The Billionaire's Forbidden Desire (30 page)

Her back arching, she pressed against him, rocking, the hardened tips of her breasts rubbing against his chest. Using his free hand to adjust the angle of her hips, he slid two fingers into her while circling her clit. Air panted out of her, and her skin took on a deeper shade of rose. From the way her inner walls pulsed, she was damn close.

She wrapped her hand around his wrist. “Not like this. I don’t want to do it alone. I want you with me.”

“I am with you. Now. Always. Forever.”

When she didn’t let go, he used his free hand to cup her ass, gently stroking the crease, then probing further. A gasp tore from her. He curved his other fingers, rubbing against the sensitive spot inside her.

She gripped his shoulders, her eyes glazing with impending pleasure. Her pelvis moved, seeking more.

He gave it to her. He wanted to see her come undone. Hear her scream his name.

“Yes, yes, yes.” Her inner muscles gripped his fingers as an orgasm barreled through her like a freight train. She clutched him harder. “Dane…”

He wanted to take her out of the tub, to the bedroom, but her injured hip needed the heat. She put a hand on his cheek and devoured his mouth like the orgasm had never happened—like she was still starving for him.

“I need you inside me so bad,” she said finally when she came up for air.

His heart thundered in his chest, his cock swelling until he thought it might burst. His mouth fused again to hers, he fumbled in the hidden cabinet by the tub for a box of condoms. Anticipation glittered in her darkened eyes when she saw what he had in his hand.

Sitting at the edge of the tub, he took care of the protection. As soon as he was ready, she was on him, her primed body reaching for him with a desperation that matched his own.

Taking her hips in his hands, he plunged into her. Electric pleasure rushed along his spine. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, her beaded nipples rubbing against his chest with every hard drive of his pelvis.

His vision hazed and blood thickened. He was so damn close, but Sophia was going to come with him.

Dipping his head, he captured a beaded nipple in his mouth and sucked hard. She arched her back, her throaty moans echoing along the bathroom tiles.

He increased the tempo, changing the angle of his hips until he found the perfect position. She screamed, her ankles flexing and toes curling.

Only then did he let go and join her in mindless bliss.

* * *

Sophia relaxed on the bed as Dane ran a comb through her wet, tangled strands. Most people didn’t have the patience to deal with her wavy hair when it was like this, and given how demanding he was, she doubted he would be patient. But he was doing a fine job, and she was too content to complain. After the bath and amazing sex, her muscles felt like warm wax.

“Starting tomorrow, you should really focus on continuing your college,” he said, tugging the tight plastic teeth gently through a particularly messy section.

“Why do I sense you want me to quit working?”

“It will be awkward if you keep working for me. Most people can’t separate their private and personal lives. And there’s the matter of office gossip. It wouldn’t bother me, but would probably hurt your feelings. The infighting can get pretty vicious, especially when it’s directed at a woman. And it’s not like we need your income.”

She turned to face him. “It’s important for me to find a way to be on my feet. There are people who already think I’m a gold-digger, and I don’t want to give them any more reason to believe that.”

“If you want to work, you can. There are other companies out there.”

What he said made perfect sense. And she didn’t want any unnecessary ugliness in their lives. “Okay.” She faced forward again, and he resumed the combing. “You’re surprisingly patient.”

“You mean the hair?”

“Mm-hmm. Most people would’ve yanked on it at least once by now.”

“It takes as long as it takes. Hurrying through would only make things worse.” Then he added, “I recommend starting at UCLA next semester.”

“UCLA? I’m pretty sure I’ve missed the deadline for transfer.”

“It can be arranged,” he said calmly. “I want you to finish your college education and think about your second dream.”

“Dane, I appreciate the gesture. But I don’t want you calling in favors on my behalf.”

“Don’t worry. One, I want to, and two, it’ll be for multiple good causes.” He gave her a light swat on the rear. “Now stop arguing. You’ll never find out what you want to do with rest of your life if you don’t expose yourself to different things. You didn’t dream of becoming some ornery executive’s assistant when you were five.”

“I didn’t dream of being with you like this when I was that age either, but here we are.” The mild tingling on her bottom was more distracting than it should have been.

“Yes, here we are.” Dropping the comb on the sheet, he pressed his lips against her nape and breathed her in. “Sophia, having you finish school would make me feel better. For any number of reasons.”

His large hands flexed around her waist.
It’s really generous and considerate of him
, she thought as she rolled over. She should be thrilled to be able to continue her education.

But somehow, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was preparing her for a future without him.

Sophia woke the next morning to find Dane’s side of the bed empty and cool. She dragged herself to the kitchen in a robe and discovered Dane in his suit.

He pushed a cup of tea her way, then took a long swallow of his coffee. “Yes, I need to go to the office. Some things just won’t wait.” He finished his coffee and kissed Sophia on the forehead.

“When are you going to be home?”

“Definitely by dinner, if not sooner. There’s yogurt and fruit in the fridge. You’ll want something more substantial for lunch, so call the concierge. Here’s the number.” He handed her a card.

Just as he was about to go, she grabbed the lapel of his suit and kissed him hard on the mouth. His eyes darkened.

“See you this evening,” she said, her breath fanning against his lips.

“Count on it.”

After he left, she ate her yogurt and changed into in a fitted t-shirt with a red “Vincero!” across the chest. It was funny how domestic the morning scene had been. But it didn’t feel as awkward or…
staged
as when she’d been in Salazar’s home. And she liked it that there weren’t staff members tripping over each other to cater to her every whim. Although there was that concierge service.

Shaking her head, she settled down on the bed with her phone to read a suspense novel she’d bought before fleeing Seattle. As she thumbed through it, her phone rang. Libby’s face popped up on the screen, her tongue sticking out. With a small grin, Sophia picked it up.

“So you
are
still alive! I called for your birthday, but you never got back to me. I would’ve called again, but then I had to travel to our D.C. office. I seriously thought you died or something.”

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” Sophia cringed. She’d refused to check voice mails or texts after she’d turned on her phone, in case George tried to contact her again. It hadn’t even crossed her mind that Libby might have been trying to get in touch.

“And I can’t believe you got invited to Mark Pryce’s wedding and danced with Justin Sterling and
didn’t tell me!
”

Geez
,
news travels fast
. “How did you know?”

“Gossip sites. Officially there was no media there, but you know how it is with photographers these days and their telephoto lenses. Jerks.”

“They aren’t that bad,” Sophia said, although she’d hated them with a passion when they’d published unflattering competition pictures of her. No one needed to know what she looked like in the middle of a triple lutz.

“The photos they took were nice, but I want to know what’s going on with you. Are you avoiding me? It’s not like you to be like this.” Libby sounded hurt.

Yes
.
Because I still haven’t figured out how to break the news that your brother tried to rape me
. “I’m really sorry. I was planning to call, but things went sort of crazy here. It’s a long story, but I had to leave Seattle.”

“Why? Stalkers again?”

“Something like that.”

“That’s terrible! But you’re okay, right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Okay, good. So where are you now?”

“L.A. But you can’t tell anybody, not even George.”
Especially not George
. “I don’t have Chad anymore, so…” Sophia shrugged away the pain.

“What? Why not?”

“Well…Dad died broke, and Chad can’t afford to work for free.”

“So the rumors about your dad are true?”

Sophia frowned. Hadn’t George told her? “Probably.”

Libby sighed. “That’s just awful. But you should totally call Chad.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not? Look, I don’t know what happened when you had to let him go, but he’s pretty unhappy.”

Sophia rubbed her forehead.
Damn it
. “That’s why I can’t call him.” Things had already been awkward enough when he’d come to say goodbye, and she didn’t want to create more discomfort by contacting him.

“What are you talking about? He’s unhappy because you haven’t called him!”

“What?”

“I ran into him last week. He was in town to see his sister. He asked me how you were doing, if you were okay. He said he’s been hoping you’d call him once the whole thing about…you know…letting him go wore off. I got the feeling that he feels like you don’t want to see him because you’re embarrassed about something. Maybe he decided you were ashamed of your father’s financial situation and didn’t want to make it worse by calling first or whatever.”

A realization sledgehammered Sophia at the base of her skull, making her feel dizzy. Why hadn’t she thought of this before? Having Chad around would ruin George’s plan to assault her. Whatever George might’ve told Chad, it was probably calculated to make Chad stay away.

“Sophia? Sophia, you there?”

“Yeah, I’m here,” she said faintly. “I have to go.”

“Okay. I’m going to be in L.A. sometime in the next few weeks. Let’s meet up.”

“Sure, I’d love that. Call me when you have firm dates.”

“Will do.”

Sophia hung up and dialed Chad, her fingers shaking. When he answered on the fourth ring, she choked out, “Hello?”

“Sophia! Baby girl, how are you?” His voice was as warm and open as ever, as comforting as warm soft sand on a beach. “I was hoping you’d call. Took a while, huh?”

“I didn’t know you were waiting.” She sniffed. “I thought…” No. She wasn’t going to waste their time talking about George. “What have you been up to?”

“Same old same old.” He chuckled. “How about you? Staying with your mom and her new husband now?”

“Um…no. I didn’t want to, you know, impose on them or any—”

Chad snorted. “Man. I shouldn’t have asked. She didn’t even bother to offer, did she?” He’d always been open about how he’d felt about her parents for neglecting her. “If you need a place to crash, you’re welcome at my apartment. I still keep it, but I’m not there much. Mi casa es tu casa. You know that, right?”

“Of course. Thank you, Chad, but I’m all right for the moment.”

They continued to chat. He told her all about his nephews and nieces, how his sister’s cancer was still in remission, and how much he missed her. She told him about her stay in L.A. in a few large brush strokes, how she was going to finish her last two semesters of college at UCLA.

“So Mister Mexico Man wasn’t a total washout after all,” Chad said.

“He’s really a good guy. I’m glad things are working out between us.”

“Yeah, yeah that’s good. Still… Geraldine Pryce’s nephew? Insane. She hates your mother.”

“He’s not like Geraldine, and she has a good reason. I’d be angry if I were in her shoes.”

“Yeah…” Chad sighed. “I’m not saying what your mom did was cool, but things could’ve been better.”

“Things can always be better.”

He laughed. “Forgot what a perfectionist you are! Anyway, listen up. You call me if you need anything, you understand? I’m always here for you. Doesn’t matter if you can’t pay my salary or whatever. I’ll always come if you need me. Okay?”

A thick lump clogged her throat. “Okay,” she managed. “Thank you.”

After they hung up, she buried her face in the pillow. A complex mix of relief, affection and anger coursed through her, and hot tears stung her eyes. Chad wasn’t upset with her, and she had another person who was wholly on her side.

A gentle hand rubbed her back. “What’s wrong?”

Dane.

She wiped moisture from her cheeks. “When did you get back?”

“Just now.” His eyebrows pinched together, and he searched her face. “What happened?”

“I just talked with Chad.”

“Chad?” Confusion clouded his face for a moment, then cleared. “Your chaperon slash bodyguard.”

“More than that. Like a parent.” She sat up. “I thought he didn’t want to talk to me after he was let go. I couldn’t pay him, you know? But it turned out that he thought I didn’t want to talk to him.”

“How is that even possible?”

She shook her head. “Some miscommunication.”

He put an arm around her and pulled her close. “I’m sorry.” He pressed his lips on her head. “That’s terrible.”

Anger at George surged inside her. Before she could stop herself, she said, “No. Criminal. That’s how it was. The rat bastard lied to Chad so he could try to rape me.”

Dane went absolutely still. “What?” He turned her around so he could look her in the eye. “What happened?”

“When I learned my dad left me penniless… Geo—” She stopped. She couldn’t reveal the name yet. Libby didn’t know, and Dane certainly wouldn’t sit on his hands if he knew. “Chad had to get another job. He cares for me, but the man has to eat and keep a roof over his head. But at the same time if he knew I was in danger, he’d come for me and make whoever hurt me sorry. So this asshole lied to Chad and made me feel guilty so we wouldn’t contact each other. Then he tried to…you know.”

Dane’s knuckles whitened, while dark red flushed his cheeks. Fury burned hot in his eyes, but when he spoke, his voice was soft. Almost calm. “But you got away.”