The Billionaire Bargain 2 (7 page)

“
It was a gift from Gran
t
—
”
I started to say through clenched teeth.

“
It would be, would
n’
t it
?”
she interrupted.

A third girl, her hair the kind of glossy black that only goes with skin that pale when the black comes out of a bottle, drawled
:“
I bet h
e’
s bought you a lot o
f‘
dresses
,’
huh? Did he give you a credit card or does he just leave cash on the bedside table
?
”

“
Excuse me, I do
n’
t like what yo
u’
re insinuating
!
”

“
God, do
n’
t be so defensive
,”
said the first girl with a vicious smile
.“
We were just making conversation
.
”

“
So, tell me about yourselves
,”
I said desperately. For a moment that seemed to perk their interest, but then I made the mistake of adding
:“
How do you know Grant
?
”

They looked at me like I was scum.

Great, a whole room full of people who hated me for something that was
n’
t even true. And the lie was just getting bigger all the time, creating vast new vistas of people to hate me for no reason. I felt misery welling like a black lake in the pit of my stomach.

“
And I return
!”
Grant swooped back in with drinks, handing mine to me as he kissed my cheek, and then pecked the check of the girl with the nose-job
.“
I see yo
u’
ve met Starla; her famil
y’
s not far from here. We used to play together as kids, didn'twe
?
”

Starla blushed and mumbled something unintelligible; I felt a twinge of sympathy. A childhood crush on Grant, ouch. She had to be hurting now more than ever.

“
Yo
u’
re all looking lovely
,”
Grant said, sliding his arm around my waist
.“
Do
n’
t you think so, Lacey
?
”

“
Yup
,”
I said, and took a large gulp of my drink
.“
Very lovely. Very, ver
y…
fecund
.
”

“
Oh
?”
Grant raised an eyebrow and surveyed the girls, who were displaying varying levels of confusion, incomprehension, and in a few cases, dawning anger
.“
Do you know, Lacey, I could
n’
t agree more. These girls redefine the very wor
d‘
fecund
.’
Make it lose all meaning. It pales beside them
.
”

Something about his charming smile seemed to make them all decide it was a compliment; there were now a few tentative smiles. He beamed another smile at them, and they all melted.

“
I hope
I’
ll make it back later tonight
,”
he went on
,“
but I do need to show Lacey something right now. Lacey, pudding-blossom, a moment, please
?
”

I let him get us fifteen feet away from them before raising my eyebrows
.“
Pudding-blossom
?
”

“
Payback for sugarplum
.
”

I shook my head
.“
Sugarplum is at least an actual word. But thanks for saving me from the mean girl squad
.”

“
You looked as though you wanted to throw yourself off the veranda
,”
Grant said
.“
I ca
n’
t marry you if yo
u’
re a splattery mess. Want to get out of here
?
”

For a second I thought he just meant over to the other side of the party with the drinks, but then I saw he was gesturing out into the night
.“
Bu
t…
I thought the safe word was just fo
r…
what about all these people
?
”

“
I
t’
s our party
,”
Grant said with that wicked grin that made my heart start playing percussion
.“
We can do whatever we want
.”
And then that arrogance melted for just a second, and that other grin surfaced, that soft, shy one that made him look like a timid kitten, eager for affection and approval
.“
I want to show you around
.
”

How could I say no?

We had
n’
t gotten more than ten feet when my heels started to sink into the lush dirt
.“
Damn, Grant,
I’
m sorry. I did
n’
t bring my practical shoes. Yo
u’
ll have to show me another time
.
”

“
Nonsense
,”
he said with a glint in his eye
.“
We just nee
d…
alternate transportation
.
”

He set down our drinks, grabbed my hand, and pulled me over to a golf cart that looked like it had been chained to its post since the Nixon administration. Before I could ask if he had the key, he was picking the lock
.“
Man of many talents, huh
?
”

“
You would
n’
t believe how many handcuffs
I’
ve had to pick myself out of
.
”

Oh,
I’
d believe it, I thought.
I’
m just going to concertedly avoid thinking about it before my panties combust.

The lock yielded in second
s—
I was willing to bet this was not the first time Grant had gone joyriding in this golf cart with a young lady eithe
r—
and my butt had barely touched the seat before he zoomed off, revving of the engine. Grant threw back his head with a hearty laugh, and I squealed. There was a stir on the patio nearby.

“
Shh
,”
Grant whispered
,“
the
y’
ll catch us
!
”

“
Yo
u’
re leaving tracks an inch deep in the mud
!”
I hissed back, giggling as we dove between pines and looped around the edge of a field
.“
I
t’
s not going to take Tonto to find us

“
Better get mysterious, then
!”

And before I could ask a single question, he drove straight into the stream, splashing water all over us. I shrieked at the cold and then I could
n’
t stop laughing at the way the wave had plastered Gran
t’
s perfect hair back. He drove on down the stream, oblivious to the ridiculous swoop his hair was doing, and probably also oblivious to the way the water plastered his shirt to his chest, highlighting his muscles.

“
I used to do this all the time when I was a kid
!”
he said, not bothering to whisper anymore.

“I hope you’ve brushed up on your skills at least once since then!” I said.

“Nah, but I still think I can take that hill!” And he gunned the engine.

“You’re crazy!”

“Is that a dare?”

I shrieked again as the golf cart went flying up and over the hill, catching several feet of air before thudding back to earth. Grant caught me just seconds before I would have tumbled out of the side, my heart going a mile a minute and not slowing down as he took me in my arms. I could
n’
t stop laughing;
I’
d never felt so exhilarated.

“
That wa
s—
amazing
!”
I gasped and gave him a high five. He was laughing like crazy too, and pulled a long-necked bottle out from under the seat.

“
Our best private vintage label
,”
he said, popping the cork and handing it to me.

There were no glasses, so I chugged it like a beer, the rich red wine going down smooth and sweet, before tossing it to him. He caught it and poured some down his own throat before shaking his head in wonder.

“
And they say Aussie girls know how to party
!
”

“
So the honor of my countr
y’
s at stake
?”
I said. The wine and the adrenaline and the proximity to Grant were all making my blood sing, making me feel unconquerable
.“
Move aside, bitch, and let me show you how we drunk-drive a golf cart in the land of the free and the home of the brave
.
”

He acceded, and the engine purred under my ministrations, a lot more powerful than a golf cart should be
:“
Did you make some modifications to this
?
”

Grant flashed his teeth; half grin and half dare
.“
No point in owning something that ca
n’
t go fast
.
”

“
Truer word
s
…
”
I murmured
.“
Le
t’
s see how many horses you snuck under this hood
!
”

Unfortunately, I was
n’
t prepared for precisely how many horses, and I was also unfamiliar with the terrain. A patch of mud causes us to skid, and I just managed to swerve out of the way of a large boulder before we had to bail if we were going to be skewered by a tree.

“
Who put that tree there
?”
I giggled, dragging myself up on the bank of the stream, muddy and grass-stained.

“
My grandfather
,”
Grant said, coming to my side equally disheveled. Ooh, that ruffled hai
r
…

“
Sorry about the golf cart
,”
I said.

“
I
t’
s nothing
,”
Grant said distractedly, fishing about in his pockets. Whatever he was worried about, he must have found, because he stopped fishing and grinning, raising the wine bottle with his other hand
.“
Look what I found
!”

“
My hero
,”
I said, collapsing backwards onto the grass, mouth open
.“
Save me, good sir, and slake my thirst
.
”

“
Ay, milady
,”
he said, pouring a good quantity of rich warm wine into my waiting mouth before collapsing beside me
.“
If thou couldst rescue thy knigh
t
…”

“
Verily
,”
I said, but my gigglin
g—
I swear, I was giggling more on this night than in my entire previous life combine
d—
made my hand shake, and the drink splashed over Gran
t’
s lips, a few drops pooling in the hollow of his throat.

Well, waste not, want not.

I lowered my mouth to his throat and lapped at the wine, kissing its sweetness from his skin.

I felt him swallow, hard
.“
Lace
y
…”

“
I
t’
s delicious
,”
I said, and kissed his neck again, my lips curious, my tongue teasing its way along his skin to find the last traces of the wine, and beneath that, Gran
t’
s own taste, salt and sweat and something uniquely hi
m
…

Grant lifted my head and kissed me on the lips, long and slow and breathtakingly tender. “You’re quite delicious too.”

Was it minutes or hours we lay there, just kissing, just feeling our bodies press against each other on the grass, burning with a slow hot desire like lava? My head was swimming, my heart hammering. At some point Grant took my hand, helped me to my feet. His eyes were so blue in that still half-light.

“Let’s go get you cleaned up.”

We left our fancy shoes behind as a lost cause, and walked hand in hand through the vineyard, the leaves rustling in the midnight breeze, the darkness a cool cloak that flickered over our skin and set my heart racing—or was that the feel of Grant’s fingers in mine?

In the dark the forms of the trees and hills seemed imbued with a solemn, serene beauty, almost a power. Owls hooted softly in the distance, cicadas hummed, lightning bugs danced through the air. I looked out into the wild night, and up into Gran
t’
s face, and I thought,
Oh, I could get used to this.

We came upon a cabin hewn from logs of red pine. It was charmingly rustic-looking from the outside, but the moment we stepped in I saw the granite fireplace, the marble countertop, the genuine antique Oriental rugs.

I saw, through a door, the bed.

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, and for the first time I really thought the words that had been flitting around my subconscious mind since the moment I kissed Grant’s throat:

We’re going to have sex.

Five little words, and they sent a thrill up my spine, made my hands tingle where they touched Grant’s, made my lips and skin tingle where he had touched and kissed.

Was he feeling the same? This strangle, bubbly, nervous excitement, as if sparks were playing across his skin? I snuck a glance at him and saw him sneaking one at me as well, almost shy. He smiled, and I giggled. That wine was really something else.

Grant led me to the bathroom, the tub hewn from mica-speckled pink marble, and filled it with steaming hot water and a perfumed oil that smelled of roses.

W
e’
re going to have sex.

Oh God. Could I do this? Of course I could do this. I could
n’
t not do this, could
n’
t walk away from the magic of his touch, of the heat radiating from his body so close to mine. I just had to remember to keep it light, keep it casual. This was just a bit of fun.

I watched those strong hands twist off the faucet, the steam rising between us as he rose to face me, and I saw the hunger in his eyes like a lion.

I’
m about to have sex with my boss.

I almost came just from that thought, so naughty, so forbidden. Only that slight edge of nerves, like champagne bubbles popping in my stomach, kept me hemming in, my feet skittering back slightly as Grant leaned forward and captured me once more in a powerful kiss.

And then I forgot everything but him.

Looking deeply into my eyes, he slowly unbuttoned my dress, letting it slide to the floor around my ankles. He let his hands roam to my back and unhook my bra, the insubstantial silk drifting through the air as my nipples hardened against the light brush of his thumbs. He reached down, easing my pink satin panties down my thighs. His hands moved slowly, lazily, temptingly as he wrapped them around me and set me gently into the embrace of the warm water, where I propped my head against my hand and watched him watching me.

There were so many things I wanted to say. Keep it light, Lacey, don’t get invested. Play it cool.

“The lady would like her show now,” I murmured, and his pupils dilated.

Those elegant fingers traveled down his rumpled dress shirt, sliding mother-of-pearl buttons through the holes until he could shrug the garment off, revealing his sculpted chest and powerful shoulders, the occasional scars along his powerful arms only accentuating their perfection. Light golden hair ran along his tanned skin, and I wanted so badly to touch him, to feel where he was rough and smooth, strong and scarred.

His pants and briefs came off together in one smooth movement, and oh God, the muscles of his thighs and calves, like he was a Greek statue come to life, and that cock, just like I remembered it, long and thick and already hard, his hand coming down to stroke it almost unconsciously as he stared at me, his eyes intense. As my mouth watered.

“You going to leave me in here all alone?” I asked softly.

His eyes flashed fire, and he stepped into the water, looming over me.

He ran the washcloth gently over my chest, soaping my breasts, then slid it down to caress my legs and thighs. I bit my lip to keep from whimpering in delight, I couldn’t let him know how good it felt, how much I wanted it, wanted him…

Oh God, this was really happening, his hand was really stroking my thighs, climbing up to my aching center, his fingers were really sliding in, this had to be a dream, an impossible drea
m
…

My hands were roaming across his muscled back without a single signal from my brain, coming forward to stroke his broad chest, sliding soapily downwards to his powerful legs then taking firm hold of the base of his shaft.

He groaned, his eyes squeezing shut like a contented cat as he let his head fall against the hollow of my neck, planting lazy, dreamlike kisses along the skin there, panting as I began to work his cock harder and faster.