Chapter 10

Wiping his suddenly damp palms on his immaculately cut trousers, he stared at her, gray eyes hooded. “I was afraid.”

“I thought that was what you said. You, the big bad multi-billionaire Earl Drummond afraid of little ole me? Or more accurately, big ole me.” She pointed to her chest, bringing his attention to the generous bosom. “And this is me, Mr. Drummond, black, big and proud of it. Now why don’t you enlighten me as to what had you running scared.”

He should have been used to her acid wit by now, but not when it was used against him. “I am a very wealthy man and yes, I was afraid that if you saw me, you would recognize who I was. The resources I have and think that you would use it to your advantage.”

Magnificent brown eyes flashed fire as she straightened.

“Get the hell out of my house!”

“Cathy…”

“No!” She shouted, bosom quivering in indignation. “You arrogant bastard! Do you think I would be interested in your frigging bank account? How dare you! Yes, I came from nothing.

My mother was a junkie, and I don’t know who the hell my daddy was. And I was brought up in the system, but I fought to get where I am and did not need a man to do it. How dare you judge me without knowing who I am. Get out!”

“No.” Her anger sat well on her. He had never seen so much passion and could feel his loins swelling in response.

“Get out.”

“No…,” he repeated. “Not until you hear what I have to say.” He waited a beat to see what she was going to do and when she just folded her arms over her breasts and glared at him, he continued.

“I have been hurt too many times to count. I grew up in a household where there wasn’t one iota of love. Our parents never showed an ounce of emotion. We were deprived of the basics. Yes, we had money, we were privileged and were sent to the best schools.

They fulfilled their parental obligations to a point, but that was it. They never gave us the assurance of their devotion.” He took a deep breath. “I started looking for it outside and made some bad choices. When I failed in relationships, I buried myself in work, but the richer I got, the more insecure I became.”

He paused and waited for her reaction.

“What does that have to do with me?” She asked angrily.

Raking a hand over his impeccably cut ink black hair, he sighed in exasperation. “I have trust issues.”

“So do I!”

“The last relationship I had, I was planning on marrying her and when I came back from a business trip a day early, she was with another man.”

“I repeat, what the hell does that have to do with me?”

“I found myself getting too close, too quickly. I ran into Diana when I was in Tuscany and she reminded me that I was not just some ordinary guy, that no woman would ever see past my wealth and love me for who I am. That the money would always be an issue.”

“Diana. Was it that same bitch hanging onto your arm at the gala?”

His lips twitched at that. “Yes.”

“Let me get this straight. She cheated on you, and you are still with her?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Then enlighten me.”

“She wants to be friends.”

She stared at him incredulously and then burst out laughing. “Are you that na?ve?”

His shoulders stiffened. “You have no reason to be insulting.”

“She wants back into your pants and is probably hoping that eventually she will wear your damn ring. Go back to her.”

“It’s not like that. Look,” he took a breath. “I admit that I took the easy way out, but I want us to get to know each other and…”

“No.”

He blinked at her decisive response. “May I ask why not?”

“You may.”

Earl wanted to grind his teeth or shake her until her single plait came loose. And he also wanted to kiss her saucy mouth. God, he wanted it so much that he could not sit still.

“Why not?”

“Because you would always think I am after your damn money. Because you are Earl Drummond, and I am a girl from some group home whose mother was a junkie and whose daddy is unknown.

That’s what it says on my birth certificate. You are on top of society’s food chain and as much as I cleaned myself up and rubbed shoulders with…,” she waved a hand at him. “With people like you, I will never be like you. And most of all, you judged me by your past relationships and that is not fair.”

“Cathy…”

“No.”

“Dammit, stop interrupting me!” His gray eyes flashed fire. “We felt something for each other. The chemistry between us sizzled even when we were simply communicating via texts. When we started talking over the phone, it got even worse. I…,” he rubbed a hand at the back of his neck, causing a lock of his hair to settle on his forehead.

Cathy felt her body igniting. She wanted to rush over and brush that errant lock off his face. She wanted to feel…, her fists clenched, and she took a deep breath.

“I want to make love to you,” he said hoarsely, “I want to feel your skin against mine and explore your body with my hands and then my tongue. I would like to be given a second chance, and I swear on everything I hold dear that I will never hurt you that way again.”

“You just want to get laid.” She jumped reflexively when he shoved out of the chair and came to stand in front of her.

“Get up…” He hissed between his teeth.

“You don’t tell me…”

A gasp escaped her when he took her hand and hauled her up. Heat radiated between them. Passion sizzled, the air became still and for a minute, they just stood there staring at each other. The robe she had on became nonexistent, the wispy silk inadequate covering for her suddenly flushed body.

Her nipples were hard as pebbles and her middle was aching and swollen.

Earl felt as if he was being strangled, as if his entire body was one huge erection. He was acutely aware of her. The intensity of his desire frightened him so much that it had him going still.

He was straining the front of his pants, his loins throbbed with a heaviness never before felt. His eyes dropped to her parted lips, and he felt his body going warm and then incredibly hot. He was gripping her hand, fingers digging into her wrists.

His expression became lambent, as he stared at her.

She was powerless to do anything, but just stood there waiting for him to act and he did. Letting go of her hand, he picked up the fat plait and started to undo it. All this time, his eyes never left her face.

His fingers slid through the silken waves, his breath coming fast between his lips. His hand encircled her neck, his thumb pressing against the erratic beat of her pulse. Her skin was soft, incredibly so and her body pressing against his made him want to tear her apart.

Lust flooded his body with a force that almost had him dropping to his knees. His hands cupped her face, eyes lingering on hers before bending his head to brush his lips on hers. It took only that evocative motion to set the already unstable blaze afire.

A moan escaped her as she curled her fingers into the silk of his sweater, her body vibrating with a need so keen, she felt like crying. Her sex was throbbing, nipples aching with the need to feel his touch.

Lifting her head, she parted her lips, expecting his tongue to meet hers. But he held back. Earl knew that the minute he deepened the kiss, he would be dragging her to the floor. Finding the strength to contain his rampaging desire, he brushed his lips back and forth, keeping his tongue away from her.

She tasted like honey; her breath was an aphrodisiac that coursed through his veins with the rapidity of bush fire. He had never felt this energized, this alive, this aroused in his life. He had been having sex since he was thirteen. Even though they had been sheltered, he had found ways to get rid of the restrictions placed on him by his parents.

His first initiation had been his twenty-five-year-old French tutor who had taught him to please her. The student had quickly become the teacher. But nothing he experienced then and after could come close to this. He felt as if he was burning from the inside out.

And he had to touch more of her. With that thought burning the inside of his mind, his hands wandered from her smooth throat to her arms, until he was pulling at the sash around her waist. When it melted away, he closed his fingers around her ribcage, his thumbs edging up to the flesh of her generous breasts.

Her moan was swallowed deep inside his throat when he finally dipped his tongue into the crevice of her intoxicating mouth. Her large nipples branded him through the sweater, filling his loins to overflowing. When he cupped her breasts, the flesh filled his palms and spilled over.

The kiss took on a madness that was almost consuming them. One hand went to the back of her head, fingers grabbing thick strands of silky hair as he held her steady for the hungry movements of his mouth. Her breath staggered him, drawing from him an animal desire that was impossible to contain.

The need to possess her was so great that it was swamping every conscious thought.

Moving his head from one side to the other, he wanted to swallow her whole.

Somehow, amid all the insanity, Cathy managed to tear her mouth from his. Her breathing laboring, her skin feverish to the touch, she stepped back, eyes huge in a face, her bosom moving up and down rapidly. With trembling fingers, she pulled the robe together and tied the sash.

“You cannot deny…”

“No.” She shook her head. “I am not a hypocrite. There is something between us, but I need time.” She took a step back when he started to advance. “Please stay where you are and if you really want me to consider this, you will give me space.”

He stopped immediately. “What do you mean?”

“You have trust issues, and I get where you are coming from. But I have trust issues as well. I need time to think about this,” she gestured between them.

“You are Earl Drummond, and you said women are usually after you for your money. Me telling you that I am different is not going to make you believe me. I am immensely proud and very focused on my career.” She bit her lip and took another step back.

“You are a busy man…,” shaking her head vigorously, he watched as her hair flew around her shoulders. “I need time to think this through, to consider if this is something I can deal with.”

“Cathy?” He held out a hand pleadingly, his expression intense. “I made a bloody mistake, and I am paying for it. Let me make it up to you, please.”

“I need time.”

His hand dropped aimlessly at his side, his expression bleak. He was aching. Every inch of his body, not just his sex was yearning for her. He wanted to touch and taste and devour. And he wanted to sink himself so deep inside her and never come back out.

He had imagined she was beautiful, but nothing he had conjured in his mind had prepared him for the actuality. Her hair was tumbling down her back, with several strands falling over her left breast.

“Do you want me to beg?” He asked softly. “I am prepared to do just that.”

“You think I am doing this to torture you?” She cried. “God!” Lifting a hand, she rubbed the side of her face, her distress evident. “You hurt me. I promised myself that I would never allow a man to get that close to do that much damage. And it took several weeks of talking over the phone for me to…”

His eyes lit up.

“For you to do what?”

“Nothing.”

“Cathy.”

Her head lifted, and she felt her entire body going still. He was melting her with his smoldering gaze. What he did to her just now was something she never dreamed existed. And she was dangerously close to…, she cut off the thought.

“You made me feel things,” she told him softly. “And then you stopped calling me. I suffered as a result…”

“And I will never do that to us again. You have my word.”

She shook her head. “I need time.”

“How much?”

“I don’t know. I…”

“How much?” His voice was harsh, his expression implacable as he waited for a response.

“Two weeks.”

“One.”

“You don’t…”

“Seven days Cathy and that is it. We need each other. That was clear from the very moment we started this online thing. We both knew it was different. It frightened me and I wanted to escape, but I am going to embrace it.

When we kissed…,” he took a deep breath. “When I touched you, it became a foregone conclusion that what we have is intense and powerful. I am not walking away.” Turning towards the doorway, he headed out with her trailing behind him.

She watched as he picked up his jacket and shrugged into it before turning the handle of the door and opening it.

Her heart ached to see him leaving and she almost begged him to stay. But she couldn’t take the chance. She knew instinctively that if they went all the way, she would be lost. And she had to think.

She was about to close the door when he turned and hauled her up against him.

“I am not giving up or going away,” he rasped before swooping down to take her lips in a kiss that had her clinging to him. His mouth moved over hers with an intensity that stole her breath.

She clung, her fingers grabbing hold of his jacket as she sank into the mind-altering kiss. Her blood surged feverishly inside her body, her nipples turning into pebbles as his tongue searched and found every crevice of her mouth.

He ended the kiss abruptly, letting her go and staring at her, gray eyes bright and feverish. Balling his hands at his sides to keep from touching her again, he turned on his heels and practically ran down the steps.

Barely finding the strength to close and lock the door, Cathy bent her head to the solid wood and closed her eyes, her body still shaking.

*****

She had no idea what made her open her eyes, but when she did, it was to fly upright against the headboard to see Justin lounging next to her, fully clothed with his shoes on.

“You have got to stop doing that! And get your shoes off my Egyptian cotton sheets.”

“You were so sound asleep; I did not want to wake you.”

“Ever heard of the phone?” Her head was throbbing, a reminder that she had gotten just short of three hours’ sleep. And her eyes were swollen from crying, something else she could contribute to Earl Drummond.

“I did call, several times. Last night and this morning. Poor Byron has been beside himself with worry and that skinny bitch, Teresa, has been plaguing me to come and find out if you were either dead or being ravished by our unfriendly billionaire.

I was hoping for the latter. Imagine my disappointment to see that you are all alone.” He peered at her. “I am going to kill him. What did he do this time?”

“Nothing.” Lifting her hands to her tangled hair, she realized she had left it loose and there was going to be hell to get the tangles out.

“Why were you crying?” He demanded.

“I…, nothing.”

“I am not going to stop until you talk, and you know what a nag I can be. What did he do Cat? He bombarded me for your address, and I thought I was doing the right thing here. If he has done something…”

“He wants a relationship!”

Justin blinked and went still. “That bastard! How could he do something so downright dirty?”

“You don’t understand,” she whispered hoarsely, leaning her head back.

“Of course I do, darling. A gorgeous multi-billionaire wants to start something with you and you are right, I do not understand. What is the problem?”

She cast him an irritated look. “He is Earl Drummond.”

“Yes, I am aware. Again, what is the problem?”

“We are not in the same league.”

“That is pure BS and you know it. The guy is obviously into you in a big way. I saw the way he looked at you. He had that hungry and hopeless look about him that clearly said that he wanted to jump you. I am surprised the air around the two of you didn’t combust. What happened when he came?”

“He…” She closed her eyes as the potent memories washed over her. “We…, we kissed.” Her hands flew to her throat. “Oh Jus, I am in so much trouble.”

“What happened after that?”

“I sent him away.”

“Oh, Cat.”

She shrugged self-consciously. “He hurt me, and I was certainly not going to just jump in his arms and behave as if it was okay for him to do so. But I wanted to. I told him I needed time, and I do.”

“What did he say?”

“I asked him for two weeks and he gave me one.”

Justin eyed her thoughtfully. “What are you really afraid of darling?”

“You have to ask?” Shoving back the sheets, she swung her legs off the bed and stretched, trying to work the kinks out. She spent last night tossing and turning and, in the end, had to get up and take some sleep aids. Which had not done a damn thing. She had lain there staring up at the ceiling and recalling everything he made her feel.

“He is powerful and rich, and he said the reason he stopped calling was the fact that he had been hounded by women because of his money.”

“The guy is truly loaded, and most females gets off on that sort of thing,” he said quietly. “You cannot blame him for being cautious.”

“I was insulted that without meeting me and giving me the benefit of the doubt, he just decided to ghost me.”

“And I bet he is regretting his actions.”

“He had a lousy childhood – him and his sister.” She sat on the edge of the bed. “Remind me never to envy the rich.”

“You never did,” he smiled whimsically. “You always told me that everyone has his own sets of problems, that having money does not guarantee a stress-free life.”

“I said that?”

He nodded. Folding his hands behind his head, he turned to stare at her. She was rumpled and one of the sexiest women he had ever seen. No wonder the billionaire was poleaxed. “I was carrying on and on about having money and wishing that I had money to do whatever I wanted.

Like buy the best food, the finest clothing and such and you asked the question, what next? You asked if I thought money could purchase happiness and peace of mind and I wanted to hate you for being so damn philosophical and preachy.”

“I was not preachy.”

“You were annoying, but also right.” He tugged at a tangled lock of hair and watched in fascination as it bounced right back. “You don’t care about money.

You see people and that’s what I love most about you. You never allow your success to get to your head. You keep me grounded and whenever I start to bark at a parking valet, a maid in a hotel or a waitress, I am reminded that they are people too.”

“Wow.! She smiled at him lovingly. “You were listening.”

“Not all the time, because let’s face it, you do tend to drone on and on about some nonsensical stuff.” He winced when she poked him in the chest. “What are you going to do?”

Leaning back on the pillows, she got back under the covers and snuggled against him. When his arms came around her, it was the most natural thing in the world. “I don’t know,” she said honestly.