Beauty (Fated Encounters) (9 page)

Tessa ended up dancing with a few
of Drake’s friends as he was cornered by others who wanted to speak with him.
She was laughing as Nico spun her on the dance floor when another man took her
in his arms. Like most of Drake’s friends, the new man was devastatingly
handsome. He had dark-brown eyes with dark hair that was cut short.

Although he smiled at her, there
was something dangerous about the man. They spent a few minutes chatting, and
it took Tessa a moment to realize that she was telling him far more personal
information than she should be telling a stranger. She saw Drake making his way
through the crowd when the man she was dancing with leaned down from his
considerable height and kissed her on the cheek.

“You’ll do,” he said. “Keep
driving Drake crazy, Tessa. It’s highly amusing.” With that, he winked at her,
then disappeared into the crowd.

“Who was that?” Drake demanded.

It was only then that Tessa
realized she’d never gotten the man’s name. “I have no idea, but he said he was
a good friend of yours. It was weird. He had me talking about stuff I normally
wouldn’t have...”

“Damn it, Brett,” Drake muttered
as he took Tessa in his arms. “It’s okay. He does that to people.”

She rested her head on his chest
as she swayed in his arms. Playing with the lapel of his tux, she whispered,
“Drake, I know we should stay until the end of the ball, but—”

He was pulling her off the dance
floor before she’d finished speaking. Without saying a word to anyone, they
left the ball, only stopping to retrieve their coats before they were outside
hailing a cab. When they were safely in the backseat on their way to Drake’s
condo, Tessa reached up and took off her mask, shoving it into her small purse.

Emboldened by the darkness, she
didn’t look at Drake as she reached down and stroked her hand over his hard
erection through the material of his pants. His breath hissed out of clenched
teeth, and his hand came down hard over hers, stilling her movement. She
squeezed gently, silently telling him not to interfere with her fun. Muttering
a low curse, he released his hold on her, his head falling back against the
seat as she continued to slowly move her hand over him.

When the taxi pulled up in front
of his building, he quickly paid and all but carried her out of the car. They
hurried into the elevator, barely pausing to say hello to the security guard at
the front door. Once they were in the privacy of the elevator, it took him two
tries before he fit the key in place next to the button to his floor. He
stabbed the button, then turned on her, jerking her to him and pressing his
hard body against hers. His arm wound around her waist and she felt his
erection against her stomach. He wrapped her long hair around his fist, pulling
back her head so he could crush his lips down on hers.

Moaning, she opened for him as he
continued to ravage her mouth in a kiss that stole her senses. He consumed her,
demanding and coaxing her to give him more. To give him all. Lust instantly
curled in her belly, and she felt a flood of liquid heat spill from between her
thighs. She could feel the steel-hard spike of his desire, thick and hot,
pulsing against her core, and she wanted it. She angled her head to the side to
take the kiss deeper, letting the flames of passion take over so they burned
them both alive.

Drake broke the kiss as they came
to a stop on his floor. They stumbled out of the elevator and made it as far as
the couch before he roughly pushed her against it and took her lips with his
again. Feeling her touch him in the car had almost pushed him over the edge,
and made his body hum with need. He wanted her, but he needed to be inside her
before he let go.

“Naughty, baby,” he growled. “Do
you think you can play with me and not pay for it?”

“Yes,” she challenged, her eyes
sparkling with feminine pride. She reached down to stroke him again, and almost
brought him to his knees. “This is mine.”

“And you are mine.”

Drake clenched the skirt of her
dress in his hands, pulling it up until he could push his hand beneath it. He
stroked clever fingers over the damp material of her panties, then heard her
gasp as he fisted the lace in his hand and jerked it from her with one hard tug.
Not giving her any time to recover, he slid one long finger inside her hot,
tight sheath.

His breath was harsh as he said,
“You’re wet for me already.”

“I am.”

“I’ve been hard for you all
night,” Drake growled. “Knowing your mine makes me mad with desire. I’m sorry,
baby. I can’t wait to have you. I need you now.”

“Don’t wait,” she ordered. “I
want you, Drake. Right here, right now.”

He pulled his finger from her,
making Tessa moan in protest. He spun her around, pushing her down so she was
bend over the top of the couch with his hard body covering hers. He raised her
hands onto the top of the couch, holding them over her head.

“Stay still,” he ordered, his hot
mouth moving over her neck.

Quivering, Tessa felt him tugging
at the strands of diamonds where they connected to the red dress, holding it in
place. She felt the satin slide down, and her hands clenched into fists as she
tried to keep her hands where he’d placed them. Drake’s lips moved down her
spine as the dress pooled at her feet. She felt him lift her feet one by one,
then he moved the dress out of the way. She was now completely exposed to him,
the only thing she was wearing were the strands of diamonds.

Tessa’s heart pounded in
anticipation when she heard him unzip his pants. She gasped in surprise as he
roughly kicked her legs further apart, then she moaned as she felt the head of
his cock begin pushing inside her. His hard body covered hers again, and he
tilted her head to the side so he could take her lips in another heated kiss.

He pushed inside her slowly,
filling her with every inch of his hard flesh. His huge cock hurt a little,
stretching her to the limits just like it always did the first time they made
love, but the small bite of pain just made the pleasure that much more intense.

“So tight! You’re so damn perfect,”
he groaned. “I love you, Tessa.”

 She could feel the power in his
strong body as he lay over her, but she made him tremble with her touch. And
knowing that made her drunk with pleasure. Tears stung her eyes as Tessa cried
out, “I love you. God, I love you, Drake!”

Drake’s control snapped, and he
began driving into her with fast, hard thrusts. He filled her completely as he pounded
furiously into her tight, wet heat. Nothing else mattered but this glorious
pleasure they shared. He felt his body tighten with his impending release, but
he refused to go over that edge without her.

“I’m close. Come for me, baby.
Come, and take me with you.”

Tess couldn’t help but obey as
his fingers moved between her thighs to stroke over her clit. Her body jerked
as he played her, pushing her closer to a hard, brutal climax. She couldn’t
hear anything over the sound of her own blood roaring in her ears, then she sobbed
his name as her body shattered into a million pieces. His strong arms wrapped
around her, sheltering her as the shocking waves of pleasure tore her apart
from the inside out.  

Drake felt her clamp down on him
when she came, and the greatest pleasure he’d ever known shook him to his very
soul. He growled at the sheer rapture that swept through him, and his hips
jerked as he poured himself into her.

When he was able to move again,
he lifted her into his arms and carried her into their bedroom. After removing
the ropes of diamonds from her neck, he quickly stripped off his clothes and
joined her on the bed, pulling her into his arms. Gazing into her eyes, he
pledged, “I love you, Tessa, and I promise I’ll make you happy. I’ll be
whatever you need me to be. I’ll give you all that’s in my power to give.”

She looked up at him, the love
she felt for him clear in her hazel
eyes. “Just love me,
Drake. That’s all I need.”

Drake slowly smiled at her. “Now,
that I can definitely do.”

***

EPILOGUE

One year later...

“Did you have fun tonight,
sweetheart?”

Tessa looked over at her husband
as they walked into their bedroom. Every time she looked at him, the power of
his beauty made her lose her breath. She’d never thought she could love him
more than she did a year ago, but every day since had proved her wrong.

 Over the last year many things
in their lives had changed, starting with their wedding that had happened a few
short months after the masquerade gala last year. Drake hadn’t been able to
wait to make her his wife, and to be honest, she hadn’t wanted to wait either.

Her company had flourished after
the success of the gala, keeping her busy with numerous events for Chicago’s
elite. She and Jamie had been overwhelmed at first, but they had taken on new
staff to keep up with demands. They had also made Eli a manager, and he’d been
absolutely brilliant at keeping the entire staff organized and on task.

Drake’s company had also
benefited from the goodwill garnered from the charity gala. They had donated a
staggering amount of money that had been collected, and the foundation had
written them a letter thanking them for their generosity. Because of the
success, Vidal Labs and Technology planned to make the masquerade charity ball
an annual event.  He and Tessa had just attended the ball, but their return
home was far different than it was last year.

Thinking back on those memories,
she smiled. “I did. I got to talk to Chris and Alison for a bit. I haven’t seen
them for a while, so that was nice. Oh, and I’m having lunch with Ronnie, Goldie,
Chase and Jamie on Wednesday.”

“Ah, a girl’s day out.”

“Something like that.” She sat
down on the bed and kicked off her shoes as she watched him strip out of his
tux. He put on a soft pair of gray sweatpants and a white shirt. They’d both
seen better days, but he still looked damn good. “I’m sorry we couldn’t stay
for the whole thing.”

“I’m not. I’d rather be home with
you.”

“It’s good for you to be social
sometimes.” She laughed as she stood and he turned her around, unzipping her
dress for her. She disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes, and when
she came back she was wearing a soft, cotton nightshirt the color of lilacs.

Drake’s heart pounded in his
chest as he watched his wife walking toward him. He moved over on the bed from where
he’d been warming the sheets and made room for her. Tessa always liked sleeping
on the right side of the bed, closest to the bathroom. When she climbed onto
the bed, he immediately pulled her into his arms.

“I’m social,” Drake murmured
against her forehead as she snuggled up against him. “You force me to be. We’re
having dinner with Turner and Starla at Devine’s tomorrow night, aren’t we?
See? That counts.”

“How could I forget? Just
thinking about it makes me hungry.”

His brows creased with worry. “Do
you want me to get you something?”

“No, I’m good right now.” She
yawned, then said, “I have to meet with Cinder and Ryder tomorrow to talk over
some last minute wedding details.”

“Oh, yeah. They’re getting
married soon.” He winced as she pinched him lightly.

“Three weeks. I really hope I get
to go.” She rubbed her swollen belly, stroking a loving hand over the life that
grew inside her. “That is, if this little guy doesn’t make an early
appearance.”

“He better not. I still have a
few weeks to prepare for being a father,” Drake growled. His gentle touch
belied his tone as he placed his hand over hers.

“You still have time,” Tessa
assured him, leaning in to brush her lips over his.

So many feelings rushed through
Drake when he thought of the son that his beautiful wife would be gifting him
with soon. He’d never thought he could love like this...never thought he would
have everything he’d ever wanted right here in his arms.

Tessa was his light, and she was
the family he had always dreamed of. Her love had no boundaries, and feeling
it, seeing it, made him feel invincible. Together, they were beauty
personified...they were what love was truly meant to be.

“Perhaps I should practice now.” He
shifted on the bed, moving lower until his head rested on her large belly. A
smile curved on his lips as he felt the baby moving inside her. “Give your mama
a rest, kid. Maybe you need a bedtime story.”

Tessa stroked her hand over his
hair. “We’d like that.”

Drake turned his head, pressing a
kiss to her stomach before he began. “Once upon a time...”

THE END

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laurie Roma lives in Chicago and mainly writes
contemporary, romantic suspense, and sci-fi romance. She has always loved
immersing herself in a good book and now enjoys the pleasure of creating her
own. She can usually be found tapping away on her keyboard, creating worlds for
her characters while she listens to music. Of course her playlist depends on
her mood...but then again, so does her writing.

An avid reader of the romance genre, nothing bothers her
more than annoying characters. Seriously, who wants a happy ending for someone
that pisses you off? She loves tough alpha-male heroes and strong heroines that
have brains as well as beauty. Her novels are filled with both passionate
romance and down and dirty lust-driven interludes, as she believes both are
essential to a good love story. She loves to hear from her readers and can be
reached at
[email protected]
.

For all titles by Laurie Roma, please visit

www.laurieroma.com