It was something instinctive.
Like a hard kick to the gut that I couldn’t ignore.
My brain hadn’t functioned properly since I’d gotten on the flight.
And my cock was in overdrive.
Shit! I wasn’t a guy who let his cock rule his goddamn brain!
“I can’t just sit here for the entire flight,” Nicole whispered loudly next to my ear.
She sounded nervous, but not in a frightened sort of way. “A few more minutes,” I persuaded as I pressed my face against her hair like a man fucking desperate for the scent of a woman. But I wasn’t frantic to breathe in any female. Just. Her. “You smell so damn good, Nicole.”
She snorted lightly. “I’m not wearing anything. It’s probably my shampoo or body wash. I showered right before I came to the airport, thank God. I had no idea I’d get drunk and fall into the lap of the attractive man right next to me.”
I wrapped my hand around the fat braid of her hair, and gently turned her face toward me. “Are you attracted to me, Nicole?”
I already knew the answer to my question. There was no possible way I was in crazy-town alone. As our eyes met, I could feel the red-hot chemistry flowing between the two of us, but for some reason, I wanted to hear her admit that she felt the same damn indescribable pull toward me that I was experiencing with her.
She nodded slowly. We were so close I could see her swallow hard before she answered. “Yes. How could I not be? You’re the entire package, Damian. Tall, dark, and handsome. With a sexy British accent, too. Okay, maybe you’re a little arrogant, but as long as you’re not doing that really bossy thing you do, even your ego is kind of hot.”
I felt a smile tug at my lips as I insisted, “I don’t do a bossy thing.”
Her snort was louder this time. “You’re seriously bossy sometimes.”
I had no doubt that she was probably right. I was used to being the boss. The fact that she didn’t seem the least bit daunted made the woman even more attractive.
I was Damian Lancaster, and all I heard was “yes, sir” from all of my employees as they scrambled to do what I needed done, every single day.
It was probably a little twisted that I actually liked the fact that Nicole had no idea who I was, or that my life was far from normal. I knew her attraction to me was real. It had nothing to do with the obscene amount of money or power I had.
I toyed with a lock of her blonde hair that had escaped from her braid. “I’m just a guy with all of the regular faults.”
I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince her that I wasn’t different, or myself.
She smiled. “Just a guy who can get any woman to drop her panties because he’s way too attractive to ignore, and very charming when he wants to be?”
I shook my head. “I’ve never been charming, Nicole. You probably just think I’m charming because you’re more than just a little pissed.”
She wrinkled her brow. “I’m not pissed at you.”
I chuckled. “Not pissed as in…angry. Pissed as in…drunk.”
I’d forgotten that she wasn’t exactly a world traveler, so she might not recognize some British-isms.
She nodded. “Shitfaced. Definitely.”
I grinned. “I think I like ‘pissed’ better.”
She tilted her head adorably. “I think I like that word better, too. So I guess I am…pissed.”
I had to wonder just how open she would have been if she was completely sober right now. Nicole was at the perfect point of drunkenness, when her inhibitions were low and she wasn’t quite steady on her feet, but she wasn’t completely out of touch, either.
I stroked the flawless skin of her cheek, mesmerized by how incredibly soft she was…everywhere. “You’re so damn beautiful.”
She slapped my shoulder. “See. I was right. You’re totally charming. I’m not beautiful. My mother was beautiful, though. I always wished I looked more like her. She was petite, and never carried an extra pound—”
I put a finger to her lips to stop her from saying anything else negative about herself. “You’re fucking perfect.”
I knew she wasn’t fishing for compliments. She really thought she was highly flawed, and I hated that. What kind of tossers had she dated who had made her feel like she was anything less than wholly desirable? Some primitive instinct made me want to punch every single one of them for not appreciating Nicole.
She made a face at me. “No need for flattery. I decided a long time ago that I’d rather be smart than hot.”
I ran a thumb over her luscious mouth, tracing her lips. “Lucky for you then that you’re both of those things.”
She opened her mouth to voice what I already knew would be a denial.
Since I didn’t want to hear it, I knew I was about to do what any red-blooded man would do with a smoking-hot blonde sitting in his lap.
I put my hand firmly behind her head and did exactly what I’d wanted to do since the first moment I’d laid eyes on this woman.
I swooped in and captured her mouth so she couldn’t say anything at all.
CHAPTER 6
Nicole
IT WASN’T LIKE I’d never been kissed before. I had. Plenty of times. I’d had boyfriends, and dates that had never turned into anything more than a goodnight kiss.
Kisses could be pleasant.
Kisses could feel good.
Kisses could make a woman feel wanted.
But holy hell, kisses had never felt like an all-consuming claiming of my body and soul.
Not until…now.
Not until…him.
Not until…this.
Not until…Damian.
Yeah, an embrace could lead to a sexual act.
But with Damian, his kiss wasn’t a subtle prelude.
It was raw, hungry, and sexy as hell. It was a main event.
He ravished my mouth like it was something he had to do or die.
I was so stunned that it took me a moment to react, but when I did, I had no choice but to give back exactly what he was giving.
His hungry mouth was way too compelling to do anything else.
I released a small moan of surrender against his lips, closed my eyes, and allowed myself to fall into the molten embrace. It was so irresistible, so urgent, that I couldn’t possibly stop it.
I let my tongue duel with his, absorbing the taste of Damian like he was a highly decadent dessert.
When he pulled back a little to nibble on my bottom lip, I whimpered from the loss of all of that male passion, craving it like a drug until he stopped teasing and covered my mouth again.
I speared my hands into his hair, luxuriating in the feel of the coarse, short strands sifting between my fingers.
Maybe I was a little…pissed. But I was downright drunk with the scent, taste, and feel of this man, who was completely devouring me like I was the tastiest thing he’d ever sampled.
Heat flowed between my thighs as he stroked one of his large hands up and down my spine, and I was stunned by my reaction. I wanted him so much that I wanted to crawl inside him, be surrounded by his essence, and never come out again.
My instincts felt like they were being guided by some kind of feral desire I never knew existed.
It was as frightening as it was exhilarating.
I didn’t know what in the hell was happening to me, but the sensations he was wringing from my body were so exquisite that I didn’t want them to end.