Seducing His Cinderella
“Do you remember that time your mother caught us making out?” he asked with a half laugh.
At the time, Catalina had been mortified that her mother caught them. But it wasn’t until after the breakup that she realized why her mother had been so disappointed.
Patrick Rowling had really done a number on Catalina’s mum. And it was those thoughts that could quickly put a bucket of cold water on this encounter, but she refused to allow Patrick to steal one more moment of happiness from her life…he’d already taken enough from her.
Will may not be down on his knees proposing marriage, but he was down on his knees showing her affection. And maybe she hoped that would be a stepping-stone to something more… But right now, that was all she wanted. She’d fought this pull toward him for too long. She hadn’t wanted to let herself believe they could be more, but now she couldn’t deny herself. She couldn’t avoid the inevitable…she was falling for Will all over again.
“She didn’t even know we were dating,” Catalina murmured, her euphoric state suddenly overtaking her ability to speak coherently.
“Not many people did. That’s when I realized I didn’t want to keep us a secret anymore.”
And that had been the start of their spiral toward the heartbreak she’d barely recovered from.
Once they were an “official” item, Patrick had intervened and put a stop to his good son turning to the maid. Shocking, since turning to the staff for pleasure certainly hadn’t been below Patrick at one time. Not that what Catalina and Will shared had been anything like that. But the idea that Patrick could act as if he were so far above people was absolutely absurd.
“Don’t tense on me now,” Will warned. “You’re supposed to be relaxing.”
Catalina blew out a breath. “I’m trying. It’s just hard when I’m stuck between the past and whatever is happening to us now.”
Will came up to his knees, easing his way between her parted legs, his hands resting on the tops of her thighs, his fingertips brushing just beneath the hem of her dress.
“It’s two different times. We’re two different people. There’s nothing to compare. Focus on now.”
She stared down at those bright blue eyes, the wide open shirt and something dark against his chest. Was that…
“Do you have a tattoo?” she asked, reaching to pull back the shirt.
He said nothing as she eased the material aside. The glimpse she got wasn’t enough. Catalina didn’t ask, she merely gripped the shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. Will shifted until it fell to the floor.
Sure enough, black ink swirled over the left side of his chest and over his shoulder. She had no idea what the design was. All she knew was that it was sexy.
Without asking, she reached out and traced a thin line over his heart, then on up. The line thickened as it curled around his shoulder. Taut muscles tensed beneath her featherlight touch.
Catalina brought her gaze up to Will’s. The intensity of his stare made her breath catch in her throat and stilled her hand.
“Don’t stop,” he whispered through clenched teeth.
“Will…”
His hand came up to cover hers. “Touch me, Cat.”
He’d just handed her the reins.
With just enough pressure, he flattened her hand between his palm and his shoulder. The warmth of his skin penetrated her own, the heat sliding through her entire body.
“I—I want to but—”
She shook her head, killing the rest of her fears before they could be released and never taken back.
“But what?” he muttered, pushing her hair behind her ear, letting his fingertips trail over her cheek, her jawline and down her neck until she trembled.
“I’m not sure I can go any farther than that,” she confessed. “I don’t want to tease you.”
“I’ve fantasized about you touching me like this for years. You’re not teasing, you’re fulfilling a fantasy.”
Catalina stared into those aqua eyes and knew without a doubt he was serious. The fact that he’d been dreaming of her for this long confused her further, brought on even more questions than answers.
“Don’t go there,” he warned as if he knew where her thoughts were headed. “Keep touching me, Cat. Whatever happens here is about you and me and right this moment. Don’t let past memories rob us of this time together.”
Catalina opened her mouth, but Will placed one finger over her lips. “I have no expectations. Close your eyes.”
Even though her heart beat out of control from anticipation and a slither of fear of the unknown, she did as he commanded.
“Now touch me. Just feel me, feel this moment and nothing else.”
His tone might have been soft, but everything about his words demanded that she obey. Not that he had to do much convincing. With her eyes closed, she wasn’t forced to look at the face of the man who’d broken her heart. She wanted this chance to touch him, to ignore all the reasons why this was such a bad idea. But she couldn’t look into those eyes and pretend that this was normal, that they were just two regular people stranded in an old shack.
With her eyes closed she actually felt as if they were regular people. She could pretend this was just a man she ached for, not a man who was a billionaire with more power than she’d ever see.
With her eyes closed she could pretend he wanted her for who she was and not just because she was a challenge.
Catalina brought her other hand up and over his chest. If she was given the green light to explore, she sure as hell wanted both hands doing the job. Just as she smoothed her palms up and over his shoulders, over his thick biceps, she felt the knot on her wrap dress loosen at her side.
Her eyes flew open. “What are you doing?”
“Feeling the moment.”
The dress parted, leaving her torso fully exposed. “You don’t play fair.”
The heat in his eyes was more powerful than any passion she’d ever seen. “I never will when it comes to something I want.”
“You said—”
“I’d never force you,” he interrupted, gliding his fingertips over the straps of her bikini that stretched from behind her neck to the slopes of her breasts. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t try to persuade you.”
As the rain continued to beat against the side of the shack, Catalina actually found herself happy that she was stuck here. Perhaps this was the push she needed to follow through with what she truly wanted. No, she wasn’t looking for happily-ever-after, she’d never be that naïve again where Will was concerned. But she was older now, was going into this with both eyes wide open.
And within the next couple months, hopefully she’d be out of Alma and starting her new life. So why not take the plunge now with a man she’d always wanted? Because he was right. This was all about them, here and now. Everything else could wait outside that door.
For now, Catalina was taking what she’d wanted for years.
Eleven
Catalina came to her feet. From here on out she was taking charge of what she’d been deprived of and what she wanted…and she wanted Will. Whatever doubts she had about sleeping with him wouldn’t be near as consuming as the regret she’d have if she moved away and ignored this opportunity.
The moment she stood before him, Will sank back down on the floor and stared up at her as her dress fell into a puddle around her feet. As she stepped away and kicked the garment aside, his eyes roamed over her, taking in the sight of the bikini and nothing else.
The image of him sitting at her feet was enough to give her a sense of control, a sense of dominance. The one time when it counted most, she didn’t feel inferior.
Will could’ve immediately taken over, he could’ve stood before her and taken charge, but he’d given her the reins.
“That bikini does some sinful things to your body.” He reached out, trailed his fingertips over the sensitive area behind her knee and on up to her thigh. “Your curves are stunning, Cat. Your body was made to be uncovered.”
“How long have you wanted me, Will?” she asked, needing to know this much. “Did you want me when we were together before?”
“More than anything,” he rasped out, still sliding his fingers up and down the backs of her legs. “But I knew you were a virgin and I respected you.”
“What if I were a virgin now?” she asked, getting off track. “Would you still respect me?”
“I’ve always respected you.” He came up to his knees, putting his face level with her stomach. He placed a kiss just above her bikini bottoms before glancing up at her. “And I don’t want to discuss if there’s been another man in your bed.”
With a move she hadn’t expected, he tossed her back into the chair and stood over her, his hands resting on either side of her head. “Because I’m the only man you’re going to be thinking of right now.”
“I’ve only been with one other, but you’re the only man I’ve ever wanted in my bed,” she admitted. “I need you to know that.”
Maybe she was naïve for letting him in on that little piece of information she’d kept locked in her heart for so long, but right now, something more than desire was sparking between them. He was too possessive for this to just be something quick and easy.
They weren’t just scratching an itch, but she had no clue what label to put on what was about to happen. Which was why she planned on not thinking and just feeling. This bond that was forming here was something she’d have to figure out later…much later.
“All I need to know is that you want this as much as I do,” he told her. “That you’re ready for anything that happens because I can’t promise soft and gentle. I’ve wanted you too long.”
A shiver of arousal speared through her. “I don’t need gentle, Will. I just need you.”
In an instant his lips crushed hers. She didn’t know when things had shifted, but in the span of about two minutes, she’d gone from questioning sex with Will to nearly ripping his shorts off so she could have him.
Will’s strong hands gripped her hips as he shifted the angle of his head for a deeper kiss. Cat arched her body, needing to feel as much of him as possible. There still didn’t seem to be enough contact. She wanted more…she wanted it all. The need to have everything she’d deprived herself of was now an all-consuming ache.
“Keep moaning like that, sweetheart,” he muttered against her lips. “You’re all mine.”
She hadn’t even realized she’d moaned, which just proved how much control this man had over her actions.
Gripping his shoulders, she tried to pull him down further, but he eased back. With his eyes locked onto hers, he hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his board shorts and shoved them to the floor. Stepping out of them he reached down, took her hand and pulled her to her feet.
Keeping her eyes on his, she reached behind her neck and untied her top. It fell forward as she worked on the knot. Soon they’d flung the entire scrap of fabric across the room. Will’s eyes widened and his nostrils flared.
Excitement and anticipation roiled through her as she shoved her bottoms down without a care. She had no clue who reached for whom first, but the next second she was in his arms, skin to skin from torso to knees and she’d never felt anything better in her entire life.
Will’s arms wrapped around her waist, his hands splaying across her bare back. He spun her around and sank down into the chair, pulling her down with him. Instinctively her legs straddled his hips. Catalina fisted her fingers in his hair as his lips trailed down her throat.
“So sexy,” he murmured against her heated skin. “So mine.”
Yes. She was his for now…maybe she always had been.
When his mouth found her breast, his hands encircled her hips. She waited, aching with need.
“Will,” she panted, not recognizing her own voice. “Protection.”
With his hair mussed, his lids heavy, he looked up. “I don’t have any with me. Dammit, they’re on the yacht. I didn’t expect to get caught out here like this.” Cursing beneath his breath, he shook his head. “I’m clean. I swear I wouldn’t lie about something like that. I haven’t been with a woman in…too long, and I recently had a physical.”
“I know I’m clean and I’m on birth control.”
He gave her a look, silently asking what she wanted to do. Without another word she slowly sank down onto him, so that they were finally, fully joined after years of wanting, years of fantasizing.
Their sighs and groans filled the small room. Wind continued to beat against the window as rain pelted the tin roof. Everything about this scenario was perfect. Even if they were in a rundown shed, she didn’t care. The ambiance was amazingly right. The storm that had swept through them over the years only matched Mother Nature’s fury outside the door. This was the moment they were supposed to be together, this was what they’d both waited for so long.
“Look at me,” he demanded, his fingertips pressing into her hips.
Catalina hadn’t realized she’d closed her eyes, but she opened them and found herself looking into Will’s bright, expressive aqua eyes. He may be able to hold back his words, but those eyes told her so much. Like the fact that he cared for her. This was sex, but there was so much more going on…so much more they’d discuss later.
As her hips rocked back and forth against his, Will continued to watch her face. Catalina leaned down, resting her hands on his shoulders. The need inside her built so fast, she dropped her forehead against his.
“No,” he stated. “Keep watching me. I want to see your face.”
As she looked back into his eyes, her body responded to every touch, every kiss, every heated glance. Tremors raced through her at the same time his body stilled, the cords in his neck tightened and his fingertips dug even further into her hips.
His body stiffened against hers, his lips thinned as his own climax took control. Catalina couldn’t look away. She wanted to see him come undone, knowing she caused this powerful man to fall at the mercy of her touch.
Once their bodies eased out of the euphoric state, Catalina leaned down, rested her head on his shoulder and tried to regain some sense of normal breathing. She didn’t know what to say now, how to act. They’d taken this awkward, broken relationship and put another speed bump in it. Now all they had to do was figure out how to maneuver over this new hurdle since they’d moved to a whole new, unfamiliar level.
Will trailed his hand up and down Cat’s back, which was smooth and damp with sweat. Damn, she was sexier than he’d ever, ever imagined. She’d taken him without a second thought and with such confidence. Yet she’d been so tight…had she not slept with anyone? How had that not happened? Surely she wasn’t still a virgin.
Had Cat kept her sexuality penned up all this time? For completely selfish reasons, this thought pleased him.
As much as Will wanted to know, he didn’t want to say a word, didn’t want to break the silence with anything that would kill the mood. The storm raged on outside, the cabin creaked and continued to groan under the pressure, but Cat was in his arms, her heart beating against his chest, and nothing could pull him from this moment.
The fact that he was concentrating on her heartbeat was a bit disconcerting. He didn’t want to be in tune with her heart, he couldn’t get that caught up with her, no matter how strong this invisible force was that was tugging him to her. Having her in his arms, finally making love to her was enough.
So why did he feel as if there was more to be had?
Because when he’d originally been thinking of the here and now, he’d somehow started falling into the zone of wanting more than this moment. He wanted Cat much longer than this day, this week, even. Will wanted more and now he had to figure out just how the hell that would work.
“Tell me I wasn’t a substitute for Bella.”
Will jerked beneath her, forcing her to sit up and meet his gaze. “What?”
Cat shook her head, smoothing her short hair away from her face. “Nothing,” she said, coming to her feet. “That was stupid of me to say. We had sex. I’m not expecting you to give me anything more.”
As she rummaged around the small space searching for her bikini and dress, Will sat there dumbfounded. So much for not letting words break the beauty of the moment.
What was that about Bella? Seriously? Did Cat honestly think that Will had had a thing for his brother’s fiancée?
“Look at me,” he demanded, waiting until Cat spun around, gripping her clothing to her chest. “Bella is married to James. I have no claim to her.”
“It’s none of my business.”
Will watched as she tied her top on and slid the bikini bottoms up her toned legs. “It is your business after what we just did. I don’t sleep with one woman and think of another.”
Cat’s dark eyes came up to his. A lock of her inky black hair fell over her forehead and slashed across her cheek.
“You owe me no explanations, Will.” Hands on her hips, she blew the rogue strand from her face. “I know this wasn’t a declaration of anything to come. I’m grown up now and I have no delusions that things will be any different than what they are. We slept together, it’s over.”
Okay, that had originally been his mindset when he’d gone into this, but when the cold words came from her mouth, Will suddenly didn’t like the sound of it. She wasn’t seeing how he’d changed at all and that was his fault. She still believed he was a jerk who had no cares at all for her feelings. But he did care…too damn much.
“I know you saw me as a challenge,” she went on as she yanked the ties together to secure her dress. “A conquest, if you will. It’s fine, really. I could’ve stopped you, but I was selfish and wanted you. So, thanks for—”
“Do not say another word.” Pushing to his feet, Will jerked his shorts from the floor and tugged them on before crossing to her. “You can’t lie to me, Cat. I know you too well. Whatever defense mechanism you’re using here with ugly words isn’t you. You’re afraid of what you just felt, of what just happened. This wasn’t just sex and you damn well know it.”
Her eyes widened, her lips parted, but she immediately shut down any emotion he’d just seen flash across her face. No doubt about it, she was trying to cut him off before he did anything to hurt her…again. He should have seen this coming.
Guilt slammed into him. Not over sleeping with her just now, but for how she felt she had to handle the situation to avoid any more heartache.
“Will, I’m the maid,” she said softly. “While I’m not ashamed of my position, I also know that this was just a onetime thing. A man like you would never think twice about a woman like me for anything more than sex.”
Will gripped her arms, giving her a slight shake. “Why are you putting yourself into this demeaning little package and delivering it to me? I’ve told you more than once I don’t care if you’re a maid or a damn CEO. What just happened has nothing to do with anything other than us and what we feel.”
“There is no us,” she corrected him.
“There sure as hell was just a minute ago.”
Why was he so dead set on correcting her? Here he stood arguing with her when she was saying the same exact thing he’d been thinking earlier.
“And I have no clue why you’re bringing Bella into this,” he added.
Cat lifted her chin in a defiant gesture. “I’m a woman. Sometimes my insecurities come out.”
“Why are you insecure about her?”
Cat laughed and broke free from his hold, taking a step back. “You were with one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. Suddenly when that relationship is severed, you turn to me. You haven’t given me any attention in nearly four years, Will. Forgive me if suddenly I feel like leftovers.”
“Don’t downgrade what just happened between us,” he demanded. “Just because I didn’t seek you out in the past few years doesn’t mean I didn’t want you. I wanted the hell out of you. And I was fighting my way back to you, dammit.”
He eased closer, watching as her eyes widened when he closed the gap and loomed over her. “Seeing you all the time, being within touching distance but knowing I had no right was hell.”
“You put yourself there.”
As if he needed the reminder of the fool he’d been.
Will smoothed her hair back from her forehead, allowing his hand to linger on her jawline. “I can admit when I was wrong, stubborn and a jerk. I can also admit that I have no clue what just happened between us because it was much more than just sex. You felt it, I felt it, and if we deny that fact we’d just be lying to ourselves. Let’s get past that. Honesty is all we can have here. We deserve more than something cheap, Cat.”
Cat closed her eyes and sighed. When her lids lifted, she glanced toward the window. “The rain has let up. We should head back to the yacht.”
Without another word, without caring that he was standing here more vulnerable than he’d ever been, Cat turned, opened the door and walked out.
Nobody walked out on Will Rowling and he sure as hell wasn’t going to let the woman he was so wrapped up in and had just made love to be the first.
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