Breathless In Love (The Maverick Billionaires #1) (17 page)

“You got tickets to
Wicked
?” Harper looked up with surprise into the face of the most beautiful man on the planet. A man who was giving her one of those slow, sexy smiles that always made her dizzy with desire.

“Friday night. Dinner in San Francisco. Then a private box for the show.”

It was a lovely Wednesday evening, the air cooling down after the heat of the day. Once Memorial Day was over, summer hit with temperatures that baked concrete. She and Will were taking a leisurely stroll through her modest Palo Alto neighborhood while Jeremy stayed home building a Lego kit. It wasn’t just putting blocks together anymore. There were complicated instructions, and Miss Richards felt the toy would stretch his capabilities.

When Will had brought Jeremy home after work that evening, he’d removed his suit jacket and thrown his tie over the back of the sofa, but he was still tempting in a striped dress shirt. His hand over hers felt divine. And yet, even though it felt as though they were a couple—a real one—Harper kept reminding herself to stay in the moment. It was enough just to appreciate being here with him now. Which meant she needed to stop thinking about
more.
Especially since he’d already given her more happiness—and pleasure—than she’d ever thought to have.

He slipped the tickets back into the breast pocket of his shirt. “After the show,” he said, “we’ll check to make sure that Jeremy is doing fine staying the night at my house with Mrs. Taylor. And then I’m going to take you to my flat in the city and have my way with you.” He dragged his gaze down her body until she was hot all over. “All night long.” He drew out the words.

All night long.

They’d never spent the whole night together. In fact, they’d never even been completely naked together. Everything was always fast and hot, ripping clothes off and devouring each other. Or getting
her
naked.

But now he wanted all night.

It suddenly felt hard to breathe, in both a bad
and
a good way. Because God, yes, she wanted a night with Will. In his bed.
All night long.
But at the same time, she was terrified that it would change everything for her—that it would make it even harder to stop wishing for
more.

She’d vowed that night in his ’57 Chevy that she wouldn’t be scared anymore, that she’d just go with the flow and keep having fun. But the truth was that even though she was having the time of her life with Will, she didn’t know how to shelve her worries. How could she, when she was falling so hard and so fast for him? Falling deeper and deeper with every kiss, every caress, with every sweet word he said to her, every smile he gave to her brother. Falling even harder and deeper after the barbecue. After watching him with Noah and seeing what a great father he would be. Someone she would have been proud to introduce to her own parents.

But when, outside of a fairytale, did the gorgeous billionaire actually fall for the normal girl?

“Does that sound good to you?”

She looked into his deep blue eyes, and despite all the worries and questions circling inside of her, she melted. Just like always. “It sounds amazing. I’ve been dying to see
Wicked.
” She was pleased by how calmly and steadily the words came out, as if she actually had any self-control at all where he was concerned.

* * *

Oh God,
she thought on Friday night,
I am so not in control.

How could she be when the evening was this fabulous? Will was utterly gorgeous in a black tux and white shirt. Dinner had been at an exclusive private club on Nob Hill that didn’t even have a menu, where the waiter had recited delectable descriptions that left her mouth watering.

And so did Will. He was his usual can’t-keep-his-hands-to-himself, first at the restaurant, and then at the theater in their private box. Almost as if he wanted to keep spinning her out on the delicious edge of pleasure every moment so that she couldn’t spare one single brain cell to dwell on worries and questions. He’d made her feel special, desirable, irresistible, beautiful—as though she was the center of his world.

After she’d visited the ladies’ room during the intermission, she found Will in the crush of elegantly dressed theater patrons, amid photographers snapping pictures of the beautiful, rich, and famous. He was waiting for her just down the hall, a champagne glass in each hand.

“You looked thirsty.” He kissed the tip of her nose.

It was so sweet, something a man did to a woman who belonged to him. As though they were a real couple rather than just friends with benefits. As though he felt for her exactly what she was feeling for him. Despite all the reminders she kept giving herself, she couldn’t help but be totally swept up in the romance of it all.

Until a male voice came between them. “Will, it’s good to see you outside of the office.”

The man was older, mid-forties maybe, and well-bred handsome. His short dark hair had very little silver in it, and his eyes were a steel gray that seemed to pierce through everything. Harper’s hair wasn’t exclusive-salon prepped, her nails weren’t manicured, and her dress was off-the-rack among all the designer gowns floating around the mezzanine. She’d never cared about any of that before...but compared to the drop-dead-gorgeous woman hanging on the man’s arm, Harper felt horribly out of her depth. Just the way she had several times before, when Will had swept her into his amazing world of fast cars and caviar.

“Cal, great to see you, too.” Will’s voice was warm as he held out his hand and the two men shook. “Monette.” His voice became slightly less warm. “Please meet Harper.” He slid his fingers around Harper’s, then told her, “Cal is business manager for the Maverick Group.”

The beautiful Monette was staring at Harper’s hand clasped in Will’s. She smiled, but despite her lush lips, perfect cheekbones, and expert makeup, the smile didn’t move beyond that slight twitch of her mouth. Her manicured grip tightened on Cal’s arm.

Will made polite conversation. “I’m so glad Harper agreed to come with me tonight.”

“It’s been such a treat,” she said, hoping her smile looked genuine despite her discomfort beneath the other woman’s laser-focused gaze.

When Cal smiled back, it filled his face and deepened the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes. “A
Wicked
treat.”

“Oh Cal, you’re so funny and smart.” Monette spoke for the first time, her tone sultry, as if she’d whispered something naughty. Her gold dress sparkled with tiny jewels that Harper thought might actually be real.

She would
not
feel bad in her classic black cocktail dress, one she’d been so pleased to find on sale last year.

Will squeezed Harper’s fingers as though he could hear her thoughts. Not wanting him to think she wasn’t making an effort with his friends, she told them, “I haven’t been to the theater since
The Phantom of the Opera.
”

“That show was here ages ago, wasn’t it?” Monette drawled, as though she’d scored a point in a game Harper hadn’t realized they were playing. “I’m so glad Cal has been taking me to see
everything
lately.” She stroked the arm she held and blinked bedroom eyes at him.

Cal looked at Monette, a line between his brows, then at Will as if a light bulb was going on.

Oh. Well then.
The light bulb had just gone on for Harper, too. Clearly, Will had a history with this woman. A sexy history, if Harper had to guess.

“This is only our second show,” Cal corrected politely, still smiling, still friendly.

But Monette’s eyes narrowed like those of a Siamese cat. Harper couldn’t say for sure, but she had the distinct impression this would be their
last
show. She was good at reading people, and the business manager looked like a man who, out of respect, wouldn’t date a woman who’d already infiltrated the Maverick Group once before.

Will beamed at Harper as though he was oblivious to the byplay. “Monette’s right. I’ve been remiss.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I should have been taking you out on the town instead of keeping you all to myself.” His eyes darkened as if he’d forgotten there were other people in the conversation as he added, “But I haven’t been able to help myself.”

All right, Will definitely wasn’t oblivious. But Harper stopped caring as her pulse raced and she couldn’t look away from him, couldn’t do anything but wish they were somewhere private so that he could strip her clothes off and make love to her. And she could make love to him, too.

“Cal, isn’t that the mayor I see over there?” Monette’s voice grated Harper right out of the spell Will had cast over her. “Didn’t you say you wanted to speak with him?”

Over Monette’s head, Cal raised a brow at Will, before saying, “Of course. It was lovely to meet you, Harper.” He let himself be led away.

“Franconi, it’s good to see you.”

Another tall, well-dressed man, with an older woman wearing fuchsia taffeta, slid so quickly into the vacated spot that Harper didn’t have a chance to ask Will about Monette. Which was a good thing. Because she
shouldn’t
ask about Monette. It wasn’t her business whom he’d been with before they started spending time together, and the very mention could come across as jealousy.

Except that when one conversation ended and another began as yet a different society couple poured into the empty space, she couldn’t help but consider what Monette had been to him. Had he called the other woman
sweetheart?
Had he looked smitten as he’d introduced Monette to all of these people at similar events? Had he invited her to meet the other Mavericks?

Or was there any possibility that Harper was the only one he was always touching—her back, the nape of her neck, her cheek, her hair?

And was there any chance at all that Harper was the only one he’d taken for those fast and wild rides?

When the bell rang signaling the end of the intermission, Will finally led her back to their box, pulling her close as soon as the door sealed them in. “If I’d known it was going to be like that, I’d have brought the champagne in here and kept the door locked.” He nuzzled her hair. “Sorry about Monette. She can be catty.”

Harper couldn’t think while he was touching her. Which meant she also couldn’t remember to hold back the words, “You used to date her?”

“A couple of times.” He shrugged. “She likes men with money.”

Harper had enough experience with fortune hunters after Jeremy’s trust to understand. But even though she still couldn’t quite shake the jealous vision of Will sleeping with a woman like Monette, she needed him to know something. “She was a fool.”

He turned to her with a surprised look that she was able to catch just as the lights went down. But when he kissed her—a kiss that was not only full of passion, but something more, something that seemed even bigger than desire—she didn’t need to see his face to know how much he’d liked hearing those words.

Their limousine could have seated ten. Champagne chilled in a silver bucket on the center console, and a pot of Will’s special caviar teased her senses as the limo maneuvered through the San Francisco streets, heading to Will’s penthouse flat. The flutes were filled with raspberries, already half drenched in champagne.

This was the opulence she’d expected from him that first night—an exclusive restaurant, a private box at the show, a stretch limo. And yet, while it was still more than a little overwhelming, it didn’t scare her away the way it would have back then. Because she
knew
Will. Knew the man behind the money and the power. Knew how kind he could be, how sweet. Sexy, too, but that had been obvious from the outset with nothing more than one look.

He filled the glass and handed it to her before doing the same with his, then tapped his glass to hers in a
ting!
of crystal. Flush against him on the seat, his exquisitely male scent went to her head like the champagne bubbles.

“Did you like the show?”

“It was wonderful. Thank you so much for taking me.” The plot was a little fuzzy, though, since she’d been so taken over by him that she couldn’t remember much of it. But what she did remember—all of his incredible kisses, the way he’d teased her with barely-there caresses—made her tingle all over.

“It was my pleasure. Being with you always is.” He tipped the stem of her glass, and murmured, “Drink.”

It was ambrosia, with a hint of almonds and the sweetness of the fruit at the bottom.

“Now try a caviar chaser.” He unscrewed the lid of the caviar and dipped his finger into the pot.

No spoon, no cracker. Just him. His lids half-closed, he fixated on her lips as they parted, and she took his finger into her mouth.

He was a burst of flavor—the rich, buttery taste of the caviar and the saltiness of his skin. An ache blossoming deep in her core, she licked him clean, every last morsel. The sensory overload was already close to sending her over the edge, but when he trailed a kiss along the low neck of her dress, over the swell of her breast, she was sure she would die of wanting him.

Slowly, he pulled away, raining more kisses over her skin before saying, “Your turn.”

Dazed with desire, Harper dipped a finger into the pot, retrieving a scoop of the luxury before Will set it back on the console. Then he captured her wrist, bringing her hand to his lips. His eyes on hers, he went down on her finger and sucked the caviar away.

The limo idled through the city traffic, but she no longer needed speed to get that wild, crazy feeling from racing fast in a car.

All it took was one touch from Will.

He licked her finger once more, his gaze smoldering. Then he tipped her champagne against her lips. She took a long drink, the bubbles bursting all the way down her throat. When she was done, he leaned in and tasted her mouth, licking away the drops of the champagne.

“I want you now,” he whispered against her lips, “but I swore to myself I’d have you in my bed tonight. All night long. Over and over.”

Moments later, the car stopped and the door opened, garage lights beaming beyond the driver’s shoulder. Her knees seemed to wobble as Will helped her from the car. He carried the two champagne glasses in one hand as he walked her to the elevator, which he opened with a special key card. There were no floor buttons. Once inside, he simply inserted the key again. The doors closed as the limo rolled away.

His arm wrapped around her, he held the glass to her lips once more. “Eat the fruit. It’s been sitting in champagne.” He tipped the glass until the berries slid down into her mouth. They were rich with bubbles, sweet and sparkling.

Then Will’s lips crushed hers. He held her tight against his body, pressing her up against the elevator wall as he tasted the fruit with her.

But though she’d truly had an amazing time at the show tonight and the fancy ride, complete with fruited champagne and delicious caviar had been seductive and decadent, she hadn’t needed any of it to be happy.

All she’d needed was
him
.

* * *

Harper’s taste on Will’s lips lingered as the elevator doors opened and they stepped into his flat.

“Wow.”

Harper’s breathy exclamation of wonder called him to her. She glided to the wall of windows showcasing the vast blackness of a nighttime San Francisco Bay, with the blazing lights of the city, the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, and the East Bay surrounding the water like a ring of fire. Abandoning the champagne glasses on the coffee table, Will shadowed her.

“It’s so beautiful.” She spoke to the inky night and to him.

With the room still dark behind them and moonlight falling across her, she was more beautiful than any landscape. He shifted to stand close at her back, seeing through her eyes. He’d bought the place because of the view, but he’d long since stopped noticing it. Harper made it fresh again as he shared her awe, revealing the beauty he’d forgotten.

She turned her head slightly to gaze at him over her shoulder. “Do you sit here at night just staring at all this?”

“I haven’t.” But he could sit here all night watching her. “But I see now that I’ve been missing something.”

He’d been missing so damn much until she’d walked into his life. If only what he felt for her was enough to wipe out ten years of his past, from the ages of eight to eighteen...

She turned back to the vista, leaning against him. “Just looking out your windows would be like meditation after a long work day.”

“Maybe I should rearrange the furniture and make this window the centerpiece.”

“Yes, you should,” she said, and her hair, still fragrant with some sweet shampoo, brushed his cheek, his chin.

He’d planned the evening meticulously, from dinner to the sold-out tickets for the two-week run, the limo, the caviar, the fruit in the champagne glasses. He’d wanted to wow her.

But he was the one wowed. From the very first moment he’d set eyes on her.

She needs to know how you feel. Trust her with your secrets.

Susan’s words had been his constant companions since their talk. Wrapping his arm around Harper’s waist, he pulled her back tightly against him, as he wondered for the hundredth time: Could she handle what was in his heart? Or would it send her running?

Rich men in fast cars, the teenager who’d run her brother down, the wealthy father who’d bailed him out—Will knew he embodied all Harper’s fears and he instinctively stiffened at the thought of losing her.

“Will?” She turned slightly to look up at him again, her eyes meeting his. “Is everything okay?”

He brushed her hair aside to plant a kiss on the sensitive skin of her neck. “You’re here.” He sucked her skin, leaving his mark on her, then moved up to her ear, a sweet little hot spot, and nibbled. “Everything is amazing.”

“You make me totally crazy when you do that.” She twirled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You’re such a tease.”

He wanted to tease her right up to heaven, wanted to give her so much pleasure that she’d never, ever think about leaving him. “The word
tease
implies no follow-through. And believe me, I intend to follow through.” He kissed her lightly. “All—”
Kiss
. “—night—”
Kiss
. “—long.” Then he parted her lips and took her mouth, hot need spiking through him. “You’re absolutely perfect.”

“So are you.”

But he wasn’t.

Not even close.

* * *

Harper was dying for him to tear off her clothes, throw her down on the carpet, and take her right in front of the window.

That was how he always made her feel—totally wild, crazy, and out of control. But this was going to be a night for firsts: the first time in his bed, the first time with him completely naked, the first time she’d have him all night long and wake up beside him in the morning.

They’d rushed everything else, but she couldn’t bear to rush this.

Even if it killed her.

And yet, when she looked into his eyes, she saw shadows. The same shadows that had been there moments before when his whole body had tensed against her back.

“Will.” She reached for his cheek. “If something’s wrong—”

“No.” The word sounded choked. “Nothing’s wrong when you’re here. Nothing’s wrong when you’re with me.” But there was a storm in his eyes. “Let me love you, Harper. Please, just let me love you.”

His words rippled over her, through her, tugging at her heart. So even though she knew this was just supposed to be for fun, how could she say anything but, “Love me, Will.”

The next thing she knew, he tugged her dress off her shoulder and traced a finger down until it rested against her breast. Slowly pulling the material aside, he revealed the lace of her black bra. Slowly, so slowly that she nearly went crazy, he pulled the cup down until her aroused flesh finally popped free.

“Delicious,” he whispered before he bent his head.

His thick, soft hair caressed her skin, and his tongue devastated her. She held him tight as he licked her, then closed his lips around the peak and sucked.

All her electrons were firing like crazy when he raised his head and said, “More.”

He always wanted more from her. And she always gave it to him.

When she whispered
“More,”
he splayed a hand across her back and turned her insides to liquid with his lips and tongue.

Then his teeth scraped across her, like a live wire straight to her center. Her body shuddered, and she clung to him, gasping, writhing. It wasn’t an orgasm, but a deep, needy quaking that made her moan, clutch him tight…and beg.

“Please.”

“Whatever you want.”

“I want you naked.” Her need whispered out on a breath. “I want to see all of you.”

He was always the one taking her clothes off. But she couldn’t wait any longer to see every inch of that gloriously hard flesh.

She expected his usual grin, but just that quickly, the storm was back in his eyes as he suddenly lifted her in his arms to carry her through the dark living room. There was no hall, just a doorway off the central area. In his bedroom, city lights illuminated a four-foot rectangle in front of the window, hiding the rest in darkness. He walked unerringly to the bed and laid her down gently.

They’d been in the dark since they’d entered his apartment, but that wasn’t enough for her anymore. “I need light,” she said, “or I won’t be able to see you.” And she
had
to see.

He paused for a long moment, his face still grim in the shadows, before finally flicking a light switch. The lamp lit the bed, his scrumptious black tux, white shirt, and lightly mussed hair.

A dark wood bureau matched the nightstands and headboard. White tile glinted through the bathroom doorway, and a big jet tub two steps up lay just beyond in the shadows. His personal space was expensively furnished with a fabulous view and probably cost a fortune—he even had his own elevator, for goodness sake—but while it was rich, there was nothing that shouted Will’s ownership.

Instead, it looked almost lonely.

He advanced on her. “You have on too many clothes.”

He was still minus his usual grin, but the sensuality in his tone made her forget all about the room and its lack of a personal touch. There was only the huge bed and the gorgeous apartment.

And Will.

“So do you,” she agreed. And this was her turn. All the other times, he’d managed to keep even his shirt on. “I want to see you, the way you’ve seen me,” she insisted, her pulse throbbing.

He moved away from her then to snap the blinds closed, so that it was just them—no people on the street far below, no cars honking. And when he turned back to face her, she realized he’d never looked at her with such raw hunger...or such deep, tormented emotion.

“I’m all yours, Harper.”

All hers.

At least for tonight.