Kitabı oku: «The Dare Collection June 2019», sayfa 9

CHAPTER FIVE
Damian

WE’D TAKEN A wrong turn somewhere. And I didn’t need a compass to know that the fault was mine. My motives tonight hadn’t been wholly altruistic, true. But I hadn’t anticipated this...deep dive into matters I never discussed with anyone.

My plan when I’d challenged Neve into spending more time with me had been to delve into a conundrum of my own. To uncover why she still remained irresistible despite her bristling hostility. Why she made my cock hard by simply walking into a room when she was far from easy or accommodating.

The problem was that I wanted her. So bloody much it’d taken on a life of its own this past week. I wasn’t so far gone as to label it an obsession but...

My cock hardened, throbbing with a terrible ache that made me shift in my seat.

Bloody hell. Was I so fucked up now that this sort of thing turned me on? She was responsible for the broken curse on my libido, sure. Since our night in Boston I’d fucked three other women. Carefully vetted, willing women. None of them had come close to plumbing the depths of the peculiar hunger that had tunnelled itself into unreachable places inside me.

That hunger accelerated out of control with each moment I spent in Neve’s presence. But alongside that craving for the kind of filthy, sublime sex that’d taken me out of my head for a blessed few hours was another unspeakable yearning.

To simply...know her. I shifted again but this time my unease had nothing to do with the ache in my dick and everything to do with the need to answer the censure in her eyes.

‘The past is the past. It can’t be changed. But I can control how the future pans out.’

‘So he should simply accept that you’ve done your time? That you’ll impose your will on him whether he wants it or not?’ she demanded sharply.

‘I intend to lay out the evidence and let three years of time and distance provide their own clarity.’ And yes, if necessary, force Gideon to confront what we’ve both been hiding from—that the betrayal wasn’t as cut and dried as we initially believed. That, according to what the investigators had uncovered, he’d had a lucky escape.

Neve’s response was curtailed by the waiter’s arrival. He set our plates before us in a silent flourish before making himself scarce again.

She made no move to pick up her cutlery. I wasn’t in the mood to eat either.

‘What?’ I asked when she stared at me with mild disbelief.

‘I’m trying to decide if you’re that much of a hypocrite or just plain egotistical.’

I ignored the sharp pang in my chest. ‘I’ve been called many things in my time. Thankfully I have a thick skin. And I also think it’s time we refocus on why we’re here.’

The quicker we did that, the sooner I could address the pressing problem of the need to fuck this woman into oblivion at the earliest opportunity.

I watched her fight whatever was eating at her. Seconds ticked by before she blinked her gorgeous blue eyes and picked up her fork.

Something like relief spiked up my spine. ‘I asked my team to find a location for my Fantasy Room. As of half an hour ago it was a toss-up between Mortimer Plaza London and a château I own in the Bordeaux region of France.’ I locked my gaze on hers. ‘I’m leaning towards the latter.’

‘Why are you telling me this?’

‘We wrap up Raider’s Den filming next Wednesday. We can be in France by Thursday to inspect the second set-up.’

She froze. ‘You want me to go to France with you?’

‘Why not? I’m coming to Westport tomorrow. As majority partner in this deal, I thought you’d welcome the opportunity to see more than one. I’ve already spoken to Sam and Tyler. They’re on board with the schedule.’

‘You made plans with my partners without me?’ Hell, even her prickly tone was sexy. I suspected very little detracted from Neve’s allure.

‘We had a conversation. As a consultant, I believe I’m allowed to do that. If you object to any part of it, feel free to speak up when we meet tomorrow.’

‘I have a business to run. I can’t just fly off to France.’

‘You’re looking to expand into Europe. This could be the perfect opportunity to do some on-the-ground scouting.’

Her lips compressed, drawing my attention to them. Reminding me how it felt to slide my length between them, how enthusiastically she’d sucked me off. My balls hardened to stone.

Fucking hell.

‘I don’t need to. I know exactly where my expansion vision will take me.’

Her bristling demeanour told me she didn’t intend to share it with me.

I sighed. ‘Look, I know you don’t want me anywhere near this deal but I have no intention of walking away so it’ll benefit us both if we’re on the same page when it comes to dealing with Sam and Tyler.’

‘What will it take to get you to walk away?’

For one dirty little second I was tempted to give in to my basest instinct. Tell her another night in her bed. Another mind-blowing night fucking her every which way she allowed me, just so I could be cured of this insatiable craving.

But that knotted need in my gut stopped me. That need that had nothing to do with sex and everything to do with...something else.

Jesus.

‘Right now, in this moment? Nothing, darling. But feel free to ask again in a month’s time.’

Her eyes darkened with quiet fury. ‘Don’t call me darling.’

‘Why? Does it remind you of Boston?’ I dared because one of us had to acknowledge this entity threatening to consume me alive. And as much as she’d pretended otherwise, I’d seen her checking me out all week when she thought I wasn’t looking. ‘Does it remind you of when you begged me to make you come, darling? Make that tight, wet pussy even wetter with my tongue before I pounded you into a screaming orgasm?’

A deep blush stained her cheeks and her fork clattered to the table. With adorably uncoordinated movements, she called over the waiter, snapped open her purse and handed over her credit card. ‘I think I’ve lost my appetite.’

‘All your appetites? Or just for food?’

She surged to her feet and I got a control-shredding view of the way her dress clung to every mouth-watering curve. Curves I wanted to plunder in every decadent way available.

‘This meeting was clearly a waste of time.’

I dragged my gaze to her stunning face. ‘I disagree. I’d say we’ve both learned a few things about each other.’

Her chin lifted. ‘Like what?’

‘Like the fact that this insane chemistry between us isn’t going away. The fact that I want to pin you up against the nearest wall and taste every delicious inch of you, starting with your pussy, which I’m willing to bet is wet right now. If you stop bristling long enough to take a breath, you’ll admit you want that too.’

The charged step she took towards my chair granted me an even better view of her spectacular legs. And the hard bullets of her nipples outlined clearly against her dress.

Fuck.

My breath knotted in my lungs as she bent forward, placed her hand on my chest and brought her lips to my ear. ‘Here’s the thing, darling. You’re right. I won’t deny that something about you makes my pussy ache. Something about you makes me want to rip your clothes off and ride you until one of us stops breathing. But tell me, Damian, why would I lower myself into fucking an asshole who will only turn around and stab me in the back again come morning?’

It was a testament of my shoddy state of mind that she was halfway out of the restaurant before her words registered.

But not even the cold drench of those words could put out the flames in my groin as I staggered to my feet and went after her.

Neve had a few things to answer.

Right before I fucked us both into next week.

Neve

I’d barely kicked off my shoes and tossed my clutch onto the sofa before he knocked. Hard and insistent.

Just like last time, I didn’t bother checking the peephole before I opened the door. ‘This feels like déjà vu. Of the unpleasant kind.’

His shrug was easy. Self-assured and sexy as hell. ‘Last time I invited you to tell me to leave. This time I’m not going until we clear up a few things.’

‘This isn’t your hotel. I can have Security up here in minutes.’

‘But you won’t. I’m not a physical threat to you and we both know it.’

I hated how he could read me. How he could tunnel past all the bullshit to the heart of my unwelcome needs. Like right now. He was looking at me as if he knew not only the anger in my heart but how much I was still turned on from our little exchange downstairs. He wasn’t exactly smirking about it but the knowledge was a solid, writhing thing between us.

‘What do you want, Damian?’ I snapped, hanging on tight to the door handle despite the frantic need to seize my chance, throw it wide open, let him in. Let him inside me.

‘First of all, you forgot this.’ He held up his hand to show my credit card tucked between his fingers.

Dammit. So much for my smooth exit. Frowning, I took it, tossed it onto a nearby table and reached for the in-room phone. ‘I didn’t sign for dinner. I should—’

‘I took care of it. If that offends your sensibilities, you can pick up next time.’

‘There won’t be a next time.’

‘Again, I disagree.’ A whisper of a smile teased his lips as he propped a shoulder against the door frame. But his hazel gaze maintained that single-minded ferocity that punched fresh heat into my belly. I struggled not to fidget as his gaze rushed over my body. ‘I didn’t get the chance to say before, that dress looks incredible on you.’

The cocktail dress I chose to wear tonight was my favourite. The black off-the-shoulder number made of soft merino wool clung to my curves and ended a few inches above my knee. Wearing it added a boost of confidence and made me feel sexy in a way I’d needed.

‘Invite me in, Neve. The quicker you do, the sooner we can be done.’

His tone didn’t suggest he wanted to be done. Far from it.

Here was my opportunity to unleash everything I’d bottled up inside thus far. But the burning between my thighs mocked me with something else. I ignored it and stepped back.

Damian entered another hotel suite of mine, this time with his demons very much under control. They weren’t gone, far from it. I’d caught a glimpse of them as he’d talked about his cousin. Gideon. The reason for the darkness that lurked in his eyes. But he had a tighter leash on them.

Or he was focused on other things. Like...me.

The thought made my insides clench in a way that both shamed and excited me.

I preceded him into the living room, cleared my throat and turned to find him shrugging out of his jacket.

‘What are you doing?’ I detested the hint of a shriek in my voice.

‘Getting comfortable,’ he responded, draping his jacket over a chair before he unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled back his sleeves. Damian in full relaxation mode was doing unspeakably erotic things to my sex. ‘I have an inkling this will take a while.’

A little stupefied, I stared as his brawny forearms were slowly exposed, my panties growing damper with every passing second.

When he was done, his eyes slowly lifted to mine and held tight. Damn the man. He knew what he was doing.

Just as he’d done when he’d used sex to addle my brain two years ago, just before he’d turned around and chopped me off at the knees.

Two could play at that game.

I reached up and freed my hair from its loose knot and spiked my fingers through it.

His gaze dropped to my breasts and his Adam’s apple bobbed before he refocused on my face. ‘Neve—’

With a jerk, I stepped away from him and from temptation, denying every lustful urge that rammed at me, and headed for the bar.

‘I’m getting myself a drink. Want one, Mr Mortimer?’ I threw over my shoulder.

He shook his head. ‘No. I don’t want a drink.’

‘Then what do you want?’

‘For starters, I really want you to cut the Mr Mortimer shit,’ he said.

Memories of groaning his given name as he rammed his cock deep inside me, of screaming it as the best orgasm I’d ever had rippled through me, charged through my brain. I wasn’t ashamed to admit it was part of the reason I was reticent about calling him by his first name.

I surfaced from that lustful reverie to find his gaze drifting to my legs.

‘For starters? Sounds like you have a list.’

He shook his head as he strolled towards me. ‘Not a list. Just one more item up for discussion.’

‘What is it?’

‘What did you mean when you said I stabbed you in the back?’

Shock and fury propelled me around, my drink forgotten, everything inside me stilled into immobility by his sheer audacity. ‘Are you serious?’

His brow pleated. ‘It’s a damning accusation. Of course I’m serious.’

I forced myself to relax. Control. I had to maintain control. ‘Which part of what happened two years ago do you need reminding of? It’s obviously not the sex because you seem to have perfect recall on that score. So it must be the fact that after screwing me in my hotel room, you had no qualms about leaving my bed to screw me over.’

His intense hazel eyes had the audacity to widen before he frowned. ‘I was in Boston for one night. The only person I met up with besides you was Malcolm Cahill.’

‘Ah, so you do remember. Give the man a prize.’

Shadows darkened his features. ‘Neve—’

The slow burn of anger ramped up. ‘Don’t you dare say my name that way. Don’t you dare make out as if what you did was excusable or that I’m blowing it out of proportion.’

He stepped towards me, stopped and shoved his hands in his pockets. ‘To do that I’d have to know what you’re talking about. I’m not sure exactly why you think I screwed you over. The Mortimer Group was in partnership with Cahill’s hotel group. I met up with Cahill to discuss an affiliation deal with a small outfit called Cephei Hotels.’

‘Yes,’ I said fiercely. ‘An outfit owned by me. As you damn well know.’

He tensed. ‘What?’

‘God, please don’t pretend you didn’t know that. That’s beneath you. How long did you even consider my proposal before you dismissed it out of hand and almost bankrupted me in the process?’ I asked, years of bitterness making my voice hoarse.

He was still staring at me as if I were an apparition. ‘Cephei Hotels was you?’

‘Cut the shit, Damian. I heard your side of the phone call when Malcolm called me to break the news, less than an hour after you left my bed, I might add. What was it you said to him? Something along the lines of small fry like me having no business playing with the big boys?’

His tension increased. ‘Those were Cahill’s words, not mine.’

‘But you had quite a bit to add, didn’t you, as you and your buddy pulled the rug from under me?’

A muscle ticced in his jaw. ‘He’s not my buddy. Cahill is a shark but he was a necessary alliance for what I was trying to achieve in Boston.’

‘What about my alliance? He was all set to sign with me. Then you got involved and he went with Crown Resorts. I’m bigger than they are.’

‘Now you are. Two years ago, you weren’t.’

My fingers curled into fists. ‘Because you saw to it that I wouldn’t be given the chance. We had a verbal agreement. My trip to Boston was to get the contract signed. Only the morning after we spent the night together, the deal was suddenly off the table.’ Two years’ worth of acrimony and fury bubbled, threatened to erupt. ‘Was the sex that bad?’

He speared me a hard look. ‘Self-deprecation doesn’t suit you.’

‘Then what was it?’ I pressed. ‘Were you bored? Was messing with me and my business some way to add a little spice to your life?’

He raked his fingers through his hair. ‘Believe it or not, it wasn’t personal.’

‘Really? It felt extremely personal. You came to Boston to finalise your portion of the deal. You knew the name of my hotel. You must’ve known who I was when you met with Cahill.’

His lips flattened. ‘Names didn’t interest me. I was interested in facts and figures. Yours didn’t add up.’

‘And you deduced that after, what, an hour? Do you know how long I spent getting that deal together? How hard I worked and how many chips I cashed to make it work?’

‘That was your problem,’ he fired back. ‘You were betting your every last cent on a partnership that would’ve crushed you within a year. I could smell your desperation in the figures.’

‘You bastard.’

The jibe hit its mark and his eyes narrowed. He exhaled harshly as he absorbed it. ‘If you think I’m that despicable, why did you sign up for the show?’

I wasn’t going to expose my true motives. Not until I had him on his knees. ‘Maybe I wanted to look you in the eye and tell you to your face what I think of you. Looks like not enough people have done that in your life.’