The Arrangement: The Seduction (Kindle Worlds Novella) (6 page)

I feel him come up behind me, his body emanating heat at my back. He clasps my forearms in his hands.

“Your sister?” I ask.

“Yeah. That’s Grace.”

“She’s beautiful.”

His fingertips tighten against my skin. “She was.”

I swallow hard. “What happened? If you don’t mind my asking.”

Stunning silence surrounds us, and I sense his tension reverberating from inside him. “You don’t need to tell me.”

“We didn’t grow up with much money, but we did have loving parents.”

I’m immediately struck by how opposite our lives have been. I grew up with money but no love. Zach had love but no money. I’d take his situation any day.

“Mom died of cancer when I was sixteen,” he said. “Grace was eighteen.”

He doesn’t turn toward me, and I think that maybe it’s easier for him to open up without facing me. “I’m sorry,” I say softly.

“Thanks.” He pauses before continuing. “Dad was a plumber, and he sort of drifted after that. He retired early. He didn’t have much saved and ended up in Florida. Grace went to school on loans. I held down part-time jobs until I graduated high school, then went to college the same way, on loans and scholarship.”

I wait, knowing the worst is yet to come.

“Problem was, Grace didn’t come to me when she needed money. Instead, she started working as a call girl, for a woman named Miss Black.”

I blinked, startled. I try to turn around, but he anticipates the move and holds me in place, his hands on my shoulders. I’m right. It’s easier to talk without looking at me. I allow him this.

“Go on.” I don’t judge his sister. It’s not my place. I just listen. I mean, who knows what I’d do or who I’d turn to if my parents cut me off completely.

He exhales long and hard. “Obviously I didn’t know, or I’d have stopped her. She told me she was working as a hostess. I was so busy with getting my PI license and trying to take care of myself, I just believed her.”

I bit the inside of my cheek. “What happened?”

“He— I mean, a client happened.”

Now Zach’s fingers bite into my forearms. I wince from the pain, but I want to know the story, not interrupt and remind him that he really doesn’t want to share.

“The son of a bitch liked to find a girl’s weak spot, play into it, and fuck her until she was screaming in panic and fear.”

I almost gag. “That’s awful.”

“Grace went missing for a while, and that’s the first time I really used my PI license. When I found her, she was wandering the streets, almost completely nonresponsive. Dad came up from Florida, and we put her in a mental hospital. South Oaks.”

I close my eyes at the pain lingering in his voice.

“Luckily my grandfather left a small inheritance, and between that and what I can add, it helps keep her there.”

“You’re a good man. A good brother.” I spin around before he can stop me. “Thank you for sharing.” I cup his cheek in my hand, go up to my tiptoes, and kiss his lips softly.

I mean to comfort.

He needs more and grabs my wrist, pulling me to an open door. We’re in his bedroom. He doesn’t bother with the light, just lifts me onto the bed and comes down over me. “You still want this?” he asks roughly.

He wants to forget. It’s so obvious he’s looking to annihilate the pain and lose himself in sex. Too bad I already know what’s between us is more than that, and I believe he knows it too.

I nod, though I’m trembling. “Yes. I want
you
.”

He stills above me as if that’s the last thing he expects to hear. I lift my shirt and pull it over my head and toss it to the floor.

His gaze falls on my exposed breasts. I’m wearing the bra that makes the girls extra perky, and he notices, nodding appreciatively.

He leans over and switches on the bedside lamp. “I need to see you.”

I smile. “Works both ways. I want to see you too.” I tug playfully on the hem of his tee shirt.

The darkness is slowly leaving him, and I want to keep him here. With me.

He takes the hint and removes his shirt, throwing it onto the floor with mine. I imagined him naked. I didn’t even come close to the reality.

His chest is bronze, tanned from the sun. His abdomen is flat but for the well-defined muscles that only come from working out. A light dusting of hair sprinkles his upper body, and I reach for him, splaying my palm across his chest. His skin is hot, and he groans at my touch.

“Skirt off,” he says, shifting off me, giving me room.

My eyes never leave his as I unsnap and work the skirt down my thighs. My panties are drenched. It’s embarrassing and surprising at once. My ex had to work hard at getting past the awkwardness, and it still hurt. Now? I can’t wait to feel Zach glide inside me. I moan at my thoughts.

“Sex sounds.” He shakes his head and grins.

“Right time and place this time.” I bat my eyelashes.

His deep laugh makes me feel good, and I know I’ve totally distracted him.

His gaze rakes over me and falls to my skimpy bikinis. “I’m sorry. Did I forget to say get naked?” he asks, his voice rough and gravelly.

I immediately wriggle off the tiny scrap of fabric.

He looks down and sucks in a deep breath. “I knew you were bare, but look at you.”

My cheeks heat. He’s more vocal than I expected, and he says things that make my body burn. This isn’t easy for me despite how much I want him.

“What’s wrong? Not used to sex talk, Princess?”

I shake my head. “Did I mention there’s only been one guy and he basically screwed me over afterwards? I swore off men. And then I met you.” I find myself baring my soul.

Kinda fits since I’ve bared my body.

At my words, his gaze darkens, and I think he likes what he’s hearing. I’ll only admit so much right now. I don’t want to talk about the sex tape. One day I’ll confide in him, but for now I don’t want to bring that ugliness between us. Still, I think he should know he’s not getting an experienced woman.

“I don’t want experienced, Chloe. I want you.”

“That’s good.” I reach up and thread my fingers through his. “Because you make me want to try and trust again.”

He lets out a strangled sound, leans down, and seals his lips over mine. He kisses me possessively, as if he likes my revelations and what they mean for him. Unable to resist anything about him, I kiss him back. Our tongues tangle, lips mesh, and I’m immersed in everything that is Zach — until he breaks free.

He rises and immediately strips off his jeans, taking his boxer briefs with him. “See? Implied.” He winks and climbs back on the bed, his muscular body gliding over mine and settling in.

Sensations bombard me as his thick erection pulses against my sex. The roughened hair on his chest grates against my nipples, causing a delicious kind of friction that is unbelievably arousing. But when he dips his head and touches his nose to mine, the sweet gesture unravels me. I want him to own me, to possess me. And when his lips cover mine, he does, kissing me thoroughly, as if I mean something to him. As if I mean everything. I’m so lost I can barely summon the will to warn my galloping emotions to slow down.

He rocks his hips over me, and I see stars, but it’s not nearly enough. Nothing will be enough until he’s inside me. I spread my thighs, making room for him and hoping I’m giving him a direct signal to hurry up and make things happen.

“In a rush?” he asks. “Because I’m not. I intend to explore every inch of this hot body before I make you mine.”

I shiver at the words. My stupid heart soars at the implication — the one I want is probably the one he can’t possibly mean. But a girl can hope, and despite everything in my life, I’ve always hung on to promise and possibility.

He pushes himself lower, dips his head, and licks at my nipple. His longer hair falls around his face as his mouth pulls the taut bud into his mouth, and I thread my fingers through the strands. But I can’t hold on because there’s a direct connection from my breast to my sex, and suddenly I’m pulsing and needy, my hips moving desperately beneath him. He merely switches sides, moving back and forth between my breasts until I’m senseless with desire.

Then I hear the rippling of protection, and he’s back over me, his hard length pressing inside. All the while, he’s kissing me, his lips soft and arousing. The feel of him inside me is everything I’ve dreamed of and wanted. He braces on his hands on either side of my head and pushes in deeper.

I suck in a shallow breath. It’s been awhile, and I’m not experienced, so it hurts at first.

“Shh.” He continues, slow and easy, his thrusts shallow, his lips gentle on mine.

My body responds, and quickly he’s gliding in and out, and I’m soaring at the sensations he’s awakening inside me. It wasn’t like this last time. This is glorious and amazing. Our bodies are in sync, and I’m reaching heights that are incredible.

“You feel so good, Princess.”

I can’t find the words to respond. He doesn’t seem to care. He likes to talk during sex, and he’s whispering hot, dirty things in my ear. Things that make me wetter, more aroused. But he also tells me how I make him feel. What he wants to do to me next, and my sex grows slicker, and he’s pumping into me with ease.

I rock against him, match him move for move, arching my back. I’m mindless, loving the feel of his hardness over and inside me. And I’m building toward something huge, something big, and I reach for it, my fingers digging into his shoulders, my moans loud as ecstasy washes over me. It’s glorious and intense, and I’m totally gone by the time I hear his groan and feel him collapse over me.

#

I wake up in an unfamiliar bed, a warm, hot body surrounding me, and immediately remember last night. I’m not used to sleeping with anyone, and I’m surprised by how comfortable I am with Zach. How well I slept.

I glance over my shoulder. From the look of him and the cute snoring sounds, I had the same effect on him. I grin, happy in a way I haven’t been in a long time. I hope we’re not uncomfortable with each other when he wakes up, but I assure myself we’ll be okay. He’s easy to be around. And because of the deep pain he exudes about his sister, I know he’s a man whose feelings run deep. A man with depth. I like that too.

I like
him
.

“Have you been awake for a while?” he asks, his voice rough with sleep.

I tingle at the sound, memories of hearing him rumble naughty things in my ear coming back to me. I press my thighs together, but I only make the sudden ache grow.

“I haven’t been awake too long,” I say.

“But you’re up and thinking.” He pulls my hair off my face and nuzzles his lips against my neck.

I purr like a contented kitten. “I prefer to call it remembering.”

He rolls me to my back and comes over me, his big, gloriously naked body hovering over mine. “Are you sore?” he asks.

I blush. I know I do. My cheeks are hot, and I’m embarrassed. “Does it matter?” I am, a little, but it’s not something I’d talk about with him.

“It does if we’re going to do it again.”

That’s when I realize he’s hard and erect and he’s pressing against my aching but aroused flesh.

“Do you always wake up ready to go?” I ask, then close my eyes. There I go again, speaking what comes to mind.

He laughs, the vibration sensitizing me even more. “I’m a guy, so yes. But with you in my bed, I’d say I’m even more ready.” His gorgeous eyes darken further.

And then he takes me to heights that surpass even last night’s.

Chapter Five

My life isn’t perfect. Never has been. I thought it never would be. One chance meeting, one special man, and one month later, things are different. Life is sparkling and bright. I see everyday images with a new eye. The blue sky and the white, speckled clouds add a lightness to my step, and even the dingy dorm room and my sucky roommate don’t seem as bad these days.

Maybe it’s because my bodyguard now comes with benefits. I chuckle at my joke as I hang my bag on a hook in the back room of The Tavern.

“Someone’s happy,” Callie says, joining me. She, too, is placing her belongings in their places.

“Maybe someone’s getting lucky,” Mark, a busboy who has a bad habit of eavesdropping, says, butting into my business.

“Go away,” I say to him. I don’t want to discuss my private life with someone I barely know.

He rolls his eyes. “You two are no fun.”

“Go find friends,” Callie tells him.

Until he learns boundaries, I don’t see such a thing happening. But he listens for once and walks out of the room, mumbling to himself about cliquey women.

“Seriously,” Callie says, studying me with care. “It’s great to see you with a new light in your eyes.”

“Thanks,” I say. Callie’s a sweet woman.

She’s older than me, and she has wisdom I’m still hoping to develop.

“He seems to really be into you.”

I shrug. “I hope he is.” Because I’m really into him.

Like, really into him. As in, I think I’m falling hard. A month has passed since we slept together for the first time, and we’ve really bonded. He meant it when he said he liked to cook, and I spend more and more of my off time in his Queens house. Since the area is so small, there’s a lot of hip bumping and grinding, which I know is intentional. It’s fun and sexy, and I feel so good about him, us, and the direction of my life. And it’s about time.