Effortless

“Tempting,” I murmured, tracing my fingers along his jaw. “Why don’t we go to your cottage here instead?”

He frowned. “I may not be back for the weekend, Lia. I don’t want to leave you alone here.”

“I won’t be alone. I have Stephanie and Darren.”

“Maybe your sister would like to see you. She does live in London, you know.”

“Wow.” I laughed. “When did you turn into my mother?”

A sharp squeeze at my waist made me flinch. “I see your smart mouth also made the journey across the Atlantic.”

“It’s a package deal, Holden.”

Uncoiling a bit from his annoyance, Alastair kissed me firmly. “We could get married this weekend,” he said, playing with my hair. “Have a civil ceremony at Islington Town Hall. It would be just the two of us.”

The thought left me breathless. Every cell in my body, from my toes to the tips of my fingers, hummed with anticipation. Images of us exchanging vows and spending the entire weekend blissfully alone and entwined with each other filled my mind. It was perfect. It was…

“My family will kill me,” I blurted.

Alastair raised an eyebrow. “Not if I have anything to say about it. Besides, they’ll get over the shock. We’ll have a massive party back in the States. That’s why everyone has a wedding anyway, right? For the party.”

“But don’t we need, like, paperwork and licenses? And witnesses? We can’t just walk in and—”

He kissed me quiet and essentially halted all talk of eloping. “You really need to do something about this habit of overthinking.” The smile in his eyes and on his lips sealed the deal for me.

“Fine. You’re right.” I tugged on his tie. “Is there a reason why you’re still in CEO mode at home? I mean, the suits are hot and stuff but it’s well past quitting time.”

“There’s no rest for the wicked.” He smirked. “Would you rather I sat here naked?”

I slung my arms around his neck and grinned. “It would be an improvement.”

“Cheeky.” He felt his way down my body. “We do have some unfinished business to attend to, don’t we?”

Capitalizing on his softened mood and flirty playfulness, I nuzzled into his neck, kissing his warm skin and enjoying the low groans vibrating in his throat. “That depends.”

“On what?”

I loosened his tie and slid it off his neck. “Did you think about me all day?”

Yearning filled what little space there was between us as he knotted his fingers through my hair. We were so close our mouths nearly touched. “Trying to turn the tables on me, kitten? If I remember correctly, it was you who had all the thinking to do.”

The gentle but firm tug he gave my hair resonated deep within me. A little smile pulled at his mouth when I tried to move.

“I have you just where I want you, Lia. Tell me” -he nipped at my bottom lip- “every thought that crossed your mind.”

I’d have figured by this point in our relationship I’d be a little more immune to his level of seduction but I wasn’t and he knew it. If that satisfied grin on his face wasn’t so damn hot I’d have been able to form some sort of response. Leveling a dangerously sexy stare at me, he wet his lips.

“Are you going to tell me?”

“I’m going to show you,” I replied in a much lower, much more seductive tone than I normally used. Alastair’s grin grew larger but he wouldn’t loosen his grip on me.

“Fancy a shag on the desk, do you?” He pulled on my hair again. “I’d rather you come to my office building for that.” He sucked on my earlobe, making me squirm with pleasure. “I’ll spread you out on my big desk and have you for lunch. I do like the way you taste.”

An animalistic, guttural moan rushed out of my mouth so hard I clutched onto the back of the chair. I swear, his level of sexy should be illegal.

“Is my kitten enjoying herself?” he asked, keeping his mouth so close to my ear I could feel his lips brushing against it. I’d be lying if I said no. This more aggressive side of his had me firing on all cylinders.

Peeling my fingers off the chair, I ripped his shirt open. Blinded by the raging lust that overpowered me, I couldn’t move my hands fast enough to undo his belt. If I didn’t have mind-blowing sex with him right now, I’d go insane.

I stood up and yanked my dress over my head, dropping it to the floor in an unceremonious heap. Pushing himself off the chair like a predator about to strike, he pulled me against his body.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” I said, grabbing at the waistband of his pants.

I was a split second away from shoving him back onto the chair so I could mount him when I was halted by the detached way he looked at me.

“What is it?” I asked.

Shaking his head, he lifted my left hand and turned it towards the light so the diamond and emeralds sparkled. Immense sadness seized his beautiful face for the briefest of seconds but it was enough to deflate my mood.

“This was my mum’s ring,” he said in hushed tone. “It’s been sitting in a box at the house in Ascot for years. My aunt told me it was mine to give to the girl I wanted to marry.”

Oh my God…NOW he wants to get all emotional?

“She would have liked you.”

Partly controlled by my ravenous libido and partly by my fierce love for him, I lunged forward, knocking him back onto the chair and climbed on his lap. Holding both sides of his face, I covered him in kisses before hugging him tight. I knew how difficult it was for him to talk about his parents. Running my knuckles down his cheek, I tried to compose myself. I think he sensed I was having a problem with that and smirked.

“Did I interrupt your saucy ways by being too soppy?”

“Yes.”

He arched an eyebrow.

“Shit. I mean…you didn’t but…” I was so wired and flustered that nothing was coming out right. “You just have me so turned on and I’m a little buzzed and then you drop that on me out of the blue and it…what you said is so sweet and romantic and I just…I’m so focused on wanting to…to fuck your brains out that—”

“You thought it was sweet and romantic?”

“I…yeah. Who wouldn’t? It’s your mom’s ring. And coming from you that means a lot to me.”

“Does it?”

“Of course, Alastair. But you could have given me a plastic ring from a toy dispenser at a bowling alley and I would have loved it all the same because it’s from you.”

He looked thoughtful. “So I’ve finally conquered being cheesy, then?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “For now, Mr. No-Relationships-Non-Dater.”

“You,” he grabbed my waist and squeezed, “are asking for trouble.”

“No. You are. I was all ready to—”

“Fuck my brains out?” The dominant spark returned to his eyes, which drove me wild.

“If you keep interrupting me, then no.”

He squeezed my waist harder, making me jump. “I’m going to keep you up all night, kitten.”

“You don’t have an off switch, do you?”

“Not when it comes to you.” Running the pad of his thumb along my mouth, he remained quiet for several seconds. The same sadness that ghosted across his face before returned.

“Hey,” I said. “What’s going on in there?”

My pulse revved up as he caressed my cheek. A suffocating aura of want enveloped us. Hovering his lips above mine he said, “I love you.”

The vulnerable edge to his tone hit me hard. Hearing him say those words to me was a rare occasion. Sure, he showed me in so many ways all the time but hearing it? I never thought three little words could light up my entire being the way they did coming from him.

Without saying a word, I stood up and led him to the bedroom where I peeled off the rest of his clothes. He finished undressing me, brushing his fingers over every inch of my hyper-sensitive flesh before pulling me down on the mattress.

We remained tangled together in comfortable silence for awhile. I thought maybe he’d nod off seeing as I kept running my fingers through his hair and his breathing had become deep and heavy.

I knew on some level he was still struggling with finding a balance between trusting his emotions and keeping them protected. Shifting slightly on the bed, he inadvertently flexed his hips into mine kicking my heart rate up to a frantic pace. I heard a small moan vibrate in his throat. We were breathing in unison now. When he opened his eyes I inhaled sharply. Gone was the sadness. It was replaced by a craving so powerful I could feel it cloaking my body.

“All night, Lia,” he growled, rolling on top of me, the muscles in his face taut with lust and want.

At the rate we were going, we’d never sleep another full night for the rest of our lives. Not that I particularly cared. Feeling him inside me and knowing all of his love and attention was focused only on me was intoxicating. So were his soft moans and the unfiltered way he looked at me as we possessed one another, grabbing, caressing and claiming.

We were so connected now, so completely whole as a couple that we were unbreakable.

* * *

The next morning we showered together and spent our time talking, laughing and enjoying one another’s company. I loved watching Alastair when he was carefree and smiling. The way he carried himself with such quiet control always hit all my hot buttons but seeing him relaxed and sated made him even more beautiful.

I rode with my handsome Englishman to the airport and hugged him with all my might on the tarmac before he boarded the plane. For a brief moment, I considered ditching work and flying to London with him. The steely, all-business look in his eyes was the only thing that had stopped me. Dressed in a dark blue double breasted suit, Alastair had morphed from insatiable lover into CEO-mode on the ride over. It was sexy as hell but I knew better than to poke the bear.

Grabbing me and kissing me briskly, he promised to be back by Friday evening.

When I arrived at my office I was in a great mood and felt indestructible. Noticing a small silver envelope on my desk, I sat down and opened it. Inside was a rather expensive looking invitation. I hadn’t lived here long enough to be invited to anything so my curiosity was well and truly piqued.

You are cordially invited to a Bridal Shower

honouring Olivia Garrison

Saturday, 17 September 2011

I stopped reading and dropped the fancy piece of paper like it was on fire. All the blood in my body had run cold. The girl who nearly turned Alastair’s carefully controlled world upside down wanted to socialize with me? At her bridal shower? This had to be someone’s idea of a sick joke. What the actual fuck?

CHAPTER FOUR

I didn’t have a chance to dwell on the invitation thanks to Julian’s demands and Robbie’s constant interruptions. Wednesday went from awesome to annoying no less than twenty minutes after I sat at my desk. When I finally had two seconds to myself I called Stephanie.

“What are you doing for lunch?”

“Spending it with Brent Garrison,” she said. “He loved my work for Pulse so much he wants my help on a campaign for a new residential complex he’s preparing to open. Why? Did you need something? Is everything alright?”

I leaned back in my chair and added this to the list of things that had officially annoyed me today.

“Everything’s fine.”

“No it’s not. You forget that I can see through your bullshit even on the phone. What’s going on?”

I glared at the silver envelope. “I’ve been invited to a bridal shower.”

“Really? Who do you know here that’s getting married?”

“Brent’s sister.”

Stephanie was quiet for a full five seconds, a record for her. “Interesting. Want me to do some digging when I see him for lunch? I can be discreet.”

I snorted. “Sure.”

“Lia! How long have you known me? I have a way with getting information from unsuspecting people. Besides, Brent will think I’m flirting with him. He loves that.”

“Does he?”

“Yeah. I’ll tell you all about it later.” She paused. “Darren doesn’t have any lunch plans. I’ll tell him to meet you in the lobby in twenty.”

* * *

I’d barely walked out of the elevator when Darren hugged me and spun me in a quick circle before we walked outside. He might have been Stephanie’s friend since they were teenagers but I adored him as if I’d known him for years and years. His sunny disposition always put a smile on my face.

The cafe wasn’t too far from our building. Timid rays of autumn sunshine poked their way through some clouds, then had second thoughts and were eventually swallowed up.

“I hear this place has one hell of a mozzarella and tomato panini,” Darren said, holding the door open.

The cafe was so warm and cozy I thought we’d mistakenly walked into someone’s home. Several patrons were ordering at the mahogany counter while others were chatting at various tables spread throughout the dining area. The aroma of freshly baked bread filled the air. Darren motioned for me to grab a table and offered to place our orders. I found a table by the dark brown brick wall and people watched.

“So,” Darren said, placing our sandwiches down, “how’s everything at the new job? Is Archer on your nerves yet?”

I chuckled to myself. “Not yet. Ask me again next week.”

“Steph says you went for cocktails with him last night. You should have thrown a drink in his face.” The sour expression Darren employed shocked me. I’d never heard him talk so negatively about someone.

“Alright. Spill it MacCourty. What did he do aside from being an overzealous, loud mouth TV guy?”

“My ex-girlfriend used to work for him as an associate producer. He likes to get friendly with the ladies on his staff. A little touching here, a little bum slap there. She didn’t like it and when she called him out on it, he fired her. The twat.” He took a large bite out of his sandwich and stewed in the anger of his distant memory.

I was shocked but not overly surprised to hear this. Julian did like the hands-on approach when he talked to me. I didn’t think much of it because it never went further than a shoulder squeeze but I made a mental note to keep an eye on him.

“Sorry that happened to her,” I said, sympathizing. “What does she do now?”

“She moved to France and works on some detective show there. I haven’t talked to her in a couple years but she was really turned off by Archer. That guy is a massive knob. I’d—” He stopped and stared at my left hand.

I held the sandwich in front of my wide open mouth and stared back at him. We both must have looked like mental patients.

“You are engaged,” he said with a smile. “That’s brilliant, Lia. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” I put my sandwich down and showed off the ring. “He gave this to me the other night but we haven’t said anything publicly yet. Well, he actually asked me to marry him in July when you guys were in Orlando but we’ve kept it quiet.”

“July? How have you both managed to keep it quiet?”

“Well, you know Alastair. He’s a man of few words.”

“True that. But if I scored a looker like you I’d shout it from the mountain tops.”

I laughed. “It hasn’t been easy not saying anything, trust me. We both decided after the summer we’d had that we just wanted to have something for ourselves.”

Darren studied me with astute eyes. “The press over here is going to love you. You’re pretty, smart and loads of fun to be around. They’re so fascinated with Alastair and every little move he makes. He dodges them pretty well though, only giving his requisite face time and then disappearing from sight.”

That had been Alastair’s M. O. for years. He lived as private a life as one could, being the heir to a billion dollar mega corporation. When his grandfather retired and he was named CEO over the summer, the spotlight shined a little brighter on him. As his girlfriend, that also meant some of the light focused on me. I was used to it to some degree thanks to my previous relationship with a U.S. senator’s son. I had a feeling this time around, the media attention would be more intense.

“There haven’t been too many issues yet, knock on wood,” I said. “Only an occasional photographer here and there. Having Paxton with me most of the time seems to help. I’m such a nobody anyway. They probably look at me as just another piece of eye candy for him.”

“Once the news of your engagement gets out you won’t be a nobody.” Darren looked at me solemnly. “The gossip sites are already feasting on your taste in shoes and how you like to wear workout clothes while buying groceries.”

The more I listened to Darren, the more uncomfortable I became. I’d had a sneaking suspicion the handful of photographers I’d seen were only hounding me for fluff pieces like that. For the most part, it didn’t bother me but I knew it was only the tip of the iceberg. Alastair and I hadn’t discussed how our lives would be affected by public scrutiny too much. He just made sure I was always under the watchful eye of Paxton or someone from his security staff. He also knew how much I disliked having babysitters and made sure they were inconspicuous. Most days I was oblivious to the bodyguard detail.

“Our boy is quite protective of you. We both know the lengths he’ll go to keep you safe.”

I swallowed another bite of my sandwich and nodded. If there was one thing everyone knew about Alastair, it was how close he kept me to his vest.

“Anyway,” Darren said, brightening the room with his infectious smile, “Steph will go ballistic if you don’t tell her about this engagement straight away.” He winked and took another bite of his sandwich.

“I know. I was going to tell her today but she’s off with Brent Garrison.”

“She’s been seeing quite a bit of him recently.” The look on his face spoke a million words after he said that. “Damn. I wasn’t supposed to say anything. She’ll kill me if you tell her I told you.”

I’d made it no secret that Brent wasn’t one of my favorite people on the planet. He’d never been mean or horrible towards me but his history with Alastair was so salty and tense that I’d made a conscious decision not to bother with him unless it was necessary. Hearing that my best friend might be dating him threw a wrench in that.

“Like, ‘seeing’ him seeing him? Or just business lunches?”

“It started as business but they’ve been hanging out on the weekends and what not. I’m surprised she hasn’t told you yet.”

You and me both.

“He seems like a decent guy,” Darren said, clearly trying to play the peacemaker. “I’ve done some work for him in the past and got on with him quite well. Alastair knows him from years ago.” He paused and smiled sheepishly. “That’s not news to you though. They went to university together at Oxford.”

I stopped mid chew. “They did? I didn’t know that.”

“No? Brent was a year ahead of him. They played rugby together and were pretty friendly until something happened.” He shrugged. “I always assumed Brent was jealous of Alastair’s social ranking what with the family business and all. He seemed quite determined to make a success out of his real estate venture to steal some of the thunder from the Holden clan. Not sure why though, since they do media and what not. Seemed a bit odd to me.”

I kept eating my sandwich in the most nonchalant way possible as Darren continued spilling details about Brent. Nothing about it was earth shattering, just interesting enough to fill some of the holes that Alastair left out. I felt better having a clearer picture of their past interactions outside the sphere of Alastair’s relationship with Olivia.

“Your fiancé is a frosty one to try and be friends with Lia. And I say that with no disrespect. Whatever happened between him and Brent must have been huge because they were like brothers at university. At least that’s what I hear.”

The fact that Darren loved to gossip could work in my favor. My curiosity was insatiable and anytime I learned a new nugget about Alastair it left me craving more. For the time being, I chose to stifle the questions and just enjoy the rest of our lunch.

“You have exactly twenty-four hours to tell your best friend about that ring, lass,” he said on our walk back to the building. “I can’t keep a secret like that from Steph forever. We live together. She’s up my arse all the time wanting to know if Alastair has told me anything. I’m surprised I haven’t gone mad yet from all her pestering.”

I laughed heartily as we walked into the elevator. “You’re a saint, Darren.”

“True that.” He winked and gave me a little wave when we reached his floor.

Even though my dealings with Brent had always been a little stressful, I decided to have a little fun at Stephanie’s expense and texted her when I returned to my office.

1:43pm How big is it?

1:47pm ??????????

1:48pm Brent’s wonder stick

My desk phone rang within seconds.

“Yes?”

“Amelia Grace Meyers,” she hissed, “you’re not funny.”

“Sorry.” I laughed. “I couldn’t help myself. What are you doing after work?”

“Finding a new roommate.”

I laughed even harder. “Aw, don’t be mad at Darren. You know he can’t stay quiet about big news like that forever.”

“There is no big news. We’ve hung out and stuff. It’s really nothing.”

“Alright. Whatever you say.”

“Lia,” she whined, “he’s not even my type. He’s too buttoned up and proper. I like ’em carefree and wild.”

“You’re protesting too much.”

“Fine,” she sighed. “We had dinner a couple of times. That’s it.”

I tapped a pen on my desk, wanting to be judicious with my words. “Listen, um. Just, you know, be—”

“I know,” she snapped. “You hate him and Alastair hates him so I have to hate him too.”

“That’s not what I was going to say. I just…I know how you are when people say negative things about—”

“Oh my God,” she grumbled. “Do you really think we sit around and talk about Alastair like he’s some fascinating subject? Jesus Christ. He’s your boyfriend. He has a bad history with Brent and his sister. I could give three flying shits about all that because it’s really none of my business. You need to stop convincing yourself that your relationship with Alastair fucking Holden is the end all, be all of the world.”

I sat in stunned silence, confused as to how this conversation took such a sour turn. When she was heated, Stephanie could be irrational.

“Fuck,” she muttered. “Look, I didn’t mean to fly off the handle like that. I’m PMS-ing and this deadline for creative is stressing me out and” —she sighed— “you know I love Alastair. And I love you. And you’re far from being the girl who thinks their relationship is the most important thing on the planet to everyone else. Did I cover them all?”

“I’m coming down to bring you Pamprin.”

“Smart ass. I’d rather have ice cream.” She paused. “I really am sorry.”

“Wow.” I snickered. “You hate apologizing so that PMS must be severe.”

”And yet you continue to test my limits, Amelia Grace,” she said. I could hear the smile in her voice. “We should get together this weekend and do something fun. Maybe we could take the train into Edinburgh for some lunch.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Fantastic. I gotta run. We’ll talk later.”

Shaking my head at Stephanie, I placed the phone in its cradle and emailed my sister to give her a quick update on how I was doing. I also promised to come visit her soon. I flirted with the idea of calling my mom but decided to wait until this weekend. She’d most likely want a detailed report on how everything was going here and wouldn’t take too kindly to being ushered off the phone after a brief conversation.

Eyeing the silver envelope again, I finished reading the invitation for Olivia’s bridal shower. The Hotel du Vin? I did a quick search online and learned it was a luxury boutique hotel in the West End. It looked quite lovely from the photos.