Chapter 22

CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO

“I cannot believeI fell for his bullshit a second time,” London chastised herself as she pulled a quart of ice cream from her freezer. Not bothering with a bowl, she grabbed a spoon from the drawer and dug into the chocolate and peanut butter concoction.

“Nope. It’s gonna take a lot more to dull this pain.”

She took a can of whipped cream from the fridge and sprayed a shot directly into her mouth.

“That’s a start,” she mumbled around the food before heading over to the wine rack to explore her options. Memories of her embarrassing moment in the wine cellar flashed through her mind. She slapped a hand onto the quartz countertop. “Oh my God, the jerk has even ruined wine for me.”

A loud pounding on her door made her jump.

“London. Open up. It’s me.”

Her anger ratcheted up a notch at the sound of Trey’s voice.

“Are you even serious right now?!” she shouted.

How had he gotten through the building’s front door? She gritted her teeth. He’d likely conned some star-struck resident the way he’d been conning her.

“London, please. We need to talk.”

Damn right they needed to talk. Hadn’t that been why she went to the stupid picnic in the first place? To get answers. To find closure. Instead, she’d fallen for his lines all over again. Lucy’s romantic mumbo jumbo had somehow slipped beneath her defenses, falsely luring her to believe that maybe the Trey she’d fallen in love with all those years ago still wanted her. Hell, had he even wanted her back then?

“Come on, London. I’m not leaving.”

Oh, he was leaving, all right. Just not before she got her pound of flesh. She doubted she’d believe a word that came out of his mouth. But after today, she could reseal the box she’d shoved Trey Van Horn into and kick the stupid thing to the curb.

She stormed to the door, threw back the deadbolts and yanked it open. Not bothering to even grace him with a look, much less a hello, she spun around and stomped back into the kitchen. The carton of Ben and Jerry’s was still on the counter calling her name. Leaning a hip against the island, she scooped out a spoonful and shoveled it into her mouth.

Trey appeared at the other end of her kitchen, his movements hesitant and his expression guarded. She ignored him while she gulped down more ice cream.

“I can explain,” he said after a painful moment passed.

London’s laugh sounded more hysterical than she would have liked. “Really? Because that would be a first for you. You’ve danced around explaining yourself for over a decade now.”

He actually looked chagrined.

Good.

“I was referring to earlier.”

“Oh, well, then.” She waved her spoon. “By all means, explain away.”

He glanced up at the ceiling before exhaling heavily. “I didn’t invite Bree to the picnic. She just showed up.”

London scoffed at the ridiculous excuse.

“I’m supposed to believe that Bree Moynihan of “Oceanfront Dreams” just showed up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where there’s not an oceanfront in sight? Not only that, but she wandered into an invitation-only picnic that you were coincidentally attending? Ha! Good to know you think I’m a fool.”

“I know how it sounds. And I would never take you for a fool, London. She and my mom are friends.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Bree and I were an item very briefly several years ago. My mom is still trying to throw us together.”

That was not jealousy churning in her belly. It’s just the damn ice cream.

“Well, I seriously doubt your mom has to push too hard. There were photos of you and Bree together earlier this summer. You didn’t look like it was a trial to have her draped all over you.”

His eyes narrowed. Dammit. Now he knew she stalked him. She’d shown her hand too quickly.

“That’s not how it was. She was using me to make her polo player boyfriend jealous. That’s all. They both like to play mind games with each other for some reason. I was simply a handy prop.”

The ice cream was giving her a headache. Or maybe it was this conversation. She found it ironic that a woman as wealthy, beautiful, and famous as Bree Moynihan needed to resort to “mind games” to keep a man. Or maybe it was just sad. She dropped her spoon onto the counter.

“I’m not buying it. Beside the fact there wasn’t a single polo player in attendance, the woman is a stick figure. She wouldn’t have been kissing you if you didn’t want it.”

The words hurt to even think, much less speak.

“Dammit! The only person I wanted to kiss today is you! You’re the only woman I’ve dreamed about kissing for—” His voice trailed off and he dropped his chin.

Her breath hung up at the back of her throat. She hated how desperately she wanted him to finish his sentence.

“I’m not good at this, London. At relationships.” The laugh he let out lacked any humor. “But you already know that. If you didn’t know it firsthand, you could read about it. The fact is, I didn’t really have the best role models. Another fact you’ve seen for yourself.”

The ice cream began to churn deep in her belly. When had he moved across the room?

“The only time I’ve ever felt comfortable letting someone in was that summer with you,” he said softly. “The feelings I had for you then haven’t diminished one iota. If anything, they’ve gotten more intense. And I don’t want to throw this away again. Not without exploring where it takes us.”

He stepped in closer. His warm breath fanned her cheek. She tamped down on the shiver that threatened.

“I know you feel it, too,” he whispered.

She swept her eyes away, too afraid of revealing her feelings beneath his hypnotic gaze. Because she did feel it.

Why not?It doesn’t have to be about anything more than a booty call. A fun way to get him out of your system.

God help her, Lucy had taken over her subconscious.

He lifted his hand toward her face. She jerked away.

“You have whipped cream—” He gestured to her cheek.

Mother of God.All this time she’d been trying to appear cool and collected while she’d looked like a six-year-old who’d just snuck into the cookie jar. She hastily swiped at her face.

He shook his head. “Not there.”

Her knees threatened to buckle when he wrapped his fingers around her wrist, guiding her fingertips to a glob of whipped cream stuck to her cheek. Their gazes locked. He didn’t relinquish his hold, maneuvering her hand to scrape off the remnants of her comfort food binge. She watched, mesmerized, as he slowly steered her fingers toward his mouth where he took the whipped cream laden fingers between his lips and sucked.

She drew in a swift breath at the sensation. It was impossible to tear her gaze away from his, watching raptly as he tenderly sucked and kissed each of her fingers. Each slow flick of his tongue had his eyes darkening with arousal. It was the most erotic thing a man had ever done to her. So provocative, her body began to tremble with need. Heat coursed through her as her breathing grew more fractured.

Her eyes never leaving his, she tugged her hand away and grabbed the whipped cream. She reveled in the way his nostrils flared when she shook the can and proceeded to spray a healthy glob just above the V of her dress. She’d never done anything so spontaneous and sexy like that before. His low groan told her it hadn’t been a dumb move. He spanned her waist with his large hands and lifted her up onto the island. The movement caused the whipped cream to dribble between her breasts.

Trey shot her a wicked smile before taking his sweet time sliding his palms up her legs. Her hips twitched with joy when he rolled her dress up to her waist and stepped between her thighs. He dropped his eyes to the lacy thong she wore.

“Mm,” he said as he reverently skimmed his thumbs along the edges of the panty.

Her trembling was growing out of control. The whipped cream was sliding farther south, down toward her navel.

“Trey, I’m wet and sticky.”

His chin shot up. The look in his eyes was positively diabolical now. She groaned at her word choice. Arching an eyebrow, she gestured in the vicinity of her chest. He leaned over, carefully positioning her so her back was pressed against the quartz.

“Allow me to take care of all the places you’re wet and sticky,” he teased.

And then his tongue was on her skin, setting her on fire as he lapped up what remained of the whipped cream. He tugged at the spaghetti straps of her dress. She helped, eagerly working her arms free. He pushed the material down around her waist while he continued to lick at the messy cream flowing toward her navel.

Every stroke of his tongue had her writhing with need. She clawed at his shoulders, wanting to feel his skin beneath her hands. He chuckled against her belly.

“When I’m done with you,” he murmured along her skin.

He blew on her belly button and her insides contracted. His fingers found their way beneath her back where he made quick work of her bra. It was on the floor before she even knew what was happening. She watched as he stared down at her, an awestruck expression on his face.

Embarrassed at being laid out on her kitchen island like a buffet, London tried to sit up.

Except Trey was having none of that. He pinned her back down with his gaze. “Don’t,” he commanded. His perusal of her body was agonizingly slow. “You are even more beautiful than I remembered.”

“You’ve seen it all before.”

His eyes snapped back up to collide with hers. They were darker than she’d ever seen them. “Not all of you.”

He slid his hands down her sides, easing her hips up so he could slip her dress off and toss it over his shoulder. It landed on her tea kettle. London barely noticed. She was too busy watching Trey licking his lips at the sight of her.

“Even more gorgeous than I dreamed.”

She wanted to ponder his comment further, because, really, he’d been dreaming about me? Unfortunately, pondering anything was impossible once he bent at the waist and began dragging his thumbs along the inside of her thighs. Her stomach grew tight at his touch. She was so close to the edge, and she didn’t want to embarrass herself again. Not when she wanted him inside her when she found her release.

“Trey,” she begged, tugging at his hair to get his attention. “I need you. I don’t want it this way.”

He aimed another one of his take-no-prison-looks at her. “Hush, woman. You’ve never had it my way.” The next second, he was shoving her thong aside and sliding his tongue inside her.

He was correct. She’d never had it his way. The man was just as talented with his tongue as he was with his million-dollar hands. Her hips arched of their own volition, pulsing against him as the pleasure built. Her head flailed from side to side on the countertop, the cool of the quartz doing nothing to calm the fire spreading over her skin. He stroked and sucked with more force than he had used with her fingers, pulling her to the brink once, then again before backing off with a satisfied growl.

“Don’t you dare,” she nearly screamed when he left her hanging a third time.

It sounded like he said “anything for you” before his mouth was on her again, this time taking her even higher, until her body was strung so tight, she thought she might snap into a million pieces. Instead, a climax washed over her, so fierce it brought with it a million shining stars. She wasn’t sure but she thought she heard someone chanting his name as though he were a deity.

* * *

Something stirredwithin Trey’s chest as he stared down at London’s limp, sated body. She was stunning with her skin flushed from head to toe and a contented smile curving her lips. But she was also probably quite literally freezing her ass off lying on the slab of quartz.

He slipped his hands beneath her shoulders and lifted her to his chest. A murmur of appreciation escaped from her lips when he began rubbing her chilled back with his hands. He buried his face into her neck breathing her in, while she slowly began to return to the here and now.

She shifted forward, pressing her body more solidly against his. He winced, letting out a groan as he forced himself to step back. London brushed her hair back from her face, her eyes still glassy but quickly becoming alert. And annoyed.

“Yeah, um, about that.” He winced. “My plan was to go back to my house. I didn’t exactly come here prepared.”

She rolled her eyes at him before sliding off the counter and strutting into the living room. Her movements had Trey struggling to breathe normally. Damn, the woman had a very fine ass. His body grew even tighter thinking of all the things it wanted to do to that heart-shaped natural wonder.

When she bent over to pull something out of a cabinet, black spots blurred his vision, and he was pretty sure he might expire where he was standing if he didn’t have her in the next thirty seconds. She stood and tossed a box at him. He almost embarrassed himself by fumbling it, but thankfully his reflexes were still in the game. Gripping the economy box of magnum XL condoms—the ones labeled “ribbed for her pleasure”—an ugly thought popped into his head.

“Please tell me these are not Bergeron’s.”

Shit.He said it out loud.

London charged across the room, looking spectacular dressed in nothing but a lacy purple thong. Except for the squinty-eyed expression she was aiming his way. She stopped in front of him and yanked the box away in annoyance.

“I told you there is nothing going on between us.”

He knew that. He was a first-class jerk for even mentioning it.

“Yeah.” He dragged his fingers through his hair to keep from touching her. She looked angry enough to snap them in half. “I’m an ass. Mostly because I can’t stand the idea of another man touching you. I know I have no right, though. But it is what it is. Please don’t hold it against me.”

Her face softened instantly. She dug her fingers into his shirt and pulled their bodies closer. “They were Lucy’s idea of a birthday joke.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “She’s a keeper, your friend Lucy.”

She nodded, then lifted her face to his. “Are we going to do this or what?”

Hell, yeah!

His body nearly wept with relief. He grabbed the box back and tore it open. Pulling out a sleeve of the condoms, he dangled them in front of her wide eyes. “We are going to do this until neither one of us can move.”

The gorgeous blush was back on her body. She draped her arms around his neck. He dug his fingers into her sweet ass and lifted her against him. When she wrapped her legs around his waist it took every ounce of restraint he possessed not to take her against the nearest wall.

“Down the hall,” she demanded against his neck, sounding as edgy as he felt.

Her bedroom was bathed in summer sunlight thanks to the wall of windows looking out over the city. A thin layer of sheer curtains provided the privacy they’d need for all the things he wanted to do with her. The room was decorated in muted shades of blues and greens, matching the stunning photograph of Lake Geneva in winter that was mounted above the queen-sized bed. The bedroom was exactly what he’d expect of London, cool and relaxing.

He gently laid her onto the center of the fluffy comforter, tossing the sleeve of condoms down beside her. She eased herself up onto her elbows and arched an eyebrow at him.

“Shirt. Off.”

Her bossiness had his junk growing painfully tight. Without hesitating, he reached a hand behind his neck and tugged his polo over his head. Her pupils dilated when he dropped the shirt to the floor.

She purred. “Wow. Those magazine covers were definitely not photoshopped.”

The pride he felt at her approval was ridiculous. “You’ve seen it before,” he mocked her.

“Not all of you.” London shot him a coy look, echoing his words from earlier.

She crawled up onto her knees and toddled to the edge of the bed. It was a struggle not to reach for her, but her assertiveness was really turning him on, and he didn’t want to stifle it. He sucked in a tight breath when her fingers made contact with his zipper. A playful smile twitched at her lips as if she just realized the immense power she wielded over him.

Trey couldn’t remember ever having a woman undress him before. Which wasn’t saying much because he wasn’t sure he could recall his phone number right about now. But he knew it was arousing as hell and he’d gladly ignore the parts of him screaming for release and let her undress him all day long if she wanted to. She sunk her teeth into her bottom lip while taking her sweet time lowering the zipper, her curious fingers stoking him all the way down. He groaned with pleasure at the contact.

The sound spurred her on. Her palms skimmed his ass right before she shoved his pants down over his hips. He stepped out of them and toed off his shoes in one furious motion before stripping off his socks. London rocked back onto her heels. Trey stepped forward against the mattress.

“Mm.” London leaned forward and flicked her tongue against one of his nipples. At the same time, she reached down and cupped his balls.

Something inside him snapped. A sound escaped his chest that sounded more like a feral animal than civilized human, but he didn’t care any longer. He had to have her. Now.

Before she could even react, he had her flipped on her back and pressed beneath him on the mattress. He ripped the flimsy thong from between her legs and tossed it away. Not that she seemed to mind. Her hands and mouth were all over him, her teeth sinking into his shoulder when he slipped a finger inside her.

“Jesus,” he groaned.

She was so hot and wet his pulse began to pound with agonizing need. Her hips jumped when he slid another finger into her.

“Trey,” she cried.

“I know.”

He blindly patted the bed for the condoms just as London whacked him on the thigh with them. Using his teeth, he tore back the foil. She immediately snatched the condom from his hands.

“Roll over.”

His cock jumped at her command. He did as she asked, but not before leaning down and sucking on a nipple until she cried out, just to let her know two could play at this game. Tucking an arm behind his head, he watched her straddle his thighs. Damn, she was a sexy hot mess. Red splotches were blossoming where his teeth had left a trail of love bites. Her skin was dewy with sweat from their foreplay. She pushed her hair from her face and grinned slyly with kiss-swollen lips. He let out another growl at the sensual torture she inflicted rolling the condom over him.

It was his turn to make demands. “Come here.

With annoying slowness, she crawled up his body, dragging her tongue over his navel and up to his chest. Jesus, she could be a porn star with what she was doing to him. Reaching between them, she wrapped her fingers around his rock hard erection and rose up on her knees. Her eyes drifted shut as she seductively lowered herself over him. Her teeth found her bottom lip right before she took him fully inside her. A puff of a sigh whispered from her throat when she sank home.

“Christ,” Trey gasped.

She was so tight he was afraid things would be over before they even got started.

“Yeah,” London whispered right before she bent forward and touched her nose to his. “You feel so unbelievably good.”

Trey took her face between his palms and guided her lips down for a kiss. He meant for it to be tender, but the instant he tasted her, things got wild. Tongues and teeth rammed against one another. One of them moaned frantically. Probably him. His fingers slid from her face to tangle in her hair. She nipped at his lip while her fingers fanned out on his pecs. When she rocked her hips against him, he was a goner.

His pelvis rose up to meet hers, thrusting into her at a punishing pace. She was up to the challenge, however, easily meeting his rhythm. Her hair formed a curtain around their heads and Trey couldn’t resist stealing another drugging kiss. Her breathing was growing more erratic at the same time as his body was becoming impossibly tighter. Gripping her ass, he flipped them over.

Once beneath him, she hitched her legs higher on his back. Her nails dug into his shoulders while he pumped into her again and again. He groaned with pleasure when her muscles began to contract around him. Her response to his body was so unbelievably perfect. It was as if she was built just for him.

“Come for me,” he begged her.

She sank her teeth into his biceps. He coaxed her on with another hard thrust and she went flying, her velvety heat wrapping around him and pulling him over the edge right behind her.