Edge of Disaster (13 page)

I didn’t want to let go of his hands. I just sat there holding them, wanting to feel the life in them forever.

He leaned over and kissed me, but I still wouldn’t release his hands.  I felt his chest jiggling and heard the deep rumble of his laughter. “You ever gonna let ‘em go sweetheart, ‘cause if you don’t, it’s gonna be awfully hard to work?”

I died laughing then.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The next week of work had me busting it. I worked on that proposal for the Greenville Hospital System and I finally presented it to my boss on Friday.  He was totally impressed. He loved the way I was able to integrate the reasons for switching to MedSoft, not just for the physician’s offices, but for the main hospital and all the other affiliated hospitals as well.  He told me he wanted me to accompany him to Greenville the week after next to help pitch to deal to the hospital administration.

I was super psyched when I got home from work.  I was still staying at Pearce’s because there was an issue with getting the security gate installed at my carriage house.  Pearce begged me to move in with him and though it was tempting, I said no.

I walked in with my arms full and he was already home. He helped me unload, as I had made a quick stop at the grocery store on the way home. 

As soon as everything was put away, I told him the news about my proposal.

“Well, this calls for a celebration! Where would you like to go?”

“You pick.” I was never comfortable choosing a restaurant.

“Do you have anything going on this weekend?” he asked.

“We’re supposed to start that concealed weapons class.”

“I’ll get that changed.  Go pack a weekend bag. You won’t need much.  Bring one dress and the rest casual.”

He walked out of the room with a big grin on his face that left me wondering what he was up to.

Thirty minutes later we were in his car, headed up the interstate, but he wouldn’t give a clue as to where.  When we took the airport exit, I began to get suspicious.

“Are we flying somewhere?”

He just looked at me and gave me one of his sexy smiles.

Then he threw me off because he didn’t pull into the main airport entrance, but kept driving. When he finally turned off Airport Road, I had no idea where he was. I knew we were at the airport, but we were on the backside of it.  Then we went through a big gate and he showed his ID. They asked for mine and I took out my driver’s license. After a couple of minutes, we were allowed to proceed. He drove around until we came to one of those huge hangars.  There was a small jet sitting out in front of it.  A man ran out to meet us and Pearce got out of the car and came around to help me out. 

“Dr. Middleton, it’s good to see you sir.”

“Hi Jerry. Thanks for coming on such short notice.  This is Alexia.”

“Hello Ma’am.”

I shook his hand and Pearce guided me toward the jet.

“Are you serious? Is this your plane?”

“No, it’s the Middleton Enterprise G5.”

“What’s a G5?”

“A Gulfstream 5. It’s a jet Alexia.”

“I know that Pearce.”

“It’s just the type of jet sweetheart.”

“Oh.” I just realized that I said that a lot when I was with him. I needed to find a new word for ‘Oh.’

“I didn’t know you had one of these.”

He stopped and turned to me. “Honey, it’s not mine.  It’s the company’s.  I was just lucky it wasn’t in use this weekend. Now, shall I carry you on board, because I’m certainly not opposed to that?”

“No, I can walk.”

I mounted the stairs and the pilot greeted us as we entered.

“Dr. Middleton, welcome aboard.”

“Thanks Mitch.  This is Alexia.”

We exchanged greetings and the flight attendant asked if we wanted drinks.  Pearce ordered champagne from him and he popped the cork on a bottle of Cristal. We toasted as the plane took off.

The jet was pure luxury. There were reclining seats clustered around tables and a cabin in the back with a bed and bath. It was unreal.

“Do you fly in this often?”

“Yes, if the family goes on a trip together, we usually take this. For conferences I don’t use it. I’ll confess, you get spoiled because it’s much faster. No lines and baggage issues.  We all ski so it’s much easier to use this than a commercial airline.

“No doubt. I can see why. Now will you pinch me?”

He just laughed.

“Um, so Pearce, where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

About an hour later I could tell by the way my ears started to pop that we were descending.  It didn’t take long after that for the plane to come to a stop.

After the flight attendant opened the door, we were greeted at the stairs by someone informing us our rental car was here.  I looked outside, but it was dark, so I still didn’t know where we were.

Pearce got me settled in the Mercedes rental and then we were off.  When we got on the interstate, I knew we were in Asheville, North Carolina.

“Aha! Asheville,” I called out.

He laughed, and then asked, “But do you know where we’re staying?”

“No clue.”

So we drove and I had no idea until we pulled into the valet area in front of the huge stone structure of The Grove Park Inn.

I grinned. I’d always wanted to come to this place but I didn’t think I’d ever stay here. It was way out of my league. My hopes were always to come and walk through the place and catch the views. Now, here I was, staying as a guest.

Pearce checked us in and we were ushered up to our amazing suite.  He ordered room service and we both undressed and put on the robes hanging in the closet. He uncorked a bottle of wine that was in the refrigerator and poured us each a glass.

“To my lovely Alexia and her success next week in Greenville.  May she get the deal!”

We clinked glasses and sipped our wine. Our food arrived and it was extremely good. When we finished, Pearce said in a hoarse voice, “Alexia, take off that robe. I’ve been thinking about your naked body all day and I don’t think I can’t stand it another minute.”

I slipped off the robe and let it puddle around my feet. I stood there for a minute. His eyes had that look of raw emotion in them.

“Don’t move.”

He came to me then. He kissed me and my body heated up with fire. He swept his tongue across my lips and kissed the corner of my mouth. Bending his head, he started sucking on my earlobe. He ran his tongue around the shell of my ear and when he came back to my lobe, he began a light waltz down my neck.  I was moaning by this time, my hands on his shoulders, squeezing tightly.

He took his tongue and started to swirl it along the pulse point in my neck, sucking and swirling until I thought I’d scream. Just when I thought I couldn’t take anymore, he dropped to the hollow at the base of my throat and repeated his sweet escapade. By this time I was moaning unabashedly, my fingers laced in his hair.

When he sunk his teeth onto my nipple I screamed. He put his fingers in my mouth and I started sucking on them, partly because I wanted to, but partly because I needed them to keep me from screaming.

He moved down to my rib cage and I knew I would be squirming soon because this was one of my favorite things he did to me. He scraped his teeth along the ridges and bit down...not too hard but not too soft either.

“Pearce, I have to have you inside of me.  NOW!”

“Not yet. I have other plans sweetheart,” he teased.

I groaned and pulled his hair, hard.

He stopped what he was doing and picked me up and threw me down on the bed. He dropped to his knees on the floor and pulled me to the edge.  Spreading my legs, he sucked the tender skin on the inside of my thighs.  When he slipped his finger inside of me, I came with a vengeance, calling out his name.

When he felt my orgasm subside, he bent his head and picked up with his tongue where his fingers had been before. I thought I would go mad from the sensations. We had made passionate love before, but it was never like this...he was never like this. He’d unleashed a part of himself that he’d kept reined in...had held in check.

“Oh yes Pearce.” And he kept going.

Now I had to have him...all of him.

“I need you. Please don’t make me wait any longer.”

He was inside of me before I could even get the last word out. Fast and hard, at first, but then he pulled me up so we were face to face.

“Wrap your legs around me baby.”

I did and my arms too. I think every part of my body was connected to his.  I brushed his hair back and kissed his lips softly.  In his mouth I told him I loved him more than life itself. He came as I spoke the words.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The next morning, he informed me we had a day at the spa scheduled. My mouth hung open until he took his hand and put it under my chin and gently closed it.

The Grove Park Inn housed a subterranean spa that was known for its rock walls, tunnels and waterfall pools.  Oh yeah, it was also known for its wonderful spa treatments too.

Pearce had set up a whole day of services for us. We started with the mineral pools, then moved to the waterfall massage pools and then the outdoor hot tubs. Next we had a couple’s signature spa treatment.  Afterward, they brought us lunch in a private room. I was so relaxed I dozed for a bit.

Pearce woke me up in time for my manicure pedicure, which was done in our private room.  We drank champagne while I was being polished up.

When I was finished, it was time for our facials. By the time we were done with everything, it was late afternoon.  There was only one thing I wanted to do now, and apparently Pearce was thinking the same thing because we rushed back to our rooms and stripped off our clothing in record time.

Afterward, we lay in each other’s arms with our room aglow in the late afternoon sun and fell asleep, completely relaxed from the day’s activities.

When I woke up, I was lying with my head on Pearce’s abs, and my arms were wrapped around his torso.  I couldn’t think of a better place to be. I lifted my head to see his smoky grays staring me down. They were smoldering with passion, so I didn’t even bother to speak. I turned my head back to his abs and set my mouth to do what I loved the most. I started nibbling his firm muscles and relishing in the intake of his breath.

His hands twisted up in my hair and he let me do my thing. I moved across his hip bone, leaving a trail of kisses and tiny bites as I scraped my teeth along that sexy vee of his.

He gasped, hard, when I took him into my mouth and then he groaned and said my name over and over. He turned me on so much I could hardly stand it. I looked at him and saw he was watching me under heavy lidded eyes and what a sight he was. Dark, sexy and hot.

“On top. Now.” That’s all he said. I felt his hands moving me into place and then he was inside of me.

He put his hands on my hips and started to move me to match his rhythm. I was in heaven. He always knew exactly what I needed and how. It didn’t take long for both of us to reach our climaxes, and when we did, we were boldly watching each other. I now got why he liked to look at me when I came. God, he was really something...the way his brow creased, his lips slightly parted and his eyes bore into my soul. I collapsed in a heap onto his chest.

Without a word, he pulled me off of him and I moaned in protest.  I hated it when he pulled out of me.  He brought me up to his side and we faced each other. His lips were soft when they started their teasing, but that didn’t last long.

“You didn’t think we were finished, did you?”

Shit! He was going to wear me out at this rate.

I kissed him back, biting his lower lip, gently.

“You didn’t answer me,” he prodded.

“I guess not.”

By the time we were ready for dinner, I could barely stand on my feet.  He looked at me and let out a howl of laughter.

“I think it’ll be room service tonight.”

“Thank God!”

“You pick something out while I run us a bath.”

I ordered some lobster, salad, baked potatoes and a bottle of chardonnay. I didn’t even look at the price of things. I told them to have it here in one hour. No sooner.  I figured if we were in that huge jetted tub, it’d be an hour before we’d get out.  And guess what? I was right!

An hour later, there was a knock on the door and Pearce answered it. He signed the bill and tipped the server.

We sat down and then he took me on the most sensuous food journey of my life. It began as he took my robe off and pulled my naked body onto his very naked lap. Grinning, he pierced a piece of the lobster and dunked it in butter. Pulling it off of the fork with his fingers, he slid it into my mouth. I didn’t just take the meat. I sucked the butter off of his fingers and felt him grow hard beneath me as I did.

“I think this is going to be a long meal,” he said.

“How so?”

“Because I’m going to have to do more than just feed you Alexia,” he explained, right before he kissed me.

He was right. It took forever to eat, but in the end, it was worth every bite. He finally laid me across the table and used me as his plate. When he drizzled the butter across the lobster, which was dangerously close to my sex, I almost came as I watched him lick it all off of me.

“And now, for dessert,” he said, as he pulled me to the edge of the table and brought me to a magnificent climax.

I never knew loving someone could be so intense or filled with pleasure.

We were lying in bed and he was just looking at me.

“What are you thinking of? You have such a satisfied look on your face,” he noted.

“I am satisfied. Hell Pearce, look at what we’ve done today.” I laughed. “It’s been decadent.”

“Were you pleased?”

“Are you fishing for compliments?”

“Maybe.”

“Then, I was beyond pleased. I was...well, I’m not quite sure how to describe it. I know one thing.  I was loved today.”

“Was it obvious?”

“Hmm, yeah.” I grabbed him by his hair and kissed him.  “I love you. Like crazy.”

“Enough to marry me yet?”

“Yes, but not right away. You have to know there’ll never be anyone for me but you. Shit Pearce.  Do you think I could have this with someone else?”

“I don’t know Alexia.”

I lifted myself up to my elbow.  He was serious.  There was a question in his mind about that.

“Well I do. There won’t ever be anyone for me but you.  It’s like what you said. I’ll always be here...till the end.  I love you with everything I have. I just can’t marry you yet. Please give me a little time. It’s all I’m asking.”

“Of course I’ll give you time. I told you, I’m a patient man. Alexia, you don’t know what it means to me just to hear to tell me you love me.”

“Well, I do. More than I ever thought possible.”

He kissed the end of my nose.  “I guess we should try to get some sleep. We need to be at the airport at ten in the morning. I wanted to get you home in time for brunch with the family tomorrow. Is that okay?”

“Perfect.”