The Reluctant Heir (7 page)

He recognized one of them as the man who had held Rebecca’s hand too closely at the funeral and knew that he was jealous.

He was surprised at the rush of possession that coursed through him at the thought of her with another man. He would be the only man for her.

He froze when he realized what he’d just thought.
Ever?

His thoughts ran back to Rebecca and her smile that went up to her eyes.

Yes. Instinctively, he knew that he would never stop desiring her and he realized that he didn’t mind being stuck to one woman for the rest of his life if it was her.

As the elevator descended, his mind went back to the hushed whisper and he realized that was what he was. Whipped. He’d never been the jealous type or the one-woman kind of a man. What the bugger had she done to him?

She had him dangling by a string. Coming to her office for lunch and picking her up whenever he had the time.

Whenever he had the time.

He laughed bitterly. He didn’t have time. He made the time. His workload was piling up and he was shoving tasks he normally did to other people. And at night? He rushed home, excited at the thought of seeing her again.

He couldn’t believe it.

Him! Landen Shaw whipped by a woman. He was the one who had women waiting on him. Not the other way around.

His insides writhed in anger as he thought about how her innocent act had gotten him wrapped around her little finger.

He’d never fallen for women’s tricks before, but one look into those dark brown eyes and he was a goner.

She’d played him like a fool. Perhaps not in the same way she had his grandfather, but in a worse way, the way that got one’s stomach tied up in knots just thinking about her.

Whipped, eh?

He would show her.

Chapter Ten

Seeing the intensity in Landen’s eyes, Rebecca almost took a step back when he opened the door.

Swirling with a fiery anger, they held none of the warmth they had this afternoon. Though she knew he would never hurt her physically, she was scared.

She didn't know what could’ve caused his anger. They had parted on such good terms. Her throat contracted and her heart churned. Was he going to break up with her?

It seemed outright cruel to have let her taste this bit of heaven and then to take it all away so quickly. She would’ve been better off living in ignorance.

Her heart twisted tightly in her chest. She’d been a fool to think that she was more than just another notch on his bedpost. Because that was what she was, wasn’t it? Just another woman who had graced his bed.

Perhaps he’d even gotten off at the fact that she was a virgin and thought her a novelty until he’d grown tired of her lack of expertise. Her chest tightened, but she vowed to not break down in front of him. She would not show him any weakness.

"Hi,” she murmured unsteadily, praying that she was wrong and that the intensity of his eyes had just been a trick of the light.

Her knees threatened to buckle underneath her when he didn’t respond or move to kiss her as he normally did. It was over and she couldn’t stop her heartbreak any more than she could stop the nightfall from coming.

"May I come in?” she asked, knowing that she was walking right into her doom.

She had to hear it from him, she realized. She had to have him look her in the eyes and tell her that it was all over. Perhaps knowing what a horrible man he was would even help her forget him.

"You do whatever you like anyway.” He gestured as he bowed exaggeratedly, moving aside so she could enter.

She frowned as she walked in. "What did I do?” She raked her mind, searching for a reason for why he would be angry at her, but couldn’t think of anything. They had left on such good terms this afternoon. What could’ve happened in between?

Had he found out about Mr. Shaw giving her money to pay off her student loans?

She would’ve told him, but she didn’t think that it would matter. Besides, it had seemed as if they had an unspoken agreement to never mention his grandfather again.

"You played me like a fool.”

"What are you talking about?”

"This. This whole act of yours.” He gestured towards her and she felt even more confused.

"Landen, I-”

"I fell for it,” he continued as he walked closer to her, his eyes ablaze with fury, and instinctively, she inched backwards. She backed up until she hit the cabinet and she was suddenly cornered, his hard thighs covering hers, trapping her. "This whole innocent vixen act of yours and don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.” He stroked her cheek gently with a finger, belying the harshness of his words. "You're just like all the other gold diggers. Just more cunning and God help me, I still want you.”

Before she could argue, he kissed her, his tongue demanding access as it swiped hotly against her lips.

She kept her lips tightly shut, determined not to let him get the best of her. She didn’t know why he was saying what he did, but she knew that she couldn’t let herself continue to be treated this way. She deserved better than someone who only wanted sex.

But as his cruel tongue played with her lips, urging them open, she weakened and a moan escaped her lips.

Feeling her talented tongue tease him and her soft hands stroking him, Landen’s body grew harder as his insides burned at the thought of how easily she could go from innocent to vixen in mere seconds.

With just a simple touch, her body became warm and pliant into every man’s ultimate fantasy, and he couldn’t deny himself the pleasure of what she was offering.

He hated himself for falling for her games even when he knew was being played, but he couldn’t resist her.

Angry at himself for allowing himself to be fooled, he tightened his hold around her as he roamed her backside with his hands until he reached her ass. Grabbing it, he dug his erection into her, loving the feel of her softness.

He nearly lost himself when she groaned and grinded back against him. Knowing that he had to gain control of the situation quickly, he lifted her easily over his shoulder and strode towards the bedroom.

Laying her down on his bed, he left a trail of kisses along the hollow of her neck. Her body curved deliciously towards his as her moans filled the air, fueling a need that threatened to implode inside of him.

His fingers reached for the buttons of the white blouse he had admired earlier today. He needed to get his fill of her so he could finally let her out of his system and break this harrowing addiction. He wouldn’t let anyone have this kind of control over him. He was Landen Shaw. No woman, not even Rebecca was going to make a fool of him.

His stomach twisted in knots when he felt her soft hands tugging his shirt out of his trousers. She wasn’t who he thought she was, he reminded himself sternly.

Bitterness rose in his mouth when he saw her white laced bra underneath her shirt. She was a woman who was well adept at playing to people’s needs. A natural vixen.

Lucky him, he thought dryly. To have walked into the hands of a woman whose sexiness was so innate that he couldn’t even think properly.

Wrapping his mouth over the lacy bra, he bit her nipple roughly. She gasped and he lapped at it. Her moans edged him on as she wrapped her arms around him, her nails digging into his back, pulling him closer and closer to heaven.

He loved that he was able to bring her to these heights until she was as mindless with pleasure as he was. Removing the bra, he massaged her breasts, tweaking and pinching them the way he knew she liked, watching closely as her face flushed scarlet.

Her eyes fluttered. If he wanted, he could withhold her pleasure until he had her begging. He could just imagine her writhing beneath him, her hips lifting up to his in hot need, but he wanted it too much to stop himself.

He needed this. He needed her.

He quickly removed his trousers and boxers and then pulled down her panties underneath her skirt. Not bothering to remove her skirt, he pushed inside of her and groaned as her wet slick pussy welcomed him.

She gasped and he looked into her eyes and in them saw desire? Fear? He wasn’t sure, but he hoped it was fear.

He wouldn’t let her play him anymore, he decided angrily as he moved faster in and out of her. He lost himself in the delicious sensations as her pussy walls hugged him tightly, milking him for everything he had. Moaning, she wrapped her legs around him, digging him further into that wonderful abyss that he could only find with her.

Her nails dug into his back as she came, screaming.

His head lighted as her pussy spasmed around him.

It was exquisite. He would never feel this way with anyone else, he knew instinctively before his earth shattered and he came, screaming her name into the night.

When he plopped down on the bed, he wondered how he would ever get tired of this. Of her.

***

When Rebecca felt that it was safe, she opened her eyes.

Landen slept by her, his arm slung around her. Careful not to wake him, she got out of bed slowly.

She didn’t know what was wrong with her.

He’d accused her of pretending to be a gold digger and then kissed her. And by some act of madness, she’d given into her body’s desires and had slept with him.

All coherent thought flew from her head the moment he kissed her.

Her chest tightened. He thought she was playing some kind of game with him, perhaps the same way other woman had played with him before. And though her heart went out to him at what he must’ve gone through, she was sickened that he could put her in the same category as those other women.

But she’d been too weak to stop him. His kisses were like a drug that she just couldn’t get enough of.

But now, looking back, she knew that by sleeping with him after his horrible accusations, she was only playing into the gold digger act he thought she was doing and she had no one to blame but herself. She had dug her own grave.

Her chest tightened as she looked at him. She had thought that they had had something special, but she had just been fooling herself this whole time and had only been seeing what she had wanted to see. Again.

She gathered her clothes and put them on silently.

She took one last look at Landen and silently said goodbye to all her dreams of any future with him and left the apartment.

Chapter Eleven

Rebecca glanced down at her ringing phone.

Her heart leapt when she recognized Landen’s number on the screen and she cursed herself. She shouldn’t be happy about his persistence in calling and emailing her.

It meant that she still had feelings for him, which she didn’t. No one could have feelings for a bastard like Landen. He was arrogant, pushy, an ass. Knowing that she was lying to herself, she sighed.

Because even with all those bad traits of his, she still wanted him. She still loved him.

She loved him, she realized bleakly. She would've never slept with him if she hadn't. Just because he’d treated her badly didn’t mean that she could turn off all her feelings for him in an instant. They were still there and would be for some time.

And even though he was calling now, she knew better than to think that he wanted to apologize. He had done the same after the first time they had slept together and look where it had gotten her. He'd accused her of being his grandfather's mistress and she’d wanted him so much that she had forgiven him.

As phone continued to ring, her coworker knocked on her cubicle to silence it.

Since there was no way in hell that she would answer it, she picked up the phone and unhooked the cord. She smiled triumphantly as she set it back down.

It was as if every ring tempted her just a little bit more to answer and she couldn’t do that to herself. She wouldn’t demean herself any further by going out with someone who didn’t respect her. She was young, beautiful and because of Mr. Shaw, debt free.

She was on her way to become a solicitor and even had multiple departments at the firm interested in hiring her. She was a hot item.

She didn’t need him. She'd been doing fine before she met him and would continue to do so afterwards. She would just write him off under life experiences, another part of growing up.

Her first real heartbreak.

It didn’t have to hurt so much, she thought bitterly. It was as if her heart had been torn from her chest and ripped wide open. And what's worse was that she had a feeling that Landen had ruined her for other men.

Determined to forget about him, she went back to work.

A few minutes later, she heard a pair of footsteps getting louder and louder until they stopped at her desk. "I’m almost done with the report, sir,” she said guiltily as she finished typing out the sentence she had been working on. She had to stop thinking about
him
.

She glanced up and her eyes widened when she saw Landen instead of Mr. Krane standing less than a foot away from her. "I’m not interested in any reports, Rebecca.”