Love Thy Enemy

by Katie Reus

  Relief slammed through him and without thinking he pulled her into his lap. She let out a squeak of surprise and then her cheeks flushed that sexy-as-fuck shade of pink again when she shifted over his erection.

  “That’s because of you,” he murmured. He’d been walking around with a hard on for months because of her.

  Sitting sideways in his lap, she turned more to face him, placing her gentle hands on his shoulders. He’d never thought to fall for anyone, but definitely not someone as delicate-looking as Lucy. He’d learned early on that she might look fragile, but she was a force of nature. He adored everything about her.

  “So you and I…will be exclusive?” She sounded almost unsure about that.

  He snorted. “I’ve been exclusive to you since we hired you.” Because the thought of being with anyone else had been impossible. After he’d met Lucy, gotten to know the sweet woman who’d completely stolen his heart, everyone else paled in comparison.

  Her lips parted slightly. “But I saw… I saw a jewelry box in your desk drawer a month ago. Just like that one. I thought maybe you were seeing someone…” She trailed off and for the first time since he’d known her, he could see true vulnerability in her dark eyes.

  Without looking at it, he clasped it, slid it into her lap. “This is the same one. I bought this for you. I’ve never bought jewelry for another woman. Ever.” He’d never even thought to. He’d had bed partners, that was it. No one he wanted to spend time with outside of the bedroom. Until sweet, sexy Lucy who’d become a bright light in his life.

  “Oh.” She bit her bottom lip, still looking unsure.

  It drove him crazy. “What?”

  “Nothing, just trying to wrap my head around all this. I’ve been into you since we met and I don’t know, I tried to convince myself it was a stupid crush. Then when I saw that necklace I was…insanely jealous. Which I feel stupid admitting. It was gone the next day from your drawer so I assumed you’d given it to someone.”

  He decided not to tell her that he found her jealousy hot, but he liked knowing she gave a shit. “Is that why you’ve been frustrated with me the last month?”

  “No. Maybe…yes.”

  He opened the box and lifted out the piece of jewelry, clasped it around her neck. “I want to fu—make love to you with just this on.” It was totally barbaric but he wanted to claim her while she wore something he’d given her. Like he’d marked her.

  She made a soft little moan and shifted in his lap, her eyes going heavy-lidded.

  “You like the idea of that?” He knew he should offer to take her out to dinner, to do things a normal couple would do. But the need to be inside her, to claim her, was overwhelming.

  Her breathing grew shallower as she lifted a hand to the necklace, gently ran her fingers along it. “This is too much,” she whispered, but there was no conviction in her voice.

  “That’s not an answer, baby. You like the idea of me taking you wearing just this?” He leaned down, nipped her earlobe between his teeth. “Maybe fucking you from behind in front of a mirror so you can see us? See how sexy you look when I make you come?” He wanted to do more than just fuck, but the way Lucy reacted to his words told him she liked the way he was talking to her.

  She clutched onto his shoulders, her breathing erratic as he scraped his teeth along the column of her neck. “There’s a big mirror in my guest bedroom,” she whispered again, her voice shaky.

  The statement ricocheted through him, making him jerk against her. He pulled back slightly so he could see her face. “You want…” For some reason he couldn’t finish the thought. Being here with her now was too surreal. In no reality did he end up with a woman like Lucy but here they were.

  Her lips curved up into a mischievous grin as she slid off his lap. He made a move to pull her back but she dodged his hands and stripped off her tank top before turning away from him. Even the sight of her bare back got him insanely hot.

  He was on his feet in a millisecond, following after her as she tugged the strings to her bathing suit free, letting her top fall to the ground as she headed down a brightly painted hallway.

  All he could focus on was her back and the soft curve of her hips as she pushed open a door into a dimly lit bedroom. Sheer curtains were pulled together over the single window, letting in some of the waning early evening light. He leaned against the doorframe, fascinated with her, as she shimmied out of her shorts and bikini bottom without looking at him.

  Her breasts weren’t large, enough to fill his hands, and though she was petite her hips were full and perfect. Everything about her was perfect.

  “Will this do?” Her sexy voice brought his gaze back up to hers.

  He realized he’d been staring at the juncture between her thighs—the little bit of hair covering her mound. He’d been remembering how she tasted, how she’d felt as she’d come against his face and fingers. She’d pointed to the huge wood-framed mirror propped up behind a daybed with all sorts of frilly female stuff on it and around it. The room had a sort of Parisian theme to it. Something he most definitely didn’t care about.

  Keeping his gaze pinned to hers, he shoved away from the doorframe and slid his jacket off. She watched him carefully, her eyes wide and her body language just a little bit nervous, if the tremble that shuddered through her was any indication.

  Moving slowly, he let her watch his every move, his hands going to his belt buckle. She sucked in a breath as she tracked his actions. When he was fully naked he grabbed a condom from his pants before stalking toward her. The most primal part of him liked it when she backed up to the daybed, her breathing raspy and unsteady.

  There was nowhere for her to go, not that he thought she actually wanted to be anywhere but here. Her pale brown nipples were beaded tightly and he wanted to taste them, to taste all of her again.

  Yesterday hadn’t taken off any of the edge from the need to have her. It had only stoked the wildfire burning inside him. When he reached her, his cock jutted up between them, pressing against her belly.

  She sucked in a breath as she looked down between their bodies, and to his pleasure, she grasped his hard length, a smile on her face. “You really are big all over,” she murmured, more to herself than him.

  Seeing the anticipation on her expression, the way her dark eyes went heavy-lidded as she stroked him once, made him groan as much as the feel of her fingers wrapped tightly around his cock did.

  Even though he could easily come in her hand, he placed his over her smaller one. There was no way that was happening this first time. He would be inside her when he did. And she would most definitely come first.

  When she looked up at him, he lowered his mouth to hers. Instead of crushing his lips against hers, which was what his body was demanding, his instinct said to take things slower with her.

  At least this first time. He’d already made her come up against his office door; now he wanted to savor her, make sure she remembered their first time together.

  The first time of many, if things went the way he hoped.

  She slid her hands up his bare chest, her fingers digging into his pecs as he pushed her back onto the daybed. The thing was way too small but it would do for now.

  He didn’t know where to start now that he had her stretched out before him.

  “Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” he rasped out as he straddled her on the narrow bed. It dipped under his weight, making her giggle.

  The light sound eased something in his chest.

  “What happened to…taking me from behind?” she whispered, watching him carefully, her eyes slightly dilated.

  He noticed she didn’t say the word fuck and found that insanely adorable. “We’ll get there.” He dipped his head to one of her breasts, sucked on her already hard nipple.

  Moaning, she arched her back, sliding her fingers through his short hair even as she wrapped her legs around his waist, plastering herself to him. His cock was thick and heavy between them. The way she enveloped herself around him mad
e all those possessive instincts he hadn’t known he even had flare to life.

  “Abram.” His name sounded like a prayer on her lips and all he’d done was tease her nipple.

  He bit down gently on the hard bud and she squirmed under him, her fingers now digging into his back.

  Yeah, he could get used to hearing her say his name; wanted her to say it as he thrust inside her.

  He reached between their bodies and cupped her mound even as he moved to her other breast, swiping his tongue around her nipple. He slid a finger between her slick folds, making her moan even louder as she rolled her hips against him.

  His cock ached, begging to be inside her, but he needed to work her up a little more. Lifting his head from her breast, he crushed his mouth to hers.

  She twined her tongue with his, just as hungry for him as he was for her. He could feel it in her every movement and hear it in every little gasp she made. When she gave his bottom lip a playful nip, lightly scraping her fingernails down his back, his balls pulled up even tighter.

  Though he wanted to keep kissing her, teasing her, he wanted her to come even more. This first time would take the edge off.

  Pulling back from her, he stared down at her for a long moment. Her breasts rose and fell as she watched him, her dark eyes filled with hunger. When she reached for his cock, he grasped her wrist and pulled her up to a sitting position.

  “On your knees. Face the mirror.” He barely managed to get the words out, to keep a grasp on his control.

  She did as he said, her movements unsteady and a little jerky. He liked that she was as affected as him. When she met his gaze in the mirror, he swore his heart stopped for a moment.

  Her short, dark hair wasn’t neat like it usually was, but mussed. Her lips were slightly swollen, and the look in her eyes was more than just lust. She looked like she needed him. Maybe as much as he needed her.

  Moving in behind her, he took a moment to appreciate the differences in their bodies. She was so petite and slender, but with a steel backbone. He wasn’t worried about hurting her, knew he could never do that.

  He ran his hands down her sides, hated how callused his hands were, but she didn’t seem to mind. She shuddered, holding onto the vintage metal frame of the daybed as she spread her legs just a little wider.

  Even her pose, the way she was bent forward, waiting for him, made his breath catch. He was never letting her go.

  He’d felt how slick she was but he still reached between her legs from behind, groaned at the feel of her. “You’re so wet.”

  “I’m wet all the time for you.” Her words came out low as she watched him in the mirror, her fingers clutching the frame. “You make me crazy at work and I still get turned on by it.”

  “Good.” Because he got turned on by her all the damn time. Didn’t matter what she seemed to be doing. He quickly rolled on a condom before guiding his cock to her entrance.

  Soon, he planned to be inside her bare, with nothing between the two of them as he emptied himself inside her.

  He didn’t push inside her just yet though. Reaching around, he cupped both her breasts, teasing both her nipples with his thumbs as he watched her expression.

  She sucked in a breath, pleasure playing across her expression as her head fell back against his chest. He loved seeing her like this, open to him.

  And all his.

  He worked her up until she was squirming and pushing her ass back against him, silently demanding he do something.

  Without pause he thrust into her in one long push.

  “Abram.” She froze for a moment, her breathing shallow as she adjusted to his size.

  He felt her inner walls tightening around him, already milking him. She was so damn tight and yeah, he was big. Nothing to be done about that. He buried his face against her neck, inhaled her sweet scent as he reached around and found her pulsing clit.

  She needed to come, and fast. Because his control was slipping. Lucy’d had him on edge for months. Now that he was inside her, he knew he wasn’t going to last long. Not this first time.

  When he slid a finger over her clit, she moaned and jerked back against him. At the same time he felt her clench around him even tighter.

  Using her body’s cues, he stroked her clit, increasing the pressure the louder she moaned until he knew she was close.

  “Oh God, oh…” She jerked against him as she rolled into climax.

  He began thrusting inside her and she cried out even louder, her inner walls rippling around him as she found her release. He couldn’t watch her in the mirror anymore as his own orgasm built and crested as months of need for her slammed through him.

  He wasn’t sure how long he thrust into her but his orgasm seemed to go on forever as he lost himself inside her.

  When he looked at her in the mirror again, the satisfied expression on her face made him do a mental fist pump. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. And he’d put it there.

  “We could have been doing this for months now,” she murmured, giving him the most sensual look in the mirror.

  He nipped her shoulder gently. “I think we should make up for lost time, then.”

  Chapter 11

  “I can’t even pretend I’m not impressed by this.” Dominique looked around the empty five-star restaurant before focusing on Viktor again, her expression warm.

  He’d never been on the receiving end of such raw openness before. Viktor would be lying if he said he wasn’t glad she was impressed. He’d do fucking cartwheels if it made her happy. Anything to see Dominique smile.

  He cleared his throat. “With the place under renovation I thought it would be nice for just the two of us to come here.” He and Abram had shut down one of the hotels they’d recently purchased to renovate a good chunk of the place. But the restaurant right on the Atlantic was one of the only parts of the hotel that didn’t need any work. So he’d brought in the chef—one of the few employees he planned to keep on staff while he restructured—to impress Dominique tonight.

  He’d never cared about impressing anyone before. Even when he was younger, he’d just cared about people respecting and yes, fearing him. With Dominique… She brought out a completely different side to him. He was still adjusting to that.

  “I’m glad you like it,” he murmured, reaching across the linen-covered tabletop to slide his hand over hers.

  Her cheeks flushed and he found himself getting hard. Again. She had an innocent quality to her that surprised him. Even more, he was surprised he liked it. When he’d had Abram run her information, when he was still wondering who she was and why she hated him, his brother hadn’t found a record of any serious boyfriends.

  There was no way a woman like Dominique could be a virgin, but he guessed she didn’t have much experience. Which, yeah, he liked the thought of that too. But he didn’t care how many guys she’d been with. That shit wasn’t important. The only thing he cared about was locking her down now. Convincing her that they might have a shot at something real. The only problem was…he wasn’t sure he could give her the kind of sexual experience she deserved. His only experience was with women he’d paid. Dominique would know nothing about that. The truth was, he knew it would disgust her. Which was why he had to tell her.

  She was an absolute knockout but it was more than that. She was simply…sweet. He didn’t know many people who he considered to be sweet. Given their family’s history, she should truly hate him, but she’d given him a chance. One he still wasn’t sure he’d take.

  “Can I ask you a question?” Her voice was tentative, a little nervous.

  Instinct made him want to put his guard up, but she’d opened up to him about her mother and he found he wanted to trust her. He withdrew his hand, wrapped it around his glass of vodka. “Of course.”

  She trailed her finger down the stem of her wine glass. She’d worn a simple black dress tonight with diamond studs in her ears and no other jewelry. Still, she shone as brilliantly as a star everywhere she went. The
extra security team tonight had certainly taken notice of her. It was hard not to. But he’d made it clear to Lyosha that she was his woman, that everyone should treat her with respect. His longtime friend and head of security had shown a flicker of surprise, but in true Lyosha form had said he’d make sure everyone knew.

  “It’s none of my business. I’m just curious about you. But if you don’t want to answer you don’t have to.” She rushed out the words, as if she’d been practicing.

  “Just ask,” he murmured, tension rising inside him. Maybe his brother had been right after all. This would be where she started to ply him for information in an effort to use it against him.

  “How is it that you and your brother, ah, half-brother, have the same last name?” She cleared her throat. “I know that your father’s last name was…” She trailed off, pain flashing in her expression before she masked it. That was one thing he’d come to learn about her—she didn’t hide her emotions as well as she probably thought she did.

  Her question wasn’t what he’d expected, and easy to answer. He’d been worried she’d want to know more about his past, more about his relationship with his father, or how Viktor had gotten to where he was today. Something she could use against him. But this… She could have found this out from a search.

  Even though he knew she could be testing him, that this might be some sort of warm-up question, the tension in his chest eased ever so slightly. “When my father died I took my mother’s name. Ivanov is a very common Russian family name—one of the most common, in fact. Abram’s mother had the same last name as well. It’s a lucky coincidence.” One he was happy for. He liked having that link to Abram. He didn’t care that they were technically half-brothers. That shit meant nothing to him. They were true brothers in every sense of the word.

  Dominique gave him a knowing smile. “You two are close.”

  He nodded. “He’s a good brother.” Even if he did worry too much.

  “I…don’t know if he likes me very much.” She stumbled over the words. “At the hotel the other day, he seemed to know who I was and…” She lifted a shoulder but he could see that it mattered to her.