The Mistaken Escort's Pleasure: A Liaison Novel (15 page)

Tim and Amanda had no idea how she’d met Lucian, but she would protect Lucian and his family from her old life, and anything vicious they might think about doing.
 
She knew Amanda well enough that the woman wouldn’t let the snub pass.

“You have to be careful with Amanda.
 
She’s has a vindictive streak and I don’t want to see you hurt.
 
She could also go after Lucian and Gabriel and their businesses.”

Rebecca grabbed her hand and squeezed.
 
“I’d like to see her try.
 
I’ll warn Gabriel, but I’m sure she’s not stupid enough to go after us.
 
I’m more worried about what she’ll do to you.”

She sat back as the waiter dropped off the check, and she nodded her thanks.
 
After leaving a large tip, she turned back to Rebecca.

“It doesn’t matter.”
 
She glanced at her watch and grimaced at the time.
 
She had twenty minutes before her meeting, but she found herself enjoying Rebecca’s company.

“It does matter.
 
You’re with us, and we always stick together.
 
Thanks for picking up the check, and sharing most of your fries.
 
The next one is on me, okay?”

Ellie nodded and smiled.
 
It was good to have another friend.

“Do you have to get back?” Ellie asked Rebecca.

“I’m taking the rest of the week off, and Gabriel and I are spending it locked at our place, with the phone unplugged.
 
I’ve delegated most of the work to my partner and her assistant, and I’m at the point where I don’t have to work so hard.”

“That’s great!
 
I’m sure Gabriel and Lucian are happy to hear that.
 
Unfortunately, I have a meeting with a client.
 
Can I call Gabriel and have him meet you here to take you home?”

Rebecca laughed as she stood.
 
“He’s already outside.
 
Ever since we confirmed the news that we were pregnant, he watches me like a hawk.”

“I’m glad,” Ellie said, and she meant it.

She stood, and they walked toward the exit side by side.
 
When Ellie spotted Gabriel, she smiled as he opened the door for both of them.
 
He swept his wife in his arms, and Ellie looked down as he kissed her roundly.
 
They were laughing as they broke apart.

“We’ll see you soon, okay?” Rebecca asked.

Ellie nodded, and was taken by surprise when the other woman pulled her in for a bracing hug.
 
Her arms settled around Rebecca, and gave her a quick squeeze before she stepped back and adjusted her messenger bag, grateful that she kept it at her back.
 
To her utter amazement, Gabriel was next to wrap his arms around Ellie, leaving her speechless.
 
Tears welled in her eyes at their easy acceptance of her, and she brushed her eyes as soon as he released her.

She watched the couple as they walked away, the picture of happiness.
 
At that moment, she decided that every minute she spent with Lucian was a gift, and she would stop wondering when it would end.

Chapter Sixteen

Lucian paced along the outside of the kitchen island, waiting for Ellie to come home from an appointment she’d scheduled the day before.
 
She hadn’t wanted to talk about it, because she had been afraid that she would jinx it, and he respected her decision.
 
But it had been three hours since she’d left for her appointment, and she hadn’t returned and her phone went straight to voicemail.

He’d never been a possessive man, and he’d remembered when he teased Gabriel about it when he’d fallen in love with Bec, never thinking that he would feel that way about any woman.

That was until Ellie came into his life.

Both protectiveness and possessiveness swelled in his chest, because he wanted her near him.
 
He wanted to demand that he go with her to her appointment, but he knew that would be overstepping.

He’d done plenty of overstepping already.
 
He’d lied to her about being an escort, and then he’d claimed her as his fiancée, something he would never regret for as long as he lived.
 
In fact, it was the best idea he’d ever had, but he had gone about it the wrong way.
 
The black velvet box burned a hole in his pocket as he thought about making Ellie his wife.
 
It had been surprisingly easy to pick the perfect ring for her, and after he slid it on her finger, he planned to keep it there.

He had to admit to himself, at least in the quiet apartment as he waited for her to come home, that he loved Ellie with a ferocity that scared him but at the same time, made him feel exhilarated.
 
He would convince her that they were perfect together, no matter how long it took.

Over the last week, they’d grown closer as they spent every moment together.
 
When she had put in a month’s vacation request on the same day she met his sister for lunch, he’d done the same thing the very next day.
 
He was between projects, so it was the perfect time to take off.

Each morning he woke with her in his arms, and they spent the day talking, laughing, and making love.

Each time they came together, it started off slow and tender, but soon after, their passion for each other grew until their lovemaking was intense, and each of them cried out for the other.
 
He was left breathless and sated, but he still couldn’t get close enough.
 
He whispered endearments to her when they were close, but kept most of his true feelings inside.
 
If he pressured her, or admitted his feelings too early, he might scare her off, and that was the last thing he wanted.

“Lucian?” Ellie called out.

He hadn’t even heard the key in the lock, or the door open, distracted by his thoughts, but he rushed to the door and calmed when he spotted her smiling face.

“Hi, love, how did it go?”
 
He pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her mouth.
 
What he meant to be a simple kiss raged into an inferno.
 
He forced himself to break the kiss, and pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head.

She blew out a sigh before she moved back to remove her messenger bag and her coat.
 
As she moved to the coat rack near the door, his gaze fell to her hips.
 
Her black slacks emphasized her waist, and the white blouse she had on gave him a glimpse of the lacy bra she had underneath.
 
He wanted her.
 
The urgency never waned, and he knew it never would because she was perfect for him.

After she kicked off her shoes, she glanced at him over her shoulder and smiled.
 
She rushed toward him and leapt into his arms.
 
He caught her and snuggled her against his chest, smiling at her enthusiasm.

“Am I going to have to guess about your meeting?”

Her head moved back so she could catch his gaze and shook her head.

“I met with a gallery owner about showing my drawings and paintings.”

“Are you going to have a show?” he asked.

She nodded, but a shadow passed over her face.
 
“He would like to have it next Thursday night, incorporating new artists in one showing.
 
It gives me four days to choose seven pieces I want to show, and if it goes well…”
 
She shrugged as she trailed off.

“Do you not trust this guy?
 
Do you want me to check him out?”

“No, no, I’ve heard of him.
 
He’s one of the more popular owners in New York, and he likes to give new artists a chance.
 
I don’t do well with crowds, or being in the spotlight.”

He squeezed her closer.
 
“I’ll be next to you the entire night, but I know that people will love your work.
 
Are you putting them up for sale?”

She nodded.
 
“I was going to tell you if he gave me a show, but if this works out the way I’m hoping, then I can paint and sell my work.
 
I was also thinking about opening my own graphic design business on the side.
 
What do you think?”

“I think it’ll make you happy, to have control over what projects you choose to concentrate on, and you’ll have time to paint.
 
I will support you in whatever you want to do, love.”

“Promise?” she choked out.

He caught her eye and nodded, choked with emotion that she thought of him as she contemplated a change in her career.

A sudden need to comfort her, and maybe even himself, had his mouth seeking hers for reassurance.
 
The kiss blossomed into an all-consuming need to taste her, and within a few moments of their lips touching, he started to unbutton her blouse.

“I need you.
 
I need to show you how much I will always want you,” he groaned.

Her blouse fluttered to the floor of the kitchen, soon followed by her bra, before he brushed his lips against her breasts.
 
He slid his tongue against her distended nipple and licked her once, and again, before he drew her into his mouth.
 
The slight suction caused her hips to shoot forward, and she clutched his hips against hers.

“Lucian, more—I need more.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist, pressed her against his primed body and he headed for the bedroom.
 
He dipped his mouth to the sensitive area where her neck met her shoulder and licked the top of her collarbone, while he absorbed her shivers into his body.
 
As his knees hit the foot of the bed, he lowered both of them, his mouth still exploring her soft skin.

“You’re mine, love, all mine,” he growled.

She gasped as he moved his mouth up to the hollow of her neck, and with a need driving him to mark her as his, he latched onto her neck and used enough suction to mark her unblemished skin.
 
Her body arched toward his as she cried out at the feeling of his mouth.

“Yes, yours, Lucian.”

His hands dropped to her slacks, and after a quick flick of his fingers, he’d opened the button; without loosening the rest, he yanked her pants down and off her.
 
His movements stopped when he glanced at her lacy white panties, groaning at the sight of them covering her tanned skin.
 
The contrast was incredible.

“I’ll buy you a new pair,” he managed to say.

With a small amount of force, the panties tore and he launched them over his head without a second glance.
 
He opened his hands and caressed her bare skin, starting with her soft belly, down to her full hips, before they traveled up the contour of her waist, savoring each inch of skin.
 
When his thumbs drifted below her breasts, and moved to smooth over her rigid nipples, he heard her sharp intake of breath and needed to draw more sensations from her body, but she had other ideas.

“I have to feel your skin,” she moaned as she reached for the hem of his sweater.

He sucked in a breath as she pressed her cold hands against his stomach, but it did nothing to take the edge off the desire that had been with him since she’d come into his life.
 
He pressed his hands over hers, holding her steady against his chest while her hands warmed.

“I love it when you touch me,” he declared.

A bright smile lit her face.

He knew what she was thinking, but he shook her head, unable to control himself if she put her mouth on him.
 
“I need to be inside you.”

“You never deny me when I want to taste you.”
 
She sounded hurt.

Reaching for the back of his sweater, he yanked it over his head before he rolled onto his back, right next to her.
 
He pushed off his jeans, boxer briefs, and socks, before he reached for her.
 
His hands slid around her waist and lifted her onto his lap.
 
He opened his mouth, trying to convince her that she was all he could ever want in a woman, but she reached between their bodies and clasped his cock.

“Oh, God.”

For a few seconds, he waited for her to sink onto him, but she held herself over him, a scant few inches from paradise.
 
His hooded eyes met hers in a questioning look, and what he saw drove up his desire for her.
 
She was a goddess.
 
Her long hair draped over one shoulder, exposing one breast to his view, and her eyes were clouded with anticipation.
 
Her body flushed with need as her chest rose and fell with deep, concentrated breaths, and yet she waited.
 
Understanding dawned; she wanted to know why he’d denied her.

“There is a possessive beast inside my chest, and it’s screaming for me to claim you, to drive deep inside, until neither of us can tell where I stop and you begin.
 
I need you, love, and I always will.
 
Maybe in time, this driving need will wane, but I doubt it.”

Without a word, she sank onto him in one downward stroke, until he was surrounded by her wet, tight heat.
 
He could feel her rapid pulse beat against his chest, and he pulled her closer to him, unable to breathe without her near him.

His mouth found the sensitive spot near the hollow of her throat and nuzzled against her, as she found a rhythm that drove them closer to the edge.
 
His hands slid up her back, and as one hand cupped the back of her neck, he brought his mouth up to meet hers.
 
He captured her moan in his mouth and the small sound sent a surge of hunger through him.

Cradled close to his body, he flipped them until she lay on her back, her legs wrapped around his waist.