Blood: A Diamond Doms Novel

by Ivy Nelson

  Holly giggled and lifted her head to meet his gaze as the bartender swooped in with drinks.

  She started to pull out her wallet, but Elijah beat her to it and slid a black credit card across the bar.

  “Open or closed, sir?” the bartender asked.

  Elijah looked at Holly. “Will you want another one?”

  Holly shook her head. “Goodness no. One of these is plenty before dinner.”

  Elijah winked and said, “I’m hoping this means there will be an after dinner.”

  As Holly tried not to die of embarrassment, Elijah turned back to the bartender. “Closed is fine.”

  “I’ll bring this right back, Mr.…” he looked at the card. “Barrett. Wait, you’re Elijah Barrett? It’s such an honor to meet you, sir.”

  Holly watched with amusement as Elijah seemed to be uncomfortable with the recognition. Instead of acknowledging the bartender’s excitement about meeting him, he stared at him until he backed away to run the card. When he walked away, Holly teased Elijah.

  “Why didn’t you correct him when he called you Sir?” she asked with a grin.

  Elijah’s eyes darkened with pure lust as he leaned closer to her and said, “I am in no way attracted to the bartender, nor do I have fantasies of him on his knees in submission to me. He can call me Sir all he wants, and it won’t affect me.”

  Holly gasped as her insides twisted. He was so brazen sometimes.

  “I’m sorry, was that too forward?” he asked with furrowed brows.

  Holly swallowed the lump in her throat and shook her head as she reached for the martini. “Not at all.”

  “Good. I tend to be brutally honest even when I shouldn’t be.”

  “So, I’ve noticed,” she said with a smile.

  “Does it bother you that I imagine you in that way, Holly?’

  She pondered the question as she twirled the straw in her glass. “I don’t think it bothers me. I just don’t know how to respond to it. I’m not experienced in that sort of thing. I don’t even know if I like it so I wouldn’t want to get your hopes up or fuel your fantasies farther.”

  Elijah picked up her hand and squeezed. “I appreciate the honesty. You read books with this sort of stuff in them and it doesn’t send you screaming from the room, so I think there is at least some curiosity there. I don’t want to put any pressure on you though. I’m dying to kiss you again though,” he said as his tongue darted across his lips.

  “Now there’s something I’ve fantasized about,” she murmured.

  “I’m all about fulfilling women’s fantasies. We can make it a reality if you like.”

  Holly was about to say she liked that idea very much when the bartender returned.

  “Sorry for the wait, Mr. Barrett, got caught up at the other end of the bar. Just need you to sign the top receipt.”

  Elijah accepted the slim leather case that held his card and receipts. Holly couldn’t help but glance at the tip he left, generous but not outrageous. She appreciated that. Grant Sterling was a terrible tipper and it had been a source of conflict for them a number of times.

  When they finished their drinks, Elijah pulled his phone out and sent a text. As he slipped it back into his pocket, he said, “Would you like to ride with me? I have a driver picking me up. We can drop you back at your car when we’re done.”

  Holly held out her hand as she slid off the barstool. “That sounds lovely, Mr. Barrett.”

  Elijah chuckled as he picked up her hand and led them out of the restaurant. Sure enough, his car was waiting for them in the driveway.

  “Keep your head down,” Elijah said, suddenly tense.

  Instinct had her raising her head, but she quickly dropped it again when she spotted the source of Elijah’s tension. Two people with cameras pointed right at them were snapping away.

  “Fucking rabid dogs,” Elijah muttered as he opened the door and motioned for Holly to slide into the car ahead of him. When she was settled, he climbed in beside her and settled an arm around her shoulders.

  “I’m sure you experience some of that yourself, but I apologize, nonetheless. My love life is a constant focus of speculation in the tabloids and it’s gotten worse since Solitaire opened.”

  Holly nodded. “I understand. They can be brutal. I imagine it’s gotten bad for a lot of the board members at Solitaire. Most of them aren’t exactly low-profile people.”

  Elijah chuckled. “No, they most certainly are not.”

  As the car pulled into traffic, Holly felt herself relaxing into the feel of his arm heavy on her shoulders. This way, she got to enjoy his cologne up close and it was even better that way.

  When they were on the freeway, Elijah turned slightly and stared down at her. “I believe we were discussing a kiss before the bartender interrupted us.”

  Holly felt her eyes grow wide and she nodded. Words escaped her.

  “May I kiss you, Holly?” he asked in a husky tone.

  It took a moment for her to fine her voice, and the car suddenly felt tiny. “I would like that very much,” she whispered after several seconds of silence.

  Elijah wasted no time. With his free hand, he tilted her chin up, so her mouth was more accessible and slowly lowered his head until his lips were mere centimeters from hers. He hovered there a moment, giving her one more chance to change her mind. She didn’t and moved her head forward just enough that their lips grazed.

  As they connected, Elijah no longer held back. His mouth captured hers and sent searing shockwaves of heat through her system. A groan left her as she melted into him.

  Elijah took his time and explored, his tongue sweeping into her mouth as he gently sucked. Holly reacted in kind and allowed herself to explore similarly with gentle sucks and nibbles. After what felt like minutes but was probably only seconds, Elijah pulled away.

  “Christ, I kick myself every day for not calling you like I said I would. I could have already kissed you a thousand times and I still wouldn’t be tired of it.”

  “So why did you stop?” Holly asked, hoping she didn’t sound as breathless as she felt.

  A deep growl rumbled from Elijah’s chest and he swooped his head down to connect with her mouth again. It was a harsh kiss and he tore away from her seconds later.

  “Fuck. I’m sorry, I have to stop or we’re not going to make it to dinner,” he said as he settled back against the seat and ran a hand through his hair.

  Holly wanted to tell him she didn’t care about dinner, but she knew that was just her raging hormones talking. They needed this date. It was a bad idea to jump into bed—or the backseat of a car in this case—without a lengthy conversation about what that would mean for their working relationship.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, hoping to relieve some of the tension that had grown thick in the car.

  “It’s a surprise,” he said with a wink as he pulled her closer to him.

  Chapter Fifteen

  It took close to half an hour to navigate to their destination. When the car turned into the driveway, Holly turned to look at where they had ended up. It didn’t look like a restaurant at all.

  “I thought you were taking me to dinner, not kidnapping me,” Holly said.

  Elijah gave her shoulder a rough squeeze as he chuckled. “Behave. Looks can be deceiving. Just trust me.”

  The driver pulled up to the door of the rundown looking building and Elijah stepped out of the car. Before Holly could get her door open, he was around to her side to pull it open for her.

  “Thank you,” she murmured as she swung her legs out of the car, remembering to keep her knees together as she did.

  He offered her a hand to help her stand. When her skin grazed his, Holly had to fight the urge to moan. Why was such an innocent touch affecting her so?

  Holly cleared her throat and they fell into step together as they made their way across the parking lot to the front door.

  When he pulled the door open, Holly knew he wasn’t lying when he’d said looks could
be deceiving. The lobby they stepped into was gorgeous and did not match the outside of the building.

  “Why don’t they update the outside of this space?” she asked as she looked around. “This place is amazing.”

  “Mr. Barrett, welcome back,” a young hostess said with a flirty smile.

  Elijah gave her one of his million-watt smiles and pulled Holly forward. “We should be on the list, Meghan. A table in the back if you have it please.”

  The woman made a show of checking the list, but Holly had a feeling even if he wasn’t on it, he would still get his table. The woman was blatantly making eyes at him and now she wondered if they had slept together. Elijah was known for never taking the same woman out twice—at least according to the tabloids.

  “If you’ll follow me please,” she said as she turned and headed for an archway that led to the seating area.

  After they were seated in front of small menus, Elijah leaned back and said, “to answer your question, the restaurant owner wants to bring income back into this neighborhood. It’s a relatively poor part of town. If they were to make the outside match the inside, you risk driving up rent for people who can’t afford it. The restaurant isn’t super well known because he wants it that way. The people who do know about it are usually in my income bracket and interested in helping neighborhoods like this one. We pay a pretty penny for the food, but it’s some of the best you’ll ever eat, and the vast majority of the money made gets spent in the neighborhood. He buys all local and the menu changes based on what’s available. He also only hires people from the neighborhood and despite server wage laws, he pays them a fair wage that actually improves their lives.”

  Holly’s heart swelled as she listened. “You’re such a good man, Elijah. Thank you for bringing me here.”

  “I’m happy to share it with you. You have a heart for helping people, so I figured it would be a place you would appreciate. And I’m not kidding about the food. It’s incredible.”

  The waiter approached and offered them a bottle of white wine that was supposed to compliment tonight’s main courses well. Elijah nodded for him to pour them both a glass.

  “Does the menu look acceptable to you, Mr. Barrett? Chef Mitchel has said if you request anything special, he’ll make it if he can.”

  Elijah scanned the menu. “Tell him this all sounds amazing.” Turning to Holly, he said, “Do you have any objections to the food?”

  Holly shook her head. “It sounds wonderful. I can’t wait to try it all.”

  The server turned and made a motion in the direction of what Holly assumed was the kitchen. Two more servers appeared carrying salads. That was fast.

  “Enjoy,” the waiter said before leaving them alone.

  Holly and Elijah ate in silence for a few minutes. The salad was delicious and citrusy and went perfect with the wine. If she wasn’t careful, she would down her entire glass during the first course because they paired so well.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a salad so much,” she said. “I eat a lot of charity event food and it’s never that great.”

  Elijah chuckled. “Rubber chicken and Caesar salad? The dessert usually isn’t bad.”

  Holly nodded with a laugh as she speared a mini orange section and some lettuce with her fork.

  “What do you do in your free time?” she asked.

  “What is this free time you speak of?” he asked, deadpan.

  “Fair enough,” she said with a shrug. “What would you do if you had free time?”

  “I think I would travel for pleasure more. I go to a lot of cool places but I’m usually working. What about you? What do you do?”

  “I read a lot, but my life is pretty boring.”

  Elijah shoved his empty salad plate to the edge of the table. “I hardly believe that, Holly. You’re the most interesting person I’ve met in a long time.”

  The next course arrived, a split pea and ham soup, and it was just as delicious as the salad.

  “Aside from kinky romance novels, what do you read?” Elijah asked with a smirk.

  “Are you ever going to let me live that down?”

  Elijah’s expression turned solemn as he shook his head causing Holly to giggle.

  “I read a little bit of everything, but fiction is my favorite. I think I would write some kind of fiction myself if I could.”

  Elijah swallowed a spoonful of soup as he watched her. “Why can’t you?” he asked as he lowered the spoon.

  Holly shrugged. “Writing a novel takes skills I’m not sure I have.”

  “How do you know if you don’t try?”

  Holly squirmed. She didn’t really want to talk about this. “I just don’t think I could do it. But you’re right, I’ll never know if I don’t try.” She dropped her head and spooned soup into her mouth, hoping to avoid the conversation.

  “I’ve hit a nerve. I’m sorry. If you ever don’t want to talk about something, you just have to say so, Holly.”

  She looked up from her bowl and nodded. “OK. I don’t know why it makes me uncomfortable. I can write grants and speeches all day, but writing a fictional story is intimidating.”

  “Most things worth doing are a bit intimidating at first.”

  “Like kinky sex?” she asked, surprising herself. The wine must have been making her feel bold.

  Elijah’s eyebrows shot upward. “I suppose so, yes. Are you interested in kinky sex with me?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe we could have regular sex first. We never did get that far.”

  Elijah chuckled. “I’m sure that could be arranged.”

  Holly felt herself blush. “Well now what are we supposed to talk about? I figured we would at least get through the main course before sex came up.”

  Now Elijah laughed again, a full-throated laugh that drew the attention of other diners in the small room.

  “You’re a delight, Holly. There is plenty for us to talk about.”

  The main course arrived and looked amazing. “Dear God, this is incredible. What are they doing back there?”

  “Pure magic. I’m friends with the chef if you would like to meet him.”

  “Oh yes, please!”

  An hour later, they left the restaurant full and satiated. The chef was a delightful older man who had been cooking in L.A. for decades. He promised Holly a real treat the next time she ate in his restaurant.

  As they walked to the car, Elijah didn’t let go of her hand. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as they settled into the backseat. Was he going to ask her to come home with him? Would she say yes? Holly honestly didn’t know. She didn’t have to wait long to find out.

  “I would like to take you home with me,” Elijah said in the darkened cab of the car. “How does that make you feel?”

  “Flattered, nervous. Is it a good idea?”

  She could almost feel his salacious grin as he spoke. “I think it’s the best idea I’ve had in a long time, but I understand your concerns and there is no pressure. I just need to know if I’m telling Dale to take you back to your car or back to my house.”

  “Can I follow you to your house?”

  “You could. Or you can just let me send someone for your car.”

  “Do we have to have sex if I come home with you?”

  Elijah chuckled. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, baby. But sex is definitely on the table if you’re up for it.”

  Holly was quiet for a moment. Her heart told her this was something she really wanted to do, but her brain was trying to be too reasonable. After a long pause, she convinced herself that Elijah was right. They didn’t have to do anything she wasn’t interested in. Deep down though, she knew if she agreed to go home with him, she was going to sleep with him.

  Squaring her shoulders beside him she said, “OK. Let’s go to your house.”

  “Excellent.” Elijah said as he grasped her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. Leaning forward, he tapped the driver on the shoulder. “We’re heading to
my place please. When you drop us off, I’ll need you to arrange to have Miss Sutton’s car brought to my house some time before six in the morning.”

  “Yes, Sir,” the driver said quietly.

  “May I kiss you again, Holly?” he asked, his voice growing husky as he slid an arm around her shoulders and pulled her tightly to him.

  She shuddered as the memory of his lips against hers flowed over her. “Please do,” she whispered, hoping she didn’t sound too needy.

  Even in the dark he was able to find her lips quickly and capture them in a heated kiss. Their tongues danced in the darkness and Holly let out a whimper as she felt her nipples harden beneath her dress.

  Elijah pulled back. “Are you OK?” he asked, his voice low and gentle.

  “I was until you stopped,” she said breathlessly.

  Elijah’s laugh was low and sensual as his mouth closed in once more. Only this time, he pressed soft kisses from her neck to her chin and back again causing Holly to writhe in his arms.

  “Oh, sweetheart, if my kisses make you react this way, I don’t know if you’ll survive when I bury my head between those sexy legs.”

  Holly bit her lip as she imagined what it would feel like to have Elijah there. Just the thought of it nearly made her combust in his backseat.

  “How far away are we?” she asked on a squeak as he nipped at her neck with his teeth.

  “In a hurry, are we?”

  Holly nodded vigorously.

  Elijah leaned forward and pressed a button she hadn’t noticed before. A privacy panel rose, separating them from the driver.

  “Straddle me,” Elijah said darkly. It was not a request, and Holly was in the mood to obey.

  When she undid her seatbelt, Elijah helped her climb into his lap and straddle his legs.

  Her dress had a low-cut neckline and Elijah wasted no time revealing her bra. With deft fingers, he scooped her bra cups below her breasts and Holly felt exposed as they sped down the freeway.

  “What should I do now, sweet Holly?”

  Holly shook her head. Dirty talk was not her forte and his question was embarrassing. She just wanted him to ravage her.