Bait: Alpha Billionaire Romance Boxed Set (14 page)

A different girl, this one a brunette I recognized as a former girlfriend, one that I dated for all of two weeks, looked Charlie up and down. I probably should’ve gone ahead and stepped in to rescue her, but I was really curious about what would happen next. I mean, she was an attorney for god’s sake. She could do this.

“We want details. Do you work with Nolan?”

Charlie blew out an exasperated breath. She was clearly about to lose her patience. “I’m an attorney. Nolan’s attorney.”

Matty giggled. “So you’re the one who got him out of that paternity mess. How convenient for Nolan.”

“What do you mean?” Charlie asked.

“To have a fiancée that doubles as an attorney on retainer,” she cackled. “The Banks family is always looking out for the bottom line. Sometimes, I wonder if they ever experience any emotion. Cold. Like Antarctica.”

Are you fucking kidding me? I’m pretty sure I was seething with emotion right now.

Anger.

“Are you wearing Dolce & Gabbana?” the former girlfriend asked. “I thought I saw that on the sales rack at Niemen’s,” she said, causing the entire group to explode in giggles.

“Excuse me, I’m going to find
my
fiancé,” Charlie said, trying to get away.

Another girl with raven dark hair dug her fingers into Charlie’s arm. “How long do you think it will take for Nolan to wake up and come to his senses?” she asked with passive aggressive rancor. “It’s not like you’re the first girl he’s asked to marry him.”

The girl stood back, crossed her arms and waited with a smirk for Charlie’s reaction. When my princess moved to walk past her, the girl stumbled and spilled her glass of red wine all over Charlie’s beautiful gown.

Charlie gasped in horror as she watched the red stain blossom across her chest. She looked like she’d been stabbed. “Oh, no.”

That was my cue.

“There you are, sweetie!” I swooped in and kissed Charlie. I nodded to the rest of the group, who had suddenly backed up a couple feet. They’d gone too far. And they knew it.

“I see you’ve met some of our family friends? How are you, Matty? Suzanne?”

Matty smiled and said, “You’re looking dapper tonight, Nolan.”

“Yes, we’ve been getting to know your fiancée,” Suzanne said. As I stared at her, I pictured her the night she’d stalked me to Covet and flashed her tits to the entire dance floor. “I’m so sorry, Charlie,” she gushed.

Fake. As. Shit.

“It was an accident. A little club soda should get that out,” Suzanne suggested.

I looked down at Charlie’s gown. And her horrified expression. She’d have to meet my father looking like this and she was nothing if not proud.

“We’ll get you cleaned up in no time,” I commented, trying to smooth over the situation. I slid a comforting arm around Charlie’s waist, feeling her rigid posture. “We should get going. My parents are waiting for us on the terrace.”

I pulled her away from the group and once we were out of earshot, I said, “What the hell happened back there?”

“Your little gang of admirers wanted to string me up and hang me,” Charlie said through gritted teeth. She looked down at her gown. “This wasn’t an accident, Nolan. I’m not used to other women being vicious without cause. I don’t want this.”

She stopped dead in her tracks and threw her arms wide. “Any of this.”

“I thought you handled yourself pretty well,” I said. “But I can’t introduce you to my father if you’re a splotchy mess. Follow me.”

“What about my dress? All of our guests?” Charlie asked, clearly starting to panic.

“It’s our party,” I answered. “Besides everyone is already sloshed. No one will miss us for a few minutes.” I swung by the bar and picked up a bottle of club soda from the bartender. “We’ll get that stain out and no one will be any the wiser. This ain’t my first rodeo, cowgirl.”

Damn. I shouldn’t have used that expression. Now, I had a mental fantasy of Charlie riding my cock in the reverse cowgirl with her lush hair cascading down her back.

“I realize that you have a past, Nolan,” she said. “I just don’t want it thrown in my face.”

Hmm. A jealous admission. Score one for Nolan.

“Don’t worry about them.” I tucked the bottle of club soda under my arm and led Charlie to one of the bedrooms. “They’re just jealous that you’re wearing that.” I nodded to her canary yellow diamond ring.

“I guess I shouldn’t have let it bother me so much,” she whispered. “It’s not like I’m your real fiancée.”

“I guess not.” And for some reason, that really bothered me. A lot.

Chapter Nine

I held Charlie’s hand tightly as we made our way into a bedroom. My old bedroom when I’d lived here. Dark hunter green walls, heavy green and navy plaid comforter on a king sized bed, plush dark brown throw rugs scattered on top of Brazilian cherry hardwood floors. Two dressers, a massive oak desk that still held college textbooks and a wood-burning fireplace. Carefully arranged artwork adorned the walls – hunting scenes and a portrait of a black Labrador. I studied Charlie’s face for a reaction.

“It looks like Ralph Lauren threw up in here,” she said as she glared at the décor.

“Hey,” I said, poking out my lower lip in the perfect pout. “This was my childhood bedroom.”

“It explains a lot,” she continued her verbal assault. “What’s with the dog?”

“That was Wilson,” I said with a sigh. I still missed that dog every day. Most days, he was the only affection I’d received. “My constant companion until he died while I was away at college. We did a lot of dove hunting back in the day.”

She ran her finger across the portrait. “I’m sorry. I lost a dog when I was little too. Koko. She was everything to me.”

“What kind of dog?” I asked. Curious. Really wanting to know everything about her.

“Oh, she was just a mutt,” Charlie said in a rush of embarrassment. “We couldn’t afford a purebred so we adopted from the pound. A little of everything. But she never left my side.”

“What happened to her?”

Her face crumpled at the memory. “She was hit by the mailman’s truck,” Charlie said and reached up to wipe a tear from her eye. I stepped closer, wanting to wrap her in my arms and ease the pain. Charlie had experienced so much turmoil. Agony. And she deserved none of it. “One minute chasing a squirrel and the next…”

“Hit by a truck.” I finished. “That’s not funny, I’m sorry.”

Charlie giggled. “It’s a little funny.” She looked down at her ruined ball gown. “I look like I got hit by a damn truck. It hurts me when women are petty,” she said, shaking her head.

“Take it off. Let’s see if we can salvage it.” I motioned for her to follow me to the bathroom.

She turned around so I could unzip the dress. I pulled the zipper down and let it fall to the floor. She was wearing a baby pink lacy strapless bra and a matching thong. I gulped. Feeling that familiar swelling down below, I tried to concentrate but my hands were shaking. And my knees.

“Let’s pour some club soda on the stain.” I grabbed the dress off the floor and laid it gently in the sink. Pouring the soda over the stain, it started to bubble up.

“How do you know this stuff?” Charlie asked, chewing the skin on the end of her thumb, her eyes glued to the growing mess that she’s supposed to be wearing.

“I’ve had my fair share of red wine stains, coffee spills, and uh, other embarrassing accidents at college. Birdie, our former maid, showed me some tricks.”

“Oh shit,” Charlie exclaimed. “It’s spreading!”

We helplessly watched the stain grow from dark red to a lighter shade of pink. But she was right, it
was
spreading.

“Maybe the pinks will blend in the dress?” I said hopefully.

Charlie raised her hands to cover her face, only peeking through her fingers. “It’s ruined. What am I going to wear?”

I thought about the dresser full of tee shirts and shorts. A few suits that I still kept in the closet. Most of them too small for me. “I might have an Armani suit that would fit you? You can be like one of Robert Plant’s girls in that music video.”

“
Addicted to Love
?” she asked, her eyebrows straight up. I clearly wasn’t helping. “They were wearing plain black dresses.”

“Huh? Are you sure?’

“Yeah, pretty sure.”

“Well, I guess we’ll have to go with what we’ve got.”

I couldn’t take it any longer. As she started to object, I lowered my mouth to her neck, kissing the sweet spot above her collarbone.

I felt her swallow. “Nolan, we can’t.”

“Why not?” I continued to kiss her neck, my lips curious, teasing their way along her soft skin. Nibbling on her ear lobe. I lifted her head and pressed my lips to hers. “You taste delicious.”

“You’re breaking the rule,” she reminded me. “A very important rule.”

“A very stupid rule,” I countered. “We’re both consenting adults. We both want this.”

I want you. In every way possible.

“I don’t want to complicate things,” she argued, even as she lifted her chin to give me better access to her throat. “That’s why we have the rules. To keep it business. Just business. Ahh…”

I kissed her again. Mostly to shut her up. Damn her and her constant lawyering. We could be here all night, arguing our case back and forth. My tongue pressed into her mouth, exploring every crevice. After a few seconds, I felt her surrender, felt her tongue join mine as they danced together.

My cock swelled to full-length and I ground against Charlie’s thong for some relief. A slow, hot desire built as our bodies pressed together. My heart hammered, my head clouded. It all felt so good. I knew by the way Charlie continued to lean hard into my body that she wanted me too. Oh, I could get used to this.

My balls tightened as I realized we were about to bust that rule wide open.

I nibbled at her collarbone. “You taste like
Château Lafite-Rothschild, Pauillac. Vintage, 2005.”

At first, she looked confused but then her eyes widened. “Damn, the wine soaked through the dress to my skin. I’m going to be a sticky mess.”

“Tastes quite lovely, actually. I recognize it from my mother’s wine cellar. That wine is two grand a bottle. Such a waste.” I ran my tongue across her collarbone, dipping down into her cleavage. “Then again, maybe not a waste. Very delicious.”

“I need to clean up.”

“I can do better.” I pointed to the oversized Jacuzzi tub. “How about a nice hot bath? That thing hasn’t been used properly in a long time.”

Her mouth fell open and she shook her head. “What about our guests? Your parents?” The panic stirred within her again, boiling right below the surface.

I waved her question away. “It’s our party. They’ll wait for half an hour. I’m sure my mother is having a grand time showing off.”

“What about my dress?” she asked in a small voice, her eyes glistening again.

The incident had really brought Charlie to her knees. In that moment, it hit me. Just because I didn’t give a shit about my parents or their opinions, didn’t mean others felt the same. Charlie cared. She wanted to make a good impression because she cared about
me
.

“Don’t worry. I’ll figure something out,” I assured her.

This whole damn situation was my fault and I had to make it right. Even though my mother had invited the exes out of spite, I’d been the one who couldn’t keep it in my pants when I should have.

I turned the knob and started to fill the tub with steaming hot water. I added a few drops of Japanese bath oil that was made with white sake and some other expensive ingredients I couldn’t pronounce.

Charlie continued to watch as the bath filled, steam rising from the tub.

Looking deeply into her eyes, I slowly unfastened her bra, and ran a thumb over her nipples as they puckered under my touch. I then reached down and eased her pink lacy panties down her thighs. I wrapped my arms around
Charlie, picked her up
and set her gently into the warm embrace of the water. I placed a fluffy towel under her head.

“Comfy?” I asked, doing my best to only stare at her face.

She pulled her hair on top of her head and did something to make it stay in a knot there. She leaned her head back on the pillow, her bottom lip wedged between her teeth. After what seemed like forever, she looked up and a tear slid down her cheek. She swallowed hard and asked, “Are you joining me?”

Everything in my world stopped in that moment. I knew what the question had cost her. Knew she wouldn’t ask if she didn’t want me. Knew this changed everything and I couldn’t fuck it up.

I was damn close to crying when I lifted a finger. “In just a sec. I’ll go explain what happened and that we’ll be out as soon as we can. I’ll be right back. Relax.”

Closing the bathroom door, I went over to the house phone. I called down to the kitchen and asked the staff to find Birdie. When the longtime housekeeper picked up the phone, I gave her instructions on what I needed her to do.

Running back to the bathroom, I skidded to a stop in front of the tub. Charlie lay there, her eyes closed, looking serene.

“You okay?”

A corner of her mouth lifted. “I was finding my happy place, trying not to remember there’s a throng of people waiting on me. Trying to forget I have nothing to wear and that my hair and makeup are ruined. Trying to forget…”

I took a step closer. “Forget what?”

Her eyes met mine again and she inhaled deep and long. “Trying to forget how much I want you in here with me.”

Without saying a word, I removed my jacket while simultaneously taking off my shoes. My fingers ran down the length of my rumpled dress shirt, sliding buttons through the holes as I shrugged it off. I watched Charlie as she watched me. I wanted so badly to touch her; feel the soapy bubbles against her soft, supple skin.

My pants and boxers dropped to the floor in one smooth movement. My cock was already hard as I reached down to stroke it. I stared at her as my mouth watered, eager to feel her touch.

“Are you waiting on a formal invite?” she asked softly. “I’m sure your mother could recommend a really talented engraver.”

While I appreciated her attempt to lighten the moment, I shook my head and stepped into the water. Grabbing a washcloth from the towel bar, I dipped it in the suds as I sat down next to my girl.

“You can have a party in this bathtub,” she said.

“Shall I invite a few of your friends from the party? I don’t mind…”

She blew a mound of bubbles at me. “If it’s the girls you’re thinking of, no thank you. Now your friend, Chase…”

I splashed at her even though I knew she teased me. The washcloth traveled gently over her chest, paying special attention to her ample breasts. She bit her lip while laying her head back on the makeshift towel pillow. I slid the washcloth down her stomach, moving slowly to her legs, sliding the terry fabric up and down, paying particular attention to the backs of her knees.

Her eyes were still closed as I stroked her thighs, one at a time. “This feels so good,” she moaned and let her legs fall open.

Accepting the invitation, I abandoned the cloth and allowed my hand to glide up her smooth thigh until it reached her center. I couldn’t tell where the heat and moisture from the tub ended and Charlie began. I watched her face as I pushed a finger inside, then added another and moved it slowly in and out. Charlie jerked and her eyes fluttered closed. She spread her legs even further, granting me deeper access. Her hands roamed across my back and then to my chest, leaving a soapy trail down my abs. I sucked in a deep breath as she wrapped a hand around the base of my shaft.

Damn. So good. What I’d been dreaming of in my lonely bed ever since I’d had her the first time. The night that assured me that my life would never be the same.

I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut as my head rested on Charlie’s shoulder. I left a trail of kisses there as she worked my cock harder and faster. The pressure and speed were exquisite. She knew me. Exactly what I wanted and how I wanted it.

“You’re fucking amazing,” I growled into her ear as I continued to pleasure her with my fingers.

“You're so fucking sexy,” she whispered back. “I try to resist you, Nolan. I can’t. Maybe I never wanted to.”

“Wait,” I said, covering my hand with hers. “Let’s move to the bedroom. I want to show you something.”

I took her hand and pulled her out of the tub. We walked to the bed, leaving a wake of soapy footprints all over the tile floor and rug, not even giving her time to grab a towel.

“Sit down on the bed,” I instructed Charlie.

“You aren’t going to do some weird, kinky shades of gray shit are you?” she said, clearly feeling self-conscious outside the comfort of the suds. “Require me to sign a contract and beat me senseless with a whip?”

I paused and looked at her. “You like that shit?”

She shrugged. “Maybe.”

I stared at her and my dick twitched at the thought of my hand spanking that beautiful ass. Tying her up. Forcing her to…

Focus
, I told myself and walked over to the table where Birdie had left the things I requested. I picked up the sterling silver tray and brought it over to the bed where Charlie was patiently waiting, her arms crossed over her breasts.

“Hmm, chocolate covered strawberries, champagne, caviar… and what’s this?” she asked holding up a black velvet box. “How did all this get here?”

I ignored her question. “Open it.”

Charlie gasped when she saw what was inside.

The necklace was eighteen karat gold with forty-four vibrant blue sapphires with alternating round brilliant diamonds in a semi-bezel setting. There was a matching sapphire ring and earrings.