The Spanish Tycoon's Temptress (16 page)

He was surprised by her vehemence.  “So you think this place is cold?”

She didn’t hesitate in her response.  “Yes.  It’s cold and impersonal.  Even when it’s filled with guests like it was the other evening, it just doesn’t fit your personality.”

That wasn’t what he was expecting.  He walked into the kitchen and stuck his head in to see what his housekeeper had left for him
, hiding his reaction to her assessment.  It wasn’t so much that she didn’t like his penthouse that disturbed him.  He was more surprised that she thought he wasn’t cold and impersonal, that his penthouse didn’t match him.  That…startled him. 

Focusing on dinner instead of the
warmth her words made him feel, he glanced at the containers in his freezer.  There were several dishes with labels on them informing him of their contents and all he had to do was follow the cooking directions on each tag.  “So what’s my personality?” he asked as he stepped away from the freezer, unable to hold back the question. 

She smiled slightly, tilting her head to the side while he turned on the oven and slid two containers onto the wire shelf.  “You’re definitely controlling,” she said with a nod. 

He raised an eyebrow at that but wasn’t able to deny her assertion since it was absolutely true.  “What else.” 

She laughed at his acceptance, respecting him for not arguing with something that was obvious.  “You’re also compassionate and fair.”  A part of her wanted to ask him why he’d disappeared, why he
hadn’t been fair to her and explained why he’d left, but she was also afraid to bring up anything controversial since they seemed to be getting along so well today.  “You’re very generous.”

“Why do you say that?” he asked.  All of his philanthropic donations were done anonymously so
he wanted to know why she’d labeled him as generous.   He pulled down a bottle of red wine and two glasses, expertly opening the bottle and pouring the liquid before handing her one. 

“Because you wouldn’t let me spend any of my money today.”

He shrugged that aside as inconsequential.  “It wasn’t much.”

She smiled up at him, trying to get him to understand. 
“To me, it was a great deal.  Especially since you don’t even like me.”

He stared at her and his
heart flipped over.  “Who says I don’t like you?”  He took a sip of the wine, letting the excellent vintage hide his reaction.  It was surprising to realize that he did like her.  He might not trust her, but he had to respect her professionalism and she was fun to be with.  He’d forgotten how much he liked just spending time with her.  She was fun and charming, could argue about any subject which had definitely added spice to the day. 

Yes, he liked her.  Maybe too much, he thought and leaned back against the counter, feeling defensive all of a sudden. 

She smiled derisively at his handsome features that were glaring down at her.  “I would say that history proves that I’m not on the top of your best friend’s list.”  She took a sip of the wine, then set the glass down on the counter, not wanting to lose her head to the alcohol tonight. 

The buzzer beeped, indicating that the food was finished and he bent to pull the two containers out of the heater. 
He set them down on the counter between them and handed her a fork.  The tall stools were perfect for casual eating and she was grateful that this wasn’t becoming more formal. 

She forced the conversation to less intimate subjects as they ate, but there was a new tension between them th
at hadn’t been there all day.  It was as if both of them were just waiting for something to happen, some word to slip out that would snap the tension and let loose the sexual need that was simmering, barely contained. 

When she’d forked the last of the delicious bru
schetta chicken into her mouth, she set the utensil down carefully, feeling as if the air was actually sparking around her.  “That was delicious,” she said almost in a whisper, afraid to speak too loudly and break the tension.  She carried both of their dishes to the sink and placed them gently against the stainless steel basin, trying not to make any noise.  “I’ll just clean up so these aren’t…” whatever she was going to say disappeared from her mind when she felt his hands on her shoulders.  They weren’t hard, but his fingers heated her body with the slight touch. 

“Why are you nervous?” he asked, his fingers starting to press gently into her tense muscles. 

“I’m not nervous,” she said, but it was obvious that she was lying.  “I’m just eager to get back to my apartment and see how everything looks with the pillows and new curtains.”

He bent low and kissed her neck.  “I’ll arrange to have someon
e come over tomorrow to install the curtain rods for you.”

She gasped when she felt his lips touch the shell of her ear, making her shiver with awareness.  “That’s okay,” she said quickly.  “I can handle that part of the effort.”

“Why bother?  Wouldn’t you rather be at the lab getting more work done?”

She spun around when she felt his hands on her waist, afraid of where his fingers might travel next.  They were safer on her back than on the front of her.  “No, that’s okay.”

He was looking down at her once again, that strange, warming heat in his eyes that made her stomach quiver with expectation.  “I’d better get ready for bed,” she said.

He bent lower, his mouth hovering over hers for the longest moment.  “I was thinking the exact same thing,” he finally said.  With that, his mouth covered hers in a demanding, sensuous kiss that left her breathless and clinging to him.  Her arms wrapped around his neck and she kissed him back, suddenly realizing that this was what she’d been waiting for all day long.  It felt as if she were finally home when he wrapped his arms tightly around her body, pulling her up against his hard length and showing her how much he wanted her. 

His hand traveled down her back, sliding lower until his large hand was covering her round bottom, pulling her harder against him and she moaned in recognition of his need. 

He didn’t ask, and she didn’t give him permission, but suddenly he lifted her into his arms and carried her out of the kitchen.  She had no idea where he was taking her, but since he continued kissing her the whole way, she didn’t care either.  As long as he
kept on kissing her, she simply didn’t mind where they were. 

When he stopped, she heard the door slam and she just assumed that they were in his bedroom.  But the thought didn’t have a chance to form in her mind because he let her legs go and she was standing on tip toe to reach him, not wanting the heavenly feelings to end. 

Suddenly, her shirt was gone and his hands, the heat from his fingers, were roaming along her bare skin.  Her bra was no impediment to his experienced fingers and it disappeared along with her shirt.  When his hands cupped her breasts, she cried out with the need that surged through her, her eyes closed and her head flew backwards.  Then his thumbs rubbed against her taut nipples and her knees almost went out, her body just about collapsing but his strong arm wrapped around her and she gathered her need, pushing herself against him.  Her hands moved upwards, then slid down his chest so that her fingers could reciprocate, wanting to feel his skin under her hands. 

When her fingers finally found his skin, she felt a
whoosh and suddenly realized that he’d just pulled off his sweater, giving her more freedom to explore this man who had fascinated her for so long.  This wasn’t the first time she’d touched him like this, but it was the first time in more than seven years and she reveled in the glorious feel of his hard, muscular chest and arms with the light coating of hair covering his hot, tanned skin.  She couldn’t stop herself from leaning forward and tasting, her tongue zipping out and feeling.  When she heard his sharp intake of breath, saw that his teeth were gritting as she explored, she felt more bold, empowered and powerful.  Her mouth moved upward, finding the flat, male nipple and tasting there, discovering that he liked that as much as she did when he rubbed his finger over her nipples. 

“Enough,” he said roughly and lifted her up, placing her in the center of his bed.  He looked down at her as he stripped off his jeans, watching her writhe on the bed with her dark hair spilled out over the dark sheets.  He’d imagined her like this so many times it was hard to believe that she
was real.  That he was actually going to make love to this woman who had gotten under his skin so thoroughly. 

When he was completely naked, he saw her eyes widen with curiosity.  He grabbed protection from his nightstand, but came down to her, his mouth exploring her body, tasting the softness his fingers had already discovered.  His hands moved down to her jeans, unsnapping them quickly before he stood once more to pull the material away.  When he saw her pink underwear, he would have smiled if he had the ability.  But he was in too much pain to do more than toss her jeans behind
him before he came back to her, reverently kneeling over her as he ran his hands up her smooth calf to her soft thigh. 

When she tried to pull her leg away, he only smiled and held onto her leg, pinning her down gently as his
mouth followed the same path his hands had just traveled.  When he reached that adorable, pink cotton, she was gasping for breath and her eyes were closed, her head swiveling back and forth while her hands gripped the bed covers on either side of her. 

He slid one finger
inside, running along the top and she arched her hips against his hand.  He grinned and let his fingers move lower and her reaction was more than he could have hoped.  Every fiber of her being was focused on his hand, on where he might move next.  When he slipped the material down her legs, she automatically lifted up higher, wanting the barrier gone as much as he did. 

When she was finally naked, finally
in his arms exactly how he’d dreamed about her, he couldn’t help the tidal wave of possession that surged through him at that moment.  She was all his.  After so long, after denying himself all those years ago, he was going to find out what it was like to be buried inside this tiny, sexy woman. 

And she was more beautiful than he’d ever thought possible.  Her breasts were a handful, spilling over his fingers and filling up his palm.  Her waist was tiny, slender and those hips flared out slightly.  He could see her hip bones but he would make sure that she ate well enough that she filled out more there. 

Her legs!  For such a tiny woman, she had the longest, sexiest legs he’d ever seen.  He knew models that didn’t have legs this beautiful, he thought.  Bending low, he placed a kiss right on her hip, low so that she knew what his intentions were.  When she grabbed his head with both hands, he simply took her hands in his and held them out to the side.  “You’re not going to stop me, Elana,” he laughed.  “I’m going to know every part of you by the end of this night so just lay back and relax.”

“No!” she gasped and tried to wiggle away.  She wasn’t ready for this, she thought.  “Please Gaston,” she begged, but he just grinned up at her and kissed her again, lower this time.  Then again on the top of her thigh, moving lower and closer to that secret place that no one had ever seen before. 

She tried to get her hands loose, but he held her firmly, his body moving between her legs and opening her wide despite her struggles to get away.  He was relentless and she was mindless, begging him to stop, but also needing him to ease this burning, almost painful need that swelled up within her.  When his mouth covered her, she screamed with the heat that only intensified her need but her body knew what to do.  While her mind shied away from what he was doing, her hips rose up, her legs moving to give him more space and when his tongue lashed at her, she couldn’t hold back the next scream.  Or the next as her body exploded around him in a climax that sent her mind reeling out of control and her body throbbing in reaction. 

Gaston was almost angry that she’d climaxed so quickly because he wasn’t finished exploring her body.  He wanted so much more and her taste was sweeter than he thought possible.  But she was
so beautiful as she throbbed through her pleasure that he lifted his hand, increasing the pleasure slightly before he kissed his way back up her body, stopping at her breasts, worshiping those magnificent globes once again.  Her fingers were in his hair, both pulling his head away, which he didn’t allow, and pulling his mouth over to the other breast, her nipples begging for the attention of his mouth and his teeth. 

As he lifted himself up, he quickly donned the protection and positioned himself above her, pulling her legs up so that she cradled him.  “Look at me, Elana,” he ordered, his voice almost a shout as the pain of his body held him back from entering her.  He was clamoring to feel her heat around him, but he wanted to look into her eyes when he entered her.  He wanted her to know that it was him that was taking her this time.  He wanted to obliterate all other men from her memory. 

When she finally opened her eyes, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to gather her strength for the upcoming storm, she looked into his eyes, her mouth wide with anticipation.  And slowly, ever so slowly, he pushed himself into her, her eyes widening as he filled her up. 

Elana tried to shift, tried to take all of him but he was larger than she expected. 

“Open for me, baby,” he said softly, crooning to her and he lifted her hands so they were on his shoulders.  His hand moved down her body, lifting her hips slightly and pushing in deeper.  When he felt the resistance, he didn’t understand it at first.  But when she flinched as he pressed deeper, he finally understood.  He was both elated and furious.  How could this be?