by Amy Deason
It hadn’t helped when she’d started talking about her mother. Cadence had obviously loved her mom. It was in the way she spoke of her in almost revered tones, the way she smiled when she recalled a memory. He’d never known anything like it. He sure as hell had never felt that way about his own mother. All he remembered was the hurt, the sadness, the anger. And that damn “Waltz of the Flowers” . . .
Clearing his head, he shifted his eyes toward Cadence.
The good thing about summers in Russia was it never really got dark. Dim was the closest it came to describing the night. So with it being dim, he could see her perfectly even though it was well after midnight.
Dark tendrils of hair framed her face, nearly concealing the bruise given to her by Dmitry’s men. His fingers tightened on the wheel as he imagined someone marring her skin and he turned away, glaring at the road in front of him. It was her own damn fault, he rationalized. If she would have just stayed away, she wouldn’t have been in the position to be kidnapped, to be hit. To be with him.
Damn.
He didn’t want to think about her but he couldn’t stop. Her voice, her touch, her heart.
Damn it to hell.
He needed to quit thinking of her as a person and more as a job. To do anything else would be stupid. He shook his head. Once this was over, she would be gone. Out of sight, out of mind. He would never have to think of her again. Thank God.
“I stink.”
Nikolas glanced over. Sitting calmly, she was looking down at herself, her pixie-like nose wrinkled with disgust. She was adorable. He felt the ghost of a smile forming on his lips.
“I mean, I really stink,” she repeated, glancing up at him.
He shot her a playful grin. “Well, I didn’t want to say anything . . .”
She laughed, a gentle, crystal sound. “Thanks,” she said wryly, returning his smile with one of her own.
He felt his heart twitch in response. It was sharp and almost painful. But he liked it.
“How much longer until we get there? I really need a shower and some clean clothes. Maybe some food.”
“We should be there in about an hour.” She was right though. She smelled to high heaven. The crap back at the sewer was caked on the knees of her jeans and her shoes. “Take off your pants.”
Cadence jerked in the seat beside him, instantly losing the good-natured smile. “Are you nuts?” she exclaimed. “I’m not taking off my pants.”
Nikolas rolled his eyes. “They’re covered in that shit from the sewer. Your shoes too. If you take them off, you’d be more comfortable and you wouldn’t smell so bad either.”
“Can’t we just make a pit stop and buy some clothes?”
“No. We have a boat to catch.”
“So you mean I have to stink all the way there?”
“That’s your choice,” he replied with a careless shrug. “You can strip down and get rid of most of the smell or you can wait until we get on the boat. Either way, it’s up to you.”
From the corner of his eye, he watched her nibble on her bottom lip while she considered her options. Full, succulent lips he would love to taste again. It was probably better if he didn’t. Yep, he thought, watching her teeth sink into the soft pink flesh, definitely better if he didn’t.
“Fine.” Placing the toe of one foot against the heel of the other, she pulled her shoes off. Her white socks were blackened with muck. Reaching down, she tugged those off as well and tucked them inside her shoes. She paused, glancing at him then quickly unbuttoned her jeans. Lifting her butt from the seat, she wriggled out of the pants and pushed them down to her knees before slipping them off completely.
He couldn’t contain his laughter as she yanked her T-shirt down, trying to cover herself.
Cadence glared at him. “What are you laughing at?”
“You,” he replied, still chuckling. He hadn’t actually laughed in so long, he’d forgotten how good it could feel.
“I don’t see anything funny about this,” she retorted, twisting around in her seat. She continued to pull down on her shirt.
The problem was with all of her twisting and turning, she was revealing more skin than she knew. The hem barely reached the curve of her butt. Her nicely shaped butt. He remembered how well it had fit in the palm of his hand. He tightened his fingers on the steering wheel again to keep himself from reaching over and touching her. The thought of her silky skin beneath his fingers had a sobering effect on him and his laughter died on his lips.
“Now get rid of them,” he ordered, forcing himself to keep his eyes on the road and not on her naked legs.
“What do you want me to do, throw them out the window?”
“Unless you want to keep them as a souvenir.”
“God no.” She pushed the button on the door and as the window slid down, she shoved the smelly items out.
“Now doesn’t that feel better?”
“Actually it does,” she admitted reluctantly.
“Maybe you should take the shirt off too.” The suggestion sounded casual but it was anything but. He would love to see her sitting next to him in nothing more than a pair of panties and a bra.
“I don’t think so.”
“Are you afraid of what might happen?”
“No,” she said.
Her voice sounded funny, strangled. He didn’t have to look at her to know she was lying.
“Tell me, Cadence,” he said, letting his eyes settle on her briefly, “have you always been so squeamish about taking your clothes off?”
Her cheeks lit with sudden color. “I’m not squeamish.”
“You could have fooled me,” he murmured.
The silence stretched between them and he wondered what she was thinking. He supposed he could ask her but before he could, she turned in the seat to face him, careful to keep her T-shirt clamped over her thighs.
“How many people have you slept with?”
The question caught him off guard and he jerked his eyes to her.
Where the hell had that come from?
“Why do you want to know?” He wasn’t sure where she was going with this.
Intriguing.
She tried to shrug her shoulders nonchalantly. But there was nothing nonchalant about it. Every muscle in her body was on high alert. “Just curious.”
Smiling, he turned his eyes back to the road. “I’ve lost count.”
“Seriously, you don’t know?”
He glanced over to see her mouth agape. “Seriously. I never keep count of the people I’ve fucked.”
“People?” she asked, her eyebrows raising expectantly. “Don’t you mean women?”
“No, I meant people.”
“Wait, you mean,” she paused, swallowing thickly, “you’ve been with . . . men?”
Damn, he was beginning to regret this conversation. “Yes.” He prayed she would leave it alone.
“Do you find men . . . attractive?”
He could hear the curiosity and the distaste in her voice. Shit, so much for answered prayers. Big surprise. “No, Cadence,” he said with sigh, “I don’t.”
“But I don’t understand.” Her head tilted to the right, strands of hair falling over her shoulder. “If you don’t like men, then how do you . . .?”
He felt himself trying to grin but shut it down. It would probably just piss her off again. But she was just so . . . timid. “How do I what?”
“You know, how do you . . .?” With a slow motion, she flipped her hand up and over, as if it could finish the question for her.
“What?” He wasn’t stupid enough not to know what she was asking but damn it, he wanted to see how far she was willing to go with this line of questioning.
“How do you . . . do it?”
&
nbsp; “Do it?” He laughed. Glancing over, it was impossible to control the bemused smile creeping onto his face. “That’s the best you can do? What are you, ten years old? Come on, Cadence, say it. How do I fuck them? How do I get off?”
“Yes, that,” she murmured softly.
“Yes, what?” He wanted to see if she would say it. He wanted to hear those words coming from her pretty little mouth.
“How do you fuck them? How do you get off?” she repeated remotely.
He loved the way she said fuck. It had a much more . . . arousing sound to it coming from her.
“Good girl,” he admonished. “It’s simple. I can command my body to do what I want when I want no matter the situation.”
Cadence shook her head in obvious disagreement. “Maybe with most things but not sex. It’s impossible.”
This girl was really naïve. “Try me.”
“What do you mean?” she asked cautiously.
“Give me your hand.”
“No.” She put both of her hands into her lap, clutching them together tightly.
“I wasn’t asking.” Nikolas reached over and grabbed one of her hands, pulling it loose from the other. She tried to yank it back but he wasn’t about to let her go. She wanted to know, by God he was going to show her. He placed her hand on his crotch, pressing it tightly against him.
“Now watch and learn.” He allowed his thoughts to wander through every sexual encounter he’d had from start to finish and felt himself grow hard against her hand. But the hottest, most exciting memory surprised him. It was Cadence pinned against the counter, his hands in her hair, his mouth on her skin. The memory of her tongue sweeping across his was giving him a hard-on from hell.
Shifting against her hand, he looked over and studied her reaction. He was not surprised to see the healthy rose-colored flush creeping into her cheeks. She met his eyes but then quickly dropped them in embarrassment.
Holding her hand in place, he took control of his body and willed himself to soften against her palm. Seeing Cadence in her underwear with her hand on him was making it difficult. More difficult than it should have been and he had to look away from her to make his body obey. Returning his eyes to the road, he concentrated harder than he’d ever had to before.
Little by little, he felt himself relaxing against her hand.
“See? I told you I have complete control over every part of my body.”
“Good for you,” she quipped, yanking her hand away and returning it to her lap. “What a talent.” Her sarcasm was thick.
“Can you?” he asked, arching an eyebrow her way.
“Can I what?”
“Can you control yourself?”
“Of course. I’m not an animal,” she spat, crossing her arms over her chest.
She was lying again. And this time, he wanted to prove it. “Is that so?” He felt a challenge coming on. But it was one he needed to walk away from.
Lifting her chin, she looked at him squarely, eye to eye. “Yes.”
Fuck walking away.
“Well then, I guess it’s my turn.”
~ ~ ~
Cadence felt the color fall from her face. “What are you talking about?”
Before she could stop him, Nikolas reached over, placing his hands between her thighs.
She gasped sharply. “What are you doing?” The words came out in a breathless rush. She tried to move away but there was nowhere for her to go unless she leaped from the speeding car.
The only answer she received was Nikolas’s hands sliding up further, connecting with the sensitive juncture between her legs.
Oh!
Through the thin material of her panties, she could feel the heat from his palm and it ignited her blood, making it boil. Not giving her time to react, he adjusted his touch slightly but it was enough to make her arch against his hand. Her sudden movement allowed him to cup her more intimately.
She closed her eyes and bit down, feeling the plump skin of her lip between her teeth. For a moment, his hand was still, simply resting against her. She should move away but where was she going to go? She was plastered in the seat of a car barreling down the highway at one hundred and twenty miles an hour.
He began to move his hand against her and her eyes shot open in surprise as another gasp escaped her lips.
Oh shit, that feels good.
Looking over at him, she saw he was still facing the road with one hand on the wheel, the other rubbing her slowly, intoxicatingly.
She should stop him. She needed to stop him. But oh my, the sensations flooding through her were like nothing she’d ever felt before. She could feel something powerful building inside of her and she was powerless to stop it. To stop him.
His fingers swirled in a lazy pattern over the thin, lacy panties she wore and the tingling in her belly became stronger, almost painful. She breathed deep as her muscles clenched in response. Faster and faster, his long finger massaged her, picking up a rhythm that shot tiny sparks throughout her entire body. She moaned, the sound escaping against her will.
God, she felt so hot, it was if her skin was on fire. She was burning but it was a delicious flame, licking at her, sending her heart pounding faster than the movement of his fingers.
A tremor went through her body, shaking her from head to toe and she became damp against his hand.
Holy shit! This cannot be happening right now.
“You . . . you’ve proved your . . . uh . . . point,” she panted. “You made me . . . come.” Her face flushed on the last word. God, why was his hand still on her?
Nikolas looked over at her, a wolfish smile on his lips. “Oh no, baby, that was nothing,” he whispered darkly.
Just his voice alone sent another shudder through her. She clamped her teeth on her bottom lip.
Nothing? He’d just made her come, for Christ sake, what else was there?
Brushing the lacy material aside, he slipped his fingers underneath it. Now he was touching her, skin on skin with nothing between them.
“Ohhhh,” she murmured, letting the electricity snap through her with each slick movement of his fingers. There was more. So much more. How could she not know?
She should feel ashamed but oh God, now he slipped one finger inside of her, making her cry out and there was no room for thought. No room for anything but him and the incredible sensations he was giving her.
He pushed deeper and deeper, causing her to gasp. With a come-hither motion, she nearly came undone. Oh my, this was so . . . so . . .
“Ahhhh,” she groaned as she began to tighten around his finger.
He pulled away, leaving her wanting.
No, no, please don’t stop!
“What else did your father tell you?” Nikolas’s voice was husky and menacing. He was demanding an answer but she wasn’t able to form a single thought as her mind shut down and her body took over.
“Mmmmm,” she murmured, surprised at herself as she moved closer to his hand, desperately wanting, needing, his hand on her.
“Tell me what I need to know,” Nikolas whispered, flicking his damp fingers against her aching skin.
“Ohhhh.”
He rubbed the tips of his fingers against her, teasingly close and she bit her lip to stop the groan from escaping.
“Nothing, nothing. I . . . uh . . . I told you everything.” The words were so hard to say as her brain sputtered. “I swear . . .” she whispered, biting down on her lip again.
Abruptly, he replaced his finger, slipping it inside her so deep, the groan she’d been withholding escaped. He began to move expertly, forcing her higher and higher. Her stomach clenched tightly as every muscle in her body tightened. Her breath grew shorter until she was panting. She felt as though she were about to shatter into a million piece
s and she gripped the seat beneath her, trying to hold herself together.
Sliding his finger, oh now it was more than one, in and out, he taunted her until she was whining, an inarticulate sound she didn’t recognize. Oh it was too much . . . As he pushed deeper, she began to shudder and was helpless to stop. The sensations were too big, too powerful, too everything . . .
She felt the car shift as they raced around the curve fast, too fast. But it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but Nikolas and what he was doing to her.
The pressure built and built until she was sure she could take no more. And then, he made a sudden, rough movement, shoving his fingers so far up into her that she shattered violently, stiffening in the seat. Throwing her head back against the head rest, she cried out. A cry of pleasure, of release. She tightened around his fingers, holding him deep inside of her.
Everything disappeared. Everything but him and her and the powerful climax slamming through her body.
The blood pounded in her ears so hard, it was if she was deaf. And dumb. She couldn’t even make a sound as he withdrew from her, easing out slowly, oh so slowly.
She sat immobile trying to catch her breath. Dear God, what had she just allowed to happen? When the aftershocks from her climax fell away, she opened her eyes. She blinked, feeling the tears slip through her lashes.
Holy shit, was she crying?
Her hand weighed a ton as she raised it, touching her fingers to her cheek. She was surprised to find them wet with tears.
Lifting her eyes, she saw him. He was staring at her, a look of absolute horror crossing his handsome features. Shifting his eyes back to the road, his jaw clenched as the muscles worked underneath the skin.
The thick glaze of satisfaction seeping through her bled away with his dismissal only to be replaced with the sharp pang of regret. Shame was close on its heels.
