Lust & Lies Box Set-Sexual Awakenings, Excess, Predator & Prey

by Kate Stewart

  My only regret was that I had burdened her with it.

  I sat for endless minutes, watching the sun disappear below the sea. If she had left, fled from me, I knew my place with her. I would accept it.

  “It was my fault.”

  I released a breath and closed my eyes. When I opened them, I saw the guilt in hers as she stood above me.

  “You did not kill him.”

  “I pushed do you to do it.”

  “You have no such effect over me.” I watched her as she regarded me carefully like the dangerous man I was. It was exactly what I needed her to do. I needed her to believe. It kept her safe. I was quickly discouraged as she knelt down by the side of my chair, her knees on the concrete, with forgiving and desperate eyes. Her life, the struggles she’d faced, had led her to understand me. It made me feel more human. Capable of more than the pain I’ve inflicted. That was her effect. In her eyes, I didn’t exist as a shadow but as a worthy man. She reminded me of a past life, where I was capable of being flesh, bone, and a beating heart.

  Watching her reaction to me, I’d never seen a woman so beautiful, and in the depths of her carefully guarded but soulful eyes, I saw the sadness that went with that understanding. My chest seized when I realized I was a part of that sadness.

  She leaned in and whispered over my lips, “You promised me you would be as truthful as you could.”

  “That is the truth. I took his life for my own protection, for yours. If I left him to live, there would have been a struggle. The police maybe would have been involved. I have made every trip in and out of this country undetected.”

  Taylor sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I did that.”

  I heard it on her recording with her partner, Nina. She was attracted to the darkness; and I was the abyss.

  I pulled my drink to my lips, and she took it and placed it on the ground beneath us.

  “Do you want to return home?”

  “No.” Taylor gripped my fingers, kissing them one by one before she brought them beneath her dress to the lace of her underwear. She was wet for me.

  So. Fucking. Wet.

  I gripped her throat, and in a quick invasion, plunged my fingers into her as I whispered in her ear, “Who do you want to fuck you tonight?” Her breath hitched as she looked between us at my working hand and then rode my fingers with abandon. Without regard to anyone who lurked around us, she faced me head on.

  My phoenix.

  “Give me everything, Daniello. I want all of you.”

  Relief and hunger flooded my veins as she melted into my touch.

  I pressed harder against her delicate neck as she came on my fingers and whispered her request. “Fuck me.”

  Daniello stood at the foot of our destroyed hotel bed the next morning with a small bag. I winced at the discomfort between my legs and looked up to see the smug satisfaction in his eyes.

  “What’s in the bag?”

  “Your work suit for the next days.”

  He tossed the bag in my direction, and I pulled out a solid green string bikini. It looked ridiculously expensive, and the price tag confirmed as much.

  “My uniform, huh?”

  Daniello nodded. “Yes, uniform.”

  And what will you wear?

  He was sporting the same suit we arrived in, and it looked worse for wear. He lifted his hand. “I bought a bag of my own.” He pulled out a pair of the loudest yellow swim trunks I’d ever seen, and I laughed as he deadpanned, “It was either this wetsuit or birds.” He shrugged.

  “You’ve got something against birds?”

  We shared a laugh as he bent down to take my lips. I pulled away swiftly as my body reminded me of the damage inflicted the night before. “No, no, no.”

  Daniello pulled back, gripped my hand, and pulled me from the mattress.

  “I will maybe give you a break.”

  “Gee, thanks,” I said with a sigh.

  “Gee, thanks,” he mocked poorly and then slapped my ass. “Put on your uniform. We have much to do.”

  “Oh yeah, like what?”

  “This is your idea of vacation?”

  We lay on the beach, side by side, on plush, hotel-supplied beach towels as I slathered on sunblock. The golden man beside me watched the beachgoers.

  “This is American vacation tradition, no?”

  “We could have done this in Charleston.”

  Daniello raised a brow as he watched a toddler prance past us with a new sand shovel. “No one knows who we are here. You are known well in Charleston.”

  “True.” But I doubted any of my associates would stoop to a Charleston beach day. They spent their time in places far more exotic.

  Daniello turned to me. His dark eyes followed the path of my hands as I massaged the lotion in.

  “In Florida, we are Mr. and Mrs. Di Giovanni.”

  “No thanks,” I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster. Lightning fast, he pulled me on top of him so we were chest to chest. His skin was on fire as he smiled up at me.

  “Why not live like the rest of them? These people are stupid in bliss.”

  He gripped the sides of my face with imploring eyes.

  “Blissfully ignorant.” I gave him a wicked smile. “And we’ll do it our way because we aren’t like the rest of them.”

  He leaned in close. “I agree.”

  I placed my head on his shoulder while he wrapped his sculpted arms around me.

  “This is a cuddle.” His shoulders moved, and I heard the rumble of his laugh as the sun beat down on my back. I ignored his remark and let myself relax into him.

  What he’d done the day before had shaken me, but I couldn’t for one second deny that I knew the truth before he’d revealed it to me. He’d killed three men in Tennessee without regard for who they were and only because they were a threat to me.

  For the first time in my life, I felt the protection of a man. As perverse as it was, as immoral and corrupt as Daniello seemed to be, he fed my sick need. My sinner thrived on his chaos. And for just a few more stolen moments of my life, I would indulge her.

  “I’m not afraid of you.”

  Daniello paused the easy exploration of his soothing hands. “So foolish.”

  “I’m not afraid to die.”

  “Ah, but you would fight to your death, Taylor.”

  “Goddamned right I would.”

  Daniello’s chest shook as he gripped me impossibly closer.

  “I find you very fun.”

  For six days, we lived like a king and queen, feasted on the fruits of the ocean and then each other’s bodies. Daniello took an occasional angry phone call from Rocco. The hatred spewed was unmistakable as he quickly exited the room to spare me from his wrath.

  Aside from that and an all clear from Amber, we were free to just . . . be.

  Without a real agenda, we were slightly lost and stumbled through Amelia Island like any other tourists. But the hotel provided so much sanctuary, we rarely left. Daniello spoke freely of his life, his family, his sister. And every so often I would see a looming sadness in his eyes when he talked about home. There was a missing piece.

  I knew he was just as out of his element as I was, but we sank into a new rhythm together. We were making memories far more unforgettable than the ones we shared in the beginning.

  I was toweling off another day in the sun when I caught Daniello staring at me. He was gloriously naked with his hand clasped behind his head on the king bed I was sure they would have to replace when we checked out. Squeezing the water out of my hair, I gave him a small smile.

  “What?”

  “Are you happy with this vacation?”

  I sat bare next to him, the towel in my lap forgotten. My breath hitched, and it had everything to do with the intensity in his eyes. But it was more emotion than heat.

  “I think you know that answer.”

  My belly fluttered as his eyes implored mine. “If I have made you feel . . . alone . . .” He faltered as he swall
owed hard. It was an apology.

  He grabbed the hand on my thigh and held it. I looked down at him with confusion. “What?”

  “Lay here. With me.” It was a question and, of course, an order. Without waiting for a reply, he pulled me into his arms and buried his nose in my hair. I felt the need between us and some of the pain from missing him slip away as we drifted together into the darkness and both dreamed of light.

  The morning of our last day, Daniello decided we would both be “fat as pigs” if we didn’t get in some rigorous exercise.

  After breakfast, armed in matching island T-shirts, Daniello proceeded to strip me bare.

  He pushed his well-used banana swim trunks down, his thick cock on proud display.

  “I think we’ve covered this exercise.”

  “Get on your knees, hands to the floor.” His eyes were fire as he commanded my attention with a simple change in tone.

  On the floor, I waited with bated breath. Daniello moved behind me and pushed my thighs apart. I felt his breath tickle my sensitive flesh as he leaned in and darted his tongue out.

  “Ah.”

  I gripped the carpet as he slid the pad of his finger up my thigh while the ache began to build. He traced my entrance achingly slow before I felt his tongue flutter over my clit.

  “Fuck.”

  Silence behind me.

  I hated that I couldn’t read his reaction to me. My legs began to shake as he licked me from bottom to top in one slow sweep. My knees buckled, and I was brought back up with commanding hands. A thick finger dipped in, penetrating me for mere seconds before the flick of his tongue replaced it.

  “Jesus.” I ripped at the carpet as I fought my tongue to keep from begging.

  Another slow lick had me reeling. I moaned out his name and felt the tickle of his hair as he nestled his head between my feet and brought me down to sit on his face.

  “Oh GOD!” I rode his hungry mouth and felt his chest vibrate with satisfaction. Just as I was about to peak, he pulled away. “I love the taste of you.” He slapped my clit with his fingers, and I damned near hit the ceiling.

  “Please.”

  Daniello pulled me from the floor and flipped me to hover above him. I gripped his cock and centered myself. Just as the full feeling hit, my instinct to ride it out was cut short with a clipped order.

  “Do not move.”

  Daniello drew his knees up behind me, crossed his arms over his chest and pulled up so his breath hit my hardened nipples. My body jerked on top of him with every subtle thrust of his, hips in need of more friction. I was dripping while his cock pulsed with every movement. He was the picture of control as I fought my every instinct to move. He pulled up repeatedly, his stomach tensing, chest rippling, and robbed me of his feel, only to impale me when his back hit the floor. His dark eyes were fire as he worked his torso, his abs glistening, his eyes liquid pools of ink.

  “Fuck.” I tilted my head back as he lifted up and captured my nipple between his teeth and bit down before he resumed his torture.

  His thick cock slid slowly against my clit as I panted in wait. Unable to handle another second, I clawed at his chest as his hands gripped my ass and spread it.

  Eyes locked, I pumped my body faster and harder than I ever thought possible. Daniello hissed as he gripped me in his hands and I rode him like a woman possessed.

  His praise hit me right in the chest. “So. Fucking. Beautiful.”

  “Daniello.” I whimpered as my hips buckled and my orgasm breached.

  “Cover my cock,” he growled before he thrust up and jerked my hips back and forth with bruising fingers. My orgasm spiked to an explosion, and I screamed out his name in defeat as my body pulsed and shuddered.

  Daniello pulled air through his teeth, pushed me onto my back, and dipped his head between my thighs, sucking my clit as I quaked beneath him, gasping. He fed and fed until I was drawn tight and went over. Once satisfied, he lifted my lower half off the floor and buried himself as I choked on the fullness.

  His eyes closed as a powerful current passed between us, and my heart tightened when he opened them.

  “Phoenix.”

  “Don’t stop.”

  “Jesus Christ,” he grunted out while he pumped furiously until we were both in a frenzy, breathless and full of emotion. Hot tears streamed down my face, stemming from pleasure, our connection, and belonging. Because it had never been clearer.

  I belonged to Daniello.

  I came, clenching him as he submerged himself. One powerful thrust after another, praise and lust in his eyes. His cock jerked as he brought himself down to the carpet to hover above me. He moved us both while he gripped my hair and slammed his lips against mine, invading my mouth with a hungry tongue. Answering that hunger with my own, I gripped his shoulders as I pulsed under him before detonating. With one last thrust, I felt him fill me before he ripped himself away and spilled over, his fist pumping the very last of him onto my chest.

  He collapsed next to me as we lay recovering on the carpet, both moved and speechless.

  Minutes later, I gripped Daniello’s hand and turned to him with a smile. “I’m willing to bet the blissfully ignorant don’t vacation like this.”

  Daniello’s dead expression wiped the smile right off my face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Daniello’s golden eyes swept my body as he stood and gripped my hand. “We must go.”

  “Why must we go?”

  I felt my heart sink as he distanced himself from me and began to dress. “Rocco is not a happy man.”

  “That’s not news.” I slipped on one of the three sundresses I’d purchased at a local shop and played immune to his sudden indifference, though it tore me to shreds. Whatever was happening between us wasn’t supposed to be happening. This much we knew. Still, as I checked the room for any of my newly purchased possessions, I felt the weight of his stare.

  “What, Daniello? Just say it.” I braved a glance his way as he cast his eyes away.

  “Let us go.”

  On the way back to Charleston, Daniello kept his eyes on the highway as I masked my sulking in my seat. Indifference. I knew indifference. I’d been its whore.

  “Your GPA is down.”

  I gave Ray big eyes. “I’ve been up late a lot lately.” My smug smile was ignored as he tore into me. Blue eyes scorned me from across the table. “Don’t waste my money.”

  “I’m not wasting your money. It’s a half point. I can handle a half point.”

  He forked a bite of his steak. “Long days and late nights are the way to success.”

  I sipped my white wine, exasperated. “Maybe if I cut out the exercise. Lord knows I’m getting enough with my gentlemen caller.”

  Ray’s jaw flexed, his lips tight. “This isn’t fucking funny.”

  “Jesus, stop playing the part of father.” I rolled my eyes and jumped when he knocked my plate from underneath me.

  Incredulous, I lashed out. “I was hungry!”

  “Stay that way!” He moved to get up with his plate in hand. “I’ll dine in my bedroom.”

  Hot on his heels and stomach rumbling, I refused to let it go. “Maybe if you weren’t fucking me every night, I could get more sleep!”

  He paused before he turned to me with menace. “Not another word.”

  Exasperated, aware no defense would work, I knew it was pointless, but I dug in anyway. “I’m exhausted! And it’s a half a point!”

  Ray’s brows drew together. “It’s the difference between the school you want and the school you settle for.”

  I shrugged. “So what! Princeton, Brown. I’ll take any of them.”

  Ray walked toward me and pinned me to the table. Setting his plate down he looked behind him to Olivia. “Shut the door.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Once we were alone, I felt my skin start to thrum with anticipation. Ray had other plans. “So now we’re backtracking? Any of them? Any. Of. Them? That’s not how you win. You set your sigh
ts on one fucking thing, and when you attain that, you move onto the next. You don’t settle.”

  I shrugged with a bite in my voice. “Fine, I’ll work harder.”

  “Smarter,” he corrected as he gripped my face. “Smarter. Order and excellence, Taylor.”

  “Yes, sir,” I snapped as I pulled my face away. My disobedience seemed to eat at him as I refused to indulge. I was exhausted. I had months left and a lot to prove before I flew his coop with my inheritance. Not that being with Ray was so horrible. He showered me with gifts and gave me the attention he was capable of. There were no more women, at least, not at the house. It seemed he’d finally accepted our situation. And I loved the things he did to my body. It always came with the price of his immediate absence. We never slept in the same bed. And he never, not once, let me forget my place.

  He peered down at me with intent eyes. “You . . .” His breath came out harsh. “You can do this, Taylor.”

  “I will,” I swore as he tipped my chin up with his finger. “I will, Ray. I promise.”

  “You never take second, ever.”

  “I got it.” Ray’s forehead began to bead with sweat, and he was paling rapidly.

  I wiped the moisture off his brow with my palm, and he jerked from my grasp. “What’s wrong?”

  “Flu or something. Go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “What are you thinking of?”

  Daniello’s voice was distant but snapped me out of my haze.

  “A friend.”

  “You do not have any friends.” His voice was cool, much like that of the man who had been haunting me. I couldn’t help but think Ray’s manifestation in my thoughts was a warning of sorts. A way of telling me I was throwing it all away.

  “You don’t know everything,” I said with pure contempt. I didn’t know what his issue was, but he had just ruined a good amount of blissful days with his temperament. “Fine, I was thinking about a man I used to fuck.”

  Daniello’s jaw ticked as he glared at the Chevy in front of us. “I do not wish to know this.”

  An hour later, he pulled into the garage, and as soon as he was parked, I jumped out of the car and rounded the bumper to take the wheel. “Thanks for the vacation.”