Page 63 of Love and Lies

Those two words were enough to send a wave of need through my body. The tension in the air between us turned all sense, all caution to dust in a split second as I closed the last gap between us, took her face in my hands, and kissed her.

Finally.

That was the only thought in my mind as my lips touched hers. Finally. I’d had some idea how much I wanted this, but I’d never let myself admit it. Now I was certain, with every goddamn atom in my body.

Still, I held back, letting Helena set the pace. It would take all my self-control, but if slow and gentle was what she wanted, then that’s how it would be. But then she was pressing her body to mine, her lips parted, and I knew she wanted it neither gentle nor slow, and I was undone. Her tongue found mine, and I moaned into her mouth as the same sound escaped her. I felt her knees weaken, and my hands clutched at the soft fabric of her robe, pulling her closer.

Neither of us was wearing much, and I could feel everything, every breath, every tantalizing movement of her body against mine. I could no longer think straight; all I could do was give in to the crazed need that had been building inside me ever since that day in Tough Rock when I’d first gotten a taste of what Helena Weston felt like.

Now her hands were on the back of my neck, my arms, my chest, until finally they found the bottom of my shirt. Her fingers traced a pattern over the taut muscles of my stomach, sending an electric charge directly between my legs. A primal sound guttered out of me, and I deepened the kiss to bury it, my arousal sending a shiver through Helena’s body. She grabbed my T-shirt to pull it off. I helped her get it over my head, and she paused for a moment. Her gaze, biting her bottom lip as she took me in, was almost too much.

She dropped the shirt easily to the floor. I was desperate to do the same to her—but not here, not against the door. In one fluid motion I lifted her onto my hips, carried her back into the room, and set her gently down on the console table. My hands found their way inside the silk of her robe, her skin soft under my fingers as I slid the delicate fabric over her shoulders. I pulled back, my lips rising breathlessly to her ear as I left a trail of kisses down her throat to her collarbone and all the way back up. Helena gave a sigh, wrapping her legs tighter around me, pressing herself into my erection. I gasped against her mouth, and we locked together in another kiss while I undid the tie around her waist, pausing for a moment to take in the sight of her. I wasn’t going to last much longer.

Helena met my gaze with a look in her eyes that had me kissing her again before I knew it. God, I needed to take the rest of her clothes off. Feel her completely, find out what she liked, fulfill her every fucking wish. For a second, I was struck by a memory—of being out on my board, in the dark and the cold, risking everything just to feel alive again.

This was better.

Helena gave me the nod, and I picked her up again and carried her to the bed, while she slipped out of her robe and pulled off her boots. My laptop was in the way; I pushed it carelessly aside. Helena pulled me to her greedily, taking my bottom lip between her teeth, running her tongue over it tantalisingly before she drove it deep in my mouth again. My hand spanned her throat, the curve of her breasts—and now I did go slow and gentle for a moment. She buried her hands in my hair, giving a soft moan as my hands slid under her top and found her bare skin. I took that as an invitation, moving down her legs and back up the inside of her thighs, stopping before I reached her most sensitive point, her center. There’s no rush. We had the whole night. On the one hand, I was desperate to get there; but I also wanted to savor every single moment.

Helena moved under me, her hands gliding over my stomach and reaching into the waistband of my pants. She didn’t touch me, her fingers merely drifting gently over the inside of my thighs, but still I almost exploded. I swore, pressing my lips together to stop myself coming there and then, at the same time desperately wishing she would just wrap her hand around me and make it happen. My hips bucked toward her touch—I couldn’t help it. Jesus, I could hardly take it. Not with her. Not after everything I’d already imagined, without any real hope it would ever happen.

Gasping, I was about to tell her to stop when she pulled her hand away; maybe she knew it would be over too quickly otherwise. I wrapped an arm around her, kissed her again, and buried my hands in her hair, realizing that she still had far too many clothes on. Slowly, I sat up, pulling the narrow straps of her top down over her shoulders—when suddenly I heard a noise.

It was a loud, penetrating beep. It took me a while to realize it was my phone’s ringtone. It stopped, then started up again. Clearly someone hadn’t gotten the memo that I was busy with something important.

Helena sensed my distraction.

“Do you want to get that?” she asked breathlessly.

“Absolutely not,” I replied.

She made a noise signaling her agreement and kissed my neck, her hands moving downward again, thumbs hooked into my pants. I closed my eyes, wanting to focus on her completely. But then my phone rang once more, and suddenly it hit me where I was. And who was staying just a few floors above me, with full knowledge of which room I was in.

“Fuck,” I gasped quietly, making Helena look up. “I have to get it.”

She let me go, and we looked at each other for a moment, as if the phone had torn us away from a dream that had ended without warning. I smiled softly, trying to mitigate the feeling. Then I got up and took the call.

“It’s past one, Trish,” I said with no preamble, trying to get my breath under control, which I could only manage by turning away from Helena. Looking at her lying in that bed, I couldn’t form any clear thoughts.

“Exactly,” my mother replied. “Bill Jefferson has finally retreated to the fireside lounge to talk business. You know how much he loves small talk and all that crap. I need you.”

I searched around for an excuse. “To be honest, I’m already in bed, and I have kind of a headache. I’m sure you can manage on your own.”

“Take a pill and get dressed again; I’ll see you downstairs in ten minutes. Your brother would have done anything for a deal with Jefferson. If you won’t do it for me, then do it for him.” And on that knockout blow, she hung up.

I turned back to Helena, the phone still in my hand.

“What did your mother want?” she asked, already suspecting the answer. She even looked a little shy as she pushed the straps of her top back into place.

“To ruin my night,” I snarled. “She wants me to join her at a meeting with an important investor. And she pulled the Adam card, so I can’t say no.”

“What would happen if you just didn’t show up?” Helena asked, but she was already getting up and pulling her robe around her again, since it was clear we couldn’t pick up where we’d left off. I had never hated my mother’s business as much as I did at that moment.

I snorted. “What do you think? In ten minutes flat she’d get ahold of a key card and barge straight in. No… I think I’ll have to go. I’m sure it’ll be quick. You’ll hardly notice I was gone.”

Helena laughed weakly. “I can’t imagine that.”

By way of reply I gave her a mischievous grin. My shirt was draped over the desk chair; I pulled it on and buttoned it up, took my suit from its hanger in the closet, and swapped my sweatpants for fine cotton ones. I’d left the belt in the pants, so the whole thing went pretty fast, and once I’d pulled on my jacket and swept a hand through my hair, I turned to Helena, sitting cross-legged on the bed.