Chapter 14 #2
Frustrated by her hysterics, he kept chasing her. He saw the slick patch of grass ahead as she darted off the patio and across the small rectangle of lawn. The fenced staff area had a gate that led to the parking lot, and if she made it out there, he worried she might be struck by a car.
“Wait! Elona!”
She made it six steps before her short heels slipped on the wet grass. She went down hard, right on her belly. Her head bounced, and he feared she had knocked herself out from the impact.
“Elona!” He crouched down next to her, but she came up swinging, rolling onto her back and throwing her elbows like a champion MMA fighter. She kicked him in the thigh, the heel of her shoe making him grunt in agony, and then she scampered away, half crawling, half stumbling.
He caught hold of her skirt, gripping the fabric so hard he heard it rip.
He didn’t let go. He grabbed her bare leg in the other hand and managed to finally stop her.
She fell onto her side and then rolled onto her back again, ready to fight him.
She kicked at him, but he anticipated the move and blocked it.
What he didn’t anticipate was losing his balance and falling right on top of her.
His face slammed into her breasts, and she made a disgusted and outraged sound before shoving at his shoulders. “Get off me!”
He tried. He really did. But she was wiggling around, and the ground was slick and every single move he made seemed to make their situation worse.
When she shifted her left leg, he fell between her thighs, his body coming in dangerous contact with hers.
They both gasped, her from being assaulted by her family’s mortal enemy and him from the perfect way their bodies fit together.
The cushion of her thighs and the soft heat between them made his brain blitz for a second.
She moved again, trying to get away from him, but all she managed to do was thrust herself against his cock. The adrenaline of the chase and the fight had left him half-hard, and judging by the way she froze, she felt it.
The twinkling lights strung up along the perimeter of the staff patio illuminated her face. He finally dared to meet her gaze, and he was stunned that it wasn’t disgust he saw there. It was shock and surprise and something else he really, really didn’t want to name.
Not that he could blame her. He had both of her wrists trapped overhead against the grass, and he was situated between her thighs in the most outrageous way.
Her breasts heaved with every breath, and her lips were parted.
She looked fucking beautiful laid out beneath him, and he had never wanted to kiss a woman more.
“Get off me,” she growled. “You fucking pervert!”
That should have killed his raging libido.
It didn’t.
If anything, it made him want to kiss her even more. He wanted to taste her mouth, to suck on her full lower lip, to trail soft kisses down her neck to her breasts. He wanted to kiss the fight out of her and then use his mouth to do more interesting things a little farther down.
“I’ll get off of you if you promise not to run again.”
She scowled. “You better get comfortable because I’m not making that promise.”
“Fine by me.” He shifted slightly, moving his weight from one knee to the other. She gasped again, no doubt feeling how hard he was against her thigh.
“You’re disgusting,” she spat.
“And you’re beautiful.”
She snorted derisively. “I think something got lost in translation.”
He flinched at the reminder of what he had said. “No, I meant what I said.”
She glared up at him, her breaths still coming in quick huffs. “I know what you’re going to say, and I refuse. I absolutely fucking refuse to marry you.”
“Elona—”
“I’d rather die than be your wife.”
“That’s exactly what’s going to happen!” Guilt washed over him at shouting at her like that, so close to her face.
She went stock still underneath him. Her eyes widened in horror. Finally, in a terrified whisper, she said, “You’re a monster.”
“You belong to a family of monsters. You should be used to them by now.” Still holding tight to her wrists, he gave her a little shake. “Look at me, and pay very close attention, Elona.”
Defiantly, she kept her gaze pinned on his shoulder for a few seconds before finally, reluctantly, meeting his glare.
“When your grandfather and I signed those peace contracts to end the war, we didn’t only put money in a trust to keep us in line.
We put a deadline on the marriage—and we’re almost out of time.
We’re down to the wire, and if a Beciraj doesn’t marry a Dushku and join our families together, they’re going to kill us all.
” He loosened his hold on her wrists but kept his fingers wrapped around them.
“You. Me. Rina. Your brother. Your sister. Your mother. Your grandfather. My uncle. His wife. Their baby. Probably Ben and Aston and their baby, too.”
She reacted with surprise. “Why?”
“Because we made a lot of trouble for this part of the world during our blood feud,” he answered simply. “The other families were satisfied by the truce and the peace and the payments, but if they think there’s a chance we’ll start fighting again, they’ll wipe us out.”
She let loose a shaky breath. “Get off me. Let me up.”
He didn’t argue with her this time. He moved away and stood, wincing as his body protested the movement. By this time tomorrow, he was going to be covered in dark bruises from this wild chase.
“Come on.” He held out his hands. “I’ll help you.”
To her credit, she didn’t fight with him or make a snarky remark. She shifted to her knees and then grasped his hands. He steadied her as she stood, taking his chance to get a good look at her.
“Your hair,” he said apologetically. Carefully, he swept a few strands behind her ear. The fancy updo had survived mostly intact as had her makeup, but her dress was a disaster. He’d ripped the skirt when he fell on top of her, and there were grass and mud stains all over the fabric.
She glanced down at the ruined dress and then shrugged. “Well, I was never going to be the prettiest bride anyway.”
“Stop.” The command startled her. “I won’t hear that from you again.”
She arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Already trying to control the way I think and speak?”
“If it means you won’t tear yourself down? Yes.”
Her gaze skipped to something behind him, and she gulped. “They’re all waiting for us.”
He glanced back to see Kristo and a priest at the kitchen door, watching and scrutinizing the scene. Realizing the priest could refuse to marry them, he beseeched, “Elona, please, for the love of God, don’t make this any harder than it has to be tonight.”
Her mouth quirked in a lopsided smile. “Tonight is the least of your worries, Luka.”
“I’ve been living my life twelve hours at a time for a long while now, Elona. Tonight is as far in the future as I can go.”
Her irritated expression softened. She almost looked as if she pitied him. “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”
He appreciated her Shakespeare quote, but he didn’t have enough command of the material to give one back. Instead, he held out his hand to her again. “Let’s get this over with before some other catastrophe arises.”
As if on cue, an explosion tore through the night, sending them both flying through the air.