Billionaire Bachelors: Stone Read online

  It might not be so pleasant now, after the way he’d left things with Faith. But even then, knowing that she was likely to be cool and formal with him, something eased in his chest because at long last he was home again, and she was sleeping right in the next room. He hoped he could make things right with her. He missed her smile, and the habit she had of humming beneath her breath as she moved around the house.

  She hadn’t done much humming the past few days before he’d gone to China. Their parting had been strained, stiff, the way things had been between them since the day of her mother’s accident. He should have apologized for the things he’d said to her about her interference with his mother. Faith had a good heart and a wonderful relationship with her own mother; it probably was beyond her capabilities to understand the way he felt.

  He stepped into his bedroom and dropped his suitcase inside the door. A startled squeak made him jerk his head around to locate the source—and there she stood.

  She must have just finished in the shower because she had a towel wrapped around her torso and her hair was pinned atop her head. He could see droplets of water gleaming on her shoulders.

  Immediately he felt a rush of desire begin to radiate through his body, making him take a short, tense breath as every inch of his skin seemed to sizzle with an electric charge. He’d been thinking of her, wanting her for so long that it only took moments to make him worry that she’d notice the burgeoning arousal pushing at the front of his pants.

  “Hello,” he said, and his voice was husky. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “It’s all right.” She smiled at him, and the radiance of her expression tightened every muscle in his body. “I’m glad you’re home. I missed you.”

  “I, uh, missed you, too.” He couldn’t look away from her. She was smiling, her gray eyes shining, so beautiful that he ached with the need to cross to her and crush her to him. She apparently had forgiven him. Or forgotten their argument. Hah. He doubted Faith would forget something like that.

  Then she put her hands up to the top of the tucked-in fabric and his whole body tightened. She took a deep breath, uncertainty flashing in her eyes so fast he wasn’t sure he’d seen it to begin with. And before he could say a word, she dropped the towel.

  As it fell away from her, he made a strangled sound in his throat. She was as beautiful as all his fevered imaginings, long, slim, sleekly muscled. Her breasts were high and round with deep rosy nipples that puckered beneath his gaze. Her bare feet curled into the carpet and he couldn’t prevent his gaze from sliding up her long elegant legs, over the splendid curve of her hip. At the junction of her thighs, a thatch of blond curls protected her deepest secrets.

  As he devoured her with his gaze, she fought an obvious battle with shyness and modesty. Her hands came halfway up her body in a defensive posture before she deliberately let them relax at her side again. A rosy blush suffused her neck and climbed into her cheeks, but she held out her arms to him, still smiling into his eyes. “Make love to me.”

  His blood surged heavily, nearly propelling him into her arms. He wanted her, and he hated himself for it. She was too young.

  She’s not too young. She’s legal.

  Well, she was too young for him.

  Ten years isn’t a huge age gap.

  “Stone?” She came through the dividing door into his bedroom and began to walk across the room toward him, her eyes flickering with nerves even though her voice was steady and warm. “This is the part where you’re supposed to respond.”

  She obviously hadn’t noticed just how responsive he was. He felt himself beginning to sweat. “Dammit, Faith, just stay over there.” He backed around the other side of the bed, putting some space between them, appalled at the panicked note in his voice. “You don’t want this.”

  “I do.” Her voice was as soft as ever but there was a note of determination in it that shook him. “I thought about it the whole time you were gone. I’ve been thinking about it since the day you asked me to marry you.” She took a deep breath and he couldn’t prevent his gaze from dropping to her breasts as the firm mounds rose and fell “I want my first…first time to be with someone I trust and care for. I want it to be with you.”

  “No, you don’t.” But her words sent unpleasant images bolting into his mind, images of Faith with another man, and he had to bite back the snarl that wanted to escape.

  “I do,” she said again. She reached up and took the clip from her hair, tossing it onto his dresser as the silky blond tresses fell down her back and framed her body. She came around the end of the bed and walked to him.

  He put out a hand like a traffic cop to hold her off but she slipped inside it and pressed herself against him, her hands sliding up to curl around his neck as her lips grazed the sensitive skin where his shirt collar exposed his throat.

  He groaned at the feel of her slim young frame pressed against him. She smelled fresh and sweet, and despite his good intentions, his extended hand dropped to her back, sliding slowly up and down her sleek spine, testing the naked, resilient flesh, moving dangerously down to trace the cleft in her buttocks. His hand clenched spasmodically on her soft flesh, pressing her hips hard against his aching arousal. “We won’t be able to get an annulment.” His voice sounded hoarse and unfamiliar to his ears.

  “I don’t care.” She kissed his throat again. “How can this be so bad when we both want it so much?”

  “I haven’t changed my mind about this being a mistake.” But he had. The words she’d said, that she wanted him to be the one, danced through his head. If he refused…he couldn’t even complete the thought. Instead he ran his hands over her silky skin everywhere he could reach, savoring the soft, sweet feel of her as common sense warred with pure carnal need. Finally need won. He dropped his head and sought her mouth, wrapping his arms around her. His kisses were hard and wild, his tongue plunging deep. She gasped and he remembered how innocent she was, so he reined himself in with gargantuan effort, gentling his kisses, stroking the inside surfaces of her mouth with his tongue and teasing her until she followed his lead, her tongue hesitantly joining his, exploring his mouth as fully as he explored hers. Finally he tore his lips from hers, breathing heavily. He kissed her cheek, slid his mouth along her jaw and down the side of her neck. She smelled of scented bath soap and the unique flavor of her silken skin.

  He raised his head, capturing her gaze, and his face was rigid with the control he was exerting to rein in the need he felt. “No,” he gritted. “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t fight myself and you both. I can’t pretend I don’t want to make love to you when every hour of every day, I’m thinking about doing this.” He slid one hand boldly around to cup her breast and his thumb found the tip of her nipple, rubbing gently back and forth. Her eyes closed as he watched her face, and her lips parted as her breath rushed in and out. Then he bent his head and replaced his thumb with his mouth, suckling her strongly, and her eyes flew wide. Wildly she arched against him as she cried out.

  “And this,” he muttered against her breast, sliding the same hand down over her rib cage and the softness of her belly, stroking gently before plunging firmly down between her legs to her most intimate feminine secrets. She was moist and slick, surprisingly ready for him. He cupped her, sliding his fingers between her legs as he used his thumb on the small bud hidden beneath the sweet curls. Her body arched again at the new sensation and she gasped. Then she set her hands against his shoulders, trying to push him away, instinctively wary and nervous of such implacable male determination.

  “Ah, no, baby, don’t fight me.” He lifted his head and took her lips again, understanding her momentary panic. Despite her brave invitations, she was still an innocent. The act of giving herself to a man made a woman intensely vulnerable. And so he simply let his hand lay against her as he resumed kissing her until she felt secure with him, permitting him access to her mouth without restraint as her legs relaxed. Then slowly he resumed the intimate caresses. He slid one finger insid
e her, groaning at the tight, wet feel of her clinging flesh and his hips surged forward as he tried to ease the harsh need driving him. “That’s it,” he growled. “I want to make you feel good. We’re going to be so good together.”

  Withdrawing his hand from its nest, he slid both arms beneath her and lifted her into his arms, moving the short distance to his bed. She put her arms around his neck and lifted her face to his and he sat down on the side of the bed, kissing her and stroking her, torn between the need to bury himself deeply within her and find release, and the desire to explore her hidden treasures for hours. But then she shifted against him, her hip pressing hard against his full flesh, and he knew he wasn’t going to be able to wait hours.

  She lifted her hands and inexpertly began to unbutton his shirt. He rose, laying her on the bed, then quickly shed his shirt and jacket in one movement, removing his shoes and socks, taking off his belt, all without taking his eyes from the bounty of her bared body.

  She was watching him, too, and he saw her pupils contract as he tore off his shirt. She lifted one hand from the bed and laid it over the rigid, throbbing flesh that distended his pants and he nearly jumped out of his skin. He tore at the fastenings, pushing his trousers down and off along with his briefs. Her eyes widened again as his need for her came fully free, and her gaze flashed to his. “Can I…touch you?” she whispered.

  He gritted his teeth at the unconscious sensuality of her request as her body turned toward him. “Sorry, baby.” He caught her wrist and linked his fingers with hers. “That would be a really bad idea right now. This would be over before it ever really got started.”

  She smiled and her voice was nearly a purr when she said, “Then I’ll wait.”

  He came down on the bed beside her, sighing as his naked flesh met hers for the first time. His erection pressed against her hip and he could feel the moisture he couldn’t hold back dampening her flesh. He shuddered, hoping he could wait long enough to make it good for her.

  Quickly he smoothed his hand down over her downy belly and feathered his fingers over the sweet folds between her legs again. Her gaze was fastened on his and he caught a hint of apprehension in her beautiful eyes. Leaning forward, he kissed each of her eyelids as they fluttered shut. “Relax,” he whispered. “I’ll take care of you.” He leaned over her and took her breast, suckling firmly until she moaned and tried to arch toward him. His fingers grew bolder, parting her and opening her for him, and he shifted his weight onto her, his arms shaking with the effort it took not to simply shove himself into her and ride her until he exploded. But Faith was a virgin. And she was…special. He wanted it to be as good for her as it was going to be for him. He pulled his hips back and let his shaft rub her, then reached down and opened her further until the slightest surge forward caught the head of his aroused flesh within her.

  She gasped.

  He groaned.

  She raised a hand, and wiped away a drop of sweat that trickled down his temple. “Is this hard for you?” she whispered.

  He chuckled deep in his throat. “No, it’s hard for you.” Her eyes widened as he probed her, alert to the barrier that signaled her virginity. Just within her, he met resistance. “I’m going to try not to hurt you,” he warned her, “but the first time might not be much fun.” She watched him wide-eyed as he moved his hand between them and found again the pouting bud he’d exposed. As he began to lightly press and circle, her eyes closed and her back arched, pushing him a little deeper.

  “That’s—too much,” she panted. “I can’t…I can’t…”

  “You can,” he breathed. “Let it build, baby.” He kept his tone soft, his voice low, watching the flush that spread over her fair skin as she gave herself to her passion, to him. In a moment, her hips began to respond to his encouraging touch, rising and falling, and he had to steel himself to withstand the seductive lure of her body caressing the tip of him.

  “Stone,” she cried, “hold me!”

  “I’ve got you, baby,” he crooned. “Let go, let go, let go…”

  And she did. He saw the shock in her eyes as her body convulsed, shuddering beneath him, and as she arched wildly up to meet him, he plunged forward, burying himself deep within her responsive body.

  “Oh!” Her legs came up to wrap around his hips, possibly the most erotic feeling he’d ever known, and as her sweet channel continued to rhythmically caress him, he began to move, stroking heavily in and out, teeth clenched, body shaking. He was so ready that it took only moments until he erupted, falling over the edge into her soft arms as he emptied himself deep, deep within her. Pleasure shattered his senses as it spread throughout every cell in his body, rendering him momentarily deaf and blind.

  As he began to regain his senses, he looked down at her. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “I didn’t hurt you?”

  “Only a tiny bit.” She smiled at him, her fingers rubbing the back of his neck. “You were wrong. The first time was fun.”

  He chuckled as he slowly lowered his weight onto her, conscious of her slight frame. But she kept her legs and arms around him when he would have shifted himself to one side, holding him close until he let himself go boneless in her embrace. He rested his forehead on the pillow next to her and moaned as her fingers lightly kneaded up and down his back.

  “Stone?”

  “Hmm?” He was so relaxed it was an effort to move enough to reply.

  “How long before we can do it again?”

  His eyes flew open. He started to laugh, lifting himself on his elbows to inspect her face, then dropping his head to kiss her. “A little while, at least,” he told her. “I’m pretty tired. But on second thought—” he moved his hips experimentally “—I’m feeling much more rested already.”

  She smiled, her gaze warm and contented and he kissed her again, lingering for a moment before he levered himself up and began to withdraw—

  And froze. He swore vividly, and Faith’s eyes widened in shock.

  “What?” she demanded.

  He pulled himself back to his knees, then stood and cursed again, his hands on his hips, his still-erect flesh cooling unpleasantly. “No protection,” he said grimly. “How the hell could I have been that stupid?” he asked the ceiling. But he knew exactly how stupid he’d been. He’d been so focused on completing the act of making her young, virgin body his that protection had been the last thing on his mind.

  Faith went very still, probably as horrified as he was. After a moment, she sat up and eased herself to the side of the bed. Her brow wrinkled momentarily and she winced; he realized she was feeling some discomfort. But she stood, and stepped forward to slide her arms around his waist and press herself against him.

  “It’s all right,” she said. She kissed his collarbone and then looked up at him. “I love you. I wouldn’t mind if I got pregnant.”

  His body had reacted automatically to the soft feel of her curves but her words were a shock of ice water on his rising passion. “Faith,” he said grimly, taking her by the shoulders and holding her gently but firmly away from him, focusing on the only part of her statement he could allow himself to believe. “I’d mind. This marriage is only going to last a year, remember?”

  She simply gazed at him. And he was the first to look away.

  “I know you think you love me,” he said, desperate to convince her. “It’s natural when two people make love for feelings to get mixed up with basic human needs. But trust me, you won’t love me in a year.”

  Still, she regarded him silently. Finally she opened her mouth. “You’re wrong. I’ll still love you in a year. I’ll still love you in ten years, and in twenty.”

  “Look,” he said, frantic to erase the echo of those seductive words, “let’s not get into a fight about this.”

  She smiled at that, and he stared at her, mystified. What the hell was so funny? “I wasn’t planning to fight with you,” she said. “I want to make love again.” She stepped forward, pressing herse
lf against him, burying her face in his neck. Her warm breath stirred the curls on his chest and he shuddered, knowing that she surely could feel the arousal he couldn’t prevent.

  “This isn’t lovemaking,” he said above her head. “This is sex.”

  “Okay.” She nuzzled his chest and he leaped a foot in the air when her lips grazed his nipple. “You call it what you want and I’ll call it what I want.”

  If he was smart, he’d walk away from this right now, and not compound one error by making another. But his arms came around her without his permission, and his head lowered and sought her lips all on its own. His body knew what it wanted even though his mind knew better. “And we use protection,” he decreed, trying to retain some control of the situation. She was a twenty-year-old recently deflowered virgin. How could she be so unshakably certain of herself?

  “If that’s what you want,” she said agreeably. Her small hand slipped slowly down his body and his stomach muscles contracted sharply. “Is it okay to touch you now?” she asked.

  He closed his eyes and exhaled in surrender. “Yeah,” he said, giving himself to this night and this moment. He’d worry about tomorrow later. “But only if I get to touch you, too.”

  She awoke before dawn, aware of her body in a way she’d never been before. She lay on her side, her back cuddled into the living furnace of her husband. Stone’s left arm was draped over her hip, the other was beneath the pillow on which both their heads lay.

  With dreamy satisfaction, she relived the hours just past. He’d scared her silly when he’d walked into his bedroom without warning. Even though he’d told her his flight would be in that night, she hadn’t really expected to see him. He’d warned her that he’d probably get home in the wee hours.

  It was probably just as well that he’d surprised her. If she’d been prepared, she’d never, ever have had the nerve to approach and seduce him the way she had! She took a deep breath, remembering the moment of sheer terror she’d felt when she’d decided to drop her towel and take Gretchen’s advice. At first, she’d thought he really was going to refuse. But then she’d seen his hands clenched in fists. She’d felt the barely contained desire he kept on a tight leash and she’d pushed a little more until the volcano had erupted and he’d swept over her with the force of a hot lava flow, incinerating her modesty and her virginity with his sheer delight in her body and his blatant encouragement of her sexuality. She might know another lover someday, but she knew without question that she’d never meet another man who pleased her like Stone did, who anticipated her every need before she even realized what she wanted.