Redeeming The Billionaire (The Sherbrookes of Newport Book 5) Read online

  The moment she walked into the lobby of his building the doorman recognized her and ushered her to the elevator that only accessed Trent’s floors. On her previous visit she hadn’t noticed that Trent used a special passcode to activate the elevator, but as it carried her up toward his floor it made sense to her. Trent’s apartment took up the top two floors of the building. No one else needed access to those floors.

  When the elevator stopped, the doors opened with a ding. Before stepping onto the gleaming floor in the foyer, she smoothed down her skirt. Thanks to the blended materials the skirt resisted wrinkles for the most part, but even so after wearing it all day a few were visible.

  The sound of her heels on the tiles echoed in the silent space, and she took a moment to appreciate the beauty around her. Whoever designed and decorated the building made certain every part of it looked gorgeous, not just the apartment itself.

  Ringing the bell, Addie waited for Trent to answer. When several minutes went by and he didn’t answer, she reached into her purse for her cell phone. It made sense that in a place like this everything would be kept in working order, but things did break. Maybe the doorbell wasn’t working or he hadn’t heard it. From memory she dialed Trent’s cell phone, but before she hit send the door swung open and Addie forgot her name.

  “Sorry, I was in the shower when you rang the doorbell,” Trent said, dressed in nothing more than a faded pair of jeans, his hair wet and his feet bare. “Come on in.” He took a step back and pulled the door open wider.

  Addie unglued her feet from the floor and took a step forward, unable to look away from the tiny drops of water on his chest and stomach. She’d seen plenty of pictures of gorgeous men with bodies like Trent’s in magazines and on television but never in person. As if her hand had a mind of its own, she reached out and wiped away a droplet of water near his nipple.

  “I’m glad your meeting didn’t take long.” One of his hands covered hers while the other pulled her closer.

  Before he could say anything else, she pressed her lips against his, the instigator of their kiss for a change. “So do you always answer your door dressed like this?” she asked, pulling back from their kiss.

  Trent gathered both her hands in his and raised them toward his mouth for a kiss. “Only when I know it’s you,” he said, the warmth of his smile echoing in his voice.

  The warm kiss he placed on her hand traveled up her arms and throughout her body. “I bet you say that to all the women who show up on your doorstep.” She kept her voice light and teasing.

  “You’re the first woman, other than my sister and cousin, to ever be here.” He looked right at her as he spoke.

  There was no mistaking the tingle of excitement that leapt to life at his words. With her hand still locked in his, Trent led her away from the door. “Make yourself comfortable while I grab a shirt.” He stopped next to the sofa in the main living room.

  You don’t need to do that on my account. Addie nodded and watched him walk back toward the stairs that led up to the bedrooms on the second floor. Rather than sit, she wandered toward the windows overlooking the city. All day the sky had been gray. Despite the ominous weather predicted, the rain and thunderstorms hadn’t made an appearance. Now though, the sky appeared darker than it should and, judging by the trees below, the winds had picked up. Wind and rain she could handle. It was the thunder and lightning that scared her.

  Upstairs Trent grabbed the first T-shirt his hand landed on. All week he’d looked forward to seeing Addie again and not because Marty insisted he keep to the timetable he’d set. In fact, he’d pushed Marty’s plan to the back of his mind. Only after his conversation with the advisor that week had it made an unpleasant appearance and kept him from sleeping.

  Instead, he looked forward to spending time with Addie for the simple reason that he liked her. He enjoyed their conversations both in person and on the phone. She made him laugh. Unlike other women he’d dated, she never put any pressure on him. Not once had she demanded to see him. She’d accepted and understood that he had work obligations during the week. Addie never sucked up to him either. When she didn’t agree with him, she let him know. She even attempted to convince him to see things her way. And now after a long week, he had her all to himself. When he left for his meeting in Hartford that morning, he resigned himself to the fact he wouldn’t see Addie until tomorrow. However, when his last meeting ended early, the only thing he’d been able to think about was getting back to Providence early enough to see her. Her agreement to stop by after her own meeting only sweetened the day.

  “Not much to see out there tonight,” Trent said when he re-entered the living room and found Addie by the windows. “Usually you get a great view of the sunset from that window.” Trent stopped behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her against him.

  As if they’d done it a hundred times before, she rested her head against him and placed her own hands over his. With the simple action, a sense of pure contentment struck him and he envisioned them standing like that every night watching the sunset over the city.

  “I’d love to see it sometime.”

  She’d made a clear statement, but he detected the question in her voice. “You will.” He didn’t want there to be any doubts in her mind as to his intentions. “You’ll enjoy the sunrises from up here, too.” If she hadn’t been in his arms, he would’ve missed that she held her breath for a moment at his mention of sunrises. “Since there’s not much to see out there tonight, why don’t we find something else to do? We can put on a movie. Or if you’re hungry we can see what’s in the kitchen?”

  Turning in his arms, Addie smiled at him. Then before he could make the first move she placed a gentle kiss on his mouth. Although gentle and over all too soon, the single kiss warmed his very soul, and Trent could do nothing but stare at her when she broke contact, his mind busy processing the change in his emotions.

  “I’m not hungry, but go ahead and eat if you are. A movie sounds good, though.”

  Oh, he was hungry all right but not for food. He wanted her naked in his bed more than he wanted his next breath. However, that wasn’t something you told a woman like Addie, at least he didn’t think so. A statement like that might send her running all the way back to her own place. “I’m all set for now, but how about some wine?”

  Trent took her by the hand and led her into the kitchen. After looking through his selections they settled on a Cabernet, and then he led her back to his entertainment room with its movie projector. Walking in, Trent pressed the button on the wall to lower the screen. “What kind of movie do you feel like? A comedy maybe?” he asked as he hit the button that controlled the shades on the windows.

  On the other side of the room, Addie kicked off her heels and settled herself on the leather sectional that occupied most of one wall. “How about something with some suspense?”

  Trent ran through his list of movies in his head. “Have you seen that thriller Mia Troy did? I bought it last month but haven’t watched it.” He heard the first onslaught of rain hit the windows as he sat down. Immediately, he recalled the weatherman’s forecast for the evening and Addie’s reaction the last time there had been a thunderstorm. “If not, I also just got Anderson Brady’s last movie.” As he spoke Trent pulled Addie closer.

  She didn’t hesitate to snuggle up to him as she folded her legs up on the sofa. “I saw Heartbreaker when it first hit the theaters,” Addie said referring to Mia Troy’s latest movie. “It was great. Let’s watch that one.”

  Trent accessed his movie collection and in moments the opening credits appeared on the screen. “If you need anything just say the word.” More content and relaxed than he could ever remember being, he settled in to watch the movie and hold Addie close. As the opening credits disappeared and the movie got underway, he heard the first rumble of thunder. At least he thought it was thunder. Glancing over at Addie, he checked her reaction, but her eyes remained fixed on the screen.

  Assuming the no
ise had come from the movie, he turned his attention back to the screen just as another rumble reached his ears. Next to him Addie tensed, and he knew the sound hadn’t come from the movie.

  “They said we would get storms tonight,” Addie said as another clap of thunder filled the room.

  He squeezed her hand. “Look on the bright side, we’re not stuck in an elevator this time.” Maybe if he made her laugh it would help her relax.

  Before she could answer, a clap of thunder filled the room, this one so loud it sounded as if a bomb had gone off in his apartment. Under his arm, Addie jumped, her head bumping into his. “Sorry,” she said as she pulled away to look at him. “I know thunderstorms are usually harmless, but I still hate them.” She moistened her lips with her tongue, the action making his mouth hunger for the taste of her again.

  “We all have things that bother us.” He lowered his head toward hers, set on satisfying his need to kiss her while at the same time distracting her from the storm outside.

  “Even you?” she asked her voice softer now.

  He stopped mere inches from her mouth. “Even me,” he whispered before his lips descended on hers. Her lips were warm and sweet and at first he kept his kisses gentle, allowing himself to savor every moment. The longer they kissed the greater the fire inside him burned. When Addie pressed her breasts against him and parted her lips, he couldn’t stop himself from thrusting his tongue inside to meet hers.

  Outside, another boom of thunder crashed, echoing the thudding of his heart. Pulling his mouth away from Addie’s, he trailed his lips down her neck and then back up to her earlobe. With his tongue he traced the outline of her ear, causing Addie to sigh. With slow movements, he retraced his steps, pausing once again at her lips and kissing her before working his way to her other ear. As he sucked on her earlobe, warm skin came in contact with his as Addie’s hands slid under his T-shirt and up his back. At first her movements remained tentative, but when he once again pressed his mouth against hers, they became more confident. Like a wildfire devouring dry brush, desire overtook him, and Trent reached for the buttons on her top.

  Without breaking their kiss, he undid each tiny button, eager to remove the barrier between them. When he got the last button undone, he pushed the top from her shoulders, tossed it on the floor and then pulled back. For a moment he stared in silence, his eyes taking in the sight before him. “Beautiful,” he said as he reached out and slid her bra straps down her shoulders. When she opened her mouth as if to comment, he covered it with his again. Then he reached around her back and undid the hooks of her bra.

  Overhead the lights flickered and thunder crashed again, but unlike before, Addie didn’t flinch. Eager to get rid of another barrier, Trent pulled back and tugged off his own shirt. Before he pulled her against him again, he reached out, his hands moving down her bare arms before making their way up her rib cage to cover her breasts, which just barely fit in his hands. At the intimate contact, her nipples came to life under his hands and he couldn’t stop himself from lowering his head to take one into his mouth. When she moaned, he switched to the other side as his erection begged for some attention from the beautiful woman in his arms.

  Still uncertain just how far Addie wanted to go tonight, he lowered her onto the couch and then looked down at her, waiting for any sign he should stop. In response, her eyes met his, then traveled down his body, her hands following the trail they made, leaving a scorching fire behind on his skin. When her hand paused at his waistband, he assumed she’d reverse her path. Instead, she rubbed a hand down the front of his jeans before undoing the button. As she slid the zipper down, he held his breath, and when she slipped a hand inside and touched him, he groaned. For a moment he lost himself in the feel of her hand on him; then he reached for her wrist and pulled her hand free. Before they went any further he needed to get them upstairs. While he planned on marrying Addie, that didn’t mean he needed any children complicating things right now. The only way to prevent that meant using protection, which was upstairs.

  Trent stood and kissed her as he pulled her to her feet. He continued to kiss her all the way across the apartment, only stopping long enough for them to make it up the stairs. Once in his room, he retook her mouth as he walked her toward the bed, stripping her of her skirt along the way. Dressed in only her low cut lace panties, she knelt on the bed facing him and reached for his jeans as another clap of thunder sounded. Rather than flinch, she pushed his jeans down until they reached his knees. Once he freed his legs from the jeans, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him onto the bed with her.

  Content now that her skin touched his, Trent allowed Addie to remain in control and enjoyed her caress as her hands wandered down his back, across his ass and to the tops of his thighs. When she reached his legs she started a path back the way she came, only this time when she reached his hip, she slipped a hand between them and ran a single finger down his penis. The simple touch brought his already burning desire into an inferno stage. With one simple movement, he rolled off her enough to remove her panties and then grabbed a condom from his wallet on the nightstand.

  “Damn, you’re beautiful,” Trent said, unable to look away from Addie as he tore the condom package open. “Absolutely perfect.” He slipped the condom on, then covered her body again with his.

  Addie embraced him. “I wouldn’t say—” Before she finished, he covered her mouth with his, thrusting his tongue inside her mouth as he slid inside her.

  ***

  “Have thunderstorms always scared you?” Trent asked from next to her on the sectional in the entertainment room two hours later. After they’d made love they’d cuddled in bed until both their stomachs demanded food.

  Addie shook her head and swallowed the grape in her mouth. “No, at least I don’t remember them bothering me until I was eight.” Her eyes followed his hand as he reached out and grabbed a square of cheese from the platter in front of them. As if they had a mind of their own her eyes traveled from his hand, up his arm and to his bare chest. When they’d left his room, he’d only pulled back on his jeans and she was rather happy about that fact.

  “What happened when you were eight?” he asked before he bit into his food.

  She glanced back at the movie as the memories resurfaced. “We moved back to Rhode Island when I was seven and my family bought this huge old farmhouse in Burrillville. The house had been built during the Civil War, and my dad planned to remodel it in his free time. Anyway, the night before I turned eight, there was a huge thunder and lightning storm. It woke me up it was so loud. Lightning struck the electrical wires attached to the house. At first we all just thought the power went out, but then my brother smelled smoke. By the time the firefighters got there the house was engulfed.” Visions from that night played through her head. Even after all this time she could hear the sirens as the fire trucks approached and smell the smoke in the air as the fire devoured the old wood.

  Trent touched her cheek. “That’s terrible. Did anyone get hurt?”

  Addie swallowed back the emotions bubbling up. “My dad suffered some burns on his arms because of me, but otherwise everyone got out okay.”

  “How could that have been your fault?”

  Although she’d never change what she’d done that night, she still regretted the danger she put her dad in. “We all managed to get out of the house fine, but once outside I realized Hersey, my dog, hadn’t followed me, so I ran back in to get her. When my dad realized what I did, he rushed in after me. I found Hersey hiding under my bed. By the time my dad got to us in my room, the stairs had caught on fire. We ended up going out my brother’s bedroom window onto the porch roof below and then to the ground.” She shivered at the memory of rushing down the hall toward Rock’s bedroom, Hersey in her arms. “I have never seen my father so angry at me as that night once we were all safe. And I knew even then that it was a stupid thing to do, but I just couldn’t leave her in there.”

  Trent took her hand and kissed it. Once agai
n she shivered, but this time it had nothing to do with the unpleasant memories.

  “If one of my children ever did something like that I’d react like your father, but I get why you did it.”

  Trent a father, now that made quite the vision. With no effort she could see him holding a little baby with sapphire blue eyes and dirty blond hair

  “What happened after?”

  “We lived with my aunt and uncle for a little while, and my parents had a new house built where the old one had been. They still live there.”

  Without any warning he scooped her up and sat her on his lap, the hem of the T-shirt she’d borrowed riding up her thigh. “And you’ve hated thunderstorms ever since,” he said as more a statement than a question.

  “Pretty much. If I’m tired enough sometimes I’ll sleep through them, but otherwise they always make me jumpy.”

  “I think we just discovered another way for you to make it through a storm without it bothering you.” Trent’s hand slid up her bare thigh and under the hem of the T-shirt as he kissed her neck.

  Addie laughed. “Then I guess whenever a storm is predicted I’ll make sure you’re close by.” She placed a hand on his chest. Beneath her fingers she felt the muscles move as he continued his caress on her thigh.

  “Now that sounds like an excellent idea.” He moved in toward her as if to kiss her just as she turned her head and yawned. “Tired?”

  “You could say that,” she answered, uncovering her mouth. “I’m sorry. It’s been a busy week.”

  Trent’s hand slipped out from under her shirt and went around her waist. “No need to apologize. Why don’t you spend the night here with me? Tomorrow we can go back to your place so you can get clean clothes.”

  She’d never spent the night at a man’s house, let alone a man she’d known less than a month. Even so, the idea of falling asleep and waking up in Trent’s arms was something she couldn’t pass up. “Sounds perfect.”