12. Lee
Chapter 12
Lee
“ T his place is…wow.” Nix looked around the foyer with a wide-eyed expression that only intensified as we moved deeper into the house. She stopped in the living room and smiled at me over her shoulder. “This is a lot of room for one man.”
I shrugged off the question. “When he’s free, Mac stays here. Mostly I just like my space.”
“No kidding.” She ran her hand along the sofa, the framed artwork and the floor vases. “It’s all very beautiful and tasteful.”
I heard the reproach in her tone and frowned. “But?” The decorator had followed my specifications exactly. “You don’t like it?”
“It’s not about liking or not liking, everything is nice. This place just doesn’t feel like the Lee I know, that’s all.”
I wasn’t sure how to address that. “It’s not cold and stiff and formal?”
“No, it is. This place is what I expect a decorator to do for a guy like you but there’s no traces of you in here. You and Mac are close, where are the photos of you growing up? Your aunt and uncle? Just gorgeous, pricey artwork.”
I gave her words careful consideration. They weren’t a criticism as I originally thought but just a keen observation. “I guess you’re right. I never gave it much thought.”
She laughed. “I’ll bet your office is a better reflection of you as a person,” she teased.
“Probably. If you’re good maybe I’ll show you after dinner.”
“I’m always good.” Her flirtatious tone put me in a better mood than I’d been since we parted ways several days ago.
“So good. Let’s see what the chef made for dinner.”
“Chef?” She lifted her pinky finger in the air. “Fancy pants.” She was unable to maintain her serious expression and burst out laughing. “Smells amazing though.” She inhaled deeply as I took her hand and led her into the kitchen. “Really amazing. Did this chef come with you?”
“Yeah, he’s amazing and he’s been traveling with me for about six years now.” I looked in the oven and smiled.
“You don’t have one place you live all the time?”
“No. I spend anywhere from one to three years overseeing my developments.” It was another reason I didn’t have many close relationships.
Nix froze and turned slowly until her eyes met mine. “So once this resort is up and running, you’ll move again?”
“Very likely.”
She swallowed and then nodded but her expression remained blank. “Then maybe we should consider this a fling with an end date.”
“Why?”
“Because,” she sighed. “I’m not a casual kind of girl and I’m not sure I can go into this knowing that we’re going to end even if things end up being wonderfully amazing and perfect. But a fling means we keep things light and carefree, nothing too serious.”
That wasn’t what I wanted at all. “Can I change your mind?”
She shrugged. “You can try.”
That’s what I set out to do over a delicious meal of lamb, potatoes and vegetables, charm her and romance her until there was no question that we owed ourselves this chance. “How’s the food?”
Her smile was brilliant. “Amazing. You have excellent taste in chefs, Lee.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her backhanded compliment. “I have excellent taste in many things.” My gaze was heated, leaving no doubt as to who I was talking about.
Pink bloomed on her cheeks, beautiful and brilliant. “Well I can’t fault your taste in most things, so you can have that one. Dessert will seal the deal one way or the other.”
I loved her playful side. It wasn’t a side I often saw with women, they were too busy trying to impress me or seduce me, Nix was just being herself. Always. “Before dessert, I’d like to show you something.”
“Etchings?” Her right brow arched high, her lips curled up into a teasing grin.
“That’s for later. This is something else altogether.” I rounded the table and put out my hand for her to take, when she did my body relaxed at the same time it caught fire. Just the touch of this woman was enough to set me aflame and it was growing damned addictive. “This is my favorite part of this property.”
“Let me guess, a tower where you keep a beautiful woman with long hair trapped?”
Her words teased another laugh from me. “Hardly. Come on.” I tugged her out of the house and across the expansive lawn until we reached the brick structure that sold me on this place. We climbed the spiral brick stairway until we reached the second floor and the ceiling opened up to the night sky.
“Wow,” she sighed, awe heavy in her tone. “What is this place?”
“Some kind of observatory, or at least what’s left of it. But this extra story makes me feel as if I’m closer to the sky. The stars seem to sparkle brighter and I can just make out a few details of the moon, with my telescope of course.” I pointed to the equipment on the other side of the room.
“Oh. My. God. This is amazing, Lee!” She touched the telescope reverently and pressed her eye through the view finder with a gasp. “It’s so beautiful!”
“It is,” I agreed, unable to take my eyes off her. Nix was beautiful but right now, excited and looking at me as if she’s seeing me for the first time, she took my breath away.
She looked up at me and smiled. “Such a charmer. I’m glad I get to see this side of you.”
“Come on.” I pointed to the haphazard pile of blankets I’d assembled so I could watch the sky in something resembling comfort.
Nix joined me on the blanket and settled with a happy sigh. “This is wonderful, Lee. I love this view.” She pressed her palm to mine and wrapped our fingers together. “This is…great.”
“Being with you here like this is fantastic, Nix.”
She turned her gaze to mine. “What an incredibly sweet thing to say. I feel the same.” She sat up and took my hands in hers. “Thank you for showing me this sexy yet oddly nerdy side of yourself.”
The way she looked at me, the way her big brown eyes glowed with joy, almost as if getting to know me made her happy, it was more than I could bear. “Nix,” I whispered as I speared my fingers through her hair and brought her mouth to mine.
Kissing Nix was always an experience and today she was happy and hungry and excited. Her hands slid under my shirt, slightly cool against my overheated skin. She moaned, deepening the kiss as her body came to rest on top of mine. Her legs straddled my hips as she pulled back and smiled down at me. “It’s kind of insane how spicy it is between us. Right?”
“It’s never been like this with anyone else,” I answered honestly. “Should I have kept that to myself?”
“Definitely…not. I’m glad to hear I’m not alone in this, it makes me feel better about it. About us.”
“So this is the start of an us ?” My hands slid up her thighs before I gripped her waist possessively.
“I’d say the start of us was back in my farmhouse.” She leaned forward and kissed me again but this time the kiss was raw and hungry, possessive and a little bit wild. Her tongue danced along my lips and slipped between them, teasing my tongue like a playful kitten. A moan broke free and I swallowed it down hungrily, holding her right against my erection.
Soon enough, or maybe not soon enough our clothes went flying despite the chill in the air and Nix eased her way down until our bodies were one. “Nix.”
She smiled as if she knew what she was doing to me. “I feel it too, Lee. It’s incredible.” Her lids fluttered shut and her hips moved in long, sensual strokes, driving me to the brink of madness. “Lee, oh Lee.”
I couldn’t take my gaze off her, so beautiful as she pushed us both closer to the edge, taking her pleasure as my name fell from her lips like her favorite song. Snowflakes began to fall from the sky, taking this encounter to an entirely different level. My pleasure was heightened to the point I swore I felt each individual drop as it hit my skin. “Nix, babe.”
Her gaze met mine. “I feel you getting harder. Thicker.” She moaned and rode me harder and faster with her hands pressed against my chest. “God, you feel so good!”
She began to flutter and clench tight around me. With every stroke her hips move faster and she took me deeper until she exploded and fell over the edge. She was a magnificent sight with her head tossed back and body convulsing as pleasure overtook her. “Lee!” Her body shook again and she fell forward, pressing her forehead to mine. “This is insane.”
“You said perfect wrong.” I held her tight and pumped up into her, hard and fast until my own orgasm exploded out of me and right into her. “Nix! You’re perfect.” My hands skated over her curves and up to her gorgeous breasts. “Absolutely perfect.” I knew it was too soon to tell her that I was falling for her, so I kept it to myself. But I reveled in this new sensation of having feelings for a woman, one who didn’t look at me and see dollar signs.