The CEO Buys in (Wager of Hearts #1) (21 page)

He flipped over, bringing her with him so she was sprawled on her back on top of him, open to the exquisite invasion of his roving hands. Before the Rolls took the exit ramp off the Garden State Parkway, they’d managed two more pleasures.

As she felt the car slow down, Chloe untangled herself from Nathan’s arms and legs. “We’re getting close to my house. I’ve got to get dressed.”

Nathan helped her sit up and retrieved her blouse, bra, and blazer from the carpeted floor before shifting to the seat opposite her. “I’ll watch,” he said, handing her the crumpled pile of clothing. Without taking his eyes off her, he shrugged into his own shirt and began to button it.

After what they’d just done, it seemed ridiculous to feel self-conscious about having him see her dress, but it marked the transition from lovers to . . . whatever they were. She half turned away from him as she slipped into her bra and fastened it before pulling on her blouse. Her skirt was still bunched up around her waist, so she squirmed to pull it back down to her knees. Now she had to get her panties out of her handbag and find a graceful way to put them back on.

“You can leave them off.” Nathan’s voice made her turn on the seat. His eyes held a wicked glint. “I won’t tell anyone.”

The waves of his hair were rumpled from being tangled with her fingers, and although his shirt was tucked in, he hadn’t bothered to put his jacket or tie back on. He looked completely at ease, while she felt like a wrinkled, rumpled, deliciously used mess. “It’s bad enough that I have to face Grandmillie knowing what we’ve just done. I’m not doing it without underwear.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes still gleaming. “More entertainment for me.”

Torn between amusement and irritation, she pulled the panties from her purse and bent over to get them over her feet and up to her knees. She faced the fact that she was going to have to pull her skirt back up to get the lace where it belonged.

“Now for the good part,” Nathan said.

“You’re not helping.”

He leaned forward. “Would you like me to?”

She shot him a glare. He went back to his lounging but lowered his gaze to the white lace circling her knees.

She planted her feet on the floor, closed her eyes, and arched up off the leather seat as she yanked her skirt and panties up at the same time.

“Slow down.” Nathan’s voice held both humor and arousal. “I’m enjoying the view.”

Chloe pulled her skirt back down. “You’re enjoying bothering me.”

“You bother me just by sitting there.”

The intensity in his voice restoked the heat between her thighs. She hid her reaction by rummaging in her handbag again. When she pulled out a brush and lipstick, Nathan pushed a button. A mirrored panel dropped down from the ceiling. One glance and Chloe went into high-speed repair mode.

Nathan gave a loud sigh.

“What?” Chloe looked away from the mirror.

“You’ve lost that I-just-had-sex-in-a-car look.”

“Then my job here is done.” She dropped the brush and makeup into her purse and shrugged into her blazer.

He pushed the mirror back up before he reached across the space between them to pull her onto the seat beside him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and bent to imprint a hot kiss on the side of her neck before he murmured. “I’ll pick you up after work tomorrow and we’ll go shopping.”

She stiffened as he reminded her of the upcoming ordeal of his father’s wedding. She’d managed to shove that to the back of her mind.

“You agreed to accept my gift of clothing,” he said, misinterpreting her tension.

“I know.” That wasn’t the problem. “I’d like to go to Saks Fifth Avenue.”

She felt him shake his head. “I have a personal shopper coming to my home with a selection of whatever she thinks you’ll need for the wedding.”

The closet in his guest room flitted through her mind. All designer clothes. All expensive beyond belief. “I’d rather go to Saks.”

“Fine.”

Surprised by his easy capitulation, she tilted her head to look up at him. “Fine?”

He returned her gaze with a raised eyebrow. “She’ll bring the clothes to Saks.” Then he kissed her, long and deep, until she clutched at his lapel to pull herself in closer. She felt the warmth of his palm on her thigh as he slipped his hand under her skirt.

The car stopped and Oskar’s voice came through the intercom, announcing they were at Ms. Russell’s home. Nathan cursed softly.

Chloe felt a zing of satisfaction that his attempt to distract her from the shopping issue had been more successful at frustrating him. “Language,” she said, laying a finger across his lips.

“But I need time to do this,” he said, moving his hand farther up her thigh until his fingers just brushed at the lace between her legs. He found a way under the panties and slid one finger inside her, making her throw back her head. He flexed it once and withdrew, the friction sending exquisite heat curling through her. Locking his gaze on her, he licked his finger.

She was going to have to face Grandmillie with the image of Nathan tasting her seared into her brain. “I’ll get you back for that tomorrow,” she said, giving him a nudge since his long body was between her and the door.

“Retaliation can lead to escalation.” He reached up to hit some sort of release before opening the door and unfolding himself out of the car. Turning, he held her hand to help her out of the car, his gray eyes lit with desire and a touch of mischief. “I look forward to it.”

“Good evening, Chloe.” Grandmillie’s voice was like a bucket of cold water on the bonfire Nathan had lit.

Chloe spun away from him to see her grandmother standing on the front porch, the door open behind her. “Bring your young man inside for a minute.” Grandmillie gripped the head of her cane with both hands. “I’ve baked scones.”

Chloe turned back in time to see Nathan rake his fingers through his disheveled hair and yank his shirt collar higher. As satisfying as it was to find that he was not immune to Grandmillie’s tone of authority, Chloe didn’t want him in the house, invading her world.

“You don’t have to come,” Chloe said in a low murmur. “Say you have business to get back to.”

Nathan looked down at her. “But I want to meet your grandmother.”

“Why?” Chloe asked between clenched teeth.

“She’s part of your life.”

He said it matter-of-factly, but his words gave Chloe pause. She’d been telling herself that Nathan saw her as a fling, a few weeks’ entertainment. That had allowed her to let go of her inhibitions, to consider this an acceptable deviation from her usual sensible approach to relationships, because it wouldn’t continue.

But flings didn’t want to meet your grandmother, did they?

“After you,” Nathan said, standing aside so she could walk up the flagstone path. Chloe gave him a quick glare before trudging up to the porch, aware of his footsteps on the stones just behind her. She gave Grandmillie a matching glare before turning to say, “Grandmillie, this is Nathan Trainor. Nathan, my grandmother, Millicent Russell.”

As Nathan shook her grandmother’s hand, Chloe could only be glad it wasn’t with the same hand he’d slid under her skirt earlier. “I’ve been hoping to meet you, Mrs. Russell.”

“We’ll see about that,” Grandmillie said giving him a penetrating look. “I appreciate your giving my granddaughter a ride home, Mr. Trainor.”

“Call me Nathan, please. I enjoy her company.”

Chloe caught her breath, but Nathan’s voice was clear of any innuendo. He smiled down at the older woman as he waited for Grandmillie to make her way into the house.

Chloe followed her grandmother, hoping against hope that she wouldn’t subject Nathan to an embarrassing interrogation. The scones were a bad sign, because it meant they’d have to sit down in order to eat the warm, crumbly pastries with clotted cream and jam. As they walked into the living room, the fragrance of Grandmillie’s baking wafted around them, making Chloe salivate in spite of her nervousness. She’d worked up a considerable appetite in the Rolls.

Nathan’s nostrils flared as he inhaled. “I’d follow that aroma to the ends of the earth,” he said.

“Don’t exaggerate, young man,” Grandmillie said, but Chloe could hear the gratification in her voice. “The proof is not in the smell, but the taste.”

“So it is,” Nathan said, casting a wicked glance at Chloe.

She jabbed him with her elbow, taking satisfaction in his barely perceptible wince.

Grandmillie directed them into the dining area, where the table was covered with an embroidered linen tablecloth and set with the good china, as always. She’d put on a full English tea, along with a decanter of some golden liquor and tiny stemmed glasses. Nathan helped her into the chair at the head of the table. When he was behind her pushing in the chair, Grandmillie caught Chloe’s eye and winked.

That wasn’t going to get her grandmother out of a talking-to about ambushing Chloe like this.

“Chloe, the scones are warming in the oven. I’ll pour while you bring them in.” Grandmillie hooked her cane on the table. “Nathan, you sit here to my right.”

Chloe walked into the kitchen and stopped to take a deep breath. Atop the pristine countertops, a linen-lined basket and a well-polished silver tray awaited the scones.

She took another breath, trying to calm the jangle of her nerves. She grabbed the dish towel hanging on its hook and rubbed it over her damp palms before folding it into a hot pad and opening the oven. A cloud of hot, scone-scented air billowed around her when she reached in to retrieve them.

As she piled the scones in the basket, she listened to Grandmillie and Nathan exchange small talk about sugar, milk, and the offer of port. She emerged from the kitchen to find Nathan bent attentively toward her grandmother as she poured a glass of the fortified wine for him. He accepted the delicate crystal, holding it in his long fingers as though it were as fragile as a Fabergé egg.

“A drop of port?” Grandmillie asked her when Chloe slid the tray onto the table.

“Yes, please.” She was tempted to tell her grandmother to make it a double.

Chloe took the stemmed glass and carried it to her seat to the left of her grandmother, who was directing the serving of the scones. Even with his shirt unbuttoned at the collar and his hair in disarray, Nathan radiated authority and control as he distributed scones and tea, his attention focused on following Grandmillie’s instructions. His manner toward Chloe was that of an old friend without even a hint of sexual interest. She heaved a sigh of relief.

After they’d sampled the scones, and Nathan had paid Grandmillie extravagant but well-deserved compliments on her baking, the conversation veered into dangerous territory.

“So,” Grandmillie said, giving Nathan an assessing look, “I hear you had a pretty bad case of the flu. How are you feeling now?”

“Fully recovered,” he said. “Your granddaughter has a healing touch.”

Chloe considered kicking his ankle, but once again he kept all insinuation out of his voice.

“I imagine your Dr. Cavill isn’t happy that you’re back at work so soon,” Grandmillie said.

Nathan chuckled as he took a sip of the port. “And he lets me know about it. That’s the problem with having an old friend as your doctor.”

“Did he help you develop your computer battery?”

“Ben?” Nathan looked startled. “No, I had a hard time even getting him to play video games with me. He was always rescuing injured animals while I fooled around with electronics.”

“Chloe’s father was an inventor too, you know,” Grandmillie said.

This time Chloe wanted to kick her grandmother under the table.

Nathan cast a sharp glance at her. “I wasn’t aware of that. What sort of things did he invent?”

“Consumer products,” Chloe said vaguely. “A better umbrella. That kind of thing.”

“He felt he wasn’t treated well by the company where he worked,” Grandmillie said. “That’s why Chloe likes to work at start-ups. She says they reward their employees’ contributions more fairly.”

What the heck was Grandmillie doing?

“Except the start-ups where I work become shut-downs,” Chloe said, trying to stop Grandmillie from offending Nathan any further.

Nathan’s gaze was focused on her in a way that made her wonder what he was thinking. “Trainor Electronics was a start-up not that long ago.”

“But now it’s just as corporate as Lindell.”

“Is that where your father worked?” he asked.

Chloe realized she’d said more than she meant to, so she nodded and took a swig of port.

Nathan turned to her grandmother with a charming smile. “You’ve relieved my mind, Mrs. Russell.”

Grandmillie looked taken aback. “I have?”

Nathan nodded. “When I was ill, and admittedly not at my best, I sensed a certain attitude of disapproval from your granddaughter. Now I understand that it was directed at my position as the head of a corporation rather than at me as an invalid.”

Chloe wasn’t going to let him get away with that. “It was because you thought all you had to do was throw money at me and I’d drop everything to be at your beck and call.”

“I was hallucinating,” Nathan said.

Chloe snorted. “You were cranky but perfectly clearheaded.”

Grandmillie broke into their bickering. “Chloe worries about me being alone.”

“She’s a good granddaughter,” Nathan said, his tone respectful.

“I couldn’t ask for a better one.” Grandmillie reached over to touch Chloe’s hand.

Chloe felt a surge of tears at Grandmillie’s public compliment. She glanced at Nathan to find him staring at the older woman’s hand lying on top of Chloe’s, his face tight with an emotion she couldn’t identify.

He raised his eyes and met hers. “You’re both very fortunate.” He folded his napkin and laid it on the table. “I shouldn’t impose on your hospitality any longer.”

Grandmillie waved a hand of disagreement. “Sit. Have another scone before you go.”

His strange expression evaporated as he leaned back in his chair with a groan, his hand on his washboard-flat abdomen. “I can’t swallow another bite.”

“You’ll take some home with you, then,” Grandmillie said.

“With pleasure,” Nathan said.