Hotshot (8 page)

“There was no alcohol talking. I meant every word I said last night. I’ve never been interested in any kind of relationship until I finally realized what was right in front of me. It hit me out of nowhere. I’m crazy about you. That day in my office, a switch was flipped. I’m not sure if it’s because you looked and felt so right in my arms, or if it’s the fact that I’d have given anything to take away your pain.

“Whatever it was didn’t go away. It thrived and grew, and for the last three weeks, all I’ve been able to think about is you. You’ve always been in my heart, but now you’ve branded me. I’m a fool for not seeing it sooner because now all I see is us.”

“Us?” She slowly raises her eyes to me and they’re glowing a deep blue.

Hope courses through me, and I swallow, putting the last shred of myself on the line. “Yes, us. Do you feel it? If you don’t, I’ll stand back and we can return to the way things were, but I couldn’t hide my feelings any longer.”

She stares at me blankly for too long, and I start to sweat. Then she leaps up, taking me by surprise, and wraps her whole body around me. I stumble a bit to find my footing, moving my arms to balance her on my waist. Her lips touch mine quickly, then she kisses along my jaw until reaching my ear. “Don’t you dare. I’m crazy about you, too.”

Her high pitch rings in my ears as her words sink in. She leans back, bracing her hands on my shoulders and locking eyes with me. Her smile lights up her face, and I move in for another kiss.

“Shaw,” she mutters against my lips.

“Hmm?”

“This may be a little too much too soon, but I’ve been crazy about you since I was fourteen years old.”

Her confession stirs a need inside me. I turn and stalk up the beach with her still in my arms. She tries to wiggle free when we pass the pool, but I hold tighter.

That one kiss left me craving more.

There’s no doubt, I’ll always crave more when it comes to Bizzy.

Bizzy

I smooth my hands down my dress, silently thanking Claire for insisting we go shopping. Butterflies flutter in my stomach, and I take a few deep breaths, trying to calm them. I lean in to smell the flowers Shaw brought me this afternoon as I grab my purse and take one last look in the mirror.

The rumpled sheets on the bed reflect back at me, and the butterflies go back into overdrive. An hour ago, I woke up in that bed with Shaw’s arms curled around me.

After he carried me in from the beach, he took me straight to my room. We spent hours kissing and talking until I fell asleep on his chest as he ran his fingers lazily through my hair. The skin on my neck still tingles where he woke me up with his lips, apologizing that we had to get ready for dinner.

“I’m about five seconds away from calling Gail to cancel tonight.” He startles me, and my throat goes dry when I catch sight of him leaning against the doorframe. He’s abandoned his standard business suit, instead wearing slacks with a button down open at the neck, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. I swallow several times, trying to find my voice.

His eyes rake up and down my body slowly, stopping when they meet mine. “You look incredible.”

Warmth ripples through me at his compliment, and I go to him, lifting on my toes to brush my lips across his. “You look very handsome yourself.”

“I’m serious about canceling.”

“Should I be insulted that this is the second night in a row you’ve mentioned canceling?” I raise an eyebrow, teasing him.

His eyes transform into a smoldering golden color as he licks his bottom lip seductively. My knees go weak as the air thickens between us.

“I’m a selfish son of a bitch, Bizzy, and the thought of sharing you, even for a few hours, is driving me crazy.” There’s a huskiness in his voice that has me struggling to breathe.

“But these are your clients. This is important,” I whisper, sounding unconvincing.

“Fuck them.” He kisses along my lips. “They’ll understand.”

“We can’t,” I force out, grasping his arm for support. He seals his mouth over mine until I melt into his body. He presses me close, kissing me deep, his tongue teasing me with gentle strokes until I moan.

His body goes solid, and I feel the length of his erection against my stomach. He stops mid-kiss and moves back, his eyes locking with mine. I shudder at the intensity of his stare.

“One kiss, one moan, and I’m a fucking goner. Never in my life, ever, have I felt the way I do when you’re in my arms. If you can control me with just a kiss, God knows what will happen…” He stops himself, and I wait, hanging on his words. His grip loosens as my pulse starts to race.

“What will happen when?”

The raw sex appeal I’ve always felt around him, now seeps all the way to my bones.

His face breaks into a small smile, and he pecks my cheek before taking my hand in his, lifting it to his mouth and kissing my knuckles.

“Your call, stay or go?”

I blink away the haze and reluctantly answer. “We should go.”

He grins at my hesitation and nods. “When we get back, we’ll move your things to my room. I want you in my bed tonight.”

I pause, my heart coming to a screeching halt… then thundering at his statement. “You do?”

He frowns, his eyes crinkling as he tightens his hold on my hand. “Last night, I had you asleep on me until I forced myself to carry you to your room. It sucked watching you sleep in that bed, knowing how you felt lying on top of me. Today, when you napped, I got the full experience of having you in my arms as you slept and woke up. I’m not going to miss it again. If you’d rather we sleep in your bed, that’s fine, as long as we’re together.”

“Either bed is fine with me,” I agree without hesitation.

“If we don’t leave now, we’ll never leave.”

“Well, I don’t want to miss the chance to see you in action. I’m already pretty convinced you’re incredible, but the thought of seeing you show this Joe guy how lucky he will be to have you isn’t something I’m willing to miss.”

His lips twitch at my statement. He gives a low chuckle and leads me out the door to the elevator, and like last night, he never lets me go.

I scrounge through my suitcase and huff, my nerves on edge. After all my packing preparations, there isn’t one sexy thing to wear to bed. Clothes are scattered across the bed, the floor, and even the recliner as I look again trying to find something to wear.

“Bizzy, you okay?” Shaw’s voice gets closer, and I know he’s milliseconds from coming in.

“Yes,” I squeak and grab the same pajama set I wore last night. At least he’s already seen this.

“What’s taking you so long?” His warm hands caress my shoulders as his lips brush along my neck.

“I was looking for something.”

“Want to tell me what?” he teases. “By the looks of this room, you must have been searching hard.”

I twist in his arms and swallow my groan when I come face to face with his defined, tan, bare chest. Even though I ran my hands along every inch this afternoon, I’m still stunned by it.

“I thought I’d brought a different pair of pajamas, but I didn’t,” I semi tell the truth.

“Biz, look at me.”

I raise my eyes to his and see his face filled with concern. “You okay?”

“Of course, why?”

“If you want to sleep in here, if I pushed too hard, I’ll back off.”

“No!” I practically scream. “It’s not that. I was just hoping I had something sexier to wear to bed,” I admit, heat spreading up my neck.

“Sexy, huh?”

My chest grows tight and my nipples start to tingle. His hands glide up my arms until they’re cupping my head and his fingers fist in my hair.

“I think you may have missed the part about you being the sexy one. You could wear an old, ragged, ripped t-shirt, and I’d think you were the sexiest thing I’d ever seen.”

“How do you do that?” I whisper, my body doing a full shiver. “You make me feel like I’ve never felt before.

“Because I mean it. Every word.”

I back away and hurry to the bathroom. It takes me twice as long to get ready for bed because I’m a nervous wreck. I wish like hell I’d brought my phone in with me so I could call Claire for a little advice. She’d know what to say to calm me down.

I try to think of exactly what she’d tell me and picture her scolding me.

“Lizbeth Hastings, shake out of it and get yourself together! This is Crenshaw Bennett, the man you’ve been in love with for years. The same man waiting for you in his bed while you pitter around in this bathroom.”

I don’t even give myself another look before exiting the bathroom and heading to his room. He’s watching the door and gives me a crooked grin when I enter, going straight to his side.

“I had plans when I woke up this morning, but in my wildest dreams, I didn’t think I’d have you in my bed this soon.” He pulls me down and kisses me softly.

“What do you mean?” I mutter against his lips.

“I was going to go slow… too slow. Get a pulse on where you were, but I’ve never been good at subtle.”

“Not that I’m complaining, but what changed your mind?”

“When I left you sleeping this morning, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. My meeting was brutal, so I cut it short, and on my way back here, Nicky called. His protection over you set me off. I didn’t want him to worry because you were with me. Then it dawned on me, I don’t want anyone to worry because you will always be safe with me.

“I decided I’d make my move. When you looked at me on the beach, I cracked. I’ve never wanted anything as badly as to kiss you right that second.”

My insides give a little quiver, thinking about that kiss. It was hours ago, but I still feel the buzz of electricity when his tongue swept across my lips. I knew things were changing, but I didn’t want to let myself hope. I let his words truly sink in.

“…in my wildest dreams…”

“…couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

“…I don’t want anyone to worry because you will always be safe with me.”

“…never wanted anything as badly as to kiss you…”

Any feelings I was suppressing have exploded, making my heart race. I may have thought I loved him before, but now, I can’t remember a time when he wasn’t everything I ever wanted. It’s never been about his money, his position, or his prestige.

It’s because he’s Shaw Bennett, the man who is so deep and so powerful. The man who would walk through fire for those he loves. The same man who can crush someone with just the slice of his eyes, and ten minutes later send a dying teenager a room full of sports memorabilia of his favorite player.

His eyes search mine, waiting for a response as I smooth one hand over his cheek. “I consider myself lucky that you’re not good at subtle because this has been the best afternoon of my life. Thank you for giving me that.”

I fight the sting of tears welling up, but one slips out. He catches it with his thumb and raises an eyebrow.

“Why do I feel like there’s something you’re not saying?”

I decide to follow his lead, no holding back. “There’s a part of me that’s scared to believe this is really happening. What if—”

“Shh.” He places a finger against my lips. “I know how much we both have at stake here. I’ve thought about it for weeks. This isn’t casual for me; it’s the opposite. I may have mentioned I’m crazy about you, but I don’t think you understand. Lucky for me, I have a lot of time to show you. I’m not going anywhere.”

“How do you know? There’s so much to learn.”

He holds my stare for a few seconds before dropping his head to my neck. I faintly feel his chest vibrating and realize he’s laughing at me.

“I wasn’t being funny.” I push against him, trying to force his face to mine. It’s useless, and in one quick move, he’s twisted to his back, taking me with him.

One arm grips my waist while the other slides up, holding the back of my head. He continues to laugh, and I struggle to get out of his grasp.

“Stop fighting me, babe.”

“No! You’re making fun of me. I was being serious!”

“I know. That’s what’s so funny.” His hand on my head loosens enough to allow me to lean back and see him fully.

His eyes dance with humor as he tries to keep a straight face. “Listen to me. I do know you, better than I know myself sometimes. What you’re not realizing is this isn’t a normal relationship, and I’m fucking ecstatic it isn’t. We have ten years of history. Some of it sad, some of it scary, but most of it beautiful. We’re not two people meeting for the first time, feeling this out, getting to know each other, and pussyfooting around. This is as real as it gets.”