THE BILLIONAIRE'S BABY (A Secret Baby Romance) (11 page)

The bathing suit was cut high in the thigh and the top tied in the back in a halter style, designed to push my boobs up and together for a scandalous amount of cleavage. I was practically naked, and from Braden’s heated gaze, he could see through the darkness well enough to realize that fact.

To make matters even more heated, Braden was also dressed in a bathing suit—black trunks that fell to the knee and hung low around his hips and washboard abs. His shirt was off, and the only thing that covered his torso was a beach towel flung over one shoulder. His broad shoulders and chest were smooth, tanned, and solid, not overly buff but perfectly toned with lean muscle. I couldn’t stop my gaze from roaming down his strong pecs and the smattering of light chest hair to the delicious ripple of his six-pack and lower to the little trail of hair that ran from his navel down below his swim trunks. Though the twilight was fast turning into nighttime, the lights from the city and the rising, almost full moon shone brightly enough for me to truly appreciate his body.

“Well.” Braden’s deep, low voice brought my attention immediately back to his face, which was sexily shadowed in the dark, emphasizing his strong jaw, high cheekbones, and deep eyes. He continued with a smirk in his tone. “I was about to take a refreshing dip in the ocean, but maybe a little surf lesson is in order?”

I swallowed hard. “I really wouldn’t mind teaching you, but I think it would be easier in the daytime—night surfing is more challenging.”

He nodded and looked out at the water, his profile strong and statuesque, then looked back at me. “You’re probably right. So, wanna join me for a swim?”

Okay, while the thought of a moonlit ocean swim with Braden caused fiery tingles to run up and down each and every limb, it also made me nervous. You couldn’t ask for a more romantic setting and hadn’t we just agreed to keep our relationship just a platonic one? What was he trying to do to me?

Before I could answer, he blurted out, “Race you!” He raised his eyebrows in a challenge. My doubts melted away along with my resolve. I couldn’t back down from a challenge like that, so I smiled at him and took off for the waves.

He passed me easily after two strides and crashed into the water with me several feet behind. We dove under a small curl of water and swam past where the waves broke, the water a little above our waists. Braden shook the water from his hair and grinned at me, looking like a male swimsuit model. Holy fuck, he was hot.

“Damn, this water’s warm compared to the Pacific. You’re right,” he called over to where I bobbed in the water about five feet away from him.

“This is your first time swimming during the whole trip?” I asked as I doggy-paddled over the swell of an incoming wave that would break closer to shore.

“Yeah,” he called back, turned around as he floated partially on his back while the coming wave rolled under us. “Being the head honcho of the company means all work and no… well, not much play. But I just wanted to let loose a little tonight. It is Saturday night in Rio, after all. And we’re heading back to L.A. tomorrow.”

I considered his words while I dove under the water to re-wet my hair and surfaced as another swell of a wave moved by underneath. He was right, it was nice to relax before we left for home. Friends who took a night swim together, nothing more.

Braden was closer, only a foot away from me as the next wave rolled by. My pulse picked up as I felt him watch me brush the hair back out of my face and wipe the excess water from my eyes. When I looked over a few seconds later, Braden was only a few inches from me, and I felt strong hands slip around my bare waist.

I gasped as a wave of molten fire washed through my stomach, and before I could respond, Braden’s mouth was on mine. At first, I was immobilized from surprise as his amazingly soft, warm lips began to kiss mine, slowly and passionately. My mind cried out in protest and tried to remind my body that this was exactly what I’d been trying to avoid and that it would complicate matters.

However, with the seductive roll of the waves under us, the blazing touch of his hands on my waist, and the way his full lips pressed against mine, gently nipping at my bottom lip, my hormones overpowered logical thoughts. My hands snaked up his chest and wrapped around the back of his neck as I returned the kiss.

Braden let out a guttural noise from deep in his throat the moment my lips moved against his. I pulled him closer and pressed my body more firmly against his, and his hands instantly slid around my lower back with a tight grip. His warm tongue slipped between my lips, parting them firmly and delving inside. A fresh wave of electrified tingles shimmied from my scalp down to my toes as he explored my mouth hungrily with his tongue, causing me to groan into his mouth with pleasure. Despite being in the water, I could feel his erection push between my thighs, which made me blush from head to toe. I felt a flood of heated moisture under my bikini bottoms.

Another swell of a passing wave pushed our bodies up, and I clung to him, wrapping my legs around his hips, and I slipped my tongue into his mouth. I heard a low growl as our tongues tangled together and explored each others’ mouths in hot intensity.

After a moment, Braden pulled back an inch, his chest heaving with rapid breaths. His eyes sparked in the silvery moonlight with the hungry look of a wolf as they locked onto mine, then flicked down to my parted lips and back up. “Damn.” His voice came out deeper and raspier than usual over the sound of the crashing waves. “Let’s go up?”

I understood his simple question immediately and knew without asking exactly what he meant. Again, I ignored all logical thoughts that told me to stop. I nodded as I unclasped my legs from around his waist. We held hands, silently pushing out of the water, through the pull of the tide, and onto the beach to grab my surfboard and our flip-flops. We strolled quickly to the beachfront hotel entrance and up to his room. The whole walk, we remained quiet, though a thick air of desire and anticipation surrounded us and caused my pulse to race erratically.

His eyes wandered from my face, down my body and legs, and back up, which made the hairs on my arms stand straight up. As we stepped off the elevator and walked toward his suite, Braden whispered into my ear, “You’re hot as sin in that suit, you know that?” Shivers of pleasure went from my ear where his hot breath tickled and down to my stomach as I smiled coyly.

He swiped the hotel card to unlock his door and let go of my hand to hold it open for me. Only the slightest of doubts made me pause for a second before I walked into his suite, ignoring the warnings my brain was trying to transmit. I was too far gone in my overwhelming attraction to Braden, which pulled me like an irresistibly powerful magnetic force.

The sound of the door clicking behind me caused my heart to pound hard in my chest. I knew what was about to happen, but I felt no qualms about giving up my virginity to Braden. I’d never, even for a moment, been so attracted to a man in my entire life, both physically or emotionally.

I walked into the living room area and noticed the sliding door to the balcony was ajar to let in the balmy ocean breeze and the rhythmic sound of waves crashing on the beach. I heard the same live music pounding out a sexy beat. Only one low table lamp was on, which covered the room in a cozy golden light. My towel was draped over my arm, though I’d leaned the surfboard against a wall in the entranceway.

“Let me take that,” Braden’s voice said from a foot behind me. He pulled the towel from my arm and draped it with his own over a chair. His ocean blue eyes darkened with intent. “Want some wine, or rum or…?” he asked as he paused between the kitchen and where I stood near the sliding balcony door.

While I wasn’t second-guessing my decision to be there, I began to feel a touch of nerves and decided I could use a little something to ease into our steamy make-out session. “Some rum on the rocks would be good, thanks,” I said, my voice cracking. Braden nodded with a mild look of surprise, pouring our drinks quickly.

I turned towards the open glass door to look out at the twinkling lights and the ghostly moonlight, which made the ocean glitter magically below. As I closed my eyes, I inhaled the seductive, warm salty air, and an electric buzz ran through my veins. I was startled when I heard movement close behind me, and a glass of rum and ice appeared to my right in Braden’s hand.

“Cheers,” he said, low and soft, after I’d taken the glass and he moved to stand next to me.

We clinked glasses, and I said, “Cheers, Braden,” in a breathy voice. We maintained eye contact as we took long draughts of the rum, which ran hot and smooth down my throat and instantly relaxed my limbs.

I broke our gaze and looked out the door again. I murmured, “It’s gorgeous.” I felt Braden’s hand pull gently on my glass and put it deftly along with his drink on a side table next to him, his gaze glued to me the whole time.

“It sure is,” he said in a gravelly voice, though he didn’t even glance at the view. His eyes were fixed on my face as he stepped closer.

My breath stopped altogether as one of Braden’s hands grazed the nape of my neck and shoulder. He swept up my long, damp hair and let it cascade along my left side. The breath I had been holding released in a long, audible moan as I felt the touch of his warm lips against the top of my shoulder, just next to the nape of my neck.

His hands closed around both of my arms near the elbow as his lips trailed tantalizing kisses, nibbles, and a few tongue flicks up my neck, then back down across my shoulder, pausing to take a breathy nibble of my earlobe. My breath came short and irregular, and I gasped while my head spun.

He moved one hand to stealthily pull the strings where my halter bikini top was tied at the back of my neck and between my shoulder blades, and the thin straps tumbled down. “God, you taste so good,” he whispered, low and husky as his hot breath tickled my ear. I couldn’t respond in any way, shape, or form, temporarily mesmerized by the touch of his hands and lips.

My breath caught as his kisses stopped and his hands smoothed under the sides of my bikini top, brushed against the sides of my breasts, and shifted the fabric completely off my body to toss it on the sofa to our right. Unbearable jolts of electricity sizzled through my body in several shocking waves as his capable hands cupped both of my naked breasts. I felt the rumble of another growl in his chest pressed against my back as his fingers played teasingly over my nipples and squeezed lightly, sending shots of pleasure directly to my most intimate area. I could feel the juices soaking through my bikini bottom at this point. I was ready and aching for Braden.

Suddenly, I couldn’t stand it anymore, and I whirled around to face a surprised Braden, raked my hands through his ruffled hair, and crushed my lips to his in a boldly forward kiss. I stuck my tongue deep into his hot, wet mouth as my bare breasts were crushed against his chest. He audibly caught his breath.

He nipped at my tongue while he used his own to plunge into my mouth. After a moment, Braden stumbled back, taking me with him so our bodies remained pressed together. “Lexi, you’re killing me, you know that? Fuck.” Without waiting for a response, he picked me up with his arms around my thighs and his hands pressed into my butt as he carried me to his bedroom.

The only light in his bedroom was the hazy moonlight through a large window and a small glow from the living room through the open bedroom door. Braden carried me to the king-sized bed with a light blue comforter and sheets topped with a gauzy white canopy. I fell back on the cushiony mattress as he pulled back to kick off his flip-flops and swim trunks.

At the same time, I kicked my flip-flops off the edge of the bed, slipped my bikini bottoms down, and flicked them to the floor with my toes. Braden stood in all his naked male glory—muscled torso, legs and an extremely erect penis, which he made no attempt to hide or look abashed about. I stared with wide eyes, having never seen that part of a man in person, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away as a strong heat crept up to the tips of my ears.

A low chuckle erupted from Braden as he watched me stare at him, and he moved to hover over me on the bed in one fluid motion, his arms braced on either side of my head as a pirate smile played on his lips. His gaze flickered slowly down my utterly naked body, which glowed a pearly white in the moonlight

His tanned cheeks turned a splotchy pink that I could see through his dark stubble, and he said, “Holy shit, Lexi, you’re the most stunning woman I’ve ever seen—and no, I’m not just saying that.” My body flushed, and he continued, his eyes unwavering as they searched mine. “You seem a little… well, shell-shocked. Are you a virgin?”

If I was pink before, my face turned crimson then, and my eyes fluttered to the side. I felt suddenly shy and embarrassed. I forced myself to look him in the eye, nodded slowly, and said, “Um… yeah, I am—is that a problem?”

Braden’s eyebrows shot up and that dangerous smile crept back across his face. “Yeah—no, not at all for me. Quite the opposite, actually. I just want to make sure it’s not a problem for you. Are you sure you’re ready to do this, Lexi?”

Without a moment of hesitation, I nodded and said, “Trust me, Braden, I’m completely sure.”

His grin widened, and his eyes filled with desire. “Okay, just let me know at any time if you want to stop.”

Braden lowered himself over me, his arm muscles taut as he held himself partially off my body to kiss me again, but not just my lips. His mouth was hot and eager with no reservations as it captured my mouth first, then traced the line of my jaw down my neck to my collar bone. He flicked his tongue along the way lightly over my sensitive skin, which caused flutters of heat.