His Intern: A Billionaire and Virgin Romance Page 30

  “Ellie?”

  “Yes, Livvy?”

  “How come you talk all funny?”

  I laughed. “You think I talk funny? I think you talk funny!” She giggled as I gave her a little tickle on her tummy. “Okay, missy, time for bed now, sweetie.” I gently laid her back down and drew the covers over her.

  “Ellie, please can you stay and hold my hand until I’m asleep?”

  “I’m right here, darling.” I held her hand, whilst dragging the chair over to her bed.

  “Can you sing me a song?”

  I stopped short, overcome with emotion for this simple and innocent request as visions of my mother, singing to me as a child, quickly flashed through my mind. Quickly blinking, I nodded and began to softly sing her a lullaby. A short while later, she was fast asleep.

  Quietly stepping out of her room, I glanced at my watch, noticing that I had been with the kids for almost an hour longer from when my shift ended. Quickly rushing to the bathroom, I splashed some water on my face, whilst trying to get my emotions under control. It was tough working here, an entire different world to what I had come from at B&F. The doctors and nurses here were incredible with the care they took towards these kids. I wondered if Julien knew what it was like to work in such an emotionally challenging environment - in comparison his life was relatively easy.

  Horrified, I stopped myself short at my train of thoughts. How could I pass judgement on Julien’s work?! It was completely different to this, but it didn’t mean it was any less important. I couldn’t believe I was so dismissive of his line of work and instantly felt terrible at criticising him, even just in my head.

  I grabbed my bag and headed for the exit, so looking forward to the weekend with Julien. We hadn’t seen much of each other lately and I couldn’t wait to spending some uninterrupted quality time together.

  I was looking forward to a leisurely lie-in the following morning but when I turned over in bed, I noted Julien’s side was empty. Squinting at the bedside table, the clock read eight o’clock - I wondered where he was at this time of morning, hoping he hadn’t been paged for an emergency at the clinic.

  As if reading my thoughts, he entered into the bedroom, fully dressed and holding a tray. The smell of coffee hit my nostrils.

  “Ump….smells good. Is that breakfast?”

  He came over to me, gently placing the tray on the bed.

  “Good morning, sleepyhead. Here, eat up, I have a surprise for you!” He grinned, all boyish charm in full display, as I self-consciously patted down my bed-head.

  “A surprise? Any clues?” I smiled, as I picked up the cup of coffee and took a small sip. I loved surprises!

  “Nope! That would ruin all the fun.” He leant forward and gave me a peck on the lips.

  “Okay, oh gosh, I’m so excited! I’ll be ready in twenty.” I began to quickly eat my eggs. Although limited in his culinary skills, Julien made a mean egg-white scrambled omelette.

  Julien raised an eyebrow, somewhat shocked from his expression. “You can be showered and ready in twenty minutes?”

  “Er…yeah? Unless I need to be all fancy or something? Will jeans and trainers do?”

  He grinned. “I love your English accent. Jeans and sneakers are perfect.”

  A little while later, we were in the car, on our way to the unknown destination. I snuck a sideways glance at Julien, who seemed to look more handsome by the day. Wearing a dark green polo and stylish designer sunglasses, I was glad I couldn’t see his eyes, because that would make coherent thinking even more difficult, especially with the sexy thoughts I had running through my mind.

  “Are you sure you’re not going to tell me anything?”

  “You’ll soon see,” he said, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smile. “I promise, Ellie, we’ll have a lot of fun.”

  Soon we were leaving the city behind and as I looked out of the window a small feeling of disappointment settled over me. The vast, perfectly cut fairways of a golf course lay on our left.

  “I’m not sure about your standards for fun, Mr Berthou.”

  “We’re not going golfing, Ellie,” he chuckled at my dismayed expression.

  A few minutes later, we turned down a narrow street and the sight of two dozen small aircrafts in the distance temporarily distracted me.

  “We’re here!”

  I had flown a few times before but never from a private airport.

  “We’re flying?” I asked, stunned, as he parked in front of the wire fence that marked the ending of the airport.

  Cutting the engine, he removed his sunglasses. “Yeah. Come on.” He got out of the car and I hesitated for almost a minute before pushing the door open and stepping into the dry air with an uneasy feeling.

  “Are you okay, Ellie? You look a bit pale.” Julien came around, shutting my door and looking at me with genuine concern.

  “Er…I’m not sure I want to go up in a small aircraft. I think I’ll be sick.”

  “You won’t get sick, I promise.” He wrapped one arm around my waist and silenced my protest with a kiss. Soft. Sweet. Short. Enough to deepen my craving for him.

  “Let’s go.” He grabbed my hand and we started walking towards the only gate in the fence.

  As we slid between the aircrafts, I found ourselves standing outside a plane, the only one with a ladder attached to it.

  “Julien, I’m not sure this is a good idea.” I eyed the small aircraft as a tight knot formed in my throat.

  “It’s okay, Ellie. It’s not as small as it looks.” He seemed amused.

  “I-“

  “I’ll look after you if you get sick. There’s a doctor on board, you know.” He winked, trying to erase some of my fear.

  I gave him a watery smile, took a deep breath and started to climb the ladder. As soon as I was inside, I realised that the plane wasn’t that small, with twice as many seats as I thought - six sleek leather chairs arranged in three rows of two.

  Julien gestured to the front row, whilst he greeted the captain and I quickly chose the window seat, buckling my seatbelt the instant I sat down. Julien watched me, smiling, as he continued his conversation. A couple of minutes later, he took his seat next to me, buckling up as well.

  “Where are we going?” I asked, realising he still hadn’t told me.

  I stared at Julien, who was wearing an ear-to-ear grin. “We’re skydiving,” he said, just as the plane started to move.

  “What?!” I asked blankly. “What do you mean we?”

  The plane was now working up speed as it roared down the runway, the sounds a whole lot louder than what I’d been used to before. I felt the wheels retract and I sank back in my seat, as it took flight, closing my eyes, hoping that the contents of my breakfast in my stomach would stay put.

  “It will be fun, Ellie.” Julien shouted over the noise and I shook my head, my lips pursed.

  “No way. You’re mad if you think I’m going to jump.” I dug my nails into the leather seat. “Surely you need hours of training and special equipment and I don’t know, maybe even a licence or something. No way, I’m not right for this.” My desperation seemed to have the opposite effect, because he grinned wider than before. “Plus you need to be really brave.”

  Julien leaned in, lifting my chin with his fingers. “You are brave, Ellie,” his tone was low and seductive, “more than you realise.”

  Soon the plane stopped ascending and I turned to Julien. “Why are we stopping?”

  “We’re only jumping from eight thousand feet today.” He clarified. “So what do you say?”

  “Only eight thousand feet?” I shook my head in defeat. “I don’t think I have a choice.”

  He looked at me intently, without one hint of his warm smile. “Ellie, you always have a choice.”

  And maybe because I couldn’t bear to disappoint him or most probably because I’d truly lost my mind, I found myself answering, “Okay, I’ll do it.”

  His face broke into a huge smile. “That’s my girl.
You’ll love it.” He unbuckled his seatbelt and got up. “I’ll just grab the equipment.”

  Five minutes later, I found out that the equipment consisted of a heavy jumpsuit that covered my entire body, a helmet and goggles.

  “Don’t I need a parachute?”

  “Well, for that you really do need a lot of training, to be able to steer properly. You’ll jump with me, so you won’t need one. How do you feel?”

  “Hot. I feel like I should be going skiing instead.”

  He grinned. “You look beautiful. Don’t worry about anything, okay? I’ve been doing this for years.”

  He stood behind me and set up the belts and straps that connected us together. There was a metal bar just above the door that went all the way to the front seats. Julien and I positioned ourselves next to the door and grabbed the bar.

  “Ready to jump?”

  I felt the lightness in my chest spread to my stomach and I barely nodded before the door flung open and Julien pushed me forward. In the blissful second between the first rush of cold air and my feet leaving the floor of the plane, I recognised what the feeling of lightness meant.

  Adrenaline. Pure and complete freedom.

  There was nothing except the cold wind around me, filling my lungs…my mind…taking over my entire body in the free fall. I felt as light as a feather and as quick as a bullet as I hurtled down, faster and faster, the clouds playing games with me as they swirled around me, appearing and then disappearing once again. Suddenly, I felt a violent pull, which ended the incredible velocity and I realised that Julien pulled the parachute - and we began our smooth descent. I gasped as I drew in my first deep breath, blinking the water away from my eyes.

  “You okay, baby?” He screamed in my ear.

  “YES!” I screamed back, my heart racing so frantically I was afraid it may jump out of my chest. I took in the breathtaking scenery and beauty around me - the unending ocean which was reflecting a silver light from the bright sun, even the mundane city below us - from the highways to the golf club - which looked almost perfect from up here. As we descended lower and lower, I found myself wishing we could go even slower, hating for this wonderful experience to draw to an end.

  We landed faster than I’d hoped we would, in a large patch of worn grass right next to the airport. Julien quickly unfastened our connecting belts and straps. The first few steps on solid ground felt like I was floating.

  “How was it?” Julien called as he freed himself from the parachute and unzipped his suit a little. We pulled off our helmets and threw them onto the grass.

  My face must have been a picture of ecstasy. “I LOVED it!” I couldn’t help myself from jumping up and down. “Can we go again?”

  “Not today,” he said grinning wildly, “but I promise I’ll take you again soon.”

  “Higher next time?”

  “Baby, I’ll always like to take you higher each time.”

  I blushed violently because I knew he wasn’t referring to skydiving. He grabbed my waist, pulling me into an embrace. Entangling his fingers into my hair, he pulled me against him, kissing me. Passionately, fiercely and almost desperately. It left me breathless and wanting more, cursing the suit and our location.

  “You’re a greedy little thing aren’t you, Miss Hartley,” he whispered, biting my lip. I felt myself weaken at his hot breath against my lips, every inch of my body craving contact with his.

  He put an arm around my waist and kissed my temple. “Come on, let’s gets out of here.”

  “Yes, please, Doctor.” I reached up to peck my wonderful man.

  We spent a leisurely lunch together eating al fresco at some ridiculously expensive restaurant where the food was utterly sublime.

  “You really do spoil me too much, Julien,” I smiled lazily, appreciating the crisp white wine, which perfectly complimented my salmon.

  His gaze darkened as he watched my lips. “You are my light, Ellie. Nothing is too much.”

  I placed my glass down, our eyes locking together. Could I detect something more behind his gaze? My heart raced at the possibilities and I had to look away before I blurted out the words myself. I was in love with Julien, there was no denying it - I just wasn’t sure if he felt the same depth of feelings I was experiencing - or if I was just his current phase. The latter thought made me nauseous so I quickly dismissed it from of my mind. Focus on the present, Ellie.

  I must have dozed asleep in the car on the way home and was woken up with kisses.

  “We’re home, baby.”

  I slowly opened my eyes, blinking at the bright sun as I made my way out of the car. Wow, the wine must have got to me.

  Julien took my hand as I followed him inside, heading towards the den. I sat down on the sofa and watched as Julien knelt before me, and dragging his hands across my skin, he pulled down my jeans. My breath hitched as my legs nudged open, my bare knees bouncing against the hard muscle of his thighs.

  He pulled me farther, until my back was flat against the sofa, with my bum hanging off, his hands soft, probing, lifting my legs higher and peeling off my underwear. And then I was bare before him, his hands pushing up my top, expertly unclasping my bra single-handedly, until my breasts were also exposed. He stilled as he raked his eyes over me.

  “Fucking perfect,” he breathed. He ran his hands lightly down by body, from breast to thigh, back and forth, just skimming my skin, enough to make me arch into his touch and beg for more with my eyes. I waited, breathing heavily and parted my legs, yearning for his touch. His eyes dropped, focussing on the place between my legs and groaned deeply, his fingertips dragging lower and running softly over the lips of my sex. I moaned softly.

  “So perfect,” he repeated, his fingers brushing up and down over that spot, not pushing, not spreading, just a gentle caress which had me lifting hips, wanting and needing more. He pushed a finger inside me and I jumped from the contact.

  “God…”, the groan tumbled from his mouth as he lowered his lips to mine, stretching his body forward, the hard muscles of his chest pressing against mine as he kissed me. I wrapped my legs around him, pinning his hands to me, the gentle movement of his finger causing my breath to catch as I stilled my mouth against his.

  “Oh God, Julien. Oh my, god, yes!”

  “I love you, Ellie,” he whispered as he claimed my lips again, this time hard and possessively. The sensation of his fingers coupled with the words I longed to hear, had my back coming off the leather and my breath arrested as he touched some spot that made my world go crazy.

  “I love you too, Julien…” I kissed him again and then his mouth left mine, dropping to my neck, a hand pulling my legs apart as he moved down my body, his mouth soft on my skin, a delicious journey down as his finger continued its perfect tease inside my body.

  I couldn’t keep my eyes open, but I wanted to. Wanted to see the look of intensity on his face that stole over him as he watched me. The heavy lids and panting of his breath as his fingers continued its brush against and inside me, had me bucking against him.

  I arched against his hand, humping it shamelessly as my body exploded around his finger, waves upon waves of pleasure as I called out his name, my world turning into stars and my body into a constellation. And then, before I fell from the sky, before I flicked open my eyes, he shoved himself inside me and I lost it again.

  Hard, fast. He pumped into me as if he were punishing me but the words spilling out were nothing but love. Bending over me, he dug his hands into my hips and held me tightly in place. Pounding away, with my name repeating on his tongue, the urgency in his movements carried me higher, spurring my pleasure. I wrapped my legs around him, dug my feet into his back and raked my nails across his skin.

  He came intently, one hand cradling my neck and the other squeezing my bum, pulling me tighter as if he would never get enough - be deep enough - of me.

  He thrusted in fully, moaning my name and shuddered through the final waves of his orgasm.

  “I love you so much baby,
” he whispered, as he gently pulled out, discarding the condom, which I hadn’t even noticed him putting on. Lifting me, his hands tucked underneath my body, he spun me until he was below and I was on top, stretched out over his body, my chest tight against his chest, the quick beating of our hearts off sync.

  “I love you, darling.”

  Outside, the sun blazed and the wind gently swayed through the palms. Nothing in my world could be more perfect.

  Julien

  Life was back to normal following an awesome weekend with Ellie. I felt more close to her than to anyone else I’d ever felt to before. My confession of love, rolling off my tongue took me by surprise; clearly my heart processed it before my mind did. Still, it felt good to say it - I hadn’t uttered those words to any woman in over a decade - even if I had before - it was nothing compared to what I was feeling now.

  “You still with me, dude?”

  I looked up, blinking and smirked at Pieter’s remark. It was after work and we were having a beer together in my office. Catching up and that kind of shit.

  “Yeah, sorry. Just thinking.”

  “Everything good now?”

  Yeah, everything was great. After weeks of being tangled up in the lawsuit and ex-drama, it was good to be back to the regular job, back in my professional setting despite my recent questioning of its purpose.

  “All, good, my friend. I’m relieved it’s all over.” I took a sip of my beer. “I hear Nina’s been served. I feel sorry for the crap that Lawrence has to deal with, though.”

  “I know, it must suck to have such a bitch for a daughter.” I watched as he peeled the label of his bottle.

  “So, Pieter… What about you? Seeing anyone right now?”

  He laughed. “What me? Nah - too focused on work at the moment. How’s things going with Ellie?”

  I smiled at the mention of her name.

  “Oh shit, man, you look like you’re whipped!” Pieter burst out laughing at my goofy smile.

  “Fuck, yeah, I’m whipped and proud of it!” We clinked bottles together, laughing. “Seriously, she’s great. I’m very impressed with how she’s taken to her new role. She’s an amazing nurse, but slightly struggling at the moment. She needs to learn how to emotionally detach from her patients.