by Nana Malone
She nodded. “I’m tired of fighting it.”
So was he. “Lila?”
“Mmm,” she whispered as the tips of her fingers started miniscule fires all over his torso.
“I’m going to kiss you.”
She grinned revealing a dimple. “We’re already kissing.”
He couldn’t help but return her smile. “Then allow me to show you what I’m really capable of.”
He should have been gentle. He meant to be gentle. But as soon as he pressed his mouth to hers, electricity kicked through his whole body. Lust chased away every thought until he couldn’t think.
Delilah moaned as he licked into her mouth, and his dick jerked. Those throaty sounds of hers drove him crazy. He dragged her closer as lust coursed through his body, and Delilah molded herself to him.
There was no hesitation in her kiss. When his tongue chased hers, she met the demand, sliding hers against his, tempting him into a wicked game. Low in his belly, lust pulled at his tenuous control, and he had a fleeting worry that he might possibly come inside his pants. Get yourself under control.
Nate dragged in steadying breaths as he pulled back. “Delilah, what are you doing to me?”
When she lifted her heavy-lidded gaze to meet his, her pupils were dilated. “I could ask you the same thing.”
Backing her against the wall of the living room, Nate finally let go of his control. Every cell in his body urged him to hurry, to bury himself inside her deep. But when he kissed her again, she slowly melted into him. Her tongue teased and drove him mad.
She had the power in her touch and in her kiss to burn him.
Without breaking their kiss, he slid his hands down her arms and brought them up to wrap around the back of his neck. He pulled back momentarily. “You are so beautiful.”
In some darkened corner of his brain, an alarm bell rang. It tried to warn him of the danger she posed. That now, like then, he was too caught up in her. Trapped in a web of her making. That extricating himself would be painful. But he didn’t care. As she ran her fingers through his hair, all he could think about were those hands and where he wanted them. How much he wanted her to be his, if even just for now.
Delilah arched into him. The curves of her full breasts pressed into his chest. He slid his hands under the silk of her blouse. When his thumbs came into contact with the soft flesh of her belly, they both hissed.
Nate slid his hands up her satin skin, pausing when he encountered the satin of her bra. He watched her carefully as he lightly skimmed the soft flesh, but let his hands continue to travel upward, pushing her T-shirt over her head.
The fabric fluttered to the ground without a sound, and he turned his full attention back to her exposed flesh. Shit. She was stacked. “God, you’re so fucking perfect.” Her full breasts pushed against the fabric of the satin, and he desperately tried to swallow around the sudden mouthful of sawdust.
He reached behind her. He bent his knees and dipped his head, making sure their gazes met as he silently asked for permission. When she nodded, he exhaled the breath he’d been holding and released the clasp.
Delilah slid the straps off her slim shoulders then arched her back in silent offering. Shit. Perfection. So lush. So full. Taking advantage of her arched form, he hovered his mouth over a puckered bud for a moment. She shivered in his arms. Pressing his lips over the raised peak, he suckled her gently. Her answering moan was low and throaty, and Nate tugged harder, trying to taste every rich flavor of her skin.
“Nate.”
What kind of spell had she woven around him? He’d never wanted anyone this bad. He’d never been this connected to another human being before. It was like he could feel what she was feeling. The desire now thundered like a crescendo in his skull, and so did the longing. He would be happy to hold her all night, doing nothing more interesting than playing with her curls.
Delilah reached for him, and he could only watch as her delicate fingers tugged at his T-shirt. As she leaned in close, her sweet, cinnamon scent comingled with his.
She slid her hands under his shirt and his muscles spasmed as she worked them up over his pecs. Lightly, she skimmed his shoulders as she slipped it off over his head. At the contact of skin on skin, his cock jerked against the fly of his jeans, urging, begging him to bury himself in her and get lost.
Heat flared in her eyes as his cock nudged her belly. She reached for his jeans, and he bit back a curse. “God, Lila, you’re killing me.” He had to get control and quick before he did something stupid. Gently, he eased her hands away from his belt. He grabbed a foil packet from his wallet before violently stripping off his belt and jeans. He left his boxers on and tucked the condom into his waistband.
He was far gentler with her leggings and that flimsy scrap of material she called a thong. He groaned as he cupped the generous curves of her ass. “Put your legs around my waist.”
When she complied, he cursed as her wet heat slid against the thin material covering his straining cock. He braced her on the side table before kissing her slowly. Sliding his tongue against hers, teasing her until she mewled and writhed against him.
Nate let his hands freely roam from her ass, to her flat, firm waist, to the generous handful of her breasts. He only lightly circled the tip with his thumb, and Delilah clamped her thighs around him tighter, trying to draw him closer.
Dipping his head, he grazed first one nipple, then the other with his beard. He followed up with his tongue and with playful tugs with his teeth.
“Nate, Jesus.”
As he feasted on her chocolate-tipped nipples, he whispered, “You taste like heaven.”
She answered with a rotation of her hips, and his cock jerked again, insistently desperate for her heat. He slid a hand between them, searching for her center. He growled her name as he dipped a finger into her slick channel. “So fucking wet.”
She bucked as he withdrew his finger then slowly slid in again. He buried his lips in her neck. With each gentle slide and retreat of his finger, he whispered to her. How good she felt. How he couldn’t wait to taste her. How much he wanted to slide into her slick heat.
Even though she dug her nails into his shoulders and softly whimpered, he took his time. Never mind that he was on the verge of spontaneously combusting. He kept up the slow, lazy retreat and entry.
She rocked her hips into his questing hand. Hell. She was so hot. “Nate, please stop teasing me.”
He smiled against her flesh. “This is called seducing.”
She gave a little frustrated growl, and he chuckled. Finally, he reached between them and snatched the condom from his waistband.
He dragged his head back to watch her. With trembling hands, she took the condom from him, then tore the foil and discarded it. She met his gaze levelly and reached into his boxer briefs, freeing his cock.
Fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Her sure fingers froze his brain synapses for several seconds. Not once did she take her eyes off of his. She pumped him slowly, then again, and he bit back a strangled choke. “So good. Oh, God.”
Still, she didn’t take her gaze off of his. Instead, she sheathed him before smiling. That simple, confident smile had an orgasm chasing partway up his spine.
Hell. If that didn’t wreak havoc with his self-control. He eased his fingers out of her and tugged his boxer briefs all the way down. His cock nudged her slick folds, and her eyes fluttered closed. Her rocking motions caused her sex to rub against the tip of his cock, and he had to clench his jaw to ward off the orgasm.
He shuddered. “I don’t know what you’re doing to me.”
She smiled. “Only the same thing you’re doing to me.”
With slow, tilting motions of his hips, he slid in to the hilt. She moaned and threw her head back while he gritted his teeth and cursed. “Fuck.” Bliss.
Taking advantage of her exposed flesh, he nipped at the column of her neck even as he drove forward. On his retreat, she milked him with the tight sheath of her core. She dug her nails deep,
scoring tracks of fire into his upper back and shoulders.
As she moaned his name, Nate knew the danger. This would never be enough. He would need this like a drug. He would crave it. She was already under his skin.
“Nate, I—”
Reaching between them, he stroked her clit with his thumb in slow circles even as he picked up the pace. “Lila, God, you feel so good.”
Her body clamped down tighter around his aching cock as he drove her higher and higher. With a shuddering breath, her legs tightened around him, and her delicate fingers twined into his hair, pulling him close.
She whispered his name, and her body clamped tight around his just before breaking apart in his arms.
Nate ground his teeth together. The tingle in his spine morphed into molten fire. He couldn’t hold back. “Lila.” Her slick flesh trembled around his. As his body careened toward bliss, his only thought was mine.
Chapter 14
Nate had woken alone with the smell of Delilah lingering all over him and her side of the bed still warm. He would have preferred to wake up with her sprawled on top of him like he had in the middle of the night. Only when he lifted his head to check the time did he notice the note.
I had an early appointment and didn’t want to wake you. I’ll see you tonight for our meeting. I’ll bring chocolate and wine since your office seems to be lacking. Maybe some food too.
A grin tugged at his lips before he could contain it. Man, he was in trouble. Being with her was a recipe for disaster. Problem was, he couldn’t seem to stay away. He had to be careful with her. She didn't trust him, at least not completely, and he knew at the core, he was never going to be the kind of guy she wanted. She might like to fix things, but some things were too broken to be repaired.
After a sluggish start, thanks to Delilah keeping him up half the night, Nate went to check in on Chase. The facility was outside of the city by an hour, and they allowed visitors. He checked his watch briefly before walking up the stone steps of what looked to be a standard, east coast mansion, but inside was where the wealthy fixed their problems and got well.
Chase looked like a shell of his former self. Some of the bruising in his face was down, and the Technicolor effect had switched to yellowish green. But he hadn’t shaved, and he looked even jumpier than that night at Prohibition. Nevertheless, Chase gave Nate a wide smile. “I saw the pictures from the Gala the other night. You certainly looked the part. Down to the pretty little socialite.”
Nate shrugged. “All Delilah’s doing.”
His friend narrowed his eyes. “How’d you get the lovely Miss Donovan to agree to help you?”
Nate took a seat across from his friend. “Honestly, I have no idea. The good news is she’s ambitious, so having you as a client matters to her. I come with the package.”
Chase rubbed at his stubble. “You’re comfortable though?”
Nate wasn’t sure how much to tell him. He’d been given instructions to not set any triggers. “Stop worrying about me. How are you doing?”
“How the hell do you think I’m doing?” Chase ran his hands through his hair. “I’m jumpy. I haven’t touched a deck of cards or had a drink in thirty-six hours. I’m worried about my company and about what happens when I leave this place.”
“Come on, man, you can’t think about that stuff. You can only focus on today.”
Chase raised a brow. “One day at a time, right? Sounds like you’ve been in rehab before, Nate.”
Nate clamped his jaw shut. No, he hadn’t. But his mother had been in and out of programs for years. “Just been around long enough. You can’t worry about that shit. I got this. I owe you, so I'm not going to fuck it up.”
Chase hung his head. “About what I said, man. That was shitty, and I was trying to manipulate you. You never owed me any favors. You’ve saved my bacon often enough to make up for that bail out more than a dozen times. I shouldn’t have called in that favor.”
Nate cranked his neck, unsure of what to say. It had stung at the time, but he and Chase both knew he’d do whatever it took to help. Then he would reclaim his hard-won freedom. “Don’t worry about it. Just do what you came here to do.”
Chase nodded. “Go on then. Tell me what’s going on. I’m dying to know.”
He’d already made up his mind not to mention the hacking attempt. Chase didn’t need to deal with that shit right now. “It’s fine. Taraby’s proving to be a real pain in the ass, but I know how to handle him. There is one thing I wanted to ask you though.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re sure Taraby wrote all the foundation code? I was taking a look yesterday, and the structure seemed familiar somehow. I mean it’s C++, but somehow it’s complex, but clean. I mean really clean, no meandering paths. Taraby got real twitchy and defensive when I asked him about it.”
Chase frowned. “Yeah. I’m sure. He’s been there since the beginning. But like I told you before, I don’t trust the guy, so if he’s acting cagey, look into it. It’s no secret he wants my job. But I don’t know why the code style would be familiar to you. Maybe he used to hack too?”
Nate scrubbed his face. “I don’t know. I’ll figure it out.”
“You know what? Any meetings where you have to discuss something confidential, I wouldn’t have in that office. I wouldn’t put it past the little shit to bug the place. Maybe use Prohibition, the private room for meetings.”
Nate nodded. It wasn’t a bad idea. “I guess I can’t have the office swept without drawing attention.”
Chase nodded then studied him intently. “How are you and Delilah getting along?”
“A minute ago, it was Miss Donovan,” Nate mumbled.
“Come on, man. Give a guy a thrill. Something. Anything.”
“Nothing to tell.” Except he’d been sporting a perpetual hard on since she’d walked into the conference room that first day, and it showed no signs of going away even after he’d made love to her twice last night. Merely hearing her name was enough to get his blood to simmer.
“It’s obvious you guys have some chemistry. You can’t tell me you don’t.”
Nate blew out a breath. “I’m telling you it’s nothing.” The lie tripped off his tongue as smoothly as he could manage. He wasn’t discussing her with Chase. At least not until he figured out what he and Delilah were doing first.
Chapter 15
For two hours that evening, Delilah was all business. At least she tried to be. When Nate had suggested meeting at Prohibition Bar again, she was unsure of how much work would get done. But they’d had access to a private room reserved for select clientele. They even had their own personalized wait staff. Totally discreet, of course. All courtesy of Chase. Nate had said he was worried the office might be bugged.
But maintaining a professional distance wasn’t easy. Especially as she sat close enough to Nate to feel his heat. Her brain played the reel of the night before in her head. The way he’d taken her mind off her shitty day and simply taken her on a ride. That had been the most fun she’d had in ages. It was also the first time in God knew how long that work hadn’t been her primary focus. And then he’d touched her.
Delilah shivered. Everything had been so...hot...frantic....fevered...desperate. There hadn’t been a lot of time for exploration that first time. Or the second time, for that matter. Only under the cover of darkness, in the middle of the night, did he let her play and explore. His body—wow. Objects in mirror were certainly larger in real life. She bit back a snort of laughter and forced her mind back onto the work.
Like Nate, she was surprised by the sheer number of entrants for Coder’s Day—over a hundred so far. “I can’t believe all these kids want a chance at an internship.” Delilah shook her head. “No. Not merely at an internship. They want a chance to work with the coolest video game maker around.”
His head snapped up. “They know who I am?”
She frowned. “You didn't say that was off the table.”
“Well, I didn't t
hink to. It didn’t occur to me.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I just said that the winner would have the opportunity to work with the man behind the Immortals universe. That's all. But it's not like it's hidden. You have to remember you're fair game now. It won't take any intrepid reporter too long to figure out the new CEO of Synth is also Stormwind or whatever.”
His frown morphed into a scowl. “Deathstar.”
Her eyes twinkled. “You call me Lila, I call you Storm Bucket, or something similar.”
The corners of his mouth tipped up into a hint of a smile. “What’s your objection to me calling you Lila? It's your nickname. Has been for years.”
Delilah ducked her head and focused on her dumplings for a moment. “You were the only one who ever called me that. Then you left. No one’s called me Lila in years.”
Nate was silent for a moment then sat forward. “I know I have no right to ask, but I'd really like to know about them.”
She ignored the twinge of pain in her heart. “I figured maybe you didn't care.”
He winced.
Let go, Delilah. “Sorry. It's still hard to think that you'd want to know anything about the family. It really hurt when you were gone. Took a while to recover. I think with every kid Mom and Dad fostered or adopted, they were trying to fill the hole you left.”
He furrowed his brow. “What do you mean every kid? There were others?”
Her laugh was quick. “Oh, yeah. There are twelve of us, if I include you.”
He sat up straighter. “What the hell?”
“Tell me about it. Family gatherings in Hope are a bit of a madhouse.”
“Who are they?”
“Well, let's see, there was you. Me of course, Dylan, and Derek. Dylan’s joining the FBI, and Derek is the assistant trainer to the New Orleans Bolts. You might remember that Mom and Dad were considering fostering a little boy the summer you left. That was Zephyr. He attends Colombia in the fall.”
His brows shot up. “Wow, okay.”
“Then there's Jackson, the writer. Mia's a television producer. Jezebel, unlike her name and profession as a model suggest, is actually quiet as a mouse. Eden just graduated from Cornell, and she's taking some time to find herself. Holden—man, that kid knows how to find trouble in all kinds of places. He’s been with us for years, surrounded by love, and he still acts wild and unpredictable, but he always manages to land on his feet like a cat.”
