No doubt he could feel the rapid beat of my heart reverberating from my chest to his. I wanted everything about this man, and if I let my body have its way, we’d be horizontal in fifty-one seconds flat. But I couldn’t. If we were to explore my limits, I needed to know that they would be honored. Gathering my strength, I stepped back. The bit of space gave me purpose. “Nox, I’d rather spend the entire week getting to know you.” My lashes fluttered. “You, me, and all the fun that may entail. Let’s not do it all in one night.”
Straightening his back and nodding, Nox reached for the bottle of cabernet. “Let me open this and we’ll toast to Charli and Nox and…” He cocked his head. “…to fun and getting to know one another.”
The pop of the cork echoed through the suite, momentarily overriding the rushing sound of blood coursing through my veins, as Nox poured two glasses. Musk and desire filled the room as we both worked to ignore the peaked points of my nipples through my satin robe and the obvious tenting of his gray slacks. With a knowing glint in his light blue eyes, he handed me my glass. “Charli, another thing I rarely do is suffer from sexual frustration. The only reason that I’m able to tolerate it tonight…” His gaze pointedly went to my chest. “…is that I know you’re suffering the same.”
Before I could cover my chest, he lifted his glass and went on. “Let’s toast to us—to a week of discovering not only one another but the people we can be when we’re together. Because in the last two hours, the most beautiful and intriguing redhead that I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting, has had me saying and doing things that I, L… Nox, don’t, as a rule, do.” He lifted his glass. “To an unforgettable week.”
Our glasses met with a clink and we took a sip. The rich, thick liquid warmed my tongue and throat. The aroma reminded me that we weren’t drinking the house red.
“This is very good.”
Nox shrugged. “For a California wine. I told you: I have very particular tastes.”
The way he looked at me, the way his pale stare zeroed in and took my breath, told me that Nox wasn’t talking about wine, not anymore. My insides twisted, and I knew that I wanted to learn more about Nox: his tastes, both for wine and for everything else.
Chelsea said to stay uncommitted and to learn very little. Nevertheless, as I watched him swallow and his Adam’s apple bob, I wanted more. Unfortunately, anything more than a vacation hookup wouldn’t work with Alex’s future.
I sighed.
I had a week as Charli, and I planned to take it.
Nox reached for my hand. The warmth of his touch was a contrast to the cool air conditioning of the suite. When I looked up, he said, “Just because I’ve made exceptions to my usual behavior doesn’t mean I’m willing to give up on my quest.”
“Your quest?”
“At the end of the week, I may not know your last name, but trust me, Charli: I will know every inch of that beautiful body and we will both know your limits.”
He’d asked me earlier if I believed him. I’d wanted to then. Now I had no doubt. Nox would take me to those limits, but the fact that he wasn’t pushing now made me comfortable enough to simply say, “I believe you.” I tugged his hand. “Let’s go out to my balcony. It’s not as grand as yours and there’s no private pool, but we can hear the ocean.”
He picked up the bottle and followed me outside.
“YOU DRANK WINE? That’s it?” Chelsea asked for the fifteenth time.
“It doesn’t matter how many times you ask, the answer is still the same.”
Chelsea eyed me over the rim of her orange juice glass as we ate breakfast.
“Besides,” I said with an air of superiority. “Where were you until, like, three this morning?”
She reached for her temples and pushed from both sides. “Do you have to accuse so loudly?”
I leaned forward. “Babe, I’m whispering.”
Her head moved from side to side. “No way. You’re yelling. You’re going to get us kicked out of here.”
I laughed a full-belly laugh. “I hardly think that will be me.”
“Well,” she said, her hazel eyes darting from side to side. “I may have ordered a few drinks and charged them to our room.”
“I’m shocked!” I said mockingly.
“Well, after Mr. Fancy Pants tracked me down, I knew I couldn’t come back to our room.”
“Nothing happened in our room! And you didn’t tell me that Nox found you.”
“Found is such an odd word. I was talking to a few new friends and Mr.” She paused. “Nox—is that what you called him?”
I’d said the name ten times. Obviously, she was still inebriated from the night before. “Yes, it’s a nickname.”
Her bloodshot eyes widened for a second. “Like Charli? That’s a nickname.”
“Yes,” I confirmed. “Now tell me more.”
“Well, it’s kind of fuzzy, but I was in the bar. He came up and asked me a question about my sister. I kind of stuttered.” She leaned forward. “Well, because my sister is still in California.” Her giggle disappeared as she took another drink of orange juice. “This is the worse mimosa I’ve ever had.”
“It’s because I told them, no champagne.”
“What the hell? That means it’s just orange juice.”
I nodded. “Yes. Now, Nox asked you about your sister?”
“I remember. I told him my last name and our room number.”
“Why? What if he were some ax murderer?”
Chelsea pursed her lips. “Apparently, I made the right choice.”
“Yes,” I whispered. “Thank you.”
“So will you see him again?”
“I want to,” I confessed. “I’m more attracted to him than I’ve been to anyone…” I hesitated. “…ever.”
“Haven’t you noticed that this place is crawling with good-looking, rich men? I met this guy last night. Dan. Don. Ron.” She closed her eyes. Just before I thought she’d fallen asleep, her eyes popped open. “Jon. That was his name. Don’t worry about me. I think we’ll both be fine.”
“Jon? Jon who?” I asked, concerned.
“Nox who?” she replied.
“Touché.”
Yes. Who the hell was I to judge her and Jon, Ron, or Don? I wasn’t any better.
THE SUN CONTINUED to rise in the east and set each night beautifully in the west. With each passing day, Alex’s career goals and Alexandria’s ghosts slipped further and further away, evaporating into Charli. Between days with Chelsea and days and nights with Nox, there was nothing I’d ever enjoyed more.
While Chelsea and I spent time together at the pool or in our suite, I admitted my growing feelings for Nox, the ones I didn’t want to face. I didn’t want to admit the way my heart beat faster when I was around him or the way things that he did or said made me feel special, because with each tick of the clock, our time together waned. If our vacation were an hourglass, the bottom had more sand than the top, and I knew I couldn’t turn it over.
“Girl,” Chelsea said one morning as we were putting on our normal breakfast-by-the-pool attire—bathing suits, cover-ups, and flip-flops. “Don’t overthink it. That’s the beauty of it. No commitment. Besides…” She wiggled her eyebrows. “…don’t you think the non-committed sex is steamier?”
I shrugged as I threw the sunscreen in my beach bag and looked for my Kindle.
She reached for my shoulder and spun me toward her. “What?! You haven’t done the dirty deed with Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome?”
“It’s only been three days.”
“Which means there are only two more nights left. Jeez, I’ve seen the way he looks at you. That poor man must be suffering a serious case of blue balls.” Her voice lowered. “Are they blue?”
I hadn’t seen them, so I couldn’t answer indisputably, but I’d been close to them and their impressive third wheel, with only the material of his slacks, jeans, or bathing trunks in between. I’d even rubbed my hand over him and felt his size and power trapped behin
d the clothes. I’d also had that same restrained power against my body, pushing against the small of my back, my tummy, and thigh. I’d been with him in the private pool on the balcony of the presidential suite with warm, glowing water surrounding us as my legs wrapped around his torso and arms around his neck. It wasn’t that I was being a tease. We’d been almost there.
He’d caressed my breasts and even sucked my nipples. The mere thought of his lips against my skin caused them to harden. I’d unashamedly arched my back and allowed him access. More than that, I’d wanted more.
I wasn’t sure how to explain it, to Chelsea or to me. I was different here in Del Mar than I’d ever been. The way Nox’s body reacted to mine didn’t scare me. For the first time I could remember, despite our obvious difference in size and strength, his hunger empowered me. He made me see that it was me who affected him. I had the ability to arouse this powerful man with the deep velvet voice. When my small hand rubbed against him, I was the cause of the guttural growl. The way it rumbled from the back of his throat sent shivers down my spine. With his chin in the nape of my neck, it sounded like a predatory lion.
When I wasn’t with him, I wondered what it would be like to have someone like Nox in my life—my real life.
Could Alex do it? I didn’t know the answer.
Nox and I had both made a conscious effort to limit the information we shared. We worked to stay away from our backstories and agreed to live in the here and now. I’m not sure which one of us laid down that rule, but we were both following it.
That didn’t mean I hadn’t gleaned a little personal information here and there. From what I’d picked up, Nox hadn’t been with one singular person for a while. He’d dated. He had beautiful women who adorned his elbow to functions for both pleasure and work. But that was all they’d been—accessories. He didn’t mention his no longer wife, and I didn’t ask. Were they divorced or had she passed? I didn’t know.
It would break our rule.
I also didn’t know what he did, other than ran businesses.
Often he’d spend the morning in his suite working long distance. Noon in California was already three in the afternoon in New York and the close of the day in London. He could have almost a full day’s worth of phone calls and web conferences complete before I was ready for lunch. A few times he’d left the resort, but never for long.
“His balls aren’t blue,” I responded matter-of-factly.
“And you know this because…” She paused, but when I only looked at her with wide eyes, she continued, “…you’ve seen them and you… Oh! I know. You’ve at least given him a—”
“Chelsea, stop! I’m not giving you the gory details.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Gory? So he’s a looker but doesn’t have the equipment?”
“Stop. He has the equipment. I believe. I mean from what I’ve observed.”
She shook her head. “If you leave Del Mar without getting laid it’s totally your fault. And if you ask me, that man will be the best you’ve ever had. Stop letting Alex get into your head. You have three more days and two nights as Charli.” She straightened her shoulders and looked at me over the rim of her sunglasses. “Don’t come home tonight.”
“Hey, it’s my suite. I can come home,” I responded playfully.
“It’s in my name.”
She had me there. “Even if we, you know…”
“Have wild-ape-crazed sex?” Chelsea offered.
“Do it,” I corrected. “I’m not spending the night. He gets up at some ungodly hour to do whatever it is he does. Besides, I’m not taking the walk of shame down that private hallway.” I visibly shivered. “The doormen who work that desk and private elevator already know my name.”
“No, they know Charli’s name. And I bet they already think you’ve had crazy-gorilla sex every time you leave the suite.”
“Gorilla? I thought it was ape?”
She laughed. “Well, they both can do it hanging upside down.” She kissed my cheek as we stepped into the hallway. “Give that some thought and I bet you don’t come home tonight.”
EARLY THAT EVENING, I winked at Chelsea as I smoothed the black silk material of my dress. “I can’t believe I’m really doing this.”
“Who are you doing it for?”
I turned toward her and gained strength from the sparkle in her hazel eyes. “Me.”
Her smile broadened. “Right answer!”
“I’m not sure I’ll even tell him.”
“Where did you say he’s taking you? I mean he took you to that rooftop place last night, Pacifica?”
I nodded like a giddy teenager. “The resort had a driver for us and oh… the place was gorgeous. The view was amazing. Tonight he said he has a car and we’re going up Highway 101 to Oceanside.”
Her eyes were wide. “Charli may not be getting laid, but she’s doing some fine eating.”
“Tonight’s 333 Pacific.” I lowered my voice. “I Googled it. That’s why I bought this new dress.”
Chelsea crossed her arms and inspected me from head to toe. “And you’re rocking it, too. You look beautiful. Remember what I said. Charli has come a long way, but you’re still not Chelsea. Wasn’t that the plan?”
I inhaled deeply and the tightly fitted bodice of my dress pulled against my breasts. With only thin spaghetti straps, the way the dress accentuated my curves and held tight to my breasts was what kept it from falling. The lightweight material flowed to just above my knees.
The week of relaxing by the pool had left my normally pale complexion a nice golden brown. Even though my hair had red, the deep brown from my mother’s side prevailed, giving me the bonus of vibrant hair without the disposition to freckles and sunburns. As long as I was faithful with my hat and sunscreen, the sun and I played nicely together.
“I’d say there’s more Chelsea in Charli than Alex, but it’s not that easy…”
She hugged me. “Do what you want. This is your vacation. I’m just happy seeing that perpetual smile on your face. Go… don’t be late for Mr. Handsome.”
“We know his name—it’s Nox.”
“Yes, but not his last name. I’ve dubbed him Nox Tall-Dark-and-Handsome, Mr. Handsome for short.”
I laughed. That was a lot of names, but for someone who had four names herself, six if I included Alex and Charli, Nox Tall-Dark-and-Handsome wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.
A few minutes later I stepped into the front lobby of the resort and walked toward the large glass entrance. My breathing hitched when Mr. Handsome came into view. Without thinking, I scanned him up and down. Each time I looked at Nox from afar, I wondered what it was that he’d seen in me and why he hadn’t been dating anyone. The man was sex on a stick, and for a few more days he was all mine. The way his gray suit fit perfectly in all the right places tightened parts of my insides while melting others. He was talking to one of the hotel employees. As I approached, I concentrated on my steps across the shiny floor, but from the corner of my eye, I saw the employee nod my direction and Nox turn.
Any semblance of composure I’d been holding floated away with the breaking of the proverbial thread. From nearly fifty feet away, his blue gaze drank me in and devoured me whole. I was the prey to the lion I envisioned when he growled. Instantaneously, one of his cheeks rose, pulling his lips into a lopsided grin. His approving expression filled me with the confidence I needed to move forward.
The Del Mar employee disappeared into a haze, as did everyone else. Nox and I were the only two people on earth. I’d seen this happen in special effects during a film. Everyone except the main characters was out of focus. As I came to a stop in front of the only person in the lobby, I begged my heart to slow its stampede.
Lifting my hand, Nox brushed his full lips over my knuckles. “You are stunning.”
Before I could respond, he turned toward the employee who had reappeared.
“Don’t you agree, Ferguson? My date is the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen.”
“Sir, you’re a lucky man.”
Taking my hand into the crook of his elbow, Nox turned us toward the doors. “Luck,” he responded to Ferguson, just before we walked away, “has nothing to do with it. It’s all about knowing what you want.”
“Yes, sir. Have a good evening and you too, Miss Moore.”
“Thank you,” I managed to say.
Nox’s closed-lip grin widened, revealing his white teeth and a bright smile. Though he was still talking to Ferguson, his eyes were only on me. “Oh, we shall. We shall.”
I was about to ask about our plans, if we were going to do more than the restaurant in Oceanside when Nox stopped in front of a black Porsche Boxster convertible.
“Your carriage for the evening, m’lady.”
“Really? You’re going to drive? I guess I thought when you said a car—”
“Are you disappointed?”
“No,” I answered honestly. “Not at all. This is a great car.”
Opening the passenger door and helping me in, he replied, “It’s a rental, but I like to drive.” Once he was in the driver’s seat, he said, “I could arrange to have a driver tomorrow night, if you’d prefer.”
“I like this better.”
“Good.” He put his hand on my knee. “I want you all to myself.”
I couldn’t hold back my smile as I fastened my seatbelt. As he pulled out from under the awning, the evening sun washed over us. We made our way down the winding road off the resort. Since I’d decided to leave my hair down for the night, I searched through my handbag and found a hair tie and fastened the auburn waves into a low ponytail.
I wasn’t making Nox feel better when I’d said I preferred his driving. I detested limousines. They reminded me of Alton. Savannah wasn’t that large. There was no reason for Alton Fitzgerald to be driven to his job each day or for he and my mother to be driven to dinner. It was simply him being ostentatious.
As we headed north, I scoured the breathtaking scenery along Highway 101. With the roof open, I could scan every direction. Out Nox’s side of the car, the Pacific Ocean glistened with prisms of light as the sun sunk lower in the sky. Throughout the entire trip, whether we were talking about the ocean or the sky or just enjoying the whoosh of the wind around the Boxster, Nox held my hand or my knee.