Читать книгу Solace in Scandal - Kimberly Dean - Страница 7

Elena hurried through the door to the kitchen of the main house and shook herself to get rid of the rain. It was pouring outside. The walk up the hill didn’t look that long, but she’d gotten drenched in the time it had taken for her to run the distance. She dropped her backpack onto the floor and tugged off her jacket. She hung it on the metal coat rack beside the door and tried not to shiver when a droplet of water ran down the back of her neck.

‘Hello?’ she called. A stack of freshly washed kitchen towels was on the granite counter. She grabbed the top one and brushed it over her damp skin. ‘Is anyone here?’

She knew that Marta and Leonard were out running errands, because they’d asked her for a list of things she needed. The only other person’s location she wasn’t sure about was his. She hadn’t seen any lights on in the main house from her view down by the lake. There’d been no movement or any other signs of life. It was hard to believe he’d be out wandering around in this kind of weather, but she already knew he didn’t like being cooped up.

Maybe he was sleeping or off in some distant room. The place had enough of them. She slipped off her shoes and left them on the throw rug by the door so she wouldn’t track mud.

‘It’s Elena,’ she called. She didn’t want to raise her voice too much. She just needed to buzz down to the first-floor library, but she didn’t want to stumble across anyone unexpectedly. That had already happened with a certain person too many times, and she didn’t want it to happen here, in his home.

Even if he had given her permission to be here.

Blotting her wet hair, she padded over to peek through the kitchen doorway. ‘I’m just here to borrow a book,’ she called lightly.

The looming stillness of the house gave her visions of a black hole just waiting to suck her up. She waited another moment, and then yet another for good measure.

Summoning up her nerve, she began tiptoeing down the hallway. She knew which book she needed and where it was. Her plan was to just grab it and go. The problem was that the library was at the other end of the house, a trek away.

She started down the long corridor, trying not to let it unnerve her. The place was just so big and museum-like. She looked into the foyer with its massive stair tower rising overhead. It picked up even the soft patter of her footsteps and made them echo. Squeezing the last bit of moisture from her hair into the towel, she looked in the other direction. It made her pause. The open room was sweeping and expansive, and it offered a wall-to-wall view of the lake – and, off to the right, her house.

Well, not her house. His lake house.

He’d been watching her that first night from the balcony right outside those windows. Had he been watching her since?

The idea sent another kind of shiver down her spine.

Hurrying along, she passed empty rooms filled with oak furniture, priceless antiques and vintage rugs. She felt out of place here, surrounded by so much wealth. Everything felt so heavy, yet so luxurious and tempting. The only context she had was the time she and her mother had vacationed in Rhode Island. Her aunt had taken them on a tour of the famous mansions of Newport – the summer getaways for the likes of the Vanderbilts and the Rockefellers. The only difference there was that the rooms had been roped off. The classic look-but-don’t-touch approach.

This was real.

These people lived this way. They kept this mansion that was way too big with way too many rooms. They slept on these beds, walked across those priceless rugs, toyed with those pricey ceramic figurines … Privilege. There were so many aspects to that word. She couldn’t imagine how it would feel to not have to worry about money, to have any pleasure or comfort available at the snap of her fingers.

She moved past a study and then a music room with a grand piano and harp. It made her frown. Did someone actually play that thing or was it just for show?

It didn’t matter; she was dawdling. Straightening, she focused again on the library at the end of the hall. She was about to walk inside when she realised she was still carrying the kitchen towel. A damp towel and books … It wasn’t a good combination.

There was a half bath just off to her right. She stepped inside to drape the hand-towel over a towel rail. For a moment, she let her toes curl into the rug beneath her feet. Even the bathroom rugs here were thick and sumptuous. Its burgundy colour matched not only the towels that were artfully arranged over the brass rail but also the soapdish and lotion dispenser. She was admiring the heavy ceramic set when a bang suddenly came through the pipes. The sound was so loud, it made her jump.

‘Ah!’

Lurching back, she looked at the sink and toilet. Was something wrong with the plumbing?

Another sound radiated through the walls. In the small room, the reverberation seemed to be coming from everywhere. Elena flinched again, warnings flaring in her mind. Shuffling backwards, she braced herself in the doorway.

What was that?

She looked for the source of the racket. It sounded as if the pipes were about to explode.

Wait. No, that wasn’t the pipes. She could hear them now in a distinct rattle. This was something else … some kind of impact … She looked out the window. Had someone made it onto the grounds? Were they trying to break in?

Another series of hard thuds rang in the walls, making her wince. She could literally feel them under her fingertips. No, this was coming from inside.

She looked up.

A strange sound had her quickly reevaluating and looking down. Under her feet. Below her, she’d heard a cry that could only be associated with a wounded animal.

‘Oh, God.’

Something was down there.

She didn’t think that Leonard had been caring for any pets, but would he have kept a guard dog inside if he’d known she was on the property? She doubted it, but she jumped when there was another explosion of noise beneath her. Banging noises. Desperate sounds.

‘Hold on. I’m coming.’

Shaking with adrenalin, she backed into the hallway. Whatever was down there, it needed help. She couldn’t ignore the frantic sounds. She looked up and down the hall. How could she get down there? The library was the only place she’d ever visited. She’d never explored; she hadn’t wanted to.

Bang, bang, bang.

More clanging rang up through the walls and her toes curled with the need to move. Where was the staircase? She didn’t try to be quiet as she raced back to the main entrance, though she nearly fell, her socks sliding along the hardwood flooring, when she found an open archway. There. Carpeted steps led downwards to the basement.

She flew down the stairs and immediately turned to her right. The sounds were louder down here. The limestone structure had soaked up most of the noise, containing it. On the lower level, they were booming. Her sense of urgency grew, and she ignored the indoor putting green and wet bar as she honed in on the anguish in the air.

‘Hello?’ she called. ‘Where are you?’

Heart pounding, she found the gym. It was nearly as big as the one she’d used in the city, only the equipment was better and it didn’t smell like sweaty socks. On the balls of her feet, she scoped out the situation.

There. The door off the end. It was shaking on its hinges.

She heard that raw, guttural sound that had stifled her breaths upstairs. Only this time the keening was clear. It wasn’t an animal; it was a person. A man.

‘What’s wrong?’ She raced over to the door, but was afraid to get too near just in case it exploded outwards. ‘Do you need help?’

The person inside didn’t hear her. They were setting up a racket, pounding on the door and scratching at it.

She lifted her hands to protect her face when they started kicking.

‘Hey!’ she yelled.

A roar responded. He’d heard her this time. ‘Out! Get me out!’

Her breath caught in her throat. She recognised that voice.

‘Now!’

She lurched back into action. ‘Stop kicking.’

Again, in his panic, the man didn’t listen. He was going at that door like his life depended on it.

‘Alex!’

The racket fell and the noise level dropped so suddenly, it was jarring. Still, Elena swore she could hear ragged breaths coming through the sturdy wooden door. She approached cautiously and laid her hand over the handle. ‘Alex, is that you?’

‘Elena?’

His voice was thin, and her name sounded plaintive. Urgency clawed at her.

‘Is it the lock? Are you stuck?’ She twisted the handle on the door and pushed, but nothing happened. She tried again, feeling him help from the other side, but something was blocking the door’s natural movement. Her brain began clicking as she sized up the situation.

‘Open it,’ he ordered, his voice brusque. ‘Damn it. Get it open!’

She yelped when he started kicking again. She could see the door bowing as he made contact, but he was kicking out, while the door swung inwards.

‘Wait! Hold on!’ She turned the handle and felt the latch open fine. Putting her shoulder into it, she shoved again. The top corner of the door swung in, but the bottom held tight. She knelt down when she found the source of the problem. ‘The gym mat is lodged under the bottom corner.’

She reeled back when the door starting shaking again.

‘You’re making it worse. Alex! Let me help you.’

He stopped abruptly. She pounced while she had the chance, talking out loud to keep him distracted. ‘It’s wedged in tight. Kicking it will only make it worse, and you aren’t Bruce Lee. You can’t kick through it.’

Although he’d certainly tried.

How long had he been locked in? Trapped like a wild animal?

No matter what she thought of him, the idea of that kind of suffering made her throat hurt. He wasn’t one who was built to be tied down. He could barely stand to be in this gigantic house for a full day. ‘Let me just try something.’

She let out a grunt as she fisted her hands around the mat and pulled. The corner of the door only dug deeper into the rubber.

‘Elena?’ His voice was raw, more a harsh whisper than tone now.

‘It’s coming,’ she promised. Sitting down, she braced her feet against the wall to give herself leverage. ‘Don’t do anything. I’m right behind the door.’

She tugged again, her teeth gritting at the effort. She could feel him on the other side of that door, hovering and fidgeting.

‘Did you try the hinges?’ She needed to keep him talking. She needed to calm him down. If she let him slip into a panic, he’d only work against her.

‘I broke two combs trying to pry them out.’

He was standing just on the other side of the door, his voice right above her. It was intimidating, but he was focused. That was good. Anything to pull him back from the brink. She began pulling on the mat, working it back and forth. It was malleable, but so heavy-duty she could hardly lift it. It wasn’t one of the thick cushy mats everyone did sit-ups on, it was the rubbery kind that gyms laid across their walkways and underneath equipment.

‘That was innovative.’ She smiled fiercely when the right side of the mat slipped out a good inch.

‘Not really,’ he said in that raspy voice. ‘You should see what inmates can make with those things.’

She froze.

‘No, I take that back,’ he said more softly. ‘You should never see that.’

That edge was back in his voice. She had to get him out of there now. She looked around the room for something she could use. For all the shiny equipment and heavy free weights, there wasn’t much. Besides, she didn’t think cutting the mat was the right way to go.

She kept wiggling it with her feet braced like a rower. Her shoulders began to ache at the effort, but then she fell backwards.

‘Ooo, almost.’

She felt his anticipation jump and wondered how she could ever miss him when he was walking through the forest. He was standing on the other side of a slab of wood. She couldn’t see him, but she could feel his presence. His heat was blistering.

It made her uneasy. She’d never seen him like this. Every time they’d crossed paths, he’d been cool and contained. Low-key and reined-in.

Except for that time in the garden.

‘Can you lift on the handle?’ she asked. ‘Pull up.’

Before she even finished the question, she felt the resistance give. She yanked on the rubber mat and her momentum swung. She rolled halfway onto her back when the stupid thing popped loose.

‘Ha!’ She scrambled to her feet and stepped back, getting out of the way. She brushed off her bottom, but the door stood eerily still.

Why wasn’t he –

Oh, God. She’d told him not to do anything, that he could hurt her if he came out suddenly.

She sprang forward and grabbed the door handle. It turned smoothly, and the door swung silently on its hinges as she opened it. It stopped halfway when masculine fingers curled around the edge. Those fingers turned white, and he pulled the door open so wide it banged against the bathroom vanity.

That ache in Elena’s throat spread to her chest when she finally saw him. He looked haggard. His colour was ashen, although heat and humidity poured out of the room. The lines of his cheekbones were harsh, and his jaw was set like a master lock. His eyes, though … Those icy grey eyes glinted with something raw and wild. ‘Are you OK?’ she asked.

He jammed his foot in front of the door and she winced when she saw the bruising and swelling that had already started. He’d been kicking at that door with his bare feet.

Then again, that wasn’t all about him that was bare.

She swallowed hard. He must have been taking a shower when he’d gotten trapped, because all he was wearing was a towel. A loose, very insecure towel. It sat low on his waist, with the knot looking like it could slip at any moment.

Awareness prickled along her skin and her face warmed. She’d known he was fit, but this went beyond that. He was ripped. Lean and animal-like.

Beautiful.

He started moving then, determined to get out of the tiny room. Her gaze snapped up and she stepped back to make way.

Only he didn’t stop coming at her.

Instinctively, she lifted her hand. To stop him or ground him, she didn’t know. He came out of his makeshift prison like a bull coming out of a gate, and her palm spread wide across his warm, muscled chest. The contact was shocking, but she gasped aloud when he touched her. He caught her by the shoulders, his grip hot and urgent. Their gazes locked and her heart kicked like that bucking bull that just escaped.

‘You,’ he rasped. His hot breaths hit her square in the face.

They stared at each other, chests working. Electricity passed between them, creating a full circuit through touch. His fervency transferred to her; her agitation swam back to him. The tension in the room changed, ratcheting impossibly higher.

Elena watched him with wide eyes as he pulled her close, but then his head dipped and his mouth closed over hers. He kissed her hard, his lips firm. Hungry. Frantic.

The adrenalin that had been rushing through her veins dove deeper into her belly. Arousal knotted in her gut and her thoughts splintered.

His need; it went bone-deep. She could feel it in the tremble in his grip. He wrapped an arm low around her waist and cinched her up tight. Their bodies connected from mouth to knee. All she felt of him was bare skin as he leaned over her. Smooth, delicious skin. His heat seeped into her and she shuddered.

‘Elena.’ Something close to a groan rose from his chest.

He was bigger than her and stronger by far, yet he was hanging onto her as if she was the only thing keeping him from going under.

She hesitantly slid her hands up his back. The strength she’d imagined was all there, with nothing to hide. His body was a tapestry of muscles and tendons that jumped at her touch. Her fingertips curled inward. The power she felt was intoxicating.

His tongue pressed demandingly at the seam of her lips. When she gave him access, he swept it across hers. The contact was wet and slow, so erotic she could barely stand it.

‘Mmm.’ She let out a mew when he hitched her up. He lifted her as if she weighed nothing, and her feet dangled inches from the floor. Her toes curled in reaction. When he slanted his mouth across hers again, she was ready for it. The kiss was deeper, more passionate and intense.

The ache between her legs intensified. Age-old instinct had her wrapping her legs around his waist. She locked her ankles and rubbed helplessly against the hard bulge that pressed between her legs.

‘God, yes,’ he hissed.

The room spun as he turned. When it righted itself again, Elena found herself on her back on the mat – not the thick rubber kind that had trapped him, but the cushy kind that absorbed impact … and cushioned the weight of two intertwined bodies …

He was heavy as he splayed out on top of her. His chest plumped her breasts, and his hips nudged determinedly at hers. She cradled his erection between her legs and wiggled until he pressed against the spot where she needed him most.

He nipped at her lips. ‘I have to have you.’

So blunt. So straightforward.

And so sexy.

Arousal clogged her thought processes, and everything honed in on the physical. All she knew was the clench of his hands in her hair, the feel of his bare chest and the press of his hardness between her thighs.

He pushed her top upwards, forcing her to lift her arms above her head, and made quick work of the front tab on her bra. When he cupped her breast, her head rolled against the mat. His hand was big and possessive. Burning. Her nipple poked hard into his palm, but her body bowed when his rooting lips circled her nipple. She struggled to free herself of the stretchy material as he plumped her breast higher and suckled at her with such voraciousness it made her belly contract.

‘Alex!’

He dragged his tongue slowly across her sensitive nub, making it tingle. ‘That’s right, pretty siren. Say my name.’

Elena couldn’t believe this was happening, but it was. He was like a man possessed as he worked his hand between their bodies. He yanked down the zipper of her jeans, but she wasn’t ready when he shoved them down. Her hips rocked when he cupped her.

‘Ahh!’ Desire clenched deep in her belly, and she arched against him.

Propping himself up on one elbow, he struggled to catch his breath. They were both breathing hard, and she could felt the hot gusts against her lips.

He was watching her so closely. There was nowhere to hide when he ran a fingertip around her opening. Nerve endings fired, and her pulse jumped. When the tip of one of those curious fingers began to penetrate her, she grabbed at him. Her hands found natural resting places over the curves of his sexy bottom. The towel was gone, and her fingers dug deep.

His jaw clenched underneath the shadow of his dusty beard.

His finger dipped deeper into her wetness, and there was no way to hide her reaction. Elena became one big shuddering mess. She could feel the strain in his muscles as he kept touching so intimately below. One finger became two. She couldn’t find her breath as they rubbed, swirled and plunged.

He leaned his forehead against hers as he touched a spot that made her moan. ‘Tell me you want me.’

Want? It was such a tame word for what she felt. She ground her mound against his hand, and her thigh muscles burned. If something didn’t soothe the ache deep inside her soon, she was going to go crazy.

‘Tell me,’ he ordered.

She kissed him instead.

A growl rumbled against her lips. His mouth raked across hers, and his tongue plunged. She let out a cry when his fingers left her empty, but then he was pulling off her clothes. She squirmed as she tried to help, lifting her hips and pointing her toes as he dragged everything down at once. He yanked off her socks along the way and she suddenly found herself naked with him towering over her.

Her breasts heaved as she looked up at him. He’d settled back on his haunches between her spread legs and was looking her up and down.

She looked at him just as fiercely. Her gaze swept over his handsome face. The ashen colour was gone, and the hollow look in his eyes had been replaced by something hot and reckless. She admired the strength in his chest and arms, the definition in his abdomen and –

Oh, my.

His erection stood hard and tall.

He was big, and he was ready.

He toppled over her, taking his weight on his arms so he didn’t crush her. Their gazes locked, and she caught at his sides. ‘You can’t look at a man that way,’ he growled. ‘Not when he’s trying to stay away from you.’

‘I didn’t come here looking for you,’ she panted.

‘But you found me.’ His gaze homed in on her lips, and some of the tension in his shoulders sagged. ‘You rescued me.’

He lowered himself onto her, skin pressing against skin, as he kissed her. He coaxed her to wrap her legs around him, and Elena shivered as his big hands cupped her bare bottom. He tilted her hips up as he positioned himself and then he was pushing into her.

‘Oh!’ she cried. ‘Oh … oh …’

She had to stretch to take him, and the pinch rode right on the thin edge between pain and pleasure. She dug her fingers into his back, and he went still.

‘Mmm,’ she whimpered. She felt so full. At once, it was too much and not enough. She wiggled beneath him, trying to ease her distress, but his hold locked down, keeping her in place.

‘Like this,’ he whispered into her ear. Using her wetness to ease the way, he began pumping in short, slow strokes. With the angle at which he held her, each glide bumped against that tender nub between her legs. It set off a flurry of sensation and her feet arched, her toes pointing hard.

‘Alex,’ she gasped.

He began pumping deeper and then deeper still until with one surge, he embedded himself all the way.

Elena cried out, her body bowing. Oh, God. He was right. It was good. Better than good. He was perfect.

He held himself still again, and she pressed her face against his neck. ‘More,’ she begged. ‘More.’

The words set him loose and they both began moving desperately. She stroked his back and kissed the line of his collarbone. He thrust into her harder and faster. The tight fit had them both groaning and shifting.

‘Damn you,’ he grunted.

‘I didn’t want this either.’ She’d tried to stay away, too, but that magnetic pull she’d felt that first evening had been indomitable.

They fell into a hard, driving rhythm, and words turned into cries and groans. The mat hissed and squeaked as it cushioned their lovemaking. Elena’s senses were on overload. It was all so fast, so overwhelming.

And so carnal.

She craned her neck when he licked at her ear and she spotted their reflection in the floor-to-ceiling mirrors. She’d never seen anything so erotic. Their bodies were connecting, moving in the most intimate way, and to feel it as she watched …

She closed her eyes as her body began to spiral upwards.

She clung to the stranger who’d just become her lover. He was plunging faster and harder, and her hips rose to accept him. The slap of their bodies sounded naughty and wonderful in the empty room. That energy that always circled around them was now crackling inside them. The voltage was cranking higher and higher.

She cried out when it zapped inside her like a bolt of lightning. ‘Ah, Alex!’

He bucked into her and his neck arched as the charge ran through him too.

She felt his wet warmth spurt into her, and an aftershock hit her. They stayed that way, locked together, energy shimmering. It was chemical, magical and out of control. The surge couldn’t last. After long moments, the energy ebbed and then dipped.

Elena collapsed back against the blue mat and struggled to catch her breath. Alex relaxed upon her, his body heavy and warm.

‘Holy hell,’ he murmured. He brushed her hair away from her face. He looked as stunned as she felt. She stared into his grey eyes, happy that the wildness was gone. The panic and anxiety that had choked the room when she’d first entered had disappeared.

Only new feelings were starting to niggle at her.

Feelings of doubt …

Regret …

And, finally, dismay.

She looked up at the virile man she’d just made love to – the man she was still making love to. Their bodies were connected intimately, and she’d played a part in that. A big part, and why not? He was beautiful. Male perfection. She responded to him like she’d never responded to anyone else.

But this was Alex Wolfe.

Oh, dear God. What was wrong with her?

She pushed at his shoulder and tried to worm out from under him. ‘I … I have to go.’

His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t budge.

‘I can’t be here,’ she said tightly. She couldn’t do this.

She wiggled her hips, and his hands latched down tight.

‘Hold still,’ he said sharply. The lines on his forehead deepened as he looked at her, and that muscle in his jaw bulged. ‘Let me.’

Heat flared in her cheeks as he disconnected their bodies. Slowly. Almost as if emphasising it. Inside, she felt the flutter of desire and her anger bubbled up all over again. That would be his way, wouldn’t it? To lord it over her.

She felt wetness on the mat underneath her, and she bit her lip when his softened erection brushed against her thigh. Horror built up inside her.

She’d always been torn when it came to this man. He epitomised so many things for her … wealth, corruption, excess, greed … sex, physical attraction and lust … She knew both sides of the equation, yet rational thought had gone out the window when he’d touched her.

What was wrong with her? She was a smart, level-headed sort of girl. She knew right from wrong. This may have felt right, but it was so wrong it bordered on stupid.

She scrambled away when he sat up.

‘Elena.’

She looked at him as she clutched her jeans and her top to her chest. The expression on his face made her nearly crumple, but she steeled her spine. She rocked back onto her feet and stood. The position made her feel all the more vulnerable. She didn’t have the nerve to put on any of her clothes in front of him, and she knew that damned mirror stood at her back, reflecting everything for him to see.