by Zara Cox
I closed the gap between us. Head tilted, I looked into his face. Past the shadows cast by demons to the sizzling-hot arousal and undeniable need.
His and mine.
What his actions had cost me burned just as bright, perhaps even more considering there wasn’t any remorse on his part.
But he’d just handed me the two things I craved more than anything else in this world. The two things I needed to see my way clear of this cloud of lust and bitterness to my end goal.
Power and control.
And fuck if I wasn’t going to grasp them with both hands.
CHAPTER SIX
Neve
I SLICKED MY tongue over my lower lip, revelled in his thick, muted groan. ‘What would you like me to do about it, Damian?’
His gaze devoured my mouth with naked hunger. It was more than animalistic need. It was consuming in a way that mildly terrified me. ‘You don’t need me to draw you a bloody map, Neve,’ he said gruffly before closing the space between us to drag me against his body. The heavy column of his cock branded my belly. ‘You know what I want.’
My pussy clenched, reminding me how desperate it was to be filled. I placed a hand on his chest, registered solid muscle and a strong heartbeat beneath his shirt.
‘Do I? Our wires crossed badly somewhere along the line two years ago.’
‘In the aftermath, maybe. But not with this.’ He lowered his head until our lips brushed. It was like being caught in an inferno. ‘Never with this.’
My resistance was swept beneath the fiery lust that blazed through me. ‘You want to kiss me.’
He pinned me closer until my pelvis was flushed with his. Until the outline of his thick, hard cock was imprinted between my legs. ‘Fuck yes. I want to kiss you and more besides. You know how long it took to get a good night’s sleep without jerking off to the memory of you sucking me off?’
My breath rushed out, along with a cheeky, unfettered little moan as he rocked his hips against me. The friction released liquid heat, slicking my pussy.
I’d never thought I’d enjoy giving a blowjob until I met Damian. Taking him in my mouth, hearing his hiss and grunts of pleasure had triggered mine in a way I’d never imagined. I wanted the experience again.
But on my terms.
‘How long?’ I stoked the fires of his memory, shamelessly eager for the validation that our night together had impacted on him too.
‘Too damn long. And it wasn’t just the memory of you giving me head either. It was those insane sounds you made when I spread you wide and rammed inside your pussy that drove me nuts for weeks. It was learning how every inch of your body responds to being fucked. How you felt when you came on my cock.’
I shuddered through the explicit memories.
He’d taken his sweet time, driving into me over and over until I hadn’t been able to think or see straight. Until I hadn’t been sure whether to beg him to stop or plead for more.
Another groan vibrated inside me, but I forcibly snapped it off when I realised what he was doing. He was wrestling control from me. With each roll of his hips, each heated word that made me dig my fingers into his shoulders, I was seconds away from begging him to actively and enthusiastically refresh my memory.
With superhuman effort, I smothered my need, placed my hands over the fingers digging in my hip bones, melting me from the inside out. ‘You’ve told me what you want. Now let me tell you what I want.’
His gaze hazed for the moment, going blurry as if he’d retreated inward, and then he gave an abrupt nod.
‘You turn me on. But I won’t be as easy this time around.’
Abruptly, he released me and placed a few feet between us. I struggled to keep the bereft hollow in my stomach from showing on my face.
‘I didn’t think you were easy the first time around,’ he said in clipped tones. ‘The torment of being under your spell is still seared in my brain.’
I almost laughed but I throttled it back because I realised that laughter was directed at myself. At my unstoppable craving for a man I should’ve left alone. At thinking I was in control when I’d been his sexual slave. ‘I might take you to places you don’t like.’
Again the corner of his mouth kicked up but the action was a lot less mirthful this time. His fingers traced my collarbone slowly, leaving a trail of fire that nearly made me moan again. ‘I’m a big boy. If words fail me I’ll find another way to communicate. I guarantee you.’
His response triggered a need to test his boundaries. Test my boundaries. So much it terrified me.
I whirled away and headed for the bar. I didn’t really want to drink but I craved respite from the rampant arousal surging through me.
His gaze followed me, heavy and wanting, as I plucked a fresh glass off the tray.
‘I’m getting that drink now. Do you want one?’
A hard mask descended over his face as he strolled towards me. ‘I get my own drinks, thanks.’ The words were sharp and chilled with an underlying note I couldn’t decode.
It reminded me of that night we’d met. His refusal of my drink and the water I’d seen him stick to since. It was either a peculiar ritual exclusive to him or...
My brain threw up blanks. I searched his face but his expression remained closed. He watched closely as I fixed myself a dirty martini and added the three olives I preferred.
He didn’t move from his spot on the carpet. His fists were curled tight and a quiet fury vibrated from him.
Instinctively, I knew his reaction wasn’t aimed at me. ‘Is everything okay?’
He took a visibly relaxing breath although his harsh expression remained. ‘I’m fine,’ he said abruptly.
‘Hmm.’
He watched me for a handful of seconds before perching on the opposite stool. Even with the counter between us, the force of his charisma and sheer gorgeousness hit me square in the chest.
It grew worse when his elbows landed on the hard wooden surface, his bare forearms drawing my gaze to the wispy hairs that covered his golden skin.
It was hard to swallow, just thinking about his hard, packed body. Only the sound of his voice drew my attention back to his insanely gorgeous face.
I grimaced inwardly. This was going to be much harder than I’d thought. Relief spiked through me when my phone buzzed. I pounced on my clutch, fished out my phone and read the message.
‘It’s Tyler. They’ve arrived in Westport and are already setting up.’ I sent a quick reply and placed my phone on the counter.
His lips twisted. ‘Now that we’ve established where we both stand from two years ago, are you going to clue me in on whatever you have planned?’
I didn’t even bother to deny the allegation. ‘No.’
‘Getting back to business for a minute, I’m prepared, if the trial period is successful, to throw the PR and marketing skills of The Mortimer Group behind this project. For free.’
My hackles rose. ‘I don’t need your charity, especially if you think it’ll grant you special privileges of the sexual kind.’
‘I prefer to see it as goodwill. You seem to think this is just a whim for me. I’m giving you my word that I’m committed to this project and will stick to the agreements we make.’
‘I have a solid marketing department of my own, thanks.’
He eyed me. ‘You don’t have to give up control to get what you need, Neve. Not unless you expressly wish to.’
My heart lurched, then kept on falling as I spotted the astute intelligence in his eyes. Somehow he’d latched onto my governing essence. The one that warned against giving in to the reckless lust prowling inside me. Not until I could handle any fallout.
We sized each other up for a long stretch. And even after my gaze dropped I knew he was still staring at me because my whole body tingled wildly. I set my glass down between his outstretched forearms
and resisted the temptation to trail my fingers over his skin.
‘I have an early start. I’m going to call it a night.’
‘You haven’t finished your drink.’
I shrugged as my phone buzzed again. Tyler, with gushing remarks about the Westport resort that made me smile. Soothed me in ways I hadn’t known I needed.
‘Tyler again?’ Damian asked curtly when I set the phone down.
‘Hmm. He likes the resort.’
Damian snorted.
‘Problem?’
His smile was cocky. ‘None that I foresee.’
His arrogance grated.
‘You sure?’ I goaded.
‘You want me, Neve. You might be a little conflicted right now about how much but we’ll work through it.’
The grounded assurance in his voice made something fragile lurch inside me. ‘Why should I go through the trouble? Why not pick someone else entirely to scratch my itch who isn’t you?’
Thunder rumbled over his face, devouring his cockiness. ‘If you’re trying to pick another fight with me, forget it. You want me just as badly as I want you. You’re not going to fuck anyone else just to spite me.’
Again his conceit grated. Badly. I forced a smile as I rounded the bar. ‘I guess if you say so then it must be true,’ I mocked.
He caught hold of me before I could walk past him. ‘Tell me this is another game,’ he breathed, irritation stamped all over his face that made me want to smile and smile and smile.
‘Why, Damian? Would it bother you?’
His lips flattened as if he didn’t want to answer. Then, ‘Yes, it’ll fucking bother me. I don’t know what the hell you think you’re playing at but—’
‘I haven’t been fucked properly in a very long time, Damian. I was busy, you see, trying to get back on my feet after what you did. But now my business is thriving again and I’m on the brink of striking an exciting new deal. Why the hell not see to my needs with an orgasm or six with someone I have a connection with?’
I was goading him. It was turning me on. I needed to stop.
The fingers gripping my waist dug in. Not enough to hurt but enough to confirm I had his sizzling, unwavering attention. The weight of it dripped right through to my bones. ‘You have a connection with me,’ he replied cuttingly, right before his mouth crashed on mine.
A part of me had seen this coming the moment I’d started taunting him. That part joined the rest of my body to sing with lustful joy as sparks turned into flames and engulfed me.
For two long years I’d relived the electrifying thrill of kissing Damian.
Reality was, oh, so much better.
There was no tentative exploration. Our tongues boldly stroked and duelled, dragging taste and texture from each other as my arms wound around his neck.
He pulled me roughly into his body, his feverish hands relearning my every curve. In turn, I ground those curves into him, imprinted myself against his hardness as hunger became a living, twisting entity I couldn’t control.
He rolled his hips sinuously, refreshing my memory of how expertly he could move. My fingers tunnelled into his hair, my nails scraping his scalp in a frenzied need to keep him where he was, delivering pleasure I’d been seriously starved of.
With a thick groan, his fingers dug into my ass, tugged me up tighter into his groin and pivoted me against the bar.
Heat exploded between my legs, my clit swelling with enough crazed enthusiasm to draw a whimper from me.
Damian pulled away for a scant second and eyes ablaze with carnal intent met mine. ‘You taste even better than I remember.’ One hand roved my body, caressed my ribcage, my lower back, and then palmed one breast. ‘And you’re just as lush,’ he muttered thickly before squeezing my nipple between his thumb and forefinger.
I cried out, jerking against his hold. ‘Ah...’
My reaction triggered a rabid response. His breathing grew harsher and his mouth returned to devour mine. Sounds continued to trip unaided from my throat and I was convinced I’d orgasm just from kissing Damian.
Abruptly he gripped my waist, lifted me up and strode purposefully towards the sofa.
The moment my back hit the cushions, he crawled over me and dragged me into another erotically charged kiss.
Urgent hands returned to my breasts.
Double the torture, double the pleasure, he moulded them, then toyed mercilessly with the stiff peaks, driving me even further insane. When desperation for oxygen drove us apart, he raised his head, staring down at me. The sight of lips bruised from our kiss and hair falling tangled by my hands, was almost too arousing to bear.
Lust and a touch of bewilderment crowded his face. ‘I didn’t think it was possible.’
‘What?’ I cringed at the husky slur to my speech.
‘That I could be this turned on by you. Just kissing you for a minute is already screwing with my head.’ He lowered his head and took my mouth in another sizzling kiss before he abruptly broke off. ‘How long?’
‘What?’ How was he forming words when my brain was under threat of turning into mush?
‘You said you hadn’t been fucked in a while.’
‘You think now’s the time to remind me why I’m in this state?’ I parried.
The stinging resentment I should’ve felt didn’t surface. It was buried beneath the colossal weight of my arousal.
His fingers didn’t stop torturing my nipples, nor did his expression show an ounce of regret. ‘Tell me,’ he demanded in a low, sexy voice.
Did he really think I was going to inflate his ego by divulging that I hadn’t slept with anyone since him? My hands trailed down his back to dig into his ass. Simultaneously, I undulated my hips, bringing his cock into singeing contact with my pussy. ‘Do you want to do this or do you want to ask questions I won’t answer?’
He stared at me with eyes almost black with desire. ‘Do what exactly?’
Fuck me hard. Make me scream with ecstasy the way you did in Boston.
But not until he begged for it.
I removed my hands from his ass, dropped them to my side, long enough for a wave of uncertainty to shimmer in his eyes. I wanted him to taste the possibility that I might walk away from him, leave us both high and dry.
When his face began to tighten, I nudged him away until he braced onto his elbows and knees, then reached down and slowly dragged up the hem of my cocktail dress. Feverish eyes dropped to follow the movement, his breathing growing erratic as my French lace knickers were exposed.
The hand cupping my breasts clenched for one unguarded second. ‘Fuck.’
Involuntarily, he squeezed my nipples again. My back arched and another bolt of heat shot to my pussy. God, I was going to climax long before Damian got anywhere near the centre of my need. Striving for control, I drew out the moment, dragged my panties down my legs and kicked them off.
He watched me with hooded eyes that burned with the promise of insane pleasure.
I took hold of one hand and slowly pried it off my breast. Drawing it down, I kissed his knuckle, then slowly drew his middle digits into my mouth. Eyes locked with his, I flicked my tongue over his fingers, smiling when his breath hissed out.
For a minute, I toyed with him, then sucked him deep into my mouth.
‘Jesus,’ he groaned.
When he was near panting, I let his fingers pop free. Then inch by inch I drew his hand down my body until it rested against my bare pussy.
‘You want to know how long it’s been? Feel for yourself.’
Damian boldly cupped my heat. ‘Fuck, Neve, you’re soaking wet,’ he rasped in a ragged voice.
One thick knuckle grazed my clit and I cried out as electricity forked through my body. He repeated the action, over and over until my hips fell into a desperate, eager rhythm.
God, I was going to disg
race myself by climaxing just from Damian rubbing my pussy. How utterly humiliating would that be? I forced my body to stop twitching in an effort to make this last.
As if sensing the challenge, Damian grazed me one last time, then flipped his hand and parted my folds in a brazen V.
Fingers wet from my mouth and my own slickness pinched my clit. My hands flew to his shoulders and dug in as waves of pleasure rolled over me.
‘Oh, God!’
He swooped down, tasting my pleasure with a hot and hard kiss while he intermittently tweaked my nipple. A whimper surged from my throat.
‘You like that?’ he growled against my mouth.
‘Yes,’ I replied breathlessly.
With a harshly drawn breath, he caught the corner of my lip between his teeth, bit down lightly as he plunged his fingers inside me.
My cry of pleasure was unfettered, the clench of my pussy urgent and shameless.
‘Bloody hell, Neve. You’re so fucking tight,’ he groaned. ‘So damn glorious.’
He withdrew, then fed his fingers back into me, biting me again, then licked the sting before moving back to watch the delicious havoc he was creating between my legs. Against my thigh, his cock grew thicker.
‘Just watching you fuck my fingers is going to blow my load. You know that?’ he slurred.
Blind need overtook me. ‘More. I want one more. Stretch me, Damian. Fill me up.’
I couldn’t stop the words tumbling from my lips any more than I could stop myself from racing towards the peak that promised pure bliss.
A wave of red washed over Damian’s cheekbones as he inserted another finger inside me. Pressure increased. Intensified. My fingers clawed at him, desperate for more connection. ‘Kiss me,’ I panted.
He fell on me like a starving predator, his tongue mimicking what his fingers were doing to me.
Sensation grew too much. My fingers dug into his skin and he groaned.
‘Yes, darling,’ he muttered hotly against my mouth. ‘Come for me. Let me feel you drench my fingers. I want to taste it so badly.’ Tense hunger filled his voice, echoing mine.
