Billionaire Undaunted: The Billionaire's Obsession ~ Zane (11 page)

The song ended just as she finished her sentence, and Zane dipped her backward, supporting her upper body with his arm as she stretched. Instantly, he pulled her back up again and she slammed up against his rock-hard body.

“You’re not wearing a bra,” he said irritably.

“How do you know that?” she asked, her words muffled against his chest.

In fact, she
wasn’t
wearing much in the way of undergarments at all. The dress had long, off-the-shoulder sleeves, something she hadn’t thought about when she’d purchased her ensemble. By the time she discovered she didn’t have the appropriate undergarments for the dress, she’d just went without. The material was heavy enough not to show anything, and she wasn’t exactly heavily endowed.

“Your nipples are hard. I could tell when the fabric stretched,” Zane grumbled.

Everyone was applauding the orchestra and Ellie joined in as she replied, “Then maybe you shouldn’t have held me so close and put your sexy mouth against my ear.” She turned to leave the dance floor.

Zane caught her arm before she went very far. “Did dancing turn you on?”

Ellie swiped one more glass of champagne from a waiter who was patrolling the edge of the dance floor and took a large sip before she looked up at him. “Not dancing. Dancing with
you
turned me on.”

Wordlessly, he took her hand and moved through the bulk of the people until they reached an unused table. He helped her take a seat before he insisted, “Stay here. I’m going to the bar. I think I need a drink.”

“They have champagne everywhere,” Ellie reminded him.

“I need something stronger than that.” He put a hand in one of the pockets of his tuxedo pants, his eyes trailing down the front of her dress. “No dancing with anybody else but me. Do I want to know exactly what you’re wearing beneath that dress?”

Ellie downed the rest of her champagne and smiled at him sweetly as she crooked her finger to make him come closer. Giving her a suspicious look, he bent down so she could whisper in his ear. “I’ve never worn a dress like this, but I didn’t want panty lines, so I bought the cutest little black thong with a tiny pink bow, and matching thigh-high stockings. That’s it. I feel almost…naked.”

Ellie’s heart started to pound against her chest wall as Zane turned his head and their gazes clashed and held, his face so close to hers that she wanted to reach out and grasp his hair, make him kiss her until she couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe.

His eyes were dangerous, a gray so dark and turbulent they reminded her of an incoming thunderstorm. “Jesus Christ, Ellie! Are you trying to be a cock-tease, or are you just being honest?” he whispered hoarsely.

She leaned in closer. “Maybe a little bit of both,” she confessed. “I don’t flirt. Not usually.” She had a feeling the champagne was letting her say exactly what she wanted. When it came to alcohol, she was a lightweight since she rarely even had a small glass of wine.

He put a hand behind her neck, and the intimate, possessive touch made her shiver.

“Don’t do it with anyone else but me,” Zane demanded, and then placed a rough kiss on her lips before he straightened. “I’ll be right back.” It sounded more like a warning than a comment.

She watched as Zane strode across the room to the bar, sighing at the tantalizingly sexy male gait of a predator that he used to move from one place to another. Her eyes stayed fixed on his wide shoulders until he finally disappeared into the sea of other dark tuxedos near the bar.

“Ah, here’s somebody I haven’t met. And you’re with Zane. Hello, mystery woman.”

A dark-blond male seated himself across from her. His lips were smiling, but for some reason the jovial expression didn’t quite reach his dark eyes. “Hello,” she answered automatically. “I’m Ellie Winters.”

The man reached his hand across the table. “Sean Rycroft,” he offered as he shook her hand. “I’m the director of research at Colter Laboratories. Zane’s my boss. Well, I suppose he’s actually everybody’s boss, technically.”

“I thought Zane was the director.”

Sean laughed. “Hell, no. He’s the CEO of the entire global company. He has several directors at all his facilities.”

Ellie paused, realizing how little she knew about Zane’s industry. “He has labs all over the world?”

Sean nodded. “Pretty much. But most of them are manufacturing facilities to produce the items he’s already developed. The main research lab is here in Denver.” He paused for a moment before asking, “How long have you two been involved? Zane hasn’t said a word. Elena just told me that he had a date.”

The redhead? Why had she been talking to this man?

“You know Elena?” Ellie asked cautiously.

“Pretty well, actually. She’s my assistant.”

So he’s the boss Elena was screwing, but now she was looking for an even bigger fish to catch: the owner of the entire company.

Ellie felt sorry for the man sitting across from her. He was probably ten years older than Zane, but he was no troll. He was charming, even if his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes; he looked good in a tux, and he seemed nice enough. But how could he
not know
that his viper assistant and girlfriend was searching for more money than Sean apparently made? And Ellie was pretty certain that Zane was paying his directors plenty.

Smiling at him politely, she revealed, “I’m actually Zane’s assistant, too. We’ve known each other for years.”

Sean gave her another one of his distant, polite smiles. “Is that right? Fantastic. So you aren’t seriously involved? No wonder she’s hitting on Zane.”

Ellie gaped at Sean, startled by his bluntness. “But aren’t you and Elena—”

“She refuses to make a commitment. I think she’s still looking for someone better.” His voice contained a touch of sadness and bitterness.

Ellie suppressed a shudder of revulsion. Obviously the redheaded snake was using Sean until she found a guy with even more money. The thought was repulsive to her, especially since Sean appeared to care about her.

She accepted another glass of champagne from a passing waiter before she answered. “I guess I don’t understand not making a commitment to somebody you’re regularly sleeping with.” She spoke the comment aloud before she realized she’d done it. Not only did she not understand Elena, but she couldn’t contemplate why Sean put up with a woman who gave him so much pain.

Sean shrugged. “Some women are unforgettable. But she wants the high life, and someday I’ll get it for her. Right now, at least she’s still with me.”

“What are you doing, Rycroft?” Zane’s angry voice answered from behind Sean.

Sean stood. “Zane,” he acknowledged with a nod. “I was just chatting with your new assistant.”

“Leave,” Zane uttered abruptly. “And don’t ever think about spending one second of time alone with Ellie or you’ll regret it.”

Sean held up his hands innocently. “I thought she was your new assistant.”

Zane set his drink on the table, reached out his hand and grasped the lapel of Sean’s tuxedo. “Go,” he said in a graveled tone. “Right. Fucking. Now.” Zane let go and literally pushed Sean away from the table.

Stunned, Ellie stared at the two men as they faced off, Zane’s expression so intensely fierce that he looked ready for anything.

She held her breath until Sean finally backed up, turned around and walked away without another word. Able to finally release the air from her lungs, she looked up at Zane, and the look he was giving her was almost frightening.

Had she embarrassed him somehow?
Ellie had no idea what the etiquette was for a party like this.

She took a sip of champagne and a deep breath before she gave Zane a questioning look, ready for whatever he had to say.

Z
ane wasn’t sure what the hell was wrong with him.

One smile. One sweet turn of Ellie’s lips in the direction of another guy had been enough to make him completely fucked up.

He sat down and threw back his scotch in one gulp, knowing he was probably scaring the hell out of Ellie. He glanced at her, able to see the confusion on her face.

Pull it together, man. Just because Ellie smiled at another guy is no reason to lose it.

Zane clenched his fists beneath the table, trying to make some sense out of the illogical. Most of the time, he got along fine with Sean. Yeah, he thought he was a fool for messing with a cat like Elena, but that was his business. His director had to know what he was getting himself into. Eventually, he’d need to explain himself to Sean, but he was more worried about Ellie right now.

“Sean does his job, but I don’t know him all that well personally. His drama with Elena occasionally gets out of hand, and he’s used a few of the female employees to try to make Elena jealous,” Zane explained with what he thought was a pretty lame excuse.

“I wasn’t encouraging him,” she answered calmly. “Is he dangerous?”

Yeah. The conversation had been innocent enough.
It had been the only thing that had kept him sane.

Zane shook his head. “I don’t know his personal life well enough to know how he treats a woman. I’ve never had a reason to get into his business. He hasn’t been with Colter all that long. All I really know is that he’s crazy about Elena, but she’s always looking for something better. I have no idea why he puts up with her.”

“Zane, I know you want to protect me, but someday I’m going to have to go back into the real world. Someday soon,” she told him quietly, her beautiful blue eyes staring him down.

Nope. He didn’t like
that
thought at all. Not after all she’d been through. “You are in the real world.”

She shook her head. “I’ve always been alone, solved my own problems.”

“Why does it have to be that way again? Why do you have to be alone now when you really need support?” Not that Zane wanted to be just her friend, and it was getting harder and harder each day not to want to be more. Literally
harder
.

She shook her head and broke their locked gazes, her eyes straying to her fluted glass of champagne as she stroked the stem. Hell, even that turned him on. He wanted those caressing fingers all over his fucking body.

Suddenly remembering why he’d been gone so long, he put his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out the items that he’d bid on and won in the silent auction.

“I won one of the bids on the auctions. I want you to have these.” He pushed a white velvet box across the small table.

Truth be told, he’d made damn sure he won by bidding a small fortune on the items. The minute he saw them, he knew they needed to belong to Ellie.

She looked at him in confusion and then down at the box, tracing the decorative gold lettering on the top. “Mia Hamilton?”

He nodded. “She does something special for my corporate fundraiser every year. The majority of the proceeds this year are going to a joint charity for domestic abuse victims. Mia’s sister-in-law founded it. Asha Harrison. They’re doing a lot of good work. My brothers and Chloe all support Asha’s Fund.”

Ellie nodded slowly. “I’ve heard about it. Lara is involved, too.”

“There are a lot of wealthy donors now all over the country. It’s a great charity that has very few administrative overheads since they have a lot of volunteers.” He nodded at the box. “Open it. I hope you like it.”

“Zane, is this a piece by Mia Hamilton?”

“Of course,” he answered sensibly.

“I can’t believe I’m even touching it. Her stuff is exclusive. I’ve never seen anything but pictures.”

Zane smiled. “Another first,” he replied as he impatiently reached over and popped the box open.

Ellie’s astonished gasp was audible even in the noisy ballroom.

“Oh. My. God.” She leaned back as though she was afraid to touch the jewelry.

Zane hadn’t seen all of Mia’s work, but he was pretty certain she’d outdone herself on the necklace and earrings she’d made this year. Somehow she’d made a fortune in sapphires, diamonds, and gold still look classy, delicate, and feminine. The chain of the necklace was alternating hearts made of small diamonds and blue sapphires with a slight violet tint. The chain met in the middle to support a heart pendant made of a large sapphire with diamonds framing the center heart. Mia had paired the necklace with simple drop earrings made of the same gems.

“I thought they were pretty. The sapphires almost match your eyes,” Zane said anxiously, getting worried about the nervous look on her face.

“Pretty? Zane, these are the most beautiful pieces of jewelry I’ve ever seen. Can I touch them?”

He reached out and took her hand, placing her fingers on top of the necklace. “They’re yours. Of course you can touch them.” He was secretly pleased that she seemed so enchanted by Mia’s creations.

She carefully traced the delicate hearts on the chain, and then ran a careful finger down the sapphire pendant. “You know I can’t accept a gift like this,” she told him adamantly. “But I’m really happy that I was able to see these in person. I didn’t go to see what was on auction.”

He got up and plucked the necklace from the box. Standing behind Ellie, he slipped the chain around her neck and fastened the clasp. He didn’t bother with the earrings since Ellie was already wearing a costume pair that he wasn’t about to try to take out and replace.

Sitting back down again, he surveyed the stunning contrast of the sparkling gems against Ellie’s creamy skin. “Perfect,” he declared, satisfied that the necklace had found the place where it had always belonged.

“
Take it off
,” Ellie squeaked, her voice sounding panicked.

He smirked. “Any other time, I’d love to hear those words come out of your mouth, but not this time.”

“Zane, I can’t wear this. What if somebody tries to steal it? What if the clasp breaks and it gets lost?” She’d leaned across the table so she could speak without attracting attention.

He shrugged. “It’s just jewelry.”

“Jewelry that costs more than most people’s houses,” she answered in a frantic tone.

He was getting irritated because her objection was all about how much he spent. Logically, he understood her situation, but he’d never miss a single penny he spent. “It was a gift, Ellie. The money went to a good cause. Christ! Can’t you just accept a gift from me without worrying about paying back the money? I want you to have it. It matches your eyes, and sapphires are your birthstone. Coincidentally, they’re my birthstone, too.”

She lowered her eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s such a thoughtful gift, but don’t you understand that I’m not used to accepting gifts like this?”

“I do understand. But you have to realize that I’m very used to giving these types of gifts. Not jewelry exactly. But expensive for the average person. For me, it’s not that pricey,” he reminded her. “It’s like you sending flowers to a friend, or buying a card.”

Ellie burst into laughter, the sound grabbing and squeezing Zane’s heart like a vise. She snorted before she answered, “That really is true, I suppose. But I think I’d be more comfortable with flowers.” She fingered the necklace carefully. “And I know it’s a good cause. But this is something you need to save for somebody special,” she prompted, reaching back to fumble with the clasp of the pendant.

He stood and grasped her wrists. “Don’t,” he told her gruffly. “I’m ready to go. Are you?”

She nodded. “Yes, but I really need to—”

“Let’s get our coats. You can either take the earrings or leave them there for whoever decides to pick them up. I’m not giving them to anyone else. I did give them to someone special. I gave them to you.”

He tugged on her wrist to get them to the coat check area.

“Wait!” she answered with panic. “I can’t just leave them here, and I need my bag.”

Zane released her wrist and let her pick up her small black clutch from one of the chairs, and then observed with satisfaction when she carefully closed the lid of the jewelry box and stowed the earrings safely in her purse.

“You’re not playing fair,” she snapped at him as she brushed by him.

“You haven’t played fair since you decided to wear almost nothing underneath that dress,” Zane shot back at her as he clasped their hands together.

“I hardly think that’s the same thing,” she said tartly, sounding like a sexy schoolteacher.

“Close enough,” he replied nonchalantly, continuing to lead her toward the door.

His dick had been hard since the moment he’d seen her in that slinky black dress. Ellie was so naturally beautiful that she didn’t need the makeup and hair, but the perfection of how she looked tonight had blown him away. When he’d seen the outline of her pebbled nipples through the black fabric, his cock had started to throb even more insistently.

Mine!

His reaction had been immediate and irrevocable. Ellie belonged with him. Though, he was pretty sure that he needed her more than she needed him.

After she’d revealed exactly what she was wearing underneath that dress, he’d wanted to see if she was teasing him, or if she was telling the truth.

As far as he was concerned, he was done playing fair. Seeing her climax once hadn’t been enough. He was addicted. He needed to see her come apart again, hear her scream his name. Oddly, he didn’t care if she was a virgin other than the fact that he’d be the first and only guy to claim her, a fact that made him want to fuck her even more. But he hadn’t wanted to take her that night because he needed to know that she truly wanted him to be her first. Now, he knew that not only would he be her first…he’d be her one and only.

Honestly, Ellie had always been the one for him. Subconsciously, maybe he’d always known it, but it was pretty damn clear the few times he’d seen her back in Rocky Springs. He didn’t act then, which was a fact that he now regretted, but he was going to now.

I almost lost her
.

It was pretty damn sad to think that it took Ellie almost dying for him to pull his head out of his ass and find his balls. One thing he knew for sure: he was ready to fight for what he wanted.

No more playing nice. Zane was ready to play dirty, knowing it would be a hell of a lot more satisfying for both of them.

It didn’t take long for them to get back to Zane’s home. He’d made use of his limo and driver, and they’d been dropped off at the door after a smooth and fast ride home.

The champagne Ellie had consumed was starting to wear off, but she was still riding a little buzz as she asked Zane, “Are you hungry?” They’d stopped into the kitchen to get a drink. She handed him a Coke from the refrigerator, selecting a diet for herself.

When she set the can on the countertop to open it, Zane pinned her from behind, slapping one hand on each side of her. “Not for food. But I’m dying to find out if you’ve been lying to me all night.”

An exploring hand landed on her ass, pinching her butt cheeks and rubbing to see if there was any material underneath. Her breath hitched as he started raising the flowing material up her thighs and to her ass.

“Jesus Christ! You aren’t wearing anything else, are you?”

She gripped the counter in front of her and shook her head. “No. I told you I wasn’t.”

“Turn around,” he demanded after he unzipped the back of her dress.

Ellie wanted skin-to-skin contact so badly that she obeyed. “I can’t do this,” she protested weakly, trying to fight the desires of her body with the logic of her mind. Unfortunately, her body was winning the battle. She’d wanted Zane for so long and so damned much that her defenses were crumbling.

After lifting the dress over her head and letting it hit the floor, Zane took her by the shoulders. “You said you wanted somebody who sees you, somebody who cares about you. I assume you’ve been saving your virginity for him. That man is me, Ellie. I’m sure as hell not a virgin, but I think I’ve been waiting for you forever. If you want to back out, do it now, or I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop myself later.”