Another nod, and her eyes went to his lips, soft in contrast to his heavy stubble. His face came closer, as his hand ran down her shoulder to her hand and back up again. He swiped his lips across hers, in a kiss that was as hot as it was brief.
‘That’s as far as I will go,’ he told her. ‘In public. And in public is where our bargain ends.’
She frowned, suddenly confused. ‘You’ve lost me,’ she admitted.
‘I’m paying you to act as my girlfriend, but everything that happens privately has nothing to do with our bargain,’ he told her, his voice harsh.
‘What’s going to happen privately?’ she asked, her heart stuttering when he smiled.
‘God, you’re sweet. And a little naive.’
He wasn’t mocking her. He seemed in awe of her. He brushed the pad of his thumb over her lower lip and leaned in close so that his words brushed her lips. ‘In private, I’m going to seduce the hell out of you, Millie.’
Taz looked into her lovely face, his thumb still on her lips. He should get off this couch and go back to his room, but there was more chance of an asteroid striking this penthouse suite. He wanted Millie. It was as simple and as complicated as that. And he always got what he wanted.
And now that he knew where his million pounds would land, a massive barrier to seducing her had crashed and shattered. He wasn’t payingherbut a charity. And yes, she was still his employee, but he now felt the pendulum of power had swung back to the middle, levelling the playing field. If they kept work and play separate, if they played by the rules—his rules—they could explore their intense attraction.
But the rules had to be explained. There was no room for misunderstandings.
‘Millie, I want you, I’m not going to deny that. I would love to take you to my bed, strip you down and make you mine.’ Her eyes widened, as he’d expected them to. She clearly wasn’t used to men being direct, telling her what they wanted and how they wanted it. But being direct was the only way he knew how to be. ‘I can’t wait to have you under me. I want to be inside you, giving you the best orgasm of your life.’
It wasn’t a boast; he knew he was an exceptional lover. He made it a point of being good at everything, and a long time ago he’d decided that if a woman was gracious enough to let him love her, then he was obligated to make her see not only stars but also a meteor shower or two.
‘But what we do when we are naked has no bearing on you being my fake girlfriend, the money I am paying you or your work as my press or PR person. When the world goes away, you and I are equals, and there’s no power imbalance in bed.’ There was zero fun in coercion. ‘Nothing you do or say will have any bearing on what happens in the outside world.’
He saw her swallow. ‘I want to take you to bed. But you should know that all we’ll ever be is lovers. I don’t fall in love. Iwon’tfall in love. I’m not interested in a relationship or commitment. The only thing that’s important to me is my team and winning a fourth championship.’
Millie touched her top lip with the tip of her tongue, and he wished she wouldn’t. He was already steel-hard, and when she made those unconsciously sexy actions, it took all he had not to lay her back against the cushions and ravage her mouth, slowly making his way down her body.
‘Uh…’
Great, he’d rendered her mute. He lifted his eyebrows and waited for her to gather her thoughts. But instead of speaking or retreating, she surprised him by sliding her cool hand around the back of his neck and lifting her mouth, a silent invitation to kiss her.
Taz obliged. Her lips on his were soft and feminine, and when his tongue slipped between her teeth, he tasted chocolate and whisky. And Millie. His tongue swirled lazily around hers.
‘This isn’t like me,’ she murmured, as she pulled away and moved onto her knees, trying to get closer to him, and lust, hot and electric, shot down his spine and straight to his groin.
He lifted his mouth from hers to respond. ‘It is when you’re with me. I need you to touch me, Millie.Everywhere.’
His words, as he intended them to, granted her permission to explore, to stop thinking and start doing. Who’d made her question herself, made her so skittish? Her small hands raced over his shoulders and down his back, and she slid her finger under the elasticised waistband of his shorts while she moved the other hand to cup his butt. As he suspected, beneath her layers of doubt was a sexy, sensuous woman. He responded by dialling up their kiss, turning it hotter,raunchier.
Fuelled by her impatience, his hand moved from her hip and moved up and under her pyjama top, massaging her breasts, his fingers exploring her already-tight nipples. She straddled his thighs, the inside of her knees pushing into his hips and she scooted forward, rocking herself into him. Through their clothes, her hot core connected with his erection, and need raced across her face.
Impatience roared through him, chased by desire, so he lifted Millie off him, laid her on her back and quickly stripped her sexy pyjamas off her lovely body. Taz groaned when he slid his hand between her legs, bathing his fingers with her arousal.
He lifted his eyes and looked into hers, and his heart—dammit—missed a beat. Her gaze was surprisingly fierce. ‘I know I’m naked, but I’m not ready to have sex with you.’ Her words landed, and he struggled to make sense of them.
Shit…He blinked, trying to slow down and think. ‘Okay.’
He immediately removed his hand, and she whimpered, obviously disappointed. ‘I know, I’m sorry. I just can’t…not yet.’ She bit down on her bottom lip and looked away. Her lovely chest rose and fell as she hauled in some air. ‘But I don’t want to stop either… So can you touch me, Taz? And I-I’—God, even her stutter was adorable—‘and I can touch you. If you want that.’
He did. Hell, he’d take anything she could give him right now. He held her eyes and saw the anxiety in them; it seemed she was bracing herself for his anger. He wasn’t cross: She had the right to change her mind, to set the boundaries. He lifted his hand to stroke her cheek, needing to banish her worry. There was no place for it between two naked people. ‘Okay, let’s do this instead.’
He lay on his back and lifted her onto him so that her heat landed on his shaft, her knees on either side of his thighs. Her slick heat enveloped him, and he dug his fingertips into her hips, urging her to ride him. She quickly picked up the rhythm, and soon they were panting, both seeking that exquisite release. A part of Taz couldn’t comprehend that he was so turned-on by something that was—if he were being honest—not much more than heavy petting. But he was close, so close…
So was she. The city lights danced on her skin, and in the seductive light he took in her flushed face. But he needed to see all of her so, using his core muscles, he half sat up and latched his mouth on her nipple and pulled it up to the roof of his mouth. She was so hot, so responsive…so into him and what they were doing.
And he, the master of control, someone who knew how to delay gratification, was going to come, hard and very soon. Shoving his good hand between them, he found her clit and told her to wrap her hand around him. She fisted him and rolled her hand to the top and he felt the pressure build at the base of his spine.
