Condoned (Beauty And The Billionaire Geek Book 3) (5 page)

I barely missed a tree as I rocketed to the bottom of a ravine with Billy just behind me. I hit the forest floor hard, falling forward on my hands and knees. Billy fell into me, pushing me into the mud. He stood behind me as I floundered, my face covered in brown sludge. Struggling to rise, his hand appeared in front of my fuzzy vision. I grabbed it, looking for any anchor to get me back on solid ground.

I stood, wiping my face with the inside of my shirt. The rain pelted me, clearing the rest of the dirt and grit from my face. Billy stood before me, breathing heavily, wild desperation in his eyes. I stepped back, hitting the wide trunk of a tree behind me.

“You ruined my life, William Black,” I screamed through the pouring rain, gripping the rugged bark of the trunk for safety.

“How?” he said, holding open his hands that were filled with rain.

“Because!” I shouted, not knowing what to say. It had all been said.

He moved toward me slowly, like someone approaching a skittish animal. He raised his hand cupping my cheek, distance still between our bodies.

A tear tumbled down my cheek, obscured by the rain. I gasped as more followed. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to hold back the tide. He closed the distance between us. In a split second, he held me in his arms. I could smell the musky scent of his body mixed with the fresh scent of rain. He looked down at me, his eyes shining like stars.

“Because… you weren’t in it,” I said, my voice breathy. “You took yourself away from me.” The realization that I was angry at him for not being in my life, flooded into me like a tidal wave. But, he was here now.

His mouth descended in a rush. Lips pressed hard against lips.  I clung to him, wrapping my arms under his and around his back. His hard, solid body pressed me against the trunk of the tree. My lips parted, and I licked and bit at his lower lip. He pressed his tongue inside my mouth, flicking and teasing at mine. I felt his shaft rise firm and thick against my stomach, sending a shiver of desire through my core.

His hot mouth explored my neck while his hand cupped my breast. I opened my legs as he bent down to press between them. I gasped and he claimed my mouth again, kissing me ferociously. I melted into his kiss, wanting him to take me right then and there.

My hands slid down his taut sides and traced the top of his hiking shorts. I fumbled with the button on the top of his shorts. He stopped his frantic claim of my mouth and looked down into my eyes. His face serene but filled with need. He gave me a questioning look.

He smiled and pulled down my flimsy jogging shorts and panties in one tug and pushed the jogging tank up over my breasts. I finally managed to get the metal button of his pants undone. They slid down his hips and hit the ground around his feet, exposing his towering length.

I gasped as he pressed his warm, wet flesh against my sensitive skin. He kneaded my breasts with his hands and gazed down at me.

“Is this okay?” he whispered in my ear.

“I have a birth control implant,” I said, my mind whirling with need.

He grunted and gripped my ass, lifting me up to wrap my legs around his waist. He held me aloft, and then lowered me over his sopping wet erection. He entered my slick folds effortlessly, slowly. I sucked air in my lungs as he filled me, stretching my core with his shaft. As he sunk to the base, I moaned, the sensation building with the surprise of him fitting inside me.

I clung to his neck as he held me firmly against the tree. His hips slowly worked, thrusting into my tender flesh. The bark of the tree jabbed into my back and ass, but the pain somehow added to the excruciating pleasure of Billy being inside me again. He increased his rhythm, and I moaned into the consuming sound of the rain. It pelted my face, drenched my hair, and ran in rivulets down Billy’s bare shoulders.

I leaned forward to lick his earlobe. He grunted and plunged into me faster. I gripped his shoulders as he held my legs around his waist. I could feel my release coming fast and hard. I was on the brink as the pleasure rose ecstatically inside me.

“Oh God, I love you, Zoe.”

“Billy…”

My orgasm exploded on his cock, gripping and pulsing in angry waves of pleasure. He sank his face into my neck, groaning, his length jabbing hard into my softness. I felt him pummeling toward climax until white hot release burst inside me. We moaned together, as I crested again. Our lips met in an intense kiss. We pressed our mouths hard to each other, breathing heavily through our noses.

Finally, he slipped away, and I slid down to find my feet on the ground again. Panting, sopping wet, we climbed back into our sodden, muddy clothing. He took my hand, looking around for the right direction.

The rain died down as we made our way through the forest. By the time we found the four wheeler, the sun had broken out from behind the clouds again. We drove back to the house to be greeted by William’s astonished staff member. 

“Mr. Black, you’re drenched.”

We were quickly covered in towels and robes as we scurried up the stairs to his master bedroom. 

His room was all polished blond wood from floor to ceiling. A Victorian style king sized bed dominated the center of the room. Near the huge windows that led to the third floor deck, was a small sitting area.

I went to the enormous bathroom, shimmied out of my drenched clothing, and turned on the monstrous marble shower. Jets streamed in every direction. I stepped inside with William not far behind. We stood under the streaming jets, holding each other. Warm water washed the dirt away from our hair and skin.

William grabbed a bar of soap and started washing my body, rubbing over my shoulders, down my arms, and circling around my breasts. I reached for the shampoo and lathered it into my hair, enjoying the sensation of William’s lathered hands on my skin. After I rinsed the shampoo from my own hair, I reach up to lather it into his. He leaned back, letting the stream wash the shampoo away and down his rippling back.

Once we were clean, we held each other quietly in the steamy warm shower until our skin began to wrinkle, all the while kissing each other softly. We got out of the shower and wrapped ourselves in fluffy black bathrobes, and padded out to the bedroom where we found a meal sitting on the veranda overlooking the ocean.

I twisted my damp hair into a bun and sat with William to eat the gourmet meal of grilled steak on a bed of asparagus, topped with baby greens, and an open bottle of pinot noir. He poured the smooth, red liquid into two wide glasses and we sipped together.

“
This
is a new beginning,” I said quietly.

“The very best.”

The sun was setting orange and pink over the ocean. A wave of inner joy washed over me as the warmth of the wine trickled down my throat and into my belly. The steak was delicious. Every time I looked at William’s face, I couldn’t believe it was really him. It felt as if we were living in an alternate reality where nothing bad had ever happened and we’d lived together happily all this time.

As the sun finally dipped below the horizon, we climbed in bed with the sliding doors open to the salty breeze.

“I wish we could always be like this,” I said, leaning my head against his shoulder.

“So do I. This is prefect. Right now.”

We slept, wrapped in each other’s arms. When I woke I was so full of elation I could barely contain myself. I rose on my elbow and found that I was alone. Confused in the dim light of morning, I looked around the room for signs of him. I glanced at his bedside table and found a note.

I had to take the helicopter back to

the mainland to deal with server errors.

I didn’t want to wake you.

I’ll be back later today.

Love,

William

I heaved a sigh, already missing him. Rising from the bed, I slipped into a light maxi dress and sandals before going downstairs to find coffee. A staff member informed me that there was a buffet waiting for me in the dining room. They really didn’t have to go to all that trouble for just me. I found the dining room and poured myself a cup of coffee and ate a bowl of fresh fruit.

When I finished eating, I lazily showed myself around the massive log mansion. Part of me felt like I was snooping. But I was bored. I missed William and wanted him to come back as soon as possible. I finally felt okay about how much I needed him when he was gone. Sipping a cup of coffee, I cracked open a room on the main floor. It was dark inside, so I reached around and flipped on the lights.

It looked like an office. A big antique oak desk sat at the back with computer monitors spread across it. I wondered if I could check my email since I didn’t have cell reception on the island. I sauntered over to the desk and plopped down in the big, brown leather chair, flicking the mouse to see if the computer would wake up.

Horror gripped my chest and I dropped my coffee on the rug.

Splashed across the screen were dozens of pictures of me — me in that warehouse in Pioneer Square, blindfolded.

I pushed back from the desk, barely able to breathe. Sucking air into my lungs I lurched out of the office, slamming the door behind me. I ran upstairs and threw everything into my suitcase before running back downstairs and out to where the four wheelers were parked. I turned the key as a panicked staff member came running from the house.

“What’s wrong, Ms. Parker? Can I get you something?”

“I’m leaving. Is there someone on that god awful boat who can take me home?”

“The crew sleeps there. Everyone is onboard. But whatever is the matter?” The man’s pudgy face was so red it was growing purple.

“Tell William I found the pictures,” I said, pushing the four wheeler into gear, backing up.

“What pictures?” he shouted as I turned around and sped away, leaving a wake of dust behind me. I made it to the dock in two minutes flat and lugged my suitcase down the pier and onto the ship. The captain looked at me with wide-eyed panic as I boarded.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as I passed. “I got a call from the house saying you want to leave.”

“That is correct. I need to go back to Seattle now. Will you take me or have I been kidnapped?”

“We’ll take you, of course, ma’am.”

One of the crew took my bag and led me to a bedroom below deck. He put the suitcase on the floor and closed the door behind him, looking at me wearily.

I collapsed on the bed, crying, feeling like a weak fool. I never should have gotten involved with him again. William Black was nothing but trouble. A relationship with someone so emotionally clueless would be impossible.

We made it back to Seattle a few hours later. I wouldn’t let anyone help me with my bag as I yanked it down the pier to where I could wait for a cab.

I stood on the sidewalk outside the marina. As soon as I got off the phone with the taxi service, my phone rang. Billy.

“It was you!” I screamed into the phone. “You hired me for that horrible, humiliating shoot. How could you? It’s just sick.”

“Yes. It was me. I wanted to see you again.”

“You could have just called!” I was livid, so offended my face felt like it might explode from the heat. How dare he even call me?

“I didn’t want to talk about the past.”

“So you tricked me into doing a nude photo shoot for you instead? What kind of sick, entitled, asshole does that kind of thing?”

“Just let me explain.”

A tear ran down my cheek. My face was already puffy from crying and my eyes stung.

“How could you play me like this Billy?”

“I’m not playing you.”

“Everything you do is a game. I’m done. You don’t want a serious grown up relationship. You want to treat me like some kind of character in one of your epic quests. I’m not a character. I’m a person. I deserve respect. I never want to see you again. Don’t call me. Don’t contact me. Don’t come anywhere near me.”

A taxi finally arrived and I threw my bag inside before sinking in and slamming the door. I told him my address and we zoomed away.

“You’re doing it again,” said Stacy from my doorway. I’d been in bed for two days, barely eating, not showering, and wallowing in self-pity.

“Leave me alone, Stacy. I don’t want to talk about it. Just go away.”

“Zoe, I’m not letting you throw your life away. I’ve watched you do this three times since we were teenagers. I’m not watching it again. Now get out of bed and take a shower, or I’ll drag you there myself.”

“Please. Just leave me alone,” I whimpered under my breath.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Stacy marched across the room, threw my smelly blankets off my body and gripped me under my arms. “God, you stink,” she said as she hefted me from the bed. Stacy was surprisingly strong for a petite woman. I struggled, but my heart wasn’t in it. She dragged me across the floor several feet before I finally stood up and shoved her off.

“Fine!” I yelled, marching to the bathroom and slamming the door. I wanted to be left alone in my sorrow. Checking out was the only way I knew how to deal with my problems. If I just wallowed for a few months or half a year, my emotions would be impenetrable on a day to day basis. That was how I dealt with life. It had always worked for me before.