As he came to stand behind her, she held her breath. A tremble coursed through her as he bent low and whispered at her ear. “Shall we?”
“Of course,” she said breathlessly. “Everything smells delicious.”
Like a true gentleman, he grasped her hand as he assisted her from the chair. Then, he placed her hand in the bend of his arm before leading her to the cart. Their conversation was light and jovial as they heaped food onto their plates.
An hour later, satisfied and replete, they stood outside on the balcony. The spring air was warm and not too muggy. A light breeze stirred through every now and then, and it made their stay outside pleasing. They both nursed a goblet of the expensive white wine as they stared across the city.
Sighing hard, cradling the goblet in his hand, he propped up beside her. “I love this city. Atlanta is the epitome of life---there’s nothing that you can’t do here.”
“It certainly is an exciting place to be,” she admitted, stealing a fast glance at him, and it appeared that he was deep in thought. Still, though, she’d like to learn something truthful about the real man known as Reign. “Have you always lived here?”
“Let’s just say that circumstances placed me here years ago.” A faraway look crossed his face, and it was one that he dispelled quickly. He glanced over at her. “I’ve been here ever since. How about you? Are you from here?”
“No,” she smiled gently. “Where I’m from, life is much slower. I live in a place where nothing much happens. Everyone knows everyone. This person’s business is everybody’s business.” Her smile died. “There’s no room for secrecy. It’s like you have a perfect role to play all the time since you’re always under scrutiny.”
“That sounds rather suffocating.”
She stared up at the starry sky. “It is. Sometimes, it’s to the point where you don’t know who you really are. You just carefully play the role that you’ve been given.” Shaking her head, she gave a soft sigh. “Enough about that---we’re supposed to be enjoying ourselves rather than going on about the depressive states of real life.” She smiled softly. “Dinner which was amazing by the way.”
“All compliments should go to the chef.” He sipped more wine from the glass before speaking again. “Juan is the best chef in the city. But, his illegal status is holding him back from many enriching opportunities.” He paused in thought. “What gives another man the right to tell another where he should be or can go? Take Juan for instance. He’s told me stories about his life back home in Mexico. Let’s just say that it’s been more than a bitch to him. He lost his wife, couldn’t find work back home, the drug cartels are running rampant and crazy. Hell, he had to find some way to support and protect his kids. Isn’t that the reason why all of our American forefathers crossed the seas and rivers years ago, in pursuit of a dream and a better life? Now, that very dream is being denied to many.”
“You sound rather passionate about it,” she murmured, staring at the side of his face. “There has to be a reason for it.”
“I know people from every walk of life. Every creed, color, and socioeconomic background.” He drained the rest of the alcohol before placing the glass on the ledge. “Better than anyone, I know how it feels to have your back against the wall, to feel hopeless, and not know where to turn.” He looked away from her. “Somehow, we all have to find some peace in this fucker that we call life.”
“Why such a negative attitude?” she probed gently. “No, life isn’t perfect nor should one expect it to be. You just have to learn the best way to cope when things don’t turn out the way that you want. That doesn’t mean that life is hopeless or useless.”
“A counselor, too, princess?” Reign muttered with a half-grin, but then sobered. “If for just once in my life, things had turned out the way that I wanted, maybe I’d have a different take. But, time after time, I was just dealt one blow after another. Shit,” he cursed under his breath, looking at her again. “Earlier, we made a vow that reality wasn’t going to intervene in our fantasy world. Yet, here we are talking about it.”
She smiled. “Then, let’s talk about something else.”
“Or rather, how about we do something else,” he said huskily, grasping her hands, and then hauled her against his hard body. “You want to dance?”
She planted both hands against his chest. “But, we don’t have any music.”
“We can make our own,” he suggested, and started swaying to the silence. “I think that I rather like the music that our bodies make together.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
He held her close as they danced in the dark silence. Their bodies were a perfect fit, and they were finely attuned as they moved. After a few minutes of silent dancing, they finally stilled. Still, though, he hugged her close.
A shiver chased through her.
But, it was in reaction to him rather than the light wind, she realized, inhaling a deep whiff of his musky cologne. The potent scent was definitely tantalizing to her senses.
He tightened his hold. “You cold?”
She nodded. “A little.”
“Let’s get you back inside.”
They trailed across the balcony before passing through the door that led back inside. She stopped midway the room and listened as he latched the door. As he came up behind her, she started, but then relaxed as he grasped her shoulders. She released a soft sigh as he massaged them gently.
“You need to relax,” he said, rubbing his hands across the tight knot in her back, and massaged the area gently. “Something tells me that you’re taking things too seriously again.” He turned her around to face him and nudged her chin upward. “Hey, look at me.”
Still, she stared at his chest stubbornly.
He grazed his thumb across her chin. “What’s wrong, princess? Talk to me.”
She lifted her eyes to his. “I don’t want to talk anymore. I want you to make love to me.”
Then, stepping back slightly, she pulled free of him. With shaky hands, she reached for the halter strings at her nape. But, he stayed her movements with his large hands.
“I think that pleasure should be all mine, don’t you think?” he asked suavely, and brought her hands back down to her sides. “Trust me. There’s nothing that I want more than being inside of you. But, there is such a thing called foreplay. Let’s just say that it heightens the final act a little more.” He framed her face in his hands. “We have all night. It’s ours. We’re going to make the best of it. But, you’re going to have to trust me, okay?”
She nodded. “Alright.”
“The night is still young. How about we go downstairs and do a little dancing?” he suggested, working his body, and quickly executed a smooth dance move. “Are you up for it?”
“You really must be up to being shamed tonight,” she said with a light laugh. “I cannot dance like that. I have two left feet. There’s no way that I’m shaming you or me going out on a dance floor.”
“All you have to do is just get out there and move. Your body will take care of the rest. Just listen to the music and vibes, something will come to you.”
She arched a high brow. “I’ll take your word for it---not that I’m going to be making a fool of myself on the dance floor anyway.”
Several moments later, however, they were out on the dance floor. Like the rest of the patrons, they were enmeshed within the thronging crowd. Everyone was so intent on having fun themselves that they didn’t even notice her amateurish dance skills, she realized, dancing to the smooth mid-tempo R&B beat. More than that, she was actually having fun. Just at that instance, he grabbed her hands, matching her moves, and danced along with her. Passing him a radiant smile, she continued to dance.
On the next beat, the DJ changed the song to a slow, sultry baby-making jam. Instantly, the mood changed between them as he pulled her against his hard body.
Her laughter died under the pulsating lights as their eyes met, and a blatant awareness seized hold of her senses. Swaying sensual
ly along with him, she allowed her body to take control of her movements. On instinct, their bodies moved in perfectly timed synchronization, and their dangerous dance seemed the most natural thing in the world.
As she wrapped her arms around his nape, he cradled her closer, and a fire lit in his hazel green eyes. No words were needed for the potent silence between them said enough. He tightened his hold along her waist, bringing them closer than close. Their visual hold didn’t break as they moved to the song. Suddenly, the pulsating lights swirled around them more fervently, drugging her thoughts further.
A new excitement built inside of her.
Again, like before, she felt as if she’d been hurled into a different reality---one that was rife with possibilities. Somehow, those possibilities were right here in his arms, she mulled, resting her head against his chest. Closing her eyes tight, she clung to him tightly and memorized every thud of his beating heart. Even moments later, after the music changed back to a fast tempo, they held each other close and danced slowly. Somehow, someway, they both understood that they were falling further into the obsessive world where only they mattered.
Chapter 8
Several minutes later, as they pushed their way through the crowd and made their way across the dance floor, he was still lost in a surreal daze. Gripping her hand tightly, he pulled her along behind him, and he ignored the curious glances cast their way as they passed through. As they reached the bar area, more than a few eyes followed them. The bartender and other male escorts especially studied him closely, and they weren’t even careful enough to mask their surprise.
Like him, they were thrown by his behavior.
For just where was he?
The man that this dark illicit world referred to as Reign…the masterful unfeeling whore whose only purpose was to fulfill a client’s sexual fantasy…
There were clear-tell signs that he was physically there, but not really there…
First, just being visible here outside of his man cave was a rarity. Truth is, he never ventured to other areas of the club unless it was of necessity, and that wasn’t often. Usually, he just entered through the back door, took the private entrance to his room, did his due with the clients, and then he was out until the next working day. Secondly, hell, when was he ever possessive of any woman, he mulled darkly, clenching her small hand tightly in his as they moved past the bar. Well, that was actually a huge never. But, this woman---he wanted her to be his and only his. Finally, he felt tainted inside these walls, and his original sins were the very things that’d hinder the possibility of a real relationship between them.
As the troubling thought settled on his mind, the raw anger filled him, and suddenly, he felt like a caged animal.
His strides quickened as they crossed the room, and she clung to him as he pulled her along. Still, she had to trot faster to keep up with him. But, his blinding anger at himself and his own idiotic fantasies drove his actions.
Fuck…
What made him think that he had a right to anything, let alone this woman?
He was a jaded creature…
A sinful, ugly, and nasty stain on society…
All his life, hadn’t he known that?
They reached the foyer, and it was obvious that she sensed his strange, dark moodiness. “Wait, you’re going too fast---stop,” she murmured softly, tugging on his hand, and forced him to still. When he turned to face her, she stared at him confusedly. “Why are we running a mad race all of a sudden? I can hardly keep up with you, and I’m getting out of breath. Things were fine earlier between us. We were dancing, having fun,” she whispered, and a hurt look crossed her face. “What is it? Are you tired of our evening together? Do you want me to leave---”
A surprised gasp left her as he grabbed hold of her. As he’d forewarned when she’d arrived earlier, he led her to the dark shadowed part of the foyer. Except for the huge fake tree that exceeded his stature and a water fountain, the area was isolated. It was totally shadowed, and the tree blocked them from view. It was their private alcove of wonder-lust, he mulled quietly, taking in her surprised but satisfied gasp as he backed her against the wall.
The rush of fiery hot adrenaline charged through and electrified him. The very sight of her drowned out the sounds in the club, and she was the only thing that he breathed in.
She was the very living air that he needed, he realized, bracing both hands against the wall and caged her in. A ragged breath of need left him as he watched her. He fought valiantly to reign in the uncontrollable hunger. Like a crazed monster, it raged through him.
But, the nervous flutter of her eyelashes only made her sexier, and stirred the sexual beast within him. Her trembling body signified her need for his full devouring. Breathing, hard and fast, she looked at him, and he was nearly blinded by the naked desire in her eyes. In crashing waves, it swam within the light brown orbs, and he easily recognized that she was drowning under its onslaught. Taking in another fractured breath, he stepped closer, this time bringing their heated bodies in direct contact.
Still, though, he said nothing.
But, she demanded a response, he realized, as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Tilting her head back, her gaze beseeched his with an open invitation.
A shudder of dark need racked his body; hers trembled against his in response. Even if they both wanted to, they couldn’t deny the obvious.
Their heated bodies were truly soul mates.
He reached out with a shaky hand to caress her face. A shiver of need racked through her already trembling body as he traced a slow path along the edge of her face. Yet, he was equally captivated, he mulled, and the deep feelings that he’d been trying to suppress since she’d arrived tonight burst free. She represented everything that he’d ever secretly wanted.
That truth very truth startled him, and it gave him enough courage to voice what he really wanted. “I want you. The last thing that I want is for you to leave.”
“I don’t want to leave.” She bewitched him further as she held his stare. “I want you, too,” she whispered back, dropping her eyes to his chest, but then looked at him again. This time the dangerous fire in her eyes flamed higher. “So very much.”
“It seems to me that we want and need the same damned thing, princess. So, what in the hell…” he whispered in turn, and braced himself against his own naked needs. They were burning his thoughts and body to a cinder. “…are we going to do about it?”
Her response was to touch him.
The breath lodged in his chest as her hands moved, trailing from his waist, only to slide upward. In light strokes, she caressed his back, kneading the taut muscles. “It seems that I’m not the one that needs to relax this time,” she whispered again, and her eyes roamed over his face innocently. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” he muttered, closing his eyes against the torrent of feelings and emotions. When he looked at her again, he was somewhat composed. He released a deep breath while studying her closely. As he did, a wild idea sprung, one that he couldn’t contain in his head. “The hour is still young, and we vowed to make the most of this night. What do you think about us cutting out of here for a little while?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, flattening her hands against his back, and he fought against the sensations that her innocent touch elicited.
“Let’s go for a drive,” he insisted fast, eyeing her close to gauge her reaction. Perhaps, he was being too confident that she held a mutual obsession. But, instincts told that he wasn’t. “Somewhere we can really be alone.”
Somewhere where he could be himself, not the caricature creature that breathed within these walls of shame…
As he watched her, he ignored the burning statement in his head and focused on her instead.
A different range of emotions flitted across her face. But, he’d witnessed enough to know that she was hooked and drugged on him.
“I’d like that,” she said, giving a shy smile, and he forced himself
not to give into the gut reaction of kissing her senseless at the sight. Then, she frowned up at him. “But, my purse and things are upstairs.”
“Wait here in the foyer,” he said quietly. A look of disappointment crossed her beautiful features as he released her, and it was equally as potent as his own, he realized, looking at her. Though they were standing in the shadows, they failed to mask their overt reaction to one another. “I’ll grab your things, and then we’ll leave through the side exit.”
“Okay,” she nodded.
Quietly, they moved from the shadowed area and stepped back into the light. As he proposed, he left her there before moving towards the elevator.
Moments later, he returned to the foyer, and his heartbeat seized as she smiled at him again. At the sight of her, his lips curved in a half-smile. “Ready?” he probed gently, stopping before her, and grasped her hand in his. “I hope that it didn’t take me too long.”
She shook her head. “You didn’t take long,” she said softly. At the sight of her breathless smile, he fought to think rationally. “Don’t worry. The never-ending action down here kept me entertained.”
Finally, somehow, he managed a response. “And here’s your bag,” he muttered quickly, passing it to her, and then attempted to infuse some humor. “What in the hell do you have in that thing? Bricks? I bet it weighs about ten tons.”
She giggled. “Well, a woman does have to be prepared at all times.”
“If the weight of that thing is any indication, I’d say that you are,” he teased, grasping her hand lightly, and then sobered. “Ready?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “I’m ready.”
As they made their way towards the side exit, he knew that he was further damning himself. But, wasn’t even a fleeting moment of something actually real worth the risk?
***
“Dark currents of fire…”
“Pulling me under…”
Reign on Me Page 10
