“You never have to thank me. I’ve been wanting to spend a few days together without any interruptions for a long time. I turned off my phone and it won’t go back on until we get back to San Francisco.”
“I like that, but what if there’s a crisis at Velocity, or your grandparents or mom want to get a hold of you?”
“They have the number to the hotel, and Velocity has been left in good hands with my grandpa and John Bloom.”
Mr. Bloom was the guy right below the CEO and Trace had been giving him a lot more responsibility with Velocity. “I can’t believe I don’t have to compete with your phone for your attention.” I winked at him.
He laughed and hugged me closer. “You’re the best. You get me and the business.”
I swiped my tongue across his lips. Being this close to him on a balcony in Carmel with the waves crashing behind us and the sweet scent of wildflowers wafting on the light breeze had my senses on high alert. The smell of him, the feel of his hard body pressed against mine, and the sound of his deeply sexy voice had me all worked up. “Do I get a reward for being so understanding?” I slipped his earlobe between my teeth and gently sucked on it.
A low groan rumbled in his throat. “Fuck, Cierra.”
He grasped my chin and turned my face toward his, and then he crushed his mouth on mine and kissed me hard and possessively. Shivers jolted through me as I responded back, my arms circled around him, and the champagne pouring out of my glass onto the stone tile.
Then he pulled away, scooped me up in his arms, and carried me into the bedroom, gently laying me on the bed. Without a word, he tore off his shirt and pulled off his pants and boxers. My gaze fixed on his pulsing, hard dick and I licked my lips. He slowly unbuttoned my blouse, and with each button he undid, a spasm of desire rippled through me. By the time he had my blouse and skirt off, I was an aching, quivering mess. At that moment, all I wanted was him inside me, his lips on mine, and our bodies fused together in sweat, desire, and love.
His tongue teased and tortured me, licking me everywhere around my neck, throat, and the tops of my breasts. My nipples, hard as hell, ached for his tongue to flick them and his mouth to suck them. When I directed his mouth to my nipples, he’d chuckle then say, “Not yet.”
After I thought I couldn’t stand it anymore, with the tip of his tongue, he flicked my nipples and my insides lurched. And when he pushed two fingers inside me as he placed his mouth over my nipples, I squirmed and twisted underneath him, digging my nails into his shoulders.
“I’m so crazy about you,” he muttered as he pulled up and grabbed my legs, hooking them over his shoulders. Then he leaned over, kissed me deeply and entered me. He felt so good inside me, and I grabbed a handful of his hair and jerked it. That one action made him pull out and slam back into me so hard that I gasped out loud while he groaned as he went in and out of me with such ferocity and speed that I thought I’d lose my mind in a perpetual state of euphoria.
As he pushed against me, he went deeper and deeper inside me, and every muscle inside me coiled like a spring. And then he hit the spot that sent me over the edge. My orgasm tore through my body in wave after wave of relief. Trace stiffened then he held my gaze as he rasped, “Cierra,” then I felt the heat from him explode inside me. He lay on top of me completely still, his dick throbbing inside me. It was the best feeling in the world.
After a long while, he rolled off me and drew me close to him, tucking me under the crook of his arm. He stroked my hair as the ocean breeze dried our sweaty bodies. From the window, I could see the tops of maple trees shaking in the light wind. My hand flew to my stomach when it growled, and Trace kissed the top of my head.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
I nodded. “Starving.” I hadn’t eaten since the morning and it was just a power smoothie, and the aromas of chargrilled seafood wafting in from the restaurant below us smelled so damn good.
He pushed up and reclined against the headboard. “Let’s get dressed and get some dinner. After we’re done, we can take a walk around the town.”
An hour later, Trace pulled out the chair for me on the heated patio at Daisy’s Ranch restaurant. Piano music filtered in from inside the eatery as patrons sang along to old Broadway tunes. I ordered a glass of cabernet and Trace had scotch on the rocks. Overhead, the silhouette of birds flew across a sky ablaze with magenta and orange hues.
The restaurant used to be a dairy farm back in the early 1900s, and it had been restored by the descendants and turned into a renowned restaurant on the Monterey Peninsula. It was still a working sheep and dairy ranch and people came from all over the county to dine on the fine American cuisine and to take in the view. And the view was gorgeous: sheep grazing in meadows accented in a sea of purple wildflowers, Santa Lucia Mountains in the near distance and the ocean’s crashing waves. It was the perfect place for a romantic dinner.
“I love it here. It’s so peaceful and beautiful,” I said.
Trace smiled. “You’re perfect and beautiful.” He grasped my hand in his and brought it to his lips. His eyes caught mine, and I saw the sunset’s shimmering glow reflected in them.
“I love being here with you,” I whispered.
He placed his hand over mine and leaned forward. “Come here,” he ordered.
I stretched over and met his lips halfway and we kissed. I pulled away when the waiter came to our table and placed a plate of prime rib in front of me and a plate of filet mignon and lobster tails in front of him.
As we ate, Trace kept looking at me. “Why do you keep staring at me? Do I have some food on my face?” I took my napkin and wiped all around my mouth.
He chuckled. “Nothing like that. I just can’t believe how lucky I am to have such a beautiful and intelligent woman in my life. I never told you how grateful I was to have you in my life when I was dealing with all that shit with my brother. I still can’t believe Ryan is actually alive, let alone that he scammed us the way he did. Even thinking of him in a federal prison blows my mind. You were so supportive and such a good listener when I needed to vent. You made something so fucking horrible not so bad. I don’t know how I would’ve dealt with any of it if you hadn’t been in my life.”
My heart swelled with love for him and wetness stung my eyes. I refused to cry and go all mushy on him, so I squeezed his hand and reached over with my other and caressed the side of his face. “I’ll always be there for you like you’ll be there for me. Whenever you want to talk, I’ll listen. I know the whole thing with Ryan will take a very long time to get through and reconcile, and I’ll be there for you when you need me to be.”
“I know, and that’s what I love about you—your generosity and sincerity. You love, give, and support from your heart. I never thought I’d find a woman who wanted me for whoIam and not for my background and money.”
I felt my cheeks heat up and knew I was blushing like a fool. My emotions were all bottled up inside me and they swirled around like whirling dancers who turned too fast and couldn’t stop. I couldn’t articulate what I was feeling, but by the way he smiled and watched me, he knew he’d touched me deeply.
“I have something for you,” he said as he took his hand off mine. He reached inside his jacket and took out a long box wrapped in shiny gold paper with a small sliver bow.
