Vanessa Booke - Bound to You

He slowly moves through the crowd of people brushing up against him. What I wouldn’t give to be the fabric on clothes rubbing against his skin. He’s shaved since I last saw him on the plane. While a 5 o’clock shadow looks good on him, I love the way his bare skin accentuates his strong chin and cheekbones. He’s in front of me before I can turn back to clue Carol in.

“Hello, it’s wonderful to see you again.” His voice is like warm liquid pouring over me. It’s refreshing and yet, it sends my nerves spinning.

“Do you know him?” Carol whispers over her shoulder.

“Nicholas, you’re back. Wonderful. I would like you to meet Ms. Livingston and her friend...”

“Rebecca,” I offer. “Rebecca Gellar.”

A ghost of a smile passes between us. Carol eyes me with curiosity. I know she’ll be asking questions later. There isn’t much to tell, sadly. I met a gorgeous man on an airplane. We kissed, touched, but we never exchanged any kind of contact information, and yet somehow, here he is. I’m not sure if fate is trying to tell me something, or it’s just in my cards to meet gorgeous men who aren’t for me.

The woman standing near Tristan takes a step forward, and wraps her hand through Nicholas’ arm. She tugs on it, drawing his attention to her. His smile immediately vanishes. My heart squeezes as she leans into him. There’s no mistaking it. The woman who I assumed was with Tristan is actually with my beautiful stranger .

“This is my fiancé, Nicholas,” she purrs. I watch him hand her a drink. Anger pulsates through my veins at the realization of what this means. He was engaged when he kissed me on the plane. How stupid can I be? I watch the two stand side by side. Physically they make the ideal couple. Why didn’t I see this coming? Alison is beautiful, but her expression is cold. She stands silently assessing me. Her long legs are effortlessly toned. What I wouldn’t give to have her legs.

Nicholas doesn’t lean into Alison or even look at her as she slides her hand down his back. No, he keeps his eyes directly on me. I can’t tell what he’s thinking, but I honestly wish I knew. The situation is more than awkward. I have to pretend like this is our first time meeting. Images of his thumb grazing against my neck sends chills down my back. I shiver. The impression of his lips on mine still hasn’t left me.

“Are you cold?” Carol asks.

“I’m fine,” I squeak.

He’s not yours. His expression tightens as he shakes my hand and then Carol’s. He probably thinks I’m going to rat him out.

“Tristan, why don’t we discuss some of your ideas for opening?” Carol says, piping in. I have no doubt she’ll get this account. She can be very convincing.

“I was thinking of keeping it to a very intimate setting. Nowhere near this many people,” he says, scanning the crowd.

“Perfect, do you have a date in mind?”

“I was actually thinking about having the opening on New Year’s Eve.”

“Oh, that’s very short notice…”

“Can you pull it off?” he asks, as if testing her.

Carol smirks. “Mr. Knight, I pulled together Riptide’s opening in the same amount of time. What do you think?”

I smile at Carol’s sassy but confident attitude. Despite how much I just want to escape, I can’t. God, I hope this night doesn’t turn into a disaster. Carol mentioned that the meeting wouldn’t last too long. Maybe stepping outside for some air might be nice. I excuse myself from the group and head toward the back of the building. I sense Nicholas still watching me as I leave, but I dismiss the thoughts of him that filter through my mind. I can’t stop myself from being attracted to him, but I sure as hell can control the filth in my head.

The back of the club is almost as crowded as the front. I spot a door that leads to an outside patio for guests who want to smoke. As tempting as it is to be outside, I can’t stand the smell of the heavy smoke. I linger just in front of the door hoping to catch a passing breeze, but the night air is still. This isn’t helping. Maybe I should just go back to Carol’s loft.

On my way back from the women’s restroom, a pair of hands thrust me back against a dark corner. I nearly scream, but stop myself as Nicholas steps forward out of the shadows. The look he gives me melts away the words I have. He doesn’t wait for me to question him. He simply takes. His lips crush into mine with full force, almost knocking me backwards. The wall is the only thing that stops us from crashing. A million things race through my head, but the one thing that hits home is the knowledge that somewhere, his fiancée is waiting for him. I don’t want to be like Scarlett. I’m not someone who goes around taking someone else’s man.

“What are you doing?” I ask. It’s more of an accusation than a question.

“Doing what I should’ve done 40,000 feet in the air.” He crosses my wrists and pushes them above me. I fight the urge to grab a fistful of his hair and kiss him.

“No, I can’t.”

The phrase resistance is futile has a whole new meaning. He pushes open my legs and strokes his hand up and down my center. As much as I want him to stop, I can’t seem to verbalize my plea. My hips meet his hand and he continues the friction of fingers. He pauses to slide up my dress baring the bottom of me. I’ve never been the type to want to have sex in public, but god does he make me want to. He skims his tongue across my neck and the act nearly sends my body into spasms. He finds his way inside my lace underwear.

“I want you.” His words set my nerves on fire. He slowly parts me, slipping his fingers inside me. His fingers rock back and forth against me as he delves deeper inside. I’m lost in oblivion. Falling farther and farther down the rabbit hole and I can’t seem to stop myself. He presses against my clit and I nearly lose it. He growls lightly against my ear as he plants his lips below it. The sensation sends my head spinning . I need to stop.

Nicholas loosens his grip of my wrists and reaches down toward my breasts with his free hand. His thumb circles my right nipple and it grows hard beneath his finger. He leans forward and places it in his mouth, leaving a damp warm spot on my dress.

“I want you to come for me, baby.”

The words aren’t said with a silent plea. No, the way he says it is more of a command. I honestly haven’t felt wanted like this since Miles. He wasn’t always a caring lover. A lot of the times he was just selfish. The thought of him sends a pang to my chest. Cheating on me was the most selfish thing he ever did. But how am I any better? Here I am, letting Nicholas touch me.

“Where’d you go, sweetheart?” Nicholas asks, breathing heavily. He caresses my cheek drawing my attention back to him.

“Stop,” I whisper. I can’t give myself up like this . He doesn’t get to see that part of me. He doesn’t get to unravel me just to watch me break. It frightens me to want him. It frightens me that someone like him could make me forget everything. Including myself.

“Wait,” he says, grabbing my waist, but I don’t. I push his hands off and yank my dress down. I don’t look back. I just push past him and run out of there as fast as I can. In the distance I can hear him calling after me. I don’t think anyone’s ever told him no, but he’ll get over it. I’m just another girl to him. Someone he thinks he can have without any conditions.

I find Carol at the bar ordering a drink. The distress on my face must be obvious because she immediately asks me what’s wrong. I don’t tell her about Nicholas. I can’t. Part of me is ashamed that it went so far. She doesn’t poke or prod me to explain my sudden need to leave. She simply gives me a hug and calls Steven to pick me up.