Chapter 9
Montgomery
The scent of Fleur Sebastian lingered. It had painted my skin long after she’d stormed away that morning, had been given new life when I’d found myself standing inside her ridiculously cute gift shop that defined a smalltown atmosphere, and had become permanently imbedded in my senses after breaking every rule by kissing her.
One moment of self-indulgence and I’d lost my mind.
Doing nothing more than spanking her had crossed more than one line. I was close to derailing the anonymity I required.
Even worse, I’d crafted the round of punishment in a public place where anyone could have walked in.
Maybe that’s the real reason I had, hoping someone would see what I was doing to her.
And more important, that she belonged to me.
Not one of the local yokels who’d been pining away for her deserved to touch a hair on her lovely head.
Every time I was around her I had a primal reaction.
More so at this moment than even before.
A single look of a man as we left had almost cost him his front teeth. Worse if he’d dared try to stop me from taking her with me.
Why did I have a feeling the little French flower was purposely tempting a lion?
Now I had my fingers around hers, pulling her away from the noise and prying eyes into the chilly darkness. I’d barely given her time to grab her coat and purse before parading her through a crowd of men who’d both feared and resented me.
I’d known by the fight in her actions and the venomous look in her eyes that she’d fallen prey to the connection. I’d known by the heat resonating on her skin that she wouldn’t be able to resist. As always, I felt it was my right to take advantage of her body’s betrayal.
As the taste of her sweet lips had lingered in my mouth, I’d known enough about myself and my obsessive characteristics that one kiss wouldn’t be enough.
There was no true comprehension of the attraction other than that she was a complete opposite of me.
Yet in many ways we were the same. I’d easily been able to tell she was hiding behind an immaculate facade, pretending as if every aspect of her life was in order.
When in fact it was controlled chaos, a direct contradiction to her easy breezy mannerisms.
Except when crossed.
Then she was raw and unpredictable, somewhat desperate for no identifiable reason.
But one I was determined to discover.
I didn’t ask her if her vehicle was in the parking lot because I didn’t care.
As soon as I opened the passenger door of the rental SUV, she threw me a heated look but instantly crawled inside.
But in that split second, I’d caught another moment of insecurity.
She’d asked all the right things for completely the wrong time.
Her questions weren’t typical for anyone considering a one-night stand.
That also told me she was fearful of the type of malevolence only offered by monsters disguised as men.
Given I’d parked in the empty lot adjacent to the crowded bar, I automatically scanned the surrounding area to ensure we were alone. At some point, whatever Russian mob was after me would discover I wasn’t playing house in New Orleans.
Their befuddlement would buy me a few days, but I wouldn’t put anything past most organizations.
We were a sophisticated group of businessmen, our disguises allowing for international connections to be made as well as purchasing security systems rivaling those in the military.
And with the influx of power, influence, and extreme wealth, anyone could be bought for the right price. Anyone.
All of that meant what I was doing with this woman, no matter how insanely beautiful or how attracted to her I’d become, was reckless.
As if the rational thought would be able to stop me. When I set my mind on something, I never backed down.
The moment I jumped inside, she shifted towards me. What caught me off guard even more than her agreeing to leaving the bar with a stranger was when she placed her hand on my thigh. Her smile was soft, unguarded. She’d made the decision to allow her veiled mask to fall.
I started the engine, immediately turning on the heat.
Seeing a slight tic in the corner of her mouth, I caught myself staring at her, uncertain what to say. Maybe because I’d never put myself in this position before. The women I’d dated had been for an evening, almost always ending up at her place for a few hours of passion.
Not this woman.
She was real in a way that was breakable. Real being the captivating word. Proven when she crowded closer, pressing two fingers against the very tic on her luscious lips I’d been fascinated with. This was her last few moments of deliberating the insanity of what we were about to do.
Whatever I’d been prepared for was thrown way off course when she crawled her fingers along the inside of my leg until the tips were precariously close to my balls.
While a larger part of me should resist her advances for the obvious reason that we were situated in a parking lot while an assassin was hunting me, resisting her was impossible.
Besides, the SUV was equipped with a dark film covering every window, and glass made of three-inch bulletproof material.
The body of the black beast was also as close to bulletproof as possible and the chassis was built with materials and technology preventing a breach from an explosion underneath.
In other words, if anyone was the wiser as to what I was about to indulge in inside the SUV, they certainly couldn’t put a dent in my enjoyment.
“Remove your thong,” I commanded.
If the demanding tone of my voice troubled her, she wasn’t eager or ready to admit it.
“What makes you think I’m wearing any?”
My laugh was boisterous, genuinely surprised at her reaction. “Because I know enough about you that you wouldn’t dare do something so incredibly… naughty. And because I’ve already seen your luscious ass. Do I need to offer you a reminder of why?”
“You might be surprised about who I am, but you’ll find out if you dare try and spank me again.”
“Perhaps. But I will warn you. You wouldn’t like me as an adversary.”
“Is that a threat?”
She was definitely poking the lion, pretending to be a little mouse when I already knew better.
“Only another promise made by a very bad man. However, take it off or I’ll do so forcefully.
” The truth was that I craved provoking her into another argument to give myself the excuse to pull her over my knee and bare her rounded bottom.
Then I’d provide her with the spanking of her life, something she desperately needed.
Perhaps the situation she’d found herself in had suddenly turned real. She blinked several times, glancing out the windshield toward the bar.
“Don’t worry, Fleur. There’s no way for anyone to see inside.” She was studying me with the same scrutiny, the same intensity that had intrigued me.
The glint of the streetlight caught a glimmer of the necklace she was wearing, a small ruby nestled inside a heart.
There was a story with the necklace. I sensed it.
The flash in her eyes and the jerk of her head confirmed my thoughts.
Instead, I wrapped my hand around her throat.
“I might be many things, Fleur, but a thief isn’t one of them. ”
Nodding, as she looked down, I gathered there was a clear indication she was piecing together the reality of who and what I was. Certainly not a thief but something much, much worse.
“No wonder you don’t have snow tires. You spent all your money on a prized porn mobile.” Her ignoring my comment meant the subject was off limits, which only created an even more intense need to learn more about her.
I’d also never had a woman go from making me craving to turn her over my knee just to shut her mouth to forcing a laugh from her genuine nature. And caustic mouth. “You’re right.”
“Sadly,” she said in a much quieter voice, “I’m always right.”
Her tone presented a story safely hiding in the darkest confines of her mind. She tugged on her heels, placing them just so on the floorboard before darting another quick look toward the bar. She wrangled with her coat, showing signs of frustration, tossing it into the back with dramatic flair.
My leather jacket would remain on.
I realized I was holding my breath as she slipped her hands under her dress, fighting to keep from enticing me with a preview of her luscious body. As she shimmied her thong past her hips, I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel.
Completely enamored with her actions.
My gaze trailed down her calves and I leaned over just enough to capture the sight of her pointing her toes as she tugged the lace free.
She didn’t lift her head, not until she’d tugged her hair behind her ear.
When she looked at me, I didn’t expect her to offer the lingerie.
The woman had several intriguing sides to her.
As I accepted it, our fingers collided and her only reaction was the narrowing of her eyes, leaving her long eyelashes to skim across her porcelain cheeks.
Her expression lingered when I brought the material to my nose, taking a deep breath. She seemed more amused than anything, or perhaps aroused. I was rewarded with a slight snort when I shoved the lace into my jacket pocket.
“You’re not keeping those.”
Leaning over again, I lifted a single eyebrow. “You’re not telling me what I can and cannot do. That’s something you’ll need to accept without hesitation.”
In a sudden move that caused her eyes to open wide, I fisted the back of her neck, immediately dragging her to straddle my lap. There were no words needed. We’d said enough already.
All that was left was exploring our carnal hungers. She took the lead, crushing her mouth over mine. I allowed her actions, maybe due to surprise or extreme hunger. What she’d soon learn was that I never allowed a woman to control any aspect of my life.