He chuckled and then stopped, removed his finger. Keirah was about to protest when Noir re-entered two digits. He didn’t even wait for her blessing; he began to dig deep into her core and then twist into her. Dig and twist. Dig and twist.
“I’ve been waiting for you, princess,” he said in his usual dark velvet voice. She could smell her sex on him. “Hummm… I knew you’d come for me.” She could hear the smile in his next words. “And you will.”
He continued his torture on her willing body. Her fingers curled into the sheets and she grinded her core against his face, wanting her own delivery – needing her release nearly as much as she needed him.
“You dirty little whorrrrre,” he purred. “You couldn’t get enough of, well, of me inflicting both pleasure and eh-pain on your body.”
“Yes, yes, yes.”
“Well-ah,” he drawled, and then stopped completely. “You’re going to have ta wait.”
This time, she did let out a cry of protest and her eyes shot open. He looked at her with his golden eyes bronzed, looking over her so he could meet her eyes. She did look wanton, with her spread legs and her robe pushed up to her hips. She hadn’t put on any underwear either, and one of her breasts slipped out from its loose confines. Her pink nipple was dark and erect with desire.
But he was there. His face glistened with her juices and she could see his hunched shoulders curve in towards her. He was there. He really was.
“Now, now, now,” he said, making sure his lips stayed firmly against her mound so she could feel the vibrations running along her skin and teasing her even more. “Remember the mistress patience? Wait. It. Out. I promise it will all be worth it.”
“I’ll do whatever you want,” she murmured through hooded eyes. When was the last time she blinked? Even she couldn’t remember. She was too afraid to look away, afraid he might completely disappear.
“’Course ya will,” he said in a deep burr. “You’re mine and uh, well, you like what I do to you. You like when it hurts, you like when there’s pain. I make you cry and uh it’s the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard-ah.”
“I like everything you do to me.”
“Yeah, you do.” He crawled over her and her eyes took in everything she missed about him. He wore one of his handmade suits–odd, since it was not the one he disappeared in–this one with purple pants and a red collared shirt, and his dark curly blond hair was as disheveled as ever. She wanted to reach up and dig her long fingers into his hair and yank on the thick tresses, but stopped herself. He wouldn’t like it if she did something without his permission. The paint he usually wore on a constant, nearly twenty-four hour basis was completely washed from his skin. Perhaps they didn’t have the proper material in Purgatory, or maybe he felt more comfortable to show his bare face, but the peachy color was a welcome sight, despite the burned left half of his face. He was terrifying, scary, and intimidating, but God, he was also so attractive. Her pelvis throbbed with painful desire and she rolled her eyes back, biting her bottom lip to keep a moan from slipping out of her lips.
When he towered over her, making her feel petite even though she was tall and willowy, her hands reached up and began undoing the buttons to his shirt. She didn’t know why, but her fingers shook as she did so. Maybe she was nervous. Maybe she was excited. Maybe it was a healthy mixture of both. It didn’t matter. All she knew was that she wanted his clothes off as soon as possible, and she wanted him to fill her up and make her feel complete the way only he knew how.
Soon, his shirt was tossed to the floor, and her shaky hands started to undo the button of his pants. His hands–cut up, rough, and callused–scooped at her milky thighs and dragged along her skin until they met with her nightgown. Before Keirah even could draw a breath, it was ripped over her head and flung across the room as though the material had done something offensive to him. Immediately, his mouth found her neck and he began to bite and suck at her skin. She knew she would be bruised up in a few hours, but she didn’t care; the marks signified that she belonged to him, just like the thin, red J scarred on her cheek. He had carved it himself after getting her back. It felt like a long time ago, actually. But Keirah remembered it like yesterday.
When his mouth found her breast, she couldn’t hold back her enthusiasm any longer and arched up, moaning as she did so. Now she didn’t care if anyone heard. She didn’t care if she woke everyone up. She wanted nothing more than Noir inside of her, and she hated that she had to wait for it.
Her hands reached up to grab his back, and she dug her nails into his skin. He inhaled sharply, sucking in the air between his straight, yellowed teeth. It made her thrum with pride, knowing she had taken him by surprise. He bit her nipple in response, hard, and she yelped. Somehow, he made pain turn into pleasure, and even what hurt made her feel good.
“Please, please, please don’t make me wait. I’ve been waiting for so long. I want you now. Please, please, please.” She was mewing like a cat, begging without shame. She knew he would punish her for how easy she was being, but she didn’t care. It had been long. Too long.
And she knew, deep down, that he felt the same way about her. She knew he wanted to draw this out as long as possible, make her beg and writhe underneath him until she just couldn’t take it anymore, draw this out to reinstate his power over her, but she knew he wouldn’t be able to resist. Not when his hands were as desperate as hers were, his mouth explored every trace of skin he could get his hands on as though he were tasting water for the first time since trekking through a desert. He needed her just as badly as she needed him, and she knew, she knew, that as willful as Noir was, he wouldn’t be able to resist. Not their first time. Not when they’d been apart for so long. Not when they’d both been waiting for this.
It wasn’t long before he thrust himself into her, hard and without mercy. He didn’t ask her permission. He didn’t make sure she was wet and ready. He did what he wanted and made no apology about it. She yelped at the pain, and he groaned at the feeling of her tight folds molding around him, sucking him up into her and promising to never let him go.
“You, well, you waited for me, darling.”
“Of course.”
He started pumping inside of her, slowly at first until it became steady. Keirah’s eyes had rolled back, breathing and moaning, mewing and gasping. Noir was notoriously quiet during any sexual experience–it frustrated Keirah to no end which was why he kept mum in the first place; it was another way for him to have power over her–but even he couldn’t help himself.
“Touch-ah yourself for me. I want you to, hum… pleasure yourself for me.”
Keirah didn’t wait and pressed her fingers down to her clitoris, wagging them back and forth against the engorged nub until she was already at her peak.
“I’m going to…”
“I know.”
And she came hard and fast, as flowing as a waterfall. When she finished, Noir began to thrust even harder, until he finished as well, releasing himself into her slick heat. He all but collapsed on top of her, but made sure their bodies were still connected, even as he went soft inside of her. It might have been Keirah’s imagination, but he seemed almost as breathless as she was.
“It’s so good to uh, well, to see you, my dear.”
And they both passed out in each other’s arms.
25
Jack Phillip was at the Ivy again, this time dressed for dinner. To give the man credit, he really did try to pay attention to whatever Vanessa was saying that was not at all business related, but every time he focused, his mind pulled him in a completely different direction. What was Andie doing at that moment in time? Was she all right? Was Burr trying to hit on her? Most definitely. Face it, Jack. She may not see it, but your girlfriend is a knockout. This, of course, caused him to grit his teeth and try and focus on Vanessa once again.
But it was hard.
Andie was the sort of person who stayed on his mind even when she was with him. Even though they both liked to have their indepe
ndence, he couldn’t easily rid her from his thoughts, and he really didn’t want to. Whenever Jack was away from her, he wished she was with him, or, considering tonight, he wished he were with her. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he really didn’t like Andie dining with Burr alone. The guy, while seemingly normal, always seemed to rub Jack the wrong way. Jack wasn’t sure why, but it was true. He cocked his head to the side, completely unaware of what Vanessa was saying except that she was moving her mouth, which meant she was still talking.
What if Andie was enjoying herself? What if his whole feeling about Burr only applied to him? What if Andie found him… charming while Jack found him disturbing, at times? They had gotten into fights over the man a couple of times, and it was always because she was defending him. That infuriated Jack to no end. It wasn’t exactly because of Andie, but the fact that Burr put on a show for her and the fact that she believed him –
The loud shrill of his cell phone interrupted his thoughts, and after offering Vanessa an apologetic smile, glanced down at the device to check the caller identification. Beverly. Jack pushed his brows together as his lips curled downwards into a frown. Why would Beverly be calling him when his aunt knew he was in an important business meeting?
Something’s happened…
“Excuse me,” Jack said, standing up, “but I really should take this.”
The man left the table and walked outside where there were fewer diners due to the cold. “Hello?” Jack greeted, trying to keep any impatience out of his voice. He got impatient when there was something he didn’t know, but should. And the reason why Beverly was calling him was something he really needed to know.
“Jack?” Beverly replied on the other end. “Forgive me for interrupting your meeting, but it has come to great importance that you return home at once.”
“Why?” Jack asked, making an effort to keep his voice down. The diners had been looking at him anyways, and for them to see him upset might get him in the tabloids again. “Is everything all right?”
“I…” Jack’s blood ran cold when he heard Beverly hesitate. “I really shouldn’t tell you over the phone. I promise that to explain everything to you when you get here.”
“Beverly,” Jack said, the worry in his tone clearly evident in his voice. “Is it Andie?”
There was a long pause on the other end, and Jack felt as though his heart had stopped in that moment of time. It was almost as if Beverly was debating with herself to answer. Finally, the older woman said, “Yes. It is.”
It took Jack seven minutes and twenty-seven seconds to get back home. He probably should have told Vanessa he was leaving, but the thought never crossed his mind. All he could think about was Andie. Something must have happened to her for Beverly to call him out of a business meeting. If Burr had hurt her in any way… Let’s just say Burr’s face was never going to be as pretty as it was now.
When Jack reached the gates of the manor, he immediately noticed the two police cars in the driveway. He threw himself out of the car and sprinted up the steps until he reached the doors. When he entered, he didn’t even realize if he was out of breath or not; he was searching for her, and when he realized she was not in his direct line of vision, he felt his heart clench together painfully.
“Jack?” Beverly said, noticing Jack’s presence from the kitchen.
“Where is she?” he asked, his jade green eyes snapping in Beverly’s calm green ones.
“Jack, there–” Beverly tried to explain as Jack headed toward her.
“Where is she?” he asked, cutting his aunt off.
When Jack reached the kitchen, he stopped walking, noticing two police officers with notepads flipped open. They were probably talking to Beverly about everything. Reese was there as well, dressed in one of Andie’s outfits. She must have had to change out of her Masked Beauty–a term of endearment he referred to her as–jumpsuit and throw on clothes, lest anyone got suspicious. Which meant Reese had saved Andie. Or something along those lines.
“Mr. Phillip,” the one with Barnaby on his label said, greeting the billionaire with a curt nod. “I’m Officer Barnaby, and this is my partner, Officer Spacey.” Jack pressed his lips together while gritting his teeth, but managed to nod once. He glanced over at Reese, the question still in his eyes.
“She’s sleeping, sir,” Beverly answered. “She’s had a rough night.”
“Rough?” Jack asked, feeling his heart beat erratically at her choice of words. He threw his gaze back over at the Reese. “What do you mean, rough? What does she mean by rough?”
“Sir,” Spacey said, his dark eyes pooling with concern. “My partner and I would love to tell you everything that happened, but we need you to calm down.”
“How do you expect me to calm down when something has happened to my girlfriend?!” he exclaimed just as Beverly entered with a hot cup of tea for him. Jack took it with shaky fingers and managed to get one sip in, but the hot liquid didn’t calm him down like it usually did.
“Miss Shepherd was dining with a Mister Lucas Burr and his son at Dorsia’s restaurant at around six thirty,” Barnaby began, his blue eyes skimming the notes he had scrawled on his pad. Jack pressed his lips together once again, but this time, it was to prevent him from asking any questions until he had heard everything. To help him focus, he tightened his grip on the teacup while staring intently at the two officers before him.
“Mister Burr was a few minutes late,” Spacey continued, looking at the statement Andie had given him. “When he showed up, he had flowers with him for her – roses, heathers, and sun flowers.”
Jack’s heart stopped. Flowers? Burr had gotten her those particular flowers?
“Miss Shepherd mentioned that she had received such flowers before from an anonymous sender,” Barnaby added. “At first, she said she thought they were from you so she wasn’t concerned about not having a note, but when she realized who was sending them, that was when she started to get worried.” He flipped a sheet of paper over so he could continue. “She also said he admitted to calling her and hanging up. She said he told her he liked to listen to her breathe.”
It took all of Jack’s control to not say or do anything. Instead, he pressed his lips tighter together and all but glared at the officer, indicating that he continue.
“The next part may be hard for you to listen to, sir,” Spacey warned Jack.
“Just,” Jack snapped, but managed to grab a hold of himself. His tone slowed considerably when he continued, “tell me… Please.”
Spacey nodded, clearly intimidated by the billionaire. “Here, Miss Shepherd stated that Mister Burr told her he wanted to show her something. She agreed, following him outside. Before she realized it, he grabbed her wrist and forced her into a nearby alleyway.” He paused, hesitating, causing Jack to muffle an impatient growl. “Yes, well, according to Miss Shepherd, she was ambushed by his son. Gabriel pushed her up against the wall and kissed her. She managed to knee him in his groin area, causing him to let go. She tried to escape, but he managed to latch onto the sleeve of her dress, pulling her back, causing the back of her head to hit the wall. From there, Miss Shepherd says she managed to punch him across the face, which seemed to infuriate the man. The last thing she said she remembered were his fingers closing around her neck.”
“A patrolman happened to be walking by at that time,” Barnaby said. Jack glanced sharply at Reese who nodded her head once or twice. “He detained Mister Burr immediately while his partner went to check on Miss Shepherd, but she was already unconscious.”
“When they realized who it was, they called the manor,” Spacey explained. “By the time the officers brought her here, Ms. Phillip had a physician waiting for her here.”
“Why didn’t you just take her to the hospital?” Jack asked, narrowing his eyes at Reese.
“We weren’t sure what you wanted, sir,” Barnaby said.
“And we thought the manor had the best resources,” Reese said, her tone strained.
“What I want is for my girlfriend to be all right,” Jack growled. He didn’t care if he lost it on these officers; she should have been taken to a hospital. “You wasted time. what if she, She could have died, for chrissake! I don’t care if this ends up in the papers, the tabloids, I don’t care what they say about me, It’s just her! That’s all I care about!”
“I think it’s time for you time leave, gentlemen,” Beverly said quietly but firmly. “Thank you for your efforts.” She turned to look at Jack, but the man had already disappeared up the stairs.
Shadows cascaded across the bedroom and criss-crossed Andie’s sleeping form. As Jack entered the room, he noticed that she was wearing one of his old t-shirts that was too small for him now, but managed to cover her slim frame quite well. Her hair was pulled from her face in a loose ponytail, probably due to Beverly’s insistence; Jack knew Andie didn’t like sleeping with anything restricting her, including elasticity. As he stepped forward, he noticed a good bruise across her face, but besides that, he couldn’t see anything. He had to grit his teeth from growling out loud, seeing her hurt in any way. The fact that it was caused by a man he thoroughly detested caused him even greater frustration. However, since Andie seemed to be sleeping, he had to keep everything in check so he wouldn’t wake her.
Sighing heavily through his nose, he moved to stand by the side of her bed, his eyes trailing over every contour of her face. Jack reached out and gently placed two fingertips in a caressing manner on her bruise, furrowing his brow that it was decorating her skin in the first place. He should have known something like this was going to happen. He should have canceled his meeting with Vanessa and gone with her. He should have –
“Hey,” a soft, strained voice whispered, causing Jack to snap out of his thoughts and to look down.
When he saw that Andie’s eyes were opened, he immediately dropped down into a kneel and placed one hand on her shoulder that happened to be covered by blankets. “Hey,” he said, all anger vanishing from his features as his eyes met hers. When she flinched under his touch, Jack pulled his hand away as concern pooled onto his face. “What’s wrong?”
The Dark Paradise Trilogy Box Set Page 79
