Determined: To Love: (Part 2 of the Determined Trilogy) (3 page)

I waited no more than ten minutes, listening, thinking every house-sound was David. Finally, he was home. I heard the elevator close in the distance, and my anticipation grew as I heard the sound of his dress shoes traverse the marble floors.

“Baby?” he called out.

“In here,” I responded, hoping my voice was the right balance of nonchalant and sexy.

He opened the door and upon seeing me, a grin took over his face.

He stayed in the doorway. “Well, what do we have here?” he said, one hand rubbing his neck as he enjoyed the visual in front of him. His five o’clock shadow was in full force, as it usually was by now, his rugged masculinity unable to mask itself for very long.

“Hey, baby,” I purred, begging him with my eyes to join me.

His hands tucked into the pockets of his gray suit, he eyed me carefully. The electricity prickled between us, and his ability to control himself sent waves of longing coursing through me. I was full of need and angled my body toward him.

He walked toward me slowly, undoing his cuffs and losing his tie in a slow, deliberate manner - never breaking my gaze. His eyes were dark and hot, searing deeply into me with intense, carnal desire. My body twisted gently as I yearned for him. He unbuttoned his shirt and undressed slowly, watching me, until he was naked, except for his black boxer briefs. My breath caught, and my breasts heaved against the smooth demi cups, filling them past their limit as they grew heavy with need.

David sat down on the bed, admiring me. I returned the favor and lost myself in his strong, taut body. For a moment I felt lucky, but then I reminded myself, this wasn’t luck. David Keith had tracked me down like an animal hunting its meal. When we first met at one of the gallery shows, he had manipulated events just to buy time with me, and then practically stalked me at a party the very next night. He knew I was just as obsessed. We were addicted to each other’s touch and couldn’t stay apart no matter what the world was throwing at us.

He traced the clip of my garter belt with his finger. “I like those shoes, Samantha.” My name on his lips was an aphrodisiac, and my sex throbbed for his touch.

“I wore them for you. Do you like the outfit?”

“I do. Very much. When did you get it?”

“Last week, when you were in that long meeting.”

A brief cloud seemed to pass over David’s face, but then he was back.

“Hmm. Maybe I should have more meetings.”

I ran my hand along his hip.

“You are going to be the end of me. You know that, right?” he murmured contentedly.

I looked up at him, and he pushed an errant brown lock from my face with a satisfied grin.

“I’m serious, Samantha. I’m good for a few hours in the morning, but by noon, I can’t stop thinking about you and your fuck-me heels. One of these days I’m going to greenlight an oceanfront development in Montana because of you.”

“I can stop wearing the heels,” I said innocently as I started to get up.

“Don’t you dare,” he said gruffly, as he pushed me back down onto the bed. His hands started to make their way down to my sex, but I pushed them away. I managed to wiggle free and slipped off the bed, leaving him there.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

I pulled him to a standing position and slowly dropped to my knees.

“Oh,” he said, understanding, as I tugged down his boxer briefs. I gazed up at him and he met me with his eyes as I took his cock in my hand. “Wait, what about you?”

“I just want you tonight.” It was true. I’d been thinking about him all day.

I glanced down at his length, the thick root throbbing with anticipation. It felt soft to the touch, yet firm in my hand. I put both hands on it, wanting him to feel the sensation of me through his entire length.

After a few slow strokes, I looked up at David and lowered my mouth onto him. Flicking my tongue slowly around the tip, teasing him, I felt him grown even harder. I cupped his sac with one hand, massaging and tugging on him gently. His eyes flashed at me, and I could tell he was in the throes of pleasure.

I moved my lips down over the rest of his cock, slowly engulfing it with my mouth.

“Oh, Samantha,” he groaned with pleasure.

The words encouraged me, and I pulled him in by his ass, shoving his cock deeper into my throat. He tasted amazing, and I felt him grow stronger as I rushed past my limits.

Just as I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, I reached behind his balls, and massaged the smooth area with my fingertips. That did it. David started to grunt and jerk, and I felt a hot stream of liquid down the back of my throat. I sucked and swallowed, savoring him completely before letting him go.

He sat back on the bed behind him, spent. I collapsed back on my knees, proud of the reaction I was able to elicit.

“Jesus, Samantha. That was incredible.”

I wiped my mouth with my finger and buried my face on his lap. We sat there, quietly for a few minutes, allowing our spent bodies to recover.

Eventually, I broke the silence. “I think I need food,” I whispered quietly. “Curtis brought salads for lunch today, and I think two meals of rabbit food aren’t quite enough to sustain this level of activity.”

“Agreed, Ms. Sharp,” he groaned slightly as he sat up, before picking up his phone and pressing some instructions. “Two burgers coming right up. Let’s wash up.” He scooped me up off the bed and carried me into the bathroom.

After a relaxing session in the shower, we wrapped ourselves in fluffy robes and wandered barefoot into the living room. Our dinner was already arranged on the coffee table, waiting for us. Two big juicy cheeseburgers, delicate paper cones of crispy French fries, and a couple of milkshakes in frosty stainless steel cups promised to knock us out with a food coma. I dug in, ravenous from both the sex and the run. We ate on the floor, watching late night shows, cuddling each other under a blanket until I fell asleep.

~

The next morning, I joined David who was seated in the breakfast nook, dressed and ready for work, sipping coffee and snacking on a fruit plate Hilde had put together. David put down his
Wall Street Journal
.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” he asked. Sometimes he could be quite the task-master.

“I’m actually meeting Jenna for breakfast this morning, remember?”

“Oh, right.” His eyes flickered at the mention of his sister. It wasn’t that he didn’t get along well with his family, he did. Jenna was just—intense. He and I shared this perspective, so I understood that he was surprised I had finally submitted to her requests.

“Tell her hello for me. You know, Samantha, I was thinking we should go away this weekend,” he said, changing the subject.

“This weekend?” I was surprised.

We had just gotten back from spending Christmas with my family at our cabin in Lake Tahoe, and from a few days at his family’s winery in Napa for New Years. Not that I was complaining, I loved going away with him. And I loved not going away with him. As long as I was with him, I was happy.

“To where?”

“I don’t know. Somewhere warm.” He paused, “Hawaii?”

“I’ve never been.”

“Seriously?” He looked surprised. “Well now we have to go. What time can you get off work on Friday?” He was all business, furiously typing plans into his phone before I had a chance to respond.

“Uh, I get off at five.”

“Can you switch with Eve? If we leave at one, we could catch the sunset.”

I smiled at him. Well, look who decided to show up—Mr. Romance. “Sure,” I agreed gently. Eve owed me one, anyway, since I had covered for her on her brother’s birthday a few weeks ago.

“It’s settled then. We’ll meet at the airport at one o’clock on Friday. Don’t bother packing, I’ll have everything ready.”

“Roger that, boyfriend,” I said, giving him a little salute with two fingers.

2

Jenna had insisted on meeting at the Garden Court in the Palace Hotel for breakfast. The request dated back to when David and I had first met. Jenna had spilled some wine on me at an opening, which then led to them driving me home and her offering to take me to brunch to make up for it. It was only later, upon pressing, that David admitted that he had pushed Jenna into me, and that he was fully responsible for my soiled dress. But I don’t think he’d ever admitted as much to her, as she still took full credit for our relationship. We had since spent some time together at various family functions, and while she could be extremely eager and overzealous she was actually a fairly nice gal.

I was the first to arrive, so I gave Jenna’s name to the host. They escorted me to our table and I ordered a coffee with cream. I sat back and looked at the space. It was a gorgeous, turn of the century space with high ceilings, chandeliers, and an elaborate glassed-in ceiling. I hadn’t been to the Garden Court since I was a kid. My mom and I had had dinner once with my grandmother before a play. I hadn’t really noticed the opulent surroundings at the time, probably too distracted with chicken nuggets or spaghetti.

Jenna arrived at the same time as my coffee.

“Hey, Sam! Sorry I’m late! I couldn’t get a cab.” She came over to my side of the table to give me a hug.

“No problem. I just got here a few minutes ago. It’s good to see you,” I said as we sat down.

“Did you order already?” she asked, picking up her menu.

“No, I was waiting for you.”

“You know what’s really good here? The crab benedict. The hollandaise sauce here is out of this world. You have got to try it, Sam.”

I closed my menu. “You had me at ‘hollandaise.’”

“I knew I liked you for a reason.” She joked back.

The server, noticing we were done with our menus, came over and placed two champagne glasses on our table.

“Oh, we didn’t order mimosas,” Jenna said, pushing the glass back toward the waiter.

“Compliments of Mr. Keith,” replied the waiter. Jenna and I exchanged glances. “Do you have any questions about the menu?”

“Oh, no. I think we’re ready to order,” Jenna said, as she gathered herself. “Two crab benedicts, please. And another coffee.”

“Very good.”

Once the server had retreated to fetch Jenna her coffee, she lowered her gaze at me.

“Just so you know,
I
don’t normally get mimosas sent to me during breakfast.” I blushed at the accuracy of her supposition. “So, how
are
things with my dear brother?” she said with a sly grin.

Jenna had been abnormally interested in our relationship since the get-go. And for good reason. Despite being unbelievably hot, insanely powerful, and filthy rich, David had managed to avoid dating anyone seriously for years. I was quite the novelty in the Keith household.

“Good…” I replied slowly. I was never sure how much to share about our relationship with her. I mean, sure Jenna could girl-talk with the best of them, but she was also David’s sister. I was sure she didn’t want to hear certain details of our relationship. I decided to play it safe. “We are going away this weekend.”

“Really!” Jenna was surprised, but I wasn’t sure why she had
such
a strong reaction. Didn’t his family know we were practically living together? Maybe not. I supposed that was fair, I mean, I hadn’t said as much to my family either. I’d need to ask David about that later. “Where is he taking you?”

“Hawaii,” I said, fiddling with my coffee mug.

“Oh, Hawaii? That’s great. I love Hawaii. Everything’s more fun on an island.”

“I’ve never been.”

“Really?” Her eyes widened. It was true. My family, while not poor, wasn’t wealthy by any means. Most of our family vacations were up to Lake Tahoe, where we stayed in a cabin that my dad had inherited. Maybe the occasional trip to Yosemite, if they were feeling fancy that year.

I laughed at her response. “That was David’s reaction, exactly.”

“Well, I’m glad he is going to take care of this travesty.” She proceeded to give me a long list of must-sees, depending on which island I was on.

“And if you are on the big island, you have to go on a helicopter ride over the volcano. It’s like, a must see. It’s incredible, there’s all this molten lava swirling below you. It’s a trip, Sam. Make sure David takes you there.”

I swallowed. I hated the idea of helicopters but that did sound pretty cool. “Ok, I will. Thanks for the tip.”

Our server brought our plates and set them down in front of us.

“Is there anything else I can get for you, ladies?”

Jenna and I exchanged glances. “Nope, we’re good. Thanks so much,” I replied.

Jenna reached down to her purse and pulled out a little silver pill box. I had seen her with the box when we were with David’s family over New Years. I assumed they were birth control. She caught me staring at the small tin.

“Vitamins. You know, for my skin. I used to have terrible acne,” she explained. I found myself looking more closely at her. Jenna had always had flawless porcelain skin since I’d known her. Whatever mix of vitamins she took, it was working. She took a quick swig of water to wash the pill down and put the tin back in her purse, changing the subject. “So how is everything at the gallery?”

I took a bite and paused for a moment. “Um. Good. It was my first day back yesterday, after the holidays.”

“You’re part time there, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And you like it?”

“Yeah, it’s great. I really like Curtis. And Eve is nice, too.”

“But the job. Do you like the job?” she looked at me, skeptically.

“What do you mean?”

“Just that.”

“I mean, it’s fine. It’s not what I want to do for the rest of my life, but it pays the bills for now.”

“You know, you could come work for me.”

I snorted, surprised at the suggestion. “Me? In the fashion industry? I don’t think so.”

“What’s wrong with the fashion industry?” she demanded, feigning hurt.

“Nothing, I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean it’s not for me. I mean, I like clothes as much as the next girl, but I could never be a designer or marketer.”

“Well, what about Keith Ventures?”

David’s company? He had brought that up himself numerous times, not including that morning. I was starting to feel like everyone was trying to recruit me for KV.