Читать книгу The Dare Collection September 2019 - Stefanie London - Страница 27

I STRODE THROUGH the ostentatious, overblown nonsense of the hotel, paying no attention to the people scattering in my path, fury pounding in my blood, feeling absolutely fucking feral.

I’d thought I’d won this petty little fight with Dumont. I’d thought I’d got one over on him, stolen those fucking islands out from under him, made life a little bit harder for him.

But no, apparently not.

Apparently he was the one who’d got one over on me. Because by simply handing those islands over to me, he’d won.

He owed me, so Delaney had said.

Over the years, he’d tried to pay me back the money he’d lost, but I hadn’t accepted it. Because he’d thought it was just about the money and it wasn’t. It was about the years of working hard, the long hours of all the various jobs I’d had in order to save that money. And my mother, the long hours she’d put in to earn her nest egg.

The nest egg she’d lost because of me.

Dumont couldn’t give me those hours back. He couldn’t give me back my mother’s broken trust, either.

It’s not just about Dumont, though, is it? You don’t deserve any of this and you never have.

My jaw ached, the pounding fury propelling me down another gleaming white marble corridor and up some stairs.

No, fuck that. Of course I deserved it. I’d worked for everything I had. Fucking everything. My whole business was literally based on the blood I’d shed. My blood.

I’d fought for it and I’d been expecting to fight for this too. Except he’d denied me. It wasn’t the money he owed me, it was the fucking battle.

I strode down yet another corridor, not knowing where I was going. I had to walk off this rage because I wasn’t fit for any kind of polite company right now.

The corridor was full of doors and I opened one at random, entering a lavishly appointed suite that had a huge canopied bed pushed against one wall, French doors opposite leading out to a balcony with lots of white marble fretwork.

The parquet floor was covered with silk rugs and cushions, curtains of brightly patterned fabric billowing in the breeze coming through the open French doors. Another door led off the bedroom, probably into a bathroom.

Obviously I’d stumbled into some of the Billionaires Club intimate suites.

I turned around, intending to stride out again, only to come face-to-face with a flushed Ellie.

She was standing in the doorway, one fist holding a bunch of green fabric out of the way, breathing hard, as if she’d been running to catch up with me.

‘What are you doing here?’ I snapped before she could speak, furious that she was here when I was angry and no doubt dangerous. ‘Have you been following me?’

‘Of course I’ve been following you,’ she said breathlessly. ‘You just upped and left without a word. I wanted to see if you were okay.’

‘As you can see, I’m fine.’ I took a couple of steps towards her, hoping she’d get out of my way, but she didn’t.

‘You’re not fine.’ She tilted her head back to look up at me. ‘You’re furious.’

‘Move, Ellie,’ I growled, in no mood for her to argue. ‘You don’t want to be around me right now.’

She didn’t move. ‘What’s going on, Ash?’

No, I did not want to have this conversation with her. Not in any way, shape or form. I didn’t want to explain the rage that sat inside me, not when I could barely explain it to myself. And I certainly didn’t want her floating around in her gown with its plunging neckline and tight-fitting bodice, outlining the lovely shapes of her breasts and hips. How the green made her skin look creamy and her eyes glitter like emeralds.

How it made me want to get rid of this rage by ripping that dress from her body and taking her down on the silken rugs right here, right now; to unleash myself on her lovely body, hold her down while I fucked away the fury that I could never quite seem to escape.

But I didn’t want to do that. Not after what she’d been through with one man who’d hurt her already.

And besides, I wasn’t in any mood to hear the word ‘no’ from anyone.

I took another step towards her, making myself seem as big and as intimidating as possible, hoping to scare her into getting out of the way.

But she only frowned, coming into the room and shutting the door behind her.

Silly, silly girl.

‘What the fuck do you think you’re doing?’ I demanded, trying to get a handle on myself. ‘Get away from me.’

She sniffed. ‘I don’t think so. You’re really pissed off about Dumont and I want to know why.’

‘I’m not explaining myself to you.’

‘No, well, of course you don’t have to if you don’t want to.’ Her chin lifted. ‘But I’m not going anywhere until you do.’

‘You’re a fool. You don’t think I won’t just pick you up and move you out of my way?’

‘Come on, then.’ Challenge burned in her eyes. ‘I dare you.’

If she expected me to hesitate, she was wrong.

I strode up to her and put my hands on her hips, preparing to pick her up and move her out of my way physically.

But she only lifted her arms and wound them around my neck, her body leaning into mine. ‘Ash,’ she said softly. ‘Tell me what’s wrong.’

And I felt myself freeze in place as the warmth of her began to penetrate, making the fire inside me burn hotter, turning it from anger into something far hungrier and more volatile. A seething mass of desire that somehow was only encouraged by the soft note in her voice.

Her eyes were the most perfect blend of gold and green I’d ever seen and framed by long, thick, dark lashes. They were full of concern, and I wasn’t sure why. In fact, I wasn’t sure why I mattered to her at all.

‘You know what I want to do, don’t you?’ My voice had gone deep and guttural, my grip on her hips no doubt punishing.

She didn’t look away from me, nor did she try to escape. Her body was hot and pliant against mine as if she were exactly where she wanted to be. ‘No. Why don’t you tell me?’

‘I want to fuck you. Hard. On the floor. And I don’t want to be told no and I don’t want you to even attempt to take the wheel.’

There was no fear in her eyes, not even a flicker. ‘It’s the fight you want, isn’t it? You need it.’

I don’t know how she understood, but she did. ‘I’m going to be rough, Ellie,’ I growled. ‘I’m not going to hold back. So if that’s a problem for you, you need to leave now.’ Before her musky scent and the heat of her body stole what remained of my control.

Her arms around my neck tightened. ‘I’m fine with it.’

Something inside me pulsed hard.

‘You should be afraid of me.’ My voice was raw and rough. ‘You should be fucking scared.’

Her eyes widened in genuine surprise. ‘Why?’

I reached up and buried one hand in her hair, curling my hand into a fist, pulling her head back, and not gently.

She gave a gasp but I couldn’t see any fear in her eyes, only small sparks of green and gold. Her lips parted and she touched her tongue to the bottom one, her gaze drifting down to my mouth then back again. ‘Is that supposed to scare me? Because I have to tell you, it’s having the opposite effect.’

She didn’t know what she was taking on. She had no idea. Me in this mood? I was the baddest bet there ever was, though not if you were betting on me to win a fight. In this mood, I always won.

I held tight onto her hair, the strands silky and soft against my skin, and leaned in, my lips almost brushing hers. ‘I suggest you change your mind.’

She sighed, her breath minty and warm, the press of her tits against my chest making my head spin. ‘Are you kidding me?’ she murmured. ‘Not a chance.’

Of course she wouldn’t. She didn’t understand. So maybe it was time I showed her.

I tightened my grip and held her still as I closed the distance between us, devouring the sweetness of her mouth utterly.

She shivered, stilling as I thrust my tongue into her mouth, taking it, ravaging it as if it was mine to do what I wanted with.

But then her arms constricted like a vine around my neck and she was kissing me back, her tongue meeting mine, thrusting and devouring, twining and tasting. It was raw and desperate and I was down on the floor with her before I’d even realised what was happening.

Fabric tore as I put my hands on her, ripping away the tissue-fine silk of her gown, exposing golden skin. She didn’t stop me, her own hands struggling with the jacket of my tux, then giving up to find the buttons on my shirt, jerking at them in a frenzy.

But she wasn’t in charge of this now. I was.

With one last rip, I got rid of the remains of her gown, taking her underwear with it. Then when she was naked, I flipped her over onto her stomach and pulled her hands behind her back. She gasped, struggling against my hold. ‘Let me see you,’ she said thickly. ‘I want to touch you.’

‘No.’ I used my weight to keep her pinned, holding her hands at the base of her spine. ‘I told you that you weren’t in charge.’

‘What are you going to do?’

She didn’t sound afraid in the least, only curious.

‘This,’ I growled and grabbed at a length of the green fabric, tying it around her wrists to keep them where they were.

‘Oh...’ The word sighed out of her in a moan, her naked body soft and hot beneath mine.

Now her hands were tied, I put mine on the floor on either side of her head, grinding my aching cock against the soft curves of her bare arse. ‘And then,’ I snarled, hungry and feral, ‘I’m going to fuck you hard the way I told you I would.’

She moaned, shuddering, her hips rising to meet mine, pushing herself back against me like the little warrior she was.

And something inside me growled in deep satisfaction.

Of course she’d meet me in this. She wasn’t weak and she wasn’t a coward. And she enjoyed the fight as much as I did.

My hands were shaking as I got my trousers undone and it took longer than I would have liked to get the condom on, too, but then it was done and I put one hand beneath her, my palm on her stomach, raising her so she was perfectly positioned to take my cock.

Then I flexed my hips, rubbing the head of my dick through the slick folds of her delicious little pussy, the friction making me growl in pleasure.

She shuddered again, bucking her hips against mine, urging me on. ‘Ash, please...’ she panted.

I’d never managed to resist that throaty plea and I didn’t now, pushing hard and deep inside her. But then I had to pause, the tight clasp and the slick heat blanking my brain entirely. The pleasure was unbelievable and for a good few seconds I simply couldn’t move. I hadn’t been this close to coming prematurely since I’d been an overenthusiastic teenager.

She was trembling beneath me, her breathing wild and uncontrolled. ‘Oh...’ she moaned, her back flexing and arching as she tried to take me deeper. ‘Oh, God...’

Fuck. No. She wasn’t going to take control of me that easily. Not tonight. Not after fucking Dumont had taken my victory from me.

I shoved her hips down flat to the floor, letting my weight slowly rest on her so she was pinned. Then I gave her a couple of shallow thrusts, which was a little of what she wanted, but not everything.

She gave another moan. ‘Ash...please...’

I gripped her bound wrists, teasing her with a few more shallow thrusts, while I kept my other hand on one hip to stop her bucking up. She cried out in frustration but I ignored her, teasing myself as much as her with her heat and slickness.

Pleasure licked up my spine, twining with my rage to become something more intense, something stronger.

I snarled like an animal and pulled her up on her knees, thrusting hard into her, driving myself into her as deep as I could get. She was panting now, the feel of her beneath me mesmerising, the slap of her flesh against mine more arousing than any aphrodisiac.

I looked down at her writhing body trying to keep pace and then managing it, synchronising with me, her panting breaths matching the sound of my own. Then we were surging together, neither one of us trying to get the upper hand this time, but moving with one another, perfectly aligned, perfectly in time.

Travelling together to the same destination.

The edge of my anger became less raw, less ragged, and something powerful tightened in my chest. She’d come after me, she hadn’t let me frighten her away. No, she’d simply wrapped her arms around my neck and given herself to me as if I weren’t a bitter, angry man. As if I were more than that.

And for a moment I wanted to believe her. I wanted to be something more, something other than myself. The kid my dad hadn’t wanted. The teenager who’d broken my mother’s trust.

The man who’d burned a deep friendship on the altar of his pride.

I didn’t want to be any of those things.

I wanted to be someone who was worthy of the trust she’d placed in me and who could bring her pleasure.

So I curled my body over hers, thrusting deeper, reaching around to cup the softness of her tits, pinching her nipples, increasing the speed and rhythm. She began to shudder, writhing up against me, twisting around, her hungry mouth trying to find mine. So I let go of her breasts and grabbed her hair in one fist, tugging her head around so she could kiss me.

Her mouth was hungry and desperate, and I kissed her back hard, reaching down with my free hand, sliding down across the trembling plane of her stomach to the slick flesh of her pussy. Her clit was swollen and hard and she cried out as I stroked lightly over it, her whole body trembling in response.

‘Oh, Ash... I need you...please...please...’

All my aggression and anger fell away, all my focus on her and what she needed.

I rumbled my appreciation of her, stroking her clit in time with my thrusts, fighting the unbearable pleasure that was pulling at me, determined that she was going to come before I did. And sure enough, another touch and one deep thrust, and she gave a high, thin scream as the orgasm hit, the convulsion of her pussy around my cock unmistakable, releasing something feral inside me.

As she trembled and gasped beneath me, I unleashed myself, thrusting wildly and hard, driving myself inside her, until the climax hit me, too, like a bomb going off in the confines of my body, blasting me with pleasure so intense I couldn’t do anything but roar as lights burst behind my eyes.

It took a long time for me to come back to myself and when I did, I could hear some muffled sobs. A second later, I realised it was Ellie and she was crying.

My chest went so tight it was painful.

Jesus, was it something I’d done? Had I hurt her?

A cold feeling wound through me, the languid heat of the orgasm disappearing.

Pulling out of her, I dealt with the condom in a nearby and cleverly disguised bin, then bent and gathered her trembling body into my arms. She tried to push against me, turning her face away, but I ignored it, tightening my grip as I took her over to the bed and laid her down on it. Then I stripped off my clothes and climbed in beside her, drawing the thick, soft velvety quilt over us as I held her small body close to mine, using my touch to soothe her.

She pushed against my chest. ‘Don’t,’ she muttered even as more sobs caught in her throat. ‘I’m fine.’

‘You’re not fine.’ I held her tighter, not even sure what I was doing, something deep and instinctive inside me responding to her tears. ‘Did I hurt you? Because if I did—’

‘No,’ she said thickly. ‘You didn’t hurt me. It’s just... I don’t know what’s happening. That was just so...amazing. I can’t... I don’t know...’

I stroked her hair, wanting to give her some reassurance, the strands silky and soft against my palm. ‘What did I say about not minding a fuss? You can cry if you want. Tears don’t bother me.’ Although I was beginning to think that her tears in particular bothered me. As in, I didn’t like them if it meant she was in pain.

She sighed, some of her resistance receding. ‘It just makes...this seem like a big deal.’

‘This being the sex, you mean?’

Another soft sigh escaped her. ‘Yeah.’

I looked down at her pink face, the fierce protectiveness that had hit me earlier gripping me again. Her life seemed to be full of her being concerned for other people’s feelings, while no one was ever concerned with hers. Certainly her bloody father hadn’t been and I suspected her brothers weren’t overly involved either.

Perhaps today, right now, someone could show her that her feelings mattered. That they were important.

And that someone was going to be me.

‘It is a big deal.’ I ignored the warning that went off in my head as I spoke. ‘It’s a fucking huge deal.’

Her hazel eyes were wide and dark from beneath lashes glittering with moisture. ‘You think so?’

I stared back, letting her see the truth in my eyes. ‘It certainly doesn’t feel like any sex I’ve ever had before.’

A wave of colour washed through her skin. ‘But you’ve had a lot, haven’t you? A lot of sex, I mean.’

‘Yes, I’ve had a lot. And no, this is not the same. Not in any way.’

‘Oh.’ She blinked a couple of times, looking shocked.

I narrowed my gaze. ‘Just how often have you had sex?’ Obviously it wasn’t going to be much.

Her chin lifted, but the flush in her skin betrayed her. ‘A couple of times. With my high-school boyfriend. I mean, after Mark...’

She didn’t finish the sentence, but then she didn’t need to. I knew already. And I could understand. She hadn’t wanted to be with anyone after him. Except me.

I wouldn’t have been human if that hadn’t satisfied me on some level, while at the same time a small part of me was appalled.

Violent and angry and selfish. Yeah, you’re a great choice.

The cold threat inside me pulled tight through the heat of my triumph.

‘What?’ Ellie’s gaze sharpened on my face, her warm palm pressing against my chest.

It was disturbing how easily she could read me, though I should have expected that by now.

‘You shouldn’t be letting me touch you,’ I said gruffly, not in a position to be able to deny her anything, not when she was naked and locked in my arms, with tears on her cheeks. ‘You need someone patient and gentle. Someone kind. Christ, someone less angry at least.’

Her brow wrinkled. ‘I don’t want someone patient and kind. Sure, you have a few issues with your anger and you’ve snapped at me a few times, but you’ve never been violent. You’ve never made me feel afraid. Mark was supposed to be a nice guy and look what he did.’ She began to trace circles on my skin with her cool fingers. ‘You’re take-charge, Ash. A bit arrogant, but I kind of like that. I like that you’re passionate, too, and how you don’t care who knows it. How you don’t care what anyone thinks of you. I really admire that about you.’

I ached, a longing I didn’t know it was possible to feel tugging at my heart. She admired me... God help her.

‘Ellie,’ I began roughly.

‘Patient and kind, I’d eat for breakfast,’ she went on, totally ignoring me. ‘I like arrogant and bossy and grumpy. And I really like sexy and hot and tattooed.’ She shot a coy glance from beneath her lashes. ‘But you know what I’d like most of all? If you told me what pissed you off so much before.’