Ensnared (The Accidental Billionaires #1)(54)

I gave up trying to pretend that my heart wasn’t breaking for Eli. I stumbled to my feet, walked over to him, and dropped into his lap so I could wrap my arms around his shuddering body.

He lowered his head, and I put mine on top of his. I comforted the most ballsy man I knew while he wept.





CHAPTER 23

JADE



I had no idea whether Eli would have let himself be vulnerable if he hadn’t downed a significant amount of whisky, but it really didn’t matter.

Somehow, I knew he needed to grieve, and to sort out the jumble of emotions he’d held inside for too damn long.

My tears flowed, most of them being absorbed by Eli’s white shirt, while I held on to him like my life depended on it.

I squeaked as he finally composed himself and rose with my body cradled in his arms. “What are you doing?” I asked in a surprised tone.

He lowered me to my feet slowly, and then proceeded to dry the tears that were still pouring down my cheeks. When he was done, he palmed the side of my face, stroking a thumb down my cheek as he said huskily, “I’m about to find out where the zipper of this dress is hidden.”

My heart skittered as I saw his eyes turn smoky and dark. “I know where it is,” I informed him in a breathless voice.

Deep inside, I probably knew that it wasn’t a good idea to be physically intimate with Eli, but I’d waited so long for him that I wasn’t going to say no.

With Eli, I was either all in or all out. There was no halfway with this man.

“Then I suggest you tell me where it is before I ruin this dress,” he warned.

His large hands sank into my hair, causing the clip to fall out and my confined locks to tumble to my shoulders.

“Better,” he said with satisfaction, just before his mouth came down hard on mine.

I was lost from the moment our lips touched.

I was done not giving Eli everything I had to give. I was in love with him, and as scary as those emotions might be, I wasn’t going to run away.

I wanted him too damn much.

Yes, I’d probably eventually lose him, because that was our deal. But I was going to see exactly how it felt to be with somebody I loved.

My arms snaked around his neck, and my fingers found their way into the coarse strands of his hair.

I whimpered against his mouth, my body demanding so much more.

“Eli,” I moaned as he released my lips.

I let my head fall back, savoring the feel of his hungry kiss on the sensitive skin of my neck.

Every sensible thought I had flew out of my brain as Eli permeated every cell in my body.

I had no control, nor did I want it. All I wanted was to let myself drown in Eli’s hot, sensual touch.

He bit down gently on the skin of my neck, and then rolled his tongue over the sting. The erotic sensation sent me completely over the edge.

I tried to wedge my arms between us to get the shirt off his body.

I need to touch him. I have to touch him.

My movements were so frantic that Eli stepped back and took off his shirt before dumping it onto the floor.

My mouth went dry. Eli Stone was probably the most perfectly built man on the planet, and for the moment, he was mine.

I moved forward and ran my hands down his muscular chest, my fingers nearly burning from the scorching heat of his silken skin. He was throwing off warmth like a furnace, and I was more than happy to let myself fall into that fire.

I raised my head to look at him. “You’re perfect,” I blurted out.

The intensity of his stare made my heart start to race. I could feel the same longing I was experiencing reflected back to me in his eyes.

His gaze locked with mine, he expertly found the hidden zipper of my dress and lowered it. I held my breath as he kept me pinned in place only with his gaze.

He tugged, and I helped him pull the dress down my body. His breath caught as the material cleared my bare breasts. I didn’t stop. I just wiggled the material down my legs until I was standing in front of him in a pair of panties and my thigh-high stockings.

“Nice panties,” he remarked huskily.

They were the black pair he’d given to me at the resort. “They were a gift,” I answered in a shaky voice.

“Jesus, Jade. I want you so damn much that it almost hurts just to look at you.”

Liquid heat rushed between my thighs, so I knew exactly what he meant. My core clenched, and my body was pleading with me to ease the ache.

I wrapped my arms around him. “Then let’s make the pain stop,” I suggested in a low, sensual tone. “Because I hurt, too.”

“I never wanted to hurt you,” he rasped.

“Then fuck me, Eli,” I pleaded.

An animal-like sound came out of his mouth as he lowered his head to kiss me, and I savored his desire.

His embrace was ravenous, but he teased my lips with his teeth, and then devoured them again. He repeated the same actions over and over again, teasing until I wanted to scream at him to fuck me.

I rubbed my body shamelessly against his, reveling in the feel of his bare skin against my diamond-hard nipples.

“I need more, Eli,” I whimpered when he’d finally lifted his head.

“You’ll get more, Butterfly,” he answered gruffly. “Probably more than you want. But I need to find condoms.”

“I’m on birth control. Now,” I insisted, reaching for his pants.