White Lies (6 page)

“
Maybe I like sweaty
.
”

He laughed lightly in her ear
.“
Tha
t’
s just something they say in wome
n’
s magazines. No one likes the smell of a sweaty man
.
”

She leaned back, catching his gaze
.“
Nervous people smell nervous
,
” she said
,“
And ther
e’
s nothing nice about that. But a gu
y—
or a gir
l—
who has used their body to the limits, and has worked up a fresh, clean sweat? Before it goes stale and nasty? Burning hot
.
”

“
Oh really
?
”

“
Oh yes
.
”

“
So noted
,
” he said
.“
This way
.
”

He slipped out of her arms with the same ease h
e’
d used to slip into them, and led her back down the way the
y’
d come. He led her through a bedroom that had to be hi
s—
it was all dark wood furniture and neutral colored bedding and organized disarra
y—
into a bathroom that made her knees go a little light
.“
What
?
” he asked, noticing her expression.

“
I just wondered if ther
e’
s any room in this place tha
t’
s smaller than my apartment
.
” She paid careful attention to her tone, and was relieved when he laughed.

“
You need a bigger apartment, then
,
” he said, glancing around the cavernous bathroom.

I need a bigger paycheck
, she thought, and choked the words back. It would sound like begging, or digging, and that was
n’
t what she wanted
.“
Do you have anything I can use to put my hair up? I do
n’
t want to bother drying it
.
”

“
Let me see
,
” he said, and turned to a tall cupboard by the sink. He rummaged around for a moment, and came out with a clip designed for thick hair, still in the package
.“
Will this work
?
”

She accepted it, and looked it over for a moment before glancing up at him
.“
I have a vaguely offensive question
.
”

“
Why do I have stuff for women all over my house if I never bring women home
?
”

Zoey nodded. At least he already knew. Might mean he had a stock answer, which could be completely not true, but it saved her the awkwardness of answering.

He grinned again, and he looked like a kid when he did it
.“
Sophia is just Italian enough that she lives in eternal optimism. If she leaves girly stuff everywhere, they will come
.
” His eyes widened as he heard his words
.“
That i
s—
u
h
—”

Zoey let him fumble for a moment, and then laughed, running her fingers over his delicious chest again. His chest was
n’
t metrosexual bare, which she liked. There was a slight darkening of hair over his pecs, and then trailing down in a delicate line that disappeared into his pants. It gave a soft texture as her fingers ran over his skin, and the urge to purr was instantaneous and sharp
.“
I get it
,
” she said
.“
She does
n’
t like your playboy lifestyle
?
”

Alex shook his head
.“
She sat me down last year to ask if I was gay, and to tell me that if I was, I could trust her, she would never breathe a word of it. She just wanted to let me know that it was okay, and I could bring men home
.
”

“
Tha
t’
s kind of sweet
.
”

“
It was very sweet
,
” he said
.“
My fathe
r—
well. He would
n’
t have tolerated that in his son. It was bad enough that his heir wa
s
—” Words failed him, and he just sort of gestured at himself. The pain that he carried was obvious and intense. The only response she could imagine was to step into his arms and press her lips against his, dragging him back to this moment in time. He responded not with lust, but with tenderness, and thorough intensity. Whey they broke apart again, his pupils had blown wide in his dark eyes. He gave a little shiver.

She turned away from him and twisted her hair up off her back and pinned it up and out of the way with the clip. He stood behind her, his eyes shining, and she gave him a little smile. He turned the water on in the glass enclosed shower and skimmed off his workout pants. She dropped the robe, and they stood there for a moment, naked and studying each other, before they crashed together. His mouth was harsh on hers, devouring her, and her hands reached down for his cock, which was already semi hard as she stroked the length of it. He groaned, wrapping his arms around her waist and doing nothing more than leaning back to lift her feet off the ground and deposit her in the shower. She squeaked at the heat of the water splashing over her skin, jumping out of the spray for a moment so that she could ease herself back in more slowly.

Alex stood in front of her then, absorbing the heat on his back, his eyes raised at her
.“
Too hot for your blood
?
” he asked, a teasing edge in his tone. He rolled his neck back, letting the spray wash over his head, exposing the long line of his throat, and then run down the lines of his chest and torso. She let her fingers follow the paths the water made, and he idly slapped them away
.“
You get to watch now
,
” he said, his hands running over his body as he washed the sweat off his skin. He was carefully precise, running his hands over each inch of skin with careful patience. He turned into the spray, and she got a gorgeous view of his taut backside. She was sure he was clenching for her, but Captain America had nothing on the view. Nothing at all.

When he turned back, he pushed her gently backwards, sitting her down on a small shelf within the shower enclosure. She knew what he wanted, and she took one single moment to decide to trust him. It was easy, she found, because he would stop if she asked him to. That was
n’
t even a question. So dropping her knees open as he knelt in front of her was the most logical thing sh
e’
d ever done.

He did
n’
t lean forward to lick her, though. He knelt on the floor, taking himself in hand, stroking his cock with a luxurious motion. She was fascinated by the motion, by the way he tried to keep his focus on her, but was clearly distracted by the sensations he was creating
.“
Do you like this
?
” he asked, slowly, enunciating carefully.

“I’
d like it better if I could wrap my mouth around it
,
” she said, running her tongue over her lips.

His grin grew
.“
That is exactly how I feel
,
” he said.

“
Then do it
.
”

He did. This time, as his mouth closed over the heat of her cunt, she felt all the burning need of the past few days boiling through her. She sagged against the shower wall, clinging to the towel rail on one side, braced against the opposite wall on the other, and just let him devour her. He swung her thighs over his shoulders, his tongue moving at a feverish pace over her tender flesh, and she whimpered as the sensation started to burn and surge within her. His eyes darted up at her, every so often, and she could barely meet her gaze. Sh
e’
d never felt so completely naked, so utterly stripped down in so few motions.

Suddenly, his tongue plunged into her, and she did scream. It was
n’
t an orgasm, not exactly, but it was the next best thing as her vision went spotty, and her hips arched up, fucking his face, and the only thing different was that she was so full of aching, angry need that she wanted to tear his skin off and crawl inside of him
.“
I need you
,
” she whispered
.“
I need you now
.
”

His pupils were so wide that there was hardly any iris left to see
.“
I know
,
” he said
.“
I need a condom
.
”

“
I hate you
,
” she said, without much feeling as he stepped out of the shower. She trailed her fingers down to her clit almost idly as she watched his tight ass walk across the bathroom, sheath himself, and come back to her.

He lifted her again, pressing her back against the wall of the shower, both of them turned sideways in the spray. He slid into her more easily than he had the first night, and she groaned all the way down to her toes as he started to shift within her. He had one arm under her ass, and the other hand reaching between them to flick at her clit. It would
n’
t have worked if she was
n’
t so close, if she was
n’
t already teetering on the edge, but she came for him, so hard and fast and overwhelming that she was only faintly aware of herself as she tore his back with her nails. All that she could clearly feel was her pussy clutching at his cock, at the sudden increase in the pace of his thrusts followed by the explosion of sound as he followed her over the cliff.

They sank together down to the bottom of the shower. She was shaking from aftershocks, and he was smiling at her like a kid, pressing faint light kisses to any bits of her that happened to come into reach.

“
Shut up
,
” she said, not meeting his eyes.

“
Told you
.
” The smile spread into a grin.

“
I said shut up
.
”

“
Admit that I was right
.
”

“
I do
n’
t like you any more
.
”

“
Liar
.
”

“
Probably
.
” She leaned forward and kissed him quickly.

For one moment, he was just a guy, just an incredibly hot guy with whom she was having incredibly hot sex. He was
n’
t someone who was being betrayed by everyone h
e’
d ever trusted. He was
n’
t someone who had the potential to make or break her career. He was
n’
t someone she might have to use, if she wanted to get where she wanted to go.

She held onto the moment, clung tight to it, and did
n’
t let it go.

CHAPTER FIVE

“
Do you have any problems with heights
?
” Alex asked her, as they toweled off.

“
Not particularly
,
” Zoey replied
,“
But I do have a wardrobe problem
.
”

He smirked
.“
Noticed that, did you?
I’
m sorry, I did some damage last night in m
y…
enthusiasm. Sophia called down to Saks,
I’
m sure that what I asked her to get for you is here by now
.
”

“
Saks
.
” The towel hung in front of her. Her fingers felt vaguely numb.

“
Yes
.
” He did
n’
t stop trying off his skin, did
n’
t turn and look at her.

“
Saks, as in, Saks Fifth Avenue
.
”

“
I was
n’
t aware the
y’
d opened another location
.
” His tone was just a little bit sharp, but she pressed on anyway.

“
I ca
n’
t repay you for that
.
” Zoey could hear that her tone was snappish, but her heart was pounding in her ears.

“
I did
n’
t ask you to
.
”

“
Ale
x
—”

“
I ruined your jeans, and that sweater looked awful on you. Yo
u’
re helping me sort out something incredibly complex, involving information that is likely to be very sensitive. I
t’
s the least I can do to say thank you
.
” He still was
n’
t looking at her.

She saw two choices. Throw a temper tantrum and stop out of the penthouse, then try to hail a cab in a goddamned plush bathrobe, or be gracious and accept the gift, even though it made her stomach twist. She was
n’
t good at gifts. There were too many strings hidden in them. Zoey took a deep breath, and spread a debutante smile over her face
.“
Thank you
,
” she said
.“
Tha
t’
s exceedingly kind
.
”

He did look at her then, an amused eyebrow arching up on his forehead
.“
Why thank you, Miz Gardener
,
” he said, in a passable Georgia twang
.“
I do appreciate your understanding
.
”

“I’
m from Louisiana, sha
,
” she said. She let the towel fall down, and put her hands on her hips, and arching her back so that the tips of her small breasts pointed up at him. He kept his eyes on her face, but his hands were tight around his towel
.“
Not Georgia
.
”

He drew in close, his hands on her waist again
.“
Yo
u’
re going to get me all sweaty again
,
” he murmured against her neck, and she sighed in happy delight as his lips brushed over her.

“
I
t’
s a fate yo
u’
ll survive, I think
.
”

“
Too true
.
” He bit her, hard enough to leave a mark, and her body lit on fire. She cried out, arching against him, and he ran his hands over her back, tugging her hips tight against him.

Without warning, her stomach gave the loudest, rudest growl sh
e’
d ever heard from her own body. They both froze. He pulled back from her ever so slightly, and she looked up, horrified to see what his expression was.

Only he was choking back laughter. And suddenly, so was she. They collapsed into giggles, and he pressed another kiss to her forehead
.“
Come on
,
” he said
.“
We need to feed that before it crawls out and kills both of us
.
”

In his bedroom, he laughed again. When she gave him a surprised look, he pointed at the black and white shopping bag that was on his bed
.“
Sophia really does like you
.
”

“
What do you mean
?
”

“
She did
n’
t make you go back to your room for your new clothes
.
”

She wondered how long it would take for this man to stop making her blush. She wondered if sh
e’
d be around long enough to find out. Which just made her cheeks heat up more. She dug through the layers of paper and pulled out not just jeans in a brand so expensive it made her wallet ache, but a lightweight sweater in a shade of blue just a little bit more grayed out than the one sh
e’
d worn last night. Sh
e’
d loved the other blue, but this one was a kind of perfect that she had
n’
t anticipated. She ran her hands over it delicately. She did
n’
t want to be so crass as to check the material in front of him, but it was soft and light, but did
n’
t feel warm enough for any kind of wool blend. It was amazing.

Underneath the jeans and sweater were a bra and panties set in bright red. She glanced at them, then back at him. He was standing there, still naked, watching her carefully. He wore that small smile, the one that she liked so much, as she went through the bag
.“
This is all gorgeous
.
” Zoey said
.“
Thank you. How did you pull this off
?
”

He shrugged
.“
I know a guy
.
”

“
A guy in Saks Fifth Avenue
?
”

“
Not specifically. A guy who I can call and sa
y“
Hey, I need clothing for a gorgeous, light complected journalist who has no idea how to dress herself
.
” Honestly, you made it easy for me, I told him the sizes you were wearing last night, and how they fit you, and he went from there
.
” The smile spread into a grin
.“
The red was from me, though. I had a funny feeling you did
n’
t own any red
.
”

“
Your funny feeling was right
,
” she said
.“
What do you mean you told him about how they fit me
?
”

For the first time, Alex shifted on his feet just a little bit
.“
Why do
n’
t you get dressed, and w
e’
ll go grab something to eat
?
”

It was Zoe
y’
s turn to raise an eyebrow
.“
I think
I’
d like to hear your thoughts on how my clothes fit
.
”

He rubbed at his eyes for a moment, then sighed
.“
How about this. Try on what we picked out for you, and then w
e’
ll talk
.
”

She rolled her eyes, but he had a stubborn look about his mouth, so she shrugged and set about taking the tags off everything. She pulled on the panties firs
t—
deliberately turning around so that he was staring at her ass as she bent over. She half expected him to reach forward and cup the flesh in his hands, but he stayed put. She tugged the jeans on next. She was a little bit surprised to find that they fit in the waist. They had a lower rise than what she usually bought, but they did
n’
t feel all that low, all things considered. They hugged her curves and emphasized them a little more than most jeans did, without feeling too tight in the waist.

She picked up the bra and wrapped the band around her ribs, then pulled the straps up her arms.

He made a disgusted noise behind her, and she turned
.“
What
?
”

He muttered a fair amount she did
n’
t catch, but some of it was clearly about women who hit their twenties without knowing how to put on a bra
.“
Like this
,
” he said, stepping close to her
.“
Bend over a bit
.
” His hand pushed lightly at her shoulder, and she followed his motion, bending at the waist. His hands moved forward then, lifting the cup of the bra away from her skin ever so slightly, then reaching in to scoop what there was of her boob sort of up and towards the center before letting go. He did the same on the other side, and then backed away. Zoey straighted up, and stared down at the tits that had suddenly formed on her chest.

“
What the hell
?
”

Alex was grinning again, the jerk
.“
Put the sweater on
.
”

She did, without complaint, and he nodded with satisfaction. He turned to pull on clothes of his ow
n—
boxers, black slacks, a white button down shirt. He left it open at the throat, and did
n’
t reach for a tie yet. There was a mirror standing in the corner and she stepped in front of it.

The changes were subtle, but she would have needed to be blind to not see them. It was
n’
t like she suddenly had watermelons on her chest, but instead of looking flat, almost concave chested, there was a subtle rise and fall to her breasts that made them seem fuller. The sweater was just fitted enough that it followed the curve of her waist, and highlighted the slimness of her hips. She felt trimmed and feminine instead of skinny and scrawny. It was utterly disorienting
.“
What did you do
?
”

“
Dressed you in clothes that fit
.
”

“
How did you know
?
”

Another ubiquitous shrug
.“I’
ve spent a lot of time listening to a lot of women go on and on about their clothing. I told Andre what you were wearing, and how you looked in it, and he took it from there
.
”

“
So you did
n’
t like what I was wearing before
?
”

He sighed
.“
I did
n’
t say that. You looked beautiful. You still look beautiful. But this i
s…
I do
n’
t know, polished. Finished, maybe
.
”

She turned sideways, studying her reflection again. Sh
e’
d never bothered much with her appearance. Sh
e’
d aimed for clean and sharp rather than soft and interesting. After all, sh
e’
d needed to interact with a lot of people who did not want to be reminded that just by her presence, she, and women like her, were taking apart the old bo
y’
s club. She let her hair down, let it tumble around her shoulders, and looked back at the prettiest version of herself that had ever existed. It was incredibly uncomfortable, like she was the awkward girl in a teen movie, being made over for the prom just by taking off her glasses and putting some halfway decent makeup on her face
.“
I do
n’
t like this
.
”