The Millionaire's Forever (12 page)

“I was working on restoring that.” He closed the gap between them and tapped the hood. “Sometimes before a car can be made beautiful, you have to put up with a lot of ugly.” He tried to keep his mind on the conversation, but it was a losing battle with her this close. Raging with teenage testosterone, he’d once fantasized about the two of them having sex on the hood of that old car after watching her walk by with her friends.

She pulled her lower lip in her teeth. “Why don’t you get behind the wheel and pull the car out of the garage?”

“What?”

“Please.”

Shaking his head, he retrieved the key from the case on the wall and got into the driver’s seat. He pulled the car from the garage and watched in the rearview mirror as she strode up once he parked it. She leaned with her arms folded on the lowered passenger window, her dress dipping down to give him a good visual of her breasts, and said, “Mason Parker. You were always the one I wondered about.”

“Get in and then you won’t have to wonder.”

“Hmmm…I don’t know if you can top the first time we were together. Are you sure the delivery will match the reputation a second time around?”

“There’s one way to find out, sweet Olivia.”

She didn’t even debate before she slid into the passenger side, not stopping until she was in his lap, her back pressed against the steering wheel. “I was wrong in the house. I think I do want to be on the menu.” She rocked back and forth slowly.

Mason didn’t care what made her change her mind. He gripped the sides of her arms. “Sit still.”

Ducking her head, she placed a kiss against the side of his neck and murmured, “Why?”

His pulse quickened. “Because I’ve got a few things I want to show you.”

Her lips moved farther down, pressing against the base of his throat. “Oh? Like what?”

“Like this.” His hands came to rest on her thighs and he pushed the edge of the dress material up. His hard-on was already begging to slide into home base, but as far as he was concerned, the ball game hadn’t even begun yet. He ran his thumbs along the outer edges of her barely-there underwear, pushing in past the scrap of lace until he found the center of her body. Moving his thumbs, he constantly rotated them, slowly at first, then with mounting speed and pressure. She gasped as he touched her most intimate place and her back arched, thrusting her breasts out.

“Wow,” she said in a voice that cracked.

“Sweetheart, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

…

Olivia tried to think straight, but could barely remember her own name. She’d known on the flight back from Texas that unleashing his passion and coupling it with hers was going to happen again. She was tired of denying it, tired of fighting what her heart and body wanted. But she’d hoped that she’d be able to rein herself in until after they had a conversation about the past. There were some things she wanted to say to him. The very delicious present, however, wouldn’t be denied another minute. If he didn’t stop… She put her hands on his. “Mason…” She squirmed. “If you d-don’t stop…”

He kissed her hard, tangling his tongue with hers. Pulling back, he said, “If you’ll recall, I’m a firm believer in a woman’s right to multiple orgasms.”

“Oh…I, um, I remember I liked that belief…” Olivia squeaked when Mason smiled and bowed his head to suck on her nipple through her dress. “But we should go inside and, um, behave like two civilized people and—”

“Civilized is overrated. Look at me, sweet Olivia,” he commanded. “I want to watch your eyes as you let go. I want you to look at me and know whose touch drives you crazy.”

“Mason.” She squirmed again and whimpered as the muscles in her thighs contracted.

“Yes?”

“I need…”

“And I’ll deliver, honey, over and over until you can’t move.”

His words rang in her mind, creating images that aroused her. When she scooted back on his lap, he raised his hips, keeping his erection pushed against her.

Olivia couldn’t hold out against the sensual onslaught of Mason’s touch. All her body’s nerve endings begged her to give in. She cried out, saying his name over and over, gripping his shoulders as Mason stroked her. “That’s right, honey,” he whispered.

Powerful. Mind-blowing. Did. The. Earth. Move.

When the waves of Olivia’s climax ended, she did her best not to pant. “That was—”

“An appetizer.” He kissed her tenderly. “The full course is next.”

“If this was just an appetizer, I think that I’m going to look forward to the meal,” Olivia managed to gasp out.

He opened the car door and got out, and Olivia scrambled out behind him, her legs still shaking. When she tried to reach for him, he grasped her wrists in one of his hands. “Not yet.” With his other hand, he pulled the top of her dress down, exposing her half bra.

“Mason, someone could see.”

“We’re too secluded for that.” He pushed aside the half bra and his gaze focused on her bare breasts.

Under his hungry gaze, Olivia’s breasts ached. More than anything, she wanted to feel Mason’s hard length inside her, have him take her over and over again. She wriggled free from his hold and slid her hands against his sides to yank his shirt free from his pants. Working her palms from his abdomen up to his chest, she whispered, “So rock-hard. I want to have your weight on me. I want to feel you inside me. I’ve wanted you for so long.”

He pulled her dress back up onto her shoulders. “Follow me.”

Olivia shook her head and crooked her finger. “Follow me.”

“Oh no, sweet Olivia, you can name the place and you can be on top next time. But for now, you just need to hold on.” With one quick move, he scooped her up into his arms and strode into his house, not stopping until he’d reached his bedroom.

Not wanting to let go, Olivia held on to the front of his shirt as he lowered her onto the king-size bed. He gave her a hard, possessive kiss and then pulled free.

Lifting herself up on one elbow, Olivia watched as he yanked off his shirt, popping the buttons free. Her gaze took in the broad expanse of his chest, the flat stomach leading down to…a
very
healthy bulge… She lifted her gaze to meet his knowing smile.

He kissed her and then unbuckled the thin leather belt, letting it and his pants fall to the floor.

Olivia had visited museums before and seen priceless works of art, but his body, standing naked except for his briefs, topped them all. She was so damn ready for him. Twisting an arm behind her back, she felt for the zipper of her dress before he stopped her.

“Let me.” Closing the space between them, he reached his hands behind her and eased the zipper down, taking the time to let his fingers skim the swell of her buttocks. Her mouth went dry. He kissed her bare shoulder exposed when he tugged the material down around her waist. “Do you know what I like about you, sweet Olivia?”

She slid her hands up and cupped her breasts. “I can give you two guesses.”

He laughed. “Nice, but I meant besides the obvious.”

“No, what?” Releasing her hold on her breasts, she reached for his briefs, sliding them down until he sprang free. She exhaled a shaky breath, and a flash of heat hit her between the thighs.

“I like that you’re a woman not afraid to be my equal.” He kissed her. “You’re not afraid to give as good as you get in any area, and I admire that.”

She kissed him and then lay back on the pillows. “Feel free to keep singing my praises.”

“I’d rather praise you with my hands.” He smiled and peeled her bra off, tossing it onto the floor, then removed her panties. When she was naked before him, his gaze traveled from the top of her body to her feet. “This view is far more breathtaking than any fantasy of you I had.” He settled his body between her legs, using his forearms to hold his weight.

The heat of him. So damn close. She arched, seeking the fulfillment.

“So impatient for me, sweet Olivia.”

He touched her center with the very tip of his body, pulling back when she tried to press against him. Frustrated, Olivia sank back onto the bed. If he didn’t fork over the good stuff soon, she was going to take matters into her own hands.

He smiled and kissed her, whispering against her lips, “What is it you want?”

“This. I want this.” She splayed her hands out and bunched the blanket on his bed beneath her hands.

“You sure? No universe hovering outside the door to rush in at the last minute?”

Choking off a sound between laughter and a groan, Olivia put her hands on his buttocks and pressed, but she might have well been trying to move a brick building. My God, the man was built! “Mason!” She was drowning in the desperate hunger to be one with him.

He kissed her breasts, taking the time to suck her nipples before he lowered himself onto her. Olivia gloried in the hard weight and warmth of his body against hers, in the feel of his erection waiting to plunge into her.

He slipped a hand between them and touched her, sliding in one finger, then another, increasing the tempo until her body tightened and she cried out his name as she climaxed. While her body was still cresting, he eased into her and Olivia wanted to weep from the sheer rightness of it, from the way that he filled her, pushing, stretching, anchoring her against the softness of the mattress and the hardness of himself.

It felt so damned good. So damned right. He began to move slowly, never taking his eyes from hers. She lifted her hands and placed them on his back, gently stroking the scars. Saving her was what in a roundabout way had led to him receiving these scars. They were beautiful. Somehow, the universe had known they belonged to each other. Her heart full, there were so many things she wanted to say. “I’m yours,” she whispered.

“You always have been,” he responded as he increased his movement faster and faster and the friction touched her swollen flesh. The man was an expert, she thought, as he exploded into her the same time she found release again.

The power and beauty of their union brought Olivia close to tears. Of course this was right. Of course it was good. They belonged together.

Chapter Twelve

“That was incredible,” Olivia said after Mason moved and resettled beside her.

“There’s still dessert,” he said, reeling from how satisfied he felt both physically and emotionally.

With a curious expression, she looked at him. “More?”

“The shower, sweet Olivia, so we can get ready to go out and eat.” He slid from the bed and gave her buttocks a light smack. “Come on.”

“I’m not sure I can walk upright.” She eased into a sitting position and he dragged her up around the waist and settled her onto his back.

Laughing, she threw her arm around his neck. He walked into the master bath and stepped into the shower with her on his back, enjoying the press of her breasts against his skin. Once he slid the door shut, he eased her to her feet and turned on the water. When she tried to slip past him, he put a hand against the wall, blocking her way. He wasn’t through showing her all the ways he could please her. “Just wait.”

He tested the water and when it was the right temperature, he reached up and removed the handheld showerhead from its holder, changing the force of the water to pulsate. Angling it, he lowered the showerhead and aimed the spray of water at Olivia. “Open your legs.”

“I don’t know if I can stand. My muscles—”

He interrupted her words to kiss her, gently moving her backward until she was against the shower wall. Using his hands, he nudged her legs apart and let the water pulsate against her swollen bud. He pressed against her and she went wild. Her climax was instant and forceful.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, he supported her weight while she gasped and cried out his name. Her body shuddered and her head fell forward to rest against his shoulder, her wet hair hiding her face.

“Good?”

“No,” she said in a muffled whimper. “Damn good.” Lifting her head, she pushed her hair out of the way as he stretched up to return the showerhead to the holder. She lowered her eyes and gave him a saucy smile. “I see someone is up for round two.”

“I heard your stomach growl. This can keep until after dinner.”

“I don’t think so. “ She nudged him. “Turn around and face the water.”

He turned and she ducked around in front of him to reach for the showerhead. Pulling it down, she aimed it under his erection, and while the water pulsated, she stroked him with her other hand. Dipping her head forward, she pressed kisses against his chest, pausing every so often to gently suck his skin and whisper naughty suggestions. Mason couldn’t remember anything that made him want to explode as quickly. He ground his teeth.

“Now I want to see your face,” she whispered.

He called her name as he lost himself on the creaminess of her skin. Breathing heavily, he leaned a hand against the wall of the shower and closed his eyes. Being with Olivia was better than anything he’d ever imagined, and it scared the hell out of him. He felt the guards around his heart laying down their weapons to let Olivia in. It was time to pull back, to stop the feeling before it grew into something he couldn’t contain. He’d promised himself never to allow his heart to feel again, and Olivia had gotten too damn close for comfort.

She replaced the showerhead and kissed the corner of his lips. “Mason, what’s wrong?”

Still wrestling with his inner demons, and not realizing he was speaking out loud, he said with a groan, “This doesn’t mean anything.” As soon as he heard his own words, used to try to convince himself, he opened his eyes.

Hurt flashed across her face before it disappeared within a second. “What?” she asked in a cool tone. “Do you think I’m expecting you to drop to one knee and propose just because the sex was fantastic? Hardly. Let’s just see where this takes us and enjoy it while it lasts.” She stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. “I’m going to go finish showering in my room so we can get ready.”

“Wait.” He lunged for her arm but she deftly stepped out of reach. “What do you mean we’ll see where this takes us and enjoy it while it lasts?”

Rolling her eyes, Olivia said, “You and I can simply be lovers and when it ends, it ends. I think this was too good not to do this again, don’t you?”

Something wasn’t right. The look in her eyes didn’t match the expression on her face, and her tone was too brittle. “You’re not looking for more than that?”

“Really, Mason. Like what? A walk down the aisle followed by a house in the suburbs with children and a minivan? Not even close. In case you haven’t noticed, my life is my business and always will be. I’ll be ready in about twenty minutes. I’m starving.”

When she quickly left his bathroom, closing the door behind her, Mason had distinct feeling he’d missed something very important.

…

Standing under the spray of water in her bathroom, as the warmth flowed over her satiated body, Olivia let the tears fall. If there were an award for idiot of the year, she was in the lead as winner. In fact, she could probably go ahead and get her acceptance speech ready. How could she have allowed herself to feel so deeply for Mason? How could she have denied it? That foolish, stupid thing she’d felt for him in high school had been a crush that along the way developed into a love that would never know the same response from him.

Tonight, she would weep, drink a few glasses of wine in the midst of her personal pity party, and tomorrow, she would figure out how to start making her heart let go of what it couldn’t have. That’s what she would do. She would survive. Mason wasn’t capable of giving what he didn’t have, and that was his loss. Yes, his loss.

Olivia sniffed and wiped her nose. Couldn’t he have at least waited until tomorrow before he announced their lovemaking hadn’t meant anything to him? What sucked, what really, really sucked, was that he was so damn good at it.

After she showered, Olivia smacked the water lever to the off position and then froze in the act of reaching for a towel. Wait a second. As soon as she gave Mason the paperwork giving him the land, she could leave. She
would
leave then. Feeling better, she snatched the fluffy towel and dried herself off. But in the meantime before she left, she would put on the performance of a lifetime as the woman who didn’t give a damn about the man who didn’t give a damn about her.

Sweeping her hair up off the back of her neck, Olivia peered at her reflection in the mirror, taking in the flush on her cheeks and the slight redness of her nose. She would make it. She always did. She stepped into her bedroom, stopping when Mason rose from the end of her bed. Sweeping a hand down the towel, she said, “I’m not ready yet.”

“Olivia, I warned you in the beginning that I don’t have a heart.”

“Uh-huh.” She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

“I can never love you.”

“Love?” she scoffed, even though her heart gave a silent gasp. “Are you feeling okay?”

He blinked, then scowled, fixing her with a piercing stare. “The way that you reacted after the shower…it seemed as if you wanted something from me.”

Olivia forced herself to utter a playful laugh. “Trust me, I got what I wanted from you.”

He shook his head. “I could have sworn…” In one swift motion, he turned to leave. “Never mind. I’ll leave you to dress.”

Exhaling, Olivia forced her protesting muscles to pick out a dress, then jewelry to go along with the navy-blue sheath. The last thing she wanted to do was to go out to eat and sit across from Mason, but she’d do it. She’d smile and she’d respond and he would never know the heartache he’d wrought, she promised herself.

As soon as she was ready, she found Mason waiting for her in the living room. Flashing him a bright smile, she said, “I think I’m in the mood for some seafood. What about you?”

…

A couple of weeks later, Mason slammed a hand on his desk. Damn, he wasn’t wrong. Something was off with Olivia. She’d acted strange since the night he’d said that being with her didn’t mean anything. The night they’d made love, afterward, her smile was a little too bright, her laughter a little too loud. He felt like an ass for letting what he’d thought slip out in the shower, but it hadn’t been intentional. His inability to love was something he understood, something he lived with, but that didn’t mean he wanted to hurt Olivia.

They needed to talk, but it would have to wait until he returned from Texas. Things had cropped up with the business, making it impossible for him to get away until now, and he’d been forced to put off what he intended to do about the past.

Now that he’d settled things with the company and all was running smoothly again, today was the day he, Jake, and Cole planned to have a talk with Chief Carter. The other two men were already in Texas waiting for him to arrive. He’d had conversations with the district attorney about keeping Olivia’s name quiet and had been assured it would be.

A quick series of taps sounded on his door followed by it being thrust open, and Bonnie ushered his attorney Scott inside. “He said it was urgent,” she offered by way of explanation.

Scott started speaking as soon as Bonnie left. “Before you, Cole, and Jake confront Olivia’s father, there’s something I recently uncovered.”

Mason leaned back in his chair. “What?”

Scott dropped a paper on Mason’s desk and waited for him to read it.

Mason read it and raised his gaze to the other man. “Olivia’s father is in rehabilitation after a stroke?”

“He is. Which explains why our guy could never catch the chief at his house. He finally made contact with a neighbor of the chief’s who let him know what happened.”

Dropping the paper, Mason said, “Olivia never mentioned a word about this.”

“She’s the one who’s paid for his care. I looked into the cost. Let me tell you, it’s not cheap. From what I’ve seen she’s paid the bill faithfully, but it’s been a struggle for her.”

Despite that, Olivia still hadn’t taken a cent from him. No wonder she worked so damn hard. He’d heard her on the phone discussing business with Beth late into the wee hours of the night, and yet she was up every morning working before he ever left the house. If she kept up that schedule, she’d eventually wear herself out and get sick again.

“Is there something you’d like me to do?” Scott asked.

Though it burned his gut, Mason said, “Find out how long the rehabilitation center expects him to be there and pay anything that may be owed in full with the stipulation that the payment remain anonymous.”

Scott’s eyebrows rose and he let out a whistle. “You want to do that for him? Pay to take care of the man who had you locked up for something you didn’t do?”

“I’m not doing it for him.” This would take the burden from Olivia.

“I see. I’ll get right on that.” Scott hesitated. “Are you still going to Texas?”

“I am.”

“I’ve known you a long time, Mason.”

“What’s your point?”

“This drive you have for revenge…I don’t think it’s a good idea to let it consume you.”

“That’ll be all, Scott.”

Looking surprised at the abrupt dismissal, Scott hesitated, then nodded.

As soon as the other man left, Mason buzzed his secretary and told her to notify his pilot that he was on the way. Rising, he paced the room, his gaze taking in but not really seeing the expensive leather furniture or the priceless works of art.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he clenched them into fists and moved to stare out the window. He didn’t see the Chicago view or the blue of the sky. Instead, his mind’s eye kept replaying different images it had captured of Olivia. Her beauty. Her easy smile. Her exuberance. Her body.

Though they’d made love repeatedly since that night, every time afterward, she’d refused to remain in his bed and had gone to her own. She’d rebuffed his offer that she move into his bedroom. She was strong and independent and while he did admire that, he didn’t like that she didn’t seem to need him at all.

“Damn you, Olivia. I don’t want to love you.” When a man loved, he was vulnerable no matter how strong or wealthy he was. Love found a way in and made a man weak, easy prey. The delight he felt when he saw her, the way he searched her out when he arrived home, it was chemistry. She was simply the easiest way to get that land. Nothing more. He wouldn’t
let
it be anything more.

…

Mason met Jake and Cole at the hotel where Jake had reserved rooms.

“I don’t know about you, but I say we get this over with before we do anything else,” Jake said gruffly.

“Hang on a second.” Mason loosened his tie and went to the minibar. With his back to his friends, he said, “Olivia’s father had a stroke a while back and is in a rehabilitation center.” He poured himself a drink and turned to gauge his friends’ reaction.

They looked as shocked as he’d felt.

Jake rubbed his face. “Hell, if we go charging in there now and confront a feeble old man, it makes us look like assholes.”

“If we don’t, it’s like we’re letting Adam down,” Cole said, slumping into a chair. He looked up at Mason. “Any ideas on how to move with this?”

Mason knew he could rail against the injustice of not having the satisfaction of confronting Chief Carter, but he wasn’t a bully. He wouldn’t react with the same careless regard for a person that Chief Carter had. “My advice is that we continue with the plan to tear down the facility. I don’t like not confronting the chief, but—” A knock on the door interrupted the men.

Closest to the door, Jake opened it and stepped back. “Larry.”

The deputy, his face expressionless, removed a ball cap from his hair and said, “Mind if I have a word with you?” He walked in after Jake moved out of his way. “I don’t know if Carl will ever get around to apologizing for what happened that night, but I came to tell you that I’m sorry.” He twisted his cap in his fingers. “I know why it all went down the way it did, but that still doesn’t make what happened right.”

“Just tell me why,” Mason said, feeling the burn in his veins when images from the night he’d been hauled from his home, shoved into the back of the police car, and later questioned for hours flashed through his mind.

“Chief Carter was told you were after his daughter. He wanted to protect her. Seth Rivers and Bobby Pressman both swore to him that you’d tried to assault Olivia the night of the fire. They said they saved her and came to blows with you. He rushed home, saw her—”