Page 10 of Temptation and Treachery
Chapter Four
The phone vibrated as she latched the door. Dropping her purse and clothes on a cushioned chair set in the corner, she checked the incoming text.
Where are you? her father asked in his typical, direct manner.
Emergency landing in Breman, TX. Won’t make it to Houston until tomorrow.
Victoria.
She pressed her lips together, her head echoing with the hard note he added to her first name when he was annoyed. Which was most of the time.
If you’d called for the jet like I told you, you wouldn’t be stuck in the middle of God knows where.
True, but then she, boring, quiet Celeste, wouldn’t have ended up by the town’s square, with a man’s hand up her skirt.
Found Breman. Sending a car. All flights are grounded.
Fate pulled at Celeste’s elbow. A sandbag had landed in her stomach the moment she learned The Great and Powerful Oz wanted an extended visit. Something he’d never bothered to do, even before his life got complicated.
Please don’t. Roads are closed due to flooding. I’ll be there tomorrow, before noon.
Okay, she might be a tad overconfident, but she’d worry about updating him later. Seconds ticked by as she chewed on her bottom lip.
So I’m to sit here waiting for you.
Shutting her eyes, she smothered the urge to tap out an angry message about her inability to control the weather. But as things were, her bad decisions and “The Great Delay” would haunt her for years.
My apologies. I’ll be on the way as soon as the roads clear up.
He didn’t reply.
Regardless of the detour, putting everything on pause to take time for herself sounded better and better. It was a perfect opportunity to step outside of her comfort zone and figure out what Vix would do in this situation.
A quick knock cut through her thoughts. “Mary Lou thought you’d like these.” Rio draped what looked like two outfits over the door. “You’re going to need a suitcase by the time she’s finished.” The outfits were a burst of color, nothing in the muted shades she would have chosen. Somewhere along the way she’d gone from discreet to dull and drab. “Celeste?”
She clutched the screen to her chest, staring down at the heavy boots under the door.
“You okay in there?” His concerned whisper floated over the door. His hairline was visible over the fitting room door, so hiding anything from him would be impossible. She slid the phone into her purse before stepping over to pull back the latch. Better to tuck away the family secret and avoid any complications.
“What’s wrong?” He frowned, dropping his bag by the doorway. Obviously he didn’t plan on moving. Not that he should.
“Nothing,” she assured him with a shake of her head. A smile peeked at the corners of her lips. In this exorbitant situation, she knew one thing for sure; she was going to have sex with this man. Just once. She wanted, no…she needed to burn through this urgency she’d never experienced before. Tomorrow, they’d part ways, and she’d go back to being shoved into the background. He’d be the wicked little secret she could think about when she felt all alone.
He crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe. “You tried them on,” he said in a low rumble.
She shook her head. “No. Not yet.”
He stretched out to caress her waist. “You don’t have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”
It was odd to have someone tell her she could do or not do whatever she wanted. For too long she’d been in dire straits. Forced to make choices that would literally be life and death for her or her family. But with more options, came doubts. Somehow he knew what she wanted because in the next breath he was kissing her, sharing his strength. “Tell me what you want, baby. We can walk out right now.”
Her tongue suddenly felt too big for her mouth. This would be so much easier if she typed out a blog post for him to read while she waited somewhere else.
“Don’t.” He leaned into her, nipping at her lips. “It’s just you and me here. Nobody’s going to hear what you say but me.” His palm covered the back of her right hand, his fingers working under her clenched fingers. “Close your eyes.” She did, and he slipped his other hand under her hair and cupped the back of her head, bringing her forehead to his chest. “I need to know what’s going through that pretty little head of yours.” His thumb started doing a circular motion at the base of her skull. “Especially the sexy parts.” She smiled against his shirt. “Because apparently I have a problem with boundaries where you’re concerned.”
A chuckle slipped past her lips. His arms tightened around her. Little by little, her muscles relaxed.
His lips brushed her temple. “You liked finding me hard.” It was a statement, not a question. Shocking in its bluntness, but true and honest.
