Bedding The Billionaire (Bedding the Bachelors Book 3) (24 page)

Lucy never made it down for lunch. While she was feeding Milly, the little girl fell asleep in her arms. The nanny tried to take her and put her in her crib, but Lucy objected. She rocked her and just watched her sleep.

It was the most peaceful sleep she had ever witnessed.

And during that peaceful sleep, Lucy gathered her courage.

“Your Aunt Lucy loves you,” she whispered to the baby as she slept. “I will always be here for you, no matter what happens. I will make sure that wherever you live and whomever you live with you are happy, always.” She kissed her little forehead and then carefully transferred her to her crib.

By the time she made it down, lunch was over. She and Jamie thanked Mason’s family and asked if they could visit again soon. “Of course,” Diana said. “Any time, Lucy.”

But Lucy knew what she really meant was: Anytime so long as you’re still engaged to Jamie.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

On the drive back to the airport, Lucy was so quiet that Jamie became worried. “Everything go okay when you were upstairs?”

She smiled and nodded. “She was just hungry. As soon as I started feeding her, she calmed down. I held her while she slept. Oh Jamie, she’s so beautiful. Even when she’s crying. But when she’s not crying, she’s breathtaking. She reminds me of Gail so much and when I think of all the time that passed between us…”

She sobbed, and covered her mouth with her hand to try and stifle the sounds. Jamie enfolded her in his arms and held her. After several minutes, she pulled away and swiped at her tears then smiled brightly, obviously embarrassed by her show of emotion. “So, how did lunch go?”

“It wasn’t bad,” he said, “Mason’s father and I actually talked business for the most part.”

Lucy stiffened. “He wants you to do business with him?”

“He’s looking for a place to invest some money and I was telling him about the project we have going on in Summitville—”

“Excuse me? You suggested he invest in your family’s business?”

“He was going to invest somewhere,” he said. “So I just thought—”

“You just thought that your business and his money were more important than my feelings? Great, you’ve all found kindred spirits in each other. Before I know it,
you’ll
be treating me like crap, too.”

Jamie had to work hard to keep a lid on his temper. “What the hell? Lucy, that’s ridiculous. It upsets me that you would even imply such a thing, let alone come straight out and say it.”

“Then forget I said anything at all,” she said. “What the hell is taking us so long to get to the airport? Can’t this bolt bucket go any faster?”

“Tell me why you’re so upset.”

“Why? It doesn’t matter how I feel—”

“Of course it does!”

“No, it doesn’t. If Mason’s father wants to invest in your business, then he’ll invest. It won’t matter that I don’t like him. That he’s a pompous ass. That he told his son…” She looked away.

“Told his son what?”

“Never mind.”

“Damn it, Lucy. Not only can I not fix something if you won’t talk about it, but neither can you.”

“Jeez, Jamie,” she sneered. “You really missed your calling. I’m convinced now that psychology is your thing,” she said.

“And sarcasm is yours,” he said. “Instead of dealing with your feelings about Mason’s father, you’re spewing sarcasm and try to hurt me instead.”

“I’m not trying to hurt you. This isn’t about you—”

“Oh really?” he said. “Because it seems to me this is just one more excuse for you to push me away again. What’s wrong? Have I been getting too close again? Did Milly get too close? What’s next? You going to run away from her, too, just like you do me?”

“That’s a horrible thing to say. To think I used to think you were nice.”

“I
am
nice, Lucy. What I’m not is a pushover. I see what you’re doing.”

“I’m not doing anything.”

“You’re shutting down. You’re refusing to share yourself with me…again. God, you continue to do this, and it’s not going to matter if we pretend to be engaged or not. You will never be able to win Mason’s family over.”

“Is that just dawning on you? Well, sorry this whole thing has been a waste of time.”

“Lucy—”

“Can we just not to talk for the rest of the drive? I—I’m tired and I have a headache.” With that, she stared out the window. Eventually, the driver pulled up in front of the airport.

She grabbed the door handle and opened it before the car was even completely parked. As she stepped out, she slipped the engagement ring off. Turning, she tossed it at Jamie before walking away.

Jamie slid out of the car and told his driver, “You can take off. I’ll call when I’m ready.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jamie caught Lucy just as she was getting into an elevator that would take her to the check-in area. She frantically pushed buttons, obviously trying to get the elevator doors to shut before he got there, but he stepped inside just in time. The doors slid shut as he crowded her into a corner.

“I just want to go home,” she told him.

“Well you’re not going home until you hear me out. I make myself available to you whenever you need me, Lucy. All I ask of you, all I’ve ever asked, is that you talk to me, share your true feelings…”

The doors slid open and Lucy slipped around him and stepped out. Before she could get any farther, he grabbed her arms and held her still despite her struggles to get away.

Raising her chin, she glared at him. “You want to know how they make me feel? I don’t know how it will help, but I’ll tell you. They make me feel like nothing I ever do will be good enough for them. They make me feel like trailer trash and before you tell me I ‘let’ them make me feel that way I’m going to tell you that I know that. I’ve taken a few psychology courses myself. But knowing it and living it are two different things. When I’m around them, I become less than I am because I know it’s what they expect from me, and then I hate myself for it. And the idea of you and that man doing business together, the idea that he’ll have the opportunity to talk to you and turn you against me—”

Lucy sobbed. Unable to cover her face with her hands, she leaned forward and buried her face in Jamie’s chest.

“Oh, Lucy,” he murmured. He couldn’t stand that this woman who was normally so confident thought he’d be so easily swayed by other’s opinions of her. He kissed the top of her head then lifted her chin so she had to look into his eyes. “I’m sorry they make you feel like that. I’m sorry that my brave, confident Lucy feels less than when she’s around those people. But no one, not Mason’s father, no one, will ever turn me against you. God, don’t you get it, Lucy? I adore you.”

She pulled back. “You do? Even though I’m such a snot about all your money? And I give you shit for being a nice guy?”

“Even then.”

Lucy cleared her throat. “I’m not used to feeling less than. Around certain people, I leave my self-confidence at the door. I turn back into that insecure sixteen-year-old. And I’m not sure this pretend engagement is helping me. They expect me to be different because I’m engaged to a man like you, but I’m not different. I’m just me.”

“That’s what you need to be, Lucy. Just you. We’re just playing a little game, but we’re not trying to present you as being someone totally different. If the worst happens and they turn against you, the judge will see what a wonderful person you are and grant you custody.”

Lucy stood on her toes to kiss him and his lips came down to meet hers. It was tender and exploring, like they weren’t already intimately acquainted. His tongue swept across her lips and she parted them. She drew his tongue into her mouth and rubbed her own against it. It was slow and leisurely as if they had forever.

When Lucy finally broke the kiss, she said, “I have to catch my flight, but can I—can I have the ring back?”

He grinned and held it up. “I’m afraid I was going to insist.”

This time, instead of putting on the ring herself, she let him slip in on her finger.

She stared at it, as if admiring its beauty. As if remembering how Jamie had said it reminded him of her.

“Do you really have to catch this flight? Because it’ll only take a couple of hours to get to Los Angeles. You can see my place. And we can get you on a later flight. Tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the—”

She covered his mouth with her fingers. “Let’s go.”

Lucy and Jamie held hands and kissed during the long drive to L.A. When they arrived at his place, he didn’t bother giving her a tour. Instead, as soon as the front door clicked shut behind them, he had her in his arms.

* * *

Jamie nudged Lucy backward, toward the couch, and once he had her settled on it, he knelt in front of her. After kissing her lips again, he reached down and folded up her skirt so that it was high up on her thighs. He breathed in her fresh scent and then looked back up at her. He reached up and brushed a stray hair from her face, and then for several seconds he covered the pulsating vein on her throat with his fingers. Her pulse was pounding, probably from the excitement of their fight and anticipation of what was coming next.

“Touch me Jamie.” Lucy’s back arched as she pressed her hips up.

When he finally did touch her, she sighed. His hand slid down from her cheek and brushed across her breast. She gasped and he could feel the nipple grow harder with that simple touch. He trailed his long fingers in circles around it, and then he began to release the buttons on her shirt, one by one.

Once he had the shirt unbuttoned, he reached behind her, unhooked her bra, and slipped both the shirt and bra off her so that her beautiful breasts spilled out. He leaned back on his haunches for a few seconds to enjoy the view then took one of her nipples into his mouth. He could feel it grow and harden between his lips. Pulling back, he blew on it lightly. The combination of her wet nipple and his hot breath caused her to shiver, and a small moan to escape her lips. He gave the other nipple the same attention.

Lucy ran her hands down the muscles of his back, and then pulled her fingernails gently back up his sides. She wiggled her hips underneath him, arching her back to feel how hard he was through the layers of their clothing. She wanted more, and she wanted it now. She reached down and tried to unfasten his pants, but their hips were too close together for her to get a good hold.

“Let's go into the bedroom. I need room to maneuver.”

Jamie stood and helped her up. He led the way to the bedroom and stopped at the foot of the bed. The sunlight was still trying to push its way into the room through the closed blinds. Her hair was a mess and her breasts were bouncing free. He thought she had never looked more beautiful.

Then he smiled, because he always seemed to have that thought where she was concerned.

She reached out, working on setting him free from his pants. Once he was unfastened and unzipped, she slid his pants down his legs. Lucy followed their descent, dropping to her knees in front of his raging hard-on.

He shifted so he could sit on the bed. She reached up and used her hands to knead his thighs, keeping her fingers inches from his testicles. He shuddered each time she got close. Then he cried out as she wrapped her hand around his shaft and began to slowly but firmly stroke him.

“Oh God!”

“No, sorry. Just Lucy,” she told him with a giggle.

“Just Lucy is just perfect,” he groaned.

That elicited another giggle.

“Lucy! Oh baby, it feels so fucking good when you touch me like that.”

“Mm,” she said, “If you like my hands there, wait until my mouth is on you. I’m going to suck the shaft and lick the head. I can almost taste you already. You’re in for quite a treat.” She was stroking as she talked, harder and faster, driving him into a frenzy.

“Give it to me now.”

* * *

Lucy smiled up at Jamie and then she brushed her hair against his bare thighs. Jamie had his eyes closed, but he reached down and took hold of her nipples. He ran them between his thumb and forefinger, and they immediately hardened underneath his touch. Once both of her nipples had been given equal attention, she bent back over his lap and rubbed her breasts slowly and methodically across his dick. She could feel him shudder, and he let out a long, satisfied moan.

She then moved her mouth down and spent some time kissing his thighs, getting closer and closer to his testicles as she did so. She smacked her lips loudly, making sure he could hear the kissing noises.

He let out a loud moan when she put her lips on his cock. She took him in until she could feel it at the back of her throat. Then she ran her tongue underneath the shaft and twisted it in circles all around his shaft as she let it slide almost all the way back out. She applied more suction and took him inside her mouth again. Jamie was making animalistic noises as she pleasured him. His eyes were closed and his hands were tangled up in her hair. Finally, in a breathless voice he said, “As much as I hate to say this, you’d better stop there.”

Lucy looked up at him and as he watched, she licked him, long and slow.