Pure Satisfaction--A Hot Holiday Romance Read online

  Ruby slipped on her sunglasses and watched Adrian as he studiously read his book. Despite teasing him for wearing a business suit on arrival, she actually hadn’t pictured him wearing anything else or even doing anything but sitting at a desk at work. The serious, older man. The idea itself sparked a shiver. In her fantasies, he sometimes lost the suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, but he’d be entirely focused on spreadsheets or whatever finance people did...until she unbuttoned her shirt or did something that found a crack in all that intense focus.

  She studied him more carefully. His shorts and a T-shirt showed off broad shoulders, muscular arms and legs dusted with just the right amount of hair. He was fit, in a way that required the kind of attention Ruby was sure he gave to everything. The only remainder of his work image was his hair, still mostly neat with a few defiant curls sticking up from when he’d run his hand through it in the kitchen. She squinted, trying to get a look at what book he was reading. He must have brought it with him—apart from a few glossy travel guides on Hawaii, the cabin was entirely devoid of books. His expression wasn’t relaxed, but she could tell he was giving it his best effort.

  They really were opposites. Ruby was barely making enough to keep her ground floor studio in the Bowery, while he lived on the Upper East Side in a building that faced Central Park and had a doorman—yes, she’d looked it up. He’d already made tons of money off one company earlier in his career and was still uber-dedicated to his work, while she wasted entirely too much time on social media instead of getting her photography portfolio ready. On the other hand, they had one similarity that had struck Ruby as particularly interesting: they’d both been planning to spend Christmas alone before Cristina and James dropped Hawaii in their laps. Were his reasons anything like hers?

  The doorbell to the cabin chimed, and Ruby sat up. Was it already time for dinner? The change in time zones had thrown off her internal clock, so it was hard to tell. She scrambled out of the lounge chair and headed toward the entrance.

  Adrian was already halfway to the door as she ran into the living room. He turned as she approached and froze, midstep. His gaze dipped down to her breasts and his mouth parted.

  Ruby slowed to a stop. Her breath caught in her throat. They were so close, close enough to touch. His eyes were intense, so hungry as his gaze dipped lower, raking over her exposed skin. Her breath caught in her throat. Grumpy, by-the-book CFO Adrian Wentworth was giving her the most deliciously lust-filled look, like he was one breath away from picking her up and heading for the bedroom. Oh my, she wanted this version of him.

  The doorbell rang again, and the hunger in his gaze dissolved.

  “You get the door,” he grumbled and headed for the bedroom.

  Ruby dashed for the front door, her heart pounding double time as Adrian’s very adult stare played back in her mind.

  After a deep breath, she turned the knob. A man carrying two insolated bags stood on their doorstep.

  “Come in.”

  He gave her a once-over, his eyes widening when he got to her very small bikini. The guy immediately looked away and cleared his throat. “Where would you like your meal served?”

  “On the lanai, please.”

  He made an effort not to look her direction again, and she suppressed a smile.

  “Thank you,” she said. “We’ll leave the dishes outside when we’re done.”

  “Very good, ma’am.” he said, his eyes focused on a spot somewhere above her head, then he quickly turned and headed for the lanai.

  Ruby headed for the bedroom, closed the door and let out a long sigh. She was pretty sure that, number one, the server hadn’t suspected she was a decoy for Cristina and, number two, she had just stumbled on to a great distraction trick to avoid discovery if they needed one: the bikini. Another win for minimalism.

  As effective as it had been at getting under Adrian’s skin, she was pretty sure that showing up for the day’s romantic dinner photo session dressed in three tiny scraps of material was pushing her outfit’s useful limits, so she headed to her suitcase in search of something a little more subtle.

  Adrian was in the walk-in closet, presumably changing for dinner. As much as she’d enjoy the shock on his face if he opened the door and found her half-dressed, she figured that game would be better played without the staff around. Instead, she grabbed a few things and headed into the bathroom. She took down her hair and changed into a red dress that dipped low between her breasts but hung demurely at her knees. After a bit of debate, she brushed a layer of glossy red lipstick over her lips. Just to get in the mood for the photo session, of course.

  After the front door closed—presumably the server leaving after setting up dinner—Ruby headed out for the main room. Adrian was waiting there, his hands shoved stiffly in his pockets, pacing. He had put on a button-down shirt over his T-shirt, and the sleeves were rolled up, just like in her dream. He stilled when he saw her, his gaze drifting down her body. He swallowed visibly. Then he frowned.

  “You’re bringing your phone to a dinner table?” He eyed said phone.

  “I need to take some photos for social media posts, focused on intimacy.”

  “Fantastic,” he said in his driest, most Adrian tone. “Can’t wait.”

  He was using that tone from the office, the one that she found both irritating and inexplicably hot. Ruby searched for something to say that would have the same effect on him, but before she came up with anything good, he was heading for the lanai.

  Her steps slowed as she walked out the French doors. The table had been transformed. It was covered in soft white linen, with some sort of red tropical flowers strewn everywhere, between the plates, arranged around the glasses, and at the base of the candleholders. A bottle of wine chilled in a silver bucket, and plates with silver covers were arranged in front of each seat, presumably in the order in which they should be eaten. In the middle of the table was a card. She picked it up and read it aloud.

  “Merry Christmas from South Korea.” Underneath the greeting was a handwritten menu from the chef, Alana, which included bibimbap, barbecued ribs, kimchi and a few other dishes she didn’t recognize.

  Ruby circled the table, inspecting the flowers. Adrian took a seat and reached for the elegantly folded red napkin.

  “Wait—don’t touch that,” she said, shooing away his hand. “Let me take a couple photos first. Then we can eat.”

  Adrian sighed but said nothing, so she got to work, focusing her phone’s camera on different objects, playing with the settings, capturing the ocean in the background. She walked around to the other side, and got a photo of a wineglass, surrounded by flowers, with Adrian blurred in the background.

  “Uncross your arms,” she said. “We’re going for relaxed.”

  “Like this?” He rested his forearms on the arms of the chair and raised his eyebrows a little, like he was both humoring her and waiting for instructions. He sounded...well, not annoyed at her, and when he wasn’t frowning and taking jabs at her, it was hard to ignore how gorgeous he was. That dark hair with a hint of curl, dark eyes, broad shoulders, long, capable fingers...

  Ruby cleared her throat and focused on the screen. “Um, that’s perfect.”

  “I’m not the expert here, but didn’t you say the theme of these posts was intimacy?” He gestured to the table. “Not sure a view of our meal is very intimate.”

  “I’m getting extra photos, in case I’m short on good ones on future days or if Cristina wants to do anything with them in the future.” She winked at him. “Don’t worry. We can eat a little, then get intimate soon.”

  Adrian frowned, and she suppressed a smile.

  Ruby finished with the shots of the table and headed for the empty chair, and they both started on the food. Ruby hadn’t realized she was so hungry until she was staring at her empty plate. She blinked up at Adrian. He was watching her with that inten
se look he had. The server had set their places close together, next to each other and facing the ocean, and he was so...there.

  “The rest of the photos,” she said as she took her last bite. She had almost forgotten them. “Let’s use the wine.”

  It was still untouched. She poured a little into each glass. “And maybe hold hands,” she added, resting hers on the table.

  He hesitated, and then he laid his hand next to hers, palm up. It was a big hand, much bigger than hers, Ruby ignored the thumping of her heart and placed her palm against his. An electric zing ran through her as his long fingers closed around hers. Her breath caught in the back of her throat, and liquid fire traveled through her.

  She hazarded a glance at Adrian. His expression was tight, almost pained. She may be melting into a pile of molten lust, but she was almost sure he was struggling, too.

  His words came back to her, laced with condescension. Of course it works that way...for adults. He didn’t look nearly as impenetrable anymore. This could be fun, and the opportunity to tease him about his own declaration was so tempting.

  Ruby fumbled with her phone camera in one hand, trying to get a good angle on their hands. “I don’t think this is going to work,” she said after a few shots. She slipped her hand out of his. “We need to be closer together. Maybe if I sit on your lap...”

  She stood up, and Adrian’s eyes widened. “That’s...that’s not a good idea.”

  Ruby laughed. “What were your words earlier? Something about adults?”

  “Fine,” he grumbled, scooting back his chair.

  She gave him an innocent smile and slid onto his lap. His thigh muscles tensed under her weight. She wobbled a little, and his hands settled on her waist to steady her. His warm breath blew over her neck. She swallowed, trying to steady the hard thump of her heartbeat, and leaned forward to grab their wineglasses.

  “We’ll do a toast for the camera,” she said, handing one to him.

  He took it, and she moved farther back on his lap, leaning against the hard muscles of his chest. He let out a soft groan. Her plan to make him rethink his smug comment was working a little too well...on her.

  “Hold out your glass,” she said, grabbing her phone with the other hand. “Farther.”

  “Like this?”

  She was pressed against him, and his voice was a rough rasp in her ear. She swallowed, trying to focus on the camera. “Yes. Just like that.”

  She took a few shots, playing around with the lighting. She adjusted his hand, trying to ignore the electric zing each time she touched him. Finally, she set her wineglass down on the table.

  “Let’s see,” she said, scrolling through the photos. “What do you think about this one?”

  “Mmm,” he said absently, like he wasn’t listening. One of his hands was still on her waist, and his thumb moved up and down in a slow caress. Her breaths were coming faster.

  “I think this one,” she whispered.

  “Mmm,” he said again, his mouth closer.

  Her whole body tingled, and she shifted to adjust herself. Her rear brushed up against something firm, and Adrian hissed in a breath. He was hard, and it turned her own libido onto high. She shifted against his cock again, this time more deliberately, and his hand tightened around her waist.

  “If you keep doing that, you might regret the outcome,” he said, his voice tight.

  “I doubt it.”

  “I’ll definitely regret it.”

  “Or you might feel really, really good.”

  He let out a pained laugh. “Most likely it will be both.”

  She spread her legs, and both his hands slid down to her hips. Slowly, he moved her against his stiff cock.

  “You feel so good,” he said.

  She brought one of his hands to her breast, showing him how she liked to be touched. “Like that. Pinch my nipple.”

  He did it, and she moaned. “More.”

  His cock jumped against her, like it was begging for attention, and a low rumble escaped from his chest. “Fuck. Your tits drive me insane. I’ve wanted to do this all day long.”

  “But you shouldn’t.” She pushed her ass against his cock again. “What would people at the office think of you if they found out?”

  “That I was the biggest hypocrite. That every time I warned someone away from you, it was because I was dying to touch you myself.”

  “But you still want to.”

  His chest rumbled with a pained groan. “Yes. Hell, yes. I still want to.”

  “No one has to find out,” she whispered.

  She shifted to the side and turned so she could see him. They were so close, their height difference gone now that she was on his lap. His eyes weren’t guarded and distant. They were filled with enough heat to take her breath away. She was bursting into flames right now, and his stare still burned into her, making the flames shoot higher.

  She smiled. “Aren’t you curious?”

  CHAPTER SIX

  ADRIAN HAD TO bite back a groan. Was he curious? He had spent the longest twenty-four hours of his life trying not to be, and right now, he was failing miserably. That word didn’t even begin to cover what he was feeling. Ravenous. Desperate. On the edge of doing something really unprofessional.

  But with Ruby on his lap, pressing up against his cock and smiling a real smile for him, he couldn’t resist touching her. Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked so fresh and ready for whatever came next, so upbeat, like the world wasn’t full of disappointments. And damn, that red dress. It was cut low enough in front to give him a nice view of the tops of her breasts. She had shown him how much she liked his hands on them, making little moans of pleasure, begging him to squeeze her nipple again. What would she sound like if he teased her with his mouth instead? He was pretty sure he could come just thinking about it.

  Her lips were so close. He swallowed, forcing himself to think of all the reasons he should cut this off. “I’m the CFO. I’m not supposed to be fooling around with you.”

  Her breath quickened, and her smile grew. “Say it again.”

  His cock gave a jolt. She was turning his last grasp at being responsible into dirty talk? Oh, he was so fucked. Her pulse at the base of her throat was jumping, and he lowered his mouth to it. “I’m the CFO,” he whispered, his mouth so close. “I’m not supposed to be fooling around with you.”

  She gasped as his lips met her soft skin. “And you’re much too old for me.”

  “I’m much too old for you,” he echoed, his voice raw. Her skin tasted like coconut and sex, the same scents he’d caught in the kitchen.

  “It’s so wrong.” Her hand traveled down his chest. Lower. Lower. It was so close to his cock. If she touched it, this was all over. He was going to fuck her right here in this chair.

  He put his hand around her wrist, stopping her explorations. “So wrong.”

  Ruby pulled back a little, and he recognized her expression too well. That sweet smile of hers was laced with challenge. She tugged her hand away and stood up. His instinct was to reach for her, to pull her back on top of him, just to touch her a little longer, to ease that incessant ache for her. He shouldn’t, but holy hell, he wanted to. Needed to. The last of his willpower was eroding.

  He lifted his hand but stopped as he caught sight of what Ruby was doing. She was inching her dress up her thighs. His hand fell to his lap as he watched her, mesmerized. She pulled up the dress farther, revealing red panties...curvy hips...a soft stomach...a red bra that held the most beautiful breasts he had ever seen. She lifted the dress over her head and draped it over the arm of her chair, her breasts jiggling with each movement. Then she sat back on his lap, crossed her legs and raised her eyebrows, smiling. “What were you saying?”

  His brain had stuttered to a stop, and his cock was heavy, heading for full alert. Adrian had no idea what he had been saying, but
he was one hundred percent sure it was not nearly as interesting as what was happening right in front of him.

  “You’re...” His voice faded as he searched for the right way to finish that sentence.

  “Almost naked?”

  Somewhere, his brain was registering that she was using the tone he had mistaken for innocence. This was definitely not innocent.

  “I’m ready to see what so wrong feels like,” she whispered, her voice husky.

  It took him a moment to realize she was waiting for him to speak. But the last thing he wanted to do right now was talk. Right now, the last three years of talking to her felt like one giant web of foreplay, intricately woven for this moment: when Ruby Bisset voluntarily took off her dress for him and only him.

  It was like she had peeked into his secret fantasies, where he buried his face between her legs until she screamed his name, like she’d never had anything like it. The fantasy played out in his mind... After she came, she’d look up at him and ask for more. With his cock ready to explode, she’d get on her knees, her hair wild and her cheeks flushed, and he’d—

  No. Hell, no. If he was going to break the cardinal rule of employee/executive relations, it was going to be about making sure Ruby was satisfied. He pictured her legs spread for him, her eyes hazy with satisfaction. His cock gave another jolt, begging for attention. Keep it together.

  He nodded to the lounge chair she had sat in earlier. “I watched you on that chair in that fucking bikini this afternoon. Want to know what I was dying to do?”

  Her smile brightened. “Show me.”

  Before he could respond, she stood up and headed for the chair. Adrian watched her, memorizing this view, from her long hair that hung down to her waist, to the panties that left most of her ass exposed, down her long legs. He had tried so hard not to look when she walked around in her bikini, but now, now he finally could stare. He rested his hand on his cock as he followed the curve of her waist, her hips, imagining what they would feel like under his hands right now.

  She stopped at the same chair that she had chosen earlier, sat down and lounged back, with one leg bent, exactly the way she had sat that afternoon. Ruby didn’t pay any attention to him. Instead, she closed her eyes, like they were back to earlier that afternoon, before they had discussed limits and parameters. Like she was inviting him to just come and take.