No Strings Attached Read online

“Your fiancé, huh?”

  “What was I supposed to say? He was about to undress you right on the dance floor!”

  “What I think you really mean is that you want to do the exact same thing you always wanted to do with me whenever we were dancing, which was undressing me on the dance floor. Am I correct?”

  I smiled down at her. “Don’t tease me. You know I totally suck at resisting your unspoken invitations.”

  She laughed, throwing her head back. “Well, this time I will admit that I couldn’t wait for someone to take me away from him. He’s one of our best clients, and I couldn’t just punch him in the most precious part of his body.”

  “You mean his face?”

  “If his face is in his pants, then yes, in his face.”

  “My, my… Who would have thought that even when wearing such a mind-blowing dress, you could still be that kick-ass Jillian who doesn’t mind saying exactly what she is thinking?”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  My embrace around her waist tightened, as I pulled her closer to my chest, I said, “It is a compliment. After all, I always loved the fact that you’re blunt, ready to speak your mind whenever it is needed. And of course, I have always loved what you have hidden underneath that amazing dress, which I wouldn’t mind taking off of your body right about now.”

  Chapter 19

  Oliver

  “It’s been a great night,” Scarlett said.

  She, Dominick, Jillian and I were in my brother’s office, sharing one final drink for the night.

  “At least now, I can relax a little and maybe even go on a vacation,” Jill said.

  “Not until Oliver’s promo campaign is over,” Dom said. “You do want to know the result of your hard work, don’t you?”

  “Well, technically, I didn’t have anything to do with the campaign.”

  I looked at her, smiling. “But I guess I still owe you for everything that I have achieved.”

  She and Dom shared a glance.

  “I know that my business plan was your handiwork,” I said.

  Her cheeks reddened. “Well, I thought you wouldn’t mind me making some small changes.”

  “Small changes? I would have never been able to do all that I have done so well and so fast without your help.”

  Dom put his glass on the table and smiled at his wife. “Don’t you think it’s time for us to call it a night, Darling?”

  She kissed Jill on both cheeks, took her coat and then looked at me, mouthing, “Good luck.”

  After they left, I went over to Jill and sat next to her on the couch.

  “Thanks again. For everything.”

  “There’s no need to thank me. To my surprise, you did a great job proving that you actually have brains and not just balls.”

  I laughed. “God, I missed you like hell, do you know that?” I reached out one hand and caressed her cheek.

  Our eyes stayed locked for a moment, then she shook her head and asked, “Do you still own your old place?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “I thought maybe… If you didn’t have anywhere to stay tonight, you could stay in Scarlett’s, I mean in my apartment.”

  Well, hell, do you think it was possible to say no? I was even ready to sell my own place right away, just to say that I didn’t have anywhere else to go, and would need to stay with her in her apartment.

  “I didn’t know it belonged to you now.”

  “Yeah, well, Dom’s promotion helped me solve some of my problems, including financial.”

  “That’s great news.”

  She nodded and took another sip of her drink.

  “Can I still stay with you tonight, even though I still have where to go?” I don’t think I could have waited any longer to ask that question. Even if she was going to send me to her guest room the minute we arrived, I seemed to be totally unable to leave now. I had only 24 hours before I had to pack up, and go back to L.A., and God knew that more than anything I wanted to spend every second of those 24 hours with Jillian.

  “You always knew how to make my rational thinking fly right out the window.” She smiled at me, and I didn’t know what to say, as well as I didn’t know if staying with her was the right thing to do. But damn it, never in my life had I wanted anything more than I wanted to lose myself in her beauty at that moment.

  I put my glass aside and took her hand in mine. “Shall we go then?”

  We took a taxi, and left, both scared and excited about whatever was about to happen next.

  “When are you leaving?” She asked uneasily.

  “Tomorrow night.”

  “Do you like living in L.A.?”

  “Everything about my new life seems to be perfect. But… Something is still missing.”

  She smirked, looking out the window. “I know the feeling.”

  I took her hand in mine and laced my fingers with hers, throwing my head back against the seat. Even this awkward moment of unspoken words and worries was still better than any of the nights that I spent staring at the ceiling of my bedroom and thinking about the only place I wanted to be at the moment, or rather thinking about the only person I wanted to be with.

  Funny thing though, I never thought I would be missing obligations. I remembered the first time I met Jillian. She looked so pissed, trying to find some contract in what looked like endless tons of papers on her table.

  “There you are, little bastard,” she said, finding the paper she needed. “Mr. Altier, I got it,” she said into the speakerphone.

  “Finally, Jillian! I thought you had died there.”

  She muttered something I couldn’t understand and smiled pleasantly at me.

  I could barely stop myself from laughing. I had been waiting for Dominick to see me. The moment I entered the receiving room, I noticed Jillian. I could have never imagined that one day she would become one of, if not the most important part of my life.

  She had it all: passion that simply blew my mind, beauty that I seemed to never get tired of, and peace… As if she were the harmony that I thought was lost forever for me. And she always felt like home, home to me.

  Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her. It didn’t matter where I was at any point in time, I wanted to be with her, no matter how much she didn’t want to be with me. I think she was the first and the last woman I had ever loved that much. It was so much more than what I had ever felt for anyone else. I was mesmerized by her, as if she possessed some magic that I didn’t know how to break free of. Did she know how much power she had over me? Couldn’t she feel how much I loved being with her, simply sitting in a taxi, holding hands? Was I out of my mind? Well, maybe for someone I was, but not for myself. Because at that time, I felt happier than ever, and I couldn’t even imagine losing this feeling, couldn’t imagine leaving her again.

  “What are you thinking about?” She asked, bringing me back to reality.

  I turned my head to look at her. “You.”

  “And what do you think about me?”

  “I-”

  “Your place, guys,” the driver said, stopping me half-word. I paid for the trip and helped Jill get out of the taxi.

  ***

  “It’s so strange to be here again, but a good strange,” I said, watching her opening the door.

  “I could say the same about seeing you here again.”

  We entered the apartment, and it was still exactly the same. The only difference was that there was something different about Jill and me.

  “Make yourself at home,” she said, tossing her keys onto a small glass table. “Would you like anything to eat?” She went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. “I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint you.”

  I went to stand behind her. “Milk, cheese and eggs? Are you trying to kill yourself by starving or what?”

  “I didn’t have much time for cooking.”

  “Poor thing, I shouldn’t have left you in the first place.” I said the words before I even realized their meaning. “So
rry, I -”

  “It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it.”

  I sighed. “Actually, I did mean it.”

  “You know, I hate talking about the past. So why don’t we talk about the future instead? What plans do you have for the rest of the year?”

  “Don’t change the subject, Jill. Don’t you think it’s time for us to sit and talk?”

  She smiled, coming closer to me. She ran one palm through my hair and down my cheek, watching me thoughtfully. “Why don’t we leave everything as it is now?”

  “Because it is not what I want. And I’m sure that you don’t like it either.”

  “I’m a big girl, Oliver. I know that miracles don’t happen.”

  “Isn’t Dom’s and Scar’s marriage a miracle?”

  She smiled. “Yeah, but our case is different.”

  “How?”

  “They are crazy about each other.”

  “I’m crazy about you.”

  “It’s not enough. They love each other.”

  “And I love you.”

  She seemed to be taken aback for a moment.

  “But you still left.”

  She turned around and went out of the kitchen, I followed her.

  “I left because I thought you didn’t care about me!”

  We went to her room, she took off her earrings and bracelet off and put them into a jewelry box.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about your feelings before?”

  “Would it have changed anything?”

  “Maybe it would have.”

  I caught her by the hand before she could disappear behind the bathroom door. “What about you, Jill? Have you ever felt anything for me?”

  “Uh, please, Oliver… Wasn’t it obvious?”

  “Not really.”

  She looked into my eyes, my heart was beating fast in my chest. I knew that this was a turning point for everything, our last chance to come to an understanding or completely destroy our final hope for a future together.

  “I always loved you,” she said quietly, a few tears ran down her cheeks. “You built me up and broke me in just a few days. I didn’t know what to do.”

  “Why did you let me go?”

  “Because I had a dream and I needed to follow it. I also knew that you had a dream too, and I couldn’t take it away from you by making you stay here for me.”

  “My goodness, did you really think that by telling me about your feelings you would ruin my future?”

  “Things were so messed-up between us. I didn’t want to add any more problems to the rapidly growing list.”

  I laughed humourlessly. “Do you even realize that we have lost two months of our love, just because we couldn’t talk like this earlier, just because we couldn’t be honest with each other before?” I cupped her face in my palms and pulled her lips to mine.

  They were a little salty from her tears, but for me, they still tasted like heaven.

  “I won’t let you go, ever,” I said in between my kisses.

  “Oliver, wait.” She pushed me away slightly, breathing heavily. “We can’t. We shouldn’t.”

  “Do you really think I can leave now, after you said that you always loved me? You should have thought twice before saying that, Sweetie.” And then, my lips were back on hers, and I was kissing her again, devouring every second of the kiss that I had been dying to get for weeks.

  My mouth moved over her chin, down her jaw; my palms slid down her back and stopped at the zipper of her dress pulling it down.

  “Take it off,” I said, taking a step back.

  I knew she wouldn’t try to run away or anything, as well as I knew that one kiss was all I needed to realize that there was no way I would leave this room without showing her how much I loved and needed her first.

  Wordlessly, she pushed the dress down, still watching me intently. I felt my heart pounding rapidly inside me.

  Stepping out of the dress, she took a step closer, and took my tux off, dropping it to the floor; my tie followed it. Then she unbuttoned my shirt, so damn slowly, as if she were trying my patience. I put my hands on her hips and pulled her closer.

  “Impatient as always.” She smiled slightly; her fingernails scratched my shoulders and back, then she finally slid my shirt off of my shoulders, running her hands down my arms.

  “It’s all your fault,” I said, gesturing to my cock, which at the moment was rock hard, and ready for what she was about to offer.

  “Sounds like a warning.”

  “I haven’t been with a woman for weeks, so yes, it is a warning.”

  “Not sure if I can handle that much of you.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you can.”

  She stepped away just enough to slide her hands down my boxers, pushing them down my hips and then wrapped her warm, soft fingers around my shaft.

  In mere seconds, I was lost, feeling the fever rising in my blood that was running rapidly through my veins, filling every inch of me with desire that I couldn’t and didn’t want to suppress any longer, I had pushed it away long enough.

  “It’s been such a long time since you have done that to me,” I whispered, watching her hungrily.

  “Did you miss this?” She asked, sliding her palms up my chest, lightly scratching me the whole way up, and then she wrapped her hands firmly around my neck. In the blink of an eye, she turned into the Jillian I knew, the Jillian I loved, wild and so fucking desirable.

  “Oh, yes, I did. I missed everything about you, including this.”

  Her tongue slipped out of her mouth, licking her lower lip. God, did she have any idea of how sexy she looked? I had seen a lot of sexy woman, some of them used lingerie as their secret weapon, others simply didn’t know any limits when it came to sex games. But Jillian… She didn’t need any lingerie or games to drive me crazy; all she had to do was be herself and I completely fell apart. I lost my mind whenever she was anywhere near me, all she had to do was look at me just like she was right then, just touch me, how she was now. It was more than enough to turn me into one stupid puppy ready to lick her palms for playing with me.

  I closed my eyes, feeling and tasting her sweet lips caressing mine in a soft kiss. It wasn’t exactly a kiss, it was just a touch, a tease, a taste of heaven that being with her would bring.

  “What are you doing to me?” I whispered against her lips.

  “Loving you,” she said simply.

  I opened my eyes and looked down at her. She was still wearing her heels, stockings and thong, but the most seductive part of her entire outfit were her eyes. They were full of everything that I wanted to see: love, lust, fire.

  She put her hands down, and walked over to where her bed was. She laid down, facing me and spreading her legs, knees bent so that the heels of her shoes dug into the mattress.

  “Viens ici — Come here,” she said in a whisper.

  “Commment puis-je resister à une invitation aussi tentante — How can I resist such a tempting invitation?”

  I obeyed and went to the bed, and leaned over her, and said, “You are like a picture that I will never tire of admiring.” I looked down to where the tip of my cock was touching the warm softness of her sex. It wasn’t the first time that we were going to make this skin to skin, but somehow, now it felt so intimate, almost innocent, as if it was going to be our first time together.

  My pulse was hammering in my neck, in my chest and everywhere my blood ran under my skin. She reached for my face, bringing my lips closer to hers.

  “Je t`aime,” I breathed into her parted lips.

  “Love you too,” she said in response, and then kissed me again.

  I sucked on her tongue, and she moaned loudly into my mouth, raising her hips just enough to feel my tip sliding inside her. But it wasn’t the way I wanted it to be, I wanted to feel her all around me. I reached between our chests, which were pressed together, and ran my hand down to her clit and circled it, her hips responded with a slow rocking motion, back and forth.

  I growled,
nipping at her neck. Her palms slid down my back and stopped at my ass, pushing me down, pushing my cock fully inside of her nice, wet pussy. I wasn’t quite ready for that yet. If we went that far this fast it would be over before it even began; I needed to keep things slow.

  “Don’t rush things, Sweetheart.” I could barely stop myself from pushing in and out of her, but the other part of me wanted to enjoy the prelude just a little longer. I’ve been waiting for this moment for too long to just let it all end so soon.

  I sat up on my knees, bending to taste where I knew she tasted like heaven. I wrapped my hands around her hips, I raised them up a little, licking her wetness, sucking her clit and lips, enjoying every sound she made while watching me doing so.

  “Did you miss this?” I repeated her question back to her.

  “Hell yes.”

  “How about this?” I asked, sliding two of my fingers inside her.

  “Oh yes.”

  “Looks like you missed me more than you thought you did.”

  “Just shut up and get back to work.”

  I laughed, circling her clit with my tongue; my fingers slid in and out of her. Then I moved up, hovering over her. I reached my hand down and wrapped it around my shaft, and teased her clit a little more before I slid the head of my cock inside her.

  I knew it would be amazing to just feel her warmth wrapped around me, but I could have never imagined it would be this amazing. She was so wet and so ready, I could have come from that feeling alone. I pushed myself deeper, already knowing that I would probably never feel the same with any other woman after that moment. I felt a little dizzy, anticipating the relief that I was sure I would feel sooner than I was hoping for, she just felt so damn good.

  I could feel her pulse all around me, her muscles tightened with my every move, and I felt so high, as if she were a drug and I was an addict dying to get more and more of her.

  Holding my hands around her waist, I looked down at her, and that familiar feeling hit me again. I loved her with all my heart, more than I could have ever imagined. I was a fool hoping that distance would heal me from loving and losing her. In reality, I never tried to heal. I had been waiting for the moment that I could see her again, kiss her again, make love to her again.