imagined.

Like his ability to trust her, and gain her trust, enough for them to exchange details of their painful pasts. Throw in his charm twenty-four-seven and a body that would tempt a nun, and she’d never stood a chance.

When the clip finished, Gram laid the tablet carefully on the table and stared at Lucy with a mix of awe and glee.

‘You said you’re pretending to be his girlfriend?’

Lucy nodded.

Gram beamed as if she’d just won the lottery. ‘Luce, I love you, but you’re stark raving bonkers if you think for one second there’s anything remotely fake about the two of you being together.’

Lucy’s heart sank. She’d been afraid of this. Gram latching onto her very temporary romance with Cash and turning it into a grand passion.

‘Gram, we’re attracted, and it’s been a while since I’ve dated, so that kiss kinda happened out of the blue—’

‘When do I get to meet him?’

‘Gram...’ Lucy shook her head. ‘This thing with Cash isn’t real—’

‘Bollocks.’ Gram leaned forward and grasped her chin, ensuring she couldn’t look away. ‘I knew this man must be special the moment you walked in here this morning. You’re radiant.’ Gram paused, as if weighing her next words carefully. ‘I’ve never seen you look like this. Ever.’

Gram’s polite way of saying that included Adrian.

But Gram was wrong. She had
loved
Adrian, had been smitten by him. Her feelings for Cash weren’t remotely close to...

Feelings?

Oh no. No, no, no. Lucy didn’t have feelings for Cash. She couldn’t. It wasn’t part of her plan to fake it.

Gram released her chin and folded her arms, her expression smug. ‘And you say you’re doing this man’s garden even after this week is up?’ Gram winked. ‘Clever girl.’

Then why did Lucy feel incredibly dumb?

Agreeing to Cash’s scheme in the first place might have seemed a good idea at the time but now? Working for him would’ve been okay, if she hadn’t slept with the guy.

So much for Valentine’s Day putting an end to her misery.

After what they’d done last night? Looked as if the festivities were just getting started.

* * *

Because of the time he was investing in the PR functions, Cash had scheduled back-to-back work meetings all day.

Which would’ve been okay, if he’d managed to get more than an hour’s sleep last night.

Not that he was complaining. What had kept him busy into the small hours had blown his mind.

His only regret after a sensational night was that she’d crept out before five-thirty a.m.—and he’d let her.

He should’ve stopped her, should’ve said something. Instead, he’d taken the coward’s way out, feigning sleep as she slipped on her underwear and did the walk of shame from his bedroom.

That had been half his problem: not knowing what to say. If he’d said thanks, he would’ve sounded like a schmuck. If he’d asked what she was doing today, ditto.

The truth was, he’d wanted to say all that and more. But the words wouldn’t come and by the time he’d made up his mind to speak up, she’d gone.

He could’ve called her, but he’d been tied up all day and had just finished his last meeting of the day, at nine p.m.

Thankfully, his plan was working, and the positive feedback from the Valentine’s Day competition had ensured several clients in danger of walking had re-signed. In fact, it was all his clients wanted to talk about, before getting down to discussing money business. He accepted their ribbing with grace and played up the hokey romance angle.

But when clients asked about Lucy, he artfully dodged the questions and steered the conversation onto safer ground. Namely, away from the woman he was in danger of falling for.

Ludicrous, for a guy who would never entertain the thought of a relationship that lasted past a few dates, let alone a full-blown commitment.

Yet the time he’d spent with Lucy, both in and out of the bedroom, had him contemplating what could be, given half a chance.

And that thought alone was enough to have him grabbing his mobile phone to send her a message.

He needed to establish distance. Something he should’ve done first thing this morning when he’d found himself mooning around the office.

Cash didn’t do relationships and, despite outlining last night that they’d have sex without strings attached, looked as if his heart hadn’t got the memo.