Page 30 of Ruthless Temptation
My eyes drift to his tattoo as I speak.Death will find me alive."Somebody killed Nico.” My father’s recollection of his body comes to mind. Now that the disbelief has worn off, I wish I could see his body.
Erik doesn’t even feign shock. A small smile twists his lips, and he turns away from me abruptly, back to the pot he’sjust checked on. “Really? So what does that mean? You’ll end up marrying his brother?” There’s a calculated calmness to his voice.
He already knows the answer.
“No,” I say, leaning over the counter. “His father didn’t have any more children. They made my father interim leader of the syndicate. I don’t think I’ll end up in any more arranged marriages.”
His shoulders shake as he laughs. “I don’t think you will either.”
I watch him as he pulls a tray of baked potatoes out of the oven and starts plating our meals. He doesn’t say anything else, only steals glances at me as he pours the wine. It had to have been him. Nobody else knew. As the reality of what Erik did for me settles, part of me wonders if I should feel scared.
He killed for me.
Even if Ishouldfeel scared, I don’t. All I feel is a sense of undying loyalty to him. He killed for me when he didn’t have to. It wasn’t because of duty, or blind loyalty. It was simply because he wanted me, and cared about me too much to see me suffer.
Yes, it makes him dangerous.
But it also makes him mine, and that’s more than I could ever ask for.
Erik waves me over to the dining table. It’s the focal point of the adjoining room, a huge hand-hewn piece with live edges and a river of marble trailing down the center. I take the seat he offers me, and he settles into the one beside me.
“I hope you enjoy it,” he says with another smile.
The lit chandelier adds a warmth to his skin that makes me want to kiss him all over. His hair flops over his forehead lazily, and I realize this is one of those few moments where he seems entirely relaxed. I take a long sip of the wine.
“You never answered,” I say. “Was it you?”
Erik buys himself some time by shoveling a bite of food into his mouth. He watches me lazily as he chews, slowly drinking me in. By the time he’s finished, I realize I’m not even interested in his answer. I just want him to devour me like that steak.
“I don’t like it when you’re distracted,” he says simply. “Now that you don’t have a reasonnotto focus in my class, I hope you will.”
I giggle, playing along. “We definitely wouldn’t want me to be distracted.”
He rests a hand on mine, and a jolt of electricity courses through me. “I’m glad we’re on the same page, Tara.” Erik gives me a lopsided smile, before his face takes on that stony expression. He’s about to say something serious. “I can’t promise you that we will ever walk down the aisle?—”
I cut him off. “Good, because I have no interest in trading one prison for another.”
He picks up my hand and presses a kiss there. “I can’t promise you that we will ever walk down the aisle, but I can promise you happiness. I will be yours for as long as you will have me.” His lips linger on my skin. “I can promise you endless orgasms. I will ensure your needs are always met in every moment we share. I hope that doesn’t sound like too much of a prison.”
I shake my head, already getting up from my chair. “No, it doesn’t,” I say, wrapping my arms around his neck. Erik picks me up, then presses his lips to mine.
He kisses me hard, crushing my mouth with a fervent passion that has me tugging at the waistband of his slacks. His hands find my breasts, freeing them from the thin material of my camisole. I roll my head back as his lips make their way along my neck.
I spend the rest of the night in worship of the man I love.