Page 6 of Eluding the Billionaire
She grins. “Ooh, I like the sound of that.” Laughter rumbles up from deep inside my chest cavity, spilling out. I don’t think I’ve had this much fun with a woman in years, especially one I just met. I didn’t come out tonight looking to get laid, but I’m sure glad I’m here now.
Under Katie’s watchful eye, I grab a condom from my wallet and sheath myself.
“Spread your thighs for me, lass. I want to see how much you want me.” Her grin broadens, and she immediately opens to me.
There is nothing shy about her movements now.
Chapter four
Drew
Asliverofpaleearly morning light peeks through the heavy embroidered gold drapes. It’s just enough light for me to see the stunning raven-haired beauty sleeping peacefully beside me. One long, tanned, naked leg visible from hip to toe with the crisp white cotton sheet wrapped loosely around it. The navy brocade bedspread kicked down so it’s hanging more off the bed than on it. In this setting, she looks regal, a beautiful princess.
I certainly don’t fit the role of prince in these opulent surroundings. I’m just an ordinary man who grew up poor in a coal mining town in Scotland. I may have done well for myself, but I don’t belong here. I should have left before we fell asleep. I would normally. But when she looked up at me with those big brown eyes after her third orgasm, I just couldn’t.
I take a moment to study her face, her smooth, flawless skin, her high cheekbones, and the thick, dark lashes fanned out over them. Katie captivated me from the first moment I saw her, that sexy hot body was hard to miss, and I wasn’t the only guy watching her with her friend last night. I’m just the lucky bastard who was in the right place at the right time.
What we did in this room felt like our bodies had always known each other. Who am I trying to fool? I wanted to stay last night, and for once, I want to be right here when Katie wakes up.
I swallow, and my throat feels like it’s filled with sand. Carefully, I ease her arm from across my ribcage before slipping out of bed. I need some water. I should have thought to do this last night, but when you have a stunning naked woman wrapped in your arms, there’s not much room for a lot of thinking. It was all doing. And by the time we’d finished, I was exhausted.
My cock firms at the memory of how good it felt to sink deep inside her warm body.
Not bothering with clothes, I walk naked across the deep pile rug to a table with several small bottles of water on it. Twisting off the top of one, I gulp the contents down. I glance back at the sexy woman who could quench a different thirst. The shape of her lush breasts is just visible beneath the sheet, her arm resting on the bed where, moments ago, it was laying across me. I want to slip back underneath her, run my fingers through those long, dark silky strands of hair currently spilling across the pillow. Maybe even enjoy her body one more time before taking her to breakfast. I have nowhere important to be, and spending a few more hours with this captivating woman sounds like a good option.
I pick up another bottle and carry it over to the table on her side of the bed. As I’m clearing space, her ID from the awards event slips off the edge and falls to the carpet. I pick it up and flip it over to read the name. Katie Carlson – Carlson Publishing.
Fuck. She’s a Carlson. I drop it back on the table like it’s on fire.
This changes everything.
How did I not realize who she was? There were enough clues, but I was too busy thinking with my little head instead of my actual brain. Shit, this is a massive conflict of interest and could jeopardize the months of work my lawyer and agent have put into negotiating my next publishing contract.
I need to go. I search and find my boxers, pulling them on so quickly I nearly trip. Next, my dress pants, which are only half zipped before I’m slipping my arms into the sleeves of my shirt. I don’t bother to even button it up. Everything is being done in record time. I’ve never run out on a woman before, but I guess there’s always a first. Snagging my jacket off the floor and my shoes over by the door, I spare one last glance at Katie before slipping quietly out of her hotel room.
At the elevator, I force my feet into my shoes, stuffing my socks into my pocket. The bell dings, announcing its arrival, and I step into the cubicle, still doing up my buttons. The smoky-gray mirrored walls reflect the disheveled look of a man making a frantic escape. I hate myself for running away, but I couldn’t stay. Not now that I know who she is or, more accurately, what she represents.
I check my phone. It’s just before five and too early for the tube. Instead, I book a minicab to pick me up. Shit, I should have left last night. I should have politely thanked her for a lovely evening and said my goodbyes, like I would normally do.
Out of the elevator, I stride quickly through the deserted hotel reception area, not stopping until I’m a little up the street where I told the minicab driver I’d wait. I text Aaron to tell him I’ll be at his place in half an hour. He probably won’t appreciate the early morning message, but it’s better than banging on his door at this hour.
I like staying at Aaron’s place when I’m visiting London. He’s got a pretty nice two-bedroom apartment in a converted Victorian house, and these occasional visits are the only chance we get to catch up these days. Aaron and I have been best friends for as long as I can remember, and even though we live very different lives now, we’ll always remember where we came from.
Bilston, a small coal mining village not far from Edinburgh with a total population of less than two thousand, was a place of some good and some bad childhood memories. Most of the good ones revolved around Aaron and the fun we had roaming the local streets on our push-bikes. The bad times almost entirely occurred within the terrace house I shared with my parents and four siblings. The closure of the nearby coal mine in the late eighties hit the town hard, and my father was one of the victims. Not straight away, because it took years for the hard drinking to take its toll on his body. He spent years taking out his disappointments on one of his children, or more often than not, his wife. Every chance I got, I escaped to Aaron’s house. His was a similar terrace to ours but across the street and down two, and it was my own personal sanctuary.
Car lights cut through the drizzly gray early morning mist, catching me in the beams, and I’m jolted from my memories. Thoughts of Aaron always take me back to our childhood and where the unbreakable bond of our friendship was first forged.
A trickle of icy rainwater sneaks under the collar of my jacket, running down my back, sending a shiver through me. I pull it tighter. Shortly after, the minicab pulls up beside me with a small spray of water and I hop into the back seat, buckling up the seat belt. I’m so tired with the early hour and the little amount of sleep I’ve had. Katie wrecked me, and even knowing who she is, I can’t regret our night together. I just hope she feels the same when she realizes who I am.
It’s a twenty-minute drive to Aaron’s house, and I slump back in the seat, letting my head loll back against the headrest as we speed along the A40 out of the capital.
And that’s the last thing I remember.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
My body feels heavy, my brain fuzzy and confused. What happened? The hum of a conversation seeps through my brain fog. I try to make out the low words being spoken, but no matter how hard I try, all I’m getting is the impression of a man’s voice.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
