Christmas at Eden Manor Page 7

  He didn’t have an answer for her, and she started to take care of the situation anyway. Pretty soon he was as naked as she was, and he couldn’t help but see the excited admiration in her eyes.

  She obviously wasn’t disappointed in him. At all. In fact, her eyes were almost possessive as she rolled the condom on for him and then reached her arms out for him. “Get up here.”

  He moved into her embrace, positioning himself between her legs. Then he was adjusting her thigh to pull her farther open for him. And then he was lining himself up at her entrance.

  And then—the world a pulsing, glowing blur around him—he was finally sinking inside her.

  She released a pretty moan as the substance of him pushed inside her. She was tight. Deliciously tight. And so hot he could feel it through the condom.

  “Oh God,” he gasped, jerking his head to the side and holding himself perfectly still. He couldn’t remember anything ever feeling so good.

  “Cyrus!” Brie’s arms tightened around him. And she was so eager she had already started to pump her hips, trying to get him to move inside her.

  “Just a minute.” He bit his lip as he tried to get his wayward body to obey the demands of his mind. He was not—not—going to spoil this by coming too soon like a teenaged boy getting lucky for the first time.

  Brie mewed out her impatience but managed to hold herself still. Then, irrepressible, she quipped, only a little breathless, “I thought men your age had the opposite problem.”

  He choked on a burst of laughter. Finding his voice, he said, “I’ve always been remarkable.” He even managed a suggestive twitch of his eyebrows.

  She giggled and pulled him down into a soft hug. “Definitely remarkable.”

  A swell of tenderness and something else—something he couldn’t quite identify—broke in his chest to flood his belly. He panted against her wet hair and dazedly wondered how she was doing this to him.

  After a minute, he pulled himself together. Straightened his arms and pulled his chest up from hers so he’d have better leverage to thrust. Then he pulled his hips back and pitched them forward.

  She gasped loudly, reaching up to dig her fingers into the back of his shoulders.

  He thrust again, and this time she lifted her hips to meet his. After just a minute, they’d synchronized their motion into an urgent, carnal rhythm that seemed to mirror his deepest need. Brie knew what she was doing—her intimate muscles clenched around him deliciously, and her little hands explored his body with shameless entitlement. But all her responses, all her soft whimpers and moans, all her squirming and shaking and the growing tension of her muscles, were natural, genuine, infinitely real.

  Cyrus could hear music coming from somewhere in the house, beyond the rhythmic slapping of their flesh and the mingled texture of their breathing. He could see the glow of moonlight through the window, illuminating Brie’s gorgeous, wanton body rocking eagerly beneath him.

  And he wondered how he had lived—lived for far too long—without experiencing this before.

  “Oh God,” Brie choked, her body tightening palpably, shaking in tense little shudders.

  Cyrus could feel her inner muscles start to tighten around him, and his steady rhythm accelerated to urgent, hungry jerks of his hips. “Yes, dear heart. Can you come?”

  “Yeah. Oh, yeah.” She was shaking wildly now, had fallen out of rhythm completely. Her face twisted in pleasure, and she bit her lip hard.

  Then her whole body arched up from the bed, and her mouth fell open in a silent scream. She clamped down around him so brutally Cyrus let out a muffled exclamation.

  As Brie convulsed beneath him with the spasms of her climax, Cyrus lost control completely. With a series of primitive grunts, he pushed hard against her clenching muscles and felt a blinding wave of pleasure swell up and then release as he came too.

  His climax was powerful, and it left him limp and speechless. He slumped down on top of Brie, oddly soothed by the way she held him in a tight embrace. She panted just as desperately as him, and her clinging body felt just as urgently hot.

  Cyrus didn’t want to move—never wanted to move—but he knew he had to when he felt his erection start to soften. With an agonized groan, he managed to heave himself off her and carefully pull himself out of her while holding the condom in place.

  “Oh God, that was good,” Brie groaned as she stretched out like a cat on the bed.

  His chest swelling at his affirmation, he quickly took care of the condom and then returned to join her on the duvet.

  She snuggled up against him but darted him a questioning look. “Didn’t you think it was good too?”

  Cyrus had to laugh at that ludicrous piece of understatement. “Of course it was good.”

  Stroking his bare chest, she smiled at him. “Then we’ll have to do it again.” When he didn’t answer immediately, she prompted, “Right?”

  Cyrus blinked. He was so overcome by the power of his climax that he had trouble thinking clearly. But it seemed to him that Brie was actually uncertain about whether he’d want to have sex with her again.

  Could she possibly think that, now that he’d had a taste of her, he was anywhere close to satisfied?

  “Right,” he agreed thickly. “Again. And again. And again.”

  She snickered again, obviously pleased by his reply. “Well, we only have a couple more days. And you’re not as young as you used to be.”

  Cyrus made a growling noise that surprised him. “Did you have any particular complaints?”

  Brie lifted herself up, naked and luminous in the low light, and leaned down to press a sweet kiss on his mouth. “I have no complaints in the world.”

  He saw something in her eyes then as she gazed down on him. The expression was gone in an instant. Nothing more than a flicker that was quickly covered by ironic amusement. But Cyrus was sure he had seen it, and it took his breath away.

  He didn’t understand it. Didn’t know what to call it. Didn’t know how it was possible that Brie had looked at him with that expression. It went far deeper than lust. But wasn’t simple affection as he’d always understood it.

  Cyrus was who he was. And after all these years, nothing significant could really change in his soul. And there were certain things, certain experiences, that would never be a part of his life.

  He knew—he had always known—the price of his wealth, the price of his scars, the price of his ambition, the price of his blood. And only a fool would believe the price could be paid.

  But still he had seen something in Brie’s eyes. He didn’t know what to call it, but he wasn’t likely to ever forget it.

  She’d seen something in him he hadn’t known even existed, but he was starting to wish really did.

  Five

  Brie woke up the following morning groggy and disoriented.

  She blinked several times in the bright room and wondered where the hell she was. The sheets and duvet were all wrong, and above her, instead of the ceiling fan in her room in Mitchell’s house, was decorative plaster molding and a crystal chandelier.

  As her mind started to process, she remembered she’d spent yesterday at Cyrus’s lovely borrowed house. There were huge windows all around her and French doors that led onto a balcony. Sun came pouring in from every angle. The sleek clock on the bedside table read 9:37.

  Brie sat up abruptly, the covers falling down to her waist. She stared around her as she finally oriented herself. She was in Cyrus’s bedroom. In Cyrus’s bed.

  And they’d had sex last night.

  They’d stayed up late, even after having sex. They’d drunk wine and ate a light dinner as they lounged around and talked on the balcony. Finally, after two in the morning, Brie had been so tired she’d been about to drop. She’d fully expected to drive home, but Cyrus had silently pulled her back into bed with him to sleep.

  He wasn’t around now. It was fairly late in the morning, and he’d probably woken up early. Brie felt kind of silly and lonely by herself in t
his huge, luxurious bed. All she was wearing was the little cotton gown with lace straps she’d stuck in her bag the morning before. Sex or not, she wasn’t too keen on going around completely naked. She slumped back in bed and pulled the covers back up to her shoulders.

  She wondered what Cyrus was doing.

  Brie felt a little twinge of soreness between her legs and felt her cheeks flush as she remembered her passion and her enthusiastic performance the night before. There was no doubt—it was the best sex she’d ever had in her life. She got a bit tingly just thinking about it.

  Chase had always been like a wave of hot passion that slammed into her and then was over. With Cyrus, it was slower, deeper, longer, and just better in every way.

  She gasped and sat up again in the bed as the bedroom door opened without warning. Despite the fact that she had every reason to be where she was, she still felt like an interloper, like she didn’t quite belong here.

  And she was embarrassed for Gordon to see her like this.

  To her relief, Cyrus himself entered the room. He was dressed in a pair of soft, light-colored pajama pants, with bare chest and bare feet. The intimacy of his appearance and the way the pants rode low on his hips gave her the most unexpected feeling of ownership.

  She was the only woman who got to see him like this, and she wanted it to stay that way.

  He carried a tray with coffee, fruit and pastries, and he smiled when he found her awake.

  “Hi,” she said stupidly. “I woke up.”

  He chuckled and put the tray down on the bedside table. “I can see that.”

  “I thought you’d be busy or something.”

  “Busy with what? I’m on an enforced vacation, remember?” He poured her a cup of coffee, which she accepted gratefully. Then he stood by the bed with his own coffee and gazed down at her with the oddest expression. It was partly fond, partly ironic, and partly amused. His lips twitched visibly as his eyes scanned over her face and body.

  She frowned. “Is something wrong?”

  “Of course not.” He got into bed beside her and propped himself up on the pillows.

  Reclining beside him, she peered at his expression. “You were laughing at me.”

  “I was doing nothing of the kind.”

  “You were too! You still are.” Her mind raced over various possibilities, but she could think of nothing she’d done to prompt the teasing amusement she’d seen. “Did I snore or something?”

  Laughing, he draped an arm around her and pulled her against his side. “Not that I heard.”

  She snuggled up against him and sipped her coffee, pleasantly surprised by his easy mood this morning. She’d wondered if he might withdraw a bit after the intensity of their lovemaking last night. “I didn’t sleep in that late. When did you wake up?”

  “Hours ago,” he admitted.

  “What have you been doing all this time?”

  “I took a walk. Made a few calls about the issue yesterday.” He handed her the basket of pastries, and she picked out a particularly decadent one.

  “So everything is all right with that? No… lasting damage?” she asked after she’d swallowed her first bite.

  “No lasting damage.”

  As much as she’d tried to be reasonable, given the fact that he’d obviously had a real work emergency, she’d been very disappointed that he’d left her alone for so long yesterday. She’d soaked in the hot tub for as long as she could handle, but then she’d finally given up on Cyrus returning to her with his mind full of sex, so she’d gotten out and gone to take a shower.

  She certainly hadn’t expected for him to walk in on her the way he had.

  The sex had been amazing, but the delay had actually helped. The recognition that she wasn’t Cyrus’s priority—not even for a single day. He had a full life that had nothing to do with her. And although she knew he was seeking in her a pleasurable interlude from his real life, she needed to keep the whole thing in perspective. It was only one week. One wonderful week with Cyrus. And his forgetting about her briefly the day before as he took care of work actually helped to remind her.

  Oh, he liked her. She knew that. And he was deeply attracted to her. And she’d helped to brighten this week for him—given him something new to do, to think about, to experience. But there was no chance of anything more. So she’d been able to go into their lovemaking the night before with the right attitude. And she’d made sure she enjoyed it as much as she could, knowing it would only be temporary.

  In two more days, he would leave. And this time with Cyrus would be no more than the most indulgent, pleasurable holiday she’d ever had.

  Cyrus had probably been able to let himself go as much as he had because he knew he would return to his old self at the end of it.

  Brie wasn’t a fool. There was no fairy-tale end to this unexpected encounter. She’d grown up too much to delude herself into believing there could be. She was almost thirty. She wasn’t a child anymore.

  She wasn’t about to say no to what she was offered though. A week with Cyrus was better than nothing at all.

  Realizing Cyrus was looking at her strangely, Brie blinked. “What were we saying?”

  With a dry chuckle, he replied, “You were asking about my work problem, and I’d told you there was no lasting damage.”

  “Oh. I am glad about that.”

  “Me too.”

  They lay around and ate breakfast in companionable silence until Brie asked, “Why did you bring up the tray yourself? Shouldn’t Gordon do it?”

  Cyrus’s eyes had slipped down from her face to her bare arms and shoulders, then lingered on the outline of her breasts and tight nipples through the thin cotton. “I think it’s better that no one but me gets to see you like this.”

  Brie’s whole body clenched at the implications of his words, but she managed to say lightly, “That was an excellent answer, but I don’t believe you. Gordon would never leer at me. Why did you really bring it up?”

  “I was down there and coming up anyway.” Cyrus gave a matter-of-fact shrug. “Why ask Gordon to make an extra trip?”

  For some reason, the slight discomfort in his eyes—as if he was actually a bit embarrassed about looking out for the well-being of his staff, even in such a minor way—made Brie feel absurdly tender. To cover it, she asked, “Tell me about Gordon. Where did you find him?”

  “I found him through a referral,” he said, thoughtfully chewing on a grape. “I’ve never been more grateful.”

  “What’s his background?” Brie had grown to like and respect the quiet man, and she was genuinely curious.

  “I don’t know the whole story. He’s intensely private. He’s British, and his father was in charge of the domestic staff at a huge estate in the Cotswolds. Gordon’s wife had died the year before I hired him, and I think he was looking for something new.”

  “Oh.” Brie frowned, saddened by this unexpected detail about Gordon’s life.

  “His role here is more than a servant,” Cyrus added.

  “I know that.” Studying Cyrus’s face, she realized something she hadn’t known before. He didn’t just like and respect Gordon as an employee. Cyrus considered him part of the family.

  It was just a random detail. But for some reason, the knowledge touched Brie deeply.

  She’d assumed that was all he was willing to share with her for the moment, but then he went on. “I had two older brothers, and both of them and their wives died suddenly when their sons were children.”

  “Oh my God!” she breathed, horrified by the thought, by how quickly his family had broken apart like that. “What happened?”

  “It was an… accident. But because of it two of my nephews came to stay with me.”

  “Really? Was that after your wife left?”

  “Yes. I was single then. I wasn’t remotely prepared to raise children, and I never would have made it without Gordon.”

  “That must have been so hard for you—to take care of little boys.”

&
nbsp; “It wasn’t easy. But it was more difficult for the boys.” He sighed and slumped back slightly against the pillows. “I didn’t do a good job with the role. I was more like a… dictator than an uncle. I should have done a lot better by them.”

  “I’m sure they don’t think so. You seem close to them now.”

  He slanted her a curious look. “You think so?”

  Suddenly embarrassed for no good reason, she ducked her head briefly. “I don’t know. Just from the few things I’ve heard you mention about them, it seems like you’re close to them. If I can pick up that you love them after just a few days. I’m sure they know it too.”

  “I hope so,” he murmured. “We’ve gotten closer in the past few years. I’ve… done better, I think. I hope they know it now. They mean the world to me.”

  The words caused Brie’s heart to ache in her chest with a feeling she couldn’t possibly process. Having no choice but to act on the depth of her tenderness, she reached over to take Cyrus’s coffee mug out of his hand and put both his and hers on the nightstand.

  Then Brie moved over him, straddling his lap as he lounged against the thick pillows.

  Cyrus’s eyes widened in pleasure and surprise. “I guess that means you’ve had enough breakfast.”

  She smiled at him with her best seductive look. “More than enough. How are you feeling?”

  “I feel fine. What do you mean?”

  “I mean, is it too soon for you? Are you up to… enjoying the morning this way?” She really had no idea how he would respond. Obviously she knew men his age slowed down when it came to sex, but she had no idea what that would look like or how it would work itself out in any individual man. She didn’t want to be insensitive and push.

  He chuckled. “I believe I can summon the fortitude, given the temptation and reward.”

  Giggling at his choice of words, she kissed him, tasting coffee on his lips and the slight tang of grapes.

  His arms moved around her immediately, pulling her tightly against his chest. They kissed for a long time, slowly, deeply, moving their mouths against each other and sliding their tongues together. His body was warm and hard under hers, and she loved the feel of his firm flesh against her skin. Irresistibly drawn, she moved her hands to his hair so she could tangle her fingers into it.