He turned around, meeting her gaze. “I didn’t think you’d come,” he said, voice low, that accent making nectar out of her panties.
By the gods, she loved his voice. It was straight-up tonic to her ears. She and her brothers had only lived in Louisiana a couple years, so they didn’t have southern accents, and she never found it as alluring as it did coming from Rhemy Carrington. Striving to maintain a composure her family wouldn’t be ashamed of, she cleared her throat. “You knew I’d come up here. Though I don’t know how you can help when you don’t even know what I need.”
Except your body on mine for sure.
“Actually, I do know what you need. I spoke to Porter.”
That cretin spilled the beans? When and how had he managed to find him first? Well, didn’t matter now. “Okay, now you know. Can you help?”
“Before I answer that, I want to know why. Why do you want to go?”
“Why does any vampiress want to go? Because it’s the event of the century.”
“Yet, your willingness to deal with Porter screams of desperation. Something deeper than shallow curiosity.”
“Honestly, it’s none of your business why, and it’s irrelevant.”
He came around his desk, resting a hip on the side of it, crossing his arms. “Then you leave me no choice but to assume your reason is superficial, and not worth my assistance or my time. I can get you a way in, but I have to have a really good reason for the effort.” He lifted his chin in a quick manner. “The door’s behind you.”
Should she trust him? On the surface, there were many red flags screaming no, she couldn’t. Did an honest man run a gambling outfit? Easy no. She’d heard he was immortal forsaken because he was corrupt, rumors of political tampering and shameless debauchery. Rumors that he played dirty, was a charmer with many enemies and secrets. So, no, in the end, she couldn’t and shouldn’t trust him.
On the other hand, he was looking to be her only hope. The only one that could give her what she needed.
“So? Tell me the truth. Why do you really want to go to the Centurias, Miss Taelour?”
She swallowed, praying her answer wouldn’t turn him off. “Revenge.”
Three
Revenge?
Rhemy raised a brow. There were many reasons vampires vied to be in the mecca of all gatherings, but vengeance was a new one to him.
“Revenge? Against whom?”
“I’m not giving you a name.”
“Then tell me why you’re willing to risk everything for something as serious as revenge at the most prestigious event known to our kind.”
“I won’t be able to get to him otherwise. I’ve waited ten years. The Centurias will be my only opportunity.”
That told him two things. One, whoever Taelour wanted to exact revenge upon was likely a royal or a Nine, someone with security.
And two, that she was quite possibly insane.
“What did he do to you?” Immediately he wondered if she’d been violated by some sick, elitist asshole, and cataclysmic anger took over his usual unheatable cool. He tensed at the thought.
“I won’t get into that, either.”
“Did he hurt you?”
She gave him a strange look. “It’s not what you’re thinking.”
He relaxed. “Come on, you have to give me something. What’s your main objective? To kill him?”
Taelour flinched. “Of course not. I’m just going to exploit what he’s done.”
Did he believe that?
Rhemy had enough drama without adding to his catalogue of mistakes. At some point he had to draw the line. A voice in his head told him that helping her would send his life on a course unchartered. Part of him thrilled at the thought of a new adventure. The other, more reasonable, passionless part of him said this was well beyond adventure.
Risk. Risk was written all over her fine figure.
But he couldn’t simply help her because of his manic attraction and how intrigued he was by her motive. Only a fool would do that. And his mama raised no fool.
However, when he looked into those amazing eyes, he certainly turned into one. One that would do just about anything for her. But why?
“Revenge is a powerful motivator, chéri. It can compel you to do things you wouldn’t normally do, such as the auction. You know what they say about revenge. Dig two graves.”
“Trust me, this revenge was earned.”
He wished she would tell him who and why. “And you think ‘exploiting’ him in a place among his allies and peers will balance the scales?”
The barest curve of a smile told him more than her spoken reply. “Yes,” she said simply.
Damn, who was this woman? “Listen, darlin’. I don’t know if I should have a hand in helping you achieve such a vindictive plan. If I do, I’m an accomplice to your scheme, and it could come back to haunt me. Not to mention, I could be sendin’ you to your own doom.”
Her fury turned soft, pleading. “I promise I won’t tell anyone it was you. I won’t even whisper your name. If you only knew how grateful I’d be. What do you want in exchange? I don’t have a lot of money, but there must be something we can work out.” She came closer, resting her hands on the back of a chair, and for the first time since he met her, looked vulnerable.
The urge to go to her and pull her in his arms made him clench his jaw. Was she even aware of how she affected him? “I’m not sure if there’s anything you can give me that I want.”
Wrong. He wanted her, but he would never take sex as a bargaining chip, even if she begged. Well. Maybe if she begged. “By the way, what did you offer Calvin to get you a spot in the Unavowed Auction?”
Her brows came together. “He didn’t tell you?”
“No.”
“Oh. Season tickets to the Saints.”
Rhemy huffed a laugh. “What? That is all?”
“That is all? That is a lot. He’s a huge fan and season tickets are sold out every year. The waiting list is a mile long. My brother knows one of the players who could hook him up.” Taelour’s face fell as she read the unenthusiastic expression on his. “Obviously, something like that doesn’t appeal to you?” At the shake of his head, she asked, “Then what does?”
Keeping her out of this damned auction and having her owe him instead of Porter. Those things appealed to him. What was his price for simply making a call? And he’d have to be honest with her, that was all he could do—introduce her to someone who had a Centurias key. He couldn’t fathom his friend turning her down, as long as she kept her little revenge agenda to herself.
Rhemy came to the conclusion he didn’t want anything from her, and wasn’t that just odd? He was a businessman, a bargainer, a negotiator, through and through. There was always something he could use, even if it was intangible, like information.
Hmm. Information. He knew nothing about her and wanted to know everything, especially about her vengeful mission. Could he ask for that? He didn’t see why not. “All right. There is something I want.”
She waited for him to elaborate. “Well? What is it?”
If he didn’t know better, she looked as though she dreaded his response. He could practically hear her pulse pounding. Did she think he’d make her sleep with him for it? He’d done many shameful things, but never that. He was a gentleman above all else. “I want—” Rhemy paused, just because he loved torturing her a little, “—to get to know you.”
She blinked. “Say again?”
“My price? Time. With you. That’s it.”
Her mouth dropped open, then shut.
“Time with me?” she repeated. “What do you really mean?”
He chuckled, uncrossing his arms and tracing his fingertips along the scarred surface of his old oak desk. “I sense you assume I’m speaking of something…” He purposely roamed his gaze over her body. “Very intimate.”
The sassiness returned. She bristled at being mocked. “Well, isn’t that what every man means when he says he wants time with a woman?
”
“Not this man. I’m not inferring anything more than what I said. I want to spend time with you, get to know you, and I want as many hours as I please to do it.”
Her shoulders sagged as she looked away.
It was a blow to the ego.
Would she rather be auctioned off to some stranger who could have gods-know-what kind of intentions than spend an evening with him? Obviously, he needed to accept that she wasn’t attracted to him. She’d still given no sensa indicating otherwise. Not when they’d first met or even in the powder room when he’d caged her in and practically molested her against the wallpaper. Yet, he still wanted her.
“Do you have another option I can choose, Mr. Carrington?” she asked. “There’s got to be something else I can give you.”
Merde. Rejection hurt more than a bullet to the chest. She wanted nothing to do with him. It ought to be a turn-off. A deal-breaker. He shouldn’t bother attempting to get to know a vampiress who’d told him from the beginning to leave her alone. Nevertheless, he was the one with the power here. And he wanted what he wanted. “That’s my price. Take it or leave it.”
She bit the corner of her lip, appearing at a loss.
Seriously? He couldn’t help it. He snapped. “Is spending time with me really that impossible to agree to?”
“Yes!”
“Why?”
“I don’t know!”
“Do I disgust you?”
“No, Rhemy.”
“Is it because I’m an immortal forsaken?”
“No. But you are dangerous—”
“I assure you, ask anyone, I won’t lay a hand on you—”
“But I want you to,” she exclaimed, stunning him to silence. “Don’t you see? I want you. I don’t know why I can’t stop wanting you. All I know is that isn’t why I’m here, so I’ve been fighting what I feel, and I’m losing.”
Rhemy was confused. “I don’t understand.”
She grinded her teeth, casting her gaze away, as though ashamed by her admission.
So the attraction was mutual? How had he not picked up on it? Frankly he was gobsmacked. Guess she’d somehow mastered the ability to cloak her sensa, a nearly impossible feat for a vampire, not even worth the effort it took. They fed on energy almost as much as they fed on blood, and he’d been more than displaying his. The fact she could hide any kind of response, in her eyes or body, was astounding.
Taelour looked up. Their eyes locked, and hers glowed like two stunning pools of violet. She started coming around the desk. “Is this what you’re wondering about?”
Suddenly, a surge of intense, sensual energy pushed into his aura. Teeth sharp, he closed his eyes and inhaled, swaying, nearly falling back in his chair, high on her sensa. His cock stiffened, his senses overwhelmed, finally getting what he’d been looking for since they moment they’d met. No need to draw it in; his whole being absorbed it on impact. His hands trembled at the strength of her attraction. It was so strong, he was higher than he’d ever been on any woman’s energy.
Eyes hooded, eyes glowing, he breathed, “How? How were you able to hold it in?”
“Not hold. Control. My brothers taught me.”
Why would her brothers teach her such nonsense?
He’d never been so stoned by another before. With a quick shake of his head, he tried to focus and consume it without going numb with pleasure. “Control it? Oh, Taelour, it’s part of who we are. We need it. Just like the shifters need the scent, and the demons need the heat, we need the energy.”
“I know this, but I’ve been able to live without it. Block it. With you, it’s impossible. Although, I did give it my best. I tried. Gods, I tried.”
“And you succeeded.” Aroused beyond comprehension, he took a small step toward her. “I thought I was the only one of us who desired.” Tentatively, he brought his hand up, grazing her jaw and cupping her nape. Her skin was so soft.
She melted into his touch, closed her eyes, lips parting. “No,” she whispered. “I—”
He cut her off with a kiss, slanting his mouth on hers and taking it before she could possibly find a way to stop him.
She didn’t.
And her whimper told him she liked the way he kissed, her response exactly what he hoped for. The next thing he knew, their mouths were opening on each other, a deep twining of tongues. The taste of her ignited a wildness in Rhemy, startling him with its command. Ever since he was young, he believed he owned a self-control many of his kind did not when it came to passion. For years, he snickered at vampires who eventually fell to their knees to their own personal “kryptonite,” firmly confident he didn’t have one. But oh, he knew now, he did. And she was five-foot-four with gorgeous eyes and on a path of revenge.
Regardless, he had to have her.
She arched into him, lifting one knee to his hip, and hooked her leg around him. It must have excited her, because then she lifted her other leg and climbed on him, forcing Rhemy to cup two handfuls of her sweet, ample ass. Gods have mercy. He set her on the edge of the desk, grinding his hips against her hot center.
She tore her mouth from his with a moan.
“Yes, my lady, feel that?” He rolled his hips again, eliciting another moan from her. He could do this all night, just to hear that sound, and see the look of unbridled desire in those eyes.
She crushed her mouth on his again, her tongue deep and demanding, her teeth nipping on his lips. Her hunger for him was wild and untamed. If she was like this while kissing, how would she be when he was inside her? He collapsed in his chair with her in his lap and slid one of the straps of her tank top down to her elbow. Cupping her breast, he drew the dark nipple in between his lips tenderly. With a moan, Taelour dropped her head back, moving her hips toward his, riding him.
The temptation to bite flooded his canines with saliva, nearly ravenous to sample her, even knowing she was a pürblood. He gave a low growl, fighting the craving, digging his fingers in her hips. What was she doing to him?
Taelour pushed off him and took two steps back, unzipping her leather pants. Rhemy sat frozen as she bent over and pulled them down. Keeping her hooded gaze locked with his, she climbed back on his desk, spreading her legs. “Touch me.”
To hell with the blood share.
He scrambled up to claim her mouth again. She leaned back on her elbows and he went down with her, moving from her lips and down her neck. Every inch of her skin was delectable, softly perfumed, and like silk on his tongue.
To make up for what could be a very fast ride to a climax, he skimmed his fingertips along her inner thigh, pressing kisses on her neck. When he grazed over soft, wet pussy, he groaned. “How long have you been this wet for me?”
She gasped, clenching her nails in his biceps. “Since—since I saw you on the balcony.”
He slowly smiled, circling her clit slowly, her panting breath the only sound above his hammering heart. He slipped one finger in her.
“Another,” she demanded.
He inserted two, slipping them and out of her tight core, nearly shaking with the need for his cock to be where his fingers had the privilege. She bucked her hips faster, gripping his hair, and forced her mouth on his.
He loved her openly wanton nature. Her desperation for him. It made him crazed to possess and please her for hours.
They were going to make love very well together—
“Mr. Carrington.” A hard knock on the door exploded in the air.
They froze.
A second later, Taelour pushed him off and scrambled to replace her pants while he inhaled deep, righting his thoughts and coming out of the haze. He ran a hand down his face, smelling her essence on his hand.
It took him a few seconds to mentally disconnect from the lust raging at him to ignore the interruption.
Whoever is behind that door is about to be murdered.
He waited until her clothes were in place before he opened it, and the young man who’d brought her up earlier looked as though he was face
to face with the devil. “Uh…”
“What is it, Miles?” he clipped.
“The—” He glanced behind him and lowered his voice. “The meeting. They’re anxious without you.”
Damn it! Rhemy checked his watch. Quarter after nine. He’d been so distracted chasing Taelour down and cornering Porter he’d completely forgotten, and they wouldn’t start without him. Suddenly his interest on what went on with that wasn’t as important as what had almost happened moments ago. But he still had to make an appearance. “I’ll be down in a minute. Tell them I’ve—got my hands full at the moment.”
Miles looked like he couldn’t wait to deliver that message. He nodded and made a dash for the stairs. Rhemy could imagine the shifters restless and impatient, as they were an easily irritated lot if the routine was even a little askew. He raked a hand through his hair and turned around.
Taelour was leaning against the front of his desk, head down, hand lightly covering her mouth. She looked up, as though coming out of her thoughts. “I don’t know what came over me. I’m usually not—actually, never—that forward.”
It pleased him that he was the exception. However, her sensa was closed off. There was a wall between them again, the magical passion lost, though he’d do anything to recapture it. Papers and books and his candies were all over the floor. They’d made quite a mess and hadn’t really gotten past second base. Hell, he’d never even removed a piece of his own clothing.
“We got caught up in the moment,” he said. “And how could we not? Once you released your sensa, I was blind with lust.”
She nodded. “Me, too.”
Did she regret it? Because she had the face of a woman who did.
He took a step, and she moved away from the desk, hand up. “I think we should pump the brakes. Maybe you’re able to deal with this chemistry between us, but I find it overwhelming.”
“That’s because you’ve been blocking it. Just let go.” Though it pained him not to reach out and pull her in, he remained where he was, to give her space. But by the gods, she would be in his arms again.
“Speaking of, don’t you have to go?” she asked.
Rhemy: Immortal Forsaken Series #4 (Paranormal Romance Novella) Page 3
