Chapter Thirteen
Laurie
I hurriedly grabbed my jacket off the coat rack, trying not to think about what I’d just seen in Rip’s eyes.
The shiver that tortured my spine with the reminder didn’t help, and against my will, I once again saw the ferocity and darkness that had risen like a tsunami.
The way he’d looked at me, with hunger, was enough to set my nerves on edge.
I almost didn’t turn my back on him as I went for the door, so nervous of the predator hidden within.
What was I thinking, coming up here with him? I barely know him. Not to mention things aren’t adding up. There’s no way he could afford this penthouse on my father’s salary. It’s not that good. So, just what is he doing being a part of the hired help?
Confusion reigned supreme in my mind, made all the worse by the furnace between my legs. Somehow, despite the fear and worry that Rip had instilled in me, I wanted to stay. Longed to stay. A not-so-small part of me craved far more than just a brush of his fingers against my skin.
I wanted to surrender to his desires, to his darkness. Perhaps I could show him a better way, bring him some light. He’d been so kind to me, after all. There was no way he could be all bad.
Thoughts like that continued to ruin my underwear and chafe my nipples, which rubbed against my bra with every movement, something that was happening far too frequently around Rip. Like he had a button that turned me on with just a touch any time he pressed it.
No man I am this unfamiliar with should have such control over my body. I don’t even know his last name, yet I want him to tear the clothes from me and make me his own? This is madness!
“Laurie.”
I was at the door, my hand reaching for the handle, when he called for me.
There was no way it was a coincidence that he’d waited until the very last second to say my name.
All I had to do was twist the handle and be gone.
Or wait and stick around. The choice, he made clear, was mine and mine alone.
Or was it?
“Yes?” I heard myself say, not turning around but also not wanting to be rude. I did owe him some gratitude for dealing with Eric. The least I could do was not ignore him. Even if it meant delaying my departure. But I could leave any time I wanted. The door was right there. He couldn’t stop me.
“I’m sorry,” he said, coming up behind me.
I scrunched my face up tight as fingers wrapped over my shoulder, producing goosebumps down my spine and arms.
“For what?” I whispered, still not turning.
“I … didn’t mean to push anything,” he said. “With you.”
Relaxing, I turned to face him without thinking about why that was a terrible, terrible idea.
“It’s okay,” I squeaked, captured once more by the turquoise glitter in his eyes, the iris swirling around like a maelstrom and pulling me in and down to their depths.
But it wasn’t okay. I was trapped now, my back to the door, Rip in front of me. I wasn’t prepared for his sheer presence, so close to me, and now, I was stuck, rooted to the spot, and unable to do anything while I stared up at him through a forest of fake lashes that I’d done for my ex-fiancé.
What a wild night it was turning out to be.
Too late, I realized that by turning my head upward, I gave him an opening.
That feral light glinted in Rip’s eyes, and with a savage, possessive growl, he leaned in to kiss me without asking.
Just taking. His fingers hooked my chin and turned my head up a little more an instant before his mouth covered mine.
Searing heat exploded upon impact, pulling muscles taut and forcing me to arch up into him. I scrambled for breath, inhaling deeply through my nose in a mixture of surprise and delight as our mouths tasted one another, tongues flicking out to explore and tease.
My body was on fire, flames rippling out from where his fingers still controlled my chin, and the harder I fought, the more it spread, the heat sinking deeper into me, fueling other, more carnal fires.
“I need you,” he growled, his implication tightening skin across my body.
It felt good, in a way, to be the target of such insane physical desires.
For once in a very long time, I knew, without a doubt, someone wanted me for something other than my money.
Rip knew who I was, he knew my family, and he didn’t care.
He wanted my body right there and then, if the hard bulge pressing against my body was anything to go by.
Nothing more than that. He just wanted to use me for my body, and while I perhaps should have been offended after the betrayal I’d suffered, it was beyond nice to have him be so up front.
And to say that I wouldn’t mind his body would be an understatement. My fingers, wherever they went, encountered muscle layered on hard muscle, a delightful discovery that I was sure continued to places where clothes still covered.
Once more reading my mind, Rip’s hands slid under my shirt, the warm, rough textures running over my skin as he gripped my ribs tightly and held me in place. I was breathing deeply, all but gasping as his lips burned a trail of kisses down my jaw and to my neck, leaving my knees wobbly.
“Mine,” he claimed as his hands caressed my breasts for the first time.
I moaned softly, unable to stop myself.
A part of me was screaming that it was a terrible idea, that I was still in shock from earlier and I would regret this decision, but most of me didn’t care. I was too caught up in the moment, in Rip’s delicate yet firm hold, a man I had just met.
My sweater came off, lifted over my head without a protest, and my bra slid to the floor a second later, baring my breasts to his hungry mouth and exploring hands.
Grabbing his head, I pushed my fingers through his hair, moaning louder as he ran his tongue over my nipple until it was taut and hard, sending shivers through my body that burned brightest between my legs.
I knew what would happen next, but even as he undid the button of my pants, I hesitated.
Was that really what I wanted to do?