more intense friction and deeper penetration.
His response was instinctive and immediate. He dropped his head to the curve of Nicole’s neck and pounded into her, giving her body exactly what it craved, and taking what he needed, too. She trembled with the driving impact of each frenzied stroke, while her hands slid around to the base of his spine and her fingernails dug into his backside in her own show of control and aggression.
He laved her throat with his tongue, then sank his teeth into a tender piece of flesh just below her ear that triggered her orgasm. She bucked wildly against him, her back arching, her hips straining as her mouth fell open on a long, low cry of extreme pleasure.
He watched her face as she came, savoring every moment of her surrender until his own climax slammed into him, forcing the air from his lungs as he ground himself into her, coming so hard it felt as though he’d given her a piece of his soul.
Nicole disconnected the call she’d just received on her cell phone, knowing for a fact that Nathan wasn’t going to be happy about her change of plans for the day. While he planned to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the women’s shelter in the hope of meeting up with Sloane, she’d agreed to stay at the apartment and wait for him to return. Then they’d discuss their next step in rescuing Angela.
The unexpected call from her editor at
Releasing a deep breath, she headed toward the master suite and into the adjoining bathroom, where Nathan had just finished taking his shower.
He stood in front of the large mirror above the dual sinks as he shaved, his hair damp and tousled around his head and wearing nothing more than the towel he’d wrapped low on his hips. Water droplets still clung to the smooth slope of his back, and she wondered how he’d react if she licked them off with her tongue.
Despite indulging in lazy morning sex with him only an hour ago, the sight of his half-naked body made her forget the real reason why she’d sought him out. She chewed on her bottom lip, and had to seriously resist the urge to untuck that small knot, let the towel drop to the floor, and have her way with him.
His gaze met hers in the reflection, his smile warm and intimate as he rinsed shaving cream off the razor before lifting it to the left side of his face and ridding himself of the stubble there.
“Don’t give me that look,” he said, even though his gruff voice was tinged with renewed desire, too. “I don’t have time to fool around again.”
“I know. I don’t have the time, either,” she said with a sigh, and leaned against the doorjamb. “It looks like I’m going to be joining you today at the women’s shelter.”
A frown creased his brows as he swiped the razor beneath the flow of water in the sink. “We agreed that you’d stay here while I go. I want to get Sloane alone so the two of us can talk. He was pretty open about wanting to swap you for one of his girls. I need to work that to our advantage.”
She heard the frustration in his tone, but this situation was out of her hands, and his. “I’m really sorry, but I don’t have a choice. My editor, Sharon, just called. The person originally scheduled to cover the ceremony came down with food poisoning. It’s so last-minute that everyone else has assignments or firm commitments, except me. I need quotes so I can write the article, and a photographer from the magazine will be with me, too, to get some pictures of Sloane while he’s cutting the ribbon.”
“Shit.” Done shaving, he wiped the excess foam from his jaw and neck with a small hand towel, then turned to face her. “Sloane can’t see you there as a reporter or our whole cover will be blown.”
It was difficult to argue with his logic, but her job was on the line, and she couldn’t afford to lose her only source of income. “I’ve given it some thought, and I think we can make it work.”
He looked skeptical as he passed by her into the bedroom, but she followed and explained. “Sloane has only seen me dressed and made up as a young teenage girl. I can go to the opposite extreme and make myself look completely different and older.”
“You look young no matter what you do,” he said as he dropped the towel, giving her a glimpse of his tight, muscular butt before he pulled on a pair of boxer briefs. “I don’t think it will work.”
She believed differently. It was a matter of hairstyle, makeup, and what she chose to wear. “I’ll stay at the back of the crowd and I won’t make eye contact,” she said, still trying to convince him as he finished stepping into a pair of dark brown slacks and shrugged into a long-sleeved shirt. “I know what’s at stake here. You’re just going to have to trust me on this.”
He looped a silk tie around his neck, the grim press of his lips clearly expressing his displeasure over the situation. “Like you said, I don’t have a choice. So make damn sure that Sloane won’t recognize you.”
“I will.” By the time she was done with her latest transformation, she was willing to bet Nathan wouldn’t be able to easily pick her out of the crowd, either.
Where in the hell was she?
Feeling tense, Nathan scanned the crowd gathered out in front of the beautiful modern building housing the new women’s shelter, anxious to find Nicole in the sea of faces so he could keep an eye on her until her job was done. He’d dropped her off at her apartment about an hour ago so she could change and drive her own car, and he hadn’t seen her since.
There were many people in attendance, from a multitude of news media, to various politicians who’d helped back the endeavor, to the board of trustees and other supporters of the project. A booklet listed the dignitaries by name and included the mayor, who was currently standing up at the podium commending Preston Sloane for his selfless contribution to the venture, which had made the shelter a possibility.
The mayor’s praise was nauseating, considering who and what Sloane really was. But today it was all about Preston and his generous altruism, a perception he worked very hard to cultivate and promote whenever the opportunity arose. And as Sloane sat behind the podium and waited for his turn to speak, on the surface he appeared to be a charitable businessman who cared about today’s cause and helping women escape abusive relationships.
A contradiction in every way imaginable, and one that caused Nathan to grind his teeth in revulsion.
Nathan had deliberately declined taking a seat so he could blend in with the overflow of people standing around the stage and move wherever he needed to go. As the guests burst into applause when Sloane took to the microphone to give his speech, Nathan continued his visual search for Nicole, his gaze shifting back to the area in front that had been designated for media.
While Sloane thanked key people for their support and went on to talk about how close this project was to his heart, Nathan scrutinized each female reporter. He overlooked a brunette and a busty redhead, and even a blonde whose face was much too round to be Nicole’s. He skimmed past another blonde, his mind automatically discounting the severe upswept hairstyle, dark-rimmed glasses, and navy-blue business suit… until she lifted her hand ever so slightly to let him know it was her before returning her attention to the podium.
He did a quick double take, shocked by Nicole’s latest metamorphosis that disguised the fresh, youthful appearance he’d grown used to seeing on a daily basis. As his surprise abated and he took in her sophisticated image, recognition set in, enabling him to make out the familiar shape of her face, her expressive eyes, and the confident way she carried herself.
She wasn’t in the back as she’d promised, but at least she’d executed a decent job of changing her overall look. She blended in with the rest of the reporters, and that would hopefully be enough to deflect any interest when Sloane passed by.
Sloane went on to enthrall the crowd with his noble pledge to provide a safe haven to homeless and abused women and children, and to promote dignity and self-respect to those who came through the doors of the shelter. Listening to the other man’s rehearsed speech with half an ear, Nathan eased over to the media pen. This way he could be close to Nicole and also be in Sloane’s path once he exited the stage.
Next up was the ribbon cutting, followed by a closing speech from the mayor to wrap up the ceremony. Nathan waited patiently as Sloane shook hands with important people, then made his way down to where the media were
