Rook and Ronin Box Set: The Complete Alpha Billionaire Series (Books 1-5) Read online

"Good, I think. I mean, I'm still a bit of a mess personally. But maybe I was wrong about you? Maybe you are a good guy?"

  "Did you really think I was a bad guy?" he says, his brow in a furrow.

  "No. Yes. Well," I sigh. "I'm probably not the best judge right now, Ronin. I'm tainted by past experiences, so I'm not sure I can tell the difference anymore."

  "Well, let me ask you this, have I ever hurt you?"

  "No."

  "Did the last guy hurt you?"

  I look away and let the question hang there as I take a deep breath. "Very badly," I finally manage.

  "So now you doubt your decisions? About choosing the right guy to date?"

  "Sorta."

  He waits because we both know that's not an answer.

  "I just never want to get in that situation again. I never want to be controlled like that. What I do want," I say, looking him in the eye now, "is to be myself and not get mowed down by a boyfriend's personality, or dreams, or needs. I want to make my own money so I never have to depend on a guy again. Does that make any sense?" He nods, slowly. His hands are still massaging my feet and I lean my head sideways on the back of the seat and try to relax as I listen to the rain pound the roof of the car.

  "I get it, Rook. I have the same problem, except in reverse."

  I open my eyes and look at him. "What do you mean?"

  "Well, I have this rule that I won't date a model, right? I mean, I break it all the time," he laughs a little, "obviously. But the part I won't break is where these encounters will end up. I want a normal life with a normal family. I don't want to bring kids up in Antoine's studio. I don't want my wife taking her clothes off so I can touch her in front of the camera. I want boring. I want kids in Catholic school and a minivan filled with car seats. And I have no idea how long this thing with Antoine's studio will last, but I'm pretty sure that I'd rather die than be the father of a teenage girl who runs the models at an erotic art photography studio."

  I smile a little at that thought. He's right. That's a disaster waiting to happen.

  The car pulls into the studio parking garage and Ronin slips my shoes back on. We wait for the driver in silence, then make our way to the elevator and head on upstairs.

  "So where's that leave us?" Ronin asks.

  I shrug. "I dunno," I say honestly. I have never fantasized about getting married and having children, not even as a child, because I have no good memories of that kind of life. But this seems to be a big deal to Ronin and I don't want to ruin our perfect night, so I follow up my shrug with something evasive. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

  Chapter Thirty-Three - Ronin

  When the elevator doors open Rook and I are bombarded with studio lights and general chaos. Elise is barking orders at technicians and Antoine spies us from across the room and is already yelling out in French as he crosses the distance.

  "What's going on?" Rook asks me.

  "Rain shoot," I say, picking up every third word coming out of Antoine's mouth due to the scraping of a ladder across the floor. I feel Rook tense at the screeching noise. "We have to get a shot in the rain for TRAGIC." I should've anticipated this, really. But I stopped thinking about work hours ago.

  I put my hand up as Antoine approaches, but I know it's useless. There's no getting out of it, we have to shoot tonight. Now. "Go with Elise, she'll get you ready."

  "Wait." She grabs a hold of my arm. "We have to work right now?"

  "Yeah, sounds like fun, huh?"

  She rolls her eyes at me.

  "Rook, nine times out of ten, being a model sucks. Better get used to it if this is the life you want." I push her towards Elise and sigh. I know it's a dig at her declaration of independence, but I can't help it. The last thing I want is this girl half naked in the cold rain at night. But it's in the contract that we get a rain shot, so it must be done.

  Elise whisks Rook off to the salon to wash her makeup off and take her hair down. I take the stairs to my apartment three at a time and head straight for my closet.

  I hang up the tux and try not to let the disappointment wash over me as I trade my expensive clothes for an old pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. Rook will be wearing the exact same thing, except she'll have a nice black bra on so that when she's soaking wet it will show through the fabric for everyone to see.

  And that just pisses me off. Elise was right, I should be protecting her from this life, not encouraging her to give Antoine what he wants.

  I take a few deep breaths to dampen down the anger and then pull on a pair of boots and head back downstairs. Antoine is waiting for me, still barking orders, but clearly waiting for me because he's blocking the stairs. He sends the technician off and turns as I try to push past him.

  "Ronin, wait."

  I shake my head. "Tonight, Antoine?"

  "It might not rain again."

  "It's called a fucking shower. We could just do it inside, in the warm fucking shower room."

  "I want city lights," he says, like this explains everything.

  "So fucking what?"

  "Her contract is with me and I decide what we shoot. If you're too attached to her, then I can get someone else to finish the job."

  "You're funny tonight, ya know that?"

  "The quicker we get started, the quicker we can be done. Go."

  He pushes me and I pull back out of his reach just as Rook comes out of the dressing room. Just as I predicted, white t-shirt, faded jeans, and a nice black bra that everyone can see. I smile at her because she looks worried.

  "Hey," I say, accepting an umbrella from one of the techs standing by the terrace door. I open it and we walk outside together. The rain is pelting down with such force against the umbrella I have a hard time hearing what she's saying.

  "What?"

  "This sucks," she screams in my ear.

  "Yeah," I agree, squeezing her arm a little.

  "And I'm freezing!"

  "It just gets worse, Gidget. So better to just put on the game-face and push on, because the sooner fuckwad Antoine gets his piece-of-shit pictures, the sooner we can go to bed."

  She looks up at me. "We?"

  I smile and let the anger wash off me, but I let that question hang there. It's hard to predict how this will turn out. Maybe good, maybe not.

  We have a special platform that we do the city light shots on. It's raised up about six feet off the terrace floor and basically it's just a slab of concrete that has a railing, so it looks like you're on a terrace, but it gives Antoine lots of different ways to approach the photo. Tonight we have a tarp set up to protect everyone except Rook and me from the rain, and all the exterior lights are on. We have a mock street lamp and spotlights that are mounted on the ground. We slip under the tarp and I hand the umbrella off to someone who looks like he's about to pass out from fatigue. It's after two in the morning, so I can't blame him, I feel the same way.

  "OK, Rook, let's just get this done as quick as possible. We go out in the rain, they adjust the lights, we make out, wiggle around a little, start undressing each other, I get you down to the bra and panties, end of shoot. Got it?" She starts shivering the minute I say the word undressing, and by the time I'm done talking her teeth are chattering.

  "I'm f-f-fre-eeeezing," she repeats, her arms all drawn up against her body.

  I hug her close and she melts into my chest. "I know. As soon as we're done I'll warm you back up, OK?"

  She nods, but the chattering continues.

  "OK, let's go." I pull her out into the rain with me and the shit is coming down so hard it actually stings my skin. I look over at Rook as I get into position and she's frantically trying to straighten out her wet hair. Elise appears in a rain slicker and begins adjusting her hair, leaning in to tell her encouraging things as she does it.

  When Elise leaves I lean against the fake light pole and pull Rook into me again. She's very willing and this makes me smile. "Put your arms around me, Gidge. You'll get warmer, and besides, mauling my bod
y is part of the job assignment tonight. This job has awesome benefits, doesn't it?"

  She laughs and wraps her arms around my waist. Antoine is already shooting, so I slip my hands inside the edge of her t-shirt. It's plastered against her body already, we are fully soaked.

  Antoine barks orders at the techs to adjust the lighting, but I tune them all out and concentrate on Rook. I lean down into her ear as her body trembles with cold against me. "Forget them. Forget the rain. Forget the job. Look at me."

  She looks up.

  "It's just us. Pretend we're in the warm car, all dressed, and we can't wait to get home so we can rip each other's clothes off."

  "You have mind-reading powers, don't you?"

  "What?" I laugh.

  She winks at me. "You were reading my mind back there in the car, weren't you?"

  I lean down and kiss her, just a soft flutter kiss to let her know I'm interested in playing. "You're on to me, huh?"

  "I am," she coos back. "But do you know what I was thinking after I fantasized about ripping off your clothes?"

  I nod.

  "Tell me."

  "You were thinking that maybe I'd take my hands and slip them inside your shirt, like this." My fingers travel up her ribcage, a light drag that makes her gasp and hold in a giggle, and then I push against her breast. "And I was thinking about how I wasn't allowed to kiss you all night because of your lipstick. But now, it's all gone."

  "Mmmmhhhmmm," she moans as I take my kisses to her neck.

  "So now, I can ravish your mouth properly." I withdraw my hand from under her shirt and I absently log Antoine complaining that he wants me to take the damn shirt off, not lose focus, but I grasp Rook's face with both hands, lift her up to me, so all her attention is on my face and nothing else. And then I crush her lips with my kiss. The heat of her mouth and the twirl of her tongue against mine makes me hard in an instant. I grind against her a little and she moans back at me, that little thrum of her voice against my palm driving me crazy.

  I rip my own shirt off in one fluid motion. Antoine goes crazy with this move, and not in a good way—he likes the girls to play with that a little, but fuck him. Rook's hands start in on my chest, tracing a stream of water that is racing down my body. Her fingertip starts at my shoulder and then falls down, the water bouncing off it, splattering a little, as she traces over my muscle, then continues as the tiny river is lost in the waistband of my pants.

  Her finger slips in, just a tiny fraction, just enough to drive me up a fucking wall with desire. I feel her laugh a little and I pull back.

  "You think you're in control here, Gidge?"

  She nods, blushing.

  I begin lifting her shirt away from her body, it's so wet now, it's plastered to her skin. I rub it against her belly as I lift and she moans, making me rush a little, showing her bra. It's a demi, so it dips very low, almost exposing her nipples. The shirt comes off a few seconds later and I can hear Antoine telling me what to do, but I dismiss him.

  I know exactly what I'm doing. I take her whole breast in my hand and squeeze until she whimpers, then drop my mouth to her nipple and drag the fabric down with my teeth. She fists my hair and I lift her up until her legs wrap around my waist. I turn and push her against the light pole, and she is panting into my ear as I suck.

  "Pants! Ronin! We're all cold here!" Antoine barks.

  I shift Rook until I have her weight distributed against my hip, just the one hand holding her up, then lift my other hand towards Antoine.

  And flip him off.

  And then I gather Rook against me, pushing the heat between her legs into my thick hardness, walk off the set, down the stairs, and over to her apartment. I crash her against the outside wall as I punch in the codes and whisk her inside. My foot comes out and kicks the door closed, and then I carry her down the short hallway and throw her down on the bed.

  "If you want me to stop, please," I beg, "say it now."

  She licks her lips as I stare down her with hungry eyes, and then whispers, "I don't want you to stop, Ronin. I don't want to take it slow or change direction. I just want you to go. Please, I'm fucking dying here, just go!"

  Chapter Thirty-Four - Rook

  He laughs at my plea, but shit! I've never had an orgasm and right now I'm on the edge. It's like I can feel that fucker ready to explode, I need the teeniest bit of pressure in just the right spot and I will gush all over him.

  All the caveman shit from outside is gone now and he watches my face as he works on the front clasp of my bra. My breasts fall out as he unfastens it, and then I sit up and wiggle my arms out and he tosses it across the room.

  "Lie down," he commands.

  I do.

  His hands go to my jeans and after some unbuttoning, he grabs them by the waist and pulls them down so fast they end up inside out because they are wet and plastered to my legs. His fingers go to my panties and he tugs a little until I lift my hips. He slides them down my legs and drops them to the floor.

  I lie still, completely naked, as his eyes take me in. "Your turn," I say in a throaty whisper.

  His fingers unbutton his jeans and unzip the fly and then he steps out of them and his boxers in one movement. He's well-built and I try not to stare, but I don't entirely succeed. When I look up at his face, he's smiling.

  "What?"

  "You, Gidget. You're blushing."

  "I'm not very experienced," I admit. "I'm not a virgin, but it was all pretty boring and I've never—"

  He waits a few seconds and then prods me on as he lies down next to me. "You've never what?"

  His hands caress my stomach and I relax against the pillows. My wet clothes have made everything damp on the bed, but I do not care. "I've never had an orgasm."

  I expect him to laugh or make a joke, but he doesn't. He just leans over my body, pressing himself up to me, his erection grinding against my hip. I am desperate to get him inside me, but he's slow now. "I might not be able to make many guarantees in this world, Rook," he says as his hand travels down and traces the crease between my legs. "But I will say with one hundred percent certainty that you will come tonight."

  He leans down to my face as his fingers probe into my entrance and teases my lips with a nibble as he pushes one finger inside me, and then uses his thumb to gently caress my clit. I squirm as his kiss becomes bruising, my whole body on fire with the desire I have.

  "Oh, God, Ronin. Please, I am so close." My hands reach down and grab his shaft, pumping him, making him breathe heavy and moan out my name. That talented finger of his flicks against me in just the right way and the agonizing throb that has been building for the last week suddenly explodes. I shove my face into his neck and bite his ear, which only makes him work my clit harder and send a wave of wetness between my legs.

  He lets me pant there in the crook of his neck as the tiny flutter waves flow through me for a few more minutes, and then he lies back and pulls me on top of him, his erection peeking out from between my legs. "You can be on top, Gidget. Do you like it on top?"

  "I have no idea," I admit again.

  "I think you will. Lift up for a second."

  I lift my hips and he slides his cock back and forth across my slit, murmuring approval as he enjoys the wetness he created with his fingers. And then I feel the pressure. His hands have a hold of my hips now and he urges me to push down on him and I feel him stretch me as he pushes up.

  "Fuck, Rook, I can't believe how good you feel." Ronin stares up at me, his eyes barely open as I lift up and then push down one more time. I shift a little as I come down, my clit rubbing up against the base of his shaft, and holy fucking shit, that feels good. I do it again and this time I exert a little more force as I come down, making Ronin growl out a few unintelligible words.

  His hands thrust me up and then slam me down, and everything I just experienced is magnified, I can feel the pressure building inside me again. I lift up, getting into his faster rhythm, and we slam together harder and harder with each movement a
nd just when I think I'm going to come again, he slows it down, and instead of the thrusting, he draws me down onto his chest and grabs my ass with both hands, sliding me, sliding my clit, back and forth across his body. We come together this time, a collective of pleasure and panting, as his mouth crashes against mine once more, our tongues still desperate for each other.

  When the shock waves subside I burrow my head into his neck again, then collapse against his chest. He turns me over so I'm on my side and then slips his arm under me, pulling my ass up against his stomach. "It was better than the fantasy, Rook. I'd just like you to know that."

  I lie there for a few seconds, so happy I can hardly stand it. So satisfied with his body pressed up against me, his breath lingering on my neck as he relaxes. And I fall asleep with a man I might love for real, for the first time ever.

  Chapter Thirty-Five - Rook

  A loud knock jolts me out of my sleep and I turn so fast, I fall out of bed.

  I'm naked.

  And when I look around in a half-asleep daze, I also realize I'm alone. I'm pretty sure Ronin was here when I fell asleep.

  The knocking comes again and I wrap the sheet around me and hustle my ass down the hallway to the door. I can see Elise's face peeking through the window so I relax a little.

  "Jesus," she says. "Heavy sleeper or what?" Her hands are clasping a clipboard piled with papers.

  I can barely see her though the gunk in my eyes, so I don't answer, but that should be her second clue that yes, indeed, I am a heavy sleeper.

  "Why are you here?" I manage to croak out.

  "Time to work."

  "What time is it?" I ask, confused. I look around, still trying to put things together.

  "Seven-thirty."

  "What the hell? I just went to bed a few hours ago, Elise! You guys had me out in the freaking rain in the middle of the night!"

  "Yeah, well, today we need to make you look like shit for this shoot, so what better way to look like shit than to feel like shit? Besides, Ronin is gone for the day and Antoine wants to shoot you with Billy for this."