Out of the Ashes (26 page)

“Celeste
, you don’t need to be sorry.  I should have never kept this from you. Let me start with Thursday night.   When those elevator doors closed, I felt part of me die.  When you didn’t answer my calls and then didn’t come in to work the next day, it felt like someone had reached into my chest and pulled my heart out.  As soon as I found out you weren’t coming in, I called my mother and got Gavin’s number.  I didn’t know if he would answer or even talk to me but I had to do something.  I got him the VIP table and planned to be there so we could talk.  But then you were with another man.  I didn’t think I could feel anymore pain until I saw him with his hands on you on the dance floor.  It took every last bit of my control not to go out there and rip his head off then drag you back and fuck some sense into you.”   Holy hell, who just turned up the heat in here?  The growing wet spot in my panties was making it difficult to concentrate.

“But you left, I looked for you.”  I said barely a whisper. 

“Oh believe me I got an eyeful before I got up.  Like I said, my first instinct was to head out onto that floor and break his hands for touching you.  Then the cocktail waitress walked by, shooting me a look I know too well.” 

The heat that had been running between us moments before was now a frozen lake of desire. 
“Stop, Ian I can’t hear anymore.  I said I would hear you out and not run but I can’t listen to this.  I’m just not ready.  I need some time.” 

“No
, angel, you can’t leave now.  Please I have to finish.  This can’t be easy but please…” Against my better judgment, I remain seated. After a few calming breathes, I am able to focus again on what he is telling me. “I took her down the hall and started doing things I knew I shouldn’t be doing but if you were going to shut me out, I needed to find a way to rid you from my mind too.  That’s the only way I know to drive a woman from my heart and mind.  The problem was that as I leaned into her, all I could see was you.  Only when I touched her, I was reminded that she definitely wasn’t you.  With all that was in me, I wanted to rid you from my memory, and then you were standing there looking at me.  I could see your pain but I was an ass.  Instead of running after you, taking you in my arms and pressing you against that wall, like I had wanted to since you walked in,” I felt the electric current break through the ice and shoot through me, but he continues, “I let you walk away.  I don’t know what else to say except I fucked up but I did
not
fuck her.  There’s no way I could, not when my body, heart and mind were crying out for you.   Regardless, I know what you saw, that what I did hurt you and I would do anything to take it back.  I only want to keep you from pain, not cause it but unfortunately, I failed at that as well.  At first, I didn’t understand how you could mistake my feelings for you.  Then at mother’s party with Rebecca.  I understood she had been sabotaging us from the beginning.  I’m guessing that wasn’t the only time she said something to you about me, trying to make it seem as if there was more to our relationship than there was.”  His hands slide into his hair, tugging at it in frustration.  “I swear to you, Celeste.  You’re the only one I want, the only one I’ve wanted since I set eyes on you that first night in the club.  That Monday when I walked in to see you were sitting here… I was overjoyed and then you acted as if you were
just
my assistant just the way you told that man that’s all you were to me.  These last few weeks I would steal glances at you working and I just wanted…” I cut him off placing my finger on his lips to silence him.  I heard all I needed to hear.

“Ian,
” I press my lips to his, not sure how to say what I’m feeling any other way.  Pulling back, my voice so thick with desire I almost don’t recognize it, “Please Ian, I need you.  Please make love to me.”  The panty-dropping smile is back. 

“Anything for you
, sweetheart.”  He scoops me up and carries me to his bedroom.  I gasp at the bed as he brings me over and lays me in the middle.  This is something new.  It’s a huge 4 poster mahogany bed; not sure what size you would call it, as it is bigger than a king.  Romantically draped across the top are sheer curtains in a beautiful shade of crimson.  I can’t help but run my fingers over them.  Ian steps over to the bed and pulls my body to the edge.  “Love, we are going to take this nice and slow.  When I am done with you, there will be no doubt in your mind as to my feelings for you.” 

He slowly peels open my jacket and lays it over the chair in the corner.  Reminiscent of our time in his office in London, he grasps my blouse in both hands and pulls it open.  “It appears I owe you another shirt.”  He pulls the fabric from underneath my body and throws it to the floor.  Next he removes my skirt.  Then he stands back to admire his work.  My chest is heaving; my pussy is soaked and throbbing with nee
d; his eyes rove over my body as I lay there in nothing but my bra, thong, garter and stockings.  He strips his shirt from his body and undoes his belt and top button on his pants before climbing over my body.  “I love that you wear these.  Stunning.”  He slides his hand up my thigh until his fingertips graze the bare skin above my stocking.  His other hand snakes into my hair and he pulls my mouth to his. 

I feel like I am going to combust and he has barely touched me.  “Ian, please I need you.” 

“I know, sweetheart.” 

“Inside me, I need you inside me.
  Please.”  I’m whimpering, begging, trying to hold back the ecstasy that threatens to overwhelm me.

His mouth moves lower; freeing my breast from the cup of my bra he takes it in his mouth, ge
ntly licking and sucking.  “I’ll never get enough of you.”  His mouth moves to the other breast.  I feel his hand make its way to my slick folds.  He teases my clit but doesn’t fill me like I need him to. 

“Please Ian.  Ian, I…
” Then his fingers are in the spot I’m craving contact the most.  “Yes, Ian but I want your cock in me.  Please fill me up.  I need you.” 

“You’re going to fucking kill me
, sweetheart.  You know I can’t deny you.”  With that his pants and socks are on the floor in one swift move.  Oh, commando again. I feel his weight come down on me.  I part my legs wider to accommodate him.  I want to feel the fullness of him in me.  Just when I don’t think I can stand the wait any longer, he plunges into me, filling me to the brim in one fluid movement. 

“Please Ian, love me.”  His face calms and he looks into my eyes.  I
n those sapphire pools, I see straight into his soul.  He doesn’t need to say it for me to know he loves me.  With his body, he is telling me the only way he knows how.  “Ian, I; oh please.”  He is moving in slow deliberate strokes.  I feel every inch of him slide against me.  The wait is agonizing.  I want him to slam into me, to take me hard but he’s savoring every moment. 

“Sweetheart, do you know how I feel about you?  Is it clear to you yet?” 

I nod looking him the eyes.  “Yes, Ian I know.” 

“I want to hear you say it.  Tell me what you see in my eyes, what you feel in my touch.  Tell m
e I want to hear the words.”  His rhythm increases and his fingers find my nipple. 

I can’t hold back
the rush of my orgasm but I give him what he wants.  “You love me.”  I cry out as my orgasm rocks my body.  “Ian, I love you.”  I don’t care that he knows.  He deserves to know everything and in time I’ll have to share all my secrets with him.  With a loud groan, he spills himself inside me at my confession of love.

He rolls to his side remaining inside me and cradles me to his body.  “Say it again.  I need to hear it again.”
  He smiles at me.  It’s a smile of pure bliss. 

“I love you
, Ian.  I have for a very long time.  I’m sorry my fear kept me from telling you sooner.”  I drape my leg over his waist and press my mouth to his.  His eyes stare down into mine. 

“
Love, you have no idea how happy you have made me.  I want to hold you like this forever.”  I feel his cock stir inside me.  My pulse quickens as my arousal becomes evident as well.  “Insatiable.  What am I going to do with you?  We can’t live in this bed you know.  But since we’re already here…” And he makes love to me until I can no longer keep my eyes open.

“
Celeste,” he brushes his hand over my forehead moving my hair out of the way.  “I wouldn’t wake you but your phone has been blowing up for the last hour.  Someone is very anxious to get a hold of you.”  Shit Gavin. 

I pick up the phone to see 12 missed calls and just as many text messages the last of which reads
, “Dammit Celeste, you’ve got to stop disappearing.  I’m going crazy over here.  Either call me or get your ass home.” 

“Crap.” 

“Is everything alright?”  Ian is leaning over my shoulder kissing and nipping the skin.  He’s seen the message but he doesn’t ask me to explain. 

“Everything will be fine just let me send him a text so he knows I’m okay.”  I tell Gavin that I
’m fine, that I’ll be staying with Ian tonight and I will explain everything over lunch tomorrow.  I beg forgiveness by promising to make him his favorite lasagna tomorrow night for dinner.  A few seconds later my phone beeps and my bribe has worked on him.

“You’re cooking for him.  When will you cook for me?” he pouts. 

“Actually I was hoping if you didn’t have plans, you could join us for dinner tomorrow.  I think its time you and Gavin had some time together to talk.  You are both very important to me but he’s still very angry with you.  Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him; I won’t make you be unmanly by discussing your feelings for me with him but he needs to see that you mean what you say.”  I lean over and run my tongue along his lips.  “And I think I have some things in my bedroom that you need to see.”  I pull my bottom lip in with my teeth knowing that drives him wild. 

“Ms. Brooks
, are you trying to seduce me with promises of lasagna?” 

“Oh Ian
, I would cover myself in lasagna if I thought it would get you inside me faster.”

I wake in Ian’s strong arms.  I could really get used to this.  He’s going to spoil me.  “Good morning, gorgeous.”  He drops a kiss to my head. 

“If you
’re going to greet me like this every morning, I would say it is.”  I wrap my hand around his already ridged cock, stroking him lightly. 

“Ah,” he groans, “I can pretty much guarantee any morning I wake up
with you like this,” his eyes rove over my naked form, “you will be greeted this same way.”  Luckily, the office is right on the other side of the wall because we spend way too much time rolling around in the sheets.

As we walk into the office, I remember that I didn
’t prepare any of his materials for today.  “Shit.”  He turns to me.  “Sorry, not very professional of me.”  I can feel the blush starting at the roots of my hair running down my body.  “I just remembered that with our discussion yesterday. I never got your things prepared for today.” 

“Celeste, I’m sure it will be fine.  Let’s just print my calendar and take a look at what I
’ll need first.  My first meeting isn’t until 9:30 a.m. so we have some time to get things ready.”  He kisses my temple gently and wraps his arms around me holding me close. 

We
’re still in the same position when his office door opens to reveal a very angry and shocked Rebecca.  She takes in the scene before her.  “I thought you two were over,” she hisses, glaring at me.  “I thought she left you, wouldn’t speak to you.” Then turning to me, “I thought I made it clear that you needed to stay away from him.  But here you two are.”  Her face twists up in a scowl before she turns her venom on me.  “I knew when you walked into HR that day that you would try to dig your claws into him.   I tried to warn him, to tell him there was no way anyone could love him like I do.  But you, you kept him from seeing that and now I’ve lost not only him but also my job because of you.  Does it feel good to steal my fiancé?” 

Ian steps in front of her.  “Rebecca, you and I have been over for years.  And the only one who ruined us is you.  Well you and Patrick.  If you need someone to blame
, I have a mirror in the bathroom.  As for getting rid of you, you should be thankful that I helped you find something else because after today, you will no longer be welcome in this building.  Now the choice is yours; you can take the elevator and leave now or I can call security and have you escorted from the building.” 

“Ian, I love…” 

“Not another word Rebecca.” 

“But Ian, it should be us. Not her. 
Please, can’t you see that?”  But Ian is done talking.  He picks up his phone and calls for Connor to remove Rebecca from the building.  Moments later, Connor appears.  Jesus, was the man just hanging out in the elevator waiting for something to happen?  He places his hand on Rebecca’s arm and moves her toward the elevator.  She’s broken; I know what it’s like to love this man and lose him.  But I also know that she only has herself to blame.

A ghost floats through my mind.  I w
ill only have myself to blame as well.  But I cannot go back now.  I need him like I need air.  I cannot survive without him.

“Celeste, sweetheart?  I’m sorry.  I had no idea she would… that she could…
” He can’t finish the sentence.  The look in Rebecca’s eyes right before Connor showed up was one of complete madness.  I knew that had it just been her and I in the room only one of us would have left.  She wanted nothing more that to see me completely removed from the picture.  She’s made that clear more than once.