Splendor (Inevitable #2) (38 page)

“I can’t wait to see you in it,” he rasped. “I’m guessing it makes your gorgeous tits look even bigger than they already are.” He replaced his fingers with his lips, kissing the exposed upper curves of her breasts. “I almost bought you the necklace that matched the other jewelry, but then decided I didn’t want anything to mar the perfection of these perfect breasts.”

“Please.” The throaty moan escaped her lips as he brushed his thumb over her nipple. Her hands clutched handfuls of his shirt as she tried to mold her lower body against his.

“Easy, love.” He dropped a kiss on her the bridge of her nose before taking her firmly by the hand. “Remember what I told you earlier – anticipation only enhances the ultimate pleasure. So, come now. Time to start anticipating what’s to come.”

***

The cocktail lounge was on the top floor of the lodge, and offered up a stupefying view of the snowcapped mountains. They sipped one of the special Valentine’s Day cocktails – a pomegranate margarita – and took turns feeding each other salted almonds and mini-pretzels.

As she popped an almond into his mouth, Ian clasped her wrist, holding it still as he sucked her finger between his lips. Then it was his turn to feed her a pretzel, and she mimicked his actions by licking his index finger suggestively.

His eyes darkened. “Are you imagining something else in place of my finger inside your mouth right about now?” At her nod, he removed his finger and brushed his thumb over her lips instead. “Naughty girl.”

“I like being naughty with you.”

“Jesus.” He shifted a bit awkwardly in his leather chair. “You’re making me forget all of my good intentions, you little flirt. Finish your drink now, love, it’s nearly time for dinner.”

Once again Tessa marveled at the way the wait staff at the very upscale hotel restaurant catered to Ian, very obviously knowing exactly who he was, and going out of their way to make sure he had a satisfactory dining experience. They easily had the best table in the place next to the window that afforded another fabulous view of the mountains.

He had taken her out to equally posh restaurants often enough over these past weeks that she was more at ease with scanning menus and ordering. They shared a Caesar salad that the waiter hand tossed tableside, as well as an order of black truffle risotto. She chose the sea bass for her entrée while Ian ordered a beef filet, giving her a wink as he did that made her squirm a bit in reaction. He was not so subtly passing along the message that he needed the red meat for what was yet to happen tonight.

He ordered champagne – a Ruinart Brut Rose – and she was delighted to discover it was pink as the waiter poured it into flutes.

“For Valentine’s Day,” Ian told her. “I hope you like it, my love.”

As Tessa took a sip, she realized this was the second time this evening he’d called her “my love” as opposed to simply “love”, and wondered at the significance – if any – at this slight change. But she soon forgot about it as the meal progressed, far too intent on listening to him, gazing at him, desiring him. Everything he did, no matter how subtle or seemingly insignificant, seemed to arouse her this evening – the way his long fingers held his champagne flute; the movements of his strong jaw as he carefully chewed a bite of food; not to mention the glimpses she was afforded of his tanned throat and the very beginnings of the dark ribbon of hair that bisected his chest. She knew he hadn’t worn a tie very intentionally and could only assume – or, rather hope – that he was planning for this to be the night they played out the fantasy dream she’d described to him.

The deepening hunger she felt must have been obvious in the way she kept staring at him, for he took her hand in his at some point and drew it to his lips.

“That look on your face – God, you have no idea what it’s doing to me,” he told her in a husky voice.

“Oh.” She glanced down at her plate, suddenly shy. “Sorry. I just – I guess I just like to look at you.”

“Hush. Don’t look away from me, Tessa. Ah, there’s my girl,” he crooned as she lifted her gaze to his. “I wasn’t complaining, darling. Far from it. I love that I can put that particular look on your face – the one that tells me how much you want me. It’s so honest and open. I don’t ever want you to pretend with me, or try to hide your emotions. Understood?”

She nodded, spellbound by his deep voice and the way his hazel eyes glittered almost dangerously. “I won’t,” she breathed. “And I do want you, Ian. So much that it’s all I’ve been able to think about all day. It’s – too much at times, I think.”

“No.” He shook his head emphatically. “Never too much. You have so much passion, Tessa, far more than we’ve even begun to uncover as yet. I knew it the first time I kissed you, when you came so easily and so quickly. We’re really just beginning to awaken you sexually. But I’ll warn you now – I’m the only man who’ll be assisting you in that particular endeavor.”

She cupped his cheek in her hand. “I don’t want anyone else, just you. You know that.”

“Do I? Sometimes I’m not always certain. That’s still one of my greatest fears, you know,” he admitted. “I’m terrified that you’ll wake up one morning and realize you’ve made a huge mistake, that you’ll want your freedom to meet other men,
younger
men, play the field a little and have the sort of fun girls your age ought to be doing. You never had the opportunity to do that, after all, and I’m worried that you’ll regret passing it all up.”

“Why in the world would I want to do that?” she asked in bewilderment. “That doesn’t sound like much fun to me.”

“Try telling that to your friends,” he replied darkly. “Yesterday it felt like some sort of bizarre conspiracy theory was unfolding – one that involved all of them setting you up with other men.”

Tessa was startled at the note of desperation in his voice, the way he looked and sounded so insecure – he, the most confident, self-assured man she’d ever met. “If you’re worried about what Kevin said – please don’t be. He means well but he’s a total airhead most of the time. I hardly ever take what he says seriously. And,” she added gently, “I have no intention or any interest in letting him fix me up with anyone.”

“It wasn’t just Kevin. That was bad enough but then scarcely an hour later I had to bite my tongue when that little scamp Julia asked my opinion about setting you up with a friend of Nathan’s. How did you manage to fend off that very persistent little mischief-maker anyway?”

“What?” Tessa couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Julia? She didn’t say one word to me about meeting any friends of Nathan’s. This was at the office yesterday you’re referring to? All she really talked about was the new pair of shoes Nathan was going to buy her.”

A slow smile spread across his face, and he shook his head in exasperation. “I think I’ve been had by a very devious interior designer. And I believe Nathan is quickly discovering he’s got his hands full with that little devil he’s engaged to. Not to mention several hundred dollars poorer after buying the aforementioned shoes.”

She was more perplexed than ever now. “I really have no idea about any of that. But I’ve got no interest in dating other men. Why would I when I’ve already got my Prince Charming?”

Her answer seemed to please him tremendously, as well as relieve any doubts he might have still been harboring. “Well, every princess deserves a prince, darling. And I’m going to work very hard to make sure you’re every bit as pampered and cherished as a queen.”

She let him coax her into sharing dessert, even though she was already full from the superb meal. He fed her bits of warm chocolate lava cake and salted caramel ice cream, while they both sipped coffee – an espresso for him, a foamy cappuccino for her. She didn’t drink coffee very often, but was already beginning to feel a little drowsy from all the champagne and rich food, and decided the extra caffeine would be a wise idea. There was no way she was going to fall asleep before they had the opportunity to play out her fantasy.

“Are we going back to our room now?” she asked hopefully as he finished signing the guest check.

“Impatient, are we?” he asked in amusement.

“Yes,” she replied in a breathless voice. “The – ah – anticipation is getting to be more than I can bear.”

He slid his hand to the back of her head and brought her mouth to his for a soft kiss. “Good. I want you wild with need, so aroused that you’ll come at the lightest touch.”

Tessa groaned. “I’m already there.”

“Are you wet?”

“God, yes,” she whispered. “So much that I think I might leave a spot on this chair.”

Ian closed his eyes, muttering something beneath his breath, before standing abruptly and pushing his chair back. “Let’s go,” he said roughly, stepping around the table to pull her chair out. “Otherwise, I’m going to kiss you right here in front of all these people and it will take an awful lot to make me stop.”

She was certain he would take her back to the suite after that, but gave a little sigh of frustration when they stopped at the piano bar in the lobby instead. He noticed the little huff she made as they sat at one of the tables and smiled at her.

“Remember what I told you earlier, love? The anticipation builds the pleasure,” he reminded her gently. “Don’t pout, Tessa, it won’t sway my decision. Trust me, darling, this will all be worth it in just a very short while. Meanwhile, relax and enjoy the music for a bit, hmm?”

He ordered them each a brandy, the Camus label she know he preferred. She still found the taste of the fine liqueur a little bitter for her taste but nonetheless sipped her drink daintily. Ian held her hand loosely in his as they listened in companionable silence to the vocalist and her accompanying pianist. Several couples in the bar were dancing in the small space in front of the piano as Ian pulled her to her feet and out onto the dance floor.

He held her close, one arm banded about her waist, the other hand clasping hers where it rested on his shoulder. He danced as smoothly and effortlessly as he seemed to do almost everything, and it was the easiest thing in the world for her to follow his lead.

“I wanted to dance with you so badly at the Christmas party,” he murmured close to her ear. “Especially when I saw you there all alone. But of course, I couldn’t, not without revealing my hand – and my feelings – to everyone else there that night.”

“Including your date, of course,” she replied teasingly.

He gave her waist a little squeeze. “Behave. I’ve already explained to you about Rebecca. And you were the woman I wanted that night, not her. When you told me as you were getting ready to leave about your divorce – you have no idea what I felt to learn the news. I couldn’t go back to the party for a while – I needed some private time to fully absorb the reality that you were finally going to be free.”

She nestled the top of her head beneath his chin as they kept dancing to the next song. “You were so kind to me that night – getting me a taxi and paying for it. But I just figured you were only looking out for one of your employees.”

“No.” He rubbed his cheek against her head. “I wanted to be the one to take you home that night, to take you home with
me
. Instead, I sat in the bar of the hotel and began to plot exactly how I was going to seduce you. It was all going to start with you filling in for Andrew during his vacation. I think I gave the old boy quite a shock on that Monday when I shared the news.”

She laughed. “That must have been something to see. Andrew doesn’t shock easily. I always wondered, you know, why I was never asked to substitute for him before then. I just assumed you didn’t think I was capable.”

“Not even remotely close to the truth,” he assured her swiftly. “The real truth is that I didn’t trust myself having you in such close proximity. I’m not sure I could have remembered you were a married woman – or gave a damn – after a while. And you are far more than just capable of doing the job, Tessa. You did a brilliant job filling in for Andrew, far better than any of the others ever did.”

She was ridiculously pleased at his praise. “That means a lot. And I’m very glad to know it wasn’t my ineptitude that made you reluctant to have me fill in. Speaking of Andrew, there’s something else I’ve always meant to ask you about him.”

Ian grinned playfully. “He’s not gay, even though he may act like an uptight bastard most of the time.”

She gave him a little swat on the arm. “That’s not what I was going to ask you. And I’ve met his girlfriend so I already knew he wasn’t gay. Isobel is – well, very different from our Andrew. The saying about opposites attracting could have been invented with the two of them in mind. No, what I was going to ask you concerns – well, Jason, I’m afraid. And why Andrew always seemed to be around when - ”

“When that prick was trying to harass you,” finished Ian. “Why do you think that happened, Tessa?”

She shrugged. “I always assumed it was because you didn’t want another sexual harassment lawsuit on your hands.”

“Wrong. Oh, not that the possibility wasn’t a valid concern. But my primary motivation was to make damned sure that son of a bitch kept his filthy hands off of you. And it worked for the most part, until that day in the office gym.”

Her cheeks grew warm when she recalled that very unpleasant encounter. “You sent him away because of me, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” he replied, without the slightest hesitation. “I would have gladly shipped him to the Arctic Circle if I could have, anywhere to keep him away from you.” His hand squeezed hers a little tighter. “I’ll never allow him to harass you again, Tessa. Not Jason nor any other man. What’s mine I protect. And you are mine, aren’t you, love?”

In response, she touched his cheek and pressed her lips to his softly. He groaned beneath her kiss, and she quickly forgot there were other people in the room. All she was aware of was the warmth and hardness of his body pressed against hers, of the gentle caress of his lips on hers, and of the stirring lyrics the vocalist was crooning. The song was Alicia Keys’
If I Ain’t Got You
, and the beautiful words about not wanting or needing anything else if she couldn’t have the man who held her against him so tenderly made tears shimmer in her eyes. She turned her face into his chest, her heart so filled with emotion that she feared it might burst.