Chapter Five #3
Archimedes’s job offer had been cold, nor had it acknowledged that he’d left without a word—or at least that was what she’d thought. It had seemed as if he’d almost expected her to take it, the lord of the manor throwing money into the crowd for people to snatch and fight over.
‘If you wanted me so badly,’ she said, ‘why didn’t you ever follow up on it?’
‘Because you were very definite in your refusal.’ His tone was flat. ‘Then again, you always did give your loyalty to the wrong people.’
Immediately, a hot flood of anger washed through her.
Was he talking about her loyalty to Banks?
Was he angry about it? Well, too bad. Banks was a difficult and complicated man, it was true, not to mention a thief, but he’d been the only adult in her life who’d seemed to care about her.
Also, he hadn’t abandoned her the way Archimedes had.
‘You judgemental arsehole,’ she snapped. ‘What would you know about loyalty?’
A muscle jumped in the side of his jaw, his whole body tensing, and he opened his mouth to say something, but Zoe had had enough. She didn’t want to hear what he had to say, so, full of champagne and an uncontainable rage, she shoved her chair back and stood up.
‘Sorry, but I’m not going to sit here and listen to you get at me for sticking by a man who’s been a father to me since I was five years old. You can go to hell.’ She turned from the table without another word, heading for the steps back up to the villa.
‘Zoe—’ Archimedes called from behind her ‘—Zoe, sit down. We haven’t finished.’
She ignored him.
‘Zoe!’
She ignored that too.
Until a firm hand gripped her arm, stopping her in her tracks before pulling her around. Then he was there, right in front of her, looking down from his great height, his blue gaze blazing, the warmth of his hand on her skin making her breath catch.
And for a moment all they did was stare at each other, the air between them full of anger and grief, loss and regret. And a hot, vibrating thing that felt like sparks from a live wire.
She was going to pull away, she really was. At least, that was what she’d intended. Then he suddenly and firmly pulled her up against his powerful body, slid his other hand into her hair then tipped her head back, and covered her mouth with his.
Abruptly, the anger inside her alchemised into something hot and raw, something hungry, and her mouth was opening beneath his, her hands clutching at the fabric of his jacket.
He tasted of the champagne they’d been drinking, effervescent and alcoholic, and it made her dizzy, made her lean into him, desperate for more.
Then he was tasting her, his tongue in her mouth, exploring, ravaging, devastating.
She went up on her toes, returning the kiss, the hot and hungry thing inside her becoming even hotter, even hungrier.
This was all she’d ever wanted. His kiss. His body against hers. His hand in her hair, closing into a fist as he held her still.
He was all she’d ever wanted.
His hand on her arm moved to her hip, sliding around to the small of her back, urging her more firmly against him, and she could feel the hard length of him pressing against her. It stole her breath.
The kiss became deeper, turning into something uncontrollable and wild, and he kept a firm grip on her hair as his hand moved yet again, to the slit in her dress and beneath the silk, finding the warm skin of her thigh.
Zoe made a soft sound in the back of her throat, a moan or a gasp, she wasn’t sure which, because then his hand slid around to cup the bare skin of her rear, squeezing her lightly.
Pleasure arced through her, a blinding need that she couldn’t control, and her fingers tightened where they gripped his jacket, pulling him towards her.
‘Demon,’ she whispered against his mouth, no thought in her head, every shred of anger and hurt gone, vanishing under the sweeping wave of desire that was drowning her. ‘Demon, please…’
He didn’t reply, except to squeeze her again, then to turn with her and push her back against the table.
He stopped kissing her long enough to sweep everything off the table, ignoring the glasses that shattered on the ground and the plates that cracked into pieces.
Then he lifted her up as if she weighed nothing and sat her on the tabletop.
Zoe shivered as he pushed her thighs wide, her hands reaching for him, trying to pull him close, but he was too busy undoing his trousers, finding a condom from his pocket and rolling it down.
Then finally, at last he was close, as close as she’d always longed for him to be, easing aside the silk of her gown, baring her to him.
His hands slid up her thighs, gripping her tight, and then he was pushing inside her, making her cry out.
He felt big and hard, and it felt as if there was no room for her, no room to breathe or even move, because he filled her. He was everywhere.
She trembled even as she felt herself stretch to fit him, and the panicky feeling eased.
Then he was kissing her again, the kiss deep and hot and slow, and he began to move inside her and everything fell away.
There was nothing but the intense pleasure flooding through her, making everything brighter, everything better.
Yes, this was what she wanted, what she needed. Her Demon, as close to her as another person could get, linked to her, tangled up with her. A part of her.
She kissed him back as deeply and as hungrily as he was kissing her, trying to undo his shirt so she could get to the warm skin beneath the cotton, to touch him the way he was touching her.
And he was touching her, one hand at the small of her back, beneath her dress, subtly guiding her movements, the other sliding beneath the narrow strap of her dress and easing it off her shoulder, baring one breast to his palm.
Zoe gasped again, arching into him and his touch, her eyes closing as the pleasure took hold, the relentless build of it making her moan.
She’d had no idea it could be like this. No idea that it could feel this good, this intense. But a small part of her knew already that there was a reason for that.
It was him. Because no matter how angry and hurt she was, she still trusted him. Even all these years later.
‘Star,’ he murmured against her lips, his mouth moving down her neck, trailing kisses everywhere. ‘My beautiful star.’
She wrapped her legs around his waist, the soft sound of her old handle and nickname making her ache. But then he was moving faster, harder, and the whole world became the pleasure he was intensifying, the friction making her pant, making her plead.
Then he dropped one hand between her thighs and touched her just where she needed it most, and the tight knot that had been slowly tightening inside her came undone, raw pleasure flooding her.
She cried his name, only dimly aware that he was moving even faster, before abruptly, he turned his face against her throat and groaned her name as he followed her over the edge.