Bought by a Millionaire Read online

  For a moment, his brain processed the problem, running through half a dozen scenarios that might keep her with him. That was, until Shannon grazed his sensitive flesh with her teeth and sent his mind spiraling into oblivion.

  Bright, tiny stars in silver and gold flashed behind his closed eyelids. His fingers curled into her shoulders a split second before he pulled her away, put a halt to her erotic ministrations before he lost control and missed the chance to return the favor.

  Tilting her face back, she gazed at him with a question in her sea-green eyes, her fingertips still burning like embers on his flesh.

  “I want you with me,” he rasped out, knowing that simple statement encompassed much more than the sheer act of passion between them. He wanted to say more, tell her his most private thoughts, make promises he wasn’t certain he could keep.

  Instead, he slid his hands inside the cute little beaded sweater that matched her khaki dress and pushed the material over her arms until it slipped free of her wrists and drifted to the floor. Cupping her elbows, he lifted her to her feet.

  Snagging the hem of the dress, he turned the garment inside out as he swept it up the lithe length of her body and off over her head. Both pieces lay in a heap on the floor, leaving her in nothing more than a black satin bra and tiny slip of lace that passed as panties.

  He couldn’t wait any longer to taste her, to fill his hands with her soft skin and lush curves. Fusing his mouth to hers, he walked her backwards toward the waiting bed.

  The mattress was small, only a third the width of his own and half the size of the one in his penthouse guest room. But it would do. With Shannon, a dirty old Army cot would do. Or the bare floor, if nothing else was available. Lucky for both of them, he had the means to provide better.

  If he had his way, he would make love to her on a bed as big as Barbados and as soft as a cloud every night for the rest of his life. On silken sheets colored the green of her eyes or the red of her copper curls, with freshly plucked rose petals sprinkled beneath her supple, blissfully bare body.

  For now, however, their choices were limited, and her narrow mattress looked every bit as inviting as the finest bedroom suite at the Four Seasons or the Taj Mahal.

  He tossed aside the thick layer of blankets and homemade afghans and laid her across the crisp, pastel yellow sheets. Following her down, he propped himself to one side on an elbow, careful not to crush the swell of her belly between them.

  He skimmed a hand over that bulge where their child slept, marveling again at the miracle of creating a new life. The miracle Shannon had made possible for him.

  And then he dipped his fingers into the elastic of her panties and began to snake them past her hips. With the scrap of lace discarded, he moved to her bra, reaching behind her to undo the single clasp.

  The perfect round globes of her breasts, slightly larger due to her pregnancy, spilled out. They filled his hands and sent currents of electricity skating along his palms. He flicked her nipples, teasing them into ready awareness. Puckered and tight, they beaded like cherries on top of two particularly delectable ice-cream sundaes.

  Hair spilled across the pale pillow like a red-gold halo, she arched into him, letting her eyes drift closed and moaning in pleasure. Burke’s erection twitched at the sight, growing and pulsing and begging to be buried inside her.

  Leaving one hand where it was to toy with her breast, he started nipping at her jawline with his mouth. She tasted like heaven—soft, sweet and feminine—which mixed with the flowery scent of her shampoo and made him wish he could lick every inch of her delectable body from head to toe.

  Unfortunately, he didn’t possess even a fraction of the self-control that would take. She felt like molten lava in his arms, and all he wanted to do was sink into her, melt into her, remain there forever.

  He trailed sucking little kisses over her neck and face until he reached her lips. At the same time, he insinuated his free hand between her thighs, parting her silken folds and filling her with a single finger.

  Shannon gasped, her hips flying off the mattress, forcing his finger even deeper. “Burke,” she cried out breathlessly.

  “You’re so wet,” he grated, clenching his teeth to keep from rolling on top of her and pounding his way to ecstasy. “Hot and wet and gorgeous.”

  He stroked a few loose curls away from her face and stared down into emerald eyes that were wide open now, clouded with desire. “You should see how beautiful you are, lying there like some fairy princess. I’m making love to the most magnificent woman in the world.”

  Shannon felt emotions prickle behind her eyes and moisture gather near her lashes. She fought like crazy not to blink, afraid her tears would spill over if she did.

  Was it any wonder she loved him? His feelings might not run as vehemently as hers, but he wasn’t immune to her, either. He’d had a dozen girlfriends, been linked in the press to hundreds of women. Yet Shannon couldn’t picture him whispering such lovely words to them, sharing such personal sentiments on a regular basis. He might have slept with them, shared his bed with a revolving door of attractive young ladies…but with how many of them would he have been willing to make love on a lumpy, narrow mattress in a shabby little apartment?

  No. He felt something for her or he wouldn’t be here right now. He wouldn’t paint such a pretty picture or use words to charm her when she was already naked and willing beneath him. If she meant nothing more to him than a walking incubator for his child or a quick roll in the hay, he would be inside her by now…or possibly finished already and on his way out the door.

  Her heart gave a small thump at the implication of her thoughts, though she warned herself not to get her hopes up. Just because he murmured sweet nothings in her ear didn’t mean a declaration of undying love was next on his agenda. He hadn’t said anything of the sort up to now, and it would be shortsighted of her to expect him to.

  But a girl could dream, couldn’t she? This was the first time she had reason to even hope Burke might love her. For her, it was worth the risk. She could make love to him with a happy heart because she knew Burke felt something for her, whether he realized it himself or not. And maybe, just maybe, she could convince him to admit it sooner rather than later.

  “If I’m a fairy princess,” she told him in a raw voice, “then you’re my prince.” She ran her fingers through the lock of ebony hair falling over his forehead, only to have it fall right back into place. “I have to point out, however, that you aren’t making love to me at the moment. You’re only torturing me with your mouth and your—”

  He twisted the hand between her legs, inserting a second finger and heightening his touch, causing her to bite down on her lower lip to keep from crying out.

  “—hands,” she finished when she was once more capable of speech.

  The corners of his mouth curved up in a wicked grin. His fingers continued their cruel movements. “Is that a complaint?”

  She swallowed hard, shaking her head from side to side on the pillow. “No, no.” The air whooshed from her lungs like an unknotted balloon. “Just an…observation.”

  “Maybe I should skip the introduction and go straight to the main attraction.”

  It sounded more like a threat than an offer of seduction, and Shannon braced herself, knowing that Burke could turn her inside out if he put his mind to it. What he’d already done to her had her blood pumping like a broken water main and every nerve ending thrumming with pent-up energy.

  Shifting his sturdy frame to lie more fully over hers, he captured her mouth in a breath-stealing kiss at the same moment he slid his hand free and replaced it with the long, thick heat of his arousal.

  Shannon threw back her head and moaned against his lips. Bringing her knees up, she locked her legs around Burke’s waist, drawing him closer, deeper with each powerful thrust. Her nails raked his back as she tilted her hips. Meeting his movements, straining toward the delicate, building sensations rushing through her body.

  Her breathing g
rew faster and faster, her mouth falling open as Burke released her lips, digging his teeth delicately into the tender flesh between neck and shoulder. She felt him panting against her, joined him in the desperate pursuit of oxygen as completion hovered just beyond their reach.

  Without warning, she heard a scream…and realized it was her own. Surge after surge of the most intense orgasm she’d ever experienced washed over her. Clutching Burke even more tightly in her grasp, she held him to her sweating, pulsating body and climaxed again as he pounded into her one final time, stiffened above her and found his own completion.

  She didn’t know how much time had passed when her head finally stopped spinning, but she was pretty sure her eyes were now facing the other direction. In those last seconds of the most powerful pleasure she’d ever known, Burke had sent her eyeballs whirling around like fruit on a slot machine.

  And she would pay a heck of a lot more than a quarter to have him do that again…just as soon as she recovered from their previous encounter.

  With a low, heartfelt groan, he heaved his weight off of her prone form and rolled to the side. The bed wasn’t wide enough for them to lie shoulder to shoulder, so he propped himself on an elbow, wedged between her and the painted plaster wall.

  “I was wrong,” he murmured. He brushed the back of his fingers along the line of her flushed cheek. “I thought you were beautiful in the throes of passion, but you look even more amazing afterward.”

  Letting her head fall to one side, she forced her eyes open just enough to peer at him through the cracked lids. She shivered as the same fingers that had caressed her cheek and tangled through her perspiration-damp hair traveled the slope of her shoulder and length of her arm. Raising her hand, he twined their fingers together, studying them as though they were as fascinating as the constellations.

  “You don’t look so bad yourself,” she offered. Her throat felt like sandpaper and she wished she had the energy to go for a glass of water. Unfortunately, she barely had the energy to stay awake.

  Burke’s lips twitched in a devilish little half smile. “Oh, yeah?”

  He looked so adorable, she couldn’t help grinning in return. Twisting slightly in his direction, she imitated his pose, propping her head on her bent arm. “Yeah. All rumpled and sexy. You should seriously consider going into work like this. The women in the boardroom would give you anything you asked for.”

  His low chuckle shook the bed frame and vibrated all the way to the tips of her toes.

  “That would be interesting to witness.” He tightened his grip on her hand. “Any chance you’d come along to charm the men in the meeting?”

  “Sure,” she answered, rolling her eyes and sticking out her tongue for a brief moment. “I’m sure they would all be swept off their feet by a pregnant lady waddling naked into their negotiations.”

  Rubbing the knuckles of their linked hands against the taut flesh of her swollen abdomen, he said, “It would certainly catch my attention. Pregnant ladies turn me on.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Mmm-hmm. Of course, I’m very particular. The mother-to-be has to have long, curly auburn hair, creamy porcelain skin, and six tiny cinnamon freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her nose.” He tapped each one with the tip of his finger.

  “Women with heartburn and ankles the size of watermelons turn you on? You are a sick, perverted man.”

  “Say what you will, but I can’t wait to see how big you get. If you have heartburn, I’ll bring you a glass of milk. And when your ankles swell, I’ll make you lie down so I can give you a nice, relaxing foot massage.”

  “Are you going to take on the contractions and delivery, too?” she asked cheekily.

  Instead of laughing along with the joke, though, his expression went flat and he answered in complete seriousness. “I would if I could.”

  Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she forced a small smile for his benefit and whispered softly, “I know you would.”

  “But you don’t have to worry. I’ve already lined up the best care available in the city. If anything goes wrong—which it won’t, I’m sure it won’t—I’ll fly you anywhere in the world you and the baby need to be, or fly in any other doctors you need to see.”

  “Thank you. That makes me feel very safe and confident. But I’m sure it won’t be necessary. I feel wonderful, and Dr. Cox assures me everything is progressing normally.”

  They fell into silence then. Burke’s brow remained furrowed in thought while she considered their easy banter and the emotions that were swirling around inside her.

  This felt so nice, the cuddling and intimate, easy, teasing conversation after making love. She wanted so much for it to mean something, to be the first step toward a lasting relationship. And yet, she was afraid to put too much stock in a simple back-and-forth about his attraction to pregnant ladies and what she might look like in her third trimester.

  “I hired an interior designer,” he said suddenly, disturbing their quiet rest. “I thought she could redecorate the guest room, turn it into a nursery.”

  Her mind flashed to the bedroom she’d slept in while staying at his penthouse. Then she pictured it in pastel colors, with clowns on the wall and a teddy bear sitting in the corner of a pristine white crib.

  Or maybe professional decorators didn’t go with teddy bears and clowns anymore. For all Shannon knew, the baby would end up with a mobile of miniature abstract art pieces twirling above his head.

  “She took a look at the room, gave me an estimate, and faxed over a few preliminary drawings,” Burke continued. A beat later, he said, “I fired her that same day. I didn’t want a stranger decorating a room for our child. I wanted you—us—to do it. I want your input every step of the way. I even think I want to paint the walls and hang the curtains myself.”

  He chuckled. “I’ll probably paint a window closed or bang my thumb with the hammer, but I don’t care. I still want to do it.”

  His gray eyes grew dark, his face going serious. His fingers flexed around hers until she thought he might cut off the blood supply.

  “Come home with me, Shannon. Marry me and raise the baby with me. Have more babies with me. Help me decorate a nursery and buy a bigger house and pick out a puppy when the time comes.”

  His voice almost shook while he spoke, his tone as earnest and honest as she’d ever heard it. But he hadn’t said the one thing she needed to hear. He hadn’t told her why he wanted her, and she desperately, desperately needed the words, needed to know he loved her as much as she loved him.

  “I’ll go home with you, and marry you,” she said slowly, meeting and holding his intense gaze, “if you can answer a single question for me. And you have to answer it honestly.”

  A flash of excitement passed over his hopeful expression, but he merely nodded in agreement. “Ask me anything.”

  She swallowed past the lump of fear lodged in her throat, knowing that his response had the power to light up her life…or send her into a pit of despair. But either way, she had to know. She couldn’t spend the rest of her life with him if he didn’t love her, and she wouldn’t risk sending him away if there was a chance he did.

  With her heart ricocheting against her chest cavity and palms sweating like Niagara Falls, she licked her lips and said quietly, “Do you love me?”

  The blank look that came into his eyes and the almost deafening silence that followed were all the answer she needed. Before he saw how much his lack of reaction hurt her, she untangled her hand from his hold and jumped out of bed.

  “Shannon, wait.”

  But she didn’t. Grabbing an afghan from the floor, she wrapped it around her bare shoulders and stalked across the hardwood floor to the bathroom. She didn’t reply, and she didn’t look back.

  Even inside the small room, with the door closed, she heard the bedsprings squeak as Burke rolled to his feet. A second later, he tapped on the door.

  “Shannon, please. Let me explain.”

  Exchanging the wor
n afghan for the thick terry cloth robe hanging on the back of the door, she stood at the bathroom sink, her hands braced on the cold porcelain while she stared at her pale, barren reflection in the mirror. Her hair was tousled, her eyes heavy-lidded and so dark the natural green seemed almost black.

  If someone looked only that close, they would think her well-loved. And she had been, only a few minutes ago.

  But upon closer inspection, they would also notice the lack of color in her complexion and the bleakness of her gaze. She was shaking, and if she let go of the sink edge, she suspected the floor would rush up to meet her faster than a speeding bullet.

  “Shannon,” came Burke’s muffled voice. “Come out so we can talk. Please.”

  The blood felt like ice water in her veins and she couldn’t have spoken if she’d tried. She just wanted him to go, to leave her alone with her pain and disappointment and broken dreams.

  “All right,” he went on, frustration lacing his every word. “If you won’t come out, then I’ll stand right here and have my say.”

  She heard him blow out a breath, the boards beneath his feet creaking as he shifted his stance.

  “I’m sorry I hurt you, Shannon. Your question caught me off guard…though I guess it shouldn’t have. I should have realized that asking you to marry me would have you thinking along those lines.”

  Taking an unsteady step backward, she sat on the closed lid of the toilet and pried her fingers one by one from the lip of the sink.

  “You wanted an honest answer, so I’m going to be as truthful as I know how to be. I don’t know, Shannon. I don’t know if I love you because I’ve never been in love before. I have no idea what it’s supposed to feel like or what that particular emotion entails. I do know I care for you and enjoy being with you. I want you, in my life and in my bed, and I want us to raise the baby together.”

  Tears streaked down her cheeks. Her chest felt so tight, she could barely breathe, and she had to keep her hand over her mouth to keep from making a sound.

  His sincerity touched her, and she knew he was being completely honest with her. As honest as he knew how to be, at least.