Fall Into You (34 page)

After leaving the truck with a valet, Grant took Charli’s elbow and gathered her close
to his side. Somehow even in a tailored suit, he smelled like the country air. She
had the urge to burrow against him and absorb his scent.

He nodded to a path that looped around the side of the events hall. “Looks like the
party is out back. They like to have everything in the gardens when it’s warm enough.”

She nodded, her nerves starting to creep in. “Okay.”

“I want you to relax and have a good time, but try to focus on the things we’re working
on. Pretend this is a dry run for your upcoming audition.” He ran his fingers along
her spine, sending chill bumps through her. “Be polite. But don’t be afraid to talk
or be yourself. You’re a smart woman with a lot to say. Charm these stuffy bastards.”

She laughed. “I’ll do my best. Though it feels a little awkward posing as your date
just so we can train.”

He turned her toward him, cupping her shoulders and pinning her with his gaze. “Listen
to me. You’re not posing as anything. And you’re not here as my submissive. You’re
my date—my smoking-hot, makes-me-hard-just-looking-at-her date. I wouldn’t want anyone
else by my side tonight.”

Her neck went warm, and she glanced over at another couple
strolling a few feet away, hoping they couldn’t overhear what Grant was saying.

“You walk into this party knowing that you look fantastic, that you’re going to make
my colleagues wish they were me, and that I’m probably not going to be the only one
imagining you in just those boots.”

She bit her lip, heat gathering much, much lower than her face now. Her panties went
damp against her skin. “Yes, sir.”

She put her hand to her mouth, surprised the response had rolled off her tongue so
instinctively.

His eyes went almost black in the moonlight, and he smiled. “Oh, darlin’, now you’ve
really got me tempted to take you back to the truck and forget this whole plan.” His
arms slid from her shoulders down along her arms. “But I’m a man of my word, so let’s
get moving before my baser instincts veto my nobler ones.”

She took a deep breath and nodded, trying to quell the surge of need rising in her.
How was it that with a few simple words, this man could turn her sideways? She had
every intention of telling Grant tonight that things were getting too intense, that
they needed to back off. But right now, she was having an exceptionally hard time
accepting that he’d never touch her that way again, never command her, that she would
never visit that blissful place of surrender he’d brought her to.

Grant’s hand closed around hers, and he turned them toward the path. “Come on, Charlotte.
Let’s go play nice.”

Grant could barely concentrate on the conversations as he circulated around the gardens,
introducing Charli and making small talk with friends and colleagues. He’d offered
her a stiff drink when they’d first come in to help soften her nerves, and since then,
she’d become downright effervescent. The girl could speak on almost any topic. Talking
sports was her obvious favorite, but she
was well schooled on current events, politics, and the city. The people he introduced
her to seemed captivated and kept giving Grant approving looks. He’d even gotten a
shoulder pat from the stodgy, retired CEO of a local restaurant chain and a whispered,
“That one’s a keeper, son.”

The only time Charli had faltered was when a senator’s wife asked her who had designed
her dress. After a moment’s hesitation, Charli had smiled and said she had no idea,
that it was a gift and that she was fashion-challenged. The woman had laughed and
confessed she’d found her own outfit at a consignment store.

As the night went on, Grant became more and more perplexed as to why Charli was having
any issues at her job. Sure, he could tell that she was a little more deliberate in
the heeled boots, a little more aware of the way her dress moved when she sat. But
other than that, he didn’t see any of the awkward tomboy image she was so worried
she had. He’d been training her on a few things but knew that he hadn’t provided some
metamorphosis.

So why had she gotten passed over for that job? Did she panic on camera and lose the
girl-next-door charm that seemed to glow from her tonight? Were her bosses unable
to see the potential beneath her oversized clothes and clean-scrubbed face? Surely
her company had makeup and wardrobe people. They had to see that Charli could be gussied
up. No one on television wakes up looking like they do on camera.

Charli turned and smiled at him when the couple they’d been chatting with excused
themselves. “You’re going for the strong and silent image tonight, cowboy?”

He drained the last of his wine and set it on a nearby table. “Sorry, freckles. I
thought I’d let you take center stage tonight. You’re far more charming than I am.”

She snorted. “Yeah and pigs have wings. All this chatting is exhausting, though.”

“Come on. Break time.” He grabbed her hand and tugged. He
needed a respite from the crowd as well. People milled around them as they weaved
their way through the linen-covered tables that dotted the lawn and the strings of
sparkle lights that had been draped from tree to tree swung gently above them, lighting
their path.

“Where are we going?” she asked, her question barely audible as they passed near the
string quartet.

“We have a few minutes before they start the awards presentation. And I know this
quiet spot by the pond where we can take a breather.” He guided her over a couple
of stepping-stones that cut through a row of hedges. A small sign had been staked
in the garden:
Private Property: No Visitors Beyond This Point
.

She glanced over at him with a conspiratorial smile as they made their way from the
crowded lawn into a more secluded part of the property. “Breaking the rules, huh?
You sure you’re not just trying to get a girl alone, Mr. Waters? I’ve heard you’ve
got a bit of a reputation.”

“Oh, is that right?” he asked, releasing her hand once they were obviously alone and
giving her ass a swift pinch.

She rewarded him with a little squeal and a flash of lust in her eyes. She picked
up her pace and got a few steps out of his reach, peeking back over her shoulder at
him.

“I wouldn’t run from me,” he warned. “That’s like flashing a cape in front of a bull.”

The eyebrow arch and head tilt she gave him were pure mischief. Before he could blink,
she took off toward the water glimmering in the distance.

He launched into pursuit. “Oh, now that’s your ass, freckles.”

His dress shoes were slippery against the grass, but Charli wasn’t exactly wearing
sneakers either. So before long he was only a stride or two behind her. She dared
a glance behind her, her smile wide, before she unexpectedly veered right and left
him skidding past her. He grabbed onto a tree to slow himself, then changed direction.

Charli ran along the edge of the pond, but her steps faltered
when she saw the thicket of trees on the far side of it. Grant grinned in triumph.
She only had two choices—surrender or risk traipsing through the wilds surrounding
the property in the dark. Before she could act, Grant reached her, capturing her by
the waist and spinning her off her feet.

She shrieked and he dragged her to the ground, pulling her down on top of him in the
grass. “Gotcha now, darlin’.”

“You’re going to get your suit dirty.” She made a halfhearted attempt to escape, writhing
against him and inadvertently making his cock stir to life. But when his arms didn’t
budge, she sighed and sagged against him, her forehead against his. “Man, I hate to
lose.”

He chuckled and slid his hands from her waist down to the curve of her butt, fitting
her pelvis against his thickening erection. “Yes, but you make such a sexy little
captive.”

She groaned. “Down, boy. We’re at a fancy-schmancy party, remember?”

“And those fancy-schmancy people are two hundred yards on the other side of those
trees getting into their seats for a ceremony that starts in five minutes.” He tucked
his hand beneath the hem of her dress, dragging a finger along the lacy line of her
thong. “But I can play nice. If you’re not wet, I’ll let you free right now.”

“That’s not fair,” she protested.

“Ah, so you
are
ready for me then,” he murmured as he slipped a finger beneath the lace. The silky
heat of her arousal greeted him.
Fucking beautiful
. She wasn’t just wet; she was soaked. “Well, well, someone likes being captured.”

She made a soft sound and closed her eyes as he touched her. “I may or may not have
entertained the idea before. How do you feel about pirate outfits?”

He laughed. “Not a chance.” But maybe he’d have to play this cat-and-mouse game with
her at The Ranch, where no one would blink an eye if he caught her, stripped her down,
and tied her to a tree.

But right now, he didn’t have the patience to wait until they were back at his place.
He needed her now. Right here.

He traced his fingernail against her slit, and she quivered hard against him. “So
responsive. You’re protesting, but your body certainly appreciates that we’re out
in the open. I think you may have a bit of an exhibitionist streak in you, Ms. Beaumonde.”

She dragged her teeth over her bottom lip, but no additional protest came.

“I love that you’re so damn dirty,” he said, sliding his hands along the backs of
her thighs. “You could give me a run for my money.”

“You’re just a bad influence.”

He gave her an unapologetic smile. “Sit up, sweet Charlotte, lift your skirt, and
straddle me. Your only instruction is to not make a sound when you come for me. You
understand?”

Even in the moonlight he could see her pupils go wide with desire, the risk of discovery
clearly making her anxious but feeding her need for playing at the edge at the same
time. “Grant, I don’t know…”

But even as she made her lackluster objection, she was lifting off him, following
his directive whether she knew it or not.

“You know how to make me stop, darlin’,” he said, slowly bunching her dress up her
thighs. “Say the word, and I’ll take you back to the party.”

Her breathing became more shallow with each inch of exposure. “What if I can’t be
quiet?”

“You will.” He unfastened his pants and dragged his zipper down, releasing his erection.
“Make a sound and I’ll turn you over my knee and redden that pretty ass right here.
I’ll make sure you won’t be able to sit when we get back to the party.”

Her eyes went round, and her little hum of fear went straight to his cock, nourishing
that dark desire inside him. He loved pushing her boundaries, making such a strong,
put-together woman quiver.

“Spread your knees and pull those panties to the side before I rip them off of you.”

She widened her legs, straddling him fully. The sight of her polished fingernails
pulling aside the lace and revealing the pink, swollen lips of her sex was enough
to have him let loose his own groan. “You have the sexiest fucking cunt I’ve ever
seen. It’s taking everything I have not to put you on your back and lick and nibble
every tender bit of it.”

Her cheeks darkened in the moonlight, but her eyes were pure want.

“I love that your whole body goes hot when I get crass,” he said, brushing a finger
over her cheekbone. “Hold your dress up with your other hand. I want to watch you
take me inside you. Slow.”

“Yes, sir,” she whispered, the soft words mixing with the sound of the breeze rustling
the trees.

He propped himself on his elbow and took his cock in his hand, positioning himself
at her entrance. Damn, he was glad he’d decided to forgo condoms with her. Being bare
inside Charli was the most decadent treat he could imagine. Her slick heat enveloped
the sensitive head and sent a shock of pleasure marching up his spine. “Ah, baby,
yes. You feel so good.”

She lowered herself at a tortuous pace—teasing him but also teasing herself. He could
feel her inner muscles clenching around him, trying to draw him deeper. He was glad
he was the one lying down. His knees would’ve given out otherwise.

“That’s right, take me in slow and easy.” The visual alone was enough to have his
balls tightening. The sensual slide of her taking each inch of him, the slight tremor
in her thighs as she fought to hold herself still, the quick rise and fall of her
belly as her breath hitched with each new sensation.

“I could come just looking at you like this.” He reached out and stroked a thumb over
her clit. She arched, her nipples going prominent against the material of the dress,
but she managed to stay silent.
“Ride me, Charlotte. Pull my orgasm from me. You can come when I do.”

She sank down, burying him deep inside her heat, and he had to bite his own tongue
not to moan. But the rapt expression on her face was worth it. She was no longer worrying
that she was fucking him where someone could discover them. All she was focused on
was the pleasure of it, her need for release, and her desire to please him. She’d
gone into subspace without any restraints or pain play. She was all his right now.
And he fucking loved it.