The Tycoon's Proposal (14 page)

Every other woman he’d ever dated had tried to get every last thing they could out of him and he finally had a woman he wanted to buy things for and she tossed them back in his face. He’d already had a frustrating day at the office, which was why he’d come home early in the first place and she was now aggravating his mood even further. He’d hoped being with her would’ve calmed him down. It wasn’t happening.

“You’ll quit whatever crappy job you took because I want you home when I need you,” he told her. She looked at him like he was insane for a moment. He could see she was trying to decide whether to yell at him or walk away. Finally she started laughing. He stood there in complete shock. No one ever laughed at him. He didn’t like it happening to him.

“I won’t quit my job. I happen to have found one that I love. I know my measly little paycheck for two weeks doesn’t even compare to what you make in one hour but it’s my money and I’m earning it on my own. I’ve told you before I’ll pay back every penny you’ve spent on Patsy and I. I need a job to be able to afford to do that.”

“I’ve told you I don’t want a dime from you,” he said for the hundredth time.

“Well, I don’t take hand outs and I’ll be paying you.”

“Why the hell do you have to be so stubborn all the time? It’s ridiculous and you’re doing nothing but hurting yourself and your sister. Grow up and stop acting like a damn child,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Just because you have far more money than any one person should ever have doesn’t mean you can throw it in my face. If I want to pay you back then I’ll do it, whether I have to stuff it down your throat or not,” she told him stubbornly.

“I can’t even talk to you,” he shouted, as he ran his fingers through his hair once again.

“Well, that goes both ways, you arrogant jerk,”

“I guess then I’ll have to drag you away from this job you have. I’ve done it once, don’t think I won’t do it again,” he threatened.

“I don’t think you’re going to be able to do that,” she smirked at him, which caused his blood to boil even more.

“I can figure out easily where you’re working Nicole, so don’t act so cocky.”

“Oh, I don’t have a problem telling you where I work. My co-workers will rip you apart if you so much as lay one finger on me while I’m there,” she said far too smugly.

Images of her working at a strip club with bouncers went through his mind. He could think of no other place where she would foolishly believe he wouldn’t try and drag her out. He would certainly drag her out of a strip club too and he’d look forward to the fight. She caused more emotions in him than any other person on the planet.

“If you’re working at some trashy night club, or bar I swear I’ll be going to jail for pounding the crap out of whoever has dared to look at you,” he yelled. Nicole was shocked by the intensity of his worlds. A shiver ran down her spine as she realized he was serious. Thank goodness she hadn’t been that stupid.

“If you must know, I’m working with Jasmine and Trinity at their place,” she said smugly. She watched a mixture of relief and acceptance wash over his features.

Ryan blew out his breath, as he realized she was right, there was no way in hell he would try and drag her out of there. Jasmine and Trinity would tear him apart. There wasn’t a man on the planet he feared but his cousin’s wives were a whole different matter.

She once again laughed at him, loving she’d won that argument. She took off up the stairs like she didn’t have a care in the world.

He stared in shock. She laughed in his face and then outright defied him. To top off everything, she had the gall to walk away when he wasn’t finished with their argument. He knew logically he should let her go so he could calm himself down but he was never one to walk away from a fight.

He slowly stalked her up the stairs and found her in their bedroom. His temper was already escalated and seeing her in their room, in the same raggedy clothes made him snap. He was sick and tired of seeing her lessen herself by wearing rags.

Nicole turned around and the look on Ryan’s face terrified her. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him so furious. Maybe she’d pushed it a little bit far. She was thinking it may be much wiser to apologize and tuck tail and run. She wasn’t going to quit her job though. She was getting ready to do just that when he opened his mouth once again and infuriated her all over.

“I’ve bought you new clothes and you still choose to wear those rags. I demand you toss them out now,” he yelled at her. Her hackles were immediately up again.

“I’d rather be naked than wear your charity hand-outs,” she shouted right back. Her eyes widened by the look that came into his eyes.

He walked into her closet and ripped her precious few items off the hangers and walked over to her dresser and took out the few pairs of her underclothing she’d brought with her. He tossed it all on the bed and stalked towards her.

She backed up, like anyone would do when a predator was coming towards them. She was terrified and yet incredibly aroused at the same time. He was so masculine and she couldn’t tear her gaze away from him.

“Take them off,” he said in a deadly calm voice.

“Not on your life,” she spat back but her words were bellied by the breathless quality to her voice. He walked up to her and yanked the shirt off, then tossed her on the bed, which caused her to gasp. He pulled her jeans off next, leaving her in nothing but her bra and panties. She was incredibly grateful she was wearing one of the pairs the girls had made her get or she was sure he would’ve ripped those off as well.

She was breathing heavily, as his eyes raked over her exposed skin. Catching her by surprise, he stooped down and grabbed the clothes he’d taken off her, then walked out of the room. It took her a few moments before the shock wore off and then she went in search of something to cover herself. She couldn’t go chasing him through the house in nothing but her underclothes.

By the time she got a robe on and followed him down the stairs, she couldn’t find him anywhere. Suddenly a smell hit her and she gasped again. He wouldn’t dare, she thought, as she made a dash towards the back yard. Her eyes widened in shock and fury, as she saw what he was doing. She came running out the door and he turned and gave her a victorious smile.

He was standing in front of the huge fire pit they used for bonfires and her clothes were going up in flames. She couldn’t believe he would burn her clothes. He must’ve doused them in gasoline first because the flames were huge. There was no chance she could salvage them.

“How dare you burn my clothes,” she yelled, fury making her see red. He then winked at her. She wanted to claw his eyes out. She was so mad, she was beyond reasonable thinking. The staff had seen what was going on and had all scurried away, no one brave enough to come between the two of them in the middle of a fight.

“I do whatever I want to do,” he said in a mocking voice.

“Well, you know what? Let’s just add more fuel to the fire,” she shouted. She ripped off her robe and tossed it in the flames. She then pulled her bra off and tossed it in. She was so mad she didn’t even think about the fact she was stripping in the middle of the day, where anyone could possibly walk by.

Ryan watched her strip the robe, exposing her luscious breasts to him, before his brain kicked in again. Anyone could walk out the backdoor and see her standing there nearly naked. She may have been trying to prove a point but all she’d done was turn his anger into complete and total desire.

He grabbed her in his arms before she could strip the panties off and then shielding her body with his own, carried her into the house and took the back stairs to their bedroom. She yelled and pounded on him with her fists the entire way, which only fueled his desire. He would tame her in the best way he could possibly imagine.

He unceremoniously tossed her onto their bed and she was so stunned it gave him a few precious seconds to strip himself. When she realized what he was doing, she quickly tried to scramble off the bed but he grabbed her and pinned her beneath him. Her hands were locked above her head and he was fully pressed into her nearly naked body. The only thing stopping him from sinking deep inside her heat was a tiny scrap of silk.

He was so throbbing hard, he was sure he could rip through the tiny piece of material. They glared at one another, locked there on the bed. She squirmed underneath him, which only caused his erection to jump with painful intensity.

“Don’t you dare touch me, you arrogant pig,” she said through clenched teeth. He would’ve come to his senses and let her go if he would’ve seen fear in her eyes or even pure fury. But he saw desire quickly consuming her and it showed in her very readable face. He could feel her nipples, which were obviously peaked into hard nubs pressing against his chest. They both had a light sheen of sweat breaking out on their bodies and neither of them was breathing normally.

“Don’t touch you like this?” he questioned her and moved his mouth down to her neck, where he gently bit down on the sensitive skin where her shoulder met her smooth throat. He licked the spot and ran open mouthed kisses along her neck and up her throat. He licked the edge of her lips but didn’t kiss her quite yet.

“Or like this?” he said huskily, as he ground his hips into the heat between her thighs. She was shaking beneath him and he could see she was trying to fight herself far harder than she was trying to fight him.

“Or this?” he growled, before he finally connected their mouths and slipped his tongue inside. He still had her hands pinned above her head and her squirming began in earnest but for an entirely different reason than before.

Her anger had fled and now she was writhing underneath him in pleasure. He released her hands and she moved them into his hair to pull him closer. He ripped the sides of her panties and not being able to wait a single second longer, he thrust inside her heat. She was wet and tight, showing him she was as turned on as he was.

She may hate him at the moment but she wanted him with as much passion as he wanted her. He grabbed her hips in his hands, so he could angle her heat up higher. He wanted to be sunk so deeply inside her, he wouldn’t know where he ended and she began. She was crying out in pleasure as he pounded in and out of her.

“Say you want me,” he growled at her. She shook her head no, even in the throes of passion she didn’t want to surrender to him. He needed her surrender and as much as it caused him actual physical pain, he buried himself deeply in her and stopped moving. She squirmed underneath him, so close to her peak, needing him to move. “Say it,” he again demanded through clenched teeth. She glared at him through her desire filled eyes, almost sobbing with her frustration and need of him to move within her.

“I want you,” she finally cried out. He rewarded them both by thrusting in and out of her with so much frantic speed they both tumbled over the edge within seconds. She squeezed his erection with her intense orgasm and cried out as he spilled inside of her. It was the longest and most intense pleasure he’d ever felt in his life.

After the shaking in both of their bodies stopped, he collapsed against her, not having the strength to move one muscle in his body. He was trying to simply get his breathing back under control. No woman had ever had the power to make him snap that much. He noticed she was squirming beneath him and realized he was most likely crushing her under his weight. Hell, he weighed more than twice as much as her. He turned their bodies, refusing to let her go.

She didn’t have the energy to fight him anymore, not after the intense pleasure she’d just received and allowed him to keep her tucked at his side. They both fell asleep from the strenuous fight and love-making. Ryan realized he was glad it happened. He may have burned her clothing in anger but at least they were gone and the love-making alone had been worth it. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Nicole woke up wrapped around Ryan’s body. She felt her face heat up with embarrassment. She couldn’t believe the fight they had. She also couldn’t believe how much she’d needed him after it was all over. She’d felt like she would explode if he didn’t relieve the ache in her body.

She shifted slightly and tried to untangle herself from him. She wanted to run away and hide for a while. After they’d both passed out, she’d awoken again, only to be ravished by him with even more intensity than before. She knew it must be the middle of the night but she was wide awake and she had to get out of there.

“Don’t even think about it,” she heard Ryan say and his grip tightened on her body. She tensed.

“I need to use the restroom,” she said in excuse. She couldn’t see his face and she was glad he couldn’t see hers because she knew it was flaming scarlet in embarrassment.