Before this very moment, I was dead. Or unconscious, at least.
I push my thoughts to the back of my mind, totally ignoring how weird this situation is. I’m a total idiot for letting my guard down with a stranger, but somehow he compels me to not give a shit. I slightly part my lips and kiss him back, restraining myself from giving him my tongue. I feel a burning fire inside that gets brighter and bigger the longer I’m connected to him. After a few seconds, his hand grabs my hair, and he forces my head back, untangling our mouths. The move is totally dominating, but for some twisted reason, it turns me on even more. Normally, this would be my cue to give him a black eye, making damn sure I wasn’t forced to submit.
But part of me likes it.
I’m turned the fuck on. He towers above me, desire clear in his eyes. It’s dark, demanding, and both arousing as it is terrifying. I don’t know him, but I do know I’m playing with fire. I guess my body likes the heat.
The elevator doors open, and the loud bass of drums immediately snaps me out of the moment. The vibration from the techno music makes my heart pound in my chest, but it could also be the result of kissing a damn hot stranger. I try to take a step forward, trying to leave the elevator, but his grip keeps me in place, making me unable to move even an inch. The fog of a smoke machine enters the small space, giving him an even more intimidating appearance while strobes of colored light flash over his face.
He looks at me with a possessive gaze like he owns me, dampening the inside of my panties and pissing me off at the same time. I have never been a pushover, and even though I liked his touch, the strength inside me pulls me together, reminding me why I am here. I already have enough shit on my plate with one man right now. I don’t need to get mixed up with another. The men in front of us take a few steps into the club, scanning the area as my head shifts, looking for Imogen.
“Gotta go, my cousin is waiting for me.”
His eyebrows shot up in surprise mixed with a hint of approval.
“No one says no to me.” His voice is deep, like a soft rumble. Quiet, but full of demand. I can totally see why no one would. He is gorgeous, but he also has a dark look in his eyes. A look that tells me he is ruthless. The minor grin on his face makes him look a bit sadistic, but not in the same way as the Italian son of a bitch that was in my living room this afternoon. No, this guy looks like he wants to devour me, and part of me isn’t against the idea.
The whore part.
“I guess I’m the first,” I say boldly, even though my heart is pounding against my chest. This man hits all my buttons. Affection. Arousal. Arrogance. Arousal.
Did I already say arousal?
But I also feel a defiance like no other. I’ve never submitted to any man, and I sure as hell am not going to start now. No matter how hot blondie over here is.
He tugs my neck, yanking me into his chest, and brings his lips close to my ear.
“Some other time,” he whispers in my ear before he lets me go. It wasn’t a question.
He takes a step back and locks his gaze with me, giving me a wink before he walks out, leaving me completely flustered.
What. In. The. Actual. Fuck?
I bring my fingers to my mouth, the touch of his lips still lingering there. I watch him walk away towards the VIP deck on the right side of the club, still unable to hide the perplexity from my face. Did I really just kiss some random guy in an elevator?
Yes, you did, you little skank.
Kane
Present Day
She is pissed. She has been in her room for two days straight without any food, and she still hasn’t shown her face. One of our men keeps offering to escort her to the living area to eat with us, but she keeps telling them she’s not hungry enough to see our ugly faces.
Yeah, she is a funny little thing. I thought about dragging her out of her room, but I fought the urges that were running through my body by pumping more whiskey through my veins.
It barely worked.
This girl is getting under my skin because she is fucking up my plan. She was supposed to be riding my dick ASAP.
Fucking yesterday.
Not being a pain in my ass, talking shit like a pissed off firecracker. I need her to relax and bring her guard down, but I like seeing her fight. It is sexy as hell. Damn, this girl has my emotions mixed. Which is rare, because I don’t have a lot of emotions. I really am a simple guy. I don’t care about a lot of shit, let alone ‘feelings’. I’m happy until I’m not, and I’m homicidal until I’m happy again.
See? Really fucking simple.
I do have a few ground rules people follow if they are smart enough. Keep your word and you might earn enough respect to get in my good graces. Betray me and I will decapitate you without hesitation. Defy me and you pay the price. Think you can outsmart me, and your family will pay the price. Frank Reyes Senior checked all the boxes. Like many dumb-fucks have before.
Liam and I have breakfast in the large living room of the yacht every morning. The entire room is surrounded by floor to ceiling windows, giving it full ocean views all around, the sun shining through the room the entire day. I’m sitting at the twelve-person glass dining table that is placed in the middle of the room. Aligned with the table is a huge, white, modern kitchen with a big island dividing the kitchen from the dining area. The floor is covered in dark gray marble with massive rugs separating the different living areas. The kitchen countertops are Italian white marble, and the kitchen supplies are all top of the line.
And never used.
I can’t even remember the last time we made our own cups of coffee. Since our staff uses the staff kitchen to meet our never-ending needs, we’ve got this ninety-thousand-dollar kitchen that’s sole purpose is to look great.
God, I love being rich.
On the other side of the yacht are two seating areas, one with four light gray, luxury armchairs and a liquor platform on the dark oak side table, while the other has a massive U-shaped lounge in the same color. There are a few paintings of old VOC ships on the walls done by people I can’t give a fuck about. My art buyer picked them out, and they fit well in the room. Or so I assumed, considering I paid him about a hundred grand for his services. Above the table is a chandelier that is the same length as the table below it.
We can easily have a few hundred people on this yacht, but we’ve never brought more than a dozen. In fact, there haven’t been more than two people at once at this table. Our men eat downstairs with the kitchen staff, and if we ever have guests over, we entertain them on the upper deck while sailing through the Mediterranean sea, watching the Greek or Croatian shore move by.
Not the Atlantic. It is fucking cold on the Atlantic. And the view is shitty too.
I run my hands through my messy hair while my brother walks through the door with one of our men following in his tracks. I cock my head to see who it is and scowl when I notice the black hair of Ferry Lawson.
He has been working for us for six months now, and I can’t stand the fucker. Liam trusts him, but there is something about him that makes me hate his guts.
Liam takes a seat beside me at the head of the table, like the big brother that he is, on one of the white leather chairs while Ferry, our newest guard, strategically places himself in the kitchen, making sure he can see the entire room. I have been sitting here for the last five minutes, enjoying my morning coffee, thinking about the redhead in one of the rooms below us. She has effectively planted herself in my head and refuses to leave. I want her to come out and play, because I need to charm my way in to her giving me information. But there is no charming anyone if she won’t pop her head out of that room. I assumed throwing a hunting knife in front of her face might trigger her obedience, at least enough to make her appear for meals, but now I’m starting to wonder if she even has an ounce of submission in her tiny body.
It seems that threatening this girl only makes her more aggressive. I’m not the kind of man to scare women to death to get my way, but… Okay, who am I kid
ding? I am, and I will again if it’s necessary. In this case, it’s definitely necessary, but I know that won’t work with her. She will fight until another dead body is on the floor, and after seeing her attitude, I won’t risk any more of my guys.
“So?” Liam looks at me while our butler, Julian, places a cup of coffee in front of him. “Thank you, Julian.”
My gaze moves to Liam, who is wearing a white t-shirt with gray sweatpants, his long, ash-blond hair messy like mine from a night of sleep. His face looks fatigued after his morning workout, with small drops of sweat still covering his sideburns. We both work out first thing in the morning and never skip a day. It’s a routine you can’t break if you want to be taken seriously.
“Gentlemen, what would you like for breakfast this morning?” It’s eight in the morning, but Julian stands in front of us wearing a perfectly crisp navy suit. His middle-aged face is clean shaven, and I still haven’t found out how he never has even a centimeter of razor burn. The man is in his late fifties, and even though he is old, he keeps the entire yacht in order. It basically means he cleans up my shit everywhere I go. It is one of the many perks that come with being a billionaire.
Again, I love being rich.
Liam takes a drink of his coffee while relaxing in his chair before looking back at Julian.
“Chicken, eggs, and some broccoli would be great, Julian.” Julian nods in agreement before he turns to me.
“Same for me, thank you Julian.” He gives me a coy smile then disappears through the door next to the kitchen. Liam brings his coffee to his lips and takes a sip, showing off the pumped-up muscles in his arms.
“So?” he repeats.
He’s masculine and slick, resulting in him often having more pussy available than he can handle at once. Looking like Thor’s little brother, women are constantly all over him. Put him in a suit, and they are dying to marry him. He is more pragmatic and usually the more stable one. I’m the fun one. He is more consistent, and he is inexorable once you get on his bad side. He doesn’t waste his time with anything. He’d rather buy an expensive whore than spend his time pleasing a woman.
He doesn’t like to play, while that’s what I live to do. And we both have women throwing themselves at us, but he has higher standards. I don’t have a high standard. Or any standards, for that matter. I just have a flavor of the day. Right now, it’s definitely red.
I examine his face, which is full of disdain, while I answer it with a bored one of my own.
“So she still hasn’t come out, huh?”
I lean to the back of my chair, holding my coffee cup.
“Nope.” I inhale and exhale loudly.
“I bet that pisses you off.”
“Nope,” I lie.
“You’re just going to leave her in there?”
I keep my gaze on him, watching him from over the edge of my cup.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“Well, what are the options? Starving her obviously doesn’t work, since she hasn’t eaten.”
“Drag her out of her room and threaten to throw her overboard?” I suggest, half serious.
He chuckles while he runs his hand through his hair to move the strands that fell in front of his face.
“Honestly? I think she’ll jump before you can throw her. That girl has no fear. It’s damn impressive what she did.”
“Are you complimenting a Reyes?”
“She’s still a cunt. Just a cunt without fear.”
“Everyone has a fear.”
He shrugs.
“I don’t think dying is one of hers.”
“We’ll only know if we try to find out.” I bring my mug to my lips with a smirk.
“You just want a new play toy—” Before Liam can finish his sentence, the subject of our conversation walks through the door. She is wearing dark jeans and a gray sweater, with her long, reddish hair hanging loosely over her shoulders. Her face is natural, free of any makeup, but it doesn’t matter. She looks stunning without any effort. She is radiant.
My cock instantly wakes up at the sight of her.
Down, boy.
She looks at both of us with annoyance before taking a seat across from me.
“Morning, boys,” she greets us as if it is the most normal thing in the world, like she has been doing this every fucking day for the last couple of years.
Liam and I raise our eyebrows while we shoot each other a surprised look.
I turn my gaze to her, the corner of my mouth kicking up in a small grin.
“Good morning, baby,” I reply with the same familiarity I had with her in bed.
You can see the sparks catching fire in her eyes, making this even more enjoyable for me.
“We thought you were on a hunger strike, Reyes,” Liam mutters.
She crosses her arms and leans back in her chair, looking back and forth between us, probably imagining how she wants to rip our ‘ugly’ heads off. Her eyes narrow, and she casually shrugs her shoulders.
“I thought about it, but I like food too much.” She leans forward, her arms resting on the table. Her look full of sass.“Speaking of which, is someone going to feed me? Because I’m seriously considering biting both your heads off if I don’t get food real soon.”
See, told ya.
Her eyes have softened, but the attitude is still there, plus a little bit of playfulness shining through. It’s the same look she gave me when I was thrusting inside her.
“I have to give it to you, girl, you have bigger balls than your dad,” Liam chuckles sarcastically.
She matches his stoic gaze with an energy full of authority she doesn’t have.
“I have bigger balls than half your men.”
He surprisingly gives her a genuine smile, and I strangely feel a sense of pride.
She never disappoints.
This girl is always sharp and on fire, reminding me a lot of Liam and me. He turns his arrogant face towards me, shooting me a sarcastic look.
“No wonder why you want to keep her,” he says, bringing his mug to his lips.
I roll my eyes and decide to ignore his comment before I see Callie doing exactly the same. When she realizes the coincidence, she flashes me a tiny smile. It’s not much, but I consider it to be a small victory.
“Since we’ve already established multiple times that you’re Kane,” she says, pointing her finger towards me before she moves it to Liam, “you must be Liam? The oldest of the Carrillo brothers? The one every woman wants to marry? The one who has the reputation of a crime lord but the vocabulary of a gentleman?”
Liam gives her a look of approval.
“You are well informed. I’m also the more handsome one.”
“Actually, I’m not informed at all.” Her eyebrows arch up again before she continues. “But I am a Reyes, so yes. I have heard of you. And you both look like dicks to me, so whether you’re better looking or not is debatable.”
Julian comes in with our breakfast and places it in front of us.
“Good morning, Miss Reyes, would you like some coffee?” He looks at her with a friendly smile, addressing her like he has known her for a long time. She looks back at him, surprised.
“Some tea, if that is okay?” The fire in her eyes dims as she gives him a look of gratitude. It’s the first time her eyes genuinely show kindness, along with her tone of voice. He’s clearly getting a different treatment from her than we do. Within a second, she turned from warrior princess to girl next door.
It’s cute.
For fuck’s sake, I sound like a motherfucking pussy.
“Of course, Miss. And some breakfast?”
She glares at our plates, then makes a disgusted face.
“I hope that is not breakfast?”
“Yes, Miss, would you like some?”
“Are you kidding me?” She looks at all three of us incredulously.
“That is not breakfast, that is dinner.” She points to our plates.
“It is if you want to maintai
n bodies like ours,” Liam counters.
“In that case, you need an extra plate.”
I snort at her quick response.
Liam looks at her, amused. He is warming up to her, I can see it in his eyes, and she deserves a fucking medal for it. It’s pretty special because Liam doesn’t like people easily. Especially when they are related to the girl who fucked him over. He may be the saner one, but I’m the one who’s more easygoing. In general. Most of the time.
Okay, maybe that is bullshit. I’m a pain in the ass, but I’m definitely more fun.
“Oh, come on. I bet in any other situation you would want me.” He cocks his eyebrow and tilts his head, trying to piss me off by looking for my reaction to him flirting with her.
I just shoot him a dull look in response.
“I want your head on a platter, you dipshit.” She turns her gaze back at Julian. “Is there anything else for breakfast?” She gives him her sweetest smile, causing Liam and I to share a look.
“Yes, Miss, you can eat anything you want.”
“Anything I want?” she asks incredulously.
He nods in confirmation, keeping his arms behind his back. She cautiously turns to me, making sure this isn’t some trick. When I don’t deny it, her gaze moves back to Julian.
“Well, at least there is something good about being stuck on a freakin’ boat. In that case, some bacon, eggs, and toast. If that’s okay?”
“Yes, Miss.” Julian gives her a slight bow then walks out, coming back a minute later with a cup of tea in his hand. He places it in front of her before leaving the room again. She relaxes in her chair, her arms in front of her chest as she looks around the room in awe. The silent tension is palpable with only our forks making sound as they hit our plates every time we take a bite. I can’t resist glancing at her every few seconds.
Chasing Fire (The Fire Duet Book 1) Page 6
