As she stood up, he was damn near ready to tell her then he had dreamed of that, and not merely because he wanted her physically, but because he simply wanted her. More than he’d ever expected to.
But her finger was back on his lips again, keeping him quiet. She had no idea he’d been about to tell her how long she’d been the star of his fantasies, and how he hated the idea of ever letting go of their new reality.
* * *
Turned out Harrod’s really did have the dress she wanted. Casey didn’t even need to try it on. She told him she knew Herve Leger fit her like a glove, so she’d grabbed the dress from the dressing room, slapped down her credit card, and snapped it up for the rehearsal dinner.
When they slid back into the car a few minutes later, zipped back up, hair straightened, she spoke first, brandishing her shopping bag. “Look! It was so worth the stop. Thank you for waiting for me.”
Nate put the brakes on a naughty grin, turning his head to stare out the window so his colleagues wouldn’t know that their boss had just gotten blown in Harrod’s.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
London, noon . . .
The top floor of The Luxe in Kensington was stunning, with gold-trimmed walls and a royal blue carpet leading them down the hallway to a penthouse suite. He slid the card through the slot, then held the door open for her. She had stayed at his hotels many times, so she knew better than to let her jaw drop when taking in the richness and sensuality of the rooms, but she had never stayed in the penthouse suite in London before. The suite was palatial, and impeccably appointed with a British flair to the furniture, but still outfitted in the sleek and sexy style The Luxe was known for.
She was about to make a quip about how it’s good to know the CEO, when he dropped their two suitcases on the floor, grabbed her wrists, and backed her up against the wall.
“Look at the room later,” he said in warning, his eyes blazing at her. He had that hot and hungry look that made her feel as if he wanted to eat her up.
“I have my meeting soon with Sofia’s,” she said in protest, but he didn’t seem to care, because he’d nudged her legs apart with a strong thigh, and she was spread-eagle, standing up, pinned to the wall.
“This doesn’t need to take long,” he said, grasping her wrists so tightly his fingers dug into her flesh, delivering a sharp bite of pressure. Of ownership. Of possession.
“But it’s at one p.m. I don’t know how long it will take to get to Hyde Park,” she said breathily, fighting the battle her body was waging, because her body wanted to take him up on his quickie offer, thank you very much.
He dropped one hand from her wrists to run his thumb along her cheek. “Don’t think you can wriggle away from me. After what you did to me at Harrod’s, I’m going to need to bend you over the bed, and show you what happens when you try to take control like that.”
She made a purring sound, momentarily feeding his appetite and their game. “What will you do?”
“Fuck you into submission. Fuck you until you come again and again. Fuck you until you beg for me to do it again.”
“Is this supposed to be a punishment for me taking charge? Because it sounds pretty good,” she said, arching an eyebrow in some sort of challenge.
“Don’t test me, Casey,” he said, and surely, he was playing a role again. He was her lover, calling all the shots, keeping her under his command. Dropping his hold on her wrists, he crushed his lips to hers, kissing her so hard that she was nearly ready to throw in the towel and say screw the meeting.
Especially when he turned on his tender side, and whispered, “Let me take care of you now.”
But she had an appointment and she intended to keep it. Tardiness for the sake of an O might be momentarily rewarding, but it was foolish long-term.
She gently, but firmly pushed him away. “I want to. I truly do. But I need to shower after the flight and change and freshen up. I don’t want to be late,” she said, then ran a finger along his jawline. He hitched in his breath, closing his eyes softly. When he opened them, there was something different in his expression. A vulnerability she hadn’t seen in him often.
“Besides, I need you to know that I didn’t do that to you in the dressing room to get something back,” she added, looking him square in the eyes. “This thing between us doesn’t just have to be about you teaching me. Sometimes I want to lead, and sometimes I want to give. I hope you didn’t mind that I took the lead on that and just kind of pushed you up against the wall at Harrod’s.”
He shook his head vigorously. “God, I loved it. Casey. When is it going to get through to you that I love everything you do to me?”
Warmth bloomed inside her chest, like a big daisy flower in the summer. This man made her feel so sexy, and so passionate, and no one had done that for her in years. When she’d been with Scott, she’d spent her days engineering pleasure for others, and her nights trying to figure out where she’d gone wrong in the bedroom. With Nate, she felt both beautiful and desired. She wanted to clutch this feeling close to her chest, and hold onto it for all time. She wanted to share it with him too. “I’m happy you liked it. I wanted you to feel better,” she said, running her hand along his arm. “I hated that Joanna put you in a funk, so I wanted to do something to get you out of it.”
He wrenched back, narrowing his eyes, staring at her in surprise. “Please tell me you didn’t give me a blow job because you felt sorry for me because of my ex-wife.”