Chapter Two
In which Liria asks, "Am I really going to do this?"
That night, three months ago in Boston.
Liria…
My heart is pounding in my throat. Am I really doing this?
I'm not a woman who takes reckless chances.
I'm not a woman who gives into an instant, magical attraction to the most outrageously beautiful man I've ever seen.
Feeling Beauford's warm hand holding mine in a firm, reassuring grip though, I let myself think.
Maybe I am that woman.
"What about your bodyguard?"
"Huh?" I blink, trying to pay attention as he guides me toward a Bentley.
A man in a dark suit is standing by the door, hands folded.
He's got rough hands with tattoos. If I could see them better, I could tell if he'd been involved in organized crime.
It makes sense, though, that Beauford has security.
If he's rich enough to throw out a fifty-million-dollar fund transfer without a single thought, he certainly needs a bodyguard or twenty. "Oh, I was looking at yours, actually."
His eyes glance at the man, who's carefully expressionless. "John," he says easily. "He's a good man. He's worked with me and our family for over a decade."
Beauford holds the door for me with a sly smile, and I glance over my shoulder quickly, expecting to see Roan racing towards us, waving his arms wildly.
But no, the poor man is probably still waiting patiently at the front of that hall, occasionally checking his watch.
As he rounds the car to open his door, I quickly send out a text to Roan.
I'm fine. I'm safe. I'll see you back at the house. Please don't worry. L.
I hastily turn off the ‘find me’ location app and tuck the phone back in my bag.
The ride is short and silent. He takes my hand, lacing my fingers through his, kissing the inside of my wrist, lips spreading in a grin against the thin skin there when I shiver.
Beauford Wellington has a mansion up on Beacon Hill, a three-story masterpiece of brick and stone.
As the car stops, his hand slides around the back of my neck, pulling me towards him, my hands landing on his chest. He kisses me greedily, like he's trying to pull my soul from my body, and my god, it feels like he might be.
"You okay?" His hand cups my cheek, his thumb stroking my cheek bone as he smiles down at me. I realize my hands have a death grip on his jacket.
"Oh. Yes." I sit up, trying to smooth my hair.
He crooks a finger under my chin and turns my face to his. "Liria?" he says gently. "I'm glad you're here." He grins, a huge one that lights up his chilly blue eyes, and I beam at him in return, giggling a bit as he hauls me out of the car.
Given our moment in the gallery, I was pretty sure he was going to pin me against the wall and kiss me the minute we got through the front door, but he surprises me. He courteously says good night to John, who nods at us both before quickly absenting himself.
"Would you like a drink?" He heads over to the bar in the enormous living room, there's floor ceiling windows looking out over the lights of Boston. It's a stunning view. I've always loved my city at night.
"Oh, if you are," I say, my insane buzz from our art gallery kiss beginning to dissipate.
He looks over his shoulder at me and this man has a wicked smile.
"Good," he says, pulling a bottle of champagne and a bottle of vodka out of the mini fridge.
"We'll drink them in bed. Hold these." I reach out for the chilled bottles, fingers curling around the glass, feeling the condensation, and then I yelp as my world is tilted as he swings me up in his arms, loping easily up the steep stairs to the second floor.
"Well, now you're just showing off," I laugh. "Are you one of those guys that hauls a tractor across a field to work out? Or maybe you wrestle bears?"
I'm still laughing but he seems to take that seriously.
"I know enough about bears to know I'd never win in a fair fight," he says, that twinkle creeping back in his eyes.
He nudges the bedroom door open with his shoulder and sets me down, still clutching the two bottles.
Someone's already lit a fire in the fireplace and the lights are low.
"Bold of you to be so confident that you'd be using the whole seductive setup tonight," I say, depositing the bottles on the bedside table. "But wait, no candles? No John Legend crooning in the background?"
He's stripping off his jacket, his blue gaze fixed on me.
"I was not planning on meeting someone as irresistible as you.
If you take a look at the desk, you'll notice the laptop and a pile of paperwork waiting for me.
" His long fingers are carelessly pulling open the ebony buttons on his tuxedo shirt and I catch a flash of a tattoo - a wolf, maybe - oh his broad chest before he pounces on me.
"But now that you're here, the night is looking up. "
Half yelping, half laughing as he pulls me against him, I put my hands on his shoulders, feeling his warm skin.
"I can't wait," he growls, and my toes curl at the sound of it.
"I did have a slower seduction planned, maybe a drink or two first, but-" His tongue thrusts between my lips.
"You're too beautiful, too delicious. Too much of everything to wait. "
"Pre-game cocktails are overrated," I gasp as his hands go to the straps of my dress. It falls loosely to my ankles and I realize he managed to unzip me while we were kissing, his mouth pulling my attention from everything else. Flushing, I cross my arms over my breasts.
"Don't." His guttural command makes my muscles loosen and he takes my wrists and pulls my arms wide, looking down at me with a shark's grin, all teeth and anticipation. "I knew they'd be pink," he says, almost to himself. His calloused thumb brushes over my stiff nipple. "Perfect."
I let out a breathy little shriek as he lifts me up, shockingly easily, until his mouth is against my breast, lips sucking, playing with my nipple before pulling back with a greedy smack and going for the other one.
Sliding my fingers through his hair, I scratch his scalp, enjoying his little growl.
My bare skin rubs against his stiff, starched shirt. I feel painfully exposed; I'm nearly naked aside from an insubstantial scrap of underwear while he's still nearly fully dressed. His arms are tight around me, his clever mouth plays with my breasts until I'm shaking and moaning.
"So pretty," he murmurs, lips closing tighter on my nipple and pulling it before letting it go with a pop. "I wonder if I could make you come just by playing with these perky nipples?" His blue eyes darken and he says, "Maybe later. I need to be inside you."
He tosses me onto the bed, pulling off my heels as he looks me over, carelessly ripping away his shirt and pulling his belt loose with a snapping sound that makes my eyes widen. Grinning knowingly, he drops it on the bed before pulling off his pants and underwear with them.
"Oh. Shit," I blurt. "I should've guessed from your giant hands, but I'm… it's…"
He's laughing, the conceited bastard and I don't care. I'm still staring at his cock, huge and thick, hard against his body. The red, throbbing tip is slick.
"It's… I didn't think things like this existed outside of, like, certain streaming services," I babble.
"It's going to fit," he interrupts, crawling over me on the bed.
"You're going to enjoy every single inch.
" His fingers slide inside me easily and I flush, realizing how wet I am.
"Is this for me?" He grins, pleased. Pulling his fingers out, he holds them up and heat floods my face.
They're wet, shining and he puts them in his mouth, groaning with pleasure.
"Fucking delicious," he growls. "I'll be feasting on this sweet little pussy later, but for now… "
The sheets are cool and smooth against my back, and the sculpted heat of him presses me down.
My long hair catches under me as he pushes my thighs open.
Pausing in his examination of my lower half, he lifts my head gently to pull my hair free and spreads it across the pillow.
We freeze for a moment, hearts pounding, breathing and out together before he quickly rolls on a condom and notches his cock in my pussy, pushing it inside me.
I suck in a huge gasp of air. "Oh, god you're big." He's hot, hard, stretching me wide and my thighs shake, clenching against his hips.
His chuckle is guttural against my ear. "You'll get used to it."
All this muscle and strength, flexing over me.
The smooth, expensively-suited gentleman is gone, this man is savage, greedy, thrusting into me before I'm ready, spreading me open.
I just… ride it, letting the storm of him roll over me as he thrusts deeper until his hips are resting against my ass.
The weight of him inside me makes me feel pinned to the bed in the best way.
Leaning back, he braces his forearm by my head, his blue eyes watching mine.
"You feel like a silk fist, gripping me," he growls, shifting his hips, moving his cock back-and-forth inside me as if he's trying to spread me wider and make more room.
"You're so fucking beautiful." I let out a shriek when his arms slip underneath me, and he flips me onto my knees.
His insanely powerful thighs flex and he thrusts back up into me, deeper still at this angle and I brace myself with a hand on the headboard and a fist clenching the sheet, holding on.
I hear that 'snap!' again, the sound of his belt as he wraps it around my waist and pulls me sharply back on his cock.
He's got his belt wrapped around me like… reins?
As if he can read my mind, he kisses the back of my neck, still yanking me back and forth onto his cock with his belt.
"Yes, baby, I'm riding you. I'm looking down at my cock splitting you open.
" He grips a handful of my hair, tilting my head to look down between my legs.
His cock, huge and pushing in and out of me is too much. Nothing has ever felt like this.
"This is so good…" I'm slurring as he pushes inside me even higher, painful and sparking nerves all over my lower half.
Still, I groan, "I want more." My arm flails back, grabbing him on the back of his neck, digging my nails into his skin, pulling his head down so I can kiss him.
"Again." I don't recognize my own voice. "More."
He chuckles and it's filthy. "Such a dirty little thing, aren't you?
You just haven't been fucked properly before.
" He gives another savage thrust. "This is what you needed to turn into the screaming, bad girl that I know you are.
Arch against me." Pressing his hand against the small of my back, he pushes his cock harder against my walls, the sculpted muscles in his thighs flex.
I have to close my eyes. It's too much. There's too much of him inside and outside of me. Gritting his teeth, he mumbles something, a word in another language.
"What did you say?"
His glazed eyes return to me and he focuses, giving me his shark's grin.
"I said you're exquisite," he whispers in my ear.
It didn't sound like that, but he says it again, "Exquisite…
" I am perfectly happy to believe it. He yanks harder on his belt, the leather digging into my hips, moving me faster, impaled on his cock.
"Are you going to come for me?" This dark and diabolical man knows so many filthy secrets, and it feels like he's sharing them all with me.
"You're gonna come on my cock. It's a shame I'm wearing this fucking condom, I'd love to see my come, slick against your thighs. "
It's too much and I gasp, "Oh god, you have to shut up!
I can't… This is…" my voice trails off drunkenly.
"So much." I come so hard that my vision blurs, his beautiful, sculpted face dimming as my eyes roll back, every muscle drawn tight like an invisible string is pulled from my center all through me.
Every inch of my skin is alive and blazing and I clamp down on him tight, feeling him swell impossibly wider.
"You beautiful fucking goddess," he grunts. "You're mine." He throws me on my back and pounds inside me, his skin shining with sweat. "You belong to me, Liria." He shudders, head dropping against my shoulder as he comes.
After catching his breath, he pulls out, and rolls on top of me. Wrapping my arms and legs around him, I pull more of his weight down on me, feeling safe and protected, feeling closer to this man that I met tonight than with any man I've ever known.