Brutally Beautiful (21 page)

She loved that chuckle he made, low in his throat, something that threatened to turn into a menacing growl but never did.

“Have you fucked other women here?” She had difficulty getting the words out, and she wasn’t sure if the answer would turn her on or not.

“Not here.” His mouth flattened. “Other places. Sorry.”

Of course he had. He’d been living here five years. “But you’re here with me now, nobody else.”

“You’re the last.”

Fuck, that was something. Or it would be if he planned to stay. Before she could think about it, the words had escaped her lips. “I know you mean to go. Take me with you.”

He rammed his cock deep inside her, passion infusing his features, making his eyes almost black. “If I stay, they’ll arrest me, so one way or another, I won’t be here. You want to see me in prison?”

Tears sprang to her eyes. Her body responded to his relentless fucking, her arousal rising as he did what he did so well. “Then I’ll come with you.”

“We’ll see.”

A concession, although not much of one. After that, she gave up, hooked her arms around his neck, and let him do to her whatever he wanted. If he didn’t take her, she’d follow him. He’d taught her how to defy authority and how to use it. She’d do everything she could to keep this wonderful man in her life. No behaving properly this time.

She let her head fall back against the cool glass and stared up into his face. He took her with a fierce intensity and showed her everything, fearlessly opening himself to her. And for once she showed him how she felt in return. Because although she’d barely known him two weeks, she loved him more than anyone else in her life. It could be infatuation or glamour, but she didn’t care, because this was too good to lose. She wanted to ride this out as far as it would go, and nobody would stop her.

Least of all the man giving her the ride of her life. She smiled and wet her lips as her arousal rose and crested the peak, hanging there for that dangerous moment before she headed down the other side, free-fall, trusting him to catch her.

He joined her, his big body shuddering against hers with the intensity of his orgasm, and they slid down the window to the equally cold floor under their feet.

This time when she opened her eyes, she didn’t flinch but smiled down at the people walking underneath them. At this height, they’d be able to see everything had the floor been two-way. Higher up and the view wouldn’t have been as clear. She could see their heads, the way they passed below. Not too many because this was a residential area, but enough to engage her interest while her body readjusted to not having Nick inside her.

She rolled over and found him lying behind her, his hands tucked under his head. He gave her a carefree smile. “I take it the view doesn’t freak you out anymore?”

“No.” She climbed onto him, but he sat up, holding her, and delivered a sweet, sensuous kiss to her breasts, then to her mouth. “If we’re going to make our dinner date, we’d better hurry up. A shared shower is the only way.”

“But I love it when we fuck in the shower. Especially your shower.”

“No time.” He mitigated his decree by kissing her again. That made it feel a bit better. “I’ll make it up to you later.”

They were showered and out in three quarters of an hour, but they needed to be, because they had fifteen minutes to make it across the river and to the hotel address Jim had texted Nick. Another of the busy, high-end tourist hotels. They were ten minutes late. Not bad, considering only an hour had passed since they’d stood on that glass precipice.

He looked gorgeous, but he did that without trying. Big, bad, beautiful, and all hers. She knew that now, and she gave without measure. As long as he wanted her, she was his, because he’d given her the greatest gift—his trust and confidence.

* * * *

After getting over the shock of meeting someone as gorgeous, black-haired, and blue-eyed as Nick, well, nearly, Gen decided she liked Nick’s brother. She saw the love in their eyes when they did the forearm-shake thing that men did, and watched the dark gaze of the other man at the table. Jim Goddard did that watching thing real well, not drawing attention to himself. When he got out a pair of spectacles to study something on the wine menu, she knew he’d be a heartbreaker—if he wasn’t one already.

Lawrence and Yolanda had hired a suite in the hotel, so they had the space all to themselves, and after an excellent meal, Nick excused himself briefly to visit the bathroom.

“He means to leave again,” Lawrence said, pitching his voice low.

“I know,” Gen said glumly. “I’m going to try to persuade him not to.”

Lawrence’s mouth tightened, drawing her attention to the lines at each side, so like Nick’s when he did that. “I don’t want to lose him again. I gave him these five years because he needed them, and because I wouldn’t put Yolanda in danger.”

His wife covered his hand with hers, hiding none of the love that shone from her eyes whenever she looked at her handsome husband. “That doesn’t matter.”

He glanced at her and smiled. “It doesn’t now. There were some very nasty people after his blood five years ago. They’ve gone now, supplanted by new drug barons, or lords, or whatever the fuck they call themselves.” Somehow, the curse word sounded odd coming out of such a well-spoken mouth. Lawrence used the crisp accent of the English upper class, while Nick favored the Estuary version. The different accents suited the personas they’d taken on for themselves. “There’s no danger for him or people who associate with him anymore.”

Jim broke into their conversation. “He won’t leave us alone for long.” He reached into his briefcase. Gen had wondered why he kept it so close. It was hardly likely that anyone would steal it in a private suite. He gave her what looked like a disposable phone and a couple of business cards. “I’ve written my private number on the back, and there’s a number programmed into the phone. The phone is safe. Nobody can break into it, I promise you, so you can say what you want. The number is my corresponding phone.” Lawrence glanced at Jim, nodded, and reached for his card case. He scribbled on the back of a card.

Jolted into action, Gen did the same. The only cards she had were the ones associated with her job. She scrawled her address on the back and then paused. “It doesn’t seem right to give you Nick’s address.”

”I don’t need it.”

They exchanged cards, putting them away quickly.

“He uses a mailbox service,” Jim said.

Lawrence chuckled. “That’s my brother. Belt and braces. Thanks. And look after him, will you?”

“I love the business chic,” Yolanda said, her softly accented Texan melting into the air. “He looks good with hair.”

Nick returned to the sound of laughter, and they could move into teasing about his hair and when he was bald. “Easier,” he said. “I ran over it every morning with the razor and that was it. Now I have to go for trims and shit. And shampoo it and walk around with wet hair for an hour. Or piss about with a dryer. I might shave it again.” He glanced at Gen, favoring her with a teasing smile that melted the flesh from her bones. “Do you think you’d put up with me bald?”

“Intimidating,” she said.

“That was another reason I did it.”

Yeah, to intimidate people. He never let anyone forget that. But in this company he was relaxed and…happy. Nick didn’t give much away, but Gen had learned the signs of his happiness and tension; with Nick it was all in his shoulders. Tension showed in the line of his muscles, and relaxation in the way they flowed like a gently undulating strip of water as opposed to an ocean in a storm.

Shit, living with a poetry lecturer was turning her into a poet too. Not a good one, but she could learn, she thought happily. If he gave her a chance.

* * * *

When they got home, she made love to him. She took him into the shower and offered herself in the way he loved, turning her back and bending over to give him control. She pampered him, washed him, kissed his cock and balls, made his eyes roll back in his head, then took him to bed. She’d looked up the TV schedules, but she couldn’t find a football game—match, he told her to call it, but it didn’t sound natural—so she cuddled close and said what she had to. “I’m in love with you.”

“Nah.” His scoffing response came just as she’d expected, and she was ready for it.

“It’s not something I planned for, Nick. It just happened.”

“Infatuation. A crush.”

“I’m thirty, not thirteen. I know the difference.”

“Just give it six months, and you won’t remember what I look like.”

Although she knew he’d try this, it still hurt. “Are you saying I’m an airhead who doesn’t know what she wants?”

He turned his head to meet her gaze. “No.”

“Then believe me. Nick, don’t go. Tough this out. If you do go, take me with you.”

He put his hand on her stomach and spread his fingers as if he wanted to touch all of her in one handspan. “Baby, I do. But it’s not real. It’s the glamour, meeting someone new.” He flicked a glance over the room. “All this.”

She glared at the painting on the opposite wall, the one thing about this apartment she didn’t like. A trendy, garish splash of red and purple, it didn’t work in this otherwise tasteful, restful space. “Not that.”

At least he laughed. “It was here when I bought the place, and I decided to leave it until I found something else I liked better. I haven’t had the time, and I guess I got used to it.”

“It doesn’t fit here.”

He shrugged. “I like it, in a perverse way. Things shouldn’t always be what you expect. And no, I wouldn’t take you with me.”

“Why not?”

“You’re building a career. You like New York, and don’t deny it. You need your independence. Don’t you want to walk down the main street of your old home and stick your middle finger up at everyone there? You said you did.”

She shook her head. “It doesn’t seem important anymore. And my career is dead. We’re exposing Bennick on Monday, and that’ll be that. I work for him, and mud sticks.”

“No, sweetheart, no. You can ride it out. There’s no proof you did anything wrong.” He frowned. “Bennick might try to frame you, but we have the evidence that will hang him.” He paused. “Well, lock him away for a good long time, anyway.” She realized what he’d been thinking. They did that more and more these days, anticipate each other’s thoughts.

“He could reach out. He’s a dangerous man, and we don’t know all his secrets.” If he thought she was in danger, he might stay. “He could come after me.”

He traced a line from her stomach to her breasts, drawing around one nipple in a way that made her squirm. “He could, couldn’t he?”

“Stay with me, Nick.”

He sighed, dropping his forehead to her breasts, and she felt his submission. “Until I know you’re safe. Yes, I’ll stay.”

A promise. Jubilation poured through her. Perhaps she wouldn’t need the phone and business cards Jim had given her after all.

He kissed her nipple, sending it instantly hard, before taking it into his mouth and sucking, caressing her with his tongue. This wouldn’t be a frantic fucking, although she loved those too. She’d told him, so she didn’t need to hold back anymore. She’d never known anything like the warmth, the complete happiness when she saw him, shared the same room as him. He didn’t even have to look at her to give her pleasure, but when he did, he made her ecstatic.

He kissed down to her pussy, making her navel and hips very happy on the way, and flicked out his tongue to savor and taste. “Mmm, I’d know your taste anywhere.” His breath heated her, curled around her legs. “Give me a pitch-black room full of naked women with their legs open, and you’d be the one I’d choose. Every time, baby.” He licked her up, dived in, went far beyond tasting to devouring in an instant.

He chose to do it fast this time. He brought her to the brink of orgasm with his tongue and fingers, drawing out her juice so he had more to lap up, so it eased his way. She was quivering by the time he came back up the bed, covering his cock in the expert way that broke her heart, because it told of past dreams shattered, of a life he’d never wanted. He eased inside her. He took her at his leisure, pressing deep, and then pausing until she opened her eyes and met his dark gaze.

“I’ll stay,” he said, “because I love you too. And I know the difference as well as you do.” He lifted, drove inside, kept her gaze until she hooked her arm around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss that seared her, linked the two places of intimate joining in a ribbon of fire.

They joined as one, moving together until they achieved their ultimate aim. And this time, they came together, gasping and crying out their passion into the night.

Nick lay holding the woman he loved, wondering how he could make her wishes happen. He wanted to give her everything, and if that included staying, then he’d try to do it. But it might not be possible without him getting locked up forever, and that wouldn’t suit either of them. He couldn’t see the point.

He switched off his emotions, relieved he could still do it, and set his mind to work. One solution occurred to him that he couldn’t deny. It wasn’t enough to jail Bennick; he had to get hold of that computer, the one at his house, hold it against him so he didn’t order another hit. Because he’d bet Bennick was into more than importing illegal immigrants. Why not get them to bring a few things in with them? Small things that didn’t take up much space? Buy it at a discount or put it against their debt to him, and he’d have not only the drugs but the people to sell them. A sweet deal, and someone as ruthlessly ambitious as Gen’s boss wouldn’t be able to resist. If he was lucky, he’d get more evidence. Everything he could collect.

The alternative he wouldn’t even consider—the easy way. Getting rid of the bastard. Instead, let him suffer, and Nick would hold him to ransom.

The decision made, he found it easier to fall asleep. He’d never slept this well in his life before. Incredible how great a good night’s sleep made him feel.

He took her to work on Monday and decided to strike then. She’d said her boss would be back at work full-time today.