Rules of Negotiation (16 page)

You said you’d learned your lesson. Now prove it.

He motioned toward her suitcase. “Why don’t you let me take your bag?”

“No.” She clutched it tightly against her.

The black Mercedes purred on the street in front of them. Brit walked between two parked cars and opened the door. “Fine. After you.”

Careful not to brush against him, she ducked inside and jerked her suitcase across the smooth leather seat, propping it up like a barrier between them.

Brit pulled the door closed behind him. “Where are we headed?” he asked Tori.

“The Grand Hyatt.”

“You aren’t very adventurous.”

“I’m too adventurous,” she corrected. “I won’t make that mistake again.”

He leaned forward and said something to the driver, then laid her suitcase flat on the seat and studied her. “You won’t take my calls.”

“I told you I wanted nothing more to do with you.” In the dark interior of the car, his presence seemed larger than life, and more threatening.

“I said I was sorry. What more can I do?”

“How about leave me alone? I know it’s hard to believe, but some women really aren’t interested in your attention. I happen to be one of them.”

He reached one hand across her suitcase and let it brush against her arm. “So you aren’t interested in this?”

The empty space between them shrank, and tendrils of nervous anticipation slithered from Tori’s belly to her knees. “Exactly,” she said.

“What about this?” He took her unprotesting hand and traced a lazy pattern on the soft skin between her thumb and forefinger.

“Definitely not.” She wished she could pull her hand from his grasp but found herself helpless under the rhythmic stroking.

“You are the most contrary woman I’ve ever met.”

“You are a liar and a cheat,” she whispered. She tried to muster images of her mother, but Brit’s gentle, rhythmic stroking inhabited every corner of her brain. They rode in silence for a long time, the heat slowly rising until every muscle in Tori’s body strained for the next touch, for deeper, more significant contact.

“I’m going to Scotland,” he said suddenly.

“Betsy told me.”

“I leave in a month.”

The finality in Brit’s tone penetrated the haze of pleasure his touch had created. “What about Excorp?”

“I’m taking an indefinite leave from Excorp.” He released her hand to run his fingers through his hair. “I told the board today.”

Tori sat upright. “Really? I suppose I should have guessed, from the way you were talking the other day. But why?”

“Because of you.” He angled his body so he could look directly into her eyes. “I realized after you left that I’d been acting like an ass. I should never have tried to fool you and Melissa that way. I’ve been trying to micromanage Melissa’s life. And a lot of other lives, too.” His eyes swallowed her face and licked hungrily at the neckline of her snug T-shirt.

She tried to look away, but he had her trapped. “What does that have to do with Excorp?”

“I took over Excorp like I took over running my family. But as Melissa tells me several times a day, she’s all grown up, and Excorp is, too. I’ve never taken a vacation, Tori. Never. But I should. That’s why I kept calling. I wanted to tell you I realized how stupid I’d been. I started making plans to take some time off the day you left.”

“Oh.” Tori leaned back in the seat, trying to digest what he was saying. He had called her to apologize for being an idiot, not because he wanted to see her again. And now he was leaving for Scotland. “How long will you be gone?”

He laughed and rubbed his face as he slouched back in the seat. “I have no idea. I can’t tell you how wonderful that feels. Maybe a month. Maybe a two. I’m going to travel, develop a fake accent, and maybe grow a beard.”

“Fantastic,” Tori said. She swallowed hard and mustered a fake smile. “I can’t believe you’re really going to do it. Talk about reclaiming your lost youth.”

He chuckled and opened his eyes. “I know, it’s crazy. But enough about me. How did you end up at Melissa’s place? When I heard from Ross that she had some meeting set up tomorrow, I thought I was going to blow a gasket. I realize I said I was going to treat her like an adult, but I was terrified she was going to go back to that bastard Mark.”

“She called me a few days ago.” Tori explained Melissa’s plan to help Solen Labs with their latest initiative. “I can’t guarantee that he’ll hire her, but I think it’s great that she’s trying. At least it will help her get out of the house.”

Brit’s smile threatened to split his face. It transformed all the hard lines of his jaw and cheekbones. “That’s great. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. Though I do have one concern.” His voice took on a serious tone, and he sat straighter in the seat.

“What?”

“Now that there’s no question of ulterior motives, does that mean I get to see you again?”

Dangerous territory.

Like pulling petals off of a daisy.

He loves me, he loves me not…

“I told you I wasn’t going to do this again, Brit.”

His gaze turned coaxing. “That’s because you were hurt. I understand that. But things are different now. You understand that I’m a man, and I’m destined to do stupid things. The Melissa fiasco was one of those things.” His smile faded, and a serious, hungry look took its place, leaving her trembling. “Thanks to my desire to fix everyone’s life but my own, you got the impression that I didn’t really want you. Which is nonsense. Truth is, I can’t think of anything I want more.”

The car pulled to a slow stop. Tori looked out, but did not see the lights of the Hyatt. Instead, she saw the gleam of an antique streetlight.

Tori shook her head, though what she saw wasn’t really much of a surprise. “This isn’t my hotel.”

Chapter Sixteen

He had the grace to look embarrassed. “You’re right. It’s my place. I was hoping…”

She fought the answering smile that tickled the corners of her mouth.

He loves me…

“You don’t take no for an answer, do you?”

“You promised me a weekend, and I got a day. You owe me one more night.”

“I don’t owe you anything.”

Brit jumped out of the car and offered his hand. “We had a deal. As an attorney, you have to respect that.”

“I never signed anything.”

“It was a verbal agreement. Fully enforceable.”

“Lord, save me from the CEO trying to play lawyer.” She groaned, but found her hand slipping into his.

She was being stupid. Irresponsible. She had vowed to stay away from him.

He’s nothing more than a warm body, Mom. I won’t fall for him. I swear it.

Brit waved good-bye to his driver and tugged her through the front door. They barely made it into the elevator before he looped one possessive arm around her waist and slid the other around her jaw.

His thumb traced a path over her lips, and she closed her eyes.

“Damn it, Brit.”

Cool lips followed his thumb.

She tensed, but did not push away. He deepened the kiss, claiming her with the confidence of a man who anticipates no resistance. Anger shot through her with unexpected heat. He was always in control. For once, she wanted to be the one driving this train.

Lightly, she bit his lip and then lapped it with her tongue, teased him with darting, feathery kisses until he growled in frustration and ground his mouth against hers. Something powerful took over her body, leaving her prisoner to an unfamiliar mixture of lust and fury. Dragging his face lower, she buried her tongue in his mouth, drinking deeply from him and then pulling away when he attempted to reciprocate.

“You’re going to punish me, aren’t you?” he whispered, breathing heavily.

“Do you deserve to be punished?”

“Hell yes.” He slipped his hands lower to cup her buttocks and ease her against his lean hips. “Let me make it up to you. I screwed up—I did—but I can’t fake this. Surely you know that.”

Still caught in the grip of an unholy passion, she locked eyes with him, ground her pelvis against his hardness, then deliberately jerked away. When the elevator doors opened, she walked out first, emphasizing the swing of her hips.

He followed a step behind her, reaching up to cup her breasts. When his thumbs trailed across her nipples, she stopped and let him touch her, then drew her hands up to break the contact.

“Not yet,” she hissed. “You’ll have to wait.”

He opened the door to his apartment and stumbled inside. She closed the door behind them and grabbed the lapels of his jacket, tugging it down over his shoulders. The soft wool slipped to the ground with a soft rustle. He started toward her, but she held up one hand.

“No,” she said.

Trembling, she slipped off her own jacket and pulled the thin T-shirt over her head. Her breasts ached for contact, so she slid her hands over the taut skin, teasing the already firm peaks. Needing more, she rolled the nipples between her thumb and forefinger, closing her eyes for a moment to revel in the pleasure-pain she was inflicting.

Brit stepped forward, his eyes glassy. “You are incredible,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Please. Let me touch you.”

She grabbed him by the shirt and tugged his face down to hers, allowing him only a brief kiss before pushing him away. “Follow me.”

She made her way to the bedroom, kicking off her shoes and then unhooking her bra as she went. When she reached Brit’s room, she turned to find him unbuttoning his own shirt. “Good,” she said, tracing the outline of her lips with the tip of her tongue. “Very good.”

“Tori—”

“No!” The voice sounded like it came from a stranger. “You don’t get to make the rules tonight. I do.”

She unzipped her pants and let them fall to the floor. Then she climbed on the bed, propping herself on pillows so she could watch him standing in front of her.

Slowly, his gaze pinned to hers, Brit removed the rest of his clothes. Tori stroked her breasts as she watched, her body and mind given over to the surge of power and need that raced through her.

Finally, he approached the bed. Tori’s eyes covered the length of his beautiful olive skin, the dark crinkling hair on his chest, and his powerful erection. “May I?” he asked hoarsely.

Tori nodded. Nothing would satisfy her now but him.

Laying her head back on the comforter, she closed her eyes and stretched her arms over her head. The bed dipped when he knelt beside her. She could feel the heat emanating from him, brushing her skin like a delicate caress. He slid the back of one hand against her side and she shivered.

With agonizing, steady movements, he caressed the delicate skin of her breast, circling the areola with his tongue before taking her nipple into his mouth. The gentle pressure of his lips sent her hips jerking forward.

“More,” she commanded. “Harder.”

Brit obliged, applying increasing pressure and heat, finally nipping at the tender flesh. When soft mewling sounds were coming from somewhere deep in her throat, he slid one hand across her rib cage and down to her mound.

“I’ve been imagining you like this for the past two weeks,” he whispered. “I can’t get you out of my mind.”

His fingers tickled her stomach, tugged down the soft lace of her panties. Stealthy kisses followed everywhere his hands touched, on the rounded curve of her belly, along the side of her hip, in the soft flesh behind her knee. Keeping her body utterly still, Tori let the magic of his mouth wash away the hurt and the anger, leaving behind only a steady, glowing need. When his warm breath tickled her mound, she moaned and thrust against him.

He pushed gently on her knees. “Open for me, Tori. Let me love you.”

Shameless with desire, she let her legs fall open and offered herself to him. Her heart skipped when he drew a short, harsh breath. Imagining her own lush, pink curves open to him, glistening with dew, she arched her hips and forced her muscles to relax.

He slid over her, breathing gently on her soft, wet flesh until she tangled her fingers in his hair and pressed him against her. He lapped the edges of her skin and let his tongue follow a path around the edges of her clit. When she was almost ready to scream, he looked up with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Shall I continue?”

“Yes,” she said, her voice somewhere between a moan and a scream.

He drew himself across her body, stopping to roll her nipples between his fingers. She half expected to see steam rise between them when he moved his hips and the heat of his erection touched the damp warmth between her legs.

He butted against her. Each touch was like a shock that sent her hips moving to meet him. Her nipples swayed gently as she moved, and he covered one with his mouth, tugging gently at first, and then harder, until she sobbed and threaded her fingers through his hair.

“Yes,” she breathed, “please, yes.”

A trail of kisses took him from her breasts to the soft skin of her stomach. One hand traced a path back toward her breasts, to torment her hard, hurting nipples while his mouth moved lower. When his tongue returned to the needy flesh below she jerked against him, crying out with the pain and pleasure he was inflicting. His back flexed under her fingers, the muscles standing out in sharp relief under her nails, but she did not want to dissolve like this. She wanted him inside her, driving her into oblivion.

Almost mindless with desire, she pulled him up, hoping he would understand her silent plea. He buried his face in her navel, breathing hard as if striving for control.

“Don’t make me wait,” she said. “I want you now.”

“And if I want to wait?” He leaned back on his haunches, a beautiful male animal surveying his mate.

“You won’t,” she said, dropping her hands down to caress his tight buttocks.

“Stop that,” he growled, catching her hands and leaving a kiss on each palm. “I need to concentrate for a second.”

He rifled through a bedside table and withdrew a foil-wrapped packet. Tori grabbed the condom and unrolled it herself, sliding it over his length with a shaking hand. She caressed him, closing her fingers around the base of him and riding his length.

“No more games,” she said. “I need you now.”

With a groan he fell forward, and her hand came between them to guide him into her. When he was buried deep inside, he stopped. Tori wanted to sob with the pleasure of the moment. They were perfectly joined, their bodies meshing together like the pieces of a puzzle.

Nothing had ever felt this right before.

“Please tell me you don’t doubt this,” he said, as if the question was of vital importance.

She closed her eyes and moved her hips. “Brit, not now.”

He grabbed her head and kissed her mouth, then closed each eye. He held his lower body utterly still. “Tell me.”

Tori thrust up against him, her inner muscles working down the length of his cock. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter.” His shoulders tensed under her fingers, and she could tell how much it was costing him not to move.

“I believe you,” she whispered.

“Louder.” He thrust once, nearly taking her over the edge, and pulled out.

“I believe you,” she said, opening her eyes and grabbing his hips. She wrapped her legs around him and arched her back.

“Louder.” He thrust again, leisurely this time, and bit her nipple.

“Yes,” she cried, “I believe you.” Her hips moved wildly now, her inner muscles holding him fast.

“More,” he demanded. “Tell me what you believe.”

“I…” her eyes fluttered closed and her head began to thrash on the sheets as he began a slow, deep rhythm inside her. “I believe you want me.”

“And you want me, too,” he said, the rhythm increasing.

Her head was starting to spin and she was no longer sure what she was saying.

“God, I want you,” she said, shuddering as they began to move together, bodies taking over where minds continued to struggle. “I need you!”

Released by her words, he buried his face in her neck and drove deeply inside her. It was hard and fast, but he made sure she was with him, screaming with pleasure before he finally abandoned himself and let out his own hoarse cry. Waves of rippling, soul-bending joy sent Tori’s body into a cataclysm. She shuddered and lurched against him and he clutched her even tighter. For an endless moment, they abandoned themselves to the raging passion that controlled their bodies, and their minds.

…

Tori sat up in bed as Brit returned from the bathroom. His gaze lingered on her naked breasts and slim waist as she drew herself to standing and took a few steps away from the bed. Amazingly, he felt himself becoming aroused again, minutes after a bone-jarring orgasm.

Gently, he splayed his fingers over the curve of her hip and drew her against him. “Stay here tonight. I promise you won’t be late to your meeting tomorrow.”

Her emotions, usually so close to the surface, eluded him. Velvety eyelids slid closed, her face a careful mask. “Maybe,” she said. “I’ll think about it.”

Damn it, he was not going to allow her to take off. Not after what he’d felt when she moved underneath him. Surrendered to him. He tilted her face up and lightly kissed her mouth, starting first with that adorably plump lower lip, nibbling next on the edges. Her nipples hardened against his chest, and he smiled with satisfaction.

“Tori, my obstinate beauty, I’ll set the alarm. I’ll make you buttermilk pancakes and coffee in the morning. You can devour the paper. You’re tired and need to get a good night’s sleep.” He peppered his words with kisses and then dropped down to take one rosy nipple into his mouth.

She took a sharp breath, then let it out unsteadily. “I’m having breakfast with Melissa.”

“Then no pancakes.” He rolled his tongue around the peak, slowly first, then again more quickly before turning to the other side.

“I think I would sleep better at the hotel,” she said, her voice a breathy whisper.

“I’m considering tying you to the bed, but I’m not sure that’s going to get me back in your good graces. You do forgive me, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she squeaked, as he applied gentle suction and started backing her toward the bed.

“Good. Because I only have a month before I leave. I would hate to waste any more of that time apologizing.” Deliberately, he focused his attention on her breasts. At least he knew what to do with them. He sure as hell didn’t know how to proceed with her.

He wanted to tell her how he couldn’t stop thinking about her. How he called her office because he wanted to hear her voice. How every moment with her left him confused, turned on, and frustrated all at once. But how could he say that? And even if he did, what would she say in return?

“A month for what?”

Tori’s voice was flat, but the sudden pounding of her heart betrayed the emotion underneath.