CHAPTER 28
Cal
I carefully lift my lips from hers and put some distance between us. The moment has me frozen, and I’m not certain I can name everything I’m feeling because it’s all jumbled together in my mind. My heart.
I haven’t heard that song in many years—intentionally.
My mother would sing that song to me when I was a kid to soothe everything from bee stings to the ugly jealousy I’d feel with the birth of each new baby brother.
The song was her way of telling me that she would always have room for me, and that she’d always be there.
After all this time, the music and words still have the power to lay bare the emptiness I carry inside me. The hollow place her death left behind.
But the melody and lyrics hit different tonight. I heard beauty in that song. Maybe because it came from such an unexpected place—the piano that had long been silent and a woman I can’t walk away from.
I stare at her in wonder now. She is a skilled pianist with the voice of an angel. I’m not sure how this information fits into the portrait of Victoria Backlund that I’ve tried to paint for myself, a vision that would make her easier to resist.
I don’t know what to think anymore.
I have to kiss her again. And I will. The way I kissed her at Sulfur Springs left too much unsaid. The kiss we just shared opened a door I’ll sure as hell be walking through, no matter what it costs me.
“Are you all right?” she asks.
I nod. “I’m always all right. But I have to ask…” I start over. “You’re an accomplished musician, Victoria. Gifted. You’ve studied for a long time.”
“Yeah,” she says.
She slides down the piano bench, then swings a leg over to face me square on. She folds her hands in front of her and looks down, perhaps embarrassed. She has no need to be.
“I was pretty serious about it as a kid. I studied with a bad-ass teacher for more than ten years and got accepted to Julliard’s piano program.
” She looks up, cautious. “But I went to Yale to major in economics instead, with a minor in piano performance. I went on to get my MBA with a concentration in finance.”
I knew most of this from the investigation, of course. Just not the whole picture. She is no stranger to hard work. She hasn’t had everything handed to her, as I first suspected. It’s impressive.
She’s impressive.
“I will always love music, but I’m dedicated to the family business. I’m an only child, and I’m serious about carrying on what my father has built.” She gives me a tentative smile. “I think you can understand that.”
I can.
“I feel most passionate about Renaissance Empowered’s private equity focus, and I’m very good at what I do.”
I swing a leg around and face her, too. Then I reach for one of her hands, examining those talented fingers. “But that doesn’t explain where you got those kissing skills. ’Cause, sweetheart, you’ve elevated kissing to an art form.”
She laughs, and I pull her toward me. I kiss her again. I need more of her.
Her softness and her willingness are overwhelming. How is it that a woman so focused on business and so damned stubborn about her objectives can be so timid and so sweet under my touch?
I want this kiss to last all night. Longer. But I don’t let my mind go there. I remind myself that “forever” and “Victoria Backlund” don’t belong in the same sentence. I decide instead to enjoy the moment. Sink into the pleasure. And just see where it goes.
So far, it’s going in places I did not expect.
A piano bench may not be the sexist of places for this kiss, but it will have to do. I don’t want to risk breaking the spell, letting her change her mind. Besides, I’m so hard that I’m not even sure I can stand.
All I want is her. In my arms and under my mouth.
Claiming her. Marking her as my own. It's a primal need, something I've never experienced to this extent before. Sure, there have been women I’ve claimed, women I’ve made cum, women I’ve fucked senseless.
But never did I feel compelled to protect and treasure a woman the way I do with Victoria.
In all ways, she is different, and the man I am when I’m with her is different too.
I lift her chin with my fingertips and angle her head so that I can get deeper, take this kiss all the way.
The flesh of her throat is tender and hot under my fingertips, and I imagine this kiss and this touch flowing into an all-body sexual domination.
It’s difficult for me not to put my hands all over her curves, put them where they have not been invited.
Sweet little whimpers rise up from her throat as I move my lips against hers and explore her mouth with my tongue.
She moans, and it vibrates through my body and rushes to my dick.
I’m about to lose it, just kissing her. I can’t imagine how hot it will be with her beneath me, legs gripping my hips, taking all of me.
I bring both my hands into all that gorgeous auburn hair, feeling the silky and thick strands slide through my fingers.
This hair was the first thing I noticed about her when she swayed her hips and exited the private jet.
Well, one of the first things I noticed.
After her smokin’ hot body. Her long legs. And those fucking shoes.
I fist her hair and take the kiss deeper, even more serious. I need her to know that I’m not fucking around here, that when I kiss a woman like this, it means something to me. I think she gets the message because she softens even further beneath my mouth.
The more demanding I am, the more submissive she becomes.
Good.
Her hands explore my sides and grip my upper back. She's pressing me closer to her, arching her back so that those magnificent tits press against my chest.
I know that if something doesn't stop us right now, it's all going to happen with us. The walls will come down. I’ll knock them down.
I'll rip those fucking jeans right off of her body and take her right here.
She spreads her legs wide, an invitation. I slide my hands down her waist, to her hips, over her thighs, and around to claim the perfect handful of ass I’ve been lusting after since the second I saw her.
I need to know what’s happening here and how far she wants to go. Somehow, I manage to pull my lips away.
“Victoria.” My whisper is desperate. Rough.
Her heavy eyelids lift a bit. I see the trance she’s in, the lust clouding her sight, maybe even her better judgment.
“Tell me what to do here, Victoria. Tell me what you want.”
“I want you to kiss me. Don’t you dare stop. Kiss me, Cal.”
Oh, fuck.
“Victoria. Look at me.”
Her mouth quirks in a sultry smile. She drags her sweet little tongue over her bottom lip and bites down, like she’s tasting me. I can’t handle much more of this. I am losing my mind over this woman, losing control.
I swallow. “What are we doing here? You need to tell me what this is and what you want.”
Her eyes open a bit more, and that’s when I see it. Something I’ve never caught in her expression. Those fucking gorgeous green eyes are telling me something without words. Am I right about this?
Take me.
Rescue me.
Show me what’s possible, Cal.
“I want you, Victoria. I wanted you from the moment I first saw you.”
“I know,” she says. “I’ve wanted you, too.” She reaches up and drags a soft fingertip over my mouth, tracing my lips. “You surprise me, Cal. At every turn. I've never met a man like you.” She smiles, pressing her satiny palm to my cheek. It’s perhaps the most tender gesture I’ve ever felt.
She’s soft where I’m rough. She’s complicated but worth exploring. Victoria is the one I’ve been waiting for.
Fuck impossible. When has the impossible ever stopped a MacLaine?
I smile back. “You want more, baby?”
“Fuck yes.”
I take ownership of her. I grip her thighs and ass and pull her to me. Hard. My mouth takes her again. Harder.
Her ass begins to vibrate in my hands.
It’s her fucking phone.
She pulls away. Of course she does. She slides away on the piano bench, swings a leg over, and stands. She’s going to answer. Of course she is.
She may want more of me, but when it comes to her father, she’s on call, 24/7/365.
“Hello, Father.” She spins around to face me. Her eyes are fully open and alert now, and her gaze sweeps over me. I lean forward and rest my elbows on my knees, wondering what it’s going to be this time.
No, Daddy, I’m not doing anything important…. Sure, Daddy, I’m never too busy…
“Hey, Father?” Her gaze connects with mine. “I’m going to have to call you back. Give me a few minutes.” She clicks off her phone and returns it to the back pocket of her jeans.
She takes a few steps and stands before me. I straighten, then open my legs. She walks right in. I grab her thighs.
“I have to talk to him.”
“I figured as much.”
“This is not over, Cal.”
The corner of my mouth rises. “Baby, I think it’s just begun.”