Page 21 of My Billionaire Neighbor's Secret

Before I could answer, she stretched out her arms and wrapped them around my neck and shoulders, pulling me down and kissing me on the lips.

Her red, luscious lips felt very soft on mine. They tasted like bittersweet red wine.

It wasn’t a short smack. Our lips lingered on one another. I found myself wanting to kiss her more, to thrust my tongue into her mouth, to explore and caress her body with my hands. But I didn’t want to take advantage of a drunk woman.

So I did what any decent man would do. I pulled back and got on my feet. Then I took the robe from the nearby chair and put it on her before I lifted her up and carried her inside.

“Take me upstairs to my bedroom…” she whispered in a playful, teasing tone, her words mixed with some giggling.

I took her there and placed her gently on the bed. She was still quite wet, so I took a towel from the bathroom and started patting her exposed skin with it. The act was certainly arousing. It was taking all of my self-control not to undress and touch her.

She smiled at me in a seductive manner. “Mr. Croft, don’t you want to kiss me?” she asked, her breath smelling of alcohol. She puckered up her lips at me and then frowned when I didn’t do anything. “You’re such a spoilsport. So geeky and so serious. I know you want me, and you know you want me. So what’s stopping you?”

“You’re drunk, Ms. Andrews,” I said as I sat beside her on the bed. “You should get some rest. Let me grab you a glass of water first.”

I stood up, but she seized my hand and pulled hard, making me drop down on top of her.

“Don’t be such a gentleman,” she said before she kissed me.

She was drunk. I didn’t want to be accused of taking advantage. But she tasted so good and I’ve never felt this hot for anyone.

Her skin felt so delicate under my fingers. Her damp hair was the smell of morning dew and flowers. I was completely enchanted and was quickly losing the little self-control I had left.

“I need a hug, Carter,” she suddenly said, her tone of voice changing instantly. There was a long distant look in her eyes. The teasing had stopped, and now she just looked lonely and sad. The way she said my first name made me want to comfort her and make the pain go away, whatever it was that she was carrying within her.

We lay on the bed together, with my arms around her body as she snuggled close to me like a child. She closed her eyes, and very soon, I could hear her breathing heavily.

I nudged her. She did not budge. I listened to her breathing. She seemed to be sleeping soundly now.

Slowly I pulled away and wrapped the robe she had on to cover her whole body. Then I placed a blanket on top of her.

I stayed there for a few seconds, staring at this odd woman who had suddenly come into my life. She’d disrupted my peace and the predictable routine I’d practiced for so long.

But I was enamored. I wanted her. I’ve never desired any human in this way.

From experience, whenever I got this kind of desire--- for business, for money, for travel, for material things--- I never stopped until I got them.

Now it’s a woman. I could sense the excitement rising, the same feeling I got when a strong desire suddenly built inside me.

This was a new challenge, a new game, for me. One I planned on winning at the soonest possible time.

Chapter 11

LEIGH

Iwokeupwitha slight headache. But as soon as everything that happened the night before came rushing back to me, I groaned and felt like my head was splitting into two.

Sitting up in bed, I felt like I had a really bad hangover, and I just wanted to lie down forever. But then I remembered that even though I was on half-day leave today, there was an engagement I needed to attend that afternoon. At the moment, I couldn’t even recall what it was.

I checked the clock on my bedside table. It was already nine in the morning, which was late for me. I usually woke up between six to seven, even if I did not have work.

As I splashed cold water onto my face in the bathroom, I felt more alert. Vivid images from my drunken stupor kept appearing in my head.

“Oh, fuck me,” I said to my reflection in the mirror when I remembered teasing and kissing Carter Croft. “Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit!”

I fucking kissed our client, the owner of The Haven. It was so embarrassing, not to mention very unprofessional. I just managed to ruin the remarkable comeback I made during our meeting.

“Stupid Leigh,” I reprimanded myself, pacing back and forth in my bedroom and thinking of how I should do damage control.

---