Chapter 22
Jared spotted the end of the path leading to the parking area and the barn. But he didn’t relax his grip on the saddle horn or the reins. If he didn’t hold his horse back, his larger mount would beat Beauty back to the stables. He was pretty damn sure he’d terrified his date. He wasn’t about to leave her fending off a gator on her own.
He stole a glance over his shoulder. A large tail slashed across the dusty path as the alligator turned around and headed for the canal.
He looked toward the barn. Lucy had steered her mare to a waiting stable hand and collapsed on the animal’s neck. Her face was buried in Beauty’s mane. Even from a distance, he could see she was breathing hard.
Because a damn alligator crashed our romantic walk.
Jared slowed his horse, carefully guiding his mount to Lucy’s side. A second stable hand rushed out to greet them. He released the reins and allowed the man on the ground take control of his horse. Then he swung out of the saddle and moved to Lucy’s side.
He placed his hand on her trembling leg. Slowly, she raised her pale face from her horse’s mane. “Are you all right?” he asked.
She nodded. “I think I’m ready to say goodbye to Beauty.”
He stepped back, giving her space to dismount. When her feet landed on the ground, he took her hand. “I’m sorry, Lucy. I made you a promise.”
“You didn’t invite the gator on our date.”
He reached out and drew her into his arms. Her cheek rested against his chest, and her arms slipped around his waist. She trembled against him.
After effects of encountering an alligator on a date.
“Guess I’m in competition now with Mr. Thigh Gap for rock bottom,” he said wryly.
“Tonight wasn’t a total disaster.” Her fingers pressed against his lower back. “I was with you.”
And that’s enough?
Her logic didn’t make sense, but he’d take the win. “Next time will be better.” He let out a dry laugh. “It can’t get much worse.”
She looked up at him. Her chin rested against his chest. “What if next time starts now? The sun will be down by the time we get back to Palm Beach. We could go to your place.”
“I still have a picnic in my saddle bags.” He nodded to the horses waiting patiently with the stable hands. “Do you need to be home by midnight?”
“Nothing changes at the stroke of twelve.” She released him and stepped back. “What you see is what you get, I’m afraid. One workaholic princess who won’t give up on fairy tales. Even if they include that occasional visit from a gator.”
“I like what I see,” he said firmly, looking straight into her blue eyes. He held out his hand, and she placed hers in his. “Let’s go, Lucy. Let’s turn this date around.”
Lucy had visited his mansion before, but never the winding corridors off the main rooms. Last time she’d stopped by with her brother, and they’d gone straight to the white marble kitchen.
But tonight they bypassed the kitchen. They had eaten the picnic dinner during the car ride home while recounting the look on the alligator’s face. She believed the gator looked hungry. But Jared disagreed. He thought the beast just wanted to make trouble. If he’d been looking for a meal, the gator would have gone for something smaller. Jared bet the gator liked the thrill of the chase.
You and that gator just might have something in common, Philip Ryder.
But they were done playing chase. He’d caught her through his crazy online dating scheme. And now, they were heading into the depths of his home. She looked around the hallway and noted the arched ceilings of the long corridors. Glass doors with ornate iron frames lined the hallway. Through the panes, she saw a landscaped courtyard and a lap pool. He turned left at the end of the corridor. She could still see the pool, and the sounds of the ocean grew closer.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked.
“Do you trust me?”
“Right now?” she murmured. “Yes. I think this is a gator-free space.”
His blue eyes shone in the dimly lit space. Moonlight worked in tandem with the outdoor lights. Together they illuminated the pool and select palm trees beyond the glass doors.
He has that lord-of-all-that-I-see look in his eyes again, she thought.
“I trust that I’m going to like what’s on the other side of that door,” she added.
He placed his hands on his hips and nodded to the entrance. “What if I told you the guest bathroom lies behind those doors?”
“I would wonder,” she began. Then she turned around to face the double doors. The archway over the wooden doors matched the hallway. “I would wonder why you wanted to make love in the bathroom. But . . . ”
He laughed as he closed the space behind her. His hands wrapped around her hips and drew her back against him. “I can’t wait to hear this but,” he growled in her ear.
“But,” she continued, reaching back and placing her palms on his thighs. “I would trust that you have a plan.”
His lips brushed her ear. “Will you still trust me in the morning?”
“Are you suggesting we spend the night together?” She fought to keep her tone light. “In this bathroom?”
“Yes.” He kissed her earlobe. “Will you, Lucy?”
She felt she could spend the next month, the next year, maybe longer with Jared and still uncover new pieces of the man she’d known most of her life. She’d learn the sides of himself he hid from the rest of the world. Everything from the way he looked when he first woke up in the morning to how he made love before he headed to work.
But another year would require a different level of faith in him.
“I think,” she said slowly. “Trust is something you earn every day. But it becomes easier to give with time.”
“I’ll earn yours again tomorrow,” he said as if she’d tossed out a challenge. He released her hips and stepped around her to push open the double doors. Then he moved to the side and gestured for her to enter.
“This isn’t a bathroom,” she murmured as her feet touched the plush carpet. A low, wooden, enormous bedframe filled one side of the room. The simple, modern style matched the sitting area, but seemed oddly misplaced beneath the vaulted ceilings.
“No.”
He moved behind her. She felt his fingers brushing aside her hair, gently sweeping her long locks over her right shoulder. His lips followed his touch. Soft kisses teased the sensitive skin. A shiver ran through her, and she moaned.
“I like this spot,” he murmured, tracing small circles over the nape of her neck with his tongue.
He guided her forward, using his body to urge her closer to the bed. His free hand released the button on her jeans and drew her zipper down. Then his lips released her neck.
“Tonight, it’s my turn to be selfish,” he said as he turned her around.
“Sounds fair.” She pushed her jeans over her hips and down her legs. As she stepped out of her pants, she stripped off her shirt. She’d selected black, lace underwear for their date—no more boring white.
Jared mimicked her motions, quickly removing his clothes. Standing before her in his black boxer briefs, he gave her a gentle push. And she let her body fall back, melting into the soft mattress.
She watched as his thumbs slipped beneath the band of his underwear. He drew the last piece of clothing off and tossed it aside. She couldn’t see where his boxers landed. Not that it mattered now that his well-defined muscles—and so much more—were on full display. He leaned forward and his abs contracted. His hands wrapped around her ankles.
“Very selfish,” he growled as he positioned her feet on the bed.
She curled up to watch as he lowered to the ground, one knee at a time. “You’ve had a rough few days,” she conceded. “Women bursting into your office—”
“One woman.” He ran his hands up her calves. Her knees were bent, and he urged them apart. He’d planted her feet wide enough to accommodate his broad shoulders. “You were the only woman who walked into my office and took off your clothes.”
“True. But then there was the alligator.”
“You were there for that too,” he pointed out.
“You know, maybe my week was worse.” She tried to draw her legs together, but he placed his hands on her knees.
“Did you deal with a sex tape?” he demanded, keeping his gaze on her face.
“No.” She allowed her legs to fall open.
“Lie back, princess,” he murmured. But he was no longer looking her in the eye as he spoke. His gaze was fixed on the slip of black lace between her legs.
She slid her palms along the comforter and allowed her head to fall back against the bed. She didn’t need to watch. She could map his movements through touch. His hands ran up her thighs . . . his fingers toyed with the edge of her panties, drawing them aside. Then his tongue teased and taunted her, flirting with her most intimate parts before licking a path down, down, down . . .
“Use your hands,” she begged, her tone low and urgent. But if ever there was a time to plead with a man like Jared Mitchell this was the moment. She could feel the orgasm building up. Her hips rocked up and back, trying to place his tongue exactly where she wanted it.
“Easy now,” he murmured. She could feel the words against the exact place she wanted his hands. “I’m going to take my time.” But he heeded her request and slipped one finger inside her.
She thrust against his hand and waited for his tongue.
“Oh, God,” she gasped.
“Hold on, Lucy.”
He drew his mouth away, and she wanted to scream. How could he? She was on the verge of exploding.
“Jared!”
He lowered his mouth and sent her screaming into the glowing, pink, perfect land of orgasms. She’d been there before. She’d ridden him to a wave-crashing climax on the beach. But this—the way his tongue cast a spell, the way he listened when she begged for his touch—this was one of the best.
But after you’ve had the best . . .
She shoved the thought aside and pushed herself up on her elbows. Jared pressed lazy kisses to the inside of her right thigh. He looked up at her without taking his mouth off her skin. Slowly, he raised his lips until they hovered over her leg. “I’m not done yet.”
“Selfish bastard,” she said.
“I’m just getting started—”
A shrill, sharp ring cut him off.
“No, no no,” she murmured. “Don’t tell me that’s Finn calling.”
“It’s not,” he assured her. She felt the words between her legs. The rush of air teased her as if he were literally breathing hope into her chances of an orgasm.
“It’s Tico Software. One of my companies,” he explained.
“On a Friday night?” Her body throbbed, begging for his attention, and utterly unconcerned with phones calls and interruptions.
Now who’s the selfish one?
“I should have turned it to silent.” He lowered his mouth to her and gave her sensitive skin a smooth lick.
“That’s okay,” she muttered. “Just. Don’t. Stop.”
The ringing ended, and Lucy closed her eyes. Her world narrowed to his mouth, his lips, and his touch.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
“Do they always call until you answer?” she asked.
“I don’t usually ignore Tico,” he murmured. “They’ll stop eventually. Or I could switch the phone off—”
“No!” Her hands reached for his head, and her fingers wound through his hair. “Keep going. I’ll ignore it. We’ll ignore it.”
“As you wish, princess.”
His mouth went back to work. A second later the ringing stopped. But the reprieve was brief—very, very brief. Three unanswered calls later, she came. And her cries matched the pitch of his cell phone.
So this is sex with a workaholic.
She struggled to catch her breath but kept her gaze focused on the ceiling. She could hear him moving around the room. His footfalls on the plush carpet. The rustle of pants as he withdrew his phone. His soft curse.
“I need to make a quick call,” he said. “Stay right there. I won’t be long.”
She heard the door to the bedroom open and close with a resounding click.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she murmured to the large, empty bedroom.
Are you sure about that?, a little voice in her head challenged. Is this what happy ever after looks like? Sex between phone calls?
“He’s the unicorn. I can’t walk away from him.” She clutched at the bedspread. “It’s just one phone call.”
She closed her eyes. Lying wouldn’t help. She knew this was disaster territory. And it had nothing to do with gators. They could escape the predators lurking in canals. But she couldn’t ask him to walk away from his career. He’d worked too hard and come too far. Plus, he’d told her earlier that he would never ask her to leave her business.
But where does that leave us?