The Hotel 3 (The Billionaire Seduction) (6 page)

Emily
stretches out next to me. “Hot
doesn’t
make up for him waiting until Juliet nearly
died
before he’d
talk to her.”

“Hey,”
I
stop her, feeling a cold shiver. “Let’s
not think about that part.”

“Sorry.”
Em gives my
hand a squeeze.

Callie
puts a movie in the DVD player, turns the volume down low, and sits
on my other side. I’m
a roommate sandwich. Since Dominic dropped me off, these two have
hovered like the mother hens they are—feeding
me, helping me shower, tucking me into bed, annoying the hell out of
me.

I’m
grateful for their overprotective company because I don’t
want to be alone right now. Every time I close my eyes, I think about
the accident and worry about Xander. I really need to focus on
something else, for my own sanity.

Like
Dom.

“The
hot idiot kissed me,” I
confess.

Callie
and Em whip their heads around.

“It
was probably the adrenaline.” I
sigh. “You
know, a stress-kiss.”

“A
man like that does not stress-kiss. Everything he does is
intentional.”

Callie
has a point. At least, I hope she does. The crash, going through
something like that, it made everything clear for me.

I
still love Dom. I need him in my life.

I
can only hope he feels the same.

We’re
just about done with another episode of some home makeover show
doorbell sounds. Emily scoots down to go answer, and a moment later,
Dom is standing in the doorway. He looks like he hasn’t
slept, but he’s
never been hotter: sexy two-day stubble on his jaw, his clothing
rumpled and out of place.

“Aren’t
you a sight for sore eyes?” he
says, but his expression is relieved.

“Hi,”
is all I can
manage in response. I’m
suddenly overwhelmed with emotion, and it’s
all I can do to keep from crying like a baby.

“Oh.
Hi.” Callie’s
voice is higher than normal. “I’ll
go help Em with… screw
it. I’m
out of here.” She
bolts off the bed and shuts the door behind her.

I
try and sit straighter, but my ribs burst with pain.

“Don’t
move,” Dom
rushes to my side and tenderly helps me sit forward so he can
reposition my pillow. “Better?”

“Thanks.”
I settle
back. “How’s
Xander? Is he awake yet?”

“They
repaired his spleen,” Dom
says with obvious relief. “He’s
out of recovery and already flirting with the nurses.”

“That’s
Xander,” I
try to laugh, but a tear slides down my cheek instead. “Oh
God, if anything had happened to him…”

“Shh.”
Dom pulls me
close. “It’s
okay now. Everything is okay.”

I
realize how much tension I’ve
been holding, waiting for news. “I
owe him my life, Dominic. He saved me. If he hadn’t
turned the car—”

He
wraps his arms around me softly. “
Don’t.
I can’t
think about losing you.” He
pauses, and then his voice is choked with emotion.
“Tell
me it’s
not too late.”

I
pull back and see his face, the searching look in his dark eyes. Full
of tenderness.

“Tell
me,” he
demands. “Tell
me I haven’t
lost you. That I can spend the rest of my life making up to you.”

Even
after everything I’ve
been through in the past twenty-four hours, my heart swells with
happiness.

I
can see it in his eyes – the
way he used to look at me, before he discovered the truth. I wondered
if I’d
ever see that affection again, if it were too late to repair the
damage we’ve
both done. But that crash changed everything. Now I know
we’re
going to be OK.

“It’s
not too late,”
I tell him softly. Dom’s
face changes.
He reaches to cup my cheek and kiss me, but I stop him. “But
I need to know it’s
behind us, that you won’t
hold it over my head. You have to forgive me for real.”

“Only
if you can forgive me,” Dom
replies. “God,
I can’t
believe I was so cruel to you. The things I said…
I was beyond
out of line. You have to know, it was only because I was hurting so
much. I felt so betrayed.”

“I
know,” I
reassure him. And then there’s
nothing left to say.

He
kisses me slowly, tenderly, like he’s
scared I could break. I pull him closer, already feeling the fire
ignite deep inside. It feels so right to be with him again, the manly
scent of him overwhelming me, the rasp of his stubble against my
cheek, the slow slide of his tongue licking into my mouth. I moan,
arching against him. I can’t
get close enough—I
need to be pressed against every inch of him and have him deep
inside. It’s
the only way to satisfy the craving he’s
unleashed in me.

I
move to loop my arms around his neck…
and nearly
club him in the head with my cast.

“Sorry,”
I laugh.

“Probably
better leave that arm down. In fact…
Why don’t
you relax?” He
slowly leans me back against the pillows. His fingers skim my
collarbone, sending shivers through me.

Dom’s
eyes are dark, and flashing with a new lust as he surveys my body,
wearing just a thin tank top and sleep shorts. My skin prickles,
realizing we’re
alone with a locked door and a bed.

The
perfect combination.

Dom
clearly thinks so too, because his mouth quirks in a sexy smile. “Let
me take care of you tonight.”

He
slides the covers down my body, exposing me inch by inch. His smile
slips when he sees the bruises on my legs, and peeking out from under
my shirt.

“It’s
OK,” I
tell him quickly. “I’m
just a little sore.”

“My
poor baby,” he
murmurs, lowering his head to drop delicate kisses on the bruised
flesh. “You’ve
been so brave.”

My
body tenses as he kisses lower, but this time it’s
with delicious anticipation.

“Lay
back, Juliet.” He
orders. “I’m
going to make you feel better.”

Taking my sweatshirt from
the bed, he moves my arms up above my head, and loosely binds them to
my headboard.

“Just to make sure you
don’t injure your wrist again,” he says, faux-concerned.

I wriggle, testing the
bonds. “We wouldn’t want that.”

Dom
rocks back on his heels and looks down at me. I feel naked –
exposed, and totally turned on.

“Now
I’ve got you to myself, what am I going to do with you?”
Dominic kisses a wandering trail down my body.

“I’ve
got a few ideas,” I say, arching to meet his mouth.

“Oh
really?” He inches my tank top over my head. “Tell me.”

I
bite my lip. “Well… Let’s just say, you could
start at the top and work your way down.”

He
smirks. “Here?” Dom leans down and drops a kiss on my
forehead.

“Lower.”

He
kisses my neck.

“Getting
warmer,” I smile.

“Hmmm…”
Dom kisses lower, finally grazing the swell of my breast.

“Yes.
There. Right there.”

I
fall back against the pillows as he kisses and licks my breasts. He
brings my nipples into two hard peaks before finally taking them into
his hot mouth, sucking each in turn until I’m
panting.

“Dom,”
I groan,
already so turned on I can feel the familiar slick ache between my
thighs. He moves down, pressing kisses along my sensitive ribs, over
my belly.

“Don’t
worry, baby,” he says against my skin. “I’m going
to take real good care of you. Every last inch.”

He
slips off my shorts and slowly parts my legs. I look down at the top
of his dark head as he settles between my thighs. I want to touch
him, but my hands are bound. I can’t do anything but
wait, holding
my breath as Dom trails a finger over the top of my mound. Teasing.

“I’ve
missed your taste,” he
says, his breath hot against me. “I could eat you for days.”

I
shiver with anticipation. And then he lowers his mouth and licks up
against me in a hot, wet stroke. Electric sparks dart through my
blood as I arch against him. His tongue slides over my clit with
agonizing slowness, again and again.

It’s
devastatingly good. He swirls his tongue, presses harder, softer,
skimming his fingers along my skin. I can barely stay on the
mattress. Pleasure builds in all directions, the frustratingly sweet
pace of his tongue nudging me higher.

And
moving lower.

I
yelp in surprise as he curls my legs flat against my chest and I feel
the wet stroke of his tongue swirling over my asshole.

“Shh,”
Dom lifts his head with a wicked smirk. “You need to be quiet.
Unless you want your roommates to know exactly what I’m doing
to your sweet ass.”

He
slips a finger back there too, testing at the tight pucker of my
ring. My cheeks burn, but I don’t want him to stop. It’s
a new, illicit heat building. I wriggle closer and shake my head.

“I’ll
be good,” I whisper. “I won’t say a word. Not even
if you---Ohhh…”

I
fall back against the pillows as he returns his mouth to me. Rimming
the tight knot of muscles then easing his finger just inside.

Fuck,
this is hot. I want to scream the house down, but I can’t make
a sound. And that just makes it hotter.

He
moves back to my clit, nudging that finger deeper in my ass until
he’s knuckle-deep in my most forbidden place. He licks hard and
fast, and I have to turn my head into a pillow to groan aloud. Dear
God, this man is skilled.

“That’s
my girl,” he chuckles, watching me squirm. “My dirty,
filthy, sexy girl.”

Then
he slides two more fingers inside my cunt, thrusting his whole hand
to fill me up in every place as he closes his lips around my clit and
sucks.

Fuck!

I
break apart in another epic shattering orgasm, screaming into the
pillow.

When
I surface, Dom is on his knees watching me with a satisfied smile.

“All
better?” he
teases.

I
shake my head. He looks confused. “I
won’t
be all better until you’re
inside me.”

“Are
you sure?”

He’s
still worried he’ll
hurt me, but that consideration just makes me more certain.

“Come
here,” I
tell him. “Right
this goddamn second.”

He laughs. “Filthy
mouth.”

“That makes two of
us.”

Dom
doesn’t
need another invitation. He takes a condom from his wallet and strips
off his clothes, quickly joining me on the bed. He releases my hands,
and the feel of his warm skin is everything I need. I stroke down his
chest, and lower still, relishing the feel of him in my hands. Hard.
Big.

Ready.

“Juliet,”
he groans,
propping himself on his elbow above me. He positions himself between
my thighs.

Our
eyes catch
as he enters me, slowly this time. I want to throw my head back from
the pleasure, but he won’t
let go, won’t
look away.

I
see his soul in his eyes—
that part of himself that he’s
never shared with anyone but me. Wrapping my legs around him, I hold
him as closely as I can, and I realize
we’re
connected completely. Body and soul.

He
starts to move, thrusting easily, carefully.

“I
love you.” The
words come, low in my ear. “I
love you so much.”

Over
and over as he thrusts, until we’re
moving together and I can’t
tell where he ends and I begin. The heat rises again, this time
consuming us both, until I break, feeling his shudder as I come apart
in his arms.

He
settles against me, cradling me in his arms. I feel myself drifting
off when Dom’s
phone rings.

“Leave
it,” I sigh, holding him tightly.

“It
might be the hotel.” Grabbing a throw blanket off the bed, he
wraps it around his hips and answers the call.

“Uh
huh. OK. What does that mean?”

His
expression darkens. My heart stops. “Is
it Xander?” I
whisper, frantic. “Is
he OK?”

Dom
nods, at me, still talking into his phone. “I
can’t
talk now. We’ll
discuss this later.”

He
hangs up, but I can tell something’s
wrong. He’s
tense and thinking hard.

“Who
was that?” I
ask.

Dom
shakes his head and tries to look reassuring. “Nothing.”

I’m
not buying it. Now, I’m
worried. “Hey,
no more secrets.”

Dom
looks conflicted.
“That
was the police. They’re
looking into the accident. Apparently, someone tampered with the
brakes on Xander’s
car.”

I
freeze. “What?”

“They
were severed, nearly straight through.”
Dom
looks grim. “Someone
tried to kill you both.”

I
insist on heading to the hospital to see Xander. After what we’ve
just learned, I need to see he’s
OK for myself. Dom doesn’t
want me getting out of bed, but I won’t
take no for an answer. Soon,
we’re
heading down the hospital hallway towards his private room.

Flirty
laughter greets us as we step inside the door. Xander is sitting up
in bed, looking pale and bruised, but he’s
got that familiar Rexford smile on his face as he charms his young,
attractive
nurse.

“It’s
terrible you’re
not required to wear the little white nurse’s
dress anymore.” Xander
smirks, leaning in to her. “With
the deep neckline and the hem up to here—”

He
pauses when he sees us come into the room. “And
here comes the party! Join us, please. I’ve
been bored as hell on my own. And you know what happens to idle
hands.” He
winks at the nurse, who blushes.

“Your
brother is recovering well,” she
tells Dom.

“Sure
I am, I’m
the model patient.” Xander
folds his arms behind his head. “I’ll
be back on my feet in no time. Or on my back.”
His gesture
is exaggeratedly casual, but I catch a wince.

“You
don’t
need to pretend with us,” I
scold him, going to sit by the bed. “You’ve
been through hell.”