by Karin Harlow
“I work for an equally concerned and dedicated agency. We will make sure the cask is safely stored in a secure, undisclosed location.”
“This isn’t negotiable, Selena. We take control.”
“Everything is negotiable. I say, to the highest bidder go the spoils.”
He smiled. An almost genuine smile. What she wouldn’t give to see the real thing. “You’ll lose.”
“Don’t you know that the fatal flaw in the art of war is to underestimate your opponent?”
“Don’t you know never to show up to a duel unarmed?”
Selena laughed, genuinely enjoying the verbal sparring. Johnny had always been quick-witted; he had won her over with his humor. Countless times he would have her laughing so hard, her cheeks ached for days.
His eyes narrowed as if he didn’t find the humor where she did. “Me and mine play for keeps.”
“And you think I don’t? Have you forgotten so quickly what I did to Malphas? Before him, there were four just like him.”
“We’ll see.” He strode to the doorway and said over his shoulder, “I’m going to help myself to your ship-to-shore.” Then he disappeared.
Selena hurried to the nightstand and pulled a cell phone from the drawer, then rushed into the head and closed the door. Quickly she called el patrón.
“Sí,” his deep voice reverberated.
“Señor, I have confirmed that Noslov plans to auction the cask.”
“Yo sé. I was just about to call you. The underground is abuzz with that info. He has set the auction for midnight Saturday. No other details.”
Three days from now. “Damn it, I was hoping we could make him an offer he couldn’t refuse.”
“He’s in Paris, at a safe house. Eleven rue de la Montmartre. There is a jet waiting for you at the airstrip. Get to him, and convince him to close the auction to just one bidder.”
“His life or else?”
“No, a life far more precious to him. I have his two-year-old son. For each hour he refuses, I will send a body part.”
“Señor!”
“The life of one child for the lives of thousands is a fair trade. See it done. And, Selena, a word of caution. This cask is big black-market news. Many are positioning themselves to get their hands on it. Many who are willing to lie, beg, steal, and kill for it. Trust no one.”
“I will beware,” she said.
She hung up just as Nikko opened the bathroom door. He grabbed her hand, trying to take the phone away. She turned and squeezed it so hard the LCD screen cracked.
“Damn you, Selena! Stop fighting me!”
“Stop interfering in my business!” She shoved past him into the bedroom and pointed to the door. “There’s another stateroom down the hall. Get some sleep. We’re going to need to be fresh tomorrow.” But she was leaving tonight. With the necklace.
Nikko plopped down on the bed. “I told you, I’m not letting you out of my sight.” He stretched out and patted the mattress beside him. “Lie down, and if you so much as move toward the door, you’ll wish you hadn’t.”
She glared daggers at him. “You’ve turned into a bully.”
“That’s what happens when your life is pulled out from under you.”
For almost an hour, Selena lay staring at a small spot on the ceiling. Nikko lay on his back with his hands behind his head staring at the same spot.
“I won’t be able to get near Noslov without the necklace,” she said, breaking the silence.
“You won’t need the necklace. My people are moving in on him as we speak.”
Selena gasped and turned to face him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He turned to face her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
He reached out, grabbed a hank of her hair, and drew her close to him. When their lips were but inches apart, he said, “Every third-world leader and terrorist group in the world knows what’s about to go down. If your people aren’t up on it, then you need to go to work for someone else.”
“He’s in Paris.”
“He won’t be for long.”
“What leverage do your people have?”
“His life.”
Selena smiled, though the thought of el patrón ’s advantage sickened her. “Noslov doesn’t care about his life. He won’t give you what you want.”
“We’ll see.”
She turned over and faced the wall, frowning into the darkness. She needed to get on that plane to Paris, track Noslov down, and convince him to take Los Cuatro’s preemptive bid. But with Nikko’s people getting in the way … Damn it! She had to get to Noslov first, the fate of thousands aside; she was not going to have the death of an innocent two-year-old on her hands.
She needed the necklace. She needed it now. She stilled her mind and concentrated on the man behind her. His blood coursed hot and potent through her veins. He had no idea that with the blood infusion, he had given her easy access to his emotions. It would make what she was about to do much easier.
Gently, she probed his thoughts, and recoiled. They were a chaotic swirl of anger, frustration, and passion. Each one focused squarely on her. Inhaling deeply, Selena collected her own chaotic emotions and settled down.
Sleep, she crooned. Close your eyes and sleep.
She felt him fight it. While his brain was wide-awake, his body was exhausted.
That’s it, close your eyes. Think peaceful thoughts.
The rigid body behind her loosened. For what seemed endless hours, she calmly crooned to his subconscious, urging him to relax, to find sleep, to regenerate. Finally, deep, even breaths replaced the short, erratic ones.
Selena lay perfectly still, afraid if she moved, he would awake. She closed her eyes and imagined herself taking flight and slipping gently into his dreams. Then she was there.
He was aware of her. She smiled and touched his chest. His heart lurched against her palm. Relax, it’s only a dream. I can’t hurt you. I won’t hurt you. Just give me the necklace and I’ll go.
No.
Stubborn man. I give you my word I won’t use it against you. Give it to me—
No.
You leave me no recourse, Nikko. She slipped out of her dress and slid her warm body against his. She hissed in a long, deep breath as her smooth skin slid against the hard planes of his body. His skin was fever hot. His body swelled, but as he had earlier, he resisted. You want me, Nikko. She pressed her lips to the pulsing vein in his neck and licked, then scraped her teeth along the thick artery. His muscles steeled, resistant.
No.
She pulled his pants from him; his cock sprang up hot and thick against her belly. Your body does not lie, my love. She moved over him, tracing her fingertips across his chest, around his hard nipples, then down his taut, defined belly. She followed the trail of dark downy hair that guided her to the root of him. His hips rose. I’ve missed you so much, she breathed against his lips. It wasn’t a lie. He moaned and twisted away from her. She grasped his hips and slowly ran her hands down his thighs, then up, her fingertips grazing his warm balls, circling his thick root, tracing the pulsating vein that ran the length of his burgeoning shaft. His body tightened. He fisted the sheets. She lowered her lips to his.
He hissed in a long breath, his body straining to resist her. When she kissed him, her fingers wrapped around his cock. He groaned. Twisting his lips from hers, he reached up and grabbed the headboard, the action lifting his hips off the bed. He fought a colossal battle, one he would ultimately lose.
Selena was not unaffected. She might be invading his dreams, but it was as real to her as it was to him. She held the emotions that threatened to interfere under tight rein. She could not tell him she still loved him, how sorry she was, that she bled for him. She could not tell him that they had a beautiful, charming eight-year-old daughter who looked just like her papa. Instead, she focused on her carnal needs. There had been no one before Johnny, and no one after. Their brief but passionate encounter at the club
had whetted her appetite for something more. Something deep. Something profound. Her body had been on slow simmer for him. Now it boiled.
Selena was kidding herself if she said she was seducing him solely for the necklace. He had left her panting for more of him when he walked away from her earlier tonight. Getting the necklace this way was simply an excuse to make love.
But first things first.
Where is the necklace?
He gritted his teeth, refusing to answer. She tightened her fingers around his shaft and began to slowly pump. His hips quaked against her. His body tightened. A slick sheen of perspiration dampened his skin. Tell me to stop, and I will.
Damn you! he cursed.
She laughed softly, enjoying his pain, but realized that even though it was a dream, she would not take from his body what his mind was not willing to give. She cupped his balls and gently massaged them. He groaned, and bucked against her hands. But that did not mean she could not push him to the edge. …
She nipped his bottom lip, then his chin, down his neck to his jugular. I crave every part of you. She scraped her teeth along the vital vein, then farther down to his chest, nipping a sensitive nipple, then sucking it. Her lips trailed down his belly, following the dark trail that led her to his groin. Nikko twisted, bucked, and thrust away from her. But he did not leave the bed. And in a dream, all things were possible. …
With just a little more persuasion, her body would convince his mind.
Selena pressed her lips to the sensitive spot between Nikko’s hip and groin. In long, wet trails she licked around him, coming so close to the wide head of his cock, then dipping down to his root and balls. Nikko’s body trembled. Just breathing on the sensitive areas made him squirm. Her fingertips caressed his tight thighs, his hips, and his washboard belly.
Her long hair trailed along his belly. He grabbed a hank, but did not pull. Selena looked up at him, the thickness of his cock obscuring her view. She smiled and slid up his thighs, trailing her sultry sex along the length of his erection, then his belly.
His body tightened to steel. She straddled his belly, running her hands up his tense arms, to his hands grasping the headboard as if it were his life raft. She arched her back, thrusting her hips forward, lifting her swollen mons within inches of his face. Her musky sex scent filled the air between them.
Nikko’s eyes flew open. He glared up at her, his fangs exposed, his face dangerously contorted.
Tell me to go and I will.
His glare did not waver.
She pressed her hips closer to him. He snarled; the ferocity of the sound sent shivers shooting straight to her womb. Selena closed her eyes, imaging his tongue and lips between her legs. …
Her body flinched and a long moan escaped her when he pressed his lips to the smooth rise of her mound. She sucked in her breath when he trailed the tips of his fangs across her skin to her clitoris. She held it, her entire body suspended in anticipation. She was so hot and so wet for him it embarrassed her.
She came apart when his lips parted her labia to get a better grip on her clit. His warm tongue swirled around her, teasing, sucking her enflamed flesh, making her hotter, wetter. Selena let go. She dug her fingers into her hair and arched her back, thrusting fully into his lips, wanting nothing more than to be devoured by him.
Only Nikko’s lips and tongue touched her. His hands still grasped the headboard. He kept his hips still. She wanted him to break completely. But he remained in control. And though she’d held the power coming into his dream, now he wielded it.
Nikko.
He ignored her call; he would do what he chose, not what she demanded. His sinful lips sucked her nether lips; his tongue languorously lolled and rolled around her stiff clit, sending shock waves to the very ends of her. Selena grasped his hands on the headboard for support. Slowly, reverently, she rocked against him, her hips undulating in slow, sublime rhythm. Dear God, he felt good. When had he turned the tables on her? Deliberately he tormented her. She was so close to devastation, fighting the urge to let go and grind into his lips and demand he take her there.
She had to stop. She could not allow him the control. She—she squeezed her eyes shut as his lips slid along her seam to her clit. He gently suckled her into his mouth as his tongue caressed that so-sensitive place. “Ahhh,” she exhaled. “That feels so good.” Selena licked her dry lips, swallowing hard as she rode his torturous mouth in a slow, sensuous undulation.
His hands turned and grabbed hers, pulling her body taut. His legs pinned hers to the bed. Her body had betrayed her! She was trapped in his carnal snare. Selena struggled, pulling her hands, moving her legs, and dear God it would kill her to pull away from his salacious mouth, but she could not give him control. With every ounce of willpower she possessed, Selena pulled her hips away. He snarled, scraping his fangs along the inside of her thigh. Selena cried out in surprised pain. Her head snapped back and they locked stares.
Play with fire, you get burned, Selena.
She shook her head. Her long hair swirled around her shoulders. I am the devil’s daughter. She sat back and grabbed his cock in her fist. His eyes narrowed but he did not move a muscle. He was hard. Thick. Warm. Slowly, she pumped him. His cock swelled in her hand. She stared at him, challenging him to resist her.
His eyes narrowed to slits; his jaw tightened and perspiration beaded his tanned skin. He was there, on the very edge of breaking.
We’re going to burn together, Nikko Cruz.
Selena moved over his hips. When she rubbed the thick width of his cock along her slick opening, her body flinched as if she were being electrocuted. Nikko’s body thrummed with energy beneath her. She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting for control. She could not hold out much longer. If he did not break first, then—she rocked her hips against him. She moaned, the friction so sweet. She was so slick and so hot for him that her body lured him into her. They gasped in unison when the wide head of his cock pressed into her. Selena squeezed her eyes tighter, fighting with every ounce of willpower she possessed not to go further. Her muscles quaked as she held herself from him. The urge to impale herself on him, to experience once again the sublimity of the thick heat of him filling her to overflowing, overwhelmed her.
Selena licked her lips and opened her eyes. Nikko’s impassioned stare drilled into her. He hung as if suspended in the air, wanting what she wanted but still resisting. Nikko, she purred as she sat lower. She could not help herself. Take me.
She sat on him completely. The sensation of him filling her to his balls, touching the end of her, was indescribably decadent. Her liquid inner muscles clasped him tightly in long-awaited welcome. And despite the welcome, he lay rigid and unbending.
It didn’t matter, she told herself. She had what she wanted from him. He needn’t do a thing. She knew what a junkie felt like getting that first fix after a long dry spell. The intensity of the first hit was unlike anything she had experienced. She wanted more. Savoring every inch of him, Selena moved her hips in a slow up-and-down undulation. Still he resisted. She closed her eyes, expelled a long breath, and allowed herself to experience the wonder of him on her terms. No battle of wills, no guilt, no ulterior motives, just—pleasure. It was beyond pleasure. Every nerve ending in her body lit up, as intensely as if a layer of her had been removed. Selena’s breath hitched as the friction heated. Her skin slickened with perspiration. Her rhythm became urgent. Harder, faster, deeper. Her hips rose and fell to an ageold cadence. Hardening Nikko to steel.
Nikko, she moaned, arching her back as an intense wave built within her. Her knees clasped his hips, her fingers dug into his thighs. She—couldn’t—breathe.
Then she felt it. He broke. His body shuddered hard; his hands dropped from the headboard, and his breath released in a wild, warm rush against her chest. In a fierce surge, he thrust high into her, nearly unseating her. Selena opened her eyes and screamed. In full fang, his eyes red, he rose up against her. He flung her onto her back and sank his cock deep into her p
ussy, his teeth into her neck, his fingers into her hair. Dear Lord —She arched high into him. Demanding more. He swiveled his hips, grinding maddeningly into her as he ravenously sucked her blood.
It was wild, erotic, crazy, and death-defying. She came in a violent rush of blistering sensation; the intensity of it threw her over the edge. She screamed again as he slammed into her, clasping him tighter to her neck, reveling in his ardent possession of her. As Nikko came inside her, his mind opened up, and what Selena saw astonished and terrified her.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Nikko came in a wild maelstrom of pent-up passion. As his body hurtled toward release, fury and unrequited hunger barreled through him, the latter so ravenous he knew if he gave in to it, it would kill him. He did not want to surrender to Selena’s seduction. He fought it with every part of him, but in the end he was powerless to resist her call. The copper taste of blood coupled with the sultry sex scent of the woman beneath him was gasoline on his fire.
He had never been able to resist her. Even now, after what she had done to him—to his child —he craved her.
His soul cried foul, his brain demanded revenge, but a small, quiet part of him just wanted to be allowed to mourn. He had never mourned. Anger, hate, and revenge had filled his heart.
Yet now, even as he came inside of her, his heart mourned his daughter and the loss of the woman he had loved.
The woman beneath him.
Selena …
He felt her sorrow, her regret—her love. She should feel sorrow and regret. Love? She loved no one but herself.
But his instincts, coupled with his heightened senses, identified only truth. What did that mean?
Johnny.
Nikko squeezed his eyes closed. The rage in him quieted in time with their spent bodies. He withdrew his fangs from her neck and gently licked the wounds, then moved out of her. A compulsion he could not defy made him reach down to his trousers on the floor, pull the necklace out of the front pocket, and drop it onto her belly.
But the action came with a warning: Do not use it against me.
