Resisting The Tycoon's Seduction (The Berutelli Escape) (13 page)

“Don’t worry about it,” he said as he caressed her cheek gently.  He glanced out of the window and nodded to his
thanks to his driver who had maneuvered around the busy Chicago streets in record time.  “We’re here.”

Marissa wanted to pull him back and demand answers.  She was thoroughly sick of being told that they were some place and then being dragged out of the limousine without any explanation of where they were or what they were doing, why they were here and, more importantly, what the rush was all about.  She knew it was because of her father and the very possible threat of whatever retribution he might pass along
because of the morning’s events.  But since no one was talking to her and explaining, she could only go with her imagination.  That was probably scaring her more than the reality could. 

Or maybe not.  She’d passed by the stranger’s room and he
’d looked pretty badly beaten with his face mostly purple from his recent pummeling, not to mention all the bandages covering various parts of his body. 

She shivered at the horror
of what the poor man must have endured. 

“What’s wrong?” Zeke demanded, obviously having felt the shiver as he pulled her along behind him.  They were standing in an elevator going up to the roof for some reason.  “Are you okay?” he asked, his thumb tracing the curve of her jaw.

“I’m fine.  When are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

“Never?” he suggested with a twinkle in his
dark eyes.

She pulled back, shaking her head.  “Not a good answer,” she countered.  “Tell me what’s happening and maybe I can help.”

He looked like he was considering her comment, taking her seriously.  But the moment he seemed like he was going to say something to her, the elevator doors opened.  “Let’s get out of here,” he said instead of whatever he was going to tell her. 

Marissa
hesitated at that moment but he pulled her along behind him anyway.  That was when she realized what was waiting for them.  When she saw the small helicopter that was already prepped with the pilot standing beside the machine with the door open, she dug her heels in. 

“I’m not getting into that machine,” she said with a very firm voice.  She didn’t look up at Zeke, just stood there on the windy roof of the building with her arms crossed, glaring at the helicopter. 

Zeke stopped and turned around, looking at her as if he wanted to laugh.  Fortunately, he held his humor at bay when he realized that she was genuinely nervous about getting into the machine.  “Are you afraid of flying, Marissa?”

She looked up at him
, stubbornness showing in every cell of her body.  “I’m not afraid of flying in an airplane.  But that is not an airplane.”  He’d tricked her into the marriage thing, there was no way he would trick her into getting into that machine.

Zeke realized that she was genuinely terrified and felt horrible that he had to force her into this situation.  “If I promise to get you through this, that you’ll be okay and that this is a very short flight, will that help?”

She was already shaking her head.  “There’s nothing you can do that will get me through that flight.  I’ve never been in a helicopter and there’s nothing you can do to get me onto this one.”

Zeke smiled, eager to take on the challenge Marissa had just tossed down.  “Is that a fact?” he asked softly. 

Marissa wanted to back up, but the elevator door had already closed behind her.  “Zeke, if this is a short flight, then it’s probably a short drive as well and we can get there just as easily in a car.”  She was starting to wonder just who was more stubborn; her or Zeke.  She was terrified that he might win this one.  How could he do that though?  She didn’t think he would toss her over his shoulder and stuff her in there.  He was too kind and gentle for that. 

Wasn’t he? 

Zeke brutally suppressed the fear for her safety in order to address her fears as much as possible.  But if it came down to protecting her from harm, he would carry her in and strap her down.  He kept an eye on his bodyguard who had an earpiece that communicated any threats from the street. 

With a patience he didn’t know he had, he stood in front of her and spoke calmly. 
“It’s a short flight because we’ll be flying over buildings to get to our destination,” he explained as he reached out, easily reaching her even when she tried to twist out of his arms.  With his strong arms wrapped around her waist, he felt her shivers and his compassion increased.  But his need to protect her from the very real threat of her father overrode the comparably less likely threat of the helicopter crashing.  He paid this pilot very well and knew him to be an extremely adept pilot so he had no concerns about taking Marissa in the air in this machine. 

At a nod from his
bodyguard, Zeke knew he’d just run out of time.  One of his guards had seen something on the street and he had to get Marissa out of there.  He sincerely regretted what he had to do but…

Marissa
wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but she knew enough to be wary of the fire that instantly started in his eyes.  “What are you going to …?”

She wasn’t able to finish the sentence because his mouth covered hers.  She resisted for all of two seconds, knowing he was
only kissing her to distract her.  But as soon as he touched her, she was lost to this kiss.  She loved the way his mouth made love to hers, the way his tongue touched her lips, demanding entry and, when she gave in, his whole body entered into the seduction. 

She was pulled against him, his arms curling her softness against his hard legs and chest.  She wanted him instantly and her whimper of desire, of the lust that surged through her arms, legs and her entire being was something she wasn’t sure how to control.  She was too inexperienced with this type of passion to fight him.  Not that she wanted to, actually.  As soon as he’d touched her, she was a willing participant in the kiss. 

She was completely unaware of what was happening.  She didn’t realize that Zeke had lifted her up, was carrying her with her legs wrapped around his waist, nor was she cognizant of him settling into the seat.  She didn’t see the wary look of the pilot as he closed the door, his concern that the two of them weren’t wearing a seatbelt.  But he was ordered to take off and fly them as fast as possible to their destination.  So he flipped the switches, did his last minute flight check and took off of the roof of the building.  The whole time, he focused on his gauges and his flying while Zeke kissed Marissa, touching her in all those places that made her shiver with need, with a desire so intense she was focused only on him and not on the flight. 

When they touched down fifteen minutes later, Marissa was aching with the need for Zeke to take this to the next level.  So when he pulled back and lifted her back into his arms, she was startled to see that they were at an airport without a tall building or skyscraper in sight.  “Where are we?” she asked, trying to gain some control but the trembling was making her aware of the fact that Zeke hadn’t finished what he’d started. 

They were walking towards a private jet, a very large one and Marissa looked back, seeing the helicopter flying away once again.  She couldn’t believe that Zeke had gotten her through that terrifying ordeal without her even being aware of what was going on around her.  How had he done that?  Oh, yeah, the kiss.  Yes, the man was an excellent lover.  She’d known that last night.  But now jealousy surged through her for the second time today because she understood that the man had learned so much about making love by being with other women.

With that realization popping around in her brain, she stopped on the tarmac, furious and emphatic.  Enough was enough, she needed answers. 
“Zeke,” she said with an angry face, “I’m not taking another step until you tell me what’s going on and why there’s such a horrible rush!”  She knew that some of her anger was due to her jealousy and some due to fear.  But there was also a significant part of her that just wanted him to respect her enough to tell her what was going on. 

Zeke looked down into her angry eyes and knew that he couldn’t trick her again.  There was just something about her demeanor that told him that he wouldn’t get away with kissing her a second time.  But boy, it had been nice to feel her reaction to him during the helicopter ride. 

He tilted his head and took a step closer to her, proud of her when she stood her ground even when he could tell that she was nervous with him so close to her.  “First of all, I want to get you onto that plane because we’re going to some place safe where your father can’t find you for at least a week, maybe longer if I haven’t had enough of you by then.”

“A week?” she asked, swallowing past the lump of desire that was almost choking her with the same need he’d stoked in the helicopter. 

“At least,” he confirmed. 

“And secondly?”

He considered his words carefully.  “I’m not sure there’s really a second point I wanted to make.  I’m still stuck on the first one.”

Her trembling increased as the heat in his eyes ramped up.  She had to be firm though.  “What’s this all about?”

One of his strong, callused hands moved up to touch her cheek.  He debated how much to tell her against how much he wanted to protect her against all the bad things she’d had to face in her life so far.  “It’s about me wanting to protect you.  And if you could just deal with this for a little while longer, I would very much appreciate your sacrifice.”

“Why?”

He shrugged slightly.  “Because this is a novel sensation for me.  I’ve never experienced these new feelings and I’m not sure how to deal with them right now.  All I know is that I have a place where I can keep you safe, far away from your father where I can have my wicked way with you.”

She bit her lip and looked at his chest.  As she tossed his words around in her head, she thought that perhaps she needed to take baby steps with this man.  She could tell from the tension in his shoulders that he’d just taken a huge step by confiding that much to her.  They’d known each other for such a short time and, if she really was honest about the situation, she knew she wasn’t sure how much longer she’d have with him.  The wedding ceremony this morning didn’t seem real to her.  And even if it was legal, which she suspected was actually the case, she wasn’t sure
why he’d married her, how long they would be together or even what he expected from the quick ceremony. 

In the end, she once again decided to go along with the craziness of the moment.  She’d rarely been spontaneous in her life, knowing that things needed to be planned out so her father either
wouldn’t know about her activities, or she could prepare him far enough in advance so he wouldn’t restrict her from her plans. 

Here she was, about to get onto a plane without her father’s knowledge for the first time in her life and she felt
liberated, more than a little crazy and just downright exuberant.  That feeling, along with Zeke’s amazing sensuality and passion, were a powerful influence.  She decided right then and there that she was going to ride this sensation until it burned out. 

“Will you at least tell me where we’re going?” she whispered, raising her face and showing him that she was accepting his plans.  At least for the next week, she thought even if she didn’t say the words. 

The look on his face when he saw her acceptance of his plans was well worth the anxiety she’d feel later once she had to return to reality.  He swept her up into his arms, kissing her deeply as he carried her onto the plane.  He set her down on one of the soft, leather seats and strapped her seatbelt, making a great show of adjusting the fit when really, he was just caressing her skin, his knuckles “accidentally” rubbing against her breasts causing her to gasp with the touch.  Their eyes met, conveyed the promise and the anticipation, and then Zeke took the seat across from her.  He lifted the phone.  “We’re ready,” was all he said before he lowered it down again, his eyes never leaving her face as he waited for the plane to take off. 

It took less than five minutes before they were airborne and the pilot called Zeke back letting him know that they could move around.  Zeke didn’t hesitate any longer.  He almost slammed the phone down again, then stood up and, in one swift move, unsnapped her seatbelt and pulled her back into his arms.  He carried her through a door Marissa hadn’t even known existed, setting her down on her feet at the end of a very soft, very comfortable bed. 

Zeke didn’t give her a chance to survey her surroundings.  His mouth covered hers as soon as her feet were touching the floor and he lifted her up against him, showing her how much he wanted her. 

This was one decision today that she didn’t hesitate to make.  She wanted this man.  He’d kissed her at their wedding, he’d kissed her on the short helicopter ride and her whole body wanted this like an obsession.  After last night, she was starting to get to know his body and she was determined to learn more about him and the things that he liked. 

When he lifted her into his arms and laid her onto the bed, she smiled, excited that she would have this man completely to herself for an unknown period of time.  At least right now, wherever they were going, her father wouldn’t know anything about her activities and that released her passions even more. 

Marissa watched with delight as the wind whipped Zeke’s hair across his forehead.  It was too short to get in his way but he looked so strong and capable as he steered the sailboat through the waters.  They’d landed in San Juan, Puerto Rico three nights ago and had spent the most amazing few days driving around the island, exploring the rain forests, climbing El Yunque and listening to the birds and lizards move about through the trees.  Right now, they were almost flying across the water with both sails filled with wind.  She had no idea how fast they were going, but it felt very swift.   She hadn’t felt this carefree in a long time.