Authors: Elisa Elliot
ROMANCE: Mason (Bad Boy Alpha Male Stepbrother Romance Boxset) (New Adult Contemporary Stepbrother Romance Collection) (273 page)
“Well someone here insisted on dancing all night,” Jeffrey quipped.
Stephanie frowned. “Are you actually blaming me for making us late to a honeymoon that I was unaware of having a time limit, let alone where it even is.”
“Well, if the shoe fits.” Jeffrey shrugged.
“They don’t,” Stephanie quipped, “Joseph ordered a pair half a size too small.”
“Well, I’ll be sure to scold my father for his ignorance of your precise shoe size,” Jeffrey said, “right after I refuse to thank him for paying for our entire wedding and honeymoon. But don’t worry, I’ll give him a proper chastising.”
Stephanie frowned. “I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful, I was just trying to point out that it’s unfair to blame me.”
“I’m just saying, we didn’t have to dance quite so long.” Jeffrey shrugged.
Stephanie scoffed, incredulous. “It was our wedding party; something would have been terribly wrong if we didn’t dance. And are you seriously trying to pick a fight with me on our wedding night?”
“I’m not picking a fight; I’m making a point.”
“A point, really? And just what would that be?”
“That you have a tendency to lose track of time.”
“Oh my God!” Stephanie laughed. “Are you being serious right now? You are the one person I know that intentionally makes themselves late to events.”
“Fashionably late,” Jeffrey clarified, “in order to make an entrance. And I can say I’ve never missed one of my flights.”
“Well, if I even knew we were flying, than I’m sure I wouldn’t have been late. But no, you wouldn’t tell me where we were going. You didn’t tell me what time we were flying. And now you’re still not telling me how I can fix it, not that I even broke anything because you were in charge of everything, but you’re just picking a fight with me.”
“I’m not picking a fight!”
“Then why are you raising your voice?” Stephanie accused, raising her voice to match his.
“Excuse me?”
“What?” both Stephanie and Jeffrey demanded in unison at the driver’s timid question.
“Boss just sent me word in the earpiece; the rain is moving south of us so we’ll be fine and the flight can depart at any time. The jet is waiting at the ready on the runway.”
Stephanie and Jeffrey both paused, sitting back in their seats as the tension and argumentation appeared to drain from them.
Stephanie crossed her arms, looking out of the window sullenly and wondering if the entirety of their wedding night would mirror the last ten minutes. Jeffrey looked at her, feeling the annoyance radiating off of her as he wondered if he had just ruined everything.
He moved to touch her arm, but was instead thrust into her, stabbing her collarbone with his outstretched finger after they hit a bump in the road.
“Ow,” Stephanie hissed, rubbing her neck in an attempt to soothe the pain.
“Sorry, sorry,” Jeffrey said, hands hovering over her in an attempt to help.
“It’s fine, I’m fine,” Stephanie said, waving him off, frustrated. “Just, I’m fine.”
Jeffrey nodded, feeling even worse as he sat back dejectedly, staring at Stephanie helplessly.
“We’re here,” the driver said, pulling to a stop on the side of the long runway.
“Thank you,” Jeffrey and Stephanie said in unison, both voices quiet and tight with the quickly mounting tension between them that was now almost palpable.
Carefully, they climbed out of the car, each on their own side, standing still in the cool night air as the driver drove away.
“Um, the luggage is in the jet already,” Jeffrey said, looking past Stephanie.
“Great, thanks,” Stephanie said, looking at Jeffrey and then nodding as he motioned to the plane, following after him as he headed toward it.
Jeffrey tentatively helped Stephanie up the steps to the plane, holding her hand as she climbed the stairs.
“Thank you,” she said quietly, declining the glass of champagne that was offered to her by the flight attendant when she stepped into the plane.
They took their seats at one of the tables on the jet in silence, not quite meeting each other’s eyes as they buckled up for takeoff.
After the jet finally took off from the tarmac and they were sailing smoothly in the skies, the tension between the two of them seemed to diffuse just a bit.
Taking a deep breath, Jeffrey prepared to enter the proverbial trenches. “I’m sorry. Even if we hadn’t have made the plane, it in no way would have been your fault. I was just, wrong. I’m sorry Steph.”
Stephanie sighed, leaning into his side just a bit and laying her head on his shoulder. “It’s okay, I’m sorry too. Let’s just forget about this and start over; it’s our wedding night after all.”
Jeffrey smiled. “That it is. And speaking of it, shouldn’t we begin christening it?”
Stephanie smiled, lips parting as Jeffrey shifted the two of them until his lips were gently moving along the pale column of her throat.
“We’re on a plane.”
“I’m aware,” Jeffrey hummed, moving up to nibble on her earlobe. “But no one’s around to see us, see, look around. The flight attendants have their own break room; they only come out for lift off and landing and when we press the service button. It’s a three-hour flight; we should do something for that time.”
“Won’t they be able to hear us?”
“Are you saying you’re a screamer?” Jeffrey winked, leaning over to reach around her and grabbing a tiny silver remote. He pressed a button, causing smooth jazz to fill the space. “See, all good, no need to worry.”
“I don’t know,” Stephanie said, groaning as Jeffrey’s hand wrapped around her waist, squeezing.
“Are you sure?” Jeffrey said, kissing the spot behind her ear that made her moan before pulling away suddenly.
“Wait,” Stephanie said, frowning as Jeffrey sat back with a smug smirk on his face.
“Yes?” Jeffrey asked, raising an eyebrow.
“You are so smug,” Stephanie pouted.
“Yes I am. So, are you going to put me in my place?”
Stephanie smirked, getting that gleam in her eyes when she accepted a challenge. “Maybe I will.”
She stood, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips for a moment before she started swaying her hips to the sound of the smooth music. She closed her eyes, running her hands up the side of her body and tossing her hair gently, eyes opening to stare at Jeffrey sultrily beneath her lashes.
He swallowed, hard, eyes riveted on the woman before him. She carefully slipped the dress she had worn to the reception off of her shoulders, pushing it down her hips gracefully before she stepped out of it. Her shoes were the next things to go, kicking them off in a fluid motion before she perched herself seductively on the table in front of Jeffrey.
“Wow,” he whispered, eyes raking over her form.
She wore a delicate, white, decorative lace bra and matching panties. The bra accentuated her full breasts perfectly and Jeffrey couldn’t take his eyes off of them. Ever so slowly she moved her hands behind herself and undid the clasp of her bra, arm covering her chest as she slipped it off and tossed it at Jeffrey to land on his shoulder.
She stood once again, turning her back to him as she teasingly slipped out of her underwear. She grinned at Jeffrey’s sharp intake of breath, slowly sauntering over to him as she sat behind him, legs draping decadently across his lap.
“You seem horribly overdressed love,” she purred, leg brushing across the crotch of his pants.
He hissed, standing up hurriedly as he fumbled with his pants, ripping a button off his shirt in the process of trying to get it off at the same time.
Stephanie chuckled at the humor of it all. The harder Jeffrey struggled to get his clothes off, the longer it seemed to take.
“Oh, no one wears their wedding tux more than once anyways,” Jeffrey said in frustration, throwing his suit jacket to the side and ripping his shirt off, the zipper of his pants ripping in his mad haste to rid himself of clothing.
“I’m not sure that’s entirely true.” Stephanie laughed, eyes trailing up the smooth plane of his abs. His pants were quickly shed and shunted to the side, his boxers halfway down his buttocks as well.
“Someone’s excited,” Stephanie murmured, eyes roaming down to his waist.
“Can you blame me?” Jeffrey asked, sitting next to Stephanie and pulling her onto his lap to straddle her waist. “You are absolutely and utterly gorgeous, inside and out my love.”
Stephanie flushed. “Well aren’t you the sweet talker?” Stephanie teased, fingers tangling in his hair to bring him in for a smoldering kiss. She moaned into the contact, legs wrapping around his torso as she pulled him in closer, groaning as he devoured her lips.
Her hand trailed down his back, nails digging in as his hands slipped between their warm bodies, fingers gently stroking her in a way that made her toes curl.
“Feel good?” Jeffrey asked, lips moving to attack her neck once more.
“I don’t know, you tell me,” Stephanie said, arching her back and getting to her knees as she brushed away his hand and guided him into her.
Jeffrey groaned loudly, eyes rolling back for a moment as his strong arms tightened around her waist.
Stephanie pushed herself up, falling back down on Jeffrey’s lap as she clenched her legs, tightening around him. She threw her head back, mouth falling open as she arched her back when Jeffrey adjusted their angle.
The two moved together in one fluid motion, rocking against one another, hands holding on to one another as their moans and sweet words filled the air. The music filling the cabin came to a crescendo just as they finished, falling into one another in a sweaty heap on the couch. They were cramped, but it was quickly solved by Jeffrey bringing her in closer to lay on his chest, gripping her tight.
“I love you,” Stephanie whispered into his ear, leaning up to kiss his lips gently.
Jeffrey squeezed her tighter. “I love you too,” he said, kissing her forehead. “So much.”
They stayed like that, ruminating in the afterglow for a few more moments before a thought occurred to Stephanie.
“You ripped your clothes; what are you going to do when the flight attendants come out for landing?”
Jeffrey chuckled. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, I just want to cuddle with my bride.”
Stephanie grinned, kissing him once more before she settled into his chest. “That sounds utterly excellent my love,” she said.
They held each other tight, settling themselves in for the remainder of the flight, smiles stuck to their faces as they quietly dozed off to sleep.
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Chapter One
He was different from the rest that much I had figured out, what exactly it was that made him different though I wasn’t sure. Yes, he was younger than the others, in the sea of gray his dark brown hair more than just stood out. The way he held himself and the suit that expensively clad his body was a mirrored reflection of every other man in the room. He spoke with the others, laughed at the age-old jokes and drank the well-aged scotch like it was second nature. When he turned away though, when he thought the others weren’t looking there was a spark in his crystal eyes that just didn’t fit in.
It was what had originally drawn me to him, I realized that now; it was his eyes. They were a sparkling blue, so akin to running water that they instantly drew you in and promised to never let you go. It was ridiculous to be contemplating the effect of strangers’ eyes; that was something I was starkly aware of. The charity fundraiser was in full swing, the final bids were being placed and I had a dozen other things I should be doing that could be classed as more important by far. I didn’t know his name, I didn’t know his story or even why he was here, but as I sent one last curious glance in his direction I felt like I knew him in a different way.
That was it, that one last look was all I could afford myself. I ran my hands through my chestnut curls and hurried away to check that the drinks were still flowing perfectly. That was my job, that was the reason why I had been let into the inner sanctum of the cities richest inhabitants, I was here to make sure everything ran perfectly, for nothing less than perfect would be acceptable. The charity fundraiser season came around every year as quickly as it had disappeared and this was my year to shine, to learn the workings of the business. It was my father’s business, to run the best fundraisers in the city and one day, if I proved myself, it would be mine.
I relieved one of the barmen and took his place behind the solid oak bar that was becoming the focal point of the evening before the main event was set to take place. While the evening was going to be a long one I was thankful that, as half a dozen people queued in front of me, my shift on the bar was only going to be short. One after another I served drinks with little acknowledgement to whom I was serving as thousands of pounds worth of alcohol passed through my hands. It was a repetitive task but as the crowds began to thin it was somewhat more peaceful than wandering the room looking for anything amiss.
Sooner than I had expected the guests were called into the auction room and I was left to clear up the room behind them, ready for the dance that would follow the auction. It was only when the barman returned from his break that I noticed we were not as alone as I had previously assumed. One man remained at the bar, leaning over the remains of his drink, a man with dark brown hair. I watched on in silence as he swirled the last of his scotch around the bottom of his glass, staring down at the drink with little caring as to how empty the room around him was.
I hesitated, I knew I should go over to him; it was my job to check to see if he was ok but something stopped me, whether it was nerves or embarrassment at staring at him for so long I wasn’t entirely certain. As two crystal blue eyes found my own hazel ones I knew that my decision had been made for me. The brightness of his iris’s hit me all at once, if it had been a physical impact I knew the air would have been forced from my lungs but as it was I was rendered stunned.
Automatically I walked out from behind the bar, aware all the while that his gaze followed me. I stopped beside him, twisting the cloth I had used to wipe the bar awkwardly in my hands, a nervous habit. I was aware now just how close my movement had put us, the man, the stranger with the addictive eyes, was merely centimeters away. I could see him properly now; my eyes trailed over the small creases that twitched at his lips as he smiled, the strength in his clean-shaven jaw and the few strands of hair that broke rebelliously away from his otherwise perfectly styled cut.
I noticed the smallest details of his face that made him wholly unique but when it came to words I was frozen; there were a thousand words at the tip of my tongue but all seemed unsuitable. “Hello,” the man said softly, “my name is Isaac.”
Chapter Two
All it took were five words for my carefully constructed walls to come tumbling down. They weren’t romantic words, they were not carefully chosen, no they were five simple words spoken in an accent foreign to the city that made my knees go weak and my mouth go dry. I wasn’t anyone special, I was a normal woman yet as the softly spoken words rested between us and I stared at the man named Isaac I felt like anything but normal. In fact I felt special, to my rational mind the concept was beyond absurd, but there it was, he made a normal girl from the city suburbs feel like the only woman in the world.
He was looking at me, his smile faltering as I remained silent; it was too much. “I’m sorry…I” I whispered as my voice trailed off into nothing. I turned away from him, separated myself from the intensity of his eyes and walked away feeling all the while like I had completely lost my mind.
“Stop,” he said quickly. I took another step. “Please,” he whispered. I stopped as a hand pressed lightly against my waist. The warmth of his touch bypassed the thin fabric of my blue dress and wove through my body.
Carefully his hand turned me, his fingers pressing into my slender waist as he gently turned me to face him. My eyes met his once more; they were searching, curious, examining my expression. “You didn’t tell me your name,” he whispered.
We were close, so painfully close, his hand was now wrapped around my waist and my body could not shake the shivers that it caused. “Eve,” I whispered
The smile on his lips grew. “Eve,” he hummed. My name on his lips was like nothing I had ever expected, thick with his accent, just the way it rolled off his tongue was enough to force the heat raking my body to form a ruby blush on my cheeks.
Without taking his eyes off me he gently wrapped his hand around mine and lifted it to his lips. His finger stroked my palm, his warmth flooded me and his lips pressed down ever so softly on my skin. “It’s lovely to meet you Eve,” he breathed.
My heart fluttered with his words and the redness that claimed my cheeks deepened. He dropped my hand gently back beside me and slowly wrapped his other from its place around my waist. As the heat left my body I knew only a minute at most had passed but it felt like an age. “Hello Isaac,” I said quietly. I could have chosen anything to say but that was the first thing to pop into my head.
Isaac smiled widely at me, clearly amused at my greeting. “Hello Eve,” he replied with a chuckle that more than suited him.
“I’m sorry to have disturbed you,” I sighed, ducking my head a little away from his attentive stare.
Warmth engulfed my face, a finger stroked the soft lines of my cheek and I felt my gaze being shifted. “You have been anything but a disturbance,” Isaac said sincerely, his finger still trailing gentle caresses across my cheek.
My lips twisted into a half-smile. “You should be with the others,” I murmured. If it wasn’t for the constant pressure of his hand I would have turned away.
“I can’t think of anywhere I would rather be than right here,” he replied quickly. The intimacy between us was hard to ignore, the thundering of my heart even less so; whatever it was that Isaac arose inside of me, in the deepest depths of my body, it was impossibly prominent.
I didn’t know why I was making excuses, I didn’t know why I was trying to force him away when more than anything I wanted him to say, I wanted to feel special for even just a minute longer, but I couldn’t help myself. “I need to go,” I whispered. The words were spoken reluctantly, in fact I would have chosen to say the complete opposite if I had any control over my own mind.
I pulled away, leaving his touch behind me, knowing that it would be for the best to walk away now. “Eve,” I had only managed a few steps before he spoke my name. Please don’t give me a reason to stay, please don’t let me fall for you.
A hand cupped my arm, stilling my body. “Dance with me?” the whispered words made me turn.
“There’s no music,” I answered weakly. I could feel his hand on me, the weight of it almost non-existent yet the heat enough to make it feel like it could crush me.
“Tomorrow,” Isaac responded quickly, “dance with me tomorrow?”
“Isaac,” I spoke his name softly but with nothing more to say, no more excuses to be made.
“There’s another charity fundraiser, come with me,” he spoke quickly, his voice pleading, his eyes desperately urging me to say yes.
I paused, indecision raking my body. “Ok,” I relented. That was it, one word and I was his.
Chapter Three
By the time the next evening rolled around I had had enough time to take back control of my senses and I was almost completely sure that I would be able to play an active role in an intelligent conversation, or at the very least provide conversation. Thinking about it any words would be a great improvement on my poor attempts the previous night. I had spent the better part of the day reliving mine and Isaac’s meeting and come to the unwilling conclusion that I had literally no idea what he saw in me, or whether in fact he saw anything in me other than my looks.
As I stood outside the grand hall where this evenings fundraiser was to be held I was, against all wishes, becoming more and more nervous as the minutes passed. If last night was anything to go by then I was sure my nerves would only get worse, I wasn’t comfortable in the man’s presence; my body was alert, on edge and incredibly responsive to his sensual gentle touch, in plain terms I was putty in his hands.
The second I saw him though everything, the doubts, the worry and above all else the nerves simply disappeared. It was his smile that did it, the soft inviting smile and the eyes that felt like they were solely for me and me alone. He walked towards me, climbing the stairs to the building two at a time until he reached me. There were no words then, only silence, as he stared into my eyes. His hand captured my cheek, caressing it, forcing away all but the warmth that his touch brought. I leant into his hand, simply unable to keep myself from pressing myself into his palm.
He leant towards me; his sweet cologne filled my senses, surrounding me in the mouth-watering scent. Eyes of shimmering blue urged me to meet his closeness, to lean into his lips that were so temptingly close. I nodded, just the smallest of movements and then in front of the grandest of buildings and under the starlight without even a single word, his lips were on mine. It was everything I could have imagined and so much more, sweetness unique to him lingered on my lips. Passion, lust and a hungry need pounded my body settling in a pleasure that was incomparable to anything I had ever felt before.
All too soon he slowly pulled away leaving me with parted lips and a teasing heat in the pit of my stomach. “Eve,” my name was merely a whisper, spoken in a breath that made the hairs on my arms stand up, the heat in my stomach spread to the rest of my body.
“Isaac,” his name formed on my lips, spoken so quietly that I wasn’t even sure it was audible.
Yet as his lips curled into the smallest of smiles and the blue in his eyes glistened I knew he had heard me. “I’m so glad that you’re here,” he said, his finger stroking my cheek in a way that made my body ache for him.
Despite his words, the sincerity of his voice that the after effects that the kiss were still having on my body I still managed to doubt him. It was a doubt I didn’t want, one I didn’t need but it was there none the less. “You doubt me, my darling?” Isaac questioned softly as his eyes searched mine for the answer.
“I don’t wish to,” I answered sadly, ducking my head a little in his palm.
He brought me back to meet his shimmering eyes. “I understand,” he whispered, “so let me show you,” he finished with a smile.
His hand dropped from my cheek and he intertwined his fingers with mine, leading me forwards into the building. His hand brought comfort, security, so much so that I was already regretting my doubt. Yes, we barely knew each other but I wanted to know him, I really wanted to know him. Together we walked through the crowds and I did not feel out of place, I felt like I belonged as he guided me to the dance floor and the promise I had never truly expected him to keep, the promise of a dance, was in our grasps.
Soft music hummed in the background as he spun me around to face him. I took in his dark brown hair, saw how it gently brushed his forehead and I smiled, it was automatic I didn’t want to do anything else but smile when I was with him. The music slowly shifted as the song died away and a new one so beautiful took its place. “I don’t know how to dance,” I admitted with a blush, a small detail I had forgotten to mention.
Isaac wrapped me into his embrace, pressing me against his black suit jacket and filling me with his delicious scent. “Then let me teach you,” he said with a smile, one that didn’t even falter with the late confession that would likely leave most men annoyed.
I didn’t have time to argue before he swept me across the dance floor in a flourish that left those around us in a blur. Where I had expected to trip, to stumble over his feet I simply glided across the polished wooden floor. He led me with grace so I was sure that anybody watching would have believed we would have danced together a thousand times.
The music changed again, this time the rhythm was slower and the exuberant moves of the previous were no longer required. Now we moved gently with purposeful steps that kept my body close to that of Isaac’s. It was a different kind of dance, one meant for intimacy and one I was growing to like more than the last. Isaac held me with a gentle guiding touch, one with all the promise that he would not let my steps falter, not let us be apart.