by Marilyn Lee
She shook her head.
“Then please allow me to show you ladies to the dining room,” he offered both of them an arm.
“Oh, wait a minute. There’s someone I want Desiree to meet,” Rayna said. She slipped her arm through Desiree and led her across the room to Jayvyn and his skinny bimbo.
Jayvyn turned to Desiree with a warm smile that Cayenne doubted she’d see directed at her again.
Conner put an arm around her shoulders and turned her back through the door. He walked her down the hall to a large room that had two large tables and four serving buffets along the far wall.
A medley of aromas assailed her senses.
Conner paused in the doorway and nodded in greeting to several couples seated at the tables before he spoke to Cayenne. “He needs a little time but believe me, he’s worth any effort you make on his behalf.”
“He and I aren’t…I’m not—I have other interests.”
He turned her to face him and stared down at her. “Do you really?” He was several inches taller than Jayvyn and his gaze seemed even more intense. She nodded and looked away from him.
“So seeing him with Toni doesn’t bother you?”
She shook her head.
“Good because she’s one of his women.”
Cayenne compressed her lips and clenched her hands. “I don’t care.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Now, what will you have to eat?”
“Nothing. I’m not hungry.” She glanced into the hall. “I think I need to…”
“Yes? You need to what?”
She bit her lip and swallowed hard in an effort to keep her gaze tear-free. “I hate him!” He put his arm around her shoulders and led her out into the hallway. “Why don’t I show you your room and give you time to freshen up a little?”
She nodded.
He walked her down the hall and up the staircase. At the top of the steps he opened a door into a living room.
“The guestroom is on your right down the hall. When you’re ready, please come join us in the living room.” She nodded, afraid to trust her voice.
He brushed a hand against her cheek. “Just so you know, he’s not that into her.”
“Thanks, but that’s not that much comfort since he’s not that into me either.”
“What makes you think that?”
“He didn’t speak or acknowledge me in anyway.”
“Did you want him to?”
She took a deep breath. “Yes.”
“Trust me, honey. He knows you’re here.” He leaned down to kiss her cheek before he left her alone.
Cayenne sank down on the sofa and took several, slow deep breaths. After arriving with semi-high hopes, having Jayvyn totally ignore her stung like hell. Clearly he wasn’t ready to forgive her or to forget their last conversation. And she had no desire to spend the weekend watching him romance another woman while he ignored her.
Why hadn’t she driven her own car? She grimaced. His car. She didn’t want to ruin Desiree’s weekend but she wasn’t prepared to spend another moment there. She called a cab and was told she’d have an hour wait. Great. Well, wasn’t prepared to spend another moment there. She called a cab and was told she’d have an hour wait. Great. Well, she wasn’t going to sit up there cowering. Nor was she going to wait downstairs and risk running into Jayvyn.
It was a nice night. The property was gated and well-lit. She’d walk along the grounds while she waited for the cab to arrive. She left Rayna’s suite and looked down into the foyer. There was no one in sight. She ran down the carpeted stairs and away from the sounds of music.
At the front door, she took a quick look over her shoulders. The coast was clear. She turned the knob and opened the door.
A hand reached past her to push the door close. “Leaving without saying hello or goodbye?” At the sound of Jayvyn’s voice, a wellspring of emotion burst inside her. She swung around and slapped him.
He narrowed his gaze.
She slapped him again.
Still he remained silent.
She swung her hand up a third time.
He caught her wrist before her hand could touch his face.
She tried to jerk free. “Let me go!”
He leaned closer and stared down into her eyes. “I don’t like being slapped.”
“And I don’t like being ignored by a lying, cheating bastard. Now let me go!” He released her wrist and stepped back.
She turned and opened the door.
He leaned past her to shove it closed.
She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the door. “Leave me alone.”
“Leave you alone?” He bent to brush his lips against her ear. “Isn’t that your problem with me tonight? I’ve left you alone?”
His accurate assessment increased her agitation.
She elbowed him. “Leave me alone!”
He turned her to face him. “Why don’t you woman up and admit what you really want?” Cayenne saw no trace of the charming, flirting Jayvyn, who had nearly charmed her into his bed. There was an air of menace emanating from him. She couldn’t decide if she should be frightened or excited. She bit her lip. “I want to leave.”
“Before or after I fuck you?”
A wave of heat rushed up her neck to burn her face. “You told me you would never hurt me.”
“I lied.”
She stared at him as tears pricked her eyes. She believed him. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. You must know that.”
“What I know is that you’ve been pissing on me from the moment we met!”
“Then let me go!”
“I will—when hell freezes the fuck over!”
“Jayvyn.”
He placed a hand on her arm, curled his lip, and swung around to face one of his brothers.
Cayenne wasn’t sure which brother had come into the foyer.
“What is it, Adrian?” he demanded. “As you can see I’m busy.”
“I want to make sure you’re under a reasonable amount of control and that she’s not unwilling.”
“And if I’m not and she isn’t?”
Adrian Redwolfe crossed the foyer to trade stares with Jayvyn. “Then you’re going to leave her the hell alone.” When Adrian looked at her, he smiled and brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. “Are you all right, honey?”
She met Adrian’s gaze and felt a large measure of relief. No matter how much Jayvyn tried to frighten her, she felt certain his brothers wouldn’t allow him to really hurt her. She nodded. “Yes. Thanks.”
“Good. If you need me, call me. Just call out. Trust me, honey. I’ll hear you.” He clasped a hand on the back of Jayvyn’s neck for several moments. The two brothers silently stared at each other before Adrian turned and walked down the hall.
Without another word, Jayvyn swept her off her feet and into his arms. He carried her across the hall to the Without another word, Jayvyn swept her off her feet and into his arms. He carried her across the hall to the staircase.
“Put me down. I can walk up,” she told him.
Without responding, he ran up the staircase with her still in his arms. At the top, he swiftly carried her down the corridor, past Rayna’s suite to one at the back of the hall. Pushing the door open with his foot, he carried her over the threshold, put her on her feet, and turned to shut and lock the door.
“What now?” she asked.
“Now I’m going to fuck you even more senseless than you already are, you silly bitch.”
“Insulting me isn’t the way to get what you want.” She turned away.
He caught her arm and turned her back to face him. “Just so there’s no misunderstanding. I am getting what I want. Tonight. Right now—no matter what you say or how much you pretend you don’t want it too.” She stared at him. What could she say or do to get back the easy-going, smiling Jayvyn who had so charmed her? “You’re not going to force me to do anything I don’t want to do.”
“Shut up.”
She inhaled slo
wly before she spoke again. “Fine. If you’re feeling like rape, go ahead. Rape, if that’s how you get your kicks.”
“Shut up!” He gripped both her arms and pressed her against the door.
One look in his suddenly cold blue eyes and she knew he was intent on hurting her. Her eyes filled with tears.
She closed her eyes. Don’t let him do this. Call his brother. Don’t let him do this. She pressed her lips together and remained silent. Clearly, there was something seriously wrong with him that made him feel the need to hurt her.
She knew he was agitated and angry but she couldn’t believe he’d really hurt her. No doubt she was in for some very rough sex that would probably leave her bruised and sore. Somewhere inside the man in front of her was the Jayvyn she’d spent a week longing to see again. So she couldn’t…wouldn’t believe he’d do any serious damage.
There was no need to call Adrian. She’d grin and bear it and hope the smiling, flirting Jayvyn would soon return.
He stepped close and bent his head to brush his mouth against her neck.
None of the tenderness and consideration he’d formerly shown her was evident. He really was prepared to use force. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
As if her tears annoyed him, he turned her so that her breasts were pressed against the door. She sobbed.
Chapter Eight
A knot of anger and anguish rose from Jayvyn’s gut and lodged in his throat at the sound of her obvious distress. Part of him longed to embrace her and reassure her that he’d never hurt her. Another, stronger part wanted to make her atone for jerking him around and teasing him while she tried to win her ex back.
Jayvyn knew the darker side would win, but the part of his mind that still functioned didn’t want her to wake in the morning afraid of him. He struggled to retain a small measure of control.
Unable to manage it, he swore and turned her back around to face him. “I need a fuck.” She shuddered and tightened her hands on his shirt under his jacket. “I can’t give you one.”
“The hell you can’t.”
“I want to, but I love him!”
He nibbled at her ear. “I can fix that.”
“I don’t want you to fix it.”
But she made no effort to put any distance between their bodies. Clearly, she wanted to play the games human women loved to play. That meant she expected him to woo and pursue her before she admitted they were going to fuck. He had no time or inclination for that nonsense.
If she were a fem, they’d have fucked the night they met without any ridiculous games. But if she were a fem, he wouldn’t feel this pressing, burning hunger to ingest her blood and ravish her pussy that only grew with her refusal to submit to him.
Unable to fully control his need, he nipped at her neck with enough force to break the skin.
She gasped, but instead of pushing him away, she tightened her hands on his shirt and moaned his name.
His cock roared to life. Aware he was seconds away from what he knew she and Rayna would view as rape, he jerked back. Feeling his incisors ascend and his eyes burn, he swung away from her, taking slow, deep breaths. His jerked back. Feeling his incisors ascend and his eyes burn, he swung away from her, taking slow, deep breaths. His balls felt so heavy and tight, they ached.
He had to find Toni before he reached the point of no return.
She took his hand and held it against her breasts. “Are you all right?” Hell, no, he wasn’t all right. He shook his head.
She bit her lip. “Do you want to talk about it?”
He wanted to fuck her until she couldn’t walk without his cum trickling down one of her lovely, dark thighs.
“No. Talking isn’t what I need. This is what I need.” He quickly stripped her and then turned her and positioned her so that her breasts pressed against the door. “Don’t move.”
Keeping his gaze locked on her large, round, lovely ass, he quickly undressed. He felt pre-ejaculate seeping and glanced down. The cum on his cock head was tinged with blood. Not that it was a surprise to him. His unwillingness to admit the obvious had cost him Macarik’s friendship. And if he weren’t careful, it would cost him any real chance with her.
But he no longer possessed the ability to be careful. He ran on pure, primal instinct. His need for her overrode all other considerations. Moving to stand behind her, he rubbed the head of his shaft along the length of her slit.
She trembled and then gasped in surprise when he pushed his entire cock into her.
Feeling his cock buried deep inside her tight, wet pussy, he shuddered and struggled not to come. He lost the battle and blew apart inside her.
His first orgasm inside her was one of the most incredible of his long life, but it did little to alleviate his hunger for her. So he kept pushing in and out of her with more force.
She made a small sound and pushed her elbow back against his body.
He gripped her hips and pushed in deeper.
She inhaled sharply before she balled her hands into fists. Within moments Jayvyn knew he was hurting her but he couldn’t stop or even slow down. The knowledge that she wasn’t enjoying it added to his pleasure. Raking his teeth against the side of her neck, he thrust inside her with deep strokes. He exploded three times inside her before his hunger abated enough for him to allow her to push him away.
When his cock slipped out of her pussy, he felt bereft, almost as if he’d been robbed of his last chance for happiness. The urge to push back into her and continue ravishing her proved difficult to overcome, but he wrestled his hunger under control.
Her legs shook and she started to fall.
He swept her into his arms.
She buried her face against his chest. It was damp with tears.
He wanted to tell her it was over, but his hunger lay like a stone weight in his stomach. The desire to take her again overpowered him. Cradling her in his arms, he carried her through his suite to his bedroom.
Placing her on her back on the bed, he stood staring down at her. She was so beautiful with her dark skin and lush curves. The tears streaming down her cheeks made him suck in a breath. If only he could leave her alone. But he couldn’t. The best he could do was to try to temper his need to plunder her.
He sank onto the side of the bed and stroked a hand down from her neck, over her breasts and stomach to her pussy.
She shook her head and tried to push his hand away. “I’m sore and I just want—” He pressed his thumb against her lips. “Just once more.”
She shook her head and rolled over onto her stomach, pressing her face against the mattress.
He rationalized what he was about to do by telling himself that on a certain level she knew of his need and accepted it. Otherwise, she would have called out for either Adrian or Conner. Both would have answered such a call of distress from one of Rayna’s friends.
He stretched out on the bed. Leaning her over, he rubbed his cheek against the warm skin of her ass before he rained kisses on it.
When she attempted to roll away from him, he pinned her to the bed on her stomach with his weight. Then, nipping at her neck, he parted her legs, and pushed his cock into her tight, wet pussy.
Feeling her stiffen under him and curl her hands into fists, he forced himself to be as gentle as possible.
“Jay…please…”
Jayvyn kept his movements inside her slow and measured. He struggled not to surge into her. He managed that and finally he felt rewarded when some of the tension left her body.
and finally he felt rewarded when some of the tension left her body.
But then she sobbed.
He froze. As much as he needed to be inside her, he hated what he was doing to her…what he was making her feel. What if she found his behavior unforgivable? What if his actions drove her back into the arms of her ex for good? He could easily coerce her back into his arms, but he knew with shattering clarity that wouldn’t work for him.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered and rolled off her.
She turned on her side with her back to him.
When he touched her shoulder, she shook her head and curled her body into a ball. “Don’t. Please don’t touch me again. Please don’t.”
Oh, damn! He lay besides her listening to the sounds of her sobs until he couldn’t bear it anymore. He rose and walked around the bed. He touched her cheek.
She jerked away from him.
He drew the cover over her naked body and went to take a quick, cold shower. In his dressing room, he pulled on his clothes and left her alone in his suite.
He paused in the corridor, listening. Adrian would probably be in his suite with Brandi. That left Conner, who was not in his suite. Hoping Conner was still awake, he ran down the staircase.
Nightlights lit the foyer. He assumed the guests who were staying had gone to bed and the others had left. Yet he heard music coming from the patio. He crossed the living room and stepped out onto the patio and came to an abrupt stop.
Conner sprawled on one of the double sized loungers. Sharing it with him was Cayenne’s friend, whose name he couldn’t recall. They were both fully dressed and asleep. No scent of sex filled the air. On the table besides the lounger, in its leather case was the e-book reader Rayna had given Conner for Christmas.
As he backed away, Conner’s eyes snapped open. Jayvyn? Do you need to talk to me?
It can wait, he answered .
Are you sure?
He couldn’t imagine Conner finding Cayenne’s charming but plain and full-figured friend attractive. Yet there he lay with her cuddled against him with no signs of distaste on his face. He sensed a tenderness in Conner that he usually displayed exclusively with Rayna.
Jayvyn nodded and stepped back into the living room.
Damn. He needed to talk but to who? He walked into the hall, closed his eyes, and leaned his head against the wall.
“Feeling the need to talk?”
His eyes snapped open and he pushed himself away from the wall.
Macarik emerged from the dining room further down the hall.
At the sight of him, a wellspring of relief surged through Jayvyn. He sucked in a deep, shuddering breath and slumped back against the wall, closing his eyes. His throat felt tight and he didn’t trust himself to speak.
