Chapter 45 Melting Towards Him
Skylar stared into his mesmerizing blue eyes with surprise. They seemed to lure her into their depths, making her helpless enough to surrender to his wishes. A strange guilt gripped her heart and she gazed at him, his hypnotic gaze leaving her under his spell.
“Kiss me, Skylar!” It was a needy whisper that stirred her deeply. She leaned in to place a warm kiss on his cheek. It wasn’t enough for Christian. He needed more. He turned to claim her lips hungrily leaving her flustered.
He cupped her cheek to intensify the kiss while his fingers glided to her hips to pull her into him. Crushed against his hard torso, Skylar felt a strange elemental need in her heart to surrender to him. Although her mind battled against it, at that point, she had no control over her heart.
A soft breathy moan escaped her lips and her arms went unconsciously around his shoulders for support. She opened her mouth to him, surrendering to her heart finally. Christian’s heart pounded in his ribcage at her reaction. He hadn’t expected her to actually kiss him. Now he was desperately aroused by the way her body subconsciously arched towards his, crushing her soft breasts against his hard torso.
He plunged his tongue deeper to devour every sweet recess of her mouth. A deep groan escaped his lips when he felt her response. His heart skipped a beat when he felt her kissing him back with a hunger that matched his. Her fingers tangled in his hair, while her rebellious tongue traced along his lips and plunged right into his mouth. It aroused a burning desire in him. It seemed as if his whole body was on fire.
She broke the kiss, breathing hard and closing her eyes to get a grip over herself. But Christian wasn’t done with her. He wanted more! Unable to control himself, he rubbed his painfully hard erection at her center, feeling his self-control start spiraling down. He continued to tease her with open-mouthed kisses along her neck, jaw and throat, feeling the tremor go down her body.
He could feel her response to him. She wasn’t immune to him as she portrayed.
“Christian please, stop.” It was a needy whisper, as if she didn’t want him to stop. Christian raised his head to gaze back at her, his eyes glazed with desire.
“I can’t stop, Skylar. I want you so much. Can’t you feel it?”
Skylar’s breath hitched at his confession as she drowned in his mesmerizing ocean-hued eyes. What was that expression on his face? Was she mistaken or was it really love she saw reflected in his eyes? Her unwavering gaze tried hard to fathom his feelings. Yes, it was love, pure and deep.
She blinked in disbelief and looked again. It was gone! Was she hallucinating?
“Skylar!”
The way he said her name made her unravel. They stared at each other, his eyes so intense that she felt a rush of something deep in her heart. What was this feeling? It disturbed her immensely, and she lay her head on his chest in confusion. The moment her face touched his chest, a comforting warmth spread all over her and the shield around her mind lifted a bit.
She was filled with a sense of gratifying happiness at the thought that Christian didn’t betray her at all. He didn’t talk to another woman! He didn’t encourage Valentina as well. Else she would never have been so mad at him.
He had proved himself again!
She was the one who had misunderstood him.
She raised her head and saw the look of pure bliss on his face. His eyes were closed as he held her in his arms, close to his heart. It almost felt as if he was transported to another world altogether!
Christian couldn’t release her. The way she fit into him made him feel she was born for him. He wanted to commit the feeling to his memory to last him a lifetime. It was the first time she didn’t run away after a kiss. It was also the first time she wasn’t angry with him for kissing her. Could he hope?
“Christian,” her voice brought him out of his momentary distraction and he focused his eyes on her.
He sucked in a deep breath to compose himself and slowly released her.
Skylar eased off his lap, her face flushed with embarrassment. What would the flight attendants think?
She couldn’t face him after her heated reaction to his kiss. Did he forgive her now? She couldn’t ask. Acutely aware of his gaze upon her, she fidgeted nervously with her fingers.
“I’ll rest a bit.” Christian nodded, and she rushed to the bedroom, eager to escape. Her thoughts were all jumbled up after what she shared with Christian. It changed the equation between them.
For the next few hours, she remained hidden in the bedroom. Thankfully, Christian didn’t bother her at all. It gave her the time to calm her heightened senses.
Later, there was a knock on her door and the flight attendant peered inside to summon her for lunch.
“Mr. St. James wants you to join him for lunch, Ms. Carnell.”
“I’ll join him in a few minutes.” After the flight attendant left, she quickly fixed her appearance and emerged from the room. Her glance went straight to Christian, waiting for her in the dining area. She blushed to see him checking her out.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I fell asleep,” she lied, but he just smiled. It seemed he could see through her lie. Two bright specks of color appeared on her cheeks as she sat down opposite him. The flight attendant served their lunch, and they thanked her.
After she left, there was a tense silence between them, as all they could think of was the kiss they shared earlier.
“Umm, are we still going to Florence?” she asked, to ease the tension. He nodded, not taking his eyes off her.
“When do I start my work?” she asked, too flustered to think of something to say. The sexual undercurrents passing between them were becoming too much to bear.
“Whenever you want to. You can start in Venice itself.”
“Yes, please. Who would I report to?” She hardly knew anyone in his headquarters. What work would she do in Venice?
“Me. You will train under me.” Skylar’s jaws dropped with shock. She hadn’t expected to train under him when she agreed to work with him.
“Oh!” She concentrated on her food, but her mind was all muddled up. This was her first job and there would be a lot of errors. Will he be disappointed in her? “I’m not as good as you think, Christian. I’ve never worked before. I might make mistakes and disappoint you!”
“It’s human nature to make mistakes. We all do. I won’t be disappointed at all.”
“Thank you for the opportunity.” Christian’s eyes sparkled as he gazed back at her.
“Kiss me if you wish to thank me.” Skylar looked away, her cheeks flaming red as a strange shyness gripped her heart. She didn’t know how to deal with Christian anymore. He seemed to only demand one thing from her. Kisses! Lots of them!
“I can’t. Your attendant is watching us,” breathed Skylar, avoiding his piercing gaze.
“I can fix that.” Skylar’s eyes flew up to meet his.
“No, don’t.” Christian smiled and concentrated on his food. He couldn’t wait to kiss her, but it had to wait. They would land in Florence in a few minutes.
After lunch, they waited to land in Florence. Skylar forgot about his demand in her excitement to see a new place. She looked out of the window to see the spectacular skyline of Florence beneath them.
“Wow! I’m so excited,” she gasped as the jet started its descent. Christian watched her enraptured face with satisfaction. He wanted to make her happy, and he had been successful. It was enough to fill him with happiness.
“So am I.” She smiled at him, not realizing what he meant. Florence didn’t excite him at all. He had visited the place many times. It was the thought of repeating the kiss he shared with her which got him excited.
“How far is Pisa from Florence?”
“It takes an hour and a half from Florence. We’ll visit it tomorrow.”
The aircraft came to a halt after a few minutes and they emerged from the terminal with their luggage. Christian had booked into another hotel in Florence since their hotel was under construction here. As they sped through the city towards their hotel, Christian showed her the construction site.
“It’s gigantic!” she exclaimed at the immense structure.
“Yes. It will be ready in six months. Maybe we will come over to inaugurate it.”
They reached their hotel and dumped their luggage in a room. Skylar this time didn’t protest about sharing a room with him. She was used to sharing a room with him.
“Shall we go out to explore the city?” he asked, holding out his hand for her to take.
“Yes please. Can we buy some formal suits? I don’t have any formal wear.”
“Sure. We’ll go shopping afterward.”
They walked out hand in hand to explore the city together. Christian felt relaxed, as it was his first holiday after a long time. He planned to enjoy it to the fullest with his fiancée, his love.