Page 27

CHAPTER 27

Z ach

I’d admitted I cared about her. Perhaps I was a fool, but I did.

More so than felt right, but then again, being with her was right. Had I thought more than once about what Christopher had said? Hell, yes, but there was another truth I couldn’t ignore or deny.

I wanted her.

No, I needed her.

I couldn’t let her out of my life under any circumstances. If I needed to hunt down this mafia group all over the country, I would. I had enough sources I could do that easily.

I’d seen a distinct change in the look in her eyes during dinner.

Sara hadn’t crumbled with the realization she could have a target on her back. She hadn’t tried to deny the possibility. She’d simply processed the information provided and stored it away.

The time spent had been more enjoyable than even being in the diner.

“We could play our own game. I mean when this is all over. Right?” Sara was coy with the question.

How many times had I laughed that night alone? I’d wanted nothing more than to track down and gut the man in the sedan, yet now, I was laughing. Again.

“You really want to do that?”

“Why not? You said knowing Dark Nights wasn’t the sole criteria. I think I could be very good for your company in other ways.”

“Like what?” I couldn’t help teasing and learning from her. How was it possible I felt so relaxed when I should be scouring the street?

She shrugged and took another sip of her wine. “I don’t know if this rumor is true, but I heard Dark Nights is being considered as the subject for a thriller movie by a big movie production company.”

I almost choked on my scotch. “Nothing is secret in the company.”

“Oh, hell, no. There’s a gossip system that runs like champagne in a fountain. True or false.”

“True, but you don’t officially know that. I’ve been tasked to head to LA to talk to the people.”

“But you don’t know artsy types. I do.”

“What are you suggesting?” I admired her chutzpa even more now.

“That you let me talk with them. I look damn good in a bright red suit.”

“I just bet you do. Right now, the goddamn movie is the last thing on my mind. However, I just might take you up on your offer.”

“More scotch?” she asked and suddenly rose to her feet. But not before I noticed the mischievous look in her eyes. “Or are you corporate types determined to get to work bright and early?”

She didn’t truly understand what my hunt would entail and I didn’t want her to learn. “Right now, neither one of us is going anywhere. I hope you understand that.”

“But I have a really mean big boss. He’ll be angry with me for not coming in.” She grabbed my glass, scooting off the couch. “I need to be on my best behavior.”

My cock was suddenly strained. She was still determined to become a candidate. I had to give her credit. Her world could be falling apart, but she still wanted to better herself and her brother.

I rose to my feet, sauntering closer. “What are you doing, my wild kitty?”

“Who, me?”

“You’re trying to ply me with seduction.” As she poured the drinks, I brushed hair from around her shoulders.

“I wouldn’t do that. You made it perfectly clear the game is not going forward. However, I’m determined to prove to you that I’m worthy of winning the ultimate prize even if it takes me a year to get there.”

“Perhaps your idea of a prize and mine are different.”

“Perhaps.”

“I happen to know, sweet Sara, since you became my prize over two weeks ago.”

She shuddered and all I could think about was ravaging her.

I walked around her, tracing a single finger along her arm to her shoulder, tickling the back of her neck before sliding it along her spine to the crack of her ass. When I gathered the hem of her dress in my fingers, I heard the catch in her voice.

She didn’t move until I rubbed the rough pad of my thumb in a circle on her bottom. As she tipped her head, she pursed her stained lips. “I’m thinking you don’t know what I’m made of.”

“Perhaps you’re right, but that’s about to change.” I took my time inhaling her sweet perfume as I rolled my thumb down the crack of her ass. Using my knee to ease her legs apart, I was rewarded with Sara arching her back. Her excitement was easy to read. This was a toxic if not exhilarating continuation of an incredible forbidden romance.

But who was I to care about playing by the rules? She didn’t either.

I slipped my hand between her legs, savoring the warmth and wetness. Her breathing was as rapid as when I’d caught her in the woods hours before, and I enjoyed the way she dragged just the tip of her tongue across her bottom lip.

She was a sweet seductress hidden behind layers of pretense. Yet I’d seen through her shield, sparking the creativity and boldness.

As well as her raging desire.

She was a born submissive.

She hadn’t been provided with lingerie. I preferred when she wore nothing under her clothes. The hindrance was unnecessary. I was almost instantly rewarded with a husky whimper, deep and throaty as she concentrated on trying to eliminate the intense jolt of electricity. That wasn’t possible.

We were meant to be together.

I rubbed my thumb around her clit, taking my time doing so. There was no need to rush. The game had been concluded. At least for the night. A smirk crossed my face. She’d attempt to alter the ending and I couldn’t wait to see what she did.

And what she managed to accomplish.

Sara attempted to remain unfazed, her body rigid as I rubbed her pussy. I’d already learned every inch of her body, discovering where and how to make her the happiest. Yet every time I touched her, I learned something new.

I held my breath as she lolled her head. Her beauty was unequaled. She’d brought me back to life. She’d ceremoniously made living exciting again.

In return, I’d protected her.

I’d made her feel as alive as I’d become.

I’d warded off evil for her.

I’d killed for her. And I’d do it again.

Nothing would prevent me from keeping my perfect prize safe and happy.

I thrust two fingers past her tight channel while continuing to torment her clit, the tiny nub already swollen from my actions.

She swayed back and forth, teetering on the heels. I was able to see the outline of her fully aroused nipples pushing through the dress and my mouth watered at the thought of sucking on one then the other.

When I added a third finger, she fell back against me, wine sloshing from her glass. “You can’t get to me.”

“Oh, no? What am I doing now?”

Her laugh was throatier than before, the kind of sound that could make a man lose his mind from desperate need.

I slowed my actions, flexing my fingers then curling the tips. As I continued taking it nice and slow, she bucked against my hand. She was slickening my fingers as much as possible with her sweet juice. The little minx.

With a hard jerk of my hand, I removed the pleasure, cracking my palm against her bottom. There was no need to issue a command or words of any kind. Her smile allowed me to know she was enjoying every moment of the only action I called foreplay.

When I returned my hand, I allowed my actions to become more savage. Her pussy muscles were tight, gripping my fingers as a vise would. I enjoyed every moment of finger fucking her, drinking in more than just the fragrance of her feminine wiles. Every lilting sound was a sweet sonata, certainly not wild enough for a girl with legs a mile long and a sense of rhythm like no one else I’d met.

But my actions would need to do.

I placed my drink on the end table, wrapping my arm around her waist to keep her in position.

She gripped my arm, digging her nails into my skin as she was dragged into a moment of rapture.

I continued thrusting long and hard, never blinking as I basked in her various expressions, emotions running deep within her. When I could tell she was close to an orgasm, I pulled back in intensity, once again flicking my thumb back and forth across her clit.

She threw back her head just as she climaxed, trying her best to keep from making any noise. With her body shaking, I hugged her tightly against me, nuzzling my face into her neck as she covered my fingers and hand with her cream.

I continued to hold her as she slowly came down from the throes of ecstasy. There was something entirely too special about taking and keeping full control of her body. I was more enthralled than I’d been ever before, nipping her earlobe as she uttered several guttural moans.

When I finally backed away, she teetered back and forth, finally opening her eyes. With her shaky hand, she raked her long fingers through her hair, taking a sip of her wine as if nothing had happened.

I slipped my wet fingers into my mouth, sucking off her honey-laced juice. She was sweet inside and out, my seemingly innocent kitten who had claws like a lioness.

My mind was spinning in dark and filthy ways, the sexual tension remaining between us. After snagging my drink, I headed for the leather chair, taking position so I could watch her every move.

There was no telling what the woman would do.

She remained where she was, swaying back and forth to the song on my playlist. I watched her as intently as I’d done inside the club. She was more restrained, her persona entirely different than when dancing behind a mask. Yet her moves were just as seductive, structured as if she’d been trained by the best.

I could easily become mesmerized by her beauty and nothing else, although as she’d done at the club, she was using her craft as a weapon. Her lure was well received and my cock was pinching against my trousers.

I remained at rapt attention, sipping my drink as she danced around the room, often tossing her long hair from side to side.

The gesture was hot as hell and she knew I was unable to take my eyes off her lithe body. She certainly had a way of controlling her emotions as well as her body. I admired and respected her more than most, equally enthralled with her beauty. But I hadn’t gone into taking a role in the yearly game for a simple roll in the hay.

I’d done so to enhance my holdings. So to speak. She would be an excellent partner by my side, keeping me on my toes while I achieved additional greatness. For that, she was owed all the money and perks the contest could provide.

Tonight was merely a celebration in my mind, a physical signing of a contract. Whether or not she knew it, she’d sold her soul to me the day she’d pushed for an invitation for the contest.

She would have all the perks she craved, but they’d be doled out by me and me alone.

A smile turned into a smirk as I rubbed my index finger across my lips. She inched closer, giving me pouty looks until I was captured by her beguiling ways. She was an enigma, a woman with a past as dubious as mine.

While it had shaped her as mine had, she’d become the light where I’d become the darkness. There was no doubt in my mind together we were explosive.

Her intense privacy had solidified the hunger, burning away everything else but the need to capture and keep.

Both for her safety as well as for my privileged use.

What a barbaric thought, but one that worked well for the likes of a man like me.

She inched even closer, putting her wine down next to my drink before running her fingers along the insides of my legs. When she reached my groin, she laughed softly and brushed the tips across my aching shaft just once.

“You are such a tease, Wild Kitty.”

“You have no idea.”

“Mmm… You forget how well I know you.”

She crawled her fingers along my thighs, giving me her most heated look. “It’s entirely possible you don’t know me at all, the way you thought I didn’t know you.”

“And you think you do?”

“Yes. You’re a man who bought into the thought he was evil through and through because of a tarnished bloodline. But that’s not entirely true. You make your own way in the world. Every choice is your own.”

“Are you trying to suggest I’m a good man?” I almost laughed. She’d already told me that before and she’d been the first person in my life to do so. How many had called me a monster?

For a little boy, the words stung. Now I coveted them.

But not around her.

“Hardly,” she whispered and tugged off one of my shoes then the other, tossing them aside with a little wicked smile on her face. She straddled my legs, forcing me to close them by a few inches. “But I like the man you’ve become. Fierce. Possessive. A bit crazy.” Her laugh brought another wave of desire as my balls tightened.

“That makes you a little crazy as well.”

Bending down, she pressed her lips against my cheek and nipped my earlobe before licking the shell and whispering, “Absolutely.”

“Which I do adore about you.”

“Shush. Close your eyes. Allow me to take control if only for a little while.”

I gave her a stern look, but what the hell? She was going nowhere. That much I did know about her. She adored the game, the risks involved and the dangerous elements. We were two birds of the same feather, meant for greatness.

She continued stroking me, tormenting my cock for a full thirty seconds before finally tugging at my belt. A part of me wanted to yank the thick leather strap free, dragging her over my knees to give her a proper spanking. That’s what she deserved for teasing me the way she had.

Her fingers worked expertly to unfasten my trousers, releasing my aching cock. There was no pretense to what she was doing, her hunger as evident as mine. She placed her knees beside me, slowly lowering her body.

Her scent was entirely too intoxicating, pulling me toward a sweet personal moment of nirvana. No woman had ever turned me on as much as she had.

Unable to help myself, I gripped her hips, holding her above my cock as she wrapped her hand around the base. “Be careful, Wild Kitty. Take what you want, but do so with the knowledge once you do, you will never be allowed to let go.”

“I guess we’ll see about that.”

I laughed softly and allowed her to continue. As soon as she pressed the tip of my cock past her swollen folds, I took a deep breath and brought her down with a brutal jar.

She was shocked, her eyes opening wide as she laughed with glee in her voice. She gripped my shirt, unbuttoning it until she was able to slide her cool hands against my skin. “Do you like my touch?”

“Very much.”

“Good.” She pushed her body against mine, licking her lips just to remind me how naughty she could be. My balls were aching to the point where I was forced to take several deep breaths. I kept my fingers gripping her hips, but allowed her to rock her body against mine.

A sly smile remained on her face as she fucked me, taking her time to lift her body then bring it down several times. The sensations were phenomenal, pushing my heartrate into a higher level.

The bodacious woman was far too delicious to ever let go. We stared at each other, digging deep into the other’s soul. It was refreshing to have someone so much like me as my lover. That had never happened before.

She knew all about the darkness buried deep inside and couldn’t care less. That was because she had hidden shadows of her own.

For the next few minutes, we rocked together until her body began to tense all over again. I took back control, pumping her up and down on my cock savagely. Sweat had beaded across my lip, the sweet exertion exactly what I’d needed.

As she rolled into another climax, I couldn’t help but think that she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

And she was all mine.

“Yes. Yes. Yes.” She threw her head back, her entire body shaking violently. I lifted my hips, thrusting as deep and hard into her as possible. As she was coming down from the round of ecstasy, the vixen dropped her head, once again forming a wicked smile as she squeezed her pussy muscles.

My control was trashed. As I erupted deep inside of her, sweet Sara had a look of satisfaction.

She eased her body against mine, nuzzling her head against my neck. But only for a few seconds. When she jerked up as if realizing we weren’t romantic in the traditional sense, her arm flew back, hitting the glasses. Given the force she used, as soon as they tumbled to the floor, they shattered.

“Shit.”

Sara started to step off the chair, but I held her. “You’re not going anywhere. Just stay right here. I’ll get a broom.”

“I’m sorry. That was so damn clumsy of me.”

I laughed as I gingerly disengaged my body from hers, avoiding the glass while securing her on the chair. I pointed at her after walking toward the door. “Do not move.”

She curled her feet under her, throwing up her hands.

I headed to the laundry room, grabbing the broom and dustpan. Then a sixth sense yanked at my mind. No. No. No!

I rushed back into the room, taking gasping breaths.

The French doors were open.

And there was no sign of her.

Rage unlike anything I’d ever experienced roared up from the depths of my being.

The darkness would prevail. I would kill the motherfucker who’d taken her.