Crave (Splendor Book 2) (22 page)

“You picked all of this out for me yourself?” she whispered, running her hand over a pair of black boot-cut yoga pants. She’d admired this particular pair more than once but had cringed when she noticed the price.

“Yes. Does everything look all right?” he asked somewhat anxiously.

She launched herself against him, wrapping her arms around his waist and nuzzling her face against his bare chest. “Yes, everything is perfect,” she murmured. “It just amazes me how thoughtful you always are, how much attention you pay to all the little details. Thank you, Ian, this is a wonderful gift.”

He hugged her close, pressing a kiss to her damp hair. “You’re very, very welcome, love. And it gives me a great deal of pleasure to be able to do these little things for you, to give you everything you’ve had to deprive yourself of for so long. I never want you to go without something ever again.”

She reached up to kiss his cheek. “I have everything I’ll ever need right here - you. But I do like all of this - very much. I’ll be the best dressed student in class!”

Ian grinned. “Well, now, I have very little doubt about
that
. You’re the most beautiful woman in the room no matter where you are, no matter what you might be wearing. Which reminds me.”

He released her, and she watched as he lifted a black dress from the clothes rack and held it up for her inspection. It shrieked class and sex at the same time, a combination she wouldn’t normally have believed possible. The dress had long, tight-fitting sleeves and a deep V-neck, off the shoulder, neckline. It was starkly simplistic, with nary a button or bead for embellishment, and the fine matte jersey fabric would be certain to cling to every curve of her body. It was most assuredly a woman’s dress, and one that could only be worn by a female who was very comfortable in her body.

Tessa ran a tentative finger along the neckline. “It’s stunning, Ian. When -”

“I saw it in the window of a boutique in Vancouver,” he told her. “The instant I noticed it, I knew it could have been made for you. Coincidentally, the dress on the mannequin was the last one in stock and it just happened to be in your size.”

Upon closer inspection, she saw that the fabric was ruched from bust to hem, and would likely reach to just above the knee. “Did you want - is it for a particular occasion?”

He hung the dress back on the rack and nodded. “I’d very much like for you to wear it to dinner tomorrow evening. I reserved a table for us at a new restaurant across the bay in Sausalito. And as stunning as the dress is, you’re the one who’ll be truly stunning when you wear it.” He ran the tips of his long, elegant fingers across the upper curves of her breasts where they peeked out over the bath sheet. “A dress like this is really designed for one purpose, darling - to showcase a truly spectacular pair of breasts.”

Her breathing grew shallow as he continued to run a finger across her cleavage. “I, ah, would love to wear it tomorrow night. You’re sure it’s not too - well, revealing?”

A slow, very sexy smile crossed his features. “No, love, it will be just perfect. Trust me to know the difference between class and crass, hmm? Not to mention the fact that men already ogle you wherever we go, so I’m not about to have you display too much of your very impressive assets. There are some things,” he stepped in close to whisper huskily in her ear, “that will always be for my eyes only.”

Tessa’s cheeks grew warm at his very deliberate statement, and she could only nod in agreement even as he was opening another set of drawers and extracting two boxes. One box was long and slim, the other small and square, and both were of a deep burgundy velvet. She knew instinctively that they contained some sort of jewelry.

“Another small gift,” he told her. “I bought these at the jewelers inside the Gregson Hotel in Victoria.”

She picked up the smaller box first, and gasped when she lifted the lid. Inside was a pair of magnificent diamond solitaire earrings, the stones flawless and sparkling.

“They’re beautiful, Ian,” she told him, trying very hard not to feel overwhelmed by everything he was showering on her. “I don’t know the first thing about jewelry, but even I can tell these are perfect.”

He smiled, obviously pleased that she liked them, and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Perfect jewels for the perfect woman. Open the other box now.”

The long, slim box contained a short, delicate platinum chain from which was suspended a dazzling diamond pendant that appeared to match the earrings. Tessa didn’t even want to guess at how much these two pieces must have cost.

She brushed her thumb carefully over the pendant. “This is starting to go far beyond spoiling me, you know.”

“Not even close, love,” he corrected. “I’ve barely begun. And the diamonds will go very nicely with the dress tomorrow night.” He bent his head and dropped a quick kiss at the very top of her cleavage, causing her breath to hitch in surprise.

Tessa was immediately aroused by the way he was looking at her, and her expression must have betrayed her feelings all too clearly, for Ian cursed softly beneath his breath and took a step or two back.

“God, when you look at me that way,” he began, only to shake his head. He began rummaging through drawers and pulling out his own clothes. “We’d better get dressed, love, before I forget about dinner and carry you back to bed instead.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to do just that, but then she belatedly recalled the tenderness between her thighs and turned instead to start dressing.

She dropped the towel, and had just shimmied into a pair of white stretch lace boy shorts, when she heard the almost savage sound Ian made. Tessa gulped when she saw the way he was staring at her, his nostrils flaring as though he was a stallion scenting out a mare in heat. He wore a pair of low slung black lounge pants but his spectacular upper body was still bare.

“Jesus. You are just…” his voice trailed off, cracking a little as he walked towards her. “The way you look right now - in just those tiny lacy things, with those big tits all round and firm. You look like every temptation known to mankind. Look at yourself, Tessa, see yourself through my eyes.”

“Oh.” She made a small sound of surprise as he placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face the full length mirror mounted on one of the closet walls. Ian stepped in close behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and the sharp contrast between their two bodies was just about the sexiest image she’d ever seen.

Her own form was soft and curvy, with her pale ivory skin and long blonde hair. Her bare breasts were full and swollen, the nipples already peaking. And then there was Ian - her darkly handsome lover with all the hard planes and muscles of his much bigger body, his tanned skin and midnight hair a stark contrast to her own coloring. He pressed his bare, warm chest against her back, and her head fell helplessly against his shoulder as she met his smoldering gaze in the mirror.

“Look at yourself, love,” he commanded. “Look at
us.
” One of his hands cupped her breast, his fingers plucking at the nipple and drawing a moan from her lips. “Your body was made for this, you know. Made for fucking. Made for
me
to fuck you.”

She whimpered as he cupped both of her aching breasts now, and she began to grind her ass against his hugely swollen erection. “Yes, for you, Ian. Always. Please - I need -”

“Shh.” His lips caressed the side of her throat. “I know what you need, love, better than you do yourself. Even after such a short time together, I already know every inch of this gorgeous body more intimately than you do. And you must trust me to always know what it is you need at any given moment.”

She gave a brief nod even as his hands slid down the sides of her ribcage to span her waist. “I do trust you, Ian. I do.”

“Good girl.” Ian brushed a kiss against her flushed cheek. “Because what you need right now is to eat something and rest a bit. I’ve been rough with you already tonight, Tessa, and your body isn’t used to this sort of physical activity. Don’t forget, love, you were very close to being a virgin the first time we made love, and there haven’t been all
that
many times we’ve been together since. I noticed you wincing when you were taking a shower a few minutes ago. No,” he admonished when she would have protested. “Don’t try to deny it. I told you - I already know your body better than you do.”

“But you must need to - I can feel you -” she began.

He gave a short laugh. “Darling, I’m nearly always hard like this when you’re nearby. That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t - or won’t - control myself long enough to let you recover.”

“I don’t mind -” she began tentatively.

Ian placed a finger over her lips. “I know you don’t. You’re the sweetest, most giving woman I could ever imagine. And I will most certainly take you back to my bed after I tend to your other needs. And as for tomorrow night.”

He paused, wrapping one steely arm around her waist while he tipped her chin up with the other hand. Tessa’s mouth fell open in a silent gasp as he met and held her gaze in the mirror, for the look in his eyes was blazing hot.

“After we return from dinner, I’ll bring you here, to this very spot, right in front of this mirror. You’re going to watch me undress you, strip you bare except for your shoes and stockings.” His hand caressed her belly, and she shivered in uncontrolled arousal as he continued to whisper in her ear, his voice low and sensual. “You’ll watch as I touch these beautiful breasts, make your nipples hard just like they are now, and then dip my fingers inside this sweet, hot pussy.”

Tessa gasped aloud this time as his big hand slid down to cup her sex through the lacy panties.

“And then I’m going to slide inside of you and fuck you until both of us are ready to collapse.” His voice was growing rougher, his breathing less steady. “And you’re going to watch the entire time, watch as you fall apart in my arms, and as I lose it and empty myself inside of you.”

He gripped her chin between his fingers and turned her head so that he could kiss her fiercely. She was groaning beneath his blistering kiss, until Ian reluctantly released her and stepped away to finish dressing.

Silently, they began to pick up discarded articles of clothing, Ian going to retrieve the things that had been carelessly tossed in the hallway, the staircase, and even the foyer, in their wild impatience for each other. He chuckled when he returned, his arms laden with clothing, as he noticed Tessa beginning to smooth the bed sheets and plump up the pillows.

“You’re wasting your time, you know,” he told her in amusement. “So save yourself the trouble, darling, because those sheets are just going to get tangled again, sooner than you might think.”

Chapter Ten

Tessa stared in some dismay at the amount of clothing, shoes, lingerie, and other accessories that had been strategically hung up and arranged around the oversized dressing room. She hadn’t realized that they had picked out quite so many items for her to try on while perusing the various racks earlier in the day.

She turned to face Ian, who’d taken a seat on the wide, padded bench that took up most of one wall of the room. “I can’t possibly need all of these clothes,” she told him firmly. “It will take me hours to try everything on.”

He raised a brow at her expectantly. “Well, then, you’d best get on with it, hadn’t you? I made dinner reservations for seven-thirty so there’s not much time to waste.”

Tessa frowned, glancing at the wall clock. “But it’s not even one-thirty, we have hours yet.”

Ian smiled meaningfully. “Ah, but I have other plans for you this afternoon as well. And you’ll likely need both a hot shower and a long nap afterwards.”

She felt her cheeks grow warm at his very pointed words. He’d made love to her again last night after carrying her upstairs to bed, but she’d been too sleepy and a bit on the sore side this morning for anything more than some cuddling. To her delight, the weather had been pleasant and sunny, and they’d been able to enjoy breakfast out on his secluded flagstone terrace. The gardens and backyard decks of his house were as beautifully designed as the interior, and Tessa was looking forward to exploring them in more detail with the approach of springtime in a few weeks.

By mid-morning they’d arrived at Neiman Marcus to meet with Marlene, who seemed very pleased to be helping them again. Tessa had struggled not to feel lost as Ian had taken her by the hand, examining an endless assortment of clothing for her to try on. Marlene had followed in their wake, tagging each item as they went along, and taking copious notes besides.

Ian seemed to have an innate sense for the styles, colors, and fabrics that suited her best, and she was more than happy to follow his suggestions. On the rare occasions that she didn’t like something he chose, he adhered to her wishes immediately. And if she spotted an item that caught her fancy, he instantly agreed with her choice. The one thing he strictly forbade her to do was even glance at a single price tag.

To give Marlene and her staff adequate time to assemble all of the items, Ian had whisked her off to the in-store restaurant for a quick lunch. Tessa hadn’t missed the way the mostly female patrons eyed him admiringly, and she couldn’t blame them in the least. He was so handsome, so compelling, that she couldn’t take her eyes off of him even for a minute. He was clean shaven this morning, but she knew that his five o’clock shadow would start appearing sooner than later. He wasn’t wearing a suit since it was a Saturday, but the perfectly pressed gray wool slacks and black fisherman’s sweater worn over a crisp white shirt were still elegant and classy, giving him the look of a 1940’s cinema star - a Cary Grant or Clark Gable. Tessa was glad she’d worn one of her new dresses - a gorgeous Donna Karan burgundy wool wrap-front, paired with taupe Jimmy Choo heels. The chic, expensive outfit made her feel worthy of being seen with Ian, and also of fitting in with the other well-dressed store patrons.

Marlene had raved about her outfit when they’d arrived this morning, complimenting the color and fit.

“But then, with your hair and skin tone you can really wear almost any color,” the personal shopper had acknowledged. “Not to mention the fabulous figure you have.” Then, in a hushed tone for Tessa’s ears only, she’d added, “It’s small wonder he’s so crazy about you, dear. He can’t keep his eyes off of you for very long.”