The One (4 page)

He looked at her, his own face registering
shock she would even know what make his custom car was, and he hesitantly
uttered,
“
Thank you
…
I think.
”

She flashed him a bright smile, and he was
lost for words.

He prided himself in being able to handle
most situations without losing his cool too often, but that smile disarmed him
completely. It was as if her entire face had been illuminated with some
internal glowing device. All the lines and comebacks he might have had for her
seemed to be at the furthest point from his consciousness in that instant;
tentatively, he just returned a small smile, unable to speak.

He opened and held the passenger door for
her, and was rewarded with another smile, and his mouth went dry. Placing her
bags in the boot, he caught the business class priority tags and the Hong Kong
logos and found himself thinking,
No wonder she is pissed, the last thing
she needed was a scene at the airport after a 15-hour flight!

Comfortably settled in the driver
’
s seat, he softly asked,
“
Where to?
”

“
Home.
“
was her short reply.

The answer puzzled him, but before he
could even enquire what she meant, she added with a pinning stare and an amused
voice,
“
Or did you forget your own home address,
with the commotion you caused?
”

CHAPTER 2

Don
’
t leave me
…
.

Julian

The trip to his house in the Hollywood Hills was a
silent one. She hadn't uttered a single word after telling him where to drive, just
smiled, put her sunglasses on and relaxed into her seat. Julian had been so
stunned, he had silently started the car; yet, with the firm intent to ask
where she wanted to be dropped off, once they were out of the airport zone. As
he
maneuvered
the car out of LAX and into the freeway, his thoughts were running wild and he
got distracted and pensive. Every time he was about to break and ask her
something, the words died on his lips. Instead of speaking, he just set the
radio on a low setting and, from time to time, would glance at her, wondering,
once again, what the hell he was doing.

He was sort of grateful for her silence,
because he was in turmoil and needed to collect his thoughts and compose
himself. He wasn
’
t feeling as together as he usually did. This
much he knew, and it was worrying him. Whatever was going on here, he wasn
’
t prepared for it, and this never,
ever
,
happened to him. Being in control was paramount to him, an intrinsic trait of
his very being. He was feeling rattled, and he needed to regain his footing.
Flustered and distracted, he couldn
’
t even pinpoint where this state of utter
bafflement was coming from, except for her mere presence, which, of course,
didn
’
t make any sense. At all.

He didn't know this woman from Adam, and
yet, he was taking her to his home. His multi-million dollar home, which he
never took anyone to; least of all, strangers. He didn't even know her name for
Pete's sake, and yet, incomprehensibly, couldn
’
t bring himself to ask her either. 
What
the hell was happening here?

He was Julian McCarty, forty-three years
old, heir to the McCarty industries, and son of a prime minister! He had turned
his back on his wealthy upbringing to strike it on his own. And he had.
Handsomely, one might add. His dashing good looks, wicked humour and
captivating navy blue eyes were his trademark. Successful top model at twenty,
owner of an international chain of restaurants by twenty-five, business mogul
by thirty, A-list actor for the next ten years because he was getting bored...
A man with the Midas
’
touch, talent in spades, and a stunning
body to boot! His name had been attached to a long list of celebrities in
politics, entertainment and sports for years. Starlets to confirmed actresses,
added to a mix of professional women, regularly made attempts to pin him down
with their charms. He had two famous ex-wives and an infamous current
girlfriend, to prove he wasn't the husband type. Just a man who enjoyed life,
and was more acquainted than most with the joie de vivre that can be gained
from bedding as many women as one could. An independent spirit who made the
cover of business magazines and supermarket rags alike, his personal fortune
estimated at a cool quarter of a billion dollar, the conglomerate carrying his
family name, worth in the billions. A man, women fanned themselves over, a man
who other men wished they were! A man who knew who he was, what he wanted, and
who was never intimidated by anything or anyone.

Yet, here I am, feeling like a bloody
idiot, almost afraid of this strange woman!

Several times during the drive, he found
himself about to stop the car and demand to know who she was and where she
lived, but one look at her simply deterred his intent.

She looked very peaceful in her seat, with
a slight curve at her lips, which made him wonder if she had fallen asleep and
was dreaming of something or someone rather pleasant. Her chest was heaving
regularly and slowly; her V-neck tunic was up on her legs and he could see well
past above her knees, and again, he found himself wondering if she was wearing
anything underneath.

You better get a grip,
he told himself, as he could feel his
manhood stir while he was driving his customized $350,000
Spyker
Convertible.

Totalling it because you're having a
hard-on and can't seem to concentrate on the road is REALLY NOT something you
need right now
, he
chastised himself, staring back at the road right ahead.

Yet, after a few minutes, his eyes
wandered back to her legs and her tunic, her heaving breast, and her lips,
still spotting that small curve. He was so distracted by his wandering
thoughts, the car skid a little off the lane. A cortege of blowing horns from
the cars behind and the flashing lights of another coming forward jolted him
back to reality, as both his hands gripped the steering wheel more forcefully,
and he focused back on the road.

She hadn
’
t moved nor reacted at all to the near
accident he caused, so he thought she must have been asleep indeed, and he was
grateful. He was embarrassed by his reaction to her, and this had him getting
agitated, again.

Thank God, she can
’
t read my mind! This would be damn
humiliating. Get a bloody grip!

Finally, after the longest fifty minutes of
his life, he flipped the remote control of his gate-controlled estate, drove to
the front entrance of the main house, parked the car and said,
“
We're home.
”

 
“
Thank you for getting us here in one
piece.
”
she said softly and smiled. He slightly
chuckled at the realization she had been well aware of his distracted state.
Exiting the car, he opened her door just as his two husky dogs were welcoming
him by circling and panting with excitement around them. He took her hand to
guide her to the entrance of his home, as if it was the most natural gesture,
and the same thought struck him again.
What are you doing?

Once the door opened, instead of standing
in his magnificent foyer, she advanced straight to the glass panel that covered
the entire side of his expensive living room and stilled herself at the vantage
point in the room.

To distract himself from staring at her
back and her legs, he asked,
“
Can I get you anything to drink?
”

“
Shiraz if you have it, otherwise, San
Benedetto or Evian will do...
”
she replied, her body nearly touching the glass
separating her from his terrace.

 He left her and went to the kitchen,
busying himself with glasses. Going to the cellar to get the wine, he had to
walk past the living groom once more, and he noticed she hadn't moved. She
appeared to be glued in one spot, and he couldn
’
t help the Cheshire smile creeping to his
face. He thought,
well, it works every time, the view always does it. She
’
ll be putty in my hands from now...
”

He hurried getting the wine, already
congratulating himself on how easy it would be to get her into bed.
And, it
only cost me a drive and some Shiraz, no bad mate...
, he smiled to himself.

She was stationed in front of the glass, taking
the view in. Julian knew the effect this sweeping view had; it was the reason
he purchased the house in the first place. It was the highest house on The
Hills, and from it, you could see it all: the mountains, the city and an
extended view of the Pacific Ocean.

Only one word could describe it: stunning.

But right now, he didn't really care about
the view of the ocean, he was plainly staring at her profile and when he heard
her exhale noticing she knew he was there, approaching her, he realized his plan
to get her into bed wasn't that important anymore.

She was beautiful. A stunner in her own
right, and she wasn
’
t even trying. The thought hit him like a
brick. Her features were nearly perfect, and the simple tunic combined with the
artsy pair of boots she was wearing made her look like a million dollar; yet,
that wasn
’
t what made his heart beat faster. She was
beautiful, not only in the classical sense, but in a peculiar way. Serenity
seemed to roll off her, encompassing everything around her with a disturbing
calmness. She was leaving him speechless, and he simply didn't know how to deal
with this.

He presented her with a glass of wine, his
right hand just below her chest. She took it without turning. Being taller and
right behind her, he watched her sip into the wine and she moaned
appreciatively.

That sound alone almost did him in.

He could feel the heat radiating from her
body and he was getting aroused beyond reason. He still didn't know her name
and didn't really care at this point. All he could concentrate on was the
feeling of her back against his chest. She was leaning against it while
continuing to drink the wine and looking straight ahead, and he was having the
hardest time not holding her.

His manhood was slightly rising and hard
as stones. He was sure she could feel it. He didn't dare to move and wondered
what would happen next. Just as he was pondering on what to do, she turned
around, handed him the glass while pinning him with a look that said,
“
Don't even try
…
”
and said out loud with a small smile,
“
Well, the view was charming... really
…
but I do need some rest. Would you care
to show me one of your guest rooms?
”

Her eyes, her lips, her tongue licking
them.

He barely heard her; he was so focused on
them. It took every bit of self-control in him to summon a worded response and
not kiss her right there and then.

He stepped back, dropped their glasses on
a coffee table, and motioned for her to follow him to the staircase.

While ascending the stairs he could only
ask himself,
what are you doing? What in God
’
s name are you doing?

Upstairs, he opened a door to let her in
and said,
“
There is an ensuite bathroom if you need
anything...Hmm
…“
. He
cleared his throat, not knowing what else to say.

“
Thank you,
“
she murmured, advancing into the room.

He was standing still, facing her back,
and once again, was wondering how this was happening. As he was about to ask
her name, she pulled her tunic up in one swift move, and Julian found himself
having difficulties to inhale. He thought he had died and gone to heaven and
felt tingles all over his body.

She had the most perfect bubble derriere
he'd ever seen. And, he'd seen a lot of them. Her lustrous hair falling mid
back drew even more attention to it. She was wearing a beige strapless bustier
bra with matching boy shorts, and her knee high boots. Her body was lean with
curves on all the right places; the contrast of her under- garments with her
colored skin making her so desirable, he thought he would come just by looking
at her.

Bloody hell!

With her back still at him, her tunic
thrown on the adjacent seater, she bent over to unzip her boots, her curls
falling between her legs, almost touching the floor, and again he found himself
struggling to breathe, unable to detach his eyes from her body.

She still hadn't said a word, and as he
watched her pull the doona out, she slightly turned her head, captivating him
with her mesmerizing eyes, and asked,

”
Will you please stay with me until I fall
asleep?
”

He was positively speechless. Not only by his
inability to think coherently or simply articulate around her, but also by the
fact that she was in his house, in his guest room, inviting him in this very
bed he owned and yet, he felt like the guest! He silently watched her slip
under the sheets, and having a glimpse of her full front body, he wondered how
it would feel to touch her skin.

He
swallowed
the lump in his throat. His mouth was
completely dry. He was beginning to create an association between her and the
sensation.

She was settled inside the bed and looked
at him expectantly still waiting for an answer, as she threw her bustier on the
seater next to the bed. He licked his dry lips, nodded numbly, and started to
move towards the bed when she added,
“
You can just lie here,
“
indicating her left side,
“
...And go when I'm asleep.
”
she concluded, yawning. He nodded again,
no trusting his voice, as he popped on the bed after removing his shoes.