Page 14 of Tempt

“Nicki, I am not doing this again.”

The driver glanced back in the mirror. “Do I need to head to her flat?”

Theo put up his hand and shook his head. “No. I. Am. Not. Doing. This.” He said each word with a growl. “You can either grow up or run away. I am not saving you anymore.”

There was wailing from the other end of the line.Little sister? Ex lover?

“Goodbye Nicki. This is life, you need to learn to accept it.” He ended the call and shoved his phone in his suit pants. His hand was no longer on my leg. Instead it was a fist so tight it turned his knuckles white.

I had no idea what was happening, but I had one idea how to fix it. I gently touched his fist and took it into my hands.

He immediately relaxed, letting me open his hand and thread his fingers between mine. I saw his shoulders drop, but the look on his face wasn’t relaxed.

It was shock.

Oh yes.This connection definitely ran both ways.

“Martin? Get me home.Now,” he said without looking away.

Two minutes later Martin and two other security guys escorted us into the apartment building in Knightsbridge. Only Martin accompanied us upstairs, disappearing inside the moment the door was open.

Everything about Theo’s apartment—flat—reminded me of him. There was something so very modern, yet warm and manly about every aspect of the décor.

Dark woods were accented against white marbles. Every room was bright with light, but balanced by the dark, heavy furniture and wood paneling. It was unmistakable that this flat was decorated for a man to live inside it.

And yet, I felt completely at home.

He took my coat and bag, hanging them in a front closet. Before awkward silence could set in Martin returned with a nod then left, pulling the main door closed behind him.

Theo walked over and threw the locks. “Are you hungry?” he asked.

“No. Are you?”

“No.” He took my hand and led me through the dining room, down a hall, and into a bedroom. It was gorgeous, but stark. The headboard was massive over the king-sized bed.

My anticipation meter was solidly in the red when he looked down at me and I lost all control. The way he’d calmed to my touch in the car, added with that look in his eyes and the musk clinging to his clothes, I needed him. I wanted his body, but there was something more.

I wanted toconquerhim.

Those walls he kept up, I wanted through. Down to the man hidden inside. He’d let me see a little glimpse. It was just a taste, but that was enough. Now I needed it all.

Because what I saw was so much more than anyone gave him credit for. His work clearly drove him. And I had a feeling that was why he was quiet and kept to himself. He wasn’t an angry man, he was adrivenman. He wasn’t like any man I’d ever met before, and that made me feel strangely safe around him.

He was from a world just like mine, but not. He understood the pressure and the rules, but played his own game. He fascinated me.

“Do you have any idea what you do to me when you look at me like that?” His voice was a low growl.

Maybe I was just as intriguing to him. “Show me.”Everything.

The wall between us disappeared. Oh, I knew it would be back, but for the next hour he was letting go.

He cupped my elbow and turned me to the side. With one hand he brushed my hair over my shoulder. Slowly he unzipped my dress, then pushed it down my arms until it pooled at my feet on the floor. “Your skin is so soft.”

I shuddered as he ran his hand down my back and around my hip, pulling me into him. I let my head fall onto his shoulder and enjoyed the way it felt to finally be in his arms again.

“I like how strong you are. You threw me around on that dance floor like I didn’t weigh a thing.”

“You don’t,” he said into my ear. My core pulsed. I had no doubt my panties were pointless—I probably wouldn’t be able to wear them home. Then he kissed my shoulder and flicked away my bra strap. “And you taste good, too.”