Chapter 14 - Beatrice
I tried to ignore Arko’s voice, urging me to slow down as he followed in my footsteps. But I couldn’t bring myself to stop. I strode up the staircase, my hand flying off the banister in the hurry that I was, to get away from him and soothe my racing heart.
I wished I were angry at him for ruining the day. I wished that I could remember why I’d been mad at him in the first place, but the truth was that I’d forgotten all of it.
“Beatrice, tell me what’s wrong!” Arko begged at my heels just as I reached the landing. He grabbed my elbow, his touch searing heat into me as I whirled to meet his eyes. His gorgeous, deep blue eyes that reminded me of distant oceans and men who brought women to their knees.
“Nothing,” I said, breathlessly. “I’m just tired. It’s been a long day.”
I tugged myself free and turned around, fleeing for my bedroom. Just being near him weakened me. Ever since he strode into that changing room and demanded we were in danger, I couldn’t bring myself to stop thinking about how grateful I was that he was there to usher us to safety.
I kept remembering the searing touch from his hand to the small of my back, the way his body crowded me as he led us to the car, how proud he looked when I’d found a way out of the stock room.
Just being near him, god damn it, made me all wobbly at the knees.
I reached my bedroom door and pushed it open, rushing in to close it behind me, but before I could, Arko barged past, his face a blazing, sexy thing of passion.
“Just be out with it. I won’t go back to silence,” he said loudly as he slammed the door shut behind him. “Whatever it is, we can talk it out.”
“I…I swear.” I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry at the sight of his exposed, veiny, strong-as-hell forearms from when he’d rolled his sleeves up in the car. “I’m just tired.”
“Are you sure it’s just that?” A flash of concern crossed his face. “You look flushed. Panicked. Are you afraid?”
I gulped and shook my head. “N…no.” I managed to stammer out, willing my face not to give away the way my body thrummed for him.
The truth was, just seeing him today, being all protective, his chest against my back as he shoved me into the car and took down that man with his gun, all of it had messed with my head.
Arko stepped toward me, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe a word I was saying. I backed up instinctively, my legs hitting the edge of the bed.
“Just tell me what’s wrong,” he whispered, reaching out to cup my cheek. I gasped at the touch, at how good it felt, and my eyes blasted open. Without thinking, I bit into my lower lip, leaning into his cupped arm.
The truth was that when he had driven me home with such fierce concentration, checking over his shoulder to make sure we were all safe, I hadn’t felt fear at all.
I had felt… alive. Electric. Every nerve ending in my body had sparked to life.
All I could think of was how sexy he looked on edge, how in his orbit, I felt like I didn’t have to think at all. All I needed to do was trust him, and everything would be okay.
“There’s nothing wrong,” I said, breathlessly. “I…I’m just…” I didn’t know how to tell him that his touch seared through me, that he looked deliciously divine, and if I spent another minute by his side, I might lose control.
I felt his hand still cupping my cheek and instinctively took a step forward, my lashes fluttering against my cheeks.
That was when a look of surprise crossed his face, a sense of knowing.
“You’re not tired,” he shook his head, cocking his head at me like he was unveiling a mystery. “You’re not afraid, either. In fact, in the car, you weren’t worried at all.”
I couldn’t tell him the truth…I just couldn’t without risking it all.
He stepped forward again, the heat from his body skimming against mine, and I felt my heart lurch to reach out and run my hands over his chest.
“Tell me, Beatrice,” he whispered, leaning down until his lips were mere inches away from mine. “What were you feeling in that car?”
“I was terrified,” I said, trying to cover up.
“No, you weren’t.” He moved closer still, close enough that I could smell his cologne, that spicy, woodsy scent that made my head swim. “Your eyes were bright. Your cheeks were flushed. But not from fear.”
I swallowed hard. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think you do.” His voice dropped to a husky whisper. “I think the danger excited you, and I think you liked it.”
I closed my eyes, letting the space between us stretch into a thin wire, knowing his lips were one brush away from mine, and in that moment, I took a chance.
“So what if I did?” I whispered, daring to open my eyes, and this time my world narrowed to my reflection in his eyes.
There I was, standing before him, with my mouth parted open, my voice all high, and my face flushed.
I was breathless, spent, and I didn’t think I’d ever wanted a man more than I wanted Arko in that moment.
“So what if it excited me…if you excited me.”
I did it. In a bold, senseless move, I showed him my cards.
Arko’s eyes widened with surprise.
“I felt alive,” I whispered, leaning so much closer that there was only a hair’s width of space between us, giving him a daring look. “I felt like every cell in my body was awake for the first time.”
His thumb brushed my lower lip, and I felt my breath hitch in my throat, just as my entire body began to tremble from need.
A hungry look settled in his eyes, showing me he felt the same in that moment. Before I could think, before I could remind myself that he had used my greatest fear against me, I brushed my lips against his.
Soft, sweet, an invitation.
For a second, he froze like I had done something sinful. I felt my heart lose a beat, thinking I’d misread the whole thing, but the next thing I knew, his hand was curling into my hair, pressing against the nape of my neck with a delicious harshness.
“Oh.” I let out a breathy moan, curving my spine to crash my hips against his as a thrilling fire spread through me. He tightened his grip on the back of my neck and pulled closer, growling low in his throat as his lips devoured mine.
He tugged and pulled, kissing me till I lost all sense of the world around me. Until there was nothing left but the feel of his muscled, toned body, digging against my soft curves. He let go of my hair, his hands reaching for the hem of my shirt, his fingers pooling under, skimming against my skin.
I moaned at his touch, and he inched up, up, further up until I was a writhing mess.
My hands reached for his shoulders, feeling the jagged edges, wandering down to his buttons.
Slowly, through our kisses, moment by moment, I undid each one.
When I slid it off his shoulders, he growled and lurched, like my skin against his set his world on fire.
“Fuck, Beatrice.” He reached for my shirt and tugged it off. “You’ve been turned on since I came and got you, haven’t you?”
“Mm-hmm.” I nibbled his lower lip, now dropping his belt to the floor.
Arko slid his hands up my thighs, squeezing tight till I felt my knees give way, before cupping my ass and lifting me off the floor. He led me to the bed, throwing me down, devouring the sight of me lying there in nothing but my jeans and bra.
I watched, breathlessly, every inch of me feeling wondrously alive and ecstatic, as he got between my legs and slowly undid the button of my jeans, then the zip. The sound echoed through the room, fabric against fabric, as he slid the jeans down my ankles and threw them on the floor.
“Fuck.” He had a hungry, devilish look about him that got my heart racing faster than a horse around the track. With his eyes, he caressed me from neck to toe, his gaze burning into every bit of flesh.
Then, ever so slowly, I watched as he let his own pants drop, then his boxers.
Oh, hell. His cock, hard and long, sprang free, and I dug my hands into the bed before I lurched for him like a woman starved.
He settled between my legs. “Beautiful,” he whispered, his fingers trailing down my collarbone to the swell of my breasts. “So fucking beautiful.”
His fingers traced the edge of my bra, dipping just beneath the fabric, and I squirmed beneath him, wanting more.
“Please, Arko, let’s not waste time,” I said breathlessly, arching off the bed to reach for his neck and pull him down, but he held himself up, grabbing my wrists and shoving me back against the bed, my hands now crippled under his hold.
I stared up at him, writhing with pleasure, as he let go and reached a hand behind me for the hooks of my bra. Once undone, he slid the bra off, leaving me naked but for my panties.
“Time’s all we’ve got, Bea.” He leaned down and whispered in my ear.
Then he sat back up, staring at me. I’d never been this naked with a man before. His gaze raked over me, over the hardening of my nipples, the swells of my breasts, and I resisted the urge to cover myself.
“You’re so damn gorgeous,” he said, “that I’d be a fool not to cherish every second.”
I blushed, felt the heat spread through me. He slid his hands down my breasts, my stomach, my hips, and then…parted.
I gasped when I felt his finger slide across my entrance, settle on my clit. He circled, once, twice, thrice, until I felt myself wet and swell. Then, he slid a finger inside me, ever so slowly, inch by fucking inch.
I gasped, lurching off the bed, wincing at this beautiful pain.
He stopped and frowned. “You’re tight.”
“Oh.” I fell back down on the bed, trying not to look mortified. “About that…”
A look of understanding crossed his face, then shock. He pulled back, shaking his head. “You’ve never done this before, have you?”
I bit into my lower lip, shaking my head. “No. I haven’t.”
“We can stop,” he said. “If you’re not ready—”
“Don’t,” I said, reaching for him. “Please don’t stop.”
“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” he said, but I could see the strain on his face, the effort it took to pull back.