Escaping Christmas (Contemporary Romance) (3 page)

Angie led Alex to the master bedroom. They were barely inside before he caught hold of her hand and drew her to him in a hot, passionate kiss, using his body to push the door shut. Burying her fingers in his curly hair, Angie gave herself up to the sensations swirling through her body as she pressed into him. Taking her hands out of his hair, she ran them over his broad shoulders and his back, then brought them up to his hair again.

Alex moved his hands along her spine and down to her backside, pressing his erection against her. He turned her around so she was leaning against the door and broke the kiss to nibble on her earlobe while he explored under her short sundress. His fingers brushed softly against her bare skin, and when they encountered the rounded flesh of her bottom, a shudder went through him. She was wearing a thong.

“Angie, you are so damn sexy,” he whispered raggedly.

Angie moaned and felt her knees give way beneath her when he pushed aside the thin scrap of silk that was her panties and slipped a finger inside her moist center. Waves of lust coursed through her, and she held on to Alex as though she was drowning. She angled her head and bit down hard on his neck. His moan sent rockets of desire shooting through her veins. This was unlike anything she’d ever experienced, and she had been with her fair share of men. But she had never felt the kind of desperation she felt when Alex slipped a second finger into her. She moaned and cried out in frustration. She was so close.

Alex found the tiny nub and rubbed it gently. Angie couldn’t hold back her cry. She began to pant as she felt the waves cresting. “Alex.” She panted his name over and over. He slipped in a third finger, brought them all out once and pushed them inside her again. Suddenly the walls of her sex contracted, spasm after spasm hitting her as she climaxed.

Alex held her as she convulsed and pressed kisses to her face, her hair, her neck, before taking her lips. “God, you are like a live wire,” he teased, his voice warm with amusement.

Angie buried her face in his neck and groaned. “You do things to me,” she muttered.

He held her away from him so he could look into her eyes. “How long has it been?”

She darted her eyes away from the intensity in his. Was she ready for this? Then she sighed. The man had already brought her to two fantastic orgasms and she still had her clothes on.

“It’s been a year,” she replied reluctantly.

She looked at him but his face showed no reaction. “You haven’t been with anyone since you lost your husband,” he said quietly.

It wasn’t really a question, but she nodded anyway. “I haven’t really wanted to.”

He closed his eyes briefly and smiled. “Aw, babe, you’ll give me a swollen head before we’re done.”

An answering smile tipped Angie’s lips upward. She reached down and cupped his erection through his cotton pants.

“I thought you already had a swollen head.” She pressed the tip and smirked when his eyes turned smoky. She placed her free hand on his chest and could feel the erratic pounding of his heart. It echoed hers. “Well, we need to do something about this.” She rubbed him gently but firmly.

Alex groaned, and his hands moved up to her nape. He pulled her close, their lips almost touching. “You do intend to kill me, I see.”

“Kiss me, Alex,” she murmured, feeling the fire start in her once more.

They quickly removed their clothes, and Angie caught herself staring at Alex’s manhood. Michelangelo’s
David
had nothing on him, she thought in wonder. Her lips suddenly felt parched, and she brought out her tongue to lick them.

“What?”

“You are…” She waved her hands toward him then took a deep breath. “You are exceptionally well-endowed.”

He choked on a laugh then wrapped his arms around her. “You are great for my ego.” He stepped back and stared at her, then almost reverently reached out to cup her breast. “You are beautiful,” he said simply.

Angie stared into his eyes, into the fire burning in their depths. And they were burning for her, Angie Scot. She shook her head in wonder before taking the hand that was on her breast. She smiled at his confused look.

“This one is for you.” She led him to the huge king-size bed and pushed him gently into a sitting position, then knelt between his open thighs.

Alex’s eyes flared when he realized what she was about to do. “You don’t have to do this, Angie,” he said, his voice gruff.

She smiled at him and ran the tip of her index finger over the length of his erection. “Oh, I know,” she said softly, gently giving the capped head a squeeze. She smiled to herself as he let out a groan filled with need. “But I can’t wait to see you lose control.”

Alex woke up, already half-aroused as he lay still in the moonlight. Without looking at the time he knew it was 2:00 a.m. He woke up at that time every night. If he did not have a companion, he did some work. He rolled to his side and stared at the still form of the sleeping woman beside him. Angie Scot had blown away all his expectations; she had loved like it was her last night on earth, holding nothing back. In the same way, she had demanded all he had to give, and he still hadn’t had enough. She had said she wanted him to lose control, and he’d mentally scoffed; he never lost control. Boy, was he wrong.

He could still feel the sensation of her lips when she’d taken him into her mouth. She’d used her tongue, gently grazing the underside of his shaft with her teeth. By the time she’d taken her mouth off him, he’d been blind and deaf to everything except the need to have her. He had taken her roughly, pounding into her like a man possessed, and she’d encouraged him, taking everything he gave and giving it back to him.

He shifted uncomfortably, knowing he was hard again. He was beginning to think he would never have enough of this woman, and the thought disturbed him. It would be a mistake to fall for Angie, especially since she would be leaving so soon. Alex had been through something like this before, when the only woman he had ever come close to falling in love with had left him for her ex-husband. He’d learned the hard way to be cautious in love and he had a gut feeling that Angie Scot could hurt him deeply if he wasn’t careful.

He needed to get some space between them, get back to his apartment. But his hands seemed to have a different idea, because they reached out and trailed over the delicate satin of her skin. She sighed and snuggled closer to him. He would go back to his apartment soon, but he needed to taste her first.

He raised himself up, resting on one hand as he watched her wake up. “Hey.”

Angie stared up at him, a blank look on her face. She blinked, and her cheeks flooded with color. Then she gave him a bright smile. “Hi.”

Alex ran his fingers through her hair and leaned down to kiss her. They broke for air, and he wrapped his arms around her, drawing her closer as he settled comfortably on the bed. “What’s the time?” she asked, her voice husky from sleep and desire.

“It should be a few minutes past two.”

She raised her head slightly to peer at him in the moonlight-filled room. “How do you know?”

He shrugged then turned to the clock by her bedside. “There, it’s 2:17. Happy now?” he said teasingly.

She shook her head and lay back on the crook of his arm. “Why are you up?”

“My internal clock wakes me up around 2:00 a.m. each day.”

“Two o’clock in the morning every day?” she asked in wonder.

“Every single day.”

Alex could practically see the wheels turning in her head. He wondered if she was going to let it go, and what he was going to do if she decided not to.

“What happened?” she asked.

Damn, she wasn’t going to drop it. He sighed and shifted so he could stare at the ceiling. Where did he begin?

“Well, when my parents died, we were taken to my grandfather’s. My sister and I were just kids, and settling down with Grandfather wasn’t easy.”

“Was he mean to you?” she asked.

He paused, and she got the impression he was searching for the right words. “Yes, he was mean. But he was also from a different age. An age where one didn’t show emotions, and you had to be strong, no matter what. So we were forbidden to cry.”

“How old were you?” she asked.

“I was nine years old. Farrah was only four.”

“What happened to your parents?” she asked gently.

“They were returning from a formal function when they crashed and were killed. We were woken up that night and hustled to our grandfather’s house. There was this great grandfather clock in the foyer of his house. We were brought there, and I guess the person who brought us must have left. So there we were, two frightened kids waiting for someone to show up, when the clock chimed twice.”

Angie struggled to hide her sympathy for the little children who had been abandoned. She sensed that was the last thing he wanted. So instead she shook her head in wonder.

“You don’t even sound bitter,” she said.

He shrugged. “What purpose would that serve? What’s done is done, and I’m a better person for it.”

She was silent for a long time, thinking about what he’d just said. Would there ever be a time when she could forgive her husband for what he had done and move on with her life? Probably, but she couldn’t see that day on the horizon.

“Hey, are you sleeping?” he asked.

“No,” she replied in a subdued voice. “So what do you do?”

“I’m an architect.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

They were both silent for a while.

“Well?”

She turned to look at his profile. “Well, what?”

“Won’t you tell me what you do?”

Angie stiffened against him. “Nothing.”

He pulled back to look at her with curiosity. “What do you mean by nothing?”

She shrugged then tried to scoot away, but he held fast. So she took a deep breath and shrugged again. “It means that I am unemployed right now and I don’t do a single damn thing. I am a lady of leisure.”

Alex wasn’t fooled by her light tone. The woman in his arms was such a mystery, and even after a passion-filled night of sex he was nowhere close to unraveling her secrets. He decided to let things be for now and instead asked a more pressing question. “How long are you in KL for?”

“As long as I want.”

He wasn’t satisfied. “What is the return date on your ticket?”

She was silent for a while before reluctantly replying, “January sixth.”

That meant they had less than two weeks. He suddenly forgot all the reasons he needed to put space between them and instead began to plot how he could keep her as close as possible for the next eleven days. “Will you spend that time with me?”

“Alex, I like you and all that, and this night has been fantastic, but…” She trailed off.

He framed her face with both hands and looked intently into eyes made darker by the moonlight. “Please?”

She caught her lower lip between her teeth and frowned, then heaved a sigh. “Oh, all right. I’ll spend the time with—
umf.
”

He swallowed the rest of her words with a kiss so sinful her toes curled. The kiss soon became even more heated, and Alex’s hands moved to the delicate curve of her backside, urging her closer to him. Angie wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gasped into his mouth when the tips of her nipples pressed up against his rough chest.

“Condom!” she reminded him with a gasp. After making sure he was sheathed, she pushed him down and quickly climbed on top of him.

Hot and ready, she gently lowered herself onto his throbbing erection. She closed her eyes and moaned; the sensations were almost overwhelming. Sitting still, she let the waves wash over her before she opened her eyes and caught Alex’s gaze. Slowly, she began to move. She raised her body until his tip was hovering around the lips of her center, then she slammed down on him.

Alex groaned, instinctively bucking as he lifted his hips to meet her. She repeated the movement and he gasped in pleasurable agony. He wanted to hurry her up but this was her show and he decided to let her run it. Besides, he could see the urgency building in her and he wanted to watch her come.

He held on to her hips as she began a rocking motion, her sexy moans driving him wild. Finally, when he felt like he could not take another moment of torture, he felt her muscles tighten around his shaft. He raised his head and watched as her face twisted with passion. Bringing a hand to her breast, he pinched her nipple and watched her spiral out of control. She threw her head back and screamed out his name. She was exquisite, the most beautiful woman he had ever met.

Just then the force of his own climax hit him; he shouted her name as he came.

Gathering Angie into his arms, Alex felt the tremors go through her body, and a warm feeling he couldn’t identify rose up within him. As his eyelids drifted downward with sleep, he suddenly realized that the feeling was tenderness.

It was New Year’s Day, and Angie couldn’t believe how much had changed in a single week. She’d spent Christmas Day walking the length and breadth of the Kuala Lumpur City Center Mall, trying her damndest to forget everything that had to do with that celebration. She’d been holed up when the New Year had broken, too, but the despondency had been noticeably absent, thanks to Alex.

She felt her face warm up as she thought of him. They’d spent almost every moment together, making love. They had done it in practically every room of the apartment and on almost every surface. Up against the wall in the shower, on the breakfast bar where they had shared that container of ice cream, on the sofa in the living room… They couldn’t get enough of each other. Standing by the window in her bedroom, staring at the Petronas Twin Towers in the horizon, Angie was beginning to think she would never get enough of Alex. And that scared her beyond belief.

She was not ready to trust another man after what Michael had put her through. She felt the bitterness rise as she thought back to those months after she’d left the hospital. She hadn’t just lost a husband. As her fractured ribs and punctured kidney had mended, she’d come to the painful realization that she’d never had him. But what had hurt the most was not Michael’s perfidy, or even the fact that she’d lost the man she’d been married to for all of three months. No, that wasn’t what had devastated her, sucking away her will to live. Losing her husband had hurt her. Realizing he was never who she’d thought he was had shattered her trust. But waking up to find that the business she had slaved away to build was no more, that had been the total knockout. What a fool she’d been.

Shaking her head in an attempt to dispel the memories, Angie headed for the kitchen to get a much-needed cup of coffee. Alex had finally left that morning, saying he needed to go to the office. She guessed he wanted to put some distance between them, and she really didn’t blame him. She told herself that she was glad he’d gone. It gave her some time alone to regroup and build up the defenses around her heart. This was just a vacation fling, and she wanted, needed, to keep it that way. She was not going to fall for any man again, not even the handsome Alex Farhadi, no matter how sensitive and incredible he was.

As she allowed the rich aroma of Vietnamese coffee to enfold her, Angie wrapped her arms around her waist, aching to feel his arms around her instead. The intensity of her longing was the first warning that she might have left it too late to pull back.

Angie stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror. She had never been so elegantly dressed before. The floor-length silk-blend gown clung to her like a second skin; the gold patterns brought out the color of her eyes. She ran her palms over the material. It was so delicate on her skin, making her feel sensual. The dress was sleeveless with a cowl-neck and hugged her waist, giving her a graceful silhouette. But it was the back that was the pièce de résistance, as far as she was concerned. She turned away from the mirror and strained her neck to see the silk strip that served as a back. She’d had to go braless for this one. Angie would never have used the word
sexy
to describe herself in the past, but right at this moment, in this dress, she knew she was sexy.

She turned back to face the mirror once again and sighed. Although she hadn’t seen Alex since he’d left her bed that morning, she’d heard from him. A small smile tugged at her lips as she recalled their conversation. He’d asked her to go with him to a New Year’s Day gala. When she’d teased him about the celebration being a day late he’d told her it was a family tradition. That had stopped her teasing instantly. She had no plans to meet his family; they were not in that type of relationship. As a matter of fact, they weren’t in any type of relationship.

“It’s my grandparents’ party. They hold it every first of the year,” he’d explained. “Don’t worry. It’s a big, formal thing and we’ll probably get lost in the crowd. I don’t have a date and would like you to be my companion.”

She had remained silent for a moment then smiled as she realized she
was
his companion, or she had been for close to a week anyway. “I would love to go as your
companion.
” She’d stressed the word and he’d chuckled at his end. She sobered up when she remembered something. “I don’t have anything to wear, though.”

“Leave it to me.”

“Alex, I’m not comfortable with that.”

“I’m the one who needs a companion, sweetheart. Let me get you something to wear.”

“But…” She was at a loss for words. No man had ever bought her clothes before, not even Michael.

“It doesn’t matter what you wear. I’m probably going to rip it off you at the end of the night, so let me buy the dress. That way I won’t feel too guilty when I do.”

She had felt desire stir at his words but they still made her smile. “Your logic is flawed.”

“It is, isn’t it?” he’d agreed, amusement lacing his voice. “It’s probably because I’m so turned on by your voice. We’ve never spoken on the phone.”

“It’s just an average female voice, Alex.”

“Yeah? Well, there’s nothing average about the way I’m feeling. My pants are most uncomfortable, I can assure you.”

Angie was speechless. How could he get her so hot and bothered just by talking on the phone? “You could always come by,” she’d suggested.

“I wish I could.”

“I’m sure you’ll survive,” she’d forced herself to say dryly.

“I can’t wait to have you to myself tonight.”

“That won’t be till after your grandparents’ shindig. What time does it start, anyway?”

“I’ll pick you up by seven. Is that okay?”

“Seven is fine. See you then.”

“I’ll be thinking of you.”

“Same here.” She hadn’t stopped thinking of him since he left that morning, and she’d tried. Standing in front of the mirror several hours later, she still was thinking about him.

She ran her palms over the dress again. It was Vera Wang. She shuddered to think what the dress must have cost. The gown had provided her with the first inkling that her companion might be slightly better off than she’d imagined, but what convinced her were the Gucci shoes and the Ralph Lauren purse. She was sure they could pay her rent for an entire year.

Having a fling with a simple architect was one thing, even if there was nothing simple about the way her pulse raced at the thought of Alex. But the idea that he was as wealthy as she was beginning to suspect caused a thin shiver of apprehension to run up her spine. Even though she’d had some wealthy clients who had been sweet, those in her personal life had been a nightmare. Take Elizabeth, for instance. She had been a support to Angie after the accident, but it hadn’t always been that way. When she had first begun dating Michael, Elizabeth had been convinced Angie was after the family wealth and treated her with disdain.

Then there was her father, who had decided that a waitress was not good enough for him
after
he’d gotten Angie’s mother pregnant. His family had acted no better, shunning her when she’d tried to reconnect with them as a teenager.

Michael had been another story altogether. She’d known she was taking a risk in getting involved with someone who had more money than he knew what to do with, but she’d told herself that she was stereotyping and ignored her instincts.

She knew it was wrong to tar them all with the same brush, but she could honestly say that she despised rich people. She had found out the hard way that the wealthy usually believed their money excused them from behaving like decent human beings. Why be considerate of others’ feelings when you could buy them off with a string of pearls? Well, Michael’s pearls had paid for her first-class ticket, she thought with satisfaction.

Dabbing Annick Goutal’s
Petite Chérie
on her pulse points, she breathed in appreciatively and immediately felt calm. When she’d finally unwrapped Alex’s Christmas present, she’d found the perfume nestled in folds of soft tissue. Ironically, Michael had introduced her to this fragrance when they’d first met, and it had quickly become her favorite. She took in another breath and reminded herself of her resolve. This was just a fling, and she needed to make sure she did not get emotionally involved.

Alex cast a sideways glance at Angie. She was staring out the window of the moving car and had been curiously silent since he’d picked her up. Maybe taking her to his grandparents’ party in his Aston Martin Vanquish had been a mistake. She had taken one look at the car and become withdrawn.

He had no idea what she had against the vehicle. It was luxurious and comfortable and drove like a dream.

He looked at her again before turning his attention to the road. “Okay, what’s the problem?”

She turned to look at him. “What?”

“You are not talking to me. What is the problem?”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her shrug. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Alex felt irritation rise within him at the aloofness in her voice. She had turned back into the woman he’d first met, before they’d shared a container of ice cream and every available surface in her apartment. He couldn’t have that.

“Sweetheart, you almost took me against the wall when you opened the door this evening. That’s how hot you were for me. Now I’m getting frostbite, and I’d like to know why.” He ignored her gasp and focused on the road. He needed answers, or he was going to turn the car around and do what he should have done when she’d greeted him at the door wearing the dress he’d personally picked out for her.

He knew what she was doing, of course—she was building walls. He recognized the signs because it was what he’d decided to do when he’d left for his apartment that morning. That was before that blasted phone call, which had left him hard and burning for her. He’d almost rushed back to her apartment but had forced himself to stay at the office and finish what he had to do. Even now, he was in a state of partial arousal. He heard her sigh. “Is it the car?”

“I don’t know anyone who drives an Aston Martin,” she told him. “I don’t know anyone who can afford to drive one.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“You’re stinking rich, aren’t you?” She made it sound like an accusation.

Alex couldn’t believe his ears. “You have a problem with the fact that I drive this car?” What if she saw the Ferrari, or the yacht? Or any of the other toys he had but didn’t take seriously? He choked down a laugh.

“I thought you were just a normal guy, you know….” She trailed off.

“I am a normal guy.”

“You live in an apartment.”

“And your point is…?”

“I thought you were a regular guy.”

“I’m no longer a regular guy because I drive this car?” he asked in disbelief.

“The things you bought me,” she said, gesturing at the gown she was wearing. “This is Vera Wang.”

“So? You had a fight with Vera or something?”

“Don’t patronize me, Alex.” She sounded upset. “I have a good idea how much dresses like this cost. And the shoes, the purse… Now this car.” She sighed. “I’m not sure this was a good idea.”

Damnation, she was serious! Every woman he had ever been with had wanted the things his money could offer, and now the one woman he wanted to be with had a problem with his money? Alex felt something tighten in his chest as he shot a look at Angie. He was falling for her, and she would be leaving in less than a week.

Alex drove up the driveway of his grandparents’ imposing mansion and turned off the engine. They sat silently for a while before he turned to Angie. He stretched out a hand and curved it around her neck, bringing his face to hers for a passionate kiss. The kiss was hot and fierce, possessive and tender. Angie’s eyelids fluttered shut as she returned the kiss with equal fervor.

When they parted he touched his forehead to hers. “Try to forget about the car tonight, okay? I want you to have fun. Will you do that for me?” She chewed on her lip, all pretense of lipstick gone, and then nodded reluctantly.

“Good.”

They got out of the car, and as he handed the keys to the valet, Alex placed his hand on the small of Angie’s back. He noticed the small shiver that went up her spine. No matter her reservations, her reaction to him was elemental. He intended to remind her of that later.