Once Upon A Beast: A Billionaire Fairytale Read online

  I packed that evening and headed to bed for an early night, but ended up lying awake and staring at the ceiling, wondering what the next few days were going to bring. I was jittery and excited in the best way possible, but also kind of panicked that I was going to be alone with him again. I could deal with a few hours in the boardroom here and there, but spending a few days in one of the most beautiful and exclusive towns in the country with him was a whole other deal.

  I woke up early and had a cool shower in the hopes of dimming my excitement and keeping my professionalism front and center, though I wasn’t sure it had actually worked. He arrived on time as promised, and I hurried downstairs as soon as I heard him at the front door. I felt like a teenager being picked up for the prom by her crush.

  Except most high school boys didn’t have a ride like this one. My jaw dropped when I saw what he was driving. It was a gorgeous sports car, a deep burgundy that gleamed even in this dull morning. The top was down, and his arm draped along the door as he waited for me. I’d expected the limo, but this was so much better.

  “Are you ready to go?” He leaped forward, grabbed my bag and slung it into the back seat.

  “Whenever you are,” I replied, feeling a flutter in my chest. We both got in the car and soon enough, we were out of the city.

  I couldn’t take my eyes off his hands on the wheel. I should’ve been paying attention to what he was talking about, but the way he took control of the car made my heart flutter. I’d never been the kind of girl to get swoony over fancy cars, but I loved the way he took the car up through the hills and around the twists and turns that would take us to Atherton. Heat grew between my legs, and I cursed myself for it. I closed my eyes and let the wind whip through my hair, hoping it would wipe the naughty, unprofessional thoughts from my head. The next few days were going to pose a challenge far bigger than I had first anticipated. For now, I’d enjoy the car ride and the fresh air and not give too much thought to what I wanted to do to the smoking-hot beast sitting next to me.

  Chapter 17

  Zach

  I couldn’t believe she’d said yes. And if there was anything that would get her thinking about me romantically, it was a trip to Atherton.

  We arrived late in the afternoon, when the sun was beginning to dip slightly in the sky, and I pulled the car to a stop outside my house. She stared up at it, eyes wide.

  “Wow, this place is incredible.”

  “Glad you like it.” I grinned. “Come on.”

  Of all the properties I owned, this one was perhaps the most striking to look at. A mansion built from stone and hidden in the middle of the forests halfway up a mountain, it seemed plucked straight from an old-fashioned fairytale. But inside, it was far from fantasy, with modern accoutrements like a pool and a sauna set amongst the classic dining room, bedroom, and kitchen set-ups. She made her way around slowly, taking in the place step by step before she turned to me.

  “If I owned this mansion,” she remarked, eyes shining, “I’d live here. I thought the first house of yours I saw was beautiful, but this is amazing.”

  “Believe me, sometimes it’s tempting,” I agreed. “That house is close to the office, yet still in the country. I like this because it’s far from everything. Out in paradise. Do you wanna get something to eat? I’m starving.”

  “Sure thing,” she nodded. “Do you have staff here?”

  “I use a private catering service.” I pulled up their number and hit dial. “We can have anything we want.”

  “I’ll leave it up to you.” She turned and started to wander. “I think I’m just going to see what else is in here.”

  A half hour later, staff unloaded a pile of food onto the dining room table. I’d ordered Italian—a safe bet for a meal like this one, and I’d been craving carbonara for days—and an expensive bottle of champagne. It was exactly the kind of meal I might have used to seduce Alana with, the excess and drama of it was part of what attracted her to me. I wasn’t sure Jessibelle would fall for the same thing, but I was really hoping she would. She returned from looking around, and her eyes widened when she saw me pouring her a glass of champagne.

  “This looks amazing.” She took a seat opposite me and picked up her glass. “And why don’t you live here again?”

  “Beats me,” I admitted. “I’m starving. Let’s eat.”

  We ate together, exchanging an easy conversation that flowed comfortably over the course of dinner. No topic missed our attention, family, friends, work, the case, the house, the food, and back again. I loved being around Jessibelle, loved having a chance to talk to her about things that didn’t involve the case. I had forgotten how well we bounced off one another, how easy it was to lose myself around her.

  Soon enough, the meal was done, the champagne was gone and the light had dimmed to darkness outside. As the staff cleared away our food and left us alone in the house, I turned to her with a little more intent than before. She was looking back at me with a similar expression, her eyes soft and her lips slightly parted, as though she knew precisely what was going through my mind.

  “You know what I want?” I asked, and she cocked an eyebrow at me expectantly.

  “To go for a swim.” I got to my feet and nodded toward the pool. “You want to join me?”

  She flushed.

  “I didn’t bring a suit with me,” she mumbled. She wasn’t saying no.

  “That’s not a problem for me.”

  She flicked her gaze up to meet mine, playful all at once.

  “I remember,” she reminded me. “The first time we met. You didn’t seem bothered about swimsuits then, either.”

  “I’ve never put much stock in them,” I agreed, grinning in her direction, and then headed to the pool. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

  She followed a few steps behind, as though still trying to convince herself she wasn’t just a few more seconds of persuasion away from climbing into the pool with me. She perched on one of the deckchairs next to the pool and crossed her legs, her skirt rising a few inches to show off a little more of her thigh. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

  “Well,” she said. “You first.”

  I raised my eyebrows at her, impressed by her forwardness, and didn’t need any more convincing. I pulled off my shirt, tossing it aside, and then undid my belt and kicked off my pants. Turning toward the pool, I dropped my boxers and then dove beneath the water before she could get too much of a show. My heart was beating fast, and my cock was already hard as the water enveloped me.

  I turned to her with a grin on my face.

  “The water’s warm,” I called to her, and she shook her head.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” she called back, but her eyes lingered on the water, as if trying to get a better look at me.

  “It feels so good,” I assured her. “After that long car ride.”

  I paddled back and forth a little, my arms cutting through the water. I sensed her watching me, felt the temperature in the room rising as she took me in. I lifted my head again, shaking the water from my hair and grinning at her as I wiped the dampness from my face.

  “Come on,” I chided her gently. “You’ll like it.”

  “Fine.” She sprang to her feet and began undressing. “But look away.”

  “Of course.” I turned my back so she could get naked in peace. The pool room had enormous windows that looked out on to the dark, empty forest behind us. I was able to catch a glimpse of her reflection as she took her clothes off, but I averted my gaze as she had asked and waited for her to join me in the pool.

  She slipped into the water, and I turned as she slowly made her way toward me. She dipped beneath the surface and ran her hand across her head, her hair flowing behind her. She looked so small and delicate like that, the features of her face not hidden by her thick hair. Her breath was coming quickly. I could tell by the small ripples it made in the water as she drew closer.

  “You’re right,” she said when she was right in front of me. “T
his does feel good.”

  “Right?” I fought the urge to reach out for her. I had to let her come to me. I couldn’t push things any further than I’d already pushed them. Her legs, long and bare, tread water beneath us, and my hands practically itched as I remembered how they’d felt wrapped tightly around me. I wanted her so badly it hurt. My body drew closer to hers before I could stop myself. She dipped down a few more inches, making sure her breasts were below the waterline, and then looked up at me.

  “What are we doing here?” she asked softly.

  “Let me show you.” I swam a few inches closer. Her breath caught in her throat, a little hiccup sound, as her eyes widened in my direction. But she mirrored my movements, her body arching toward mine as though longing for my touch. I knew how she felt. Ever since she’d slipped into my car that morning, I had physically ached for her, and as the day went on, it grew more intense.

  Suddenly, our bodies were touching, nothing keeping us apart, my hand slipping easily around her waist and fitting into that familiar space. Her breasts pressed against my chest, and I reached up to tuck a strand of wet hair behind her ear before leaning in to kiss her.

  As soon as our mouths met, any second thoughts I might’ve had about whether this was a bad idea vanished. It was just us here, we could take our time with each other instead of rushing. I kissed her softly at first, cupping her face with my hand. I could spend as much time as I wanted with her, touching her and tasting her and making her come a dozen times or more. And I fully intended to.

  I gripped the side of the pool to hold us both up, and she bent one leg and wrapped it around me, drawing me in close. Her pussy brushed against my body, and I let out a groan against her lips. Something about the water holding us up was making our embrace feel weightless, like we could take off and leave the Earth behind. As if the rules of reality didn’t apply to us.

  I slipped my hand down between her legs, brushing my fingers against her pussy, and she pulled back from our kiss far enough that she could look into my eyes. I watched as her lids half-closed and her mouth opened in a silent moan of pleasure as I caressed her clit with my fingertips. Judging by her moans of pleasure at my touch, I guessed I was doing right by her. She kissed me, hungry for more, and I knew whatever this night had to bring, it was only just beginning.

  Chapter 18

  Jessibelle

  I wasn’t sure how long we were in the pool together, and it didn’t really matter—we had all night—but when he touched my clit like he did, soft, slow, but with enough pressure to make me squirm, I was putty in his hands. I couldn’t think of anything or anyone I wanted more than him, while we teased each other with our tongues. Oh, how I enjoyed the feel of his hands on me. He tasted delicious, like expensive champagne. “I’m taking you to bed,” he murmured in my ear, and I slipped my arms around his neck and buried my face into his shoulders, breathing in the sexy, manly scent of him.

  He lifted me out of the pool, wrapped me in a towel and carried me up the stairs to the bedroom. He gave me a tight squeeze and laid me carefully on the bed. He looked down at me, and I reached for him, my fingertips brushing his thighs. I wanted him so badly, I couldn’t think straight. He reached down and caught my hand in his, lifting my fingers to his lips and taking them into his mouth, his teeth and his tongue flicking across the pads of my fingers. Then, he climbed on top of me and kissed me, and I traced my hands over his back, feeling the muscles beneath my fingers. How on Earth had I ever managed to resist him?

  It didn’t take long until he’d slipped between my legs, his tongue dancing down the inside of my thigh. Whenever our bodies touched, still slick from the water, it felt as though we were gliding past each other, every motion fluid. He didn’t bother teasing me or making me beg as he had before. Instead, he took one look at my pussy, let out a deep, satisfied growl, and planted his mouth against me.

  His tongue on my pussy was familiar, but that didn’t mean it was any less heavenly. I squeezed my eyes shut and gritted my teeth as he sealed his lips around my clit, losing myself to the feel of it. I squirmed on the bed, the gloriously silky sheets coddling my body, soft against my skin. I loved the way they felt, but not as much as I loved the way he felt. I reached down to grab his head, his hair damp beneath my fingers as I raked them across his scalp. Not that he needed any guidance. He tucked his hands beneath my ass and drew me on to him, letting out another growl that seemed to come from somewhere deep inside.

  It didn’t take long till I was on the edge of coming. Every moment we’d spent together was foreplay with this man. He slipped a finger inside of me lazily, stroking it in and out of me in long, slow motions. I moved my hips, fucking his finger, reveling in the feel of his tongue and fingers on me.

  Within seconds, I was coming, my pussy pulsing beneath his tongue, clenching around his finger, each wave of pleasure running into the next until I couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began. I let out a long moan, unclamping my legs from around his ears, and let my head dip back against the thick pillows beneath me.

  Finally, I opened my eyes to find him looking up at me and reached down to kiss him, sitting up to meet him halfway. Slipping my hand between his legs, I wrapped my hand around his cock and stroked it a couple of times. He bit my lip in approval and a smile curled on my face. I knew what I had to do next.

  “On your back,” I ordered, drawing on some playful dominance I had never known was a part of me. He did as he was told, a grin cracking across his face, and I sat astride him, looking down at the gorgeous specimen of a man beneath me. I ran my hands down his chest, his heart beating faster at my touch, and I closed my eyes and savored this feeling. And then, I leaned down, and began kissing him from his neck down to his cock. But before I could lower my mouth to suck his cock, he stroked my face and drew my gaze back up to his.

  “Hey, I’m not done with you yet,” he murmured, and it took me a second to realize what he wanted. But then, he reached down and, with his strong arms, maneuvered me so I was sitting on his face. I leaned down, hovering my mouth over his cock, as he slid his hands over my thighs and pulled me down onto his mouth.

  It was almost too distracting, the feel of his tongue on me. But I managed to keep focused, pushing my head down to take him into my mouth. I flicked my tongue across his head, gripping his cock with one hand and planting the other on the bed for balance as his cock pushed past my lips. He groaned loudly, the vibrations humming through my pussy and sending tremors across my entire body.

  A surge of heady power poured through me as I stroked my tongue up and down his cock. He tasted like clean skin and chlorine, and he felt so good in my mouth. Full.

  I couldn’t believe how empowered it felt like this, even with him buried between my legs licking and sucking another orgasm from me. I slid my hand up, meeting my lips with the top of my fist, and let out a soft moan against his skin. The feeling of our bodies pressed together, of our slick skin against each other’s, was intoxicating. Like a dream in a very sexy movie.

  “Fuck, that feels good,” he groaned, pulling back to look down and watch my mouth on his dick. The feel of his eyes on me was the hottest thing, knowing I was turning him on, that he wanted me, and that he couldn’t get enough of what I was doing. He returned his attention to my pussy, pressing his tongue against my slit. I inhaled sharply. It was just a reminder of how badly I wanted him inside me, how much further I needed him to go. He seemed to realize how bad my body was begging him.

  “Down a little,” he pushed me off his face so I was hovering over his chest, and he reached over into the drawer next to him to pull out a condom. Reaching around me, he rolled in on blindly, and then took my hips and guided me down onto him. Placing my hands on his legs for support, I slowly lowered myself down on top of him, reverse cowgirl style, both of us letting out long breaths as I did so.

  “Fuck,” I gasped. I’d never felt anything as good in my life as his cock spread me open. I held myself there for a second before I began to move, lov
ing the feel of him filling me up.

  We fucked in every position we could come up with, for longer than I’d ever fucked before. He took me from behind, hard and fast, until I was letting out a moan with every thrust. He climbed on top of me and made love to me slowly, running his hands over every inch of my body as he kissed me gently. He held me on top of him, bouncing me up and down on his cock and watching me as I tossed my head back and came—over and over again.

  I wasn’t sure how many times he brought me to climax, but he seemed determined to push my boundaries and take me further every time. Even if that wasn’t what he set out to do, that’s what he did, working me through rises and valleys until I could hardly take any more. He laid me on the end of the bed, lifting my hips so he could thrust deep into me until my entire body shuddered with pleasure, my mouth opening and closing as it rolled over me. And then, he pumped in and out two or three times, burying himself deep inside me, and held himself there, his jaw clenched and eyes closed as he shuddered and came inside me.

  “Damn. Damn,” was all I could say.

  He pulled out slowly, looking down at me. He took his cock in his hand and rolled off the condom, tossing it into the trash.

  I lay there on the bed, motionless, almost boneless, staring at the ceiling. My brain was mush, my thoughts incoherent after what had just happened.

  He pulled me against his chest, letting out a long, satisfied sigh, and brushed his lips across my hair in a sweet gesture that made me smile. I closed my eyes, intending to just relax a bit and let them rest, but before I could take another breath, I had slipped into a sound sleep, nothing on my mind but silk sheets and champagne.

  I woke up to the mouthwatering smell of pancakes and eggs. I rolled out of bed, and pulled on a robe, wondering if the staff that had made dinner last night were already here. I headed downstairs, and to my surprise, found Zach standing next to the stove, carefully flipping a pancake. A stack of them stood on the counter next to him. He turned as I entered the room.