Hard Impact: An Alpha Billionaire Romance Novel (16 page)

She nodded. “Exactly.”

“Did it bother you?”

“What are you, my shrink?” she asked, carefully adjusting herself in the corner of the sofa. “I’m the one supposed to be grilling you, not the other way around.”

“Do
you have a shrink?”

She just made a face, shook her head and declined to reply. I felt a grin tugging at my lips. Apparently, wordplay was something that Misty was comfortable with. While I couldn’t say the same for her reaction to necking, she certainly didn’t seem shy or hesitant to give me tit-for-tat. Again, no pun intended.

“Where did you move after you left Shawnee County, Kansas?”

The question came out of left field. I sobered. “Private. Next question.”

“What was your father like?”

Here it comes,
I thought. “Private. Next question.”

She made a face “Blake, it’s an innocent question that has nothing to do with… I’m not going there, okay?”

I blinked. I should’ve known. It always came to this.

“Blake, I’m serious. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders, you’re ambitious, obviously pay attention to details, you’re intelligent… you must’ve had a good role model—”

I shook my head, growing frustrated and impatient. “How can you just assume that? The same can be applied to men and women who’ve grown up in abusive households or in foster homes, or even on the street—”

The pen thwacked her notepad. “Why so touchy?” she asked, her tone heavy with frustration. “You’ve certainly been asked this question before, haven’t you?”

“Too many times to count.”

“So what’s the problem? You can’t tell me what kind of man your father was—”

“It’s nobody’s business,” I snapped.

“I beg to disagree,” she said, her voice soft and calm. “I’m not after the gossip, Blake. I’m trying to introduce you, the man, to our readers. Figure out who you are and why you have become the man you are today. It’s not about—”

“I am who I am today because of hard work, focus, and dedication. My upbringing was nothing extraordinary. My parents taught me the difference between right and wrong, just as I’m sure yours did. My choices as an adult are just that. Mine. Next question.”

Misty sighed and then swung her feet down to the floor. “I’m going to bed. If I can’t ask you a couple of simple, innocent questions without raising your hackles, there’s no point in continuing, is there?”

I said nothing as she rose from the couch and readjusted the bathrobe around her. I couldn’t help but imagine what she looked like under that robe, naked. In spite of my frustration and irritation, I felt the tingle of arousal.

Without waiting for me to reply, Misty headed out of the room and toward the stairs. “Let me know if you want to nix this interview,” she said, pausing at the base of the stairway. “If you won’t talk to me, I have no intention of traipsing around after you as you inspect your properties. If you don’t want me asking any more questions, just let me know, and if you’d be so kind, arrange for me to get back to San Francisco. Then you’ll never have to see me again.”

Is that what I wanted? Surprisingly, I didn’t. “Maybe we can talk a little more tomorrow, but I’m telling you right now, Misty, there are some things I just don’t want to talk about. I’m tired of being the topic of conversation for gossip magazines and taking the brunt of unsubstantiated rumors and—”

“Then why don’t you just put a stop to it?” she exclaimed.

“It’s not that simple,” I retorted.

She headed up the stairs. “It may not be simple, Blake, but it’s certainly not impossible.”

With that, she was done. I stood and stepped toward the couch she had just vacated so I could watch her as she strode along the balcony toward her room. Even after she was out of sight, I heard her soft footsteps moving down the hallway and then the quiet opening and closing of her bedroom door. My blood was up. Frustration, irritation, and desire rushed through my veins. I didn’t want her to go. While the realization surprised me, I accepted it.

I imagined her in her room, sliding the robe off her shoulders into a plush puddle down around her feet, her naked body in all her glory. I imagined myself standing behind her, reaching around her, my hands cupping her heavy breasts, my erect cock pressed up against her ass. One hand caressing a breast, my fingers tweaking a nipple, my other hand sliding slowly down her silky smooth stomach until my fingers nestled over her soft mound. She would groan with pleasure, lean her head back against my shoulder, begin nuzzling my neck with her lips. I plunged a finger into her wet pussy—

“Dammit!” With a growl, I shook the erotic thoughts from my head. What the hell was the matter with me? I didn’t know her, didn’t want to get to know her, wasn’t attracted to her, didn’t want to have sex with her… but my half-erect cock said otherwise.

“Shit.”

*

The sound of a rhythmic creaking jolted me from sleep. For a second, I didn’t remember where I was, but soon realized I had fallen asleep on the couch downstairs in the main room. The fire had died down to glowing embers, but the room was warm and cozy. The cabin was dark save for the faint shimmer of the full moon outside oozing through the large front window.

I remained still, trying to determine where the noise came from. Animal out front? Wouldn’t be the first time deer and elk came to explore, or even a bear. Then I realized the sound came from the balcony. I glanced up and saw a flash of white. Misty walking toward the stairs, coming down slowly, one hand sliding silently on the highly polished railing. I said nothing until she reached the bottom of the stairs.

“You all right?”

She bit back a squeal and then peered into the main room. One hand patted her chest. “Oh my God, you scared me!”

“Sorry,” I muttered, swinging my legs over the side of the couch to sit up. “I must’ve fallen asleep down here.” I stood and repeated my query. “You all right?”

“Yes… I just came down to get a glass of water. I couldn’t sleep.”

I didn’t know what time it was but felt incredibly rested. I must’ve slept for at least a few hours. I stepped toward her, standing frozen at the base of the stairs. Her robe, the same she’d worn earlier this evening, was loosely tied around her waist. I saw a glimpse of pale skin in the darkness and once again was surprised by my sudden surge of arousal.

Misty stared at me as I walked toward her, her mouth half open, as if she wanted to say something, but couldn’t, or wouldn’t. I wasn’t sure what compelled me to do it, but I felt the urge to wrap her in my arms. I wondered what she would do if I did. Stiffen? Smack me? Return my embrace?

“Blake, I’m sorry if I upset you earlier,” she said, her voice soft and sleepy. “That was not at all my intention—”

“Forget it,” I said. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I should have expected it.”

She took another step toward me and stopped when only a few inches separated us. She placed a hand on my arm. The touch seared through me like a jolt of electricity.

“I… I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable. I want you to know that. I’m just trying to do my job. I’m new at the magazine. I know the editor is testing me. If I’m fired, it won’t look good, and it certainly won’t help my career any—”

“And that’s what this is all about to you, isn’t it? Your byline? A step up for your career aspirations?” The thought hurt more than it should have.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” she rushed to say. “Look, I don’t know you. I know very little about your past.” She sighed and leaned against the stairwell. “I do know what happened to your father—”

“That’s funny, because no one else does,” I said.

“I mean, I know that he was murdered and that you were considered a person of interest—”

I made a noise in my throat, wanting to stop her, but she rushed forward.

“I don’t know anything else about you, Blake. I would like to get to know you better, to explain to people who you are, how far you’ve come despite a tragedy in your past. Maybe, if I do a good job, somebody else can benefit from your story. Gain strength from your perseverance.”

“Do you really believe that?” I couldn’t help the cynicism. “Turn me into an example of the latest twist on the ‘if you believe it, you can make it happen’ crap?” I shook my head and she dropped her hand from my arm. I wanted to reach out and grab it again. “I don’t believe in all that. We either deal with what life throws our way or we don’t. It’s as simple as that. I’m not a role model, Misty. I’m just a man making his way through life.”

The way she looked up at me made my balls tighten. Dammit, I wanted to kiss her, to touch her skin again. And then, before I could stop myself, I was doing just that. I wrapped her in my arms, the plush fabric of the bathrobe brushing against my skin. She felt so soft, her hair smelling of shampoo, her skin bearing a lingering hint of soap and sleep. And then my lips were nuzzling the base of her neck. I waited for her to push me away, to scold me, to slap me even, but she didn’t do any of those things.

After a moment or two, her arms wrapped around my waist. She pressed herself closer. I felt her breasts against my body, felt her abdomen pressing against my hips. I wasn’t sure how the belt of her bathrobe came undone, but her robe hung open. I couldn’t see much in the darkness, but my hands stroked along her shoulders, gently sliding the robe down along her arms until it lay in a heap at her feet. She stood naked in front of me.

Her chest rose and fell as my hands skimmed up along her shoulder to caress her neck. Her pulse hammered against my palm. My thumb traced her jaw line as I lifted my head from nuzzling her neck to kiss her lips. She responded, kissing me back, giving as good as I gave. And then her hands reached for the bottom of my t-shirt and slid underneath. The warmth of her palms skimming my abdomen and the breadth of my chest filled me with an unquenchable desire. My cock lengthened and grew hard in seconds, trapped in my jeans.

She hitched in a breath as I stroked my hands along those glorious shoulders of hers. I wrapped one arm around her back while my free hand continued its journey toward her breast. In seconds, I cupped the weight of it in my hand, lifting it gently, squeezing, my thumb brushing over the hard nub of her nipple. Shifting my position, I held her in the same way I’d imagined earlier. I stood behind her, pressing her back against my chest. My lips nuzzled the base of her neck as she pressed herself against me and then lifted her hands to thread her fingers through my hair. I reached around her, cupping both breasts now, their weight luxurious, my palms rubbing, circling, and gently squeezing the soft flesh of those magnificent globes.

I continued to caress a breast and then began to slide slowly downward over the velvety softness of her belly until I reached her mound. And then, as I had imagined, I caressed her lower lips, realized that she was hot, wet, and more than likely aching with the same desire I felt. My cock was close to bursting out of my pants.

Urging her toward the couch, I gave her a chance to retreat, but she didn’t. She sat down. I remained standing as she reached for the buttons of my jeans. While she worked them loose, I lifted my shirt completely over my head and flung it to the floor. One button at a time, she unfastened my jeans and grasping my belt loops, slowly pulled my pants down toward my knees. Her breath came faster as she repeated the process with my boxers. My cock bounced free, fully extended and reaching toward her.

Her hands reached for it and cupped my balls with one hand. They tightened instantly as she kneaded them in her gentle grasp, the other hand wrapping around my length. I quickly stepped out of my shoes and managed to get my pants and boxers off just before she leaned forward and took me into her mouth. I was startled by the move, but before I could even react she began to suck. Gently at first, then firmer. My hips instinctively thrust forward, not hard, but enough to encourage her to take me deeper.

She restricted my depth into her mouth with the hand wrapped around the base of my shaft, and suckled gently, then swirled her tongue over my head, causing my stomach to clench. I let her continue for a few more seconds before I gently pulled away, afraid that if I wasn’t careful, I would lose control. Before she could react to my sudden movement, I dropped to my knees in front of her, nestled between her legs, and pushed her gently back into the corner of the couch. My lips found hers and I kissed her deeply, my tongue tracing the contours of her mouth before delving within. And then our tongues were tangling and swirling, much as her tongue had done only seconds ago on my cock.

My hands rested gently on her shoulders before they softly skimmed down the length of her smooth, ivory skin. Her breath hitched in her chest and I broke off the kiss, but not the contact. My lips and tongue gently traced the contour of her jaw, nuzzling just below her ear, then downward to the crook of her neck before reaching my goal, that glorious crevice in between her firm, beautiful breasts. While my lips nuzzled first one nipple, then moved to offer equal attention to the other, my hands continued to skim down along her arms, then to her waist, caressing her hips and then her thighs. She made little noises deep in her throat as my hands grasped her knees and then gently bent them upward. She sat braced in the corner of the couch, her heels planted on the cushion, open to me.

After every move, I paused for a second or two, giving her a chance to stop me. It appeared that she didn’t want me to stop any more than I did. Finally, relinquishing my attention on her nipples, my lips and tongue once again began to trail downward, nuzzling against the skin of her belly. To my chagrin, I couldn’t see a thing, but then again, I didn’t really need to. My hands memorized every dip and curve of her luscious body.

When my lips touched the inside of her thigh and my tongue traced toward her knee, she hissed sharply, groping to grasp onto my dick. I offered a small chuckle that rumbled from deep in my chest as I traced my way back up the inside of her thigh until I found myself at the juncture.

I glanced up at her, my hands resting gently on her knees, the core of her femininity exposed to all of my senses except sight. I couldn’t see her expression in the very dull light of the barely glowing embers of the fire. But if the sounds she was making was any indication, she was enjoying herself as much as I was.