The CEO's Dilemma ; Undeniable Passion, Page 29

  He scrambled to his feet and went through the house and to the front door. He swung it open, and then his heart stopped.

  Rita looked up at him meekly. “I’m sorry.”

  Keith said nothing. He was too stunned.

  “What I said to you... It was wrong. It was offensive. I have no reason to think that you’re anything other than a great guy.”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “Can I come in?” she asked. “Can we talk?”

  Keith drew in a deep breath, then stepped backward and opened the door wide. With her head hanging low, Rita walked past him into the house, moving with a slight limp.

  Keith closed the door, then turned to face her. She was looking up at him with sad eyes. “How’s your knee?” he asked.

  She waved off his concern. “Mildly irritated. I’ll be fine.” She drew in a deep breath, then continued, “I’ve been stressed out. My mother and her sudden relationship with my father. My ex-fiancé who’s suddenly desperate to talk to me. He’s been calling me all day...and when the phone rang when we were kissing, I freaked out.”

  Though he knew that the situation with her parents had to be weighing on her mind, Keith’s heart thudded at the comment about her ex-fiancé. “He’s been calling you? Why?”

  “I don’t want to talk about him,” Rita said. “I don’t want him occupying any more space in my mind.”

  She pressed her hands on Keith’s chest, then slowly crept them around his neck. His breathing stopped as he looked down at her, wondering what she was doing.

  “You don’t?” Keith asked, his voice a croak.

  Rita shook her head, biting down on her bottom lip. “No. I want to do something else.”

  Despite his earlier pep talk to keep his emotional distance from Rita, Keith cautiously looped his arms around her waist.

  “I’m not running,” Rita said softly.

  Where was this coming from? Why the sudden about-face?

  Yet he pulled her closer, enjoying the feel of her soft breasts as they pressed against his chest. “Why not?”

  “Because no matter how hard I try, I can’t stop thinking about you.”

  Keith swallowed.

  “I went home and was miserable. I feel awful for the way I treated you, but I thought that I could finally put you out of my mind. Instead, all I’ve been able to do is think about you. About the way I felt when you kissed me. Heck, even when you just look at me, the way you are now.”

  Keith’s heart pounded. “Hmm... I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you, either.”

  Rita began stroking the back of his neck with her fingers. “I like you,” she said. “I’m definitely attracted to you. But... I’m not good at relationships.”

  “Okay...”

  “Maybe we can... I don’t know...” She shrugged. “Do what comes naturally?”

  The way Rita was looking up at him with lust-filled eyes while stroking the back of his neck, it was obvious what she wanted.

  “No strings attached,” Rita said. “Just sex.”

  He should pull away. Right now. His brain was screaming that, telling him to steer clear of any romantic involvement with Rita. She was up and down, all over the place.

  But the way she was looking at him, and touching him, and biting down on her bottom lip... Damn, he was lost.

  He slipped his hand into her hair and pulled her head closer. As he did, Rita eased up on her toes. Keith captured her lips and kissed her fiercely. She moaned against his mouth, her fingers digging into his shoulder blades. Rita was different. She was no longer reserved, holding back. She wanted him.

  Fire consumed him. He smoothed his hands over her arms, down her back. Their lips were locked, their tongues swirling over one another’s, Rita’s fingers still gently stroking his skin. It was driving him wild.

  Keith’s pulse was racing, his breathing heavy. He tore his lips from hers and looked into her darkened eyes. As much as he wanted to get naked with her immediately, he had to know that she truly would have no regrets.

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  Leaning her body into him, she stroked his face. “Yes.”

  He kissed her again, his tongue sweeping across the moist recesses of her mouth. Then he pulled back and took her hand in his. Gazing up at him, she giggled, then bit down on her bottom lip. The sound turned him on, made him know that she was looking forward to being with him.

  Keith led her up the stairs, trotting once he reached the top. Rita’s happy laughter followed them. His bedroom was at the end of the hall, and he hurried into it.

  Once inside, he turned and swept Rita into his arms. His mouth came down on hers with urgency. The little sighing sound she made caused his groin to tighten.

  Oh, he was looking forward to this.

  Her fingers caressed his face in soft tantalizing strokes. Who knew that such light touches could create such fire?

  Keith slipped his hands beneath her shirt, feeling her warm smooth skin. Rita nibbled on his bottom lip before easing back so that she could pull her shirt over her head. A slow breath oozed out of him when his eyes took in the sight of her in her bra and skirt. Her breasts were large in her black lace bra, and they jiggled when she moved. She was so incredibly sexy.

  Looking into her eyes, Keith stroked her face. Then he pulled her bra strap down one shoulder slowly, and planted a kiss on her bare shoulder. He did the same with the other side, and Rita reached behind her back to undo her bra. As it loosened, Keith groaned, anticipating the moment he would see her fully topless. He pulled the bra straps down her arms and off her body.

  Her breasts spilled free, and Keith’s gaze lowered. A jolt of desire hit him hard as he took in the sight of her full breasts. The areolas were large, her dark nipples flat. She was perfect.

  He let a slow breath as he ran the pad of his thumb over one of her nipples. It hardened beneath his touch, and desire pulled at his groin again.

  Slipping an arm around her waist, he gripped her against his body, holding her tightly. He lowered his head and kissed her again. This time more slowly, because he wanted to savor every moment. It had been a while since he’d had a woman in his arms. And he wasn’t going to rush this.

  As he kissed her, he urged her backward toward the bed. He came to a stop at the edge, and Rita tightened her arms around his torso. It was as though she never wanted to let him go.

  She flicked the tip of her tongue over his, while slipping her hands beneath his shirt. She splayed her palms over his abdomen, sighing softly as she did. That little sound, coupled with the way she was touching him, was fuel to his desire.

  He covered both of her breasts with his hands, and tweaked her nipples, guiding her backward onto the bed as he did. Once she was on her back, he positioned himself over her. He massaged the full mounds of her breasts, then took one of her nipples into his mouth. He suckled her softly, and she moaned in response. He ran the tip of his tongue around her erect peak, then flicked it back and forth, his shaft straining against his jeans as she reacted to what he was doing.

  He drew her nipple fully into his mouth and suckled slowly, softly, and she dug her fingers into his shoulder blades. He glanced at her, saw that her eyes were tightly shut, her lips parted. She was a vision of sexiness.

  Keith moved his tongue over her other nipple before shifting his mouth to the center of her body and kissing a path down her belly. She shuddered beneath his kisses. He dipped his tongue into the groove of her belly button, all the while tweaking her nipples. Her erotic sounds grew more intense.

  Keith pushed his hands beneath the hem and bunched the skirt up around her waist. He planted a soft kiss on her pubic area with her panties on. She moaned deeply, and he knew that she was ready for what he would do next.

  Taking her panties off would take too much time, so Keith simply used his fingers to push them out of the way
. And then there she was, her beautiful womanhood. He stroked her with his finger, and her hips bucked. Oh, yes, she wanted this.

  He caressed his tongue over her sensitive flesh, and Rita gasped. He did it again, and she gave the same response.

  And then Keith was pleasuring her sweet spot with gentle suckles and twirls of his tongue. Rita writhed beneath him, her pleasure undeniable. She was moaning, her head rocking back and forth.

  Keith kept up the pressure until her sensual moans came in a steady rhythm. He could sense the building of her climax. He suckled her softly, noting the way her hands were gripping the bedsheets. She was a vision of absolute beauty, and she was hot for him.

  “Oh, baby!”

  Her back arched, her hands grabbed fistfuls of the bedsheet, and she released a rapturous cry. Keith’s lust charged through his entire body, and he needed to be inside of her. Now.

  He eased his body upward, kissing her as she breathed raggedly. And then he hastily undid the clasp on his jeans and quickly dragged his pants and briefs down to his knees. He wanted to make love to her right then and there, but somewhere his senses came to him. He couldn’t risk an unwanted pregnancy.

  “Do you have a condom?” she asked, clearly thinking the same thing.

  “Yes,” Keith rasped.

  He hobbled off the bed with his jeans around his knees, and when Rita chuckled, so did he. Then the smile on her face morphed into a look of desire, and she sank her teeth into her bottom lip as her eyes lowered to check out his hard arousal.

  Keith stepped out of his jeans, found a condom and quickly put it on. By the time he turned back to the bed, Rita had stripped out of her skirt and was slipping her thong over her ankles.

  How had Keith gotten so lucky to have Rita here naked in his room?

  He rejoined her on the bed, spreading his body out alongside hers. He slipped his hands into her hair and drew her face to his. He kissed her slowly, as if they had all the time in the world.

  And as far as he was concerned, they did.

  Rita trailed her fingers down his side and over his hips and along his thighs. Keith played with her nipples as he kissed her, then slipped a hand between her legs. As he fondled her, he urged her onto her back and then settled himself between her thighs.

  She broke the kiss and looked up at him, now softly stroking his face. She gave him a little smile, just a subtle sign of encouragement.

  Keith didn’t need any more urging. He guided his shaft inside of her, moving slowly as she gripped his back and mewled. As he went deeper, she gasped. Keith kissed her, taking her mouth with all the fervor he could muster. He wanted to make her feel the way no one had ever made her feel.

  He moved inside of her, his strokes slow and deep. She rocked her hips up and down, matching his movements. The crescendo between them built, until Keith’s thrusts were faster and faster. Rita was kissing him, and sighing, and gripping his butt. She wrapped her legs around him and held on as Keith sped up the pace.

  “Keith... Oh, my God...”

  He swallowed her cries of pleasure, and feeling her body tighten, he allowed himself the release his own body craved. He came, groaning loudly and burying his face in her neck.

  “Yes,” Rita rasped. She stroked his back, her fingertips eliciting even more sensation as he enjoyed the wave of his climax.

  And then they were both still, the heavy sounds of their breathing filling the room. They lay there like that for a while, Keith’s face in her neck and inhaling her sweet essence.

  He wanted her in his bed all the time.

  Finally, he eased his body off hers but instantly thought to put his hand around her waist. He wanted to be touching her always.

  She looked at him, a twinkle in her eyes and a coy smile on her face. “Wow,” she said.

  “I have to admit, I did not expect to be doing this tonight.”

  She slung a leg across his thighs. “You’re not complaining, are you?”

  Keith stroked her nipple, and was rewarded when she began to purr. “Not at all. And trust me, I’m going to make the most of the fact that you’re here in my bed tonight. All. Night. Long.”

  Chapter 14

  Rita had never felt better. She’d had some pretty good sex in her life, but she finally knew what it was to have amazing sex.

  Keith had lived up to his word. All night long, he had thrilled her. He had played with her body and teased her and brought her to more climaxes than she thought possible. He’d made love to her slowly, as though what was happening between them was something special. He made love to her hard and fast, like a man starved for her affection.

  Now, as morning had come and sunlight spilled into the room, Rita was barely rested but oh so satisfied.

  “I really hate to do this,” Keith said, “but I have to go to the office. I’ve got people coming in to sign a rental agreement. You can stay here if you like.”

  “Really?” she asked, a smile on her lips.

  “Sure,” Keith told her. “As long as when I come back here, you’re naked on my bed just as you are now.”

  Despite the level of sensation her body had experienced for the night, clearly there was more to be had. Because she felt another jolt of desire. It surprised her that she could want another human being this much.

  She leaned forward and kissed him, and then Keith rolled off the bed. Rita’s eyes wandered around the room. There were various pictures on the walls, and she got out of the bed and began to take a closer look.

  “Your brothers?” she asked, stopping in front of a large framed photo over his dresser.

  Keith was taking a suit from the closet. “Yep. Aaron, Carlton and Jonas.”

  They were all very attractive and it was clear they were related. “Oh, I bet you all caused some trouble growing up. Broke some hearts.”

  “I don’t know why everybody says that.”

  She looked over her shoulder at him, smiling. “Maybe you’ll share some stories one day.”

  Keith’s eyes darkened with an undoubted look of desire. “Are you standing around naked like that as a ploy to get me to skip work?”

  Rita felt a surge of feminine power. It was nice to know that she could tempt him to stick around. “Maybe...”

  He walked toward her, slipped his arms around her from behind and nuzzled his nose in her neck. “Want to hop in the shower with me?”

  “You won’t get to work...”

  He smoothed his hands over her hips. “You’re right. Bad idea.”

  Rita smiled at him as he headed off to his en suite bathroom. She would shower after he was gone. Continuing to wander around his room, she noticed a picture on a small table near the window.

  Her stomach sank.

  * * *

  Keith exited the bathroom with a towel around his waist and drew up short when he saw Rita sitting on the edge of his bed, fully dressed. She had a sour look on her face. What had happened to change the mood since he’d gone in the shower?

  “You knew all along, didn’t you? You knew that Brandon was my brother.”

  Keith noticed that she was holding the photo from his table in his hand. A photo of him and Brandon on a boat when they’d gone on a fishing trip. “I’m not sure what your point is.”

  “All this time I’ve talked to you about my father, you never once said that you were friends with his son. Small towns.” She snorted. “I should have known.”

  Keith said nothing.

  “You’re out in a boat in this picture with Brandon. Holding a fish. You’ve probably been out with my father, too, haven’t you? Yet you didn’t say a word about being close to them. Why not?”

  “Brandon and I go way back.”

  “That doesn’t answer the question,” Rita said.

  “I grew up with Brandon. Yeah, we’re friends.”

  “So when you were giving
me the whole spiel about how I shouldn’t tell my mother about the bankruptcy, that I needed to give my father’s family a chance, you had an agenda.”

  “Not a nefarious agenda. I know the family. I know they’re good people.”

  “So why didn’t you tell me that?”

  “Because... Because I figured you’d react like this. Think that I was too biased to give you an honest opinion.”

  Rita’s gaze fell to the photo. “You and Brandon look like best buds in this picture.”

  “He is one of my best friends. Which is why I know he’s a good guy. That’s why I tried to influence you by saying what I did, without explicitly telling you that he was my friend. Because if I told you that he was my friend, you would have dismissed what I said out of turn.”

  Rita shook her head. “You know what I can’t stand? I can’t stand when people aren’t honest with me. You’ve been trying to influence my feelings about my father, without being honest with me as to why.”

  “You’re blowing this out of proportion.”

  “Am I?” Rita met his gaze with a steely one.

  “Would you have listened to me had I told you anything otherwise?” Keith challenged.

  “That’s not the point.”

  “Isn’t it? You came to town with a certain frame of mind, a certain position, and it was really clear that getting you to be open-minded was going to be very hard.”

  Rita’s eyes grew wide. “What do you mean, getting me to be open-minded? Did Brandon put you up to talking to me on his behalf? God, of course he did.”

  “Brandon put me up to nothing. All I’ve done as a friend is vouch for his father. Your father. I’ve known him practically all my life, and obviously he did you wrong, but he’s not a monster—”

  “No, he’s a great guy.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Life isn’t always black-and-white, Rita. Good people do bad things.”

  Rita put the photo down beside her and shot to her feet. “Last night was a mistake.”

  She scooped up her purse and started for the bedroom door.

  “You’re just going to run off like that? You have your own preconceived notions and no one can talk you out of them?”