Page 18 of Let It Burn (The Barrington Billionaires 4)
“So don’t go back.”
Her eyes flew to his. “I have to.”
“Why?”
Her head tipped to one side as if she were explaining something that should have been obvious. “I haven’t seen them in over a month. I’ve missed them more than I could express in words.”
“You just said they don’t need you anymore.”
“That doesn’t mean they don’t love me and want me there with them. My mother is my best friend. My father says something every day that makes me smile. I need them now more than ever. Are you really not like that with your family?”
He turned forward in his seat. “I told you, I only go home when I have to.”
“Because they’re horrible people?”
He sighed. “Not horrible, just very different than I am.”
“So they’re a meek, quiet bunch?” she asked dryly.
“Hardly.”
“Lazy?”
“The opposite. I’d call most of them obsessively driven.”
“How exactly are they different from you?”
After the day he’d had, the last thing Andrew wanted to do was delve into the issues he had with his family, but she was looking at him with those damn, expressive eyes of hers that made it impossible to deny her. “My mother took the death of my brother hard. She had a breakdown and after that it was all about being careful to not upset her. Everything came second to that. I was always wrong, always too much.”
“So you just started avoiding them.”
“I used to go home when my mother asked me to, but lately they’re all so . . . too . . .”
“What?” Helene asked, leaning forward.
“Fucking happy.”
“Assholes,” she said wryly.
“Laugh, but you should see them. Everyone is either getting married, having a baby, or celebrating something.”
She placed her hand on his arm. “Meanwhile, you’re falling apart on the inside.”
He looked down at her hand then placed his on it. Although there was nothing funny about how he felt, he tried to make a joke. “Which animal does that remind you of?”
Without missing a beat, she said, “We had a hedgehog once—” He looked up at her in surprise and she said, “Sorry. I’m just screwing with you. We don’t have hedgehogs. I just wanted to make you laugh. My stomach is so nervous I feel like if I don’t think about something else I may throw up.”
“We could always focus on this.” He took her chin in his hand, swooped down, and claimed her mouth with his.
Chapter Ten
It might have been a need to feel close to someone after the rollercoaster of a day she’d had, but Andrew’s kiss felt as natural as heading home. She opened her mouth to him and welcomed his claiming. As much as he could be rough, Andrew could also be gentle. He teased her tongue in an intimate dance with his that sent desire rocking through her.
She didn’t notice when he undid her seat belt, but he broke off the kiss long enough to lift her sideways onto his lap. He supported her with an arm behind her back and dug his other hand into her hair. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with an intensity that made every concern dissolve away. In that moment, she wasn’t sad, tired, or confused. She was hungry for him and the pleasure his touch brought.
He caressed her neck then slid his hand down to cup her breast. “Oh God, Helene, you feel so damn good.”
She tipped her head back, arching her neck as he kissed his way down it. “You do, too.”
His hand tightened in her hair and he raised his head. “We need to stop. It’s too good. I don’t want to lose my head.”
A woman could only be so careful, wait for so long. Helene didn’t know what would happen when they landed in Florida. He said he wasn’t leaving, but she couldn’t blame him if he changed his mind. They had nothing in common, and essentially, her family had wronged his, but that didn’t stop how much she wanted him. They had a couple hours before they landed. I’m done waiting for the right time with the right man. I’m twenty-six. What if that time never comes? What if no other man ever makes me feel this way? “Don’t you dare stop,” she whispered. “Don’t you dare.”
His eyes burned with need, and he gave her a pained look. “Are you sure?”
Her answer was to pull his mouth back to hers. It was all on then. He picked her up, carried her to the back of the plane, kicked the partially open door to a small bedroom out of the way, then closed it behind them. When he lowered her back to her feet he kissed her with a passion she’d always dreamed of. She met him with a need that matched his.
They tore at each other’s clothing, moving to a standing position when they needed to. Her dress hit the floor, followed by her panties and bra. His shirt, pants, and boxers joined the pile. All the while, they never stopped kissing and exploring each other’s body feverishly. He backed her up against the vanity and kissed her neck thoroughly before moving lower. She held on to the edge of the counter, gasping his name.
His cock nudged against her, and she reached for it. It was huge and hard. She was torn between wanting to feel it inside her right then and begging him to keep kissing her breasts the way he was. She moved so her feet were wider apart and cried out with pleasure when his hand found her sex. His fingers were strong and sure. He sought her clit and raised his head long enough to watch her reaction as he caressed it. When his rhythm had her begging him not to stop, he began to kiss her neck again. She stroked his cock, but he moved her hand off him. “This is about you, Helene. Let me make it good for you. Just relax and let me love you.”
Who would argue with that?
He dipped his middle finger inside her, all the while caressing her clit with an expertise that blew her mind. He nipped at her breasts gently, sucked her nipples until she was wildly bucking against his hand. He worshipped her body with his mouth, all while stroking her intimately.
“Come, Helene. Come for me,” he growled against her neck.
She did and it was beyond anything she’d expected. Wave after wave of heat shot through her, leaving her panting and shaken. “I had no idea,” she whispered.
He moved and slid a condom on himself. “We’re nowhere near done.”
“Thank God.”
There was no fear, only anticipation. He picked her up and carried her to the bed. He set her on it and sank to his knees between her legs. She’d thought his fingers were talented, but the way he worked her clit with his tongue had her digging her hands into his shoulders. His tongue slid deep inside her as he brought his thumb to her clit before his tongue returned to her nub. She could feel heat rising within her again. He guided her onto her back and poised himself above her.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said. “Tell me if anything is too much.”
She nodded hastily, focused only on how much she wanted him inside her. He dipped his tip inside, then pulled it out and ran it along her wet sex before dipping in her again. She spread her legs wider and moaned as he kissed his way from her shoulder to her chin. It was torture waiting.
When he finally thrust inside her there was no discomfort, just a brief tightness. He moved slowly in and out, so gentle she wanted to punch him. She met his thrust with her own, wanting to feel him deeper. He took the hint, and there was more power in his next thrust.
“Oh, yes,” she whispered. “Harder, Mr. Muscles. I want it harder.”
“Fuck, yes,” he said, and his gentleness fell away. She knew exactly when he let himself go because his moves were more passionate than planned. He pounded into her, and Helene clung to him as a second orgasm rocked through her.
He kept going through her orgasm until he finally gave in to his own with a swear. For a moment, his weight rested on her before he adjusted himself so he was poised above her. “I tried to be—”
She pulled his mouth to hers for a kiss, then in a ragged voice said, “It was amazing.”
He turned, disposed of the condom, then pulled her into his arms. It had bee
n everything and more than Helene had dreamed it would be. She was in heaven.
His arms tightened around her. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
She closed her eyes. “Shut up, before you ruin it.”
He gave her ass a light slap. “Did you just tell me to shut up?”
She opened her eyes and met his. “I waited a long time for this. Let me savor this feeling. I don’t want to think about anything else yet.”
“I just want you to know that when we get to Florida—”
