Chapter Eleven
Zaine turned her around, loving how soft and warm she felt. Her head bobbed forward, and he imagined she was still experiencing the aftermath of a powerful orgasm. He hooked his arms under her legs, lifted her, and carried her to the immense bed.
He’d been meaning to ask her about the tube of lube he’d accidentally found. When she implied ass play was on her mind, he almost got down on his knees and prayed. Shit. This woman was sexy, adventurous, and wanted to give him her ass. Ever since she’d let him play with her hole, he’d been thinking about going all the way, but decided not to ask yet. Ashley had never enjoyed it, as so many women didn’t. Yet his dirty French maid…
His pulse raced. This woman would put him in his grave with her antics. From the moment he found her playing with herself in his bed, he should have known. No other woman had ever rattled him like Monique Drummond.
“Hmmm…” she hummed, and he eased her on the mattress.
A flush stained her cheeks and neck, and he couldn’t resist, lowering himself on top of her for a kiss. She nipped his lip, grazing her teeth over his mouth. His blood rushed down to his cock so fast, it dizzied him a little. The underside veins of his rod pounded hot and thick, and his whole being begged for release.
She still had her bra on, for fuck’s sake.
He reached for her back and unclasped it, making her arch toward him and intensify the kiss even more. When he managed to remove the bra completely, he threw it to the side and quickly cupped her full breasts.
Unable to resist, he withdrew his lips from hers, tracing a path of kisses along her graceful neck and the valley between her breasts, until he caught one of them in his mouth.
Greedily, he sucked it, loving the smoothness of her skin, while cupping the other one. She wrapped her legs around his torso, locking into that dangerous position where the tip of his cock pressed into her sweet cunt. He pinched her nipple, earning a moan, while licking her aureole, making a circular pattern around it.
She clasped her thighs harder, making it almost impossible for him not to plunge inside. Their quiet tug-of-war continued for a few more minutes, with him switching tits to make sure the other one wouldn’t be neglected. She thrust her fingers into his hair, pulling him close. The sounds from her lips only encouraged him to continue the provocation, but pre-cum bubbled at the tip of his cock, and he’d much prefer to come completely inside her than not.
“Zaine, please fuck me, otherwise I’ll do it myself.”
“Like you did on my bed when I found you,” he said, and that first time he’d seen her semi-naked in his bed seemed like ages ago.
“Yes. I’m so close, babe. Please…”
He loved when she begged, for it reminded him that she needed him. Needed his dick, needed the pounding, needed his cum filling her snatch. This wasn’t about the money he gave her each month, or the deal he’d callously proposed to suit his own agenda. She wanted the fucking as much as he did.
He shifted his position slightly, and when he parted her folds, a generous amount of her pearly essence greeted him. He couldn’t pass it up; he loved her sweet, tangy taste and how her flesh trembled in his mouth, how her clit vibrated against his tongue. Her cunt was his for the taking, and he’d prove it to her.
Ravenous, he lowered himself on her body, kissing every inch he encountered until he faced her glistening pussy. He moved her to the edge of the bed, planting her feet apart. She whimpered, moving her legs, but he pinned them into place, and silenced her by licking her inner thighs. That did it.
He felt her sharp intake of breath, the way she pulled at the bedspread, probably clutching it.
“Zaine, you’re killing me.”
He hooked his hands under her ass, lifting her off the bed to indulge in her slick heat. Her scent of aroused female swirled around, and he inhaled it, entranced. When he lapped at her folds, she mellowed, the warning sign that she was close. He’d come to know the intensity of her moans and what they meant. This particular sound gave away her urgency, which he appreciated.
He continued to suck her pussy, reveling in that addictive flavor. He flicked her clit with his thumb and kept sucking her, and within seconds, she exploded, creaming on his face, her limbs quivering, her whole body in a state of unrest.
He licked her some more, feasting on her juices. When he lifted himself off her, she propped herself on her elbows and scooted to the middle of the bed.
“You’re definitely earning a reward,” she said.
“Oh, that wasn’t for you. That was for me.”
“You’re all right, Zaine. You’re all right.”
A smiled appeared on his face. A glint of mischief lit up her eyes, and his cock jutted out, the sign he needed to know he was still alive and hadn’t died from blue balls syndrome.
Her gaze slid from his eyes to his shoulders and his chest. When she saw his dick, her eyebrows reached her hairline. She glanced at him again, licking her lips. “You’re ready.”
He shoved his dick inside her, and had to hold onto every thread of control not to bust out immediately. Holy fuck, she felt too good. Her inner muscles clenched him, and he looked down at her.
She’s stunning. Warm sensations enveloped him like an electric blanket. Her eyes were big, glossy with pleasure…pleasure he’d given her. Sweat slicked her pretty face, and her flushed cheeks dimpled when she smiled. Monique had brought him back from the dead, but he didn’t know he’d been there until she came into his life.
He thrust in and out of her, his balls slapping her thighs, his heart hammering in his chest. Three more times, until she screamed his name, and he released himself inside her.
He’d never felt like this before, never experienced this burst of hot energy whenever he was around a woman. He’d been in love before, but Monique was a straight-up obsession.
He rolled on the bed and took her with him, her legs entangled with his, her head on his chest. He caressed her hair, gloriously disheveled, and she hummed into him. He kissed the top of her head. “Thanks.”
“If anyone should be thankful, that’d be me.”
He clasped her into his arms. “Nice way to look at it, but I’m glad you came to Honolulu with me.”
She moved on top of him, then propped herself on her elbows and rested her chin on the back of her hand. “And miss out on running into Paula in the elevator? Never,” she said, her voice playful.
“Yeah, that sure wasn’t the highlight of our trip. Still. I don’t come to Hawaii a lot anymore…which is funny because that was one of the first places I wanted to visit once I started making money,” he said, remembering how many times he’d asked Ashley to go with him. She favored mountains over beaches, so whenever they vacationed, they went to the Swiss Alps or to a cabin in Canada. Maybe Colorado.
She ruffled his hair, bringing him back to the present. “Are you ready for the lunch tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“Good. You need to go there and kick some ass. I saw the look in your sister’s eyes when you mentioned the hospital wing. Were all of you always so close?”
“Yes, especially after my father died. It was so sudden, we had no option but to rally together and keep going for Mom. She was in a bad place for a while.”
“I’m sorry. You are the oldest, though. You probably had more responsibility than the others.”
“How’d you know?” he asked, then shook his head. Of course. Hadn’t the same thing happened to her? She was the oldest sibling, the one who helped her mom when her father abandoned them. “You know because you’ve been there too.”
She rolled her eyes. “My father didn’t die. Yet. If he continues smoking the way he does, there’s no telling.”
“Yeah, but you trusted him. Then he upped and left.”
“Yeah.”
He wondered if that made her trust men less. Had she had any boyfriends? Had she…ever loved anyone? Tension formed a lump in his throat. Why did he care?
“What’s on your mind? You seem mad.”
“What?”
“You frowned and shut your lips, like you were plotting someone’s murder.”
Crap. Busted. What the fuck did he tell her? He remembered her appeal for honesty and decided to go ahead and say it. “I was thinking about how many hearts you must have broken in France. Or even here.”
“Not that many.”
He ran his fingers down her pert nose. “That’s hard to believe.”
“You’re generous…so generous in fact something just occurred to me. Why don’t you offer your services pro bono? If she says no tomorrow…”
Zaine nodded. He didn’t need the money, and if it came to that, he’d be happy to do the project pro bono. He hadn’t thought about it, because he didn’t want to come across as desperate, especially someone as sought-after as he was. But her suggestion reminded him desperate times called for desperate measures. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
…
“I love your vision,” Lara said after Zaine finished presenting his ideas. He’d brought his laptop with a 3D presentation about how he envisioned the hospital based on the little information he had and also shared his portfolio with her.
“Thanks.”
She tilted her head. “Unfortunately, I met with Doug Benton yesterday. I’m friends with his wife, and I quite like his project.”
“Mine’s better,” he said, without needing to see Doug’s. His former friend never took risks, and his designs were not memorable or groundbreaking.
“His is cheaper. He may not be as famous as you, but he’s probably more available and…”
“Pick me. I’ll do it pro bono.”
Lara unfolded her arms, and he saw the bob in her throat making its way down. “That’s quite generous. I didn’t expect that. What’s the catch?”
He took a sip of red wine. “My brother Zachary Cavanaugh lost his battle with cancer when we were teenagers, and I want a wing named after him in exchange.”
“Ah.” She played with her fork. “I understand. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Maybe you already had something in mind as far as naming the wings, but it’d mean a lot to me and my family. We’d be honored to be able to keep his memory alive,” he said, trying his hardest to keep the emotion out of his voice.
Lara gave him a warm smile, and he squared his shoulders. He certainly didn’t mention his brother to get any pity, but she needed to know his intentions—hell, it was part of his bargain. “By doing pro bono, you ensure the small fortune we would have paid you will benefit other areas. It’ll go toward the children. The board will approve you if I recommend you.”
I know. “Is that a yes?”
“One caveat,” she said, putting her fork to the side and rubbing her hands together. “Ashley has already talked to me, and I’m picking her to be the interior designer. I’ve enjoyed working with her in the past. I can ditch Doug, but I’d love to work with her. Do you have any objections?”
Oh, great. He’d agreed to keep working with Ashley on a few scheduled projects, but this was a monumental workload. After her visit at his house and her toxic friendship with Paula and all the strings attached, he’d prefer to talk to her as little as possible. “If I do?” he asked casually.
She dabbed at her mouth with the linen napkin. “Despite your incredibly generous offer, I’d have to think about it.”
Having to think about it meant she’d go to Doug and ask if he’d work pro bono. Shit, he might do it too, if only because Paula would tell him to. Best to nip it in the bud. “I’m okay with working with her. Ashley’s very talented,” he said, raising his glass.
She raised hers and tinkled it on his. “Perfect.”
For the rest of the lunch, she talked about dates, technicalities, and her team. When they returned to LA, she’d schedule a day to introduce him to the board, after they’d approved him as an architect. But the idea of working with Ashley on such a personal project tempered his excitement.
During the drive back to his hotel where he’d pick up Monique for some more sightseeing, he pondered. Ashley was a consummate professional—hell, she’d always prioritized her career. She excelled at what she did and deserved to get recognition for it.
Maybe she’d compartmentalize their bitter argument when he’d booted her out of his house and deal with it professionally. What if she refused to work with him and made up some stupid reasons? His gut clenched. A possibility, though his offering of pro bono surely had to tip the scale.