Chapter 16
Anna
When a full two minutes had passed, I was certain I was about to make a clean getaway.
Then I’d felt his electrified presence only a few inches away.
“You’re not getting away from me,” Jaxon growled from behind me. “We need to talk. Now.”
I should have known the bastard would follow me, eager to continue where we’d left off. When his hand touched my arm, the shot of electricity was startling, even more so than the night before.
“What do you want, Jaxon? An apology?” I kept walking, my strides getting longer. For a couple of minutes he said nothing, merely keeping the same pace, which was annoying as hell. “I’m not going to talk to you. You know everything you need to know about me.”
“That’s not entirely true. Is it?” Oh, the man was so damn arrogant, so certain of himself. Did he honestly think I was going to fall for his bullshit?
Turning the corner onto a side street, he was right on my heel and my nerves were already on edge, my pulse racing. Sadly, it was not because I feared repercussions, but because of the wetness he caused between my legs.
Finally, unable to tolerate his presence any longer, I spun around to face him, yanking my arm free.
“What? Are you just one of those guys who won’t take no for an answer?
” Damn the man. He didn’t answer right away.
But he smiled. Dear God, he smiled while slowly lowering his heated gaze then closing the distance, so I was forced to take purposeful backward steps toward the building.
“An apology would be an excellent ice breaker.” He touched his head and winced, although I sensed he wasn’t in any kind of anguish.
What Emme had suggested about how he could take the pain easily filtered into my mind.
Being so close to him was annoying for several reasons including my body’s betrayal.
In learning the truth about Emmeline’s family, I was torn on how to handle finding myself in the middle of the very thing I’d never wanted to deal with again. The way he was looking at me was entirely too possessive, as if what had occurred the night before allowed him to think that way.
The heat of the afternoon did nothing to keep my nipples from hardening, aching from the way my thin shirt was shifting back and forth. Just like the ache in my bottom was more pronounced just by being so close to him.
“I’m sorry.” Maybe that would be enough to convince him to leave me alone. “I heard you had a concussion. I hope you went to a doctor. What am I saying? Men like you don’t go to a doctor.”
“Sorry you hit me or sorry that you didn’t succeed in killing me?” He was amused while I was moving from annoyed straight toward being pissed.
“Maybe a little of both.”
“What do you mean men like me?” His challenge was matched with a stern look and a clenched jaw, which only proved to make him even sexier.
“You know exactly what I mean.”
“No,” he growled. “I don’t. What did my sister tell you?”
“I was smart enough to figure out you’re one of the bad guys.”
“The bad guys. Explain.” Now he was amused, folding his arms and even tapping his foot on the sidewalk.
Exhaling, I hated that I’d spouted off at the mouth, but he was the kind of man who caused my involuntary sputtering. “You’re as dangerous as I thought you were. You kill people for a living.” There it was, right out in the open.
“Is that what Emmeline told you I do? My family does?”
“Not in so many words, but I could read between the lines. You’re mafia.”
Exhaling, he scrunched up his entire face as he looked toward the street. It was obvious he’d never faced a pointed accusation of this nature. At least not by a woman. “I assure you that how my family handles our business activities doesn’t include murder on a daily basis.”
“But it does include murder.”
He crowded my space even more until I was pressed up against the building, already calculating how I could get away from him. “If you’re asking if my line of work is dangerous then I’ll say at times. Not always. We do run a very successful business that includes land development.”
“Right. Sure you do. And if people cross you, they disappear. Maybe underneath tons of freshly poured cement. If people don’t answer your questions, they disappear.
If you don’t like answers given to you. They.
Disappear. Right?” I pointed my finger at him, careful not to touch him given the electricity was already off the charts.
“For the lack of a more appropriate word since I can’t seem to find it in my vocabulary, you’re a very bad man and I should stay away from you. ”
His sigh was one of frustration. “I’ll accept your assessment and the choice of words. But no, just because they don’t thrill me, you’re not going to disappear. You’re far too… enjoyable.”
Even the change in his tone created tremors skating down my spine.
“As I said before, we have nothing to talk about. I’m not working for some group of people hell-bent on tearing down the great Prince family.
I’m a ballerina trying to return to some semblance of a normal life.
I’m also not your enemy, although I understand you have several.
I don’t care what you were doing yesterday morning.
I just want to start over in a new city around people I don’t know except for your sister, who, unlike her brother, was sweet enough to welcome me with open arms. Can’t you understand that? Please?”
The way he was looking at me was as a predator eager to devour his prey. Tingling sensations prickled every inch of my skin.
He had the nerve to push me closer to the side of the building, planting one hand beside my head and leaning in.
“I completely understand you’re in a new city facing new situations and were caught off guard seeing something you shouldn’t have.
You enjoyed a night with a masked man. Then you found out who he was and you fantasized about him, enough so when he was trying to do his job to protect his family, you panicked. ”
I narrowed my eyes. “Wow. You are an arrogant asshole.”
His eyes narrowed, more hooded than I’d seen them and his breathing was ragged. I sensed his incredible tension by the way the thick cords on both sides of his neck vibrated. “You are a difficult woman to deal with.”
“Then don’t.”
“You walked into my world unexpectedly, but I do understand your predicament more than you know.”
“You do?” I don’t know why I bothered asking. He was everything I hated in men. Controlling. Demanding. Arrogant to a fault. Yet I was still fully aroused, which was the most irritating aspect of anything I’d been through since stepping foot in New Orleans.
The way he nodded, taking his sweet time forced me to look him directly in the eyes. He was every girl’s dream with his long hair flowing around his shoulders, the look he was giving me so intense he was stripping away my breath.
When he lifted his other arm, curling his fingers, I winced involuntarily.
He noticed, shaking his head so slowly if I hadn’t been paying attention I wouldn’t have detected movement.
With a gentle touch I didn’t think possible with the man, he rubbed his knuckles across my cheek where I’d been smacked.
“Everything you said about me is the truth. However, you can trust me, Anna. I’m not going to hurt you.
If I had any intention of doing so, I would have done so already. ”
I tried to recoil but sensed he wouldn’t allow me to go anywhere. “That’s a change from yesterday.”
“For some who dare challenge the Prince Empire, you are correct. What no one in my family can or will tolerate is betrayal of any kind. My family has been involved in illegal activities for as long as I’ve been alive.
There’s no reason to lie to you nor am I ashamed of my family and everything we’ve accomplished. ”
His touch was far too electrifying, but I remained leery of his actions.
Did I honestly think he’d followed me from the coffee shop to end my life?
Of course not, but I knew men like him too well.
They all had an ulterior motive. Whatever his motive for pursuing me continued to prick at my survivor instincts.
He was absolutely predatory in nature. “What’s the difference? ”
Every sound he made was calculated, as a wolf would do when standing mere feet from his mate.
The thought was captivating in all the ways I should consider ridiculous.
“Perhaps what Emmeline said last night finally sank in. As I said before, you just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time to witness something within my business operations. My instinct tells me you understand what’s at stake. ”
His words weren’t a direct threat, but a reminder that I was in his world.
“And as I said, I know who you are, Jaxon. You’re a member of the Prince family. You’re mafia. You don’t know me at all. I’m not a stupid girl and have no loyalty to anyone in this town or beyond but your sister.”
While his expression reflected what I’d just told him, he didn’t respond right away, acting as if he had all the time in the world. His touch remained tender but more than the gentle gesture, the desire coursing through me was even more elated than the night before.
I hated feeling so hungry for a man who wasn’t good for me.
“When men abuse women, they deserve to face the worst fate in the world. Women are precious jewels, gems to be cherished and protected like a perfect butterfly.”
The words coming from his mouth didn’t suit the man who’d all but threatened me the day before. As crazy as it seemed, the man was mesmerizing and all sense of time and necessity of breaking free from his hold was nothing that mattered to me. “I’m okay, Jaxon. What happened was in New York.”
“Tell me who did this to you and I’ll have him taken care of. I’ll go myself if that’s what you’d prefer.”
As crazy as his statement might seem to some, I had no doubt he was being serious. There was a tiny part of me who would love to see the predatory wolf in action. “They aren’t worth it.”
“They? Even worse.” He lowered his head and I found myself tilting my chin.
He smelled of sandalwood and spice, a hint of the forest of something even darker, richer. And more deadly. When our lips were centimeters away, I pushed my hands against his chest, trying to slide away from him.
But he grabbed my arm, keeping me where I was.
“Don’t run away from me, Anna.”
When he said my name, enunciating the syllables in a dark and stormy way, I was drawn further into a world promising passion as well as danger. While my mind instructed me to stay far away from the temptation, the sizzling ache in my body refused to listen to solid advice.
“I’m not running. I have a few things to accomplish.”
“You’re going to have dinner with me.”
“I can’t, Jaxon, and you and I both know we’re not compatible.”
He laughed in a way that sent shivers all through my body. “Maybe I’m not asking.”
“You’re used to getting what you want. Aren’t you?”
“Always.”
“Not this time. I have rehearsal and another new job to start so I can afford to pay your sister back for her kindness. I also need to settle in.” Maybe with enough repetition he’d get the point that I wasn’t going out with him under any circumstances. “Just not now. Okay? Maybe in a couple days.”
Somehow, I doubted he would heed my plea.
However, I had no intention of telling him where I was going. While the chemistry we shared was off the charts, I couldn’t allow my guard to fall with him. I knew men like him far too well. He was a user, someone who worked every angle to get what he wanted and that wasn’t going to fly with me.
When I tried to walk away again, he slid his hand under my chin, holding my throat. Unlike the night before, he wasn’t using a strangling pressure, but his hold was entirely possessive. Before I had a chance to say anything, he captured my mouth.
This time, I didn’t want to fight him or the moment of passion. He swept his tongue inside and I was floored how hot and hungry I’d become. Everything about the man was a telling statement about how controlling he was. Enough so, the kiss was the most passionate one I’d ever had in my life.
I was breathless, prickles of light flashing in front of my eyes.
And the entire world around us ceased to exist. I curled my fingers around his shirt, tugging him even closer.
The kiss took on a life of its own, our tongues dancing together as he attempted to dominate me.
The rougher he became, the more my hunger exploded until my core was on fire, my pussy throbbing.
He seemed to sense my body’s condition because when he broke the kiss, he acted as if he had no intention of letting me go. With a push of his thumb under my chin, he lifted my head and dragged his tongue from one side of my jaw to the other.
I kept my eyes closed, incapable of thinking clearly. Being lightheaded around him wasn’t a good thing to do, but he was so controlling in a way that pushed my passion to the limits. When he nuzzled into my neck, my legs began to shake.
“Desidero baciare ogni centimetro del tuo corpo, deliziarmi della tua dolce fica e poi affondare il mio pene profondamente dentro di te. Per ore e ore.”
His voice was dark, alluding to the very dangerous aura surrounding him. All controlling. All consuming. And his words were everything I’d longed to hear and nothing I could tolerate.
I long to kiss every inch of your body, feasting on your sweet pussy then thrusting my cock deep inside. For hours and hours.
And why? Because he’d spoken the words of passion and dominance in Italian.
The hushed statement was exactly what I needed to hear. I shoved him away, breaking contact, the surprise enough to be able to slip from his hold.
Jaxon remained where he was, formidable in his body stance. With the breeze softly tousling his thick strands of hair and his jaw clenched, he appeared the perfect panther lying in wait.
As I backed away, I could clearly see a look of amusement in his eyes, and the way the corners of his mouth turned constituted a smile coming from such a dangerous man.
It was almost a promise.
Our interactions weren’t complete, not by a longshot.