The Billionaire's Secretive Enchantress (The Berutelli Escape) (11 page)

“Good night, Sierra,” he said softly, not responding to her comment about next week in any way.

Sierra drove away, watching him through her rear view mirror as he stood in the parking lot watching her until she turned the corner. 

She then focused all of her energy on driving home
.

Sierra pushed her hair off of her face with impatience, wishing she’d taken the time to pull it back.  She couldn’t figure out this tricky area and she needed to make this perfect.  She wasn’t going to admit to herself that she wanted to impress Drake with her ideas.  They’d been working with each other for over a week now and things were moving quickly on the project, but even better, she’d been able to avoid any personal conversations with the man.  It had been difficult the first few days because they’d been working on the project, but she’d been creative in her efforts, suspecting that he was even amused at times. 

Her impatience
now was only because this was a fantastic opportunity and she wanted to do it right.  It could have a significant impact on her career so she couldn’t mess this up. 

“What are you doing here on a Saturday?”
Drake’s deep voice said from her office doorway.

Sierra spun around, her eyes widening as she took in his jeans and flannel shirt.  She’d thought he looked great in a suit but boy!  He looked especially sexy with the flannel pulled across his shoulders and jeans that weren’t too tight but looked soft and well worn.  Comfortable. 

Couldn’t the man wear a sack for her sake?  And why was he here today?  She was normally alone when she came into the office on the weekends.

She eyed him warily as he stood in the doorway, her mind flashing back to t
he kiss they’d shared last week.  But she’d had several days to get over the impact of his kiss, she told herself.  She could handle him today.  She’d have to! 

She sighed and pulled her eyes away from the man who had bothered her sleep
for so many nights she was actually feeling sleep deprived.  There were some moments lately that the only reason she was standing was because of coffee.  “I’m trying to tweak some ideas I had last night.”

Drake
was no longer standing in her doorway but the only way she knew that was because he had walked over to stand beside her, his shoulders bumping her own and his large body causing a shadow to fall over her work.  “From the designs you’ve submitted so far, I know you’ll do an excellent job.  What are you so worried about?” he asked, his finger running over the designs as he traced her changes.

She almost gasped at the image of his finger on her
paper.  Instantly, the thought of that same finger running down her arm or her leg, or even her stomach, caught her imagination and she couldn’t think for a long moment.  Couldn’t even breathe. 

When she didn’t respond, he looked back at her, trying to find out what was wrong.  But the look in her eyes, the softened mouth, lips that were slightly parted and the rapid rise and fall of
her breasts under the soft, yellow sweater caused him to ignore the designs and turn to face her fully. 

“Sierra, I’m going to kiss you,” he said by way of a warning.

Sierra heard the words and knew from the last time he’d kissed her that she should pull away.  She should run or at least tell him that she didn’t want him to do anything to her, much less kiss her.  But she couldn’t move, couldn’t stop him as his hands moved to her waist.  She looked up at him, her eyes watching his progress as he slowly, so painfully slowly, lowered his head.  Was he waiting for her to stop him?  To push him away?  She could no more stop him than he could stop the earth from spinning or the sun rising over the horizon each morning.  It was as if this moment, this caress, was meant to happen and she’d been waiting for it ever since their last kiss.  So much had happened, but it all came down to this kiss at this particular time.

She
held her breath as she waited for his lips.  When she felt them, their softness, the electrifying touch, she gasped, causing her to lean back slightly.  His hands gripped her waist, holding her still, even pulling her closer.  Her own hands were fisted into tight, tension filled balls, pressing against his biceps as if she were afraid to touch him.  But as he deepened the kiss, her hands opened, her palms pressed against his arms, sliding higher, testing along the way. 

And then her knees almost gave out on her when he stopped the gentleness.  Her lack of resistance must have triggered something inside of him because he was no longer soft but demanding, n
o longer patient but commanding.  His tongue invaded, took possession of her mouth and she melted against him, her body going up in flames of need while he continued to devour her. 

She had no idea how it happened, but suddenly she was sitting on her work table, her legs around his waist and her hands sliding inside of his flannel shirt while his hands were moving up underneath her sweater impatiently. 

When she felt his hands on her breasts she almost cried out, and would have if his mouth wasn’t covering hers.  But the sound she did make caused his head to come up and he looked down into her passion glazed eyes.  His fingers weren’t still though.  They continued to cause her entire body to shiver, to shake with need and an almost painful desire that she didn’t know how to control. 

“We need to get out of here,” he said, his voice deeper than normal and husky with his own desire.  “Come back with me.  We can finish this at my place.”

It was exactly what she wanted, what she needed.  But after the past week and all the trouble she’d had sleeping because thoughts of him kept filtering through her mind, she knew she shouldn’t. 

She shuddered, wanting
him more than she thought was healthy.  But she also knew that it wouldn’t be a good idea.  “I can’t.”

“Of course you can,” he said and his hand went higher.  She grabbed his wrist, closing her eyes to try and control the urges surging through her, but it was a tough battle. 

“Drake, I can’t do that.”

With a sigh, he leaned his forehead against hers.  “You’re killing me, you know that right?”

She laughed softly, relieved that he wasn’t angry with her for rejecting his suggestion. “It’s better this way.”

“Better for who?  And if you aren’t coming home with me, you have to let go of me.”

She looked startled and pulled her head back, then realized he was talking about her legs which were still tightly wrapped around his hips.  “Oh!” she gasped and let her legs drop down.

He wasn’t as fast about moving away from her and she shivered when she realized what was plastered against her stomach.  She looked up at him, his eyes laughing down at her when she blushed with the realization.  “Yes, you affect me that much,” he confirmed. 

She was both embarrassed and turned on by his statement.  He was so earthy, taking his sexuality as if it were normal and natural.  She’d always been embarrassed by the idea of sex but Drake didn’t allow any sort of embarrassment.  It was what it was and he accepted that as a part of his life. 

On the other hand, she had been
brought up to think of sex as something to be avoided at all costs.  She was to remain a virgin until her wedding night and even after that, it was implied that she should only have sex for procreation.  It wasn’t stated so much as just grunted whenever her father had even broached the subject of sex.  “Don’t let a man touch you!” he’d arbitrarily say while passing her or her sister Marissa in the hallways.  Or over dinner, “Make sure your dates keep their hands to themselves!  Or I’ll make sure they don’t touch anyone else.  Got it?”

She and her sister had sometimes chuckled at his adamant stand on sexual encounters, but until this moment, she’d never understood how deeply ingrained her father’s words had gone into her subconscious.  Of course, no man had ever gotten close enough to her for her to even consider that aspect of her personality. 

As they separated, Drake kept a sharp eye on her.  “Okay, you’re not going to come home with me so I can make love to you for the rest of the day and well into the night.  I’ll accept that for now,” he said but kept close, leaving barely an inch between their bodies. “However, I’m not going to allow you to stay here and work all day.  There are much more important things to do with a Saturday.”  With that, he took her hand and pulled her out of her office. 

Sierra glanced back at her drafting board, her eyes looking at the plans with longing because they were safe and didn’t have a dangerous history.  They were benign while Drake was anything but! 
“I really need to work out this detail,” she tried to argue, but his good humor was just too infectious.

He pressed the elevator button then leaned against the wall, pressing against her and smiling when her eyes widened with surprise. 
“Nope.  A brain needs time to recuperate after a long work week and you’ve been spending too many hours in the office.”  He stopped and looked down at her.  “I’ve been watching you.”  He said it with mock seriousness, but she could tell that, underneath his humor, he was serious.  What he might have been watching was up for debate but she’d prefer to keep it innocent.  Especially since her body was still singing with anticipation after that last kiss. 

“I don’t think….”

“No way.  I’ve been watching you and you’ are going to burn out.  You’re coming with me today,” he ordered as they walked out of the elevator and pressed the security button that would release the lock on the lobby doorway.  “And stop arguing.  This will be perfect for you.”  He looked her up and down.  “The jeans will work, but you can’t wear that sweater.” 

His hands started to reach for her and Sierra laughed when she thought he might just take off her sweater.  “Don’t you dare,” she ordered, pointing at him with a warning finger.  He didn’t acknowledge her warning tone though.  He simply took her finger in his hand and pulled her closer. 

“You know I love it when you dare me to do something.  You’re pretty cute, but daring me only makes me more determined.”

She laughed again, thinking he was teasing her.  But when one of his eyebrows went up, she thought he might be serious, which only made her laugh harder.  “Okay, warning taken, absorbed and processed.”

“Good.  So now let’s figure out what we’re going to do with your inappropriate clothing choices.”

She looked down at her simple sweater and her neat pair of jeans, both of which were perfectly appropriate for working on a Saturday.  “What’s wrong with my clothes?”

He leered at her.  “Besides the fact that they aren’t laying on the floor beside my bed?” he asked her.  He didn’t wait for an answer but continued, “Well, they simply won’t work for what we’re going to do today.”

She ignored his comment about the first part of his statement and focused on the second part.  “I was perfectly content working in the office.
  So as far as I’m concerned, my clothes are fine.”  She crossed her arms over her chest and jutted out her chin, but there was still amusement in her eyes.

He grinned slightly, his eyes glancing down.  With her arms like that, it pushed her breasts up higher, showing him just a touch of cleavage.  “You’re cute when you get all stubborn like that.  I like it.”

She rolled her eyes.  “And you’re avoiding my question.”

It was a bright, sunny day with the fresh, fall air making everything seem possible. 
“It rained last night,” he said and opened the door to a big, brown truck.  “The conditions are perfect for what I have planned today.”  With that, he lifted her into the seat of the truck and slammed the door shut.

When he pulled himself up into the driver’s seat, she couldn’t stop her eyes from noticing his broad shoulders and those muscular thighs once again. 
“Where’s the black car you were driving last night?” she asked, only slightly flustered because of his hands on her waist and images of those shoulders without the flannel shirt covering them.  She considered that progress and was gaining confidence about being around him. 

As Sierra fastened her seatbelt, she
was struck by how eager, excited he was by whatever he had planned for today.  When he got inside next to her, she looked at him cautiously.  “What are your plans today?”

“My priority today,” he stopped as he turned over the engine and shrugged slightly, “well, my priority every day lately is to have you screaming out my name as we make love together.  But since that’s on the back burner for the moment,” he ignored her attempt to interrupt him as he continued, “we’re going out to the tracks.” 

He expertly maneuvered the enormous truck through the parking lot.  Tracks?  A racetrack?  Why would she need to change out of her sweater simply to attend a racetrack?  “What do you mean?  What tracks are you going to?”

He grinned at her attempt to distance herself from his plans. 
“You’re coming with me so stop using the term as if I’m leaving you behind.  You’re going to love this.  I promise.”

“If I’m going to love it so much, why won’t you tell me what’s going on
?  And why did you feel the need to wait until we’re on the highway before you give me any kind of clue except that my clothes aren’t appropriate?  That could mean anything from needing a ball gown to a bathing suit.”

He glanced over at her
and she instantly saw the salacious thought racing through his mind. “A bathing suit sounds like a great idea.  I’ll have to work that into my plans.  Unfortunately, I hadn’t thought of that in advance or I’d have gotten you out to the beach somewhere.”