First Read online

  But I didn’t want to settle. “Please leave.” This time, I turned my back on him and stared out the back window. Sometimes when I looked at his face, I pictured him with that mysterious woman, pumping into her the way he used to pump into me. It still made me sick to my stomach.

  Instead of arguing, he did as I asked. The last thing I heard was the gentle click of the door when he walked out. Then he was gone.

  7

  Damien

  After I finished at the bank, I went home and walked into my bedroom. My jacket was stripped off my shoulders and tossed onto the bed before I grabbed my phone and called Annabella.

  Went to voice mail.

  I tried not to assume she was blowing me off. I was a jackass to her last time we spoke, and she seemed like the kind of woman that wouldn’t put up with nonsense. So maybe she did ditch me.

  Or maybe she was just at work or something.

  I hoped she was at work.

  By the end of the night, she still hadn’t called me back. So I caved and texted her. Still haven’t washed my jeans.

  Nothing.

  I was just about to leave the office when a guy in a suit stepped inside. With a tight face coupled with rage, he seemed pissed. He was a big guy, my size and height, so a fight could easily turn into a brawl.

  I opened my top drawer and quickly grabbed my loaded gun.

  “This is the guy?” The stranger stopped in front of my desk, flashing a fancy watch and a ten-thousand-euro suit.

  Hades emerged behind him. “Yes, this is my business partner, Damien—”

  “Leave us.” He barked orders like he owned the place.

  Hades glanced between the two of us before he walked out, shutting the door behind him.

  I kept the gun concealed under the desk. “Something I can help you with?”

  He continued to stand. “You took my wife off my account?”

  Both of my eyebrows rose because I had no idea what he was talking about. “How about you sit the fuck down and start over? Because I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  His fingers quickly snapped open the button of his coat, and he lowered himself into the chair, calmer but filled with restrained rage.

  “Good.” I held up the gun. “Now, I don’t have to shoot you.” I returned it to the top drawer.

  He glanced at the gun but didn’t react.

  I leaned back in the chair and opened my arms. “You were saying…”

  He had brown eyes the color of hot espresso, and his muscular frame indicated he had a private weight room in the convenience of his home. If he was a client, then he must be worth billions, but I had no idea who he was. “You took my wife off my account, and I’m not happy about it.”

  “Who’s your wife?” I asked, pulling out my keyboard.

  “Annabella De Luca.”

  I froze at the mention of the name, recognizing it instantly. It was the name of the woman who was constantly on my mind, the name of the woman who dumped me the second I stepped out of line. It’d been two days, and she never responded to my message. She didn’t deal with bullshit, which was sexy, but I wished she understood it was just a misunderstanding.

  He noticed the way I flinched. “Now, you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

  I pushed the keyboard back because I didn’t need it. I turned my chair forward again and faced him head on. “She’s a client. When a client asks me to do something, I do it.” Jealousy filled my veins when it was unfounded. I’d ground her into a door and gave her a kiss that left a permanent scar on my lips. It wasn’t enough to feel possessive or entitled. But that made me hate this guy anyway. Hated the fact that he wasn’t some fat, old guy. He was handsome, fit, and had a spine.

  “Good. I’m your client, and I’m telling you to put her back on.”

  I held his gaze and felt my heart race.

  He continued to stare at me, his eyes colder than mine.

  Now I knew why I didn’t recognize him. He was a client who had belonged to Hades. The only reason he’d stormed in here was because he realized I’d cut the last chain that bound him to Annabella.

  “You deaf?” His tone darkened, containing a thinly veiled threat.

  “She’s just gonna come back in here and ask me to take her off again.”

  “Then I’ll put her back on again.”

  This asshole wasn’t gonna let her go. They’d been divorced for six months, and he was still possessive over her. “That doesn’t sound like an effective use of your time.”

  He cocked his head slightly. “Don’t concern yourself with my time. Just do as I say.”

  I still didn’t turn to the keyboard.

  His eyes narrowed. “You’ve got a little crush on my wife?”

  More than a crush. I wanted to be a dick and tell him I made her pussy soak onto my jeans, that she wanted me to come inside and fuck her, but I held my ground. That would turn into a gunfight, and it would also jeopardize my relationship with Annabella. She wouldn’t respect me if I didn’t respect her privacy. “She’s not your wife.”

  That was his undoing. He rose to his feet and buttoned his jacket again. “What the fuck did you say to me?”

  “She’s. Not. Your. Wife.” I got to my feet too, leaving my gun in the drawer because I didn’t need it.

  This man wasn’t used to being challenged; that was clear. He probably got whatever he wanted at a snap of a finger.

  Well, so did I. “I’m not putting her back on the account. I have better things to do than deal with an asshole who tries to control a woman who doesn’t want him anymore. She dumped you. Get the fuck over it.”

  His eyes narrowed with a spark of fire. “You’re brave.”

  “Bravery implies I have something to be scared of.” I looked him up and down. “I’m not scared of you.”

  He stepped closer to the desk. “Keep talking, and I’ll walk. I’ll take my money elsewhere.”

  “Good. I don’t need your money, bitch.”

  His face turned red at the disrespect. His eyes shifted back and forth with hostility, his mind deciding if he wanted to stab me or walk out the door. He processed his rage in silence, his nostrils flaring.

  I didn’t blink.

  His fingers reached for his jacket, and he unbuttoned it so it opened once again. Then he turned around and walked out. “You’ll regret this, motherfucker.”

  I watched him go. “I doubt it.”

  I called Annabella again.

  Went to voice mail.

  Her feelings toward me were very clear.

  She was blowing me off.

  God-fucking-dammit.

  I could throw in the towel and move on. Women were never in short supply, and I had the charm and money to get anyone I wanted. A trip to the bar would end with a woman on my arm. Then in my bed.

  But that wasn’t what I wanted.

  I wanted Annabella.

  I went to her apartment and knocked on the door, a bottle of gin tucked under my arm. I tapped my knuckles against the door and hoped she was home and not out with some other guy. She’d probably been hit on three times in the last week. There was nothing to stop her from saying yes.

  No answer.

  I knocked again. “Annabella.” The sound of my voice wouldn’t encourage her in the least. If anything, it probably annoyed her that I’d shown up on her doorstep after she’d made her disinterest perfectly clear.

  I hoped an explanation would fix that.

  To my surprise, footsteps sounded against the hardwood inside as she approached the door. After the audible sound of turning locks, the door cracked open and she showed her face. There was no beautiful smile. No joy in her eyes. She was like the Great Wall—a slab of concrete. “Can I help you?”

  I wasn’t going to get inside unless I charmed my way in. I held up the bottle of gin. “Thirsty?”

  She glanced at it, a bit intrigued.

  I shook the bottle. “It’s the good stuff.”

  She stared at the bottle
for a second before she shut the door and unlocked the chain.

  Yes.

  She opened the door, grabbed the bottle from my hand, and then shut the door in my face.

  Damn. I knocked on the door again. “You can’t drink that all by yourself.”

  Her voice sounded through the door. “Bet your ass, I can.”

  “No one likes to drink alone.”

  “I disagree.”

  “Annabella, come on.” I knocked again. “I wanna talk.”

  Silence.

  “I’ll stand out here all night.”

  She opened the door and handed me a glass of gin before she shut the door again.

  I stared at the glass and chuckled. “Sexy and funny…I like it.”

  Flattery worked, and she opened the door. With one hand on her hip, she nodded for me to come inside.

  I followed her and set the glass of gin on the counter. She was in lounge clothes, wearing pajama shorts and a black spaghetti strap top. Her hair was in curls around her face, and her makeup highlighted her beautiful features. She stood leaning her hip against the counter and took a drink. She was more beautiful than I remembered, so I couldn’t help but stare. Her long, tanned legs were the most hypnotizing of all her features. Lean, toned, and a sexy golden color, they were flawless.

  “You wanted to talk?” She took another drink.

  I got lost in her features and didn’t realize how long I’d been staring. “Yeah…” Now I wished I’d taken a drink to cool my nerves. I wasn’t easily intimidated, even when a big-ass guy was telling me off, but her beauty, humor, and intelligence made me quiet. “Don’t blow me off.”

  She set her drink down before she crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not. I just don’t like to waste my time.”

  “I’m not a waste of time.” I blurted out the words without thinking, desperate to change her mind. I left my drink behind and came closer to her, reaching the empty space between the kitchen and the living room. “You caught me on a bad night.”

  Her eyes were glued to mine, forbidding towers blocking her entire perimeter. “You didn’t call all week, and when I did call you, you seemed annoyed. If you aren’t into me, that’s fine. If you think I’m a bad kisser or a bad lay, that’s fine. I really don’t care about your opinion because another man would be happy to take your place.”

  So sexy. If only more women were that confident. She made her statement without breaking eye contact with me, not the least bit intimidated. “Trust me, I know.” There had been one in my office that afternoon, gripping her as tightly as possible so she wouldn’t slip away for good. “I was swamped that week, and then shit hit the fan. I’m not playing games.”

  Her arms loosened on her chest as her defenses came down. She must have seen the sincerity in my eyes, must have felt it in the energy in the room. “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. But that’s only because I like you.”

  I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face. “I know. My jeans told me.”

  She smacked my arm playfully, a suppressed smile on her face. “Jerk.”

  I chuckled then circled my arms around her waist. The affection was instinct, like my hands knew what they wanted to do before my brain realized it. My hand flattened against her lower back, and I tugged her to me, bringing our faces close together.

  Once I could feel her warmth, smell her perfume, all playfulness evaporated. I could see the beautiful color of her blue eyes, the way they sparkled like sapphires in the sunlight. There were a couple freckles on her cheeks, but so small they were hardly noticeable. With a perfect complexion and the sexiest set of lips, she was like a collectible doll.

  Her back arched at my touch, and her hands immediately went to my chest, her body reacting to mine in the same instantaneous way. Her breath halted in her chest, and she stared at my lips like she wanted to rekindle that heated night in her hallway.

  I wanted to kiss her, but I was paralyzed by the intensity of the moment. There was so much electricity in the simple touch, so much ecstasy as our lungs held our breath. The air burned with chemistry like two chemicals that exploded the moment they came into contact. I was the fire, and she was the gasoline. A quick splash and I was an inferno.

  Her hands slowly slid down my chest as her chin dipped to the floor. She stared at my body while her fingers mapped out my pecs and abs. Her fingers pressed harder into me, wanting to feel every groove that my large muscles created. As if I wasn’t even there, she explored me through my clothes.

  It was hot…watching her touch me like I belonged to her.

  She lifted her gaze once again, her lips slightly parted as if she was anxious for a kiss. Her fingers moved to the hem of my shirt, and she grasped the material with anxious fingers before she slowly pulled it up.

  I read her desires and pulled it over my head. It fell to the tile of her kitchen floor.

  Her eyes moved back to my physique, admiring the strength of my muscles as they swelled against the skin. Her fingers moved back to my sternum, feeling my chest and then my beating heart.

  I watched her want me, watched her fantasize about me. I’d seen that look in a stranger’s eyes before, but it never meant anything until now. It was never so flattering, never so powerful.

  She moved into me and pressed a kiss to my chest, right below my left nipple. She looked up at me as she did it, displaying the most seductive stare. Her tongue made light contact with my skin, moist and warm.

  Jesus.

  That was all it took. I was hard in my jeans and already imagining those little shorts on top of my shirt. I wouldn’t hit the brakes on the heat tonight. If she wanted me, she could have me as much as she wanted.

  She could have all of me.

  My hand slid under the fall of her hair, and I tilted her face to create the perfect landing for my lips. I commanded the attention of her gaze, and when I had it, I pulled her in tighter and kissed her.

  Kissed her hard.

  My lips consumed her at first touch, picking up exactly where we’d left off. My fingers tightened on her dark hair, and my hand fisted the fabric of her t-shirt. Our mouths were motionless as we felt each other, feeling the fire rekindle deep in our bellies. I inhaled her breath before I kissed her again.

  Her hands planted against my stomach, and she felt my bare skin. She dug into me, holding on to my muscles like they were ridges on a cliff face. Her lips were as hungry as mine, eager for lips and tongue. She whispered through our kiss, showing an innate vulnerability that was so sexy. “You’re so hot…” Her eyes opened to look into mine, but they closed again once they were filled with a dreamy gloss.

  My mouth devoured her top lip with purposeful heat, feeling the silky softness before I gave her my tongue.

  She took it like she wanted it more than anything.

  I wondered if she would take my dick with the same enthusiasm.

  I gripped her shirt then pulled it over her head, loving the way it caught her hair and pulled it high above her head. When it fell down again, the strands scattered along her shoulders in the perfect way, like fresh powder on the front lawn at Christmas.

  She was naked underneath.

  And damn.

  Small, perky tits were the targets of my gaze, rosy nipples that were pointed straight ahead. They were firm, perfect in their roundness. I liked all shapes and sizes when it came to tits, but there was something especially appealing about these. My hand immediately cupped one, my thumb flicking over the hard nipple.

  She moaned quietly as she closed her eyes.

  I backed her up to the kitchen island then lifted her onto the surface so her height was comparable to mine. My hand cupped the back of her neck, and I leaned into her to kiss those perfect tits, to kiss that beautiful skin that ached to be sucked.

  She leaned her head back and gripped me as she enjoyed the kiss. Her legs wrapped around my waist, and she dug her fingers into my hair, moaning and groaning like she was living out her ultimate fantasy.

&nbs
p; I was her fantasy. She was mine.

  I lowered her back to the surface of the island then tugged on her shorts as I kissed her flat stomach. My tongue dived into her belly button as my hands got the shorts to her knees. They fell the rest of the way on their own.

  Logic was gone. All that was left was emotion, lust, desire…

  I grabbed her sexy pink thong and pulled it down her long legs.

  Her pussy was ready for company even if she wasn’t. Perfectly groomed and glistening with arousal, she was prepared for me, and she hadn’t even seen my dick yet. A nice nub sat above a pink slit, the most perfect pussy I’d ever seen.

  My arms scooped her legs apart, and I bent down to taste that slit, to properly introduce myself before my dick slid inside. I cherished her sweetness, every drop of arousal that dripped from her entrance to get ready for me. Unlike most guys, I didn’t mind going down on a woman, especially when they looked like Annabella. My testosterone made me eager for every inch of a woman, from the back of her neck to the tips of her toes. In sex, I gave it my all, a hundred percent.

  But I was giving a hundred and ten percent for her.

  She moaned loudly in the kitchen and jerked at my unexpected touch. Her fingers dug into my scalp, and her hips vibrated at my intimate touch. She inhaled a deep breath, her high voice full of pleasurable surprise. “Oh…”

  I kissed her cunt with the same passion as I kissed her mouth. Every embrace was purposeful, feeling each of her lips and then her little clit. When I slid my tongue inside her, I could feel how tight she was.

  I could tell the sex would be good.

  She had the enthusiasm of a virgin but the experience of a woman.

  When I righted myself, she sat up quickly and grasped my belt. She yanked it loose then popped open the button. Her fingers pushed down the zipper before her hands clutched the denim. Then she shoved them off with the same aggression.