The Billionaire's Bargain (5 page)

Chapter Four

Duncan
watched his future bride, taking in
every detail, every movement, and found everything about her fascinating. Her
whole gorgeous body was tense. He knew she was burning inside from suppressing
her anger. Never in his life had he looked in a woman’s purse. The temptation
provided to him when he spotted the small purse was too hard to resist. The
only way he could deal with his invasion of her privacy was to convince
himself
that he needed to know more about his beautiful
future wife. He knew very little about Tess Williams. Her age was a slight
concern. He’d dated plenty of young models, just not as young as she.

The attraction he felt towards her
had little to do with her age and more to do with her as a person. There was
repressed fire inside her.
Duncan
couldn’t wait to unleash it.

He felt guilty for going inside her
purse. There was nothing personal or degrading inside her purse. In fact, her
purse was very practical. She had an outdated cell phone, a can of pepper
spray, along with her passport and money. There was nothing personal to let him
know who Tess Williams the woman was.
Nothing personal at
all.
Nothing to give him the tiniest clue as to who
this woman was.

The woman who had
entered his office and his thoughts.

Since she left his office a couple
of hours ago he’d not been able to get her out of his mind. From her looks to
the beautiful way she blushed as he thought about everything about her,
Duncan
tried to savour
every little detail for him to think about over and over again. He put his
little obsession down to Tess simply being a desirable woman whom he’d not
taken to his bed yet.

“I only checked to see where you
lived. There was no other choice, since we had no information on your father’s
record, and so the only way of finding out was to check.” He was explaining
himself. He never explained himself.

He smiled at her.

“D-do you want a cup of coffee?” She
stammered over her words. Her face flushed.
Duncan
found her adorable.
 

“Coffee would be lovely.” He watched
her leave the room. He went and sat on her sofa while he waited.
Duncan
glanced around him
at the small room. She owned so many books. He couldn’t believe how many she’d
managed to cram in such a small area.

She read a lot of books, unless they
were just for show. Staring at the well-worn binders he was thinking she’d read
them all. For a beautiful woman he found it hard to believe she spent a great
deal of time trapped inside a book.

There were a few personal pictures,
but they were photographs of the countryside and snow covered fields. There
were
none of her or her family.

Tess came through a few minutes
later carrying two steaming cups of coffee. He saw her concentrating on the
liquid inside. He guessed she was trying not to spill the contents. The
apartment smelt like chocolate and lemon.

She placed the mugs on the coffee table, and then using her fingers
around the rim she handed him his mug. Tess let out a hiss as the heat burned
the tips of her fingers. He took the cup from her as quickly as possible.
Duncan
didn’t like the
thought of her hurt and felt all his protective instincts rise to the surface.
He’d never felt anything like it. Women meant nothing to him. Tess was screwing
with his head.

It’s only because you haven’t fucked
her yet.
He tried
to reassure himself, failing miserably. It took all of his willpower for him to
just sit there and not make sure she hadn’t burned herself too badly.

She took the seat across from him, her gaze going everywhere in the room
rather than look at him.

He tasted the coffee. The look of revulsion on his face made her
chuckle. The coffee tasted bitter and disgusting. He’d never tasted anything so
awful.
 

“What is this stuff?” He held up the cup as if it was a contaminated
toxic waste bucket. She laughed more, the sound glorious to hear. Her whole
face brightened up with her chuckles.
 

“This stuff,” she took a healthy gulp, “is a cheap brand of instant
coffee.” A bit more sheepishly she said, “It’s the only one I can afford.” Her
cheeks burned a bright red. “You develop a taste for it, eventually. I know
you’re not used to this stuff. I’d offer you something else, but all I have is
tap water.”
 

He put the cup down on the coffee table. His mouth tasted awful. He’d
make sure she’d never have to drink horrid coffee again.

“Do you like French food?”
Duncan
loved French cuisine. It was something his mother used to love to cook before
she decided the kitchen was no place for a lady with money. He wondered what
his mother would think of Tess. She wouldn’t approve his choice.
Duncan
was pleased he
wasn’t a mummy’s boy who listened to everything his parent said.
 

“I don’t know. I’ve never had French food before. I’ve seen it cooked on
the television. It always looks expensive.”

He chuckled. Her cheeks went a darker shade of red with her blush. He
found her honesty refreshing. So many women wanted to talk designer clothes or
the latest gossip that he wasn’t interested in. Tess had something more about
her.
 

“I’m going to take you to dinner tomorrow night. I’ll pick you up around
eight tomorrow night.” He stood up ready to leave.

“What? You don’t need to take me to dinner.” Her coffee cup joined his
on the table as she stood up. She moved closer to him. He watched as her eyes
widened when he placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her.
Duncan
saw her breasts
rising and falling as her breaths deepened. She was as affected by his presence
as he was by her.

“I know I don’t have to, but I will. My secretary will send over the
appropriate dress.” He cupped her cheek, not backing away. Her skin was silky
smooth like he imagined. She didn’t pull away. With his other hand he sank it
into the wild length of his hair. Her hair was silkier than her skin. He heard
her moan as he touched her neck.
Duncan
tilted her head back for him to see her eyes clearly. He wanted to see every
reaction on her pretty face.

Her eyes dilated while her lips slightly parted for him.
Duncan
saw the
vulnerability in her eyes. She’d never felt anything like this, he was sure of
it. He wasn’t strong enough to resist the temptation of her lips. He claimed
her lips, the plump softness opening beneath him. He grabbed a fistful of her
hair, deepening the kiss while pressing his body against hers. She was soft and
welcoming. Her hands ran up his chest to circle his neck. Her eyes were closed
as he captured her kiss, plunging his tongue deep inside her lips. She tasted
of the coffee, but on her tongue it tasted sweet.

Her full breasts felt wonderful against his chest. The curves of her
body melted against him.
Duncan
wanted to rid her body of the clothes and sink inside her. The need to take her
hard consumed him. It would be so easy to take her without any thought of
seduction. But Tess deserved seduction. She deserved to have the time taken to
love her body.

Duncan
pulled back, seeing her face
flushed. She licked her lips. The action was so innocent and yet so damn sexy.
She had no idea of the temptation she presented at every turn. Part of her
charm was her lack of knowledge of how sensual she was. He couldn’t wait to
have her spread out before him on his bed.

“I’m looking forward to our marriage, Miss Williams,” he said, running a
thumb along the seam of her bottom lip. Her tongue peeked out to lick the tip.
She clearly had no idea how much he wanted to sink his cock between her lips.
There was so much he wanted to show her. Before he was done she’d never be able
to spend a moment without thinking about him. He was going to find everything
out about her. She was his new obsession.

He couldn’t resist another kiss from her. Her eyes closed as she
responded to him instantly. Her tongue met his, dancing together in a searing
love affair. Her passion would be his to control.
 

Duncan
pulled away. He’d need to exhibit
control to have her panting after him. The desire to lose
himself
in her warm heat was hard to ignore. But ignore his thick cock he did.

He left her standing, watching him as he made his way to her apartment
door.
Duncan
turned and looked back, seeing her eyes widened and her full lips still
slightly parted as if awaiting his lips. She was awaiting more of his
attention.
 
“And you better be ready for
me, Tess. You’re mine.”

Duncan
closed the door. He took a few deep
breaths. His legs felt like jelly. No kiss had ever left him so shaken. There
was no movement from inside her apartment. He walked out onto the street and
looked up at her window. She stood looking down at him.

She held up a hand waving at him. He waved back. It was hard for him to
look away. He wanted to go back up there and take the kiss further. Instead, he
got in his car, started it up, and pulled away from the curb.

His hands were shaking. His whole body was aflame for her.

He had no idea what was wrong with him.

****

Tess touched her lips. He’d kissed
her so passionately. She’d never felt anything like it before. No man or boy
had ever kissed her. She didn’t like the thought of the boys pawing at her
body. The girls always complained their first time hurt. From all the stories
she’d heard about their first time she’d put any sexual encounter off.
Duncan
was the closest
she’d ever gotten to feeling passion. The way he’d touched her, from the gentle
way he cupped her cheek to the powerful way he gripped her hair, was a
combination of power and gentleness that threatened to take her over.

She glanced down out of the
apartment window. He’d not appeared at the bottom. His car waited by the curb.
Several people passed to admire his expensive vehicle. He walked out. His wide
shoulders and the hard set of his body were hard to miss. From where she stood
he seemed to dwarf everyone around him.

He turned and looked up at her. She
felt her heart race as his dark gaze stared back at her.

Tess waved to him, her hand
trembling. She hoped he didn’t see how nervous she was. Her feelings scared
her. She didn’t like him very much, and yet, his kiss had made her feel so much
towards him. He got in his car then drove away.

She pulled away from the curtain.
Her chicken smelt done in the oven. On wobbly legs she made her way into the
kitchen to finish serving up her meal. She had work in the morning. The library
opened at eight. She wondered if he knew where to send the dress. He was right
to send her some clothes. Her wardrobe lacked the sophistication needed to be
his wife.

After her food she settled down with
a good book.

Her father didn’t call back, and
when she tried to get him on the phone he refused to answer.

She gave up and went to bed.
Tomorrow she’d worry about her future. For several hours she lay staring at the
ceiling. Her body was on fire, and she kept reliving the kiss he’d given her.
She licked her lips wondering if she’d be able to taste him on them. There was
no one for her to talk to. She’d never been good at making friends.
Most of the time she liked her own company.
Friends were
hard to find. It was one of the reasons she liked her books. The women at the
library were nice to her, but she didn’t mix well with crowds. Tess didn’t know
what was wrong with her. She preferred the company of books to people. Her
father, while she was growing up, had made it hard for her to have friends
over. He made sure they all knew what a disappointment she was.

Why was she helping him with his
problem if he didn’t appear to care for her in any way?

Tears blurred her eyes as all of her
insecurities bombarded her at once. Just once she wanted someone to love her
for who she was without trying to change her.

She closed her eyes, drifting to
sleep.

Her dreams were filled with
Duncan
and her first ever
kiss.

Chapter Five

Tess stared at her reflection in the
full length mirror she kept for emergencies. She had it propped up against her
wardrobe door. She wanted to turn away from what she saw there. When she looked
at her reflection she remembered the kiss the night before. The touch of his
lips made her want things she’d not wanted in a long time. Duncan James was a
serial womaniser. There was no way she’d be happy with him. She needed to get
all of her romantic fantasies out of her mind now before she allowed her heart
to rule her head.