Caressing her cheek with his fingers, he stroked his tongue deeply into her mouth, feeling her gasp, her hands in his hair, and he thrust into her. He had meant to wait, to prime her more, bring her to the brink first, but that gasp undid him, and he had to claim her instantly. There was no more waiting. Time was too precious, and he had to bury himself within her, the tight folds of her sex closing around him, clinging wetly as he withdrew and thrust back in again. Her wetness eased his way as his thick length drove into her deeply, rocking her hips up off the bed in response.
Bella mewed and panted against his mouth as he had her. She was completely at his mercy, ready to beg if he took his mouth from hers, if he pulled away. Harvey relished the control, but more than that, he loved driving her wild like this, making her lose control. His mind flew back to their hasty coupling in a hot air balloon, the tight space, the friction, the maddening climax. The memory, as much as her hot eager body below his, drove him over the edge before she reached her completion. He was stunned and annoyed by his too-quick orgasm.
Determined to make it up to her, he put his hands to good use, fondling her hard nipples, kissing her neck until he felt her shivering with lust, squirming against him. He pressed his thigh between her legs again and let her ride it, grinding and humping wantonly until she shrieked with bliss, panting and whimpering as the jolts of pleasure ripped through her body, leaving her slack, glistening with sweat.
How did they keep ending up this way? Tearing each other apart, then burning up the sheets. Years apart, and then when they met again unexpectedly, those same sparks, that same irresistible pull. Harvey knew it was clouding his judgment, knew that he could make better decisions about his life going forward, about his role with his children if he didn’t have this incredible attraction to Bella. But there was no way to separate it, no way to start disliking her, to find her repulsive or even neutral. She’d gotten under his skin back in Arizona, and he’d never quite managed to get her out of his system.
Harvey levered up on one elbow, drinking in the sight of her, sated and flushed as she lay across the bed. He wanted her again already. Already he could feel his member twitch to life as she curled onto her side, facing away from him. It took effort to restrain himself, to keep from seizing the curve of those hips and burying himself between those thighs again. He could, in one motion, turn her onto all fours and enter her, smooth and quick, and have her gasping for release in seconds.
He knew the effect he had on her body, knew that she was powerless to resist the sensations he could elicit from her flesh. Still, he held back. Even though he knew she would accept his invasion, knew she would be bucking her hips back against him in no time, he didn’t want to take her by surprise, didn’t want to take for granted her willingness. Part of what aroused him about Bella was her hunger for him, her blatant desire. She had never held back with him, and Harvey liked that. So she would pretend at no shyness. If she turned away, he had to expect she had a reason.
Still, he lay there, wanting her. His palm cupped her shoulder, the one touch he would allow himself. She settled back against his hand, relaxing a bit, easing nearer to him. Harvey’s body enlivened at her slightest gesture, his arousal spiking. He could smell the salt of her sweat mingled with some faint floral whiff of shampoo or soap she had used earlier. It was a heady mix to his senses, but he had to contain himself, had to let her come to him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he must’ve known it would be like this, the two of them in one bed, inexplicably drawn to each other. No matter the tension, the anger, the division between them, this was their common ground, where they would meet inevitably again and again.
At least, he hoped for again and again. Because once was never enough for him, not with Bella at least. He could remember other women, other girlfriends and one night stands, women he’d been with once or twice and the spark fizzled out, an itch that had been scratched. The novelty never wore off with Bella. There was always more to discover, more that he desired despite his best intentions.
Even now, he couldn’t scrape together enough rational thought to remember why a bed with Bella James was the very last place he ought to be. Instead, he was grateful, embarrassingly sappy and grateful to be with her, to harness a few stolen hours before reality set back in. She rolled toward him, into his arms. Harvey felt a rush of something very like happiness. It was a trick he had, which he developed at a young age because his mother was a critical woman and his twin frequently scapegoated him. Harvey could put things in a box in his mind and not think about them. This let him have dinner with his mother without remembering the cruel things she said to him. This skill also let him spend time with his brother without keeping in mind a list of wrongs. He hadn’t forgiven them exactly. He just didn’t dwell on things they’d said and done to hurt him. So he could, at this moment, hold Bella and kiss her without thinking of the years she’d hidden his children away.
He could forget the six years with no calls, no emails, no messages. In a blink, all that was over. Harvey could forget it all in her arms, even all that she’d done to destroy him. And all that he planned to do, to destroy her right back.
Her hands were on his shoulders and he moved above her, moved inside her, swallowed her cries. She took all of him in, screamed her ecstasy and her satisfaction until he was sure management would break down the door to see if someone was being murdered in her hotel room. Shuddering with the aftershocks of her shattering climax, she clung to him, climbing into his lap at last and riding him to his own explosive end. His hoarse shout, his arms tight around her, the scent of their sweat—all mingled together to blot out reality.
They woke tangled up together, sometime in the early morning. She rolled away from him, and he stirred. Bella got to her feet and went to the bathroom. He heard water running, figured she was washing up, and drifted back to sleep. When he woke again, she wasn’t there. Her bag was still on the dresser, she hadn’t left without him, though the thought had crossed his mind that she might. They were forever running away and being pulled back together. He had nearly accepted it as their fate, like Sisyphus rolling that
boulder up the same hill forever.
He showered and ordered breakfast. When she came in, flushed and in workout clothes, there were plates of eggs and bacon waiting.
“You look stunning.”
She smiled. “Yes, it’s me in all my morning glory. Must be that natural glow.”
“Absolutely. How was your workout?”
“Great. And look at this spread. Harvey, you are too wonderful to me,” she said. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.”
“You were always good at spoiling me.”
He winked. “And not just with breakfast…”
“Yes, you spoiled me last night too.”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking about a morning quickie.”
“I’m a hot mess, and my breath…”
“I can always take you from behind.”
“How about some coffee and a shower first?”
“Morning sex is the best way to start out the day.”
“Can’t argue with you there.”
She gulped orange juice gratefully and sank into a chair. She picked at the eggs, inhaled the bacon, then nibbled at a triangle of toast.
“I received a message from the Smiths,” he said. “They appreciate that we reached out to them personally and they want to give Dave a temporary power of attorney to handle the merger. It seems our trip was productive.”