by Dawn Ryder
“Don’t you have a restaurant to run?”
“A million-dollar wedding needs personal attention,” he countered as they slowed down to pull up next to the dock. “Monday dinner service can do without me, or I need a new manager.”
“We should probably take a break.”
The crew was out on the lower deck, securing the vessel.
“I am taking a break by not dragging you down to the cabin now.” He pressed up against her, proving that his cock was hard and eager. “You’ve infected me with some form of addiction or turned back time, because I feel like I’m about eighteen with the need to get back inside you.”
She laughed and stood up. “You struck me as a rogue the first time I met you, Nartan Lupan. Don’t think for a second I am going to buy that line. You like women and indulge often.”
He lifted one dark brow before standing up. The pure power in his body struck her full force as he braced himself against the slight motion of the ocean. “Don’t devalue yourself, Celeste. We’ve been over this ground before, but you’re right. I don’t have to share my rather limited private time with anyone if all I want is a fuck. You’re more.”
His words were clipped and tight, but they struck her as one of the sincerest compliments she’d ever received. “Dinner, Monday. But it will be late. I have tae kwon do class until seven,” she warned. “And I’ll probably limp in. Master Lee likes to do power practice on Mondays.”
“An excuse to rub you down. It’s a date.”
He nodded and jumped back onto the deck. Then he turned around and offered her a hand. Once she’d joined him, he pulled her close.
“And you’ll tell me about Caspian.”
She pulled back, but he slid his arm around her waist and bound her to him.
“Caspian is my past,” she said. “He doesn’t deserve any more of my time.”
Nartan’s expression didn’t soften. There was only a momentary flicker of compassion in his eyes. “His memory stands between us. I want to know what I’m fighting.”
Her anger deserted her as she struggled to handle what he was saying. “Look, Nartan, I’m not sure I’m ready—”
“You already chose me.” He held her in place when she tried to push back again. “And I swear I’ll pull out to sea again right now, no matter how asinine a business decision it is, if that’s the only way I’m going to learn who the ghost is between us.”
The word “us” was bouncing around inside her skull, sinking in amazingly fast.
“I’m not sure what we’re doing. And I really do need to work.”
The crew was extending the loading ramp, the sound of metal harsh against the concrete of the dock.
“You’re making an excuse, but I guess this is the part where I have to give a little.”
He grunted and let her put some space between them. Maintaining a grip on her hand, he started pulling her behind him down the stairs to the lower deck. The crew was lined up, ready to bid them farewell. Heat burst in her cheeks as she realized they all knew exactly what she and Nartan had been doing.
Nartan touched two fingers to his temple in a half salute as he passed the captain before striding confidently down the gangway and onto the pier. He held her hand the entire way, his fingers threaded between her own. The sand-buggy-style golf cart was waiting for them.
He slid behind the wheel and pulled a pair of sunglasses from the dash as she climbed in beside him.
“Show up Monday and we’ll discuss what we’re doing, because I’m a bit of a novice at this myself,” he confessed.
She snorted at him. “You’re throwing your weight around a lot for someone who admits he’s a novice.”
He flashed her a grin that showed off all his teeth. “For the record, I’m countering your reactions. It’s part of my charm.”
She tried to hold back her laughter and ended up choking.
But she couldn’t have agreed with him more. The man had charm.
***
Sunday dragged on.
Celeste tried to work, but all she wanted to do was nap. She finally surrendered and crawled onto her sofa.
Nartan was waiting for her in her thoughts. The memory of him was even stronger now, and she smiled as she settled into a deep sleep. A ring on her front doorbell startled her in the afternoon. She rubbed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair before trudging to the door and looking through the security lens.
A fresh-faced kid in a florist delivery uniform stood there with a huge basket of flowers. She opened the door and the scent of them rushed in. It was a colorful arrangement that looked like wildflowers. There were daisies and small sunflowers and paper whites. It lacked the sophisticated edge Caspian had demanded of everything and reminded her of Alaska with its natural beauty.
It was perfect.
She set it on her small kitchen table and pulled the little card off.
Monday is too far away…N.
It suddenly felt that way for her too. Afternoon was wearing on, but it felt like the hours were dragging by. She took a last look at the flowers before diving back into work.
***
Even with the hours she put in on Sunday, Monday arrived like a freight train. Marcus had a court appearance, so the office was quiet as long as she didn’t look at the way her emails kept breeding in her inbox.
By the time she made it to the studio, her brain was beginning to fry with anticipation. Her focus wandered, earning her a few curious looks from Master Lee when she made mistakes in simple things, like forms she’d been practicing for years. But that was nothing compared to the look she received when she appeared from the shower room in a dress. It wasn’t a formal dress or anything grand, but she’d redone her makeup and styled her hair. Two of the younger instructors did a double take. She bowed and slipped out the back door before Master Lee found a break in the class he was teaching and could question her.
Since she didn’t know what she was doing herself, there was no way she would be able to explain it.
You’re going on a date. Big deal.
Only it was a big deal. At least to her it was. It was far more than an item on her to-be-dealt-with list. She discovered herself shamed by the idea that she’d ever consider Nartan as fling material. It didn’t make any sense, but there was still no controlling her reaction to him. Sense wasn’t making any impact on the way she was practically shivering with anticipation.
Her heart was beating faster as she turned off the highway and began climbing the twisting road that led to Angelino’s. The Corvette hugged the road like a dream, and normally she would have enjoyed using some of the vehicle’s supreme engineering.
Instead she was caught in a rush of anticipation, her breath bated as she got closer and closer to Nartan. The valet was efficient and she found herself standing in front of the doors before she really sorted out what she was feeling.
She took a deep breath and walked confidently toward the door. Both sides opened as uniformed personnel greeted her. She smiled at them on her way in. The host looked up, but the sound of Nartan’s laughter drifted to her.
She recognized it instantly. The deep, slightly rough sound was branded into her memory. She was already beaming and moving toward him when her brain made sense of the scene in front of her.
A dark-haired beauty, in a dress that hugged her ass and was slit up to her thigh, was pressed up against Nartan as he leaned on the elaborately carved bar. His lips were curved in sensual enjoyment.
An expression she had branded into her memory as well.
Only this time he wasn’t looking at her. He had his arm looped around the woman, his hand resting intimately on the small of her back, just slightly low enough so that his fingers brushed the curve of her bottom. She stretched up and said something to him that made him nod. She flattened one hand on his chest, her fingers dipping inside his shirt while
her body connected with his from knee to shoulder.
“May I help you, madam?” The maître d’ had come around from his desk to stand near her.
“Yes. Tell your boss he’s an asshole.”
The man’s eyebrows rose, shock registering on his face. Celeste turned around and yanked open the front door herself. By some freak chance, her car was still sitting outside, the valet who’d taken her keys engaged in a conversation with another patron who had pulled up behind her.
“My plans have changed.” She fumbled with her purse and shoved some folded bills into his hand while reclaiming her keys. She slid back behind the wheel and tore out of the driveway with every bit of power the Corvette had under its hood.
She refused to cry.
It wasn’t anything she hadn’t expected, so there was no reason to be upset.
Okay, no reason to be so upset that she cried.
She was a confident, modern woman.
But that didn’t stop the hot tears from spilling over and down her cheeks.
Asshole.
***
Nartan’s flowers were waiting when she got home. She snarled something profane and carried them out to the trash can. At least fuming beat crying. At times like this, she was sorry that tae kwon do had taught her so much discipline, because she would have loved to smash the vase against the wall.
When she came back in, the first thing she saw was the card lying on the table where it had fallen.
Great, she couldn’t even clear him out of her house on the first try.
She reached for it but jumped as someone laid their fist on the front door.
“Open the door, Celeste!”
She turned around, welcoming the surge of temper that made her see red.
He wouldn’t be calling her a chicken tonight—that was for damned sure!
She wrenched the door open. “There is nothing to talk about!”
“You can bet there is.” He swept her off her feet and carried her over the threshold and back into her house.
“You’ve got some nerve, Nartan!”
He tossed her onto the love seat she had in the small entry room and propped his hands on his hips. “So you’ve noticed before. I think you like it.”
Celeste bounded off the love seat and faced off with him. “Go back to your restaurant. You seemed to be having plenty of fun without me.”
She was jealous and it hurt too much without him making fun of her.
Nartan bared his teeth at her. “You misunderstood what you saw.”
“She was practically lying on top of you,” Celeste countered. “I’m sure whoever she is, her name is on your ‘list with benefits.’ There is no misunderstanding the fact that she knows you really fucking well.”
He bit back a word in Apache, but lifted one hand and pointed a thick finger at her.
“Not that well. Laura is a family friend.”
“She wants more.”
“She hasn’t gotten it,” Nartan said.
Celeste didn’t care for the way his words sliced through her anger. With the flare of rage, she was left doubting her own motives for arguing with him. He was watching her and nodded slowly, reading her thoughts off her face.
“Maybe I’ve been enjoying bachelorhood, but it’s no more of a sin than you refusing to take a chance on living.”
“I took a chance on you tonight,” she insisted. “And found you with your harem girl.” She whispered, feeling like they were so far apart that the distance was impassable. It tore something inside her, stunning her with the rush of hot pain that filled her.
How long had it been since she’d cared?
“I never promised any of them more than the moment.”
Celeste opened her hands wide. “You haven’t promised me anything either.” She gasped when she realized the opening she’d just given him. “I’m not asking—”
He jumped forward and flattened his hand against her lips, pushing her back against the wall until his hard body was flush with hers. In the semi-darkness, his face was cast in silver and shadow, making him look like part of the night.
“I want you to ask me for everything.” His tone was husky and hard. “I wanted you to tell Laura I belong to you. It pissed me off when you didn’t.”
He closed his eyes, slid his hand along her jaw, and buried his nose in her hair and inhaled.
“You could have told her, but you didn’t.” All the hurt she’d ordered herself not to feel was bleeding out. “You invited me over. She should have never been that close to you.”
He opened his eyes, and even in the dark, she felt his gaze. “It’s been a long time since I was in anything that might even be close to a committed relationship. I wasn’t thinking when she slid up to me. I screwed up.” His lips curled back from his teeth with raw emotion. “When I saw you leaving, all I wanted was for you to turn around and claim me right there in public and fucking tell her I was yours.”
She was stunned and the last of her resolve crumbed. “How was I supposed to know that?” She shoved at his chest, growling when he didn’t give even an inch.
“You felt something for me.” He growled softly, menacingly as he leaned down, curving over her. She shivered, the sheer size of his body causing a reaction inside her. She was softening, surrendering as passion began to take control. Her flesh was so needy, so weak.
“But you ran from it…again.” He stroked her cheek with his fingers, his expression tightening. She felt the change in him, a charge of determination that sent a prickle of sensation across her skin.
“And you chased me.”
The word again lay unspoken between them.
He made a low sound, a rumble of male satisfaction. It was a declaration of victory, one she rebelled against. She reached forward, flattening her hand against his groin. Behind the smooth Italian wool of his trousers, his cock was swollen and hard. Her lips went dry with anticipation and she rolled them in, drawing his attention.
“I’m not going to let you off that easily.”
Her breath caught. “Excuse me?”
He smiled slowly and her belly twisted with anticipation.
“I’m going to make sure you see me here in your safety zone.” He slid his hand into her hair and fisted a handful of it. “So that you run to me…”
He pressed his lips against hers, kissing her hard. She wiggled away but he followed her, claiming her mouth with a dominance that should have pissed her off. Instead she was caught in a crazy spiral of excitement that was wringing her like a wet dishcloth. It was impossible to pull in enough breath, and she panted when he left off kissing her and set fire to her neck with a series of hard kisses.
She arched, offering her tender skin to him, the savage hold in her hair turning her on in a brutal fashion. Her breasts were suddenly heavy and full, straining against the cups of her bra.
But he backed away, allowing the night air to sweep over her. She shivered, moaning softly at the loss.
“Not here,” he snarled.
He bent over, and before her passion-intoxicated mind processed what he was doing, she was hanging over his shoulder.
“Nartan…” She pressed her hands into his lower back, rising slightly as she tried to regain her dignity.
He reached right up and swatted her bottom. The breath rushed out of her lungs as she fell back down, mostly from surprise. The smack was loud in the silent house, and the soft pain snaked through her pelvis to twist with crazy intensity in her clit.
He bounded up the stairs, carrying her into her bedroom and tossing her onto her bed. She rolled over and found him watching her. The drapes allowed enough of her neighbors’ lights through to illuminate him in a soft golden glow.
“Right here, Celeste…” He reached up, yanked his tie off, and shrugged out of his coat. “Where you won’t be able to erase t
he memory.”
Determination flashed in his eyes. “You’re being an arrogant prick. This is my house.”
He shrugged out of his shirt, distracting her with the perfection of his body. His face was gorgeous and harsh in the shadows, stunning her with just how much she enjoyed seeing him there at the foot of her bed. The dominant, demanding arrogance transformed into a compliment that made her feel like she was glowing inside.
“And you’re my woman.” He opened his pants and stepped out of them. She licked her lips as she waited for him to remove that final barrier covering the part of him she craved.
“I didn’t agree to that.”
“Good.” He slipped his last garment free, allowing his cock to spring into view. Something inside her tightened, sharpening with need so intense that she thought she might climax the moment he touched her.
“That offers me the challenge of proving my worth to you.”
She shivered, but flattened her hands on top of her comforter and crawled down to where her mattress ended. Her bed frame was simple, with no footboard, and tonight she was sure it was one of the best design decisions she’d ever made, because she was able move right up to his cock.
She smelled his skin as she got closer, purring with satisfaction as she opened up her mouth and leaned forward to lick through the slit on top of his cock. He slid his hand into her hair, but pulled her up so that she was on her knees and facing him.
“Tonight, you’ll scream first.”
He reached down and grabbed the sides of her dress. It was made of a soft jersey that allowed him to tug it up and over her head with ease.
“Perfection,” he growled as he soaked up the sight of her garter belt and matching bra. “Almost…”
He leaned over and caught the thin strap of her G-string. With a twist, he snapped it, startling her with how much strength was in him. He chuckled darkly and snapped the other side before pulling the little triangle of silk away from her mons.
“Now it’s perfect.”
“I agree,” she offered as she reached for his cock once more. She closed her fingers around it, enjoying the satin-smooth texture. His eyes closed to slits but he kept their gazes locked as she fisted him, pumping her hand from the crown to the base with a firm, slow motion.
