Читать книгу The Boss's Nine-Month Negotiation - Майя Блейк - Страница 11

CHAPTER TWO

‘NO, YOU’RE NOT CRAZY.’

The strained admission restored a little of her hurt. As did the slightly desperate aura about him as he nudged her backwards into the bedroom. Whatever else was going on, Emiliano still wanted her. It was by no means anywhere near what she ultimately wanted from him, but the knowledge soothed and settled the wild alarm racing through her veins. A little restored feminine power would sustain her. For now.

Tomorrow. She’d revisit the subject again tomorrow. Once they’d slaked far more immediate and urgent needs. Even though it went against her nature to leave a problem untackled, she would refrain from pushing for answers tonight.

With that thought, she let go of her dress. It pooled to the floor a mere second before Emiliano pounced, lifting her out of it to stand her naked except for her thong and his jewels. His arms dropped back to his sides, and she watched his hands clench with electric tension for a ragged second, then jerk towards her, beckoning her forward, his eyes burning gold. ‘Come here, Sienna.’

Invitation of the most sinful nature. Invitation she grasped with both hands, stumbling forward into his arms.

Hard hands plastered her against his body and tangled in her hair, holding her still before she could satisfy the urgent need to kiss him.

He stared down at her, eyes endless pools of shadows, secrets and passion. But between one second and the next, she once again caught a glimpse of something that made her heart clench.

‘Emiliano...’

He nudged her even closer, heat from his body chopping off her words, the disturbing look in his eyes resolutely erased. ‘Take what you need, my little wildcat,’ he breathed against her mouth.

With a moan, she rose on tiptoe, her hands sliding around his neck as her mouth pressed gloriously, ravenously, against his. Her eyes slid shut, the better to savour what she’d missed, what she’d craved so desperately, these past six days. Her senses sang when his hands wrapped tighter, mercilessly, around her, his deep groan relaying his mutual feelings.

Tongues meshing, relishing, devouring, the kiss deepened, their ragged breathing the only sound in the room as he walked her backwards on plush carpet, his aim the wide bed which was their personal haven.

Sienna gripped him tighter as he swept her off her feet and placed her on the bed. When he attempted to move, to shed the rest of his clothes, she stopped him, the idea of letting him go bringing a fresh wave of alarm.

If her unusually possessive hold on him registered, he didn’t give an indication. Instead, he rolled them sideways, still delivering hot, pleasurable kisses as he impatiently shucked off shoes and trousers. His briefs followed and her breath caught all over again at the heat of his girth against her thigh.

Greedy hands closed over his steely hardness. They both groaned. Oh, how she’d longed for this.

‘I missed you. So much!’ she gasped between kisses, once again letting go of the tight hold she usually held on her emotions.

His body grew tauter, the carnal tension whipped through him, making muscles and sinew rock-hard beneath her touch. She expected him to reply with something wickedly decadent. His clever tongue would usually by now be whispering erotically charged words in her ear.

He remained silent even as his hands moved feverishly over her body.

Her often vocal, always possessive lover was choosing mute seduction, delivering his pleasure through his hands and mouth, ruthlessly dragging double bliss with harder kisses and rougher caresses. Sienna thrilled to the exchange even as she pushed back the million whys that demanded answering.

His tongue slid over her skin, tasting her nipples, sucking, teasing, melting her thoughts, to leave only pure sensation. A firm tug at her hips ripped free her panties, then he was there, at the centre of her need, delivering even more potent bliss. She sank her fingers into his hair, her cries growing louder as pleasure piled upon pleasure. Until it culminated in endless waves of ecstasy.

Sienna was still floating when he parted her thighs wider, filling her senses with his presence. Prying her eyes open, she stared at the god whose intellect and charisma left her in awe, whose touch lifted her from ordinary to extraordinary.

Who was staring at her with narrowed eyes even more shadowed than they had been minutes ago. Before she could attempt to voice her quaking thoughts, he slanted his mouth over hers and penetrated her in one smooth, urgent thrust.

Flung straight back to nirvana, Sienna could only hold on as she was completely, utterly possessed. Nails bit into flesh, cries turned into screams. Emiliano pushed her to the brink over and over, slowing down just before she reached her peak. As if he wanted their lovemaking to go on for ever. As if he wanted to be imprinted on her very soul.

As if he wanted the experience to be unforgettable.

Why?

The word blazed across her mind again, larger, louder. Her hands shook as she framed his face, searching his eyes.

‘Emiliano...please...’ she whispered.

His jaw turned to stone beneath her fingers. With a thick grunt, he pulled out of her body, flipped her onto her stomach and surged back into her. Brushing her hair out of the way, he sank his teeth into her nape, roughly tasting her, branding her. Raw pleasure ploughed through her, leaving her clawing at the sheets as another orgasm surged high.

Behind her, she heard his rough breathing, his own impending climax bearing down on him. She wanted to hold him in her arms, look into his eyes and be reassured that everything was all right between them. Or as near enough as possible.

Because, although it had hurt to have him point it out, she knew their relationship had a few inescapable flaws. Flaws that seemed to gape wider with each passing second. Flaws she needed to address.

But he had her pinned, six feet three inches of superior masculinity spread all over her delivering sensation she never wanted to end. So, closing her eyes, Sienna gave in, diving headlong into pure heaven as stars exploded across her vision.

Endless minutes later, when their bodies had cooled and their breathing calmed, he slid off her and gathered her in his arms.

Strong fingers slid into her hair, the movement unusually jerky. His gaze was hooded when it met hers, hiding his expression.

‘Happy birthday,’ he rasped.

‘I...’ She floundered for a second, wondering whether to go back on her resolution and tread the dangerous waters swirling beneath her feet.

‘Emiliano...’

‘These look exquisite on you.’ He pulled her closer, his fingers slipping down to trace the skin beneath the diamond necklace even as the forbidding force of his stare punched holes in her resolve.

Tomorrow, she decided once again. ‘Thank you,’ she murmured.

Tilting her head up, he placed a hard, short kiss on her swollen lips. ‘Sleep now,’ he ordered.

In the aftermath of bliss and even with her mind churning, Sienna couldn’t hold back the drugging effect of that command. So she gave in.

* * *

What felt like only minutes later, she jerked upright, her heart hammering. Beside her, Emiliano was lost in slumber, one muscled arm curved over his head. Heart twisting, she studied him, vainly trying to decipher what was wrong. In sleep, his breathtakingly handsome face was less forbidding, his jaw slightly slack and his forehead smooth. She didn’t deem him any less intimidating but at least she could stare at him now without the bracing force field that usually surrounded him. She even dared to lift a hand to his full lower lip, tracing the velvet-smooth skin. He exhaled harshly in his sleep and she froze. Withdrawing her fingers, she lay back, knowing sleep was out of the question with her mind once again in churn mode.

Half an hour later, she gave up and rose from the bed. At 5:30 a.m. in early November, it was still dark outside. Going for a run outside in the dark without Emiliano would incur his displeasure, as she’d found out on the one occasion she’d attempted to do so. In fact, he’d completely banned her from running outside without him. But she needed physical exertion to prevent her from waking him up and demanding to know what was going on.

Quietly tugging on her running gear in the large dressing room adjoining the master suite, she silently let herself out and took the lift down to the basement, where the top-line gym reserved for the exclusive use of the penthouse owners was located. Plugging in her earbuds, she hit the treadmill, running at her top speed for a solid hour before her leaden legs forced her to slow down.

When she stepped off the machine, her resolution was firmly back in place, her mind no longer racing. Emiliano valued her professionally because she wasn’t afraid to go after tough, seemingly unattainable deals. It was what had seen her rise from junior fund manager to junior vice-president in the three years she’d been with his venture capitalist firm.

While privately her lack of sexual experience placed her somewhat on a back foot, she’d never let Emiliano cow her. She was also brave enough to admit her new but secret emotions also factored in whatever situation was brewing between them. Which was why she would tackle it now.

Setting down the bottle of mineral water she’d rehydrated from, she left the basement via the stairs. She would pick up the newspapers and magazines they had delivered to the penthouse to prevent their talk from being interrupted by the concierge.

She reached the ground floor and crossed the polished marble foyer to the concierge desk. Exchanging a greeting with the manager, she accepted the stack and crossed to the lift. The other tiny secret she’d been harbouring for several weeks lightened her heart a little as she entered the carriage and pressed the button.

Having witnessed the pleased light in Emiliano’s eyes whenever she’d responded in Spanish to a simple question, she’d embraced the idea to take it further.

She hadn’t divulged her attempt to learn Spanish to Emiliano because she’d wanted to approach the outskirts of proficiency before she told him. Privately, she’d devoured Spanish newspapers and magazines in her spare time in the hope of quickly learning her lover’s mother tongue, and even admitted that it had become a guilty pleasure to gorge on all things Argentinian.

Unfortunately, it was the reason the headline screaming from the front page of the glossy celebrity magazine made perfect sense to her once she fished it out of the pile.

Stumbling out of her lift, she froze to a halt, her heart dropping to her toes. Unable to catch her breath, she stared, first at the photo, then back at the headline.

A Castillo-Cabrera Union!

The rest of the papers fell out of her hand, her useless limbs unable to hang on to anything but the evidence of all her whys spelled out in bold white letters. Her shocked eyes dropped to the smaller print.

The Polo Match Made in Heaven!

Emiliano Castillo to Wed Graciela Cabrera.

There were other words, such as wedding of the year... Dynastic union... Valentine’s Day wedding...

But her vision was blurring, her heart refusing to pump properly. She was going to pass out. She was sure of it. She wasn’t sure whether to view her present state as a blessing. What she did know was that she wanted to block out the sight of Emiliano and the drop-dead gorgeous caramel blonde sitting at the intimate candlelit table, her hand on top of his, her smile holding a thousand delicious secrets as she stared at him.

And he stared back at her.

He wasn’t smiling—Emiliano never smiled in the presence of a camera, especially one wielded by a paparazzo. Most of the time he glared at the intrusion. He wasn’t glaring this time. The expression on his face was even...accommodating. Fond.

Lungs burning, Sienna forced herself to take a breath. Turn the pages. Her world turning to ash, she stared at glossy page after glossy page of Emiliano and his new amor. On the fifth page, she stared, tears surging into her eyes, at the ring on the finger which announced Graciela Cabrera as the brand new fiancée of Emiliano Castillo.

To add insult to injury, her heart tripped to a stop when she saw what Emiliano was wearing. If there was even a shadow of a doubt that this picture was a terrible, cruel hoax, it was wiped clean when she saw the tie. She’d gifted that tie to him on his birthday two months ago—had packed it in his suitcase herself exactly one week ago, when she’d sent him off with a kiss on his lips and hope in her heart. She was world-wise enough to know sometimes the tabloid media regurgitated old photos and manipulated images to suit their headline. The evidence of the tie confirmed these pictures weren’t fakes.

Finally, everything about last night...about the past few days’ silence...made sense.

She stumbled forward, the scattered papers forgotten as she made her way back inside, absently wondering how she was able to put one foot in front of the other when she felt so numb.

Time and space ceased to make sense until she was standing before the bedroom doors. Her hand shook as she raised it to the handle. She clenched her fist tight in a desperate bid to retain some control. She had to confront this, in spite of what the outcome would be.

Had to.

She jerked at the forceful wrench of the door from the inside, stealing away the control she’d barely summoned. Emiliano stopped short before her, his face in a deep frown.

‘Sienna, what are you doing standing...?’

She stared at him. He was right there in front of her. Powerful. Magnetically charismatic. Drop-dead gorgeous.

Bastard.

She didn’t want to look at him. Dear God, it hurt just to lift her gaze to meet his. Because even now she wanted desperately to cling to the hope that she’d got it wrong. That the pictures in the magazine clutched in her fist, his lack of emails, his coldly forbidding expression upon his return, even his silent lovemaking, had all been in her imagination.

But she met his gaze. And knew she was clinging to false hope.

‘Is it true?’ she tried asking anyway. One last time.

Tawny gold eyes hardened a touch, the coldness returning. ‘Is what true?’

A bolt of anger freed her frozen limbs. ‘Don’t play games with me, Emiliano. It’s beneath—’

She’d been about to say us. Except there was no us any more. Had there ever been? Her frantic brain raced, desperately sifting, analysing every gesture, every word, wondering if everything she’d lived, revelled in and hoped for during their relationship had been based on a colossal lie.

‘This!’ She shoved the magazine into the bare steel torso draped with the navy blue shirt he’d been about to button. ‘Is it true you’re engaged?’

Ripping off her MP4 player and earphones, she dropped them onto a nearby dresser and turned, watching him flip through the pages before tossing the magazine aside.

The eyes that met hers were arrogantly unapologetic. ‘Yes.’

The last minute’s anger had fooled her into thinking she was strong, that she could withstand whatever was coming her way.

She was wrong.

The punch to her solar plexus from his words robbed her of breath and weakened her knees. Shaking her head, she stared at him. Waited for him to continue. He didn’t. He just stared back at her, his expression icily neutral. ‘“Yes”? That’s all you’re going to say?’

He braced strong hands on lean hips, his stance cold and withdrawn. ‘You’re in no condition to hear any more right now—’

‘Are you serious? So what, you expect me to just...go through my day until you deem me ready?’ Incredulity rendered her voice hoarse and shaky.

‘I would prefer to have this conversation with you when you’re not emotionally high-strung, sí,’ he rasped before raising his hands to begin buttoning his shirt.

Inhaling long and slow, Sienna fought for the control she was so good at attaining in the workplace. Except this wasn’t work. This was so much more. ‘You owe me an explanation. Right now. Or are you too much of a coward to grant me one?’

He froze, hard eyes lancing into her with the brutal force of a scalpel. ‘Watch your tone with me, querida,’ he warned.

‘Do not call me that! You just told me you’re engaged to another woman. Engaged! And you dare to call me your darling?’

A puzzled expression flicked like lightning over his face, as if he didn’t understand her objection. Then it was gone and he was back to the stranger who’d walked into their penthouse twelve hours ago.

Her green eyes flashed. ‘Were you seeing her behind my back?’

A black frown clamped his forehead as he secured the last button. ‘I do not cheat.’

‘No? You’ve never cheated? What was last night, then? Weren’t you cheating on her with me?’

‘You’re my lover. She knows of our association. She understands that it needs to be taken care of.’

‘Oh, how very accommodating of her. And is that what you were doing last night? Taking care of me before you dumped me?’

He jerked back, as if she’d struck him. ‘Sienna, you need to calm—’

‘You couldn’t resist one last tumble between the sheets before you handed me my marching orders?’

He had the grace to look uncomfortable. ‘It was your birthday...’

Hot pins stabbed her until she was a whisper away from howling. It was too much to take standing still. So she paced. ‘How decent of you. I was the poor, pathetic soon-to-be ex-lover you couldn’t stand to disappoint on her birthday, so you waited for me to find out what you’d been up to from the press?’

He slammed the cufflinks he’d picked up back onto the dresser. ‘Basta! This wasn’t how I intended to break the news.’

‘How very inconvenient for you!’

He pinched the bridge of his nose and inhaled deeply. ‘I’m heading to the office now—I have a conference call scheduled with Norway which has been postponed twice. But let’s catch up later. Maybe this evening? I don’t mind if you take the day off to absorb the news. Then, tonight, we can talk about this rationally.’

‘About the fact that you were going on a trip to see your parents but went and got engaged instead?’

His jaws gritted together for a second. ‘Amongst other things, yes.’

She forced herself to stop. To face him. ‘Fine, let’s have it. Surely I’m worth five minutes of your time right now?’

‘I don’t think—’

‘I do!’

Taking a deep breath, he stared at her. ‘Sienna, it wasn’t supposed to happen this way.’

‘What wasn’t? Please spell it out fully so I understand.’

One sleek eyebrow rose as if he was seeing her in a new light. In that moment, Sienna wasn’t sure she wanted to find out what he saw as he stared at her.

‘The way you’re reacting right now, I’m almost tempted to believe your career isn’t more important to you than this thing between us, whereas I know for a fact that, if I asked you to choose, you wouldn’t even blink before choosing the former.’

She inhaled sharply. ‘First of all, if we ever found ourselves in the position of you asking me to choose, then we’d be in serious trouble, especially when I know how many female, family-orientated executives you employ. Which makes me think this would most probably be some sort of test. Why would you need to do that, Emiliano?’

He shrugged, but the gleam she’d witnessed in his eyes last night burned even brighter this morning. ‘Perhaps the idea of coming second best doesn’t sit well with me. Perhaps I’m thoroughly bored of it.’

Shocked laughter spilled from her lips. ‘Second best? How... When...have you ever allowed yourself to come second best? You win at absolutely everything!’

His lids swept down, his mouth twisting. ‘That is where you’re wrong.’

‘Fine. Maybe we don’t know each other as well as we should, but I guess you not even bothering to give me any option speaks volumes!’

He slashed a hand through his hair. ‘I was going to give you... Dios, this wasn’t how... I have to do this.’

She stilled, the combination of Emiliano struggling for words and the choice of those words unsettling her. ‘You have to?’

‘Si, I gave my word.’

‘Your word? To who?’

He huffed, a breath filled with icy frustration. ‘It’s a family thing. I don’t know enough about your own family circumstances, since you’ve never felt quite like sharing, so I will forgive you if you don’t understand.’

That cut her off at the knees. ‘How dare you?’ She gasped, raw pain hammering her from heart to soul. ‘You’ve equally withheld your own background from me. Don’t punish me for thinking I was respecting your wishes. And, whatever my circumstances, you can’t assume that I don’t understand the concept of family.’ Being an orphan had triggered a yearning for a family of her own, a wish she held dear in her heart, the fulfilment of that dream a hope she refused to give up.

Emiliano’s mouth thinned. ‘You mistook my meaning.’

‘Looks like I’ve mistaken a lot of things. Things like you neglecting to tell me you’ve been promised to somebody else all along.’

‘I’m not. I wasn’t.’

‘Then what is this?’ She indicated the paper. ‘Don’t insult my intelligence. You know her. There’s a familiarity there, so something must have been going on.’

‘Our families are...connected. I’ve known her since she was a child.’

‘And they needed a marriage, so you agreed to step in?’ she mocked with a pained laugh.

Laughter that dried up when he nodded.

‘Yes, something like that.’

She gasped. ‘You’re serious.’

He didn’t blink. ‘I’m serious.’

Her mouth dropped open, but no words emerged. Shaking her head, she tried to clear the buzzing growing louder.

‘I’m going to go out on a limb and mention that there is another scenario I was thinking about for us in light of this news.’

He stared at her, a touch of something she absurdly wanted to label uncertainty flashing across his face before it disappeared. When her vocal cords refused to work, he continued, ‘If you want our...liaison to continue, I’m willing to discuss how we—’

A punch of rage freed up her vocal cords. ‘I sincerely hope you’re not about to suggest I be your bit on the side while you’re married to someone else!’

His face hardened into a rigid mask of fury. ‘Please refrain from putting words in my mouth.’

She folded her arms. ‘Okay, I’m listening.’

He started to speak, then clenched his jaw again and shook his head. ‘Perhaps discretion is the better part of valour here. I’ll be speaking to my lawyers this morning. You can keep the penthouse and everything in it. I’ll have the requisite deeds drawn up. Also one of the cars. Pick whichever one you please. If you want anything else, let me know. I’ll try and accommodate—’