Seduction: The Billionaire's Bride of Vengeance. Miranda Lee
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staircase into the master bedroom. But she did look a little shell-shocked, her eyes widening when they landed on the bed, which he’d fortunately had the foresight to make that morning, complete with its French lace duvet.
‘You can’t expect me to sleep with you in my mother’s bed,’ she choked out, her bag clutched defensively in front of her.
‘My bed now,’ he said, removing that infernal bag and tossing it onto the bedside table before pulling her into his arms again. She went, but rather reluctantly, which was not what he wanted. He wanted her mindless, as she’d been back in his car.
‘Come, now, Nicole, you’re … how old?’
‘Twenty-five.’
‘Old enough not to worry about such things, then. Your mother is a woman of the world. Do you really think she’d care?’ he finished as his head began to descend.
No, Nicole realised just before he kissed her. She probably wouldn’t. All her mother cared about these days was the good life. It didn’t even bother her that her husband was unfaithful.
But still … being in her bed didn’t feel right.
Any qualms she had about where Russell made love to her, however, were obliterated within seconds of his lips meeting hers, that incredible craving returning with an urgency which brooked no excuses or objections. Soon, all she cared about was that his mouth was back on hers again. His hands, too.
A small degree of panic resurfaced when he stopped kissing her long enough to turn back the duvet. She whispered a feeble protest when Russell started undressing her, but he just said, ‘Don’t be silly,’ and kept on stripping her till she was totally naked, except for her jewellery.
His stepping back and just staring at her at that stage brought a rush of dark excitement, the like of which she’d never known before. Although not in any way ashamed of her body, Nicole had never been an exhibitionist. Having Russell’s hungry eyes raking over her bare skin, however, sent her head spinning, her nipples peaking under his hot gaze, her belly tightening with the most delicious tension.
‘Take the jewellery off,’ he commanded in a desire-thickened voice.
She managed to unhook the drop earrings and put them on the bedside table, but fumbled with the clasp of the pendant.
‘I’ll do it,’ he ground out, and strode round behind her.
She shivered when his fingers grazed the nape of her neck.
‘Was this a present?’ he asked as he slid the released necklace from around her throat.
‘Yes,’ she choked out.
‘From a besotted admirer, no doubt. No, don’t bother to answer that. I haven’t brought you here to discuss your past conquests,’ he said as he dropped the necklace next to the earrings then turned her round to face him.
‘Frankly, I prefer you without adornment of any kind,’ he said, his eyes narrowing as they travelled slowly over her totally exposed body.
Nicole didn’t know what to say or do. So she just stood there and let him look at her, her mouth bone-dry, her heart racing behind her ribs.
He didn’t make any move to touch her, just continued to stare at her till the air in the room grew a lot warmer and her head a lot lighter. When she swayed, he caught her by her shoulders, spun her round then yanked her hard against him. Once there, he released her shoulders and snaked his left arm tightly around her waist, holding her solidly captive while his other hand was left free to do as it pleased.
And it finally pleased to touch her, his widely splayed palm rubbing back and forth over her fiercely erect nipples till she didn’t think she could bear any more.
‘Oh, please,’ she whimpered.
A flash of lightning accompanied by a huge clap of thunder brought a different cry to her lips.
That tantalising hand stopped abruptly, the room suddenly very quiet except for his heavy breathing. Nicole stiffened when another loud clap of thunder rocked the room.
‘You’re frightened of storms?’ he asked, his mouth hot against her ear.
‘Yes,’ she choked out.
‘I love them.’
‘What’s there to love about them?’
‘They usually herald rain. Farmers’ sons love rain.’
When his hold on her suddenly slackened, Nicole wriggled round in his arms and looked up into his flushed face.
‘You’re a farmer’s son?’ How did you become one of the most successful real-estate agents in Sydney? she thought.
‘Once upon a time,’ he said wryly, his eyes growing distant as they turned away to glance around the room. When they eventually returned to hers, his face had cooled, his expression no longer that of a man in the throes of passion.
Yet when he smiled, a strangely erotic shiver trickled down her spine.
‘Enough of this chit-chat,’ he said, and abruptly scooped her up into his arms. ‘Time to get down to business.’
CHAPTER TEN
RUSSELL scooped her up into his arms and laid her down in the middle of the bed, kissing her with cold deliberation before withdrawing to stand at the side of the bed.
That storm had arrived just in the nick of time, reminding him of why he’d brought Alistair Power’s daughter here in the first place. Not just to satisfy his lust—which he was certainly aiming to do—but also for a far more satisfying goal.
Revenge.
Which was better taken slowly and with a cool head.
For several seconds he just stared down at her, drinking in her exquisitely beautiful body, which was even more tempting than he remembered. She looked delicious spread out like that with her legs slightly apart and her hands laid on the pillows beside her head.
The sudden thought that he would prefer her tied to the bed startled Russell. He’d never been partial to that kind of thing before. But the image of her spread-eagled and bound and totally helpless almost brought his resolve to be cool and controlled totally undone.
He had to pull himself together, had to find some composure or all would be lost. There would be no triumph for him if he became her prey. She was the prey here. She was the instrument of revenge, even if she didn’t know it.
Clenching his teeth hard in his jaw, he willed his wayward flesh to behave, then slowly, very slowly, began taking off his clothes, not dropping them on the floor but draping each item neatly over a nearby chair: jacket, tie, shirt and belt.
Once he was naked to the waist he extracted his wallet from his trouser pocket, took out two condoms and put them on the bedside chest. After that he took off his shoes and socks, placing them tidily under the chair before unzipping his trousers and removing them with all the speed of a snail.
He was playing for time, of course. Time to give his painfully swollen flesh the chance to subside a little.
He wasn’t all that successful. The sight of Nicole’s near-naked body was way too arousing. So was the thought that, soon, she would be his.
Another flash of lightning came, along with a clap of thunder even louder than the last. The storm was getting close. So was the storm which was about to break in this room, a storm which had been years in the building.
Nicole shivered, both at the sound of the thunder and the sight of Russell’s almost naked body. He was magnificently built. Tall and broad-shouldered, with a flat stomach and an enviable tan, making her wonder how he had acquired the latter. Not from a gym, that was for sure. Maybe he surfed, or swam outdoors.
He had a smattering of dark curls between his well-defined chest muscles. His legs were long, with nicely shaped calves and