“Touch my clit.” I said breathlessly.
He smiled. “You are one of those?”
“So what?”
Finally, he took hold of her ass, squeezing gently and controlling her rhythm so that it was smooth and slow. She moaned, melting into his command and letting her thighs relax. He was strong and held her up easily, working her back and forth as his dick slid in and out, stirring up the most incredible friction.
“You have never come just from a guy’s dick?” he asked.
“Does it matter?” she said on a long breath.
“Do you want to?”
She smiled. “Oh you think you are going to open up my world?”
“I think I can find the angle.” He shifted, lowering into the couch and pitching his hips up, as he held her flush to his lap, his erection angled deep inside. The position set his pubic bone hard against her clit, causing an electric burst in her sensitive spot, and Mira immediately moaned, nearly collapsing onto his chest.
“Oh, right there,” she said, as he helped her to grind into him.
He let out another breathy laugh, saying, “I know.”
She felt the hard curve of his pubic bone pressing into her clit. His thick erection, the pressure of its head shifting deep inside her, was causing a slow build, burning hot, to surge within.
“Oh my God, am cumming,” she cried out.
“Are you going to cum for me, Mira?”
“Yes.”
“How many times?”
She shook her head, meaning to say that she didn’t know, but she couldn’t get the words out.
“Oh, right there,” she managed to say when he grabbed her waist, holding her down and thrusting, as he rocked her into a grinding massage that hit her clit with the perfect amount of pressure. “I’m cumming.”
“Tell me when and I’ll come, too.”
“It’s building,” she moaned as a fresh wave of tingles rushed through her, the precursor to the swell of climaxing. Then her body clenched around him, fluttering into an orgasm. Reflexes took hold and she arched her back, crying out and riding wave after wave.
“Damn, I can feel you,” he said, then his breath hitched in his throat and a long, sexy groan escaped him.
She realized he was wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. She could feel his heart pound in his chest and his erection throb deep inside her, as they rode the final swell of their orgasm.
She could smell the sweat on his hairline and found herself pressing her lips against it. Whoever he was, this had been nothing like her previous encounters, and she felt strangely bonded to him. She didn’t want to let him go. Lifting back, she looked at him.
“Oh no,” he said.
“What?”
“I know that look.”
“What look?”
He was smiling, but at the same time his eyes were pushing her away.
“The look where you think this was special.”
“I don’t think that.”
“And you think you won’t be able to do this with anyone else, so you think you need me.”
It had occurred to her she might not be able to get quite the same effect with anyone else, only because she hadn’t before meeting him, but she wasn’t going to admit that.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” she said, easing back, but he didn’t let her go.
“It’s just angles,” he said, but she rolled her eyes. “And it’s my shape, but I will show you a thing or two before you go off on your way.”
“Oh, will you?” she said sarcastically. “Lucky me.”
“No,” he said, turning serious. “I’m the lucky one.”
“You are,” she said skeptically. “And why is that?”
“Because I’m going to take you into the bedroom and have my way with you all night.”
She had to admit she liked the sound of that, but he’d touched upon a very real danger. She did have a look on her face that screamed she wouldn’t want this to be only one night. And she did think she might not have an encounter like this with another man. It gave him way too much power. She was too busy to need anyone. She couldn’t afford to waste her
thoughts and energy on a guy who was supposed to be nothing more than her way of not tossing and turning all night.
The fact of the matter was that she had gotten what she came here for, and she didn’t need anything else from him.
Realizing that, she stood and began collecting her clothes, as he
stared at her in subdued confusion.
“Sorry,” she said. “I’ve got a big day tomorrow.”
He didn’t object or stop her, but when she pulled her sweater over her head as the last article of clothing before heading to the door, he caught
her wrist.
“One last thing,” he said softly.
“What?”
He pulled her in, holding the nape of her neck and the small of her back, and brushed his lips against hers, then pressed them into a firm kiss.
She had fantasized about his lips during the long twenty minutes she had sat
watching him from across the bar, but none of her daydreams compared to the reality. He felt smooth and warm and sure of himself, and the way his skin smelled, the way his scruff felt against her chin and cheek, had her second guessing her plan to leave.
Their kiss slowed, and she got the feeling he was drinking her in.
Then he eased off and said, “Good-bye.”
She smirked, wondering if she would regret this, but simply said
“bye” and slipped out the door
The construction site was an ugly tangle of cranes and bulldozers, cylinder pipes and scattered materials, all along a ten-mile trench where construction workers barked at each other over the growl of their idling machines. Mira spied the corporate executive trailer through her binoculars. She could see shadowy figures through the drawn blinds and not much else, so she scanned the trench, surveying the progress that the Starlight Energy Project had made. It never failed to boggle her mind how quickly projects like this could get underway. In less than two weeks, Starlight had dug the trench where the pipeline would be assembled then buried over. According to their timeline, the pipe would be laid and gas would be flowing in less than three weeks if she didn’t shut them down. The sun was creeping up the horizon as she lowered her binoculars and turned to face her team, a twelve person environmental group called One World, which she had founded the year after graduating college “We s
“Why haven’t you called the police?” she demanded. Mira was seated in a chair inside the trailer, staring up at two security guards who only glared at her. “Where are Carter and Layla?” she asked. Finally, one of them spoke. “Calm down. You are lucky you haven’t been arrested.” “Well, why haven’t I?” “You will be,” he sneered, “but not until our CEO gives us the go ahead.” Mira knew the executives were outside. She could hear them through the trailer’s walls, arguing with the construction team, whose union wouldn’t allow for them to work in an unsafe environment. When she had heard the sirens, she had assumed it was the police rolling in, but apparently the Starlight security team had police equipment, cruisers with sirens and armed guards. “For what it’s worth,” she said, “I didn’t approve of blowing up your pipes. I tried to stop them.” “Save it,” said the other guard. Mira heard a knock on the door, and one of the guards padded over and opened it a crack. “Mr. Montgom
Convincing One World that she would be in a position to negotiate privately with NateMontgomery if only they packed up and left the site felt strangely like a lie. In the past, Mira had always fully disclosed her negotiations with her team and never backed down from a fight. The fact that she was ordering her group to retreat without explaining the full picture made her feel conflicted, but she had no choice. If the executives found out that Nate was slipping into the throws of an affair, he would surely cut it off and kill her chances of shutting down the pipeline. And if Mira’s team found out her negotiations would include canoodling the handsome billionaire, she would lose all respect. As conflicted as she felt about telling half-truths and dodging prying questions, she pressed on, and within an hour, One World had completely vacated their site twenty yards off from the Starlight trench and were holding steady in their motel rooms at the Travel Lodge on the north side of Bellevue.
Mira was getting swept up in the lusty logic. She knew she was clean, as well, and the thought of feeling him, hot and hard, thrusting into her with nothing in between was intoxicating When she hesitated, he asked, “Are you on the pill?” “Yeah, but is this a good idea?” “It feels like a good idea,” he groaned as she lowered, helping his tip slightly penetrate her. “It does feel too good,” she moaned. “Baby, I need all of you,” he said, holding her face and making her meet his gaze. “So if you want a condom, you are going to have to get it in my wallet.” “Where is your wallet?” she asked halfheartedly as she lowered further, expanding around his hard shaft. “Oh, God.” “Mira, God,” he groaned. “I’m holding myself back from pulling you onto me all the way.” “Me too,” she said, rising up a fraction, but the shift stirred up a burst of heat and felt so good that she had to lower down again, helping the friction build. “I’m not going to try to convince you. Do what you think is bes
When the door slid open with a ding, she stepped out onto the rooftop garden where lounge chairs were clustered around various glass tables and a bartender was waiting eagerly behind a long, oak bar. The hostess, a young woman wearing a black cocktail dress, her blond hair slicked up into a high ponytail, greeted them then escorted them to a table near the glass wall that lined the perimeter. As they sat, Nate asked her for two coffees, and Mira mentioned she would like cream and sugar in hers. The hostess returned with their drinks a minute later. “So did you want to start, or should I?” she asked. “Ladies first,” he said with an amused smile. “Good,” she said, gathering her thoughts and trying not to get sucked into his alluring looks. He leaned back in his chair, tilting his head and eyeing her with interest that seemed to go far beyond the points she was preparing to make. “The Starlight trench,” she began, “runs through Bellevue, weaving between schools and residential home
Nate didn’t want to let her go as he walked her across the red carpet outside the Escala and helped her into the limo, but it would be selfish to try to convince her to stay, and quite frankly, he was disturbed by all that she had brought to his attention. As someone who used to save lives on the operating table, the possibility that his pipeline could be detrimental to the health of an entire community was jarring. He closed the limousine door, pained to see Mira disappear behind tinted glass, and then watched as the limo rolled off down the street. It was a long ride up to the fiftieth floor, and when he reached his suite, Nate heard giggling through the door. Entering, he found his father, Porter Montgomery, fixing himself a drink at the bar in the far corner of the room, while two women who looked like models passed a cigarette between them from where they sat on the leather couch “What are you doing here?” Porter straightened his back then turned, facing him. His white hair w
“Where have you been?” Carter filled the doorway of her motel room, his dark eyes probing her for an explanation. She had barely scurried from the limo to her room, breathless with anxiety as she made sure her entrance went unnoticed, and had changed into her jeans and a tee shirt before Carter had knocked and opened the door. “I had a meeting with the CEO of Starlight,” she said, feeling decent to be telling the truth. Her thoughts skirted over Nate his lips, the firm wall of his chest that she’d caressed, the way he felt inside her, the wild impulse they’d both succumbed to in the back of the limousine. “I got him to pause the project for the rest of the day.” “Meaning?” “Meaning, he’s going to review the possible hazards of the materials and reconsider.” Carter snorted a skeptical laugh. “Possible hazards? It’s common knowledge Davey uses toxic materials.” “To us it’s common knowledge. You know we’ve been fighting an uphill battle to prove as much. This is a good sign, Carte
Mira stepped out of the shower, glad that Carter and Layla had volunteered themselves to drive the chemical samples into Madison Alder’s lab, Krylotech Industries in Seattle. The rest of the team was getting antsy, but Mira had done a decent job of updating and motivating them by saying the results of the lab would give One World a strong advantage of not only shutting down the Starlight Energy Pipeline in Bellevue, but perhaps put Montgomery’s company out of business entirely. In the meantime, she delegated specific tasks to each member. Ronnie and Samantha were heading over to the site to take pictures of the construction workers should they engage in any activity. Jess and Malcom were drawing up an amendment to the class-action motion their attorney would ultimately file.And Dahlia and Molly were focusing on making arrangements for One World’s next project, exposing a water treatment facility in Nevada, which was suspected of adding unregulated quantities of fluoride to public dri
EpilogueHe broke away, but his eyes never left hers as he said, ‘Hello, Connie.I have missed your cooking.’‘Don’t you “Hello, Connie” me. Where you been, eh? Worrying Mira half to death…’‘Were you?’ he asked. ‘Worried? You didn’t fancy being a rich widow?’Maybe he already knew the answer because he didn’t wait for it but looked down and said, ‘Hello, Toby. Been to a party?’‘Mmm.’ He gave Connie the balloon he was holding and offered up his goodie bag. ‘I have got cake.’‘Any to spare? I’m starving…’‘Later. It’s bath time,’ Mira said. ‘Can you take care of Toby for me,Connie?’‘I can take care of both of them if you like,’ she offered. ‘He’s going toneed help with his arm in plaster. No? You don’t want Connie?’ And shewent inside chuckling to herself. ‘Just you make sure you wash behind hisears, Mira.’ Then, ‘I call Matty and tell her Mr Dan is home.’‘What do you want first? Drink? Food? Bath?’He circled her with his arm as they walked up the steps into the house.‘I’ve go
‘If I fell under Matty’s metaphorical bus, you’d have to sell the house to pay inheritance tax. This way makes more sense. ‘It makes sense if you haven’t got a heart, but since we’re talking about the unexpected, let’s really go for it.’ She looked at him, demanding a response. ‘What’s on your mind?’ ‘This. We get married. You live upstairs in your little apartment. Me and Lame Ducks Incorporated are spread out all over the rest of your house. That’s what you have in mind, right?’ ‘Right.’ ‘Okay. Now tell me this. What happens when you meet the girl of your dreams and fall in love?’ Fran had to ask the question, even though the very idea of him falling in love drove daggers through her. ‘That’s the one thing that isn’t going to happen, Mira.’ His conviction shook her momentarily, but she pressed on. ‘Dan, I know you spend most of your life in the wilderness, chipping lumps off rock looking for oil and minerals—’ ‘Really it’s a bit more technical than that,’ he objected
“She did what?” Mira was utterly beside herself that Layla had gone off on her own and once again acted recklessly, endangering others to thwart the pipeline. Carter had her by the shoulder from where she sat at Nate ’s desk, but it did little to comfort her.“She is in the county jail,” Nate explained. “I could overlook one attack that didn’t hurt anyone, but this time she used a grenade, blew out the side of our trailer, and put my father in the hospital. He’s going to presscharges, needless to say.”“Is he all right?” she asked.“He hit his head fairly hard and fractured his shoulder, but neither are life threatening.”Mira could hear his voice waver as though he was entirely beside himself.“How are you?” she asked urgently.“A bruised rib, but I will live.”Mira sensed Carter get to his feet, as his hand slipped off her shoulder.“I have to see her,” he explained. “Let’s get Harold on this if we can. Get her bail set.”“You can try,” said Nate . “I doubt she will be offered a ba
While Mira sat in his exam room and endured similar tests as those he had conducted a few days prior, Nate stepped out to make a few calls, the reason for which he had been somewhat secretive about. As Dr. was finishing up, she asked, “What do you think the likelihood of Nate finding me donor eyes will be?” The doctor released a sigh then said, “I really couldn’t tell you. I have never endeavored anything so ambitious. All I can tell you is the likelihood of whether or not your body will accept or reject your new eyes, and the degree to which you might be able to see once they are in.” “So what’s the likelihood?” “I’ll have an idea once I examine the photos I’m taking. I should know in a day or so. Bear in mind, though, that we have three battles. The first is making sure the donor is, in fact, a match. I explained to you earlier that this aspect could be tricky to navigate. Then your body has to accept the eyes. And then after the nerves attach and heal, we’ll have to closely m
Chapter 69.He broke away, but his eyes never left hers as he said, ‘Hello, Connie.I’ve missed your cooking.’‘Don’t you “Hello, Connie” me. Where you been, eh? Worrying Mirahalf to death…’‘Were you?’ he asked. ‘Worried? You didn’t fancy being a rich widow?’Maybe he already knew the answer because he didn’t wait for it but lookeddown and said, ‘Hello, Toby. Been to a party?’‘Mmm.’ He gave Connie the balloon he was holding and offered up hisgoodie bag. ‘I’ve got cake.’‘Any to spare? I’m starving…’‘Later. It’s bath time,’ Mira said. ‘Can you take care of Toby for me,Connie?’‘I can take care of both of them if you like,’ she offered. ‘He’s going toneed help with his arm in plaster. No? You don’t want Connie?’ And shewent inside chuckling to herself. ‘Just you make sure you wash behind hisears, Mira.’ Then, ‘I call Matty and tell her Mr Dan is home.’‘What do you want first? Drink? Food? Bath?’He circled her with his arm as they walked up the steps into the house.‘I’ve got
Angry with herself, she turned off the television, got to her feet. Dan might not be rescued for months. Was she planning on spending every hour in front of the television in case there was the slightest snippet of news? It was the last thing he would want. Catherine would let her know the minute anyone heard anything and in the meantime there were a hundred things that needed doing. She still hadn’t settled on the final layout for the slender catalogue that was going to be mailed out to all their customers, as well put as an insert in one of the Sunday supplements. It was going to cost a fortune. It had to be right. She caught sight of herself in the hall mirror. What a wreck. She needed to take a shower, wash her hair, change. Get her mind back on the job. On her family… But when she opened a drawer, searching for underwear that would stretch around her expanding belly, she found herself staring at the tiny silk box that contained the wedding ring Dan had put on her finger and she
Chapter 67.She returned a few moments later with a cardboard box that she placedon the floor and when she opened it the small silky brown and white headof a spaniel puppy appeared. Then a body wriggled free of the blanket andhe looked up at her and whined to be lifted out.She was lost for words. Dan might have left Catherine to pick outChristmas gifts, but this could only have come direct from him. Proof thathe was thinking of her… She caught herself. Thinking of Toby.‘I made the woman at the kennels promise she’d take him back if youdidn’t want him. Men have these great ideas…’‘When? When did Dan ask you to do this?’‘Oh, months ago. In fact, I think he called from the airport… It wassupposed to have been Toby’s Christmas present, but since he was soparticular it had to wait until the right spaniel produced the right pup.’ Sheshrugged apologetically. ‘You know Dan. He’s never satisfied with less thanperfection.’‘No?’ Her heart lurched uncomfortably. ‘No,’ she agreed.‘
Chapter 66.Mira felt as if she was grieving all over again.She’d pulled into the garage and finally given way to the dammed-uptears she hadn’t been able to shed for Natein a mind-clearing storm ofguilt and loss. And when it was over she finally understood it all. That theirmarriage of convenience had been entirely for his expedience, not hers.Not cheap. But then this wasn’t about money. It was about control. Tobywas all the family he had. His heir. The boy who carried the family name.Marriage was the simplest and most effective way of stopping her frombecoming involved with someone else, giving him some other man’s name.Which answered any question she had about what was in the letterNatehad written to him. He had been a less than perfect partner, a lessthan perfect anything, except father. Relaxed to the point of being comatoseon most things, he had been uncharacteristically firm in his insistence thatDan be added to Toby’s name.Too late she saw that all that stuff abou
Chapter 65.The other was that he had simply decided that, despite his fine words,his promises, he expected payment in full for his investment in an unwantedhigh-maintenance wife. Why else would he be planning to move into herhome when, as she had just discovered, there was no need?How could he ask her to forgive him, when he wouldn’t be able toforgive himself?Instead he picked up her jacket, handed it to her in silence.‘Bathroom?’ she enquired, so quietly that he could barely hear her.‘Through here.’ He opened the door to his bedroom and the untouchedbed, just yards away, seemed to mock him. ‘You’ll find everything you’llneed.’Soap, hot water to wash him from her body.She ducked through the opening, leaving him to straighten himself out.Consider a future that was suddenly bleaker than he could have imaginedeven a week ago. An hour ago. Then he’d had some hope.He began to fasten his shirt, discovered that several of the buttons weretorn from it, and dug a fresh one out