SOAR (The Indigo Lounge Series Book 4) (24 page)

TWENTY-EIGHT

She
took a deep breath, and immediately wished she hadn’t when heat flared to her
crotch and exploded throughout her body. Her nipples tightened painfully, and
she gasped as her clit swelled and throbbed.

Noah’s
eyes met hers and burned with dark, dangerous promise. “You’re desperate to be
fucked, aren’t you?”

“Yes,”
she moaned.

He
nodded and just watched her.

Once
again, turbulent feelings rampaging through her ruined her enjoyment of the
meal. All she could think of was getting through dinner and getting him alone.
She polished off her lemon thyme tortellini, refused coffee and dessert and
gulped down her wine.

Noah
abandoned his roast veal halfway through dinner and switched to throwing back
his red wine with one hand firmly cupping his crotch. The moment she laid her
cutlery down, he discarded his glass and surged to his feet.

As
soon as they entered their suite, he kicked the door shut and shoved her
against the wall. Bunching her dress at her waist, he pulled her thong to one
side and drove hard inside her.

“Fuck!”

“Yes!
Oh God, Noah!”

Her
knees buckled with the force of his possession. He clamped an arm around her
waist and drove deeper, shouting his pleasure and worshiping her body with
thick, incoherent words.

Her
orgasm left her limp and useless, barely able to keep her eyes open as he
picked her up and walked into the bedroom. Undressing her, he pulled back the
sheets and laid her down. Then he disrobed and got in beside her.

“Time
for some shut-eye.”

Her
mind circled something important. “No…I want my surprise.”

He
chuckled. “You’ll get it when you wake up.” He kissed her long and deep before
tucking her head beneath his chin.

Her
dream was delicious…

Warm,
clever fingers massaged her back…her sides…her hips…down to her ass. They
squeezed, plumped,
worked
her ass muscles until she
was humming into her pillow. Silky, liquid heat dribbled onto her back and the
scent of potent oils drifted into her relaxed senses.

A
middle finger eased between her crack and gently probed her anus. Her eyes
popped open, her body no longer relaxed.

“Noah?”
she asked breathlessly.

A slow circling of her sensitive hole.
“Your surprise is ready,” he
whispered in her ear. “Look behind you.”

She
looked over her shoulder, then her gaze snapped upward.

The
device was less of a swing and more of a suspended harness. Two broad
horizontal leather straps were connected with a vertical one about three feet
long. On either side of the lower strap, smaller straps extended along a chain
link. And the whole thing was intricately connected to a pulley hooked into the
ceiling. Beneath the harness, a pair of black finger gloves rested.

She
gulped. “What…? Umm…”

Merciless
teeth caught her earlobe, then grazed down her neck, nipping and biting along
the way.

“You’re
about to be ass-fucked at thirty-three thousand feet, baby. Welcome to high
number
five.”

His
finger, coated in some sort of oil, circled her back entrance again.
Electricity zapped through her body, but it wasn’t the white-hot lightning
kind, more a blanketing sizzle…

Oh.
My. God.

She
realized she’d said the words aloud when he laughed.

“I
was so desperate for you earlier, I didn’t finish my meal. I can’t think of
anything better than to feast on you right now.” He suckled the pulse at her
throat.

Her
skin tightened at the dark promise. He worked the tight bundle of nerves until
the tip of his middle finger probed inside her. Sensation burst along her nerve
endings. She clutched the pillow and moaned as he pushed in deeper.

“I
need you to relax, baby,” he crooned. “Trust me to make this good for you.”

“It’s
already good. That’s what I’m afraid of,” she said in a rush.

Another deep laugh that unraveled her.
He pushed and withdrew.

Push.

Withdraw.

Each
time her empty pussy clenched and her temperature climbed higher. Her hips
started to roll, pushing back against his finger, seeking a deeper, thicker
presence. He curled his finger downward and she screamed as a surprise orgasm
stormed through her. The harsh bite of his teeth on her neck prolonged her
pleasure and she surfaced, gasping and jerking to find herself on her back.

“What
was that?” she asked in a daze.

His
smile was shamelessly smug. “I take it you enjoyed that?”

“I
love everything you do to me.”
I love you. I love you. I love you.

 
Leia swallowed hard. It was only a matter
of time before the words tumbled out. She knew it. And even though it scared
her rigid, she was beginning to be okay with it. Noah may not love her, but he
cared about her. Enough that maybe he wouldn’t mind that she loved him…

“…
baby
?”

“Yes?”

His
eyes narrowed. “Do you need a session with my belt to keep you in the present?”

She
pouted. “But I was thinking about you.”

The
hard look dissipated. “Nice save.” He indicated the lowered harness. “Get up
here.”

She
stood up and he guided her into position. The top strap supported her shoulder,
the middle strap her spine, and the bottom strap took the weight of her lower
body, leaving her ass hanging over the edge. Noah tied the remaining straps
around her thighs and calves,
then
pulled on one part
of the harness. The linked chain widened her legs, leaving her wide open to his
gaze.

She
grabbed the chain connected to the shoulder strap and used it to raise herself
slightly. A dark flush covered his face. He stroked his cock as he sat back and
stared at her.

“Each
time I think you can’t get any more spectacular, you fucking floor me,” he
whispered darkly.

Licking
her lips, she watched his cock thicken further in his grip. Hunger clawed
through her. “I need you, Noah.”

Adam’s
apple bobbing on a thick swallow, he grabbed the oil and dribbled it onto her
stomach. He massaged it all over before spreading it into her pussy and back
hole.

After
lubing himself, he discarded it and slid onto the bed directly beneath her.

“Rest
your head on my shoulder, baby. I need you not to be tense,” he coaxed thickly.

She
obeyed and her stomach and back muscles relaxed. The oil had left her muscles
languid. When he grabbed her chin and turned for a long kiss, her bones
completely melted.

Still
kissing her, he steadied her with a hand at her waist and positioned his cock
against her back passage with the other.

The
first push burned.

Tears
sprang to her eyes and she tore her mouth from his.

Gasping,
she looked at him.

Reassurance
blazed from his gorgeous blue eyes. “It’ll be so fucking worth it, baby. Just
trust me.”

Nodding,
she fought to relax. Another probe.
A deeper, longer burn.
The head of his cock popped in, and she shuddered. Both hands gripped her waist
and he rolled his pelvis. She screamed at the thickness invading her. He pulled
out slowly and sensation exploded up her spine.

“Oh
God!” The chains rattled with her shuddering. He pulled on another part of the
harness and her shoulders lifted a few inches.

“Christ,
you look so fucking amazing from down here, baby. I could come right now just
from this incredible picture.” With infinite patience he fed his cock inside
her, inch by delicious inch. The burning had receded, overcome by insanely
intense pleasure every time he pulled out.

“How
do you feel, sweetheart?” he asked when he’d worked half his cock inside her.

She
groaned and shook her head.

“Vocalize,
baby.”

“It’s…oh
God, it’s…I feel like I’m drowning in pleasure. It’s too much!” She cried out
as he pushed back in.

“Want
me to stop?”

“No!
Don’t you dare!
”

“Want
more?” He pushed another inch.

“Oh!”
Pain exploded alongside pleasure.

Noah
grunted. “I think you’ve reached your limit. Now here comes the great part.”

He
fucked her ass with long, delicious rolls of his hips. Once he established a
firm rhythm, he released her waist slipped on the gloves.

Her
sides, her stomach, her nipples tingled under the most electrifying
stimulation.

Certain
she was about to pass out from the flood of sensation, she squeezed her eyes
shut.

“Noah,
I can’t…I can’t…”

One
hand fisted her hair and turned her to meet his kiss. The other slipped between
her legs. Two gloved fingers filled her pussy and his thumb circled her clit,
delivering tiny currents to her swollen nub. Tugging her head away after a deep
kiss, Noah stared deep into her eyes, his own glittering with stormy emotions.

“Surrender
to me, my beautiful angel. Show me your soul. Come apart for me,” he whispered
gruffly.

“Y-yes,
Noah.”

The
plane bounced, seating him deeper inside her. A final hoarse cry ripped from
her throat.

Then she was falling, the center of her world spinning on
its axis.
She was still spinning when he slackened the harness and rolled them onto their
side.

He
waited until her breathing calmed.

Then
he really made her soar.

TWENTY-NINE

Considering
the incredible heights they’d achieved, the plummet was almost inevitable.

It
began as she stood at the picturesque window of their suite at the Indigo
Lounge HK. The view over Hong Kong Island was breathtaking, with myriad lights
from skyscrapers reflected over Victoria Harbor.

Behind
her, Noah was taking a shower.

They’d
arrived late on Monday night and crashed. Now she was wide awake in the early
hours, unable to shake the stone of anxiety wedged in her gut.

None
of her staff at La
Carezza
had been able to reach the
manufacturers. And since Warren had taken direct responsibility for fostering a
relationship with the Hong Kong part of her business, she was operating in the
dark, with the threat of his evil presence lingering.

She
turned from the view and smiled at the sound of running water. Noah had
probably fallen asleep leaning against the shower wall. The stamina he’d
demonstrated during the flight had been nothing short of Olympic. She hadn’t
been surprised when he’d fallen into a coma-like sleep minutes after they’d
checked in. Grimacing that her anxiety was what had woken him, she crossed the
suite to go check on him and stopped when she saw his wallet on the floor.

Picking
it up, she walked to the dresser, her fingers caressing the expensive leather.
Almost unbidden, Ashley’s smug voice exploded from deep within her
subconscious.

…
he
asked for a copy of the scan to keep in his
wallet…

She
bit her lip. What she was contemplating was wrong, but her fingers moved
anyway. She opened his wallet and plucked out the ultrasound scan before she
could stop herself. Hands shaking, she held it up to the light.

The
arms, legs and head were distinguishable but the rest was still a blob.

A
desperately precious blob…a piece of Noah she would never be able to create
with him… Knowing he would be a brilliant father made her heart swell with joy
for him.

Even
while savage pain ripped through her soul.

“What
are you doing?” Noah’s deep voice vibrated from behind her.

She
jumped, dropping the scan and wallet.

Slowly,
he bent and picked up the photo. His eyes narrowed at her. “How did you know
this was in there?”

“Ashley…”

His
nostrils flared. “She told you about it the day she came to see you?”

“Yes,”
she replied.

He
looked down at the picture for a moment, then back at her. “What else did she
say?”

“She
said you were going to commit to her and the baby sooner or later and I
was…standing in your way.”

He
cursed. “That’s why you cancelled on me that night?”

Her
breath shuddered out. Suddenly cold, she folded her arms.

“I
told myself I was just coming to you for the sex, but even then I knew it was a
lie. Just as I knew right from the start that it was wrong to dream of any sort
of future with you. But I went ahead and did it anyway. Her visit reminded me
that I could never give you this, that I would never hold your babies… It
didn’t matter whether you would want that with me or not. All I could see was
the black hole of nothingness…” A sob escaped before she could stop it. “It
kills me, Noah. And when you told me you wanted to be a father… It was foolish,
I know. God, we’d only known each other less than a week and I was already
building you into my future, had already imprinted you so indelibly into my
life that I ignored the one thing I could never ask you to overlook.”

“Leia…”

She
closed her eyes and squeezed the words out. “It’s okay. You have that now…”

“Just
shut the fuck up for a minute—”

She
shook her head. “You have a baby on the way. Anytime this gets too heavy for
you, just tell me and I’ll…I’ll step aside.”

He
inhaled sharply. “You’d walk away from me? Again?”

“If
that’s what you want. I know I can never be a whole woman for you.”

“Leia.”
The rough gravity in his voice made her eyes pop open. He’d paled and his face
was a mask of tortured resignation.

“If
I
couldn’t give you children, would you walk away from me?” he asked
bleakly.

She
frowned. “What? Of course not…”

He
shook his head in despair. “You’re determined to be so fucking noble. Did you
ever stop to think of how this would play out if our positions were reversed?”

She
shook her head. “But it’s not,” she cried. “I’m the one—”

“Who
has to make all the sacrifices? Even more than you’ve already done?”

“You
don’t understand—”

“Then
educate me. Or actually don’t. I’ve had it up to my back teeth with you falling
on your sword for everyone but yourself.” He stepped forward and grabbed her
arms. “Be selfish for goddamn once. Demand what you want. Take what you need and
to hell with everyone else. You want me. Take me, dammit. Don’t apologize or
make excuses not to have me.”

Her
eyes rounded when he held up the scan. “I didn’t plan for this, but I’m making
room in my life for it because I have no choice. You have a choice to make room
in your life for me. Do you want to?”

She
squeezed her eyes shut for a blessed second. “Yes. Yes, I do.”

His
eyes narrowed. “You said yes to me once, and I dared to believe you meant it.
You better make sure you mean it this time.”

“I
mean it. If you want me, Noah, I’m yours.”

He
stared at her for a long time before he exhaled harshly. Crushing her in his
arm, he muttered, “God, you drive me crazy. I have no metaphorical toes left
from dancing to your insane tune.”

Her
heart hammered as she sought the words she needed to say. “Noah, about…about
the baby.”

He
stiffened. “Yes?”

“You
know what I said about not wanting to be saddled…I didn’t mean it. If you want
me to be part of you and the baby’s life, I’ll—”

They
both startled as the phone rang. She knew the moment Noah realized what she was
thinking.

Phone
calls in the middle of the night were never a good sign.

“Leave
it,” she pleaded.

Noah
soothed her shiver with warm hands. “Okay, if that’s what you want.”

The
ringing stopped. Then started again almost immediately.

“No,”
she whispered under her breath.

“Hey.”
He lifted her chin and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Whatever it is, we’ll deal
with it.”

Gritting
her teeth, she nodded.

He
picked up the phone, listened, and looked over at her. His closed face set her
heart racing. “It’s for you. From your office.”

She
gave a sigh of relief. Business problems she could deal with, although finally
talking to Noah about Ashley and the baby hadn’t gone too badly.

She
answered the phone, her mind on that last, most important thing she needed to
say to Noah.

At
first, her PA’s words barely trickled through. Then she clutched the phone and
fought the icy shivers dancing up her nape.

“Hang
on, Celia, could you repeat that?”

“I’m
sorry, Miss Michaels…” her PA’s voice shook.

“Stop
apologizing and tell me what’s going on.”

“I…I
managed to track down the manager from our manufacturing outfit in Hong Kong.
The reason they’ve been out of touch with us…well, the manager says the
warehouse burned down. We’ve lost the whole collection.”