Chapter 14 - Nic

"Wake up, sleepyhead."

Lex is standing next to my bed, bending over me with one corner of his mouth lifted into the most delicious, sexy smile. What a wonderful sight to wake up to. I sit up in my bed in my fuzzy pink PJs, squinting at him. It seems like I closed my eyes only a minute ago. I am still groggy and disoriented, but Lex seems to be dressed and ready to go. He looks yummy enough to eat in his black designer jeans and short-sleeved white T-shirt. I have the strongest urge to reach up and squeeze his biceps. Before he woke me up, he was the star in the X-rated dream I was thoroughly enjoying.

"We're there already?" I ask, reining in my lustful thoughts. It is certainly disorienting to be woken up in the middle of a hot, sexy dream, and to find the hero of those dreams standing next to your bed, looking like sexy demi-god.

"We will be landing shortly. Thought you'd want to get changed," he says, grinning at my PJs. Color rises up my cheeks. I never expected him to catch me wearing these PJs again. I had it all planned: my alarm would go off an hour before we were supposed to land, giving me more than enough time to emerge out of the bedroom looking like a gorgeous diva. Instead, he's seen me in my comfiest and most worn PJs, with disheveled hair and crusty eyes. I groan, wanting to bury my face in the pillow when the full image of how I must appear at this very moment forms in my mind.

"I'll be ready in ten minutes," I promise and jump out of bed. He takes in my appearance one last time before heading out of the door. There is a huge grin on his face when he pauses at the door and looks over his shoulder.

"You look incredibly cute in your PJs," he says, winking at me before heading into the living area.

I bang my head against the bathroom door a couple of times, screaming silently. I want to wallow in my embarrassment for a little while longer, but time is of the essence since there is no way I will be caught dead in my oldest PJs in the most fashionable city in the world. It's bad enough that Lex has seen me in them.

We are actually in Paris! I do a little dance in the shower as I strip. The hot water feels like heaven on my naked skin. After a quick shower, I dry off using one of the luxuriously-soft white towels I find in the closet behind the bathroom door.

It still feels unreal. I just had a shower, an actual hot shower at thirty thousand feet! Ever since Lex asked me to go to Paris with him, I had been telling myself that there was no way it could actually happen. But here we are!

It's been like a dream ever since the stretch limo picked me up at my place yesterday. Was it only yesterday? It is certainly difficult to believe! I was so awed and nervous when I first stepped into this luxurious jet, but Lex put me at ease.

But he has been acting kind of strange. One moment, he comes across as the most caring and wonderful human being in the whole wide world, and the very next moment, he withdraws into a shell. He was so amazing when I told him about Manuel. I just wanted to give him the brief version; had never meant to tell him everything. But once I started, it all came gushing out. It actually felt good to talk to him about it.

He thought I was weeping over Manuel, but in truth, it was his beautiful words that brought the tears to my eyes. Nobody has said something so wonderful to me and meant it. It makes me think he cares for me. I know he cares for me. But then, he keeps insisting that this is only a casual fling, and neither of us should hope for anything more.

Sometime between the deeply meaningful conversation with Lex where I shared my deepest fears with him and my fourth or fifth glass of excellent champagne, I made myself a promise—I was going to enjoy my limited time here in Paris with Lex. So despite the lack of sleep and the ache that is pounding between my ears as a result of too many glasses of champagne, I get dressed in record time in a fit and flare skirt, sweater, and scarf, run a quick comb through my long hair, apply a touch of lip gloss and mascara, and head out to the living area. Penny helped me pack for my trip, for which I am ever so grateful.

"Wow! That was quick! And you look great," Lex says, giving me the once-over. He is sitting at the table next to the couch where there are two steaming hot cups of espresso. I walk up to the other side and occupy the empty sofa chair.

"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself," I say with a flirtatious smile. He grins, making my heart beat faster.

"Coffee?" he asks as he picks up his cup. When I shake my head, he downs both shots of espresso.

I look out of the window, wishing I could open it. It would feel wonderful to feel the fresh air on my face. My headache is growing steadily worse and I fear I might throw up

"Headache?" he asks, looking at my face.

"Yeah! I am paying for the sin of gluttony," I say with a wry smile, closing my eyes

"Here, let me help," he says as he comes to stand behind me and begins massaging my neck and scalp. His fingers feel like magic! Within moments, the headache begins to subside, then completely vanishes.

"How did you do it?" I ask, astonished.

"Knowledge of pressure points."

Although my headache is gone, he is making no move to head back to his own chair, and neither have his fingers stopped massaging my neck. Electricity is shooting down my spine as he traces his fingers lazily over my shoulders. I moan, leaning closer to his touch. He is kneading my shoulders gently now. I want him to keep touching me. I don't want him to ever stop.

"Lex," I whisper his name, tilting up my neck to look up at him through half-closed eyes.

"Tell me what you want," he says, leaning forward until his lips are almost touching mine. His fingers trace the neckline of my sweater, coming ever so close to touching the swell of my breasts, but he doesn't. Why doesn't he? I bite my lip and close my eyes. One finger lazily moves up and down my clavicle, then up my neck, scraping his nails over my jawline. I can feel his warm breath on my lips.

"Kiss me, Lex," I say, looking at his face bent upside down over mine.

With a low growl, he presses his lips to mine. I part my lips, inviting his tongue to mate with mine. When his tongue invades my mouth, I moan. I suck on his tongue and bite his lip. He makes a growling sound at the back of his throat and breaks the kiss.

"No!" I protest, trying to grab the back of his head and pull him closer. But he walks around the chair, pulls me up by my hand, deposits himself into the chair, and pulls me down so that I'm straddling my thighs all in one smooth move. With one arm around my waist, he holds me in place while the other cups the back of my neck. My palms are pressed flat against his chest. His eyes have turned the color of stormy skies. There is that strange ring of silver around his irises that screams danger, but I am undeterred. I have fantasized numerous times about running my hands all over the hard planes of his chest. My palms slide up his chest, feeling the strength in his wide shoulders before grabbing fistfuls of his thick brown hair. The arm that was around my waist has strayed down to my thigh and is gradually moving up, lifting my skirt.

"Nic, if you tell me to stop now, I might die," he says against my lips in a hoarse whisper.

"Don't stop," I say, closing my eyes, moving my lips closer to his.

His fingers are moving up and down the soft skin of my inner thigh, almost touching the lacy scrap of fabric covering my mound. Touch me! I want to scream, but bite my lips and close my eyes instead. I am so wet that my panties are soaked through. He isn't unaffected either. His hard shaft is pressing intimately against me. When I wiggle, he groans and closes his eyes. I move against him again. It's as if my mind is not my own. I am possessed by a wild recklessness.

On a muttered oath, he captures my lips again, fiercely devouring my mouth. The kiss is wild, untamed, hungry. It reaches places inside me I didn't even know existed.

His hand moves up from my thigh up my hips, over my ribs, and cups my breast through my sweater. When his thumb grazes against my sensitive nipple, I feel like I might pass out because of all the delicious sensations coursing through my body.

The flight attendant's nervous clearing of a throat behind us breaks through the haze of desire.

"We will be starting our descent shortly," she says with an embarrassed smile.

I blink a couple of times, then gasp out loud when I finally realize the position I am in. I try my best to straighten my skirt and wiggle out of Lex's grasp, but he tightens his arms around me. My face is flaming red, but Lex only cranes his neck, smiling lazily at the flight attendant.

"We'll buckle up," he says with a wink. I can practically see her melt before she turns away. After another brief kiss, he finally lets me go.

"We'll pick up where we left off the minute we check into Four Seasons." His eyes are still dangerously dark. I can only nod.

We land in a few minutes and are out of the airport in another few after completing the formalities. It is still dark. Another stretch limo is waiting for us right outside.

Lex's arms come around me the moment we are seated in the back seat of the limo. A solid partition separates us from the driver. I expect him to kiss me, but while our lips are almost touching, he makes no move to actually close the gap. Instead, his hands move leisurely up my arms, over my shoulders, down my back, till they reach my ass. He cups my ass cheeks and pulls me closer.

"Lex," I whisper his name in his ear and bite the lobe, making him suck a sharp breath in. Since he won't kiss me, I try to kiss him, but he smiles and turns his face so I end up kissing the corner of his mouth.

"Patience, darling," he teases with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"No," I protest, trying to capture his lips again.

He cups my face with both his hands and lays feather-light kisses on the ridge of my brow, the tip of my nose, both my cheeks, and the corner of my mouth, avoiding my lips. It feels incredibly tender. His warm breath feels ticklish on my face, making me smile. He runs the pad of his thumb over my lower lip. I open my mouth to take his thumb into my mouth, but he withdraws it.

"You're driving me crazy," I protest.

"You have been steadily driving me out of my mind ever since I first saw you," he says, twirling a lock of my hair around his forefinger. "But we will reach the hotel in a few minutes, and I don't want to be interrupted. I've waited too damn long for this," he says, slowly moving his hands up and down my back.

Just like Lex predicted, we pull up outside the hotel a few minutes later, and are checked into the Imperial Suite by the extremely polite hotel staff. It is a luxurious suite with supposedly fabulous views, but I can admire all that later. Right now, Lex and I have eyes only for each other.

The minute we are alone in the huge bedroom, we begin tearing clothes off each other. Lex is unbuttoning my sweater while I'm undoing his belt. He sweeps his T-shirt over his head and throws it in the corner. I unzip his jeans and pull it down his waist. He gets rid of my skirt. Soon, we are standing in front of each other in our underwear.

Lex is devouring me with his eyes. I thank my lucky stars that I decided to wear my sexy purple silk and lace underwear instead of the drab skin tone ones. He is wearing black boxer briefs that mold to every sexy bit of him, leaving nothing to the imagination. I reach forward and encircle my hand around his impressive girth through his briefs. He sucks in a sharp breath and closes his eyes. When my hand moves up and down his erection, he actually growls.

"Stop," he says, covering my hand with his. "The first time, we do it my way," he says bossily.

Before I can object, he sweeps me up in his arms and deposits me on the center of the king-sized bed. His body covers mine.

"I am going to do every single thing I've imagined doing ever since that night you ran away from me in The Sitting Duck," he whispers hoarsely in my ear. My belly quivers in response to the promise in his words. I hungrily reach forward and run my hands all over his chest, over his ribs, his taut abs, moving further south till I reach the waistband of his briefs. He captures both hands and raises my arms above my head.

"We do it my way," he whispers, holding both my wrists in one large hand over my head. I want to protest but when his lips clamp on my nipple over my silk bra, all I can do is whimper helplessly. He takes the other pebbled tip in his mouth, doling out the same treatment. Then he blows over the wet fabric, making my skin erupt in sparks. His fingers trail over my stomach, but don't move any further. I am going out of my mind with my need for him.

Reaching behind me, he snaps my bra open, exposing my breasts to his gaze. He kisses down my body till he reaches the waistband of my panties. With his teeth, he pulls my panties down my hips. I kick my legs to get rid of the last bit of fabric. He nips my hips before straightening up to look at me. Breath escapes his body in a whoosh. His gaze is so dark and dangerous that my heart starts beating a steady tattoo against my ribs.

"I have fantasized about having you naked in my bed every single night since I first laid my eyes on you," he says as he eats me up with his eyes.

"R-really?" I stutter as my breath catches in my throat under his hot scrutiny.

Instead of replying, his body covers mine, and suddenly, his mouth, his hands, his tongue are exploring every single inch of my body. When he briefly moves away, I cry out loud in protest. Sitting up in the bed, I try to pull him back to me.

"Protection," he says, pulling out a condom from the back pocket of his discarded jeans. I think I drool a little when he finally, finally gets rids of his briefs and I see him in all his naked glory for the very first time.

"Let me," I say, reaching for the condom in his hand. I sheath him, caressing every glorious inch of his erection. As soon as I am done, he pushes me down on my back, parts my knees, and enters me in one swift motion. I am so ready for him. When he begins to move inside me, I cry out his name and cling on to his shoulders, meeting his every thrust, till long, long minutes later, we both reach our peaks.

"That was intense. I think I passed out briefly. I'm still seeing stars," I say with feeling as Lex collapses on top of me.

"We're only getting started," he whispers in my ear. Something tells me he means it.