10. Ivy
10
IVY
T he difference in Lucian between Friday and Saturday was astounding. Something had lit a fire under him, only I didn’t know what.
At first, I didn’t know whether to take him seriously. By the time I woke up on Saturday morning, there was a cup of coffee from the café in the lobby waiting for me on the nightstand. It was the aroma that woke me up before my alarm ever sounded. Either I had slept like the dead, or he was the quietest person who ever lived.
People were already gathering in the banquet room for breakfast by the time I made it down, and Lucian was hanging around the buffet table, chatting with everybody as they took their food. He was like a different person, chuckling over the incredible water pressure in the showers, offering ideas for what to do during our scheduled free time in the afternoon since he was so familiar with the lodge and the area. I said nothing, settling for a brief glance as I took my plate to an empty chair beside Laney.
“I was wondering where you were,” she said as soon as I sat. “I figured you would be the first person down here.”
“I must have passed out cold,” I confess. “I guess I haven’t gotten enough sleep lately. Between planning this and worrying about Mom…”
“Well, you slept a lot better than I did. Barbara has a snoring problem.” Laney rolled her eyes, her gaze traveling over to where Barbara chatted at another table with a few of the older ladies. It was nice to see her blending in so well with the long-time Diamond employees.
“I’m sorry for the way the sleeping arrangements panned out.” There must’ve been something about the air in the Catskills because I was ravenous, digging into scrambled eggs and French toast with abandon. Was I going to tell her about my sleeping arrangements? Absolutely not.
“It is what it is.” She sighed. “I intend to get drunk enough tonight at the party that it won’t matter how loud she snores. I’ll be out like a light.”
Giggling, she held up crossed fingers. “I hope you manage to have a little fun. You deserve it after putting so much work into this.”
“Good morning, ladies.” Brad offered us both a warm grin as he sat across from me, dressed in a T-shirt, cargo pants, and hiking boots. Was he granting me space? He usually didn’t bother with that, but it was a welcome relief all the same. I should have given him an attitude sooner. “Looking forward to our hike? It looks great out there today.”
“I know I could use some time in the fresh air,” I confess. “I’m sure my skin won’t know what to do under the sun when it spends so much time under fluorescent bulbs.”
“I hope you brought sunscreen.” Out of nowhere appeared Lucian, wearing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. No, they were hard and calculating, and they kept landing on Brad. “Don’t want to get burned.”
“I’m always careful not to get burned,” I assured him, making his mouth twitch like he caught my double meaning. Did I sound as nervous as I felt? My nerves were jangling, my stomach was suddenly too full, and my heart was pounding in my ears. Why did he come over here? Where was this leading?
He jerked his chin at Brad, and I damn near threw up. Don’t say anything stupid, please. “I heard you were kicking ass last night at the pool table in the games room,” he said.
Brad chuckled, shrugging. “I misspent a lot of hours at the pool hall when I was a kid.”
“We’ll have to shoot a game before the weekend’s over. I wasted a lot of time around a pool table, myself.” With that, he smiled at all of us then moved on to the next table.
“Wonders never cease. Somebody decided to participate,” Laney mused, watching him closely as he moved through the room. “God, he is gorgeous.”
“Girl talk? I think I’ll pass.” Brad rolled his eyes, snickering at us as he got up and mercifully walked away. His presence didn’t always irk me the way it did now. What changed? And why did it set my teeth on edge to watch Laney follow Lucian around the room with her eyes?
“I thought you said this was going to be a hike. It’s more like a walk.” Laney looked behind us at the clusters of coworkers making their way down the path. “Not that I’m complaining. I hate hiking.”
“All right, so I might have exaggerated a little when I called it a hike,” I confessed in a whisper. “I couldn’t call it a group walk, you know. It just didn’t sound right. Besides, I’m sure the older people won’t mind.”
The nice, leisurely stroll through a shaded, beautifully landscaped path was pleasant, even refreshing. The humidity that had been such a problem in the city was practically nonexistent up here, and the air was crystal clear. Everybody seemed to be in a good mood too. This was working.
“Ow!”
I should’ve known.
The shout was so sudden it made me jump before I spun around and found Molly Kegan on the ground a few dozen feet behind me. A handful of people clustered around her while she grabbed her ankle and winced. “I stumbled over a rock and twisted it,” she explained, wincing again at her scraped palms.
Lucian’s voice rang out behind me, coming closer. “Let me in here.” I watched, stunned into silence, as he nudged his way through the crowd.
“I’m such an idiot,” Molly grumbled while he gently moved her hands away from her ankle so he could take a look. It already looked thicker than it should, and she sucked in a breath when he touched it.
“All right,” he announced. “We need to get this shoe off before your foot swells too much. It’s going to hurt a lot worse if we wait.”
“I’m completely in your hands,” she told him. Was I imagining the way her voice sounded different now? Softer. It wasn’t easy to pry my gaze away from him. Fuck, it was hot watching him jump into action to observe her. She would’ve gladly broken a bone to earn even more attention, practically batting her eyelashes and swooning.
And she wasn’t the only one. I glanced around, sizing up the reactions of the other women. They all either looked like they wanted to melt or, in Barbara’s case, pinch his cheeks, maybe after melting.
“Let’s get you back to the lodge. One second.” Lucian pulled out his phone and chose a contact before holding the device to his ear. “This is Lucian Diamond. I’m bringing an injured woman back to the lodge after walking on the trail. It’s not an emergency,” he explained, giving Molly a little wink. “I would like an Ace bandage and an ice pack on arrival. I’m going to bring her back up right now.”
“You really don’t have to do that,” Molly protested, but it was weak at best. Her eyes were practically twinkling at this point while Chuck and Brad helped her stand on her good leg.
“Sure, I do.” Then, as if the entire experience wasn’t already enough to make me want to drop my panties, he picked her up. “Let’s go. Sorry to leave you all,” Lucian called out over his shoulder.
“Holy shit.” Laney leaned against me and heaved a quiet sigh. “That might have been the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Same here.
“No, really. I’m beat!” I was about to turn into the girl who took her shoes off in public because they were aching after I’d danced my ass off for three hours. The band was great, the drinks were potent, and I deserved it.
“Stay down here with us!” Laney draped an arm around my waist and tried to steer me toward the lounge, which would be open for another hour or so. A bunch of people were headed that way now that the party was over, and my heart just about burst when I noticed the way everybody mingled like old friends. Put enough booze in people, get some good music playing, and magic happened.
I wanted to stay with them if only to keep soaking in this good feeling, but I was already walking the line between tipsy and drunk and didn’t want to go any further. “Honestly, I am wiped out. What I need more than anything is a shower and bed.”
“Boo!” She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted it again. I could only laugh and shake my head, turning toward the lobby. Everybody would keep having a great time without me, and that was okay. After a day full of hanging out together outdoors, visiting the spa, shooting pool, and playing air hockey and old-school arcade games, I was more than ready for sleep.
The most pleasant surprise of this weekend was, of course, Lucian. I wasn’t surprised that he didn’t dance along with the rest of us, but he did hang out, have a few drinks, and generally seemed to enjoy himself. He shot pool with Brad earlier, played air hockey with Chuck and a couple of the other guys, and had granted me a wide berth the entire day. I hadn’t even run into him in our room before dinner and the party following.
The less time we spent together, the better since there was less chance of him saying anything unforgivably stupid or me rising to the bait and barely stopping short of biting his head off.
Right now, though, I didn’t want to avoid him. I wanted to thank him for playing along all day and jumping into action when Molly got hurt. In fact, I was feeling so much warmer toward him by the time I took the elevator up to the fourth floor. I was glad I hadn’t gone to the lounge for another drink or two. I was already dangerously close to liking him. Add too much vodka into the mix, and things could get dicey. And naked.
Remember how he’s treated you . Yes, that was a good idea. He thought I slept with him to get ahead at work. Accused me of kissing ass around the office. He had rescheduled my meeting and sabotaged the retreat. And that was only the stuff I knew about.
I was feeling considerably less pleasant as I opened the door to the room, but that was for the best. Another night spent with pillows between us wouldn’t kill me. By this time tomorrow, we would be home, and it would all be behind us.
“There you are.” He was on his way in from the balcony, phone in hand. The night breeze had tousled his dark hair, and he raked it back from his forehead. “I was going to send a search party for you if you didn’t come up soon. I thought maybe Brad cornered you.”
This again. “I’m starting to think you’re jealous.” I dropped my shoes on the floor and plopped onto the bed, flexing my feet and groaning.
“Please…” he snickered, “… he’s a douche.”
“A douche you were hanging around with earlier, or was that some other rich kid shooting pool over beers this afternoon?” I couldn’t help but laugh when he rolled his eyes.
“I’m not a kid,” he growled out.
“That’s the part you take offense to?”
“Why would I be offended by being called rich? I am.” Leaning against the dresser, he folded his arms and eyed my bare feet. “You’re not a bad dancer. You should dance more often.”
I couldn’t keep up with the way his train of thought kept bouncing back and forth. “Thanks. I guess you aren’t a good dancer?”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you didn’t dance, genius.”
Snickering, he said, “Not my thing. I would rather get a workout some other way, Poison.”
Damn. He didn’t even have to come out and be blatant about it. All it took was the slightest suggestive comment, and my body decided to stage a revolt. I would have to ignore my quickening pulse and the goose bumps that rose over my legs and arms. So what if my breath caught and my pussy went hot?
“Would you look at that.” He checked his obscenely beautiful watch, which, from the looks of it, cost a fortune, and his eyebrows shot up. “It’s been an entire three minutes, and we’re still getting along.”
“It must be all the endorphins from the dancing,” I suggested while my clit began to ache. He was here, only a few feet away, and I knew from experience how incredible he was. He obviously wanted this. I couldn’t betray myself and give in, could I?
His smirk turned to a full-blown and painfully sexy smile. “You want endorphins? I can give you some endorphins.”
“You have a one-track mind tonight, don’t you?”
Lowering his brow, he growled out, “I have a one-track mind every night.”
A shiver raced through me, and I’d swear my heart was going to burst out of my chest. Were we really doing this? “I don’t find that hard to believe.” Don’t do this. You work together. He’s kind of your boss. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you were so nice today just to get on my good side. Like you wanted to wear me down before you got me here tonight.”
Unfolding his arms, he stood up straight, placed his hands on his hips, and loomed over me. “I’m honestly disappointed.”
My stomach did a slow flip, and my toes practically curled. Dear God, was I actually considering lying back and letting him do whatever he wanted all because he now had that whole stern disciplinarian energy going on? I didn’t think those drinks were that strong. “It was only a joke,” I choked out. “Sorry.”
“Maybe I was trying to make it up to you after yesterday. Maybe I felt sorry for fucking around when you put so much work into this and care so much. You did a great job with this event, and it was a good idea.” One corner of his mouth quirked upward as he asked, “Though if I were deliberately doing this to get in your panties, would it work?”
“You are ridiculous.” And so was I, for that matter. Suddenly, I was way too aware of my dress riding up my thighs, my hardening nipples, and how damn thick his thighs were. And his hands, oh fuck. My skin craved the feel of them.
His dark eyes flashed. “And you are looking at me like you want me to take your clothes off with my teeth.”
My mouth went dry, not that I could talk anyway since my throat closed up until I could barely take a sip of air. My chest heaved from the effort of trying to breathe as he slowly lowered himself to his knees in front of me.
“Well, Poison?” he murmured, taking my left ankle in one hand, then pressing his thumb against my sore arch. I gasped, my body going stiff before melting because, damn, that was good.
“Well, what?” I whispered, shaky. I was on the edge of a cliff, and he was standing behind me, ready to push me over the edge.
“Do you or do you not want me to take your clothes off with my teeth? I mean, I can use my hands if you would rather.” His other hand encircled my ankle before he began sliding it up my calf. “Don’t act like you weren’t eye fucking me all night. Watching me. Every time I found you in the crowd, you were already staring at me.”
“Your ego—” I sucked in another gasp when he stroked the inside of my knee.
I was gone.
I never had a chance of winning.
This was the ultimate game, and he didn’t believe in following the rules.
“My ego is big, but it’s not nearly as big as my dick, Poison. You know all about that.” Still stroking that ultrasensitive patch of skin, he leaned in, his breath hitting my face and smelling like whiskey. That, plus his insanely sexy, leathery cologne, was hot enough to melt any last lingering resistance. “Now don’t tell me you can look at this big bed and not imagine putting it to good use. And I’m not talking about sleep.”
“You’re not playing fair.”
“Who said I was trying to?” His dark, dangerous eyes landed on my mouth. Silently questioning, telling me what he wanted to do next.
Were we doing this? Did we ever have a choice?
All it took was me biting ever so slightly on my bottom lip to make him lunge forward, his mouth meeting mine a second before his hand cupped the back of my neck.
Fireworks. They exploded in my head, every color of the rainbow, filling my body with searing heat. If this was all wrong, why did it feel so good?
It was better than before. The same intense lust flared up between us, but there was urgency now. Like we were both back where we wanted to be after too long holding back and couldn’t wait. It was enough to make me forget the resentment, the bitterness, everything but this.
His soft grunts and the slow stroking of his tongue against mine were incredible but not nearly as good as the feel of his hands on my legs, sliding the dress up to my hips, pushing my knees apart. Yes, this, more of this. Now that it was happening, I wanted everything, all of him.
I dropped back onto the bed, my hands sliding over the silk duvet as I lifted my head while he slowly and reverently slid my panties down my thighs, then over my knees. The scrap of black lace hit the floor before he draped my legs over his shoulders.
We exchanged one brief glance then he began kissing his way up the sides of my thighs, using his tongue to trace slow, sensual circles over my skin. By the time he reached my shaved mound, I was practically lifting my hips, offering myself to him.
He growled, the scruff of his cheeks chafing my thighs. “I’ve missed this pretty pussy.” His tongue slid up the length of my swollen slit, and I almost howled. I was already so close, like a coiled spring ready to pop. All it took was a few laps of that skillful tongue to push me over the edge.
Even I couldn’t believe it, laughing between helpless moans. Lucian seemed to take it as a challenge, working to keep me hovering in that blissed-out place, practically devouring me like an animal as he claimed every inch of my pussy for himself.
And I wanted him to. Taking the back of his head in my hand, I pulled him closer, demanding more. His deep, throaty chuckle sent delicious vibrations racing through me while the tension in my core built again. He worked his fingers inside me, stretching me while flicking my clit with the tip of his tongue.
“Yes, just like that,” I pleaded in a whisper, panting for air, my body straining. “Don’t stop. So close. Don’t stop… ” A violent sob tore its way from me when the wave broke, submerging me in peaceful darkness for a few moments. It rocked my body and soul, shockwaves rolling through me, the sensations going on and on. How did he do this to me? How was it so good?
I barely noticed him standing or heard his belt and zipper. My eyes opened in time to see his pants drop to the floor, then his boxer briefs along with them. The sight of his rigid, swaying cock was almost enough to scare me until I remembered taking him before. More than once.
There was a foil packet in his hand, and I sat up quickly and lowered the zipper on the side of my dress while he unrolled the latex down his shaft. He groaned once the dress was off, and I unclasped my bra, letting it fall away from my breasts. “Fuck, Poison. I only thought I remembered how perfect you are,” he told me, eyes glued to my body.
A body that hummed under his gaze as I worked my way farther back on the bed. He followed, crawling up the length of my body. I caught his mouth with mine and kissed him while unbuttoning his shirt. Once it was open, I slid it over his shoulders and down his arms, then feasted on the feel of his chiseled muscles. How did I think I could work with him and never touch him again? It all seemed so pointless now, trying to keep away from him.
“You ready for this?” My eyes flew open wide when the head of his cock dragged through my slit, teasing my clit a little before moving back down to my entrance. “Tell me you want this.”
“I want this,” I whispered, moving my hips, trying to pull him inside me.
“How much?” he asked, teeth gritted like he was barely holding on.
I locked my legs around his hips and drew him closer. “With all of me. I need you with all of me. Please, Lucian…” I begged, straining upward.
He didn’t hesitate, plunging deep inside me without warning, filling me the way only he could. My nails sank into his shoulders, but it was so good and even better when he pulled back to push forward again. There was no taking it slow and easy, not that I wanted to. I wanted him to take me back to the wild place we had found together, where he unlocked part of me I didn’t know existed until that night. Something dark and primal.
“You’re so good…” he grunted close to my ear, breathing faster with every stroke. “So tight. I’m going to need you to be a good girl for me.”
One of his hands traveled down my side, fingers digging into my hip before he drove himself deep again. I whimpered in his ear, lost in pleasure. “Yes!”
“You’re going to cream on my cock, Poison.” He rolled his hips, and I gasped, clutching him closer, moving my hips in time with his. Close, so close, but I didn’t want it to end. I didn’t want it to ever end.
But it would have to. I didn’t have a choice. My body was following its own rules, working for release. “Come for me, now, ” he rasped, barely holding on himself, losing his rhythm and pounding me wildly, making me scream until I had to press my mouth to his shoulder as I shattered in his arms.
He shuddered on top of me before pulling out and rolling away. All I could do was lie there, limp, drained. And relieved.
God, I needed that.
My next conscious thought?
I’m going to need that again.
Staring up at the ceiling, still trying to catch my breath, I said, “Nobody can know about this. I can’t lose my job, and I can’t jeopardize my future. Promise me.”
“Nobody has to know.” He rolled onto his side, still breathless and a little sweaty when I turned my head. “Only us,” he promised.
“And it cannot affect work.”
“It won’t.” He ran the backs of his fingers down my arm, making me shiver. I was still worked up and ultra-sensitive. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I could use a shower. And there’s more than enough room for two.” The twinkle in his eyes made my heart skip a beat.
Dammit. I was in so much trouble.