Temptation

by K. M. Scott

  He stopped my hands as they skimmed down from the black and red words tattooed on his chest over the chiseled cuts of his abs just above his belt. “You need to know…”

  I stared down at him as I waited for him to continue. He didn’t have to explain that this room wasn’t private or that he didn’t want me to think he saw me as some cheap thing if we did this. I knew that, and still I wanted him inside me right there in that room just like I’d fantasized about all those weeks.

  Whatever he wanted to say never came from his lips, and slowly, he loosened his hold on my hands until they were free. He stared up at me with hooded eyes that told me he wanted this as much as I did. I reached into his pants and palmed his hard cock. “I want you right here. Right now.”

  Cash lifted me off him and with both hands gripped my hips tightly. Hesitating for a moment, he opened his mouth to speak but said nothing again and lowered me down onto him. Already sopping wet, I gasped at how full I felt as he slid into me. Finally, our bodies completed joined, and he held me still there on him.

  “You feel so fucking good. Ride me. I want to see you ride my cock, baby.”

  With his hands guiding my pace, I slid up and down on him slowly, loving how sensual this thing between us was. Pressing my lips to his neck, I inhaled the scent of him as he slid in and out of my slick pussy, loving the masculinity that filled me. Cash grunted low in my ear, and it registered deep inside me in a place only he’d ever reached.

  In a husky voice, he commanded, “Lean back. I want to watch you, Olivia.”

  I sat up tall on him and lifted myself off his cock, only leaving the head inside me to tease him. His thighs tensed against my calves and his fingers dug into my hips, and then he lifted his hips and pushed his cock hard into me. I watched his face twist in a mixture of power and need, loving the control he possessed over me.

  This was my fantasy come true.

  With every thrust into me, Cash overwhelmed my senses. The sound of our fucking echoed around us, moans and whimpers that grew louder with each moment as we raced toward that sweet oblivion I’d only ever experienced with him. The sight of those blue eyes so intent as they stared down at the spot on our bodies where his cock stretched my opening to take all of him. The musky scent of his cologne tinged with the smell of sex filled my nose. The sensation of him filling me more completely than I thought possible made me want to give him all of me.

  Our lovemaking pushed every thought of anything but Cash out of my mind. I rode him with abandon, desperate to give him what he gave me. My body exploded into a million pieces, and I clung to him even though I barely had the strength to hold on. In my ear, I heard him moan my name, and then he came with one last thrust into me, flooding my insides with heat.

  I stilled in his arms and buried my face into his neck, the subtle saltiness of his skin making me lick my lips to taste him. His hands gently stroked up and down my back as if to comfort me, but I didn’t need comforting. Being with him was all I needed.

  Pressing a tiny kiss on the shell of his ear, I whispered, “You okay?”

  He inhaled, expanding his chest against me, and let the air out of his lungs slowly. “That was incredible.” Gently pushing me back away from him, he smiled that sexy smile that never failed to thrill me. “Was this your fantasy?”

  I bit my lip. “Part of it,” I said coyly, unable to contain my smile.

  “Just part?”

  “Yeah. I’ll save the rest of it for another time.”

  Cash leaned up to kiss me and then lightly ran his tongue over the seam of my lips. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.”

  * * *

  “Livy, you sound utterly exhausted.”

  I smiled at Josie’s entirely correct description of me. My time with Cash in our fantasy room had exhausted me physically and emotionally. In just a short time, he’d become such a huge part of my life, and our first time out in public had shown me how much he was into me too. “I got to bed late last night, so I’m a little beat.”

  “I hear that you and Cassian made an appearance at Club X last night. Seems you two are the new hot couple there.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far, Josie. We just took our dating public last night. That’s all.”

  “Erin said Jake couldn’t talk about anything else last night. I’d expect a call from him anytime now, Liv. Can you say jealous?”

  The way she said jealous in a sing-song voice told me she was enjoying herself. “Jake and I are friends. Period. He knows that. I’m going to grab a shower and a bite to eat. I’ll give you a call later.”

  “Call me the second you get off the phone with Jake. I’m dying to hear his tale of woe.”

  “Talk to you later, Josie.”

  I ended the call and shook my head at her not-so-secret desire to see Jake miserable. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned indeed. Checking the time on my phone, I mentally chastised myself for spending the entire morning in bed. It may have been Saturday, but sleeping in until noon wasn’t my style. Another side effect of dating Cassian March.

  That sounded so strange as I repeated those words in my mind. Dating Cassian March, the owner of the hottest club in town and one of Tampa’s most eligible bachelors. Stretching my arms and legs, I enjoyed the sweet ache between my legs from our lovemaking. A girl could definitely get used to a man like Cash.

  A knock on my door put an end to my memories of our time together, and I shuffled my tired self out to the living room to see who it was. I saw Jake’s face through the peephole and opened the door to find him standing there with flowers in his hand.

  He stuck the bouquet out toward me. “Hey, Livy, I thought I’d come over and see how you’re doing. It’s been a long time.”

  “Thanks! Come in. I just got up, so don’t mind the fact that I look like a bus hit me. Late night, you know?”

  Jake followed me into the kitchen as I found a vase for the wildflowers he’d brought. From behind me as I stood at the sink to fill it with water, he said, “It was great seeing you last night. I didn’t think I’d ever see you at Club X.”

  Arranging the flowers, I chuckled. “I didn’t think so either, but I guess everyone ends up there.” Turning around, I showed him his gift. “These are beautiful, Jake. Thank you.”

  “So now you’re with Cassian March? I wouldn’t have thought he was your type, Livy.”

  Jake’s pale blue eyes flashed anger. I’d never seen him as anything but a good time, but now he was frightening me. “I don’t know if I have a type, Jake.”

  “He’s quite a player. Not exactly the type of guy you usually go for. Or was that just an excuse why you never wanted to be with me?”

  Suddenly, my galley kitchen seemed entirely too small for our discussion. I moved to walk out into the living room, but he stuck his arm out in front of me and stopped me cold with a hard forearm to my midsection. “Jake, let me out. Now.”

  He pulled me fast against his body. “Stop being such a cock tease, Liv. You like players now, so why shouldn’t we have a good time finally? You know I’ve wanted to get inside those yoga pants for years.”

  I looked up and saw him smiling down at me, like this was fun for him. “Jake, let me go. You know I only like you as a friend. It has nothing to do with Cash and me. You and I have always been friends. You, me, Josie, and Erin are the four musketeers.”

  Jake slid his hands down to grab my ass and pulled me against him so I could feel his erection. His fingers pressed hard into my skin, hurting me. “Jake, let me go NOW! You’re hurting me!”

  He pulled my hair hard and jammed his knee between my thighs. “What is it you like? The money? I’ve got as much or more. The fact that he’s fucked more women than he can remember? Me too. So no more fucking teasing me, sweetheart. I’ve waited long enough.”

  Tears burned my eyes, and I cried out, “Don’t do this!” He looked down at me and gave me a sinister smile, so I begged, “Please, Jake, you don’t want to do this.”

  “Oh, yes I do. All th
ese years you’ve been sweet little Livy, too good for me. Your friends weren’t, but you were always out of my reach. I’ve been patient and stuck in the friend zone for way too fucking long, but no more.”

  I twisted out of his hold and ran to get my phone, hoping that if I could call 911 the cops might get there before Jake really hurt me. He grabbed me just as I reached it, yanking me back by my hair so I fell back against him. His hands clawed at my breasts, squeezing them painfully. I screamed, but he stifled my call for help by covering my mouth with his palm.

  The phone was too far from me, and there was no way anyone had heard my screams. Fear tore through me that Jake was going to rape me right there in my apartment and nobody would be there to stop him. He jammed his hand down the front of my panties, bruising my skin, and I knew I had to do something. Opening wide, I bit down on the fingers covering my mouth until I tasted the metallic tinge of blood on my tongue. Jake howled in anger and sent me flying with a backhand to my cheek. I fell hard to the floor but instantly scrambled for my phone as he stood looking at his bloody hand, stunned at what I’d done.

  My hands trembled so badly I could barely hold the phone. “Get the fuck out of here before I call 911 and have your fucking ass arrested. Get out!”

  He sneered and snapped, “Fuck you, Liv! You’re not worth it. I didn’t want Cassian March’s sloppy seconds anyway.”

  Jake flung the door open, slamming it into the wall, and stormed out. My hands still trembling, I dialed the only number I could think of, praying to God I didn’t get a voicemail.

  “Olivia, I’m glad you called.”

  I tried to stop the tears, but the reality of what just happened washed over me and I couldn’t hold back. Sobbing, I said, “Cash, I need you to come get me at my apartment. I can’t stay here.”

  “What’s wrong? What happened?” he asked over and over as my sobs nearly drowned out the sound of his voice.

  “Please just come. I can’t stay here. Please.”

  “I’ll be right there. Don’t cry. Whatever it is, it’ll be okay.”

  The phone went silent, and I let it drop to the floor. Hugging my knees to my chest, I sat there in that spot where Jake had thrown me, in shock at what he’d done. I had no idea how much time passed between me calling Cash and him getting to my apartment. All I knew was that I couldn’t stay there but I couldn’t move on my own either. All I wanted to do was bury my head and cry.

  “Olivia?”

  I looked up and saw Cash standing in my doorway with a stunned look on his face. How could I tell him what happened? I didn’t know what to say.

  “What happened? Who did this?”

  “Jake,” I answered quietly, still not believing it myself.

  Cash crouched down beside me and pushed my tangled hair away from my face to examine my cheek. Looking down, I saw it already had begun to swell. His blue eyes filled with rage, and when he spoke, his voice came out in a low growl. “He did this to you? I’m going to kill him.”

  “I don’t know what happened. He was so angry. I’d never seen him like that. I don’t know why.”

  As he helped me to my feet, he pulled the two pieces of my torn T-shirt together at my neck and leaned down to kiss me. “Let’s get you out of here. Tell me what you need to take and we’ll go to my place.”

  I held my shirt together and looked down at what I was wearing. “I don’t have pants on, Cash. I need pants.”

  “Okay, we’ll find you pants and some shoes. Bring whatever you need for as long as you need to. You can stay at my place where I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

  Clutching my collar, I staggered into my room and threw a shirt over my head. I slipped on my yoga pants and flip flops and headed back out to where Cash stood talking on the phone.

  “Stefan, if I ever see him anywhere near my fucking club, I’ll hold you responsible. You don’t need to know why I don’t want him there. Just make fucking sure his membership is voided and I don’t see him there again.”

  Quietly, I let him know I was behind him. “Cash?”

  He turned around and stuffed his phone into his pocket. Wrapping his arm around me, he pulled me close. “Let’s go. I’ll get you something to eat and we’ll spend the day at my condo.”

  My body melted into his protective hold, and I looked up at him to see his expression so serious. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to do anything to him. This isn’t your fight, Cash.”

  “Olivia, he hurt you.”

  “I just want to lay down and relax. Everything hurts.”

  Cash pressed his lips to my forehead and whispered, “Okay. Let’s get you back to my place and you can relax there.”

  “Thank you. I didn’t know who else to call. I hope I didn’t interrupt you doing…anything.”

  He shook his head and smiled. “You didn’t interrupt anything more important than you. I’m glad you thought of me first.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Olivia

  The hot water eased the pain that seemed to be everywhere in my body. I closed my eyes and soaked in Cash’s tub for nearly an hour as I listened to him exact his revenge on Jake in the March way. Anywhere he tried to go, he’d find he was suddenly unwanted, from Club X to virtually every one of the best restaurants in town. Cash left nothing of his social life to enjoy, and I knew this would devastate Jake most. Other men might have been hurt by another man beating the hell out of them, but not Jake. More than anything else, he lived to be that player he’d always been and Cash took that away from him with an hour’s worth of carefully placed phone calls. From this point on, Jake Richfield would be persona non grata everywhere he turned.

  Opening my eyes, I looked down my body at the evidence of Jake’s rage. Purple bruises dotted my breasts where he’d grabbed me, and all down my stomach scratches marked me. Marked. Bruised. How could Jake had done this to me?

  I struggled to fight back the tears, hating the idea that I was so weak that he could get to me again. No. I wouldn’t let that happen. I wasn’t some helpless girl. I’d trusted him, and that was a mistake, but he wouldn’t get any more than that from me. At least I could control that.

  After an hour, I knew I couldn’t hide out in Cash’s bathroom anymore. I had to face him. I’d called him because I needed someone to save me, but now I felt embarrassed and unsure I’d made the right choice. We weren’t at that point in our relationship. What if he felt obligated to help me? I didn’t want a man who felt obligated to be with me because I was some broken bird.

  Slipping back into my shirt and yoga pants, I walked out through his bedroom to find him sitting on the couch. Something between us felt awkward now, and I hated that. It was nothing he meant to do, but I saw the look on his face. He pitied me.

  “Come here. Sit down with me.”

  I didn’t even want to face him, so I looked away. “I think maybe I’ll go stay at Josie’s. I don’t want to impose.”

  Cash walked over to me and took my hand. Raising it to his lips, he kissed it and led me to the couch. “Olivia, you’re staying here. I want to make sure you’re safe. Now sit.”

  I did as he commanded and sat down next to him. “You’re pretty bossy, aren’t you?”

  “I am your boss, remember?”

  “I think we’re past just being boss and assistant, aren’t we?” I didn’t know why I asked that. I sounded needy, and I hated sounding that way. Looking down so I didn’t have to see his face, I said, “Forget I said that, okay? I’m not thinking clearly.”

  Cash lifted my chin with his finger and stared into my eyes with a look that made me forget everything else in the world but him. “We are past just being that. I hadn’t realized until last week just how much past that we were. Then when you called me today and I heard the fear in your voice, I couldn’t think of anything but racing over to your apartment and protecting you. I’m not sure where this will end up, but we’re way past you just being my assistant.”

  “So what happens now? You make Jake Richfield
’s life a living hell?”

  “He’ll be lucky if I stop there.”

  The threat in Cash’s voice was real, and for a moment I felt bad for Jake. Cash was about to make his life an empty shell. “Just don’t do anything you can be hurt from.”

  He gently tucked my hair behind my ear so my bruise was visible. “I’m not worried about me. You’re the one he attacked.”

  “I’m fine, Cash. I’m not some piece of precious China that breaks easily.”

  I had no reason to get defensive. He was just showing me he cared. I knew this, but my gut was sending all sorts of red flags up, even though I had no idea why. Something in the way he’d become so affectionate made me think it was just a matter of time before this all fell apart.

  “Olivia, I’m not saying you can’t take of yourself. All I’m saying is I can take care of you too.”

  “Well, it’s not necessary. I’m sure you have other things to do on a Saturday afternoon.”

  Cash frowned, like what I’d said hurt him, and shook his head. “Nothing more important than you.”

  I moved toward the end of the couch, putting some distance between us, even though part of me wanted him to hold me in his arms and never let me go. “I’ll probably head out in a little while. Josie has a spare bedroom.”

  “What’s this about, Olivia?”

  “Nothing. I just don’t want to be in the way if you have something planned.”

  “What would I have planned that wouldn’t involve you tonight?”

  “I have no idea. Maybe work. Maybe some other plans you might not want to tell me about. I don’t know.”

  “What are you talking about? Did Jake say something?”

  I turned and stared at him, seeing him as Jake had described. A player who’d slept with more women than he could remember. Lying, I said, “No. Why?”

  “Because you’re acting like I did something wrong. What did he say?”

  I quickly stood to move away, not wanting to have this conversation. “Nothing. He said nothing.”