To Bedevil A Beauty (Southern Sanctuary - Book 5) (16 page)

“Sure.” 
Berry nodded, placing her empty plate down on the coffee table separating
them.  “He ran a Ponzi scheme a few years ago and stole all that union
money.  Why?”

“He
was another of the escapees and according to Cam’s files, he was your husband’s
cellmate.”

“Ex-husband.” 
Berry corrected automatically.

“Sorry,
ex-husband.”

“So?”

“Nothing,
just trying to work out the most obvious candidate for who might be in on the
scheme to hurt you and what might be in it for them.”

“With
Robert you mean?  I still say you’re barking up the wrong tree there.”

“Duly
noted.”  Ramsey turned the page.

Berry
shifted, tucking her feet underneath her before leaning over to scoop up the
arts section of the paper Ramsey had left lying on the coffee table.  She
flicked through it trying to pay attention.  Fifteen minutes later she
closed the paper, unable to recall a single thing she’d read. Issuing a sigh,
she threw the paper back on the table. 

“Problem?” 
Ramsey glanced over the top of his newspaper.

“Are
we going to talk about it?”

“It?” 
He frowned fleetingly in confusion.

“Last
night?”  Berry prodded.

“Oh,
that.”  Abruptly he lifted the paper back up, disappearing behind
it.  “No.”

“What
do you mean by no?”

“You
want a definition of the word no?”  He was glad she couldn’t see the grin
on his face.

“Of
course I don’t want a definition of the word no.  I want to talk about the
fact that I woke up this morning in nothing but my underwear.”

He
dropped the paper slightly to peer over it. “You would have preferred waking up
without the underwear?”

“No.” 
Berry scowled, eyes flashing his way.  Goddess, the man could be annoying
and deliberately dense.  “I wanted to apologise for what happened last
night…”  She saw him frown.  “In my room?”

He
gave her a deliberately blank look.

“When
I threw my dress in your face?”  Berry forced out.

“Oh
that.  No big deal.  I’ve dealt with plenty of drunks before.” 
Ramsey shrugged it off.

“I
was not drunk.  I was tipsy and… and tired, from a very long… very
stressful week.”

“Sure.” 
Ramsey nodded in polite agreement.  “Perfectly understandable reaction…
undressing in front of me…”  His cock grew thick and heavy as the memory
flashed before his eyes. Her cheekily pulling off those stockings one at a
time, “… throwing your dress at my head.  Happens all the time… forget
it.”  He snapped the paper back up.  He could almost hear Berry grinding
her teeth at his casual acceptance of her apology. A small price for her to pay
in comparison to the restless - find no relief - night he’d spent tossing and
turning.
 
Tormented by the memory of the
teasing smile she’d sent his way as she’d leapt into bed dressed in that
ridiculously sexy blue, skin tight, lingerie of hers.

“So…
you and I, we’re good?”  She enquired in a slightly strained voice.

“Sure…”
 But he let doubt tinge his tone, dropping the paper slightly, looking at
her over the top.

“What
does that mean?”  She was staring his way, the flare in those chocolate
brown depths indicating like a flag, that her temper was slowly being eroded by
his attitude.

“Well,
it’s just kind of confusing that’s all.  You’re sending out all these
mixed messages.”

“Mixed
messages?  I don’t think so.  I think I’ve been pretty clear on where
I stand.”

Ramsey
nodded.  “So you seem to think.  But where does stripping down to
your underwear in front of me fit in with your stance on men?  Your
actions aren’t really backing up what you keep saying.  I’m just asking
for clarification purposes of course.  Can I expect to be exposed to more
nudity?”  He dropped the paper to his lap.

“There
was no nudity!  I was fully covered.”  Berry protested as hot colour
flooded her cheeks.  Damn, it was warm in here.  “I’d just had a
little bit too much to drink and I was tired, that’s all.”

“A-huh.” 
He nodded in agreement but laced his tone heavily with doubt.

“You
are really beginning to irritate me, you know that right?”

“I’m
sorry.”  Ramsey tried to look contrite.  “I don’t mean to be. 
So you’re really serious about ruling men out of your life?  We’re good
for absolutely nothing?”

“Hmm,
I suppose if I had some heavy furniture to move I might call a man.
 
Though my cousin Hadleigh is probably more than
capable of helping out with one hand tied behind her back.”

“You
can’t think of anything?  Anything you might need a man for?”

Berry
blinked slowly, then gave him a wide smile.  “Are you talking about
sex?  Because if you are, there are plenty of products on the market today
that claim to be just as good as a man.
 
Not to mention some of them come with rechargeable solar batteries… so
good for the environment too.”

Ramsey
tossed the paper away before he crumpled it into a little ball.  “You’re
seriously going to go with battery operated relief over a man… for the rest of
your life?”

Berry
chuffed a laugh.  “You sound so incredulous.  What’s so great about
sex?  It always seems like kind of a gyp if you ask me.  All that
build up, for what?  A sweaty few minutes of… ho-hum?”

“Ho-hum? 
Seriously, how much of an asshole was your ex?  Sex should never, ever, be
ho-hum.”  Especially with a woman like Berry Malone. 

Berry
shrugged. Robert had quickly become a disinterested lover during their
marriage.  And when they did make the effort, it tended towards brief,
unimaginative and unfulfilling.

Ramsey
was still talking. “Sex is hot, wild and fun.  You switch your mind off
for an hour or so and just immerse yourself in pleasure.  Go with whatever
feels good and if you’re doing it right, well it feels like your whole body is
recharged by a million bolts of electricity.”  

“An
hour or so?”  Berry choked out, fighting the urge to squirm at the picture
that was forming in her head of her and Ramsey having hot, wild fun.

“Sure,
and when you come back to your senses, yes you are hot and sweaty but you have
this total sense of satisfaction and usually an array of rug burns that you
have absolutely no recollection whatsoever of how, or when, you got them.”

“I
think I can live without carpet burns.”  Despite herself, Berry’s voice
came out in a breathy whisper.

“How
would you know Berry?”  Ramsey’s voice was low and gravelly, it tugged at
her nerve endings causing heat to ignite between her legs.  “You know I’m right. 
Since the dawn of time sex has collapsed empires. Sex has started wars,
inspired every artist around the world to put paint to canvas and every
musician to write a song.  Every dance invented mirrors the steps… the
seduction, the tease… to the outright blatant act of joining in the
tango.  Passion, has driven men to build castles in the air and women to
tear them down.”

In
this dimly lit cosy room, with the fire flickering and the rain splattering
against the glass behind her, it was as if she and Ramsey were alone in the
world.  Just the two of them.  No past, no future, just now.

Berry
hadn’t made any rash decisions since she’d agreed – ignoring her gut instincts
at the time - to marry Robert.  She learnt her lesson well from that
experience.  But wasn’t five years of atonement enough for her sins? 
Didn’t she deserve to feel… to know?  It wasn’t like she intended to marry
the guy.

“Okay.” 
She nodded abruptly.  “You’ve convinced me.  Let’s have sex.”

Chapter
Fourteen.

“You
what?”  Ramsey was kind of shocked.  That had actually worked?

“Let’s
have sex.”  Berry rose with languid grace and walked around the coffee
table to stand between his legs.

Wow,
Ramsey couldn’t believe his good fortune.  Who knew he was such a
wordsmith that with just the power of speech he could convince Berry Malone to
sleep with him?  Certainly not him.  As he stared up at her, his cock
throbbed, his mouth suddenly dry as she settled herself onto his lap, facing
him, a knee on either side of his thighs.  He realised he should say
something, shouldn’t he?  
Thank-you
might be a start.  But he
wasn’t a chatty type of guy, he was action.  So he decided to go with his
strengths.

Reaching
up he grabbed a handful of Berry’s curly mane, fisting the silken mass as he
pulled her lips down on to his. Damn those full lips of hers.  She tasted
like honey, peppermint and something more… if he were a more poetic man, he’d
call it ambrosia.  She made a little sound in the back of her throat,
pressing her upper body against his as she did so, her fingers digging into his
shoulders.

Ramsey
locked his arms around her waist, pulling her closer still.  Loving the
way she arched her lower body to rub her core against his cock which was
straining against the denim material of his jeans.  How could anyone ever
have ho-hum sex with this woman?  She was like liquid heat in his
arms. 

Ah
shit, Robert.  He didn’t want to be thinking about Robert Granger at a
moment like this.
 
But didn’t Berry
deserve to know the truth about his role in getting Granger arrested before
they took such a big leap forward?  Damn and double damn his Boy Scout
nature.

“Berry.” 
He tore his lips from hers, panting.  Very deliberately he dropped his
hands from her body, better to avoid the temptation if he intended to spill his
guts regarding his history with her ex-husband.  Ramsey opened his mouth
and then hesitated for a moment, as Berry gave him a wide sensual smile, her
hands moving to unbutton her body hugging cardigan.  He was mesmerised,
one button, two buttons, the hint of black lace.
 
Oh God, three buttons, there was silk to go
with the lace.  “So we’re really going to do this?”  What?  That
wasn’t what he had meant to say.

“Not
if you keep talking we’re not.”  Berry swooped forward, laying her lips on
his.  She’d never felt so desirable, the way Ramsey looked at her, kissed
her, ran his hands over her body.  The taste of him, she ached for him,
for more… wait, why wasn’t he touching her anymore?  She broke the kiss,
leaning back frowning at him.

“Berry.”  
Ramsey matched her frown.  “There’s something you need to know.”

A
shuttered look came down over Berry’s features.

“What
are you doing?”  Ramsey watched as she hurriedly began to button her
cardigan back up.

“Well,
I was under the mistaken impression we were about to have sex, but now it seems
like we’re going to have a discussion.”

“Hold
it.”  Ramsey clasped her hands in his, stopping her.  Damn,
internally his cock and his conscious were at war. Fuck her.  Tell her the
truth.  He was going nuts.  “I’m in a conundrum here, I won’t lie… I
really… really… can’t stress how much I’d like to have sex with you right at
this moment.  On the other hand, I really think there’s something you need
to know up front. I…”

“Did
you kill a man?”  Berry asked abruptly.

“What? 
No!”

“Do
you have a wife and six kids stashed away somewhere?”

Ramsey
shuddered at the thought.  “No and God no.”

“So
you’re a free agent?”

“Yes.”
He nodded.

“And
I’m a free agent.”  She reminded him.

“Yes
you are, but Berry, I think you need to know that I…”

Berry
pulled one hand free from his hold and smooshed a finger down on his lips,
preventing him from talking.  She was so tired of all the talking, she
wanted action, she wanted the mindless fun sex he’d promised.  She wanted
to stop thinking, stop worrying and just be in the moment.  “Stop right
there. This is just sex right?  You and me?  Not a
relationship.  Not a date even.  I don’t need to know your past
misdeeds… in fact, if we were doing this right, I shouldn’t even technically know
your name.”

“Berry.” 
He mumbled out her name.

She
sighed, dropping her hand.  “Well I suppose the damage has been done on
that front.  Listen to me carefully Ramsey Hughes. You promised me
sex.  Fun, mindless, no-strings attached sex and that’s what I want. 
I don’t want to talk about emotions or feelings.”  She buried her fingers
into the wool of his sweater, pulling him towards her.  “And that’s what
I’m going to get.  I want a million bolts of lightning to course through
my veins.  I want to get hot and sweaty with you… and I want to be
satisfied.”  She growled out the last command between gritted teeth.

Ramsey
didn’t know whether to laugh or kiss her.  Did she honestly think having
sex with him would be a no-strings affair?  That once it was over she
could just walk away?  Damn, he wanted her, and if having sex with her was
the only way she’d let him prove it to her… then he’d man up and take on that
challenge.  “So, no pressure then?”

“Not
on me there’s not.”  Berry seemed to relax suddenly, realising he was
acquiescing to her command.  “I just need to lie back and think of England
right?”

“Have
you ever been to England?”

“Nope,
I suppose that alone will give me something to think about.”

Ramsey
reached up between them and slowly… deliberately, began undoing her cardigan
once more, one button, then the next, the next, and then the last one. 

Berry
should have felt exposed as he pushed the cardigan down off her shoulders, but
the look in Ramsey’s eyes as he admired the black demi-corset top she had on
made her feel powerful and sexy.

His
warm fingers brushed over her bared collarbones, moving downwards, when he hit
the top of the corset his fingers trailed along the lace.  “I want to
see.”  His words low, husky.

She
swallowed hard, trying to find her voice but could only nod in agreement.

Ramsey
eyed the line of hooks down the centre keeping the sexy little top together,
with nimble fingers he unhooked three in quick succession, her breasts spilling
out into his waiting hands.  Berry arched against him as he dipped his
head and captured one dark pink nipple in his mouth and suckled.  The pull
of his mouth, the edge of his teeth.
 
She
felt an answering tug as shivers shot down her spine, heat blossoming into a
furnace between her legs. 

Damn,
it was turning her on, being half naked on his lap, the demi corset gaping
open, her breasts exposed to Ramsey’s touch, to his lips.  She wanted to
touch… to taste him in return.  Her questing fingers burrowed their way
beneath his sweater, only to find a t-shirt.  She let out a moan. 
The man was wearing way too many clothes.  She fisted her hands in the
material and gave voice to her need.  “Off.”

It
was both frustrating and stoked her ego that it took a few seconds for her
command to sink into Ramsey’s brain box.  Rearing back, he gave her a
decidedly devilish grin that made her stomach clench before reaching down to
haul off his sweater and t-shirt in one fell swoop.  

Then
he was kissing her, no fair, she loved the kissing but she wanted to explore
that chest, those abs… but still… hmmm, the kissing.  The man could win
awards for his kissing, he’d need to build a room just to hold all those damn
trophies she decided, as he suckled on her lower lip. 

She
moaned, her fingers trailing down his broad chest, flicking his nipples,
delighting in the response she got as his breath caught and his back arched up
off of the sofa.

“Witch.” 
He ground out the word against her lips.  But not doing anything to stop
her wandering digits as they traced his ribs, her fingernails lightly scraping
across his skin making his cock jerk and leap as if she were a puppet master
playing with his strings.

Goddess,
she both hated and loved that the man wasn’t in a hurry.  It was
exhilarating to feel… worshipped.  The way Ramsey kissed her, touched her,
trailing his hands over every square inch of her as if he was memorising
her.  All the while, the desire… the need in her was building.  Like
when you were on a rollercoaster and you were going up, and up and up that
monstrous climb to the top of the highest peak.  Enjoying the thrill, the
excitement and the anticipation, but at the same time craving the rush of the
free fall. 

She
sucked her breath in as his fingers brushed against the sensitive skin of her
lower tummy whilst he unbuttoned her trousers.  He issued a soft
frustrated groan because they were too tightly fitted to allow his fingers to
delve lower.  Berry matched his groan with a frustrated whimper of her
own, stupid tight clothes.  She gasped suddenly as Ramsey all too easily
grabbed her by the waist and lifted her to her feet. 

With
liquid grace he stood up, staring down, desire turning his eyes the light grey
of a heat hazed highway.  “God, all the things I want to do to you.” 
He ground out as he pushed down her trousers.

Berry’s
knees almost buckled as her magic kicked in and she was assailed by the tens,
no, the hundreds of way Ramsey wanted to ravage, defile, worship, love… fuck
her.  Fast, slow, up against the wall, on the living room table, over the
kitchen bench, from behind, her on top… it was too much, flash fire pulsed
through her body to zero between her legs as she mindlessly kicked away her
trousers, the socks going with them.  She leapt up, Ramsey easily catching
her as she hooked her legs around his waist and slammed her lips down on his
waiting mouth.  Grinding her body against his.

Damn,
Ramsey knew going slow with Berry would be a challenge but at the very least
he’d intended to hold out as long as possible so they could savour their first
time together.  His thought processes dissolving as she plastered herself
against him… want, need… have.  His knees gave out as he lowered them both
to the carpet in front of the fireplace.  Berry’s hair spilling out behind
her in a dark glossy pool.  Her bared breasts pushed up and high by the
gaping demi corset still fitted around her ribcage.

Berry
mewled a protest as he reared back from her, even though it was to unbutton and
shed his jeans.  She missed the feel of his heated flesh against hers.

He
stared down at her for a moment, his breath coming in quick uneven pants, damn
Berry was beautiful.  God he wanted her.  He jerked in surprise as
one of her hands came up to prevent him from covering her body with his. 

“Wait. 
Protection.” 

He
envied her the ability to talk.  Hands scrabbling around behind him, he
grabbed his jeans, triumphantly holding up a small foil packet he’d been
keeping in the back pocket.

“Thank
the Goddess.”  Berry’s throaty rumbled approval made his gut clench in
anticipation.  She snatched it from him, ripping open the packet. 
“Boxers… off… now.”

Ramsey
blinked at her command.  He hadn’t finished playing with her yet,
discovering her body, those gorgeous legs now bare, that tight tummy, the
rounded hips and her heated core that had dampened those black lace knickers of
hers.  Knickers that she was even now struggling out of one handed, the
other still waving the condom around in front of his face.

“What
are you waiting for?  An invitation?”

He
reared back slightly, just avoiding getting whacked in the eye by the rubber
Berry was still holding out.  “Umm… well I wasn’t finished …” Her knickers
sailed passed his face, distracting him and making him lose his train of
thought.

“Enough
with the foreplay… I want the good stuff.”

Ramsey
froze.  Berry Malone was splayed out in front of him naked.  He just
wanted a brief moment to drink in the sight… she was the most beautiful, sexy
woman he’d…

“Hey
snap out of it. Are we doing this or what?”  Berry wanted him so badly she
thought she might spontaneously combust.  And she was kind of worried by
the fact that now that he’d slowed down he might be having second thoughts
about doing this.  She wouldn’t put it passed a good guy like Ramsey to
suddenly decide that having no-strings sex would be bad for her mental health
or some such ridiculous nonsense.  Damn it, she wanted an orgasm and she
was pretty darn sure that Ramsey Hughes was the man to give her one. 

Sitting
up she grabbed the waistband of his boxer shorts and yanked them down. 
Rearing back slightly, her mouth dropping open in amazement.  Goddess, the
man was beautiful… and built!  All praise genetics.  She leaned
forward, intending to wrap her prize in a coating of rubber, whimpering in
thwarted dismay as Ramsey caught her hands.

“I
swear to God that if you touch me right now Berry, I’ll go off like a
firecracker.”  He blew out a deep breath, the avarice look in her eyes,
the sparks of desire; it was nearly the undoing of him.  “Give me the
condom, I’ll do it.”  His voice came out so low it was almost a
growl.