Chapter Fourteen
Orion
E mmy’s sweet, vanilla scent was still clinging to me like a second skin when I returned to the kitchen. I never wanted it to leave, I wanted to drown in her perfume until it painfully filled my lungs, making me suffocate on it. Fuck, she smells good.
When I caught her drinking my whiskey in the kitchen, I had every intention of telling her off. Not because I gave a shit, she could have whatever she wanted, but having her hate me was the easiest way to keep the necessary distance between us.
But then she turned around to face me, and despite her assertive tongue, the usual fire in her eyes had been replaced with such intense dejection I felt as though I’d been punched in the gut.
I might be a cold bastard, but I didn’t make a habit of kicking people when they were drowning in their own sorrows.
Not to her .
Never to her.
Rosa sheepishly reappeared in front of me when I returned to the kitchen, acting as though I hadn’t watched her sneak away and leave me with a drunken Emmy twenty minutes ago. There was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she met my gaze, causing me to frown. “What?”
She shrugged a single shoulder, taking Emmy’s empty glass and washing it in the sink. “She’s right, mio caro , smiling does suit you.”
My brow perched as I pulled a bottle of water from the fridge. “I didn’t realize eavesdropping fell into your housekeeping responsibilities, Rosa.”
If it were anyone else, I’d have been pissed to learn my staff was listening into my conversations, but Rosa had been with me for nine years and I often saw her more as a harmless, maternal figure than a housemaid.
Plus, she had put up with my shit long enough to earn a bit of leniency.
This time she frowned, shooting me a stern look that had me feeling like I was ten years old and caught with my hand in the cookie jar, despite being a grown-ass man and owning said cookie jar.
“That poor woman has suffered enough without you barging in like a bulldozer. Her interview didn’t go well, and she was missing her parents. I was worried you were going to come in and make her feel worse.”
I opened my mouth to defend myself, but Rosa lifted her finger at me and my jaw clicked shut. Damn woman.
“But you’re different with her. There’s a softness in your voice that I only hear when you speak with Avery. Though you’re fighting it, I can see it in your eyes. Why?”
Rosa wasn’t wrong .
Annoyingly perceptive, yes. But wrong? No. Even though I hated it.
Every awakened nerve in my body screamed at me to hold Emmy and absorb her discomfort into my own, to stop giving a crap about what Atlas would think.
To find the source of her pain and gut it from the inside out, consequences be damned. To force her to look into my lifeless eyes, eyes that seemed to light up around her, and let her find anchorage in my soul.
But I didn’t.
I couldn’t.
By some God-given miracle, for the first time in my life, I’d practiced restraint, and I was convinced if I listened intently enough, I’d hear a priest and his choir singing hallelujah .
The truth was, women like Emmy craved a Prince Charming, always had and always would. Someone who would pierce light into her nightmarish world and rid the monsters lurking in the shadows.
But I was no knight in shining armor, never had been. I was the beast you prayed the prince would save you from before I tainted your soul and forced you to spend an eternity in chaos with me.
Which was why it was so mind-boggling that I was the same man who was having these… urges. Out-of-character urges.
Pretty sure I was hypnotized in some weird-ass trance when I carried her upstairs and put her to bed.
It was laughable, really. I didn’t have a gentle bone in my body, yet I had held her like she was a delicate little flower, concerned about being too rough and one of her precious petals falling off.
It pisses me off.
Emerson Fields had my brain sending misfires throughout my body, ordering it to do the exact opposite of what I wanted, and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it.
“She’s Atlas’ little sister, Rosa,” I breathed out, the weight of the words digging into my shoulders like sharp nails. “It’s a line even I can’t cross.”
Despite how many times I considered it, and there had been many, many times.
The need to see her sprawled over my bed, her pussy glistening and her tits bouncing as she screamed my name with each rough thrust was fucking overwhelming.
I was desperate to feel her, taste her.
To see those pretty blue eyes cry while her mouth was full of my cock.
Rosa hummed, bringing me back to reality, her expression unreadable as she returned to the dishes. “Matters of the heart rarely ever know boundaries, mio caro. ”
That’s the damn problem, Rosa. My heart should have nothing to do with this.
I’d softened at the mercy of Emmy tonight, and I couldn’t afford for that to happen again. Atlas was like a brother to me, and without the blessing I knew he wouldn’t give, my hunger for Emmy could destroy the one friendship I’d hate to lose.
I’d been avoiding Emmy like the fucking plague for the last two days, because every time I saw her, I had this maddening urge to grab her, drag her to my bedroom, and fuck her senseless.
The worst part was that it was no longer just about sex. I had this strange desire to know her, to find out what her favorite food was and all that kind of crap. It was terrible. Awful, even.
Therefore, distance was necessary.
Every time she entered the room, I found a reason to leave, and if I couldn’t, I avoided eye contact like I’d burn up in fucking flames if I spared her a single glance.
It turned out Emmy had quite an extensive vocabulary, one that would make any sailor proud.
Not that I am surprised.
She’d made it extremely clear she didn’t appreciate my “motherfucking, assholish, impertinent audacity.” It was a new one, even for me, and I’d been called many things.
I barely managed to hold my laugh in until she’d stomped out of the room like a baby elephant. But eventually, she accepted my indifference, and the silence expanded with every step away from each other we took until it had become a living, breathing entity between us.
In retaliation for my ignoring her, she seemed to be getting her own revenge by tormenting my control freak tendencies.
And it is working.
She had started by adjusting all the artwork in the foyer, etching the frames slightly so they were off-center. Anyone passing by wouldn’t even have noticed, but to me, it felt like someone had drawn a bright, crimson cross against them while bees buzzed incessantly in my head.
Then she proceeded to rearrange the order of the bookshelf in the living room from A-Z to Z-A. But not before she hid one of the books so I couldn’t get them to stand up straight, resulting in them falling against each other like a game of fucking dominos no matter how many times I realigned them.
Finally, just to send me spiraling off the thinning ledge, she had taken it upon herself to wipe down each of the mirrors in the apartment but then left a perfectly precise, horizontal line of dust over the reflecting glass on each of the furnishings.
You’d think the housemaid I’d treated like family and taken care of for the last nine years would come to my rescue and put an end to the insanity, but like Atlas and Emmy, Rosa seemed to find it hilarious.
At that point, my left eye started twitching and I resembled something of a madman.
More so than usual.
I’d even contemplated sleeping in the living room last night so I could catch her red-handed. But then I’d have to acknowledge her and that’s exactly what she knew I was trying to avoid.
She was a clever little demon.
Again, not that I am surprised.
Atlas treated Emmy like she was like a fragile flower. She isn’t.
I wanted to despise her for being able to get under my skin, though much to my dismay, I only ended up wanting her more. She found one of my weaknesses and exploited it, much like I did to others every day.
The irony hit me in the face like a damn kid with a basketball. The whole thing was as aggravating as it was amusing.
“So, Doug says Miles is looking for her to make amends. It’s part of his therapy steps or some shit.”
I scoffed, bullshit. “Like fuck that’s the reason.”
Atlas scratched his neck. “I know, and that’s why I’m so fucking concerned. What the hell does he want with her?”
“Nothing good,” I sighed. “Has Doug met with him?”
“No, he’s been calling from a payphone.”
“Sneaky fucker.”
“We have no idea where he is and Doug has little to go off,” he twisted his lips. “He can’t get near her, Orion. He almost killed her for giving a student directions, what the hell do you think he’ll do after she’s sent him to jail? ”
“He won’t,” I snapped. As much as I would love the little demon to be as far away from me as fucking possible before I break from temptation, I sure as hell wouldn’t let that bastard anywhere near her. “I’ll have Doug make this his priority and we’ll find him. He won’t get anywhere near her, Atlas.”
“Promise me you’ll look after her?”
Define “look after her.”
“I promise,” I muttered. “Come on, you need to get to the jet.”
Atlas nodded, accepting my reluctant promise for what it was, and left my home office. Emmy was already waiting in the foyer by the time we got there.
“There you are.” She frowned. “I thought you left without saying goodbye.”
Atlas tsked at her. “Like I would do that.” He then glanced back at me before returning his gaze to Emmy. “Are you both going to be alive when I get back?” He was grinning like a fucking Disney princess, far too entertained for my liking.
“I can’t vouch for the Grinch over there—” Emmy’s voice slid through my ears as she reached out and pulled Atlas into a hug “—but I will be.”
Little shit.
I handed Atlas the binder he needed to review before he arrived at his next job. “Don’t skip any pages,” I ordered. “And send me a full report when you settle in.”
He placed his hand over his heart in mockery. “I’ll miss you too, dear.”
I shook my head; I didn’t do the mushy shit.
Leaving them and heading for a shower, I heard Atlas tell her, “And don’t stress about White & Rivers, all right? If anything, you just made sure you were memorable.”
Emmy was more than memorable. One glimpse and it was enough for her to burn her way through your subconscious until your thoughts were purely centered around her.
And she didn’t need to worry about White & Rivers, I’d already taken care of it.
De Luca Securities happened to be the firm’s most successful commercial client. I spent a fortune on their retainer, far more than necessary, and it was enough to cover their quarterly banquets with their business associates and prospective clientele.
One call to Zander Rivers, where I politely reminded him of the many favors he owed me, despite my business being his client, and Emmy was immediately hired.
For an attorney, Zander was good at upholding the law, but he was even better at bending it. Not so great at flying under the radar though.
Zander assured me Emmy would receive a call in a few days with the good news.
I contemplated telling her myself, but then she continued with her power trip this morning by replacing all the water bottles in the fridge with tonic just to piss me off.
Pulling strings to get her the job was no longer coming from the goodness of my battered heart, it was to stop her from fucking messing with my shit. Lucifer help her if I find one more goddamn vase out of place.
I stripped off and turned the shower faucet on. The water immediately rained down above my head, drenching me in the sudden coolness and taking my breath away.
I pressed my forearms against the gray marble wall, gritting my teeth when the icy temperature hit my skin, and let my head hang as the droplets ran down my back.
Then, the door suddenly clicked open. I lifted my head and turned to see Emmy na?vely stumble inside, gripping her chestnut hair into a hypothetical ponytail with a heavy sigh.
I arched a brow, and she tipped her head up, her usually bright eyes now widening in surprise as they stared back at me. “Jesus, Orion!” she shrieked, like I was the one who walked in on her.
My other brow joined its twin when I noticed she hadn’t looked away. Instead, her eyes lingered, greedily studying my wet, naked body. Her tongue darted out and swiped her bottom lip.
She likes what she sees.
I had expected her to run out of the room, covering her eyes and spitting profanities, but leaving seemed to be the last thing on her mind.
“You need something, Tesoro, or are you just enjoying the view?” I bit back a grin, but there was no hiding the smugness in my voice.
A blush crept across her skin when her eyes snapped back to mine, embarrassed I caught her eye-fucking me. Adorable. She traced her lips with her tongue, and Lucifer himself wouldn’t have been able to stop the X-rated images slamming into my mind. Those full, pouty lips wrapped around my cock, that delicate pink tongue licking up and down while she stared up at me with her pretty blue eyes.
“Don’t you have a shower in your room?” She reached her hand up and rubbed the back of her neck.
“Rosa is cleaning.”
She frowned, her lips pursed. “You should have locked the door.”
I tilted my head, turning my exposed body to face her. “Probably,” I conceded, noticing how the embers in her eyes burned brighter and her cheeks stained red when her gaze dragged down my body. “But then I’d have missed the chance to see you getting flustered.”
Heat scorched my blood as another explicit image forced its way into my mind of me pushing her up against this wall, the shower drenching us in its confinement, yanking up her tight little skirt and fucking her until she screamed.
“I’m not flustered,” she hissed, shooting me a glare, yet her eyes flared with heat and her tone lacked its usual sharp edge. “It’s just… hot in here. You aren’t even my type.”
Lies.
My mouth ticked up into an involuntary smile. Emmy could hiss all she wanted, but she couldn’t hide her desire. “No? Then who, pray tell, is your type?”
“Caden Knox, Hunter Brooks, Michele Morrone. ”
Just like that, my grin had disappeared, and my jaw tightened. Irrational loathing replaced my earlier satisfaction at seeing the pink flush of her cheeks. “Hate to break it to you, Tesoro, but you and Michele Morrone? It’s not happening.”
“Stop calling me that.”
“Why?”
“It’s condescending.”
“It’s an endearment.”
“We don’t have that kind of relationship.”
“I see.” The corners of my lips pulled and my brow quirked. “What kind of relationship do we have?”
“The kind where you’re a constant pain in my ass and I’m constantly restraining myself from murdering you.”
“And yet, you haven’t left,” I smirked, running a hand through my hair, using the water to slick it back off my face. “Something stopping you, Emmy? Thinking about joining me, perhaps? Or are you too busy restraining yourself from murdering me? ”
I was teasing myself as much as I was her. But I couldn’t seem to stop.
She knew I was challenging her, but what she didn’t know was that my control was balancing on a slippery edge, and she was standing close enough to send me flying off. I was seconds away from dragging her by her hair, pinning her against this wall, and ruining her hot little body if she didn’t quit fucking watching me like that . Like she was imagining all the things we could do in this tight, enclosed space.
Then there’d be no going back.
She stared at me wide-eyed, and her lips pressed into a hard line. She was in the middle of a battle, and not with me but with herself. She was so damn readable. The sparks dancing in her eyes screamed her desires, but her head demanded she turn around and leave.
And then she saved us both, spinning around with an irritated groan and yelling, “Lock the damn door next time!” The door slammed shut behind her.
But even though she left, the image of her pretty doe eyes and the flush of her cheeks stayed ingrained in my mind, and my cock fucking throbbed. Like it did every goddamn time I so much as looked at her. “Fuck.”
Spitting on my hand, I slowly started to stroke it, imagining I had one hand in her hair to shove her mouth on my cock.
Closing my eyes, I picked up the pace with my hand and saw her on her knees in front of me, the water from the shower pouring down on her pretty little face.
Her blue eyes looked up at me, her lashes stuck together from the water, and her lips parted, begging to be fucked.
I tangled my hands into her long, wet hair and slid my cock inside her hot, warm mouth, and began to fuck it. “Shit, Emmy,” I groaned, my hand picking up the pace when her pretty eyes started to cry as I fucked her delicious mouth.
A second later, my balls tightened, and I was coming in my hand. “Fuck,” I hissed, letting the shower wash away my mess .
Taking a deep breath, I leaned my head against the wall, trying to steady my breathing and calm my racing heart.
I needed to get this under control, otherwise there’d be nothing stopping me from taking her. From taking her mouth, her pussy, and her ass. From taking everything she had to give, without a shred of remorse.
And if I did, that would be it.
She’d be mine.
It had been a week since Atlas left Emmy and me to kill each other. I resigned myself to spending as much time as possible at the office to avoid running into the little she-devil that had cemented herself into my thoughts.
Without the worry of Atlas walking in and catching me fucking his sister, I could practically feel my control slipping through my fingers.
That, and I could feel an aneurysm coming if she moved one more damn thing out of place.
Knowing she liked to sleep in, I found myself sneaking into my own home this morning after working all night. It was at this moment I realized I’d officially lost my mind. Some would argue I’d lost it a while ago, but I was putting this down as the turning point.
Even Rosa watched me with a look of concern, as though she was contemplating whether I really should be checking into the insane asylum Emmy kept badgering on about.
Maybe I should.
Here I was, a grown-ass twenty-eight-year-old man who had no issue putting a bullet in another’s head, tiptoeing around my own fucking apartment like a mischievous kitten so I didn’t run into the woman who haunted my dreams and graced my nightmares.
Un-fucking-believable.
Rosa started to speak as I headed to the kitchen, but quickly clamped her jaw shut when I pressed my finger against my lips and ordered her to be quiet. In response, she muttered stupida as she shook her head and carried on with her duties.
I could hear her muttering Italian profanities down the hall, but I paid her no mind as I concentrated on getting a bottle of water from the fridge and quietly getting into my room, my anxiety driving my heart to beat erratically in my chest with every step. I swore to the damn high heavens if Emmy had swapped the Evian out for tonic again...
What has my life come to?
As I briefly glanced over my shoulder, without having an idea of what it was I was checking for, I almost joined Lucifer in Hell quicker than I intended when my heart fell out of my ass and Emmy’s silvery voice had my body leaping out of the comfort of its skin.
“Fuck, Orion,” she hissed, her hand pressed against her chest as she puffed out her cheeks, attempting to steady her breathing. “What the hell are you doing sneaking around like that?”
There was no sane way to answer that, so I ignored her question. “Isn’t it still the middle of the night for you?”
Tension lined her elegant features, irritation in the grooves of her face. “You have your entire life to be a jerk. Why not take today off?”
My lips tugged with the need to grin at her quick wit, though I quickly caught myself. Her attitude was invigorating. So many cowered before me, but not her.
“Why would I do that when seeing you riled up is one of the few pleasures of my day?”
“I’m not riled up, I just envy people who have never met you.”
Case in point.
I couldn’t stop the amusement painting itself across my face, and it was only when my heart stopped lobbing around in my damn chest that I allowed my eyes to drink in her appearance, but the tightening in my chest served as a reminder of my grave mistake.
The morning light gently caressed the room, revealing the soft contours of her face. Her silky chestnut hair was pulled into a high ponytail, though a few sparse strands danced around her with each movement.
Her eyes, a mesmerizing shade of blue that seemed paler in the morning, blinked slowly, revealing a hint of morning drowsiness that only added to her beauty.
Draped in a baggy T-shirt that hung loosely over her slender frame, the fabric molded to her curves, hinting at the subtle contours beneath, and inviting the tips of my fingers to caress her smooth, creamy thighs before they trailed along the sacred path to the warmth that remained hidden underneath her T-shirt.
She was breathtaking.
Looking at her had my heart constricting as the sight knocked the oxygen straight from my lungs. Insatiable heat curled low in my stomach, and despite the pain, I couldn’t look away. The sight would forever be ingrained in my memory, and I hated her for it.
The longer I watched her, the more I had the insane urge to throw her over my shoulder, take her to my room, chuck her on my bed, and corrupt every inch of her.
To ruin her.
Shatter her innocence and watch it all burn at my feet.
But then again, that’s how I feel about most beautiful things.
As if hearing my thoughts, a subtle flush crept along her skin. “Stop looking at me like that.”
I leaned against the kitchen island. “Like what?”
Her back met the unit behind her. “Like that.”
I arched my brow. “Descriptive answer.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I’m not sure that I do.”
She wet her lips. “Like you want to eat me,” she mumbled before her eyes widened. Her breathing hitched like she had shocked herself by admitting that aloud.
Electricity charged the previously tense air and danced over my skin, suddenly stretching too tight over my bones and thundering heartbeat. The only thing I could focus on was the erection straining against my zipper and hiding said erection from Emmy.
Thank fuck for the large granite slab between us.
She looked like a deer caught in the headlights as my heated gaze pinned her in place, and I bit back a smile. Her gaze flickered away when she licked her lips, the tension too much for her to bear. “I, uh, was thirsty.”
She turned her back to me, her attention now on the open cabinet above her. The hem of her shirt etched up slightly, revealing her perfectly round ass, as she stood on her tiptoes to reach the glasses in the unit.
I inwardly groaned at the sight and stood up straight, coherent thoughts disappearing as my blood rushed to my groin and I shuffled on my feet. I focused on keeping my hands fisted in my pants pockets, hands that were tingling with the need to grip the soft skin of her hips and pull her flush against me while my mouth explored every inch of her body.
But then the sound of glass shattering against the marble floor hit me like an abrupt interruption, piercing through the air with a sharp and sudden clarity, killing the sensuality of my thoughts as quickly as I had let them sweep in.