Burned Deep (35 page)

His hips jerked. His stomach rippled.

I snickered. Then I placed a hand on his shoulder, pinning him down. Leaning over him, I stared into his eyes and slipped two fingers inside my wet pussy. I pumped vigorously. He watched every expression that crossed my face. I alternated between rubbing my clit and stroking my inner walls. I could see he resisted the urge to take one of my nipples in his mouth, because he followed my rules.

I lifted my leg and planted my foot flat on the mattress next to his hip, not only spreading myself wider but also giving him a clear view of me pleasuring myself. I pushed my fingers deep inside and massaged quickly. My breath hitched. My eyes likely danced with excitement.

“You think you're going to win?” he said in a husky voice.

“Yes.”

“Think again.”

He tore free of the sash, gripped my shoulders, and flipped me onto my back—as he'd said he wanted to do. His hard body was slippery against mine, the most tantalizing sensation. My hands roved his front and he felt magnificent under my fingertips as he let me explore his chest again.

Then he had a foil packet ripped open and a condom on before I could even process all the sparks shooting through me. Seconds later, he was thrusting deep and I came with a lustful cry and the sheer realization that I would never beat him at any challenge.

And that was okay.

*   *   *

I woke in the middle of the night. Alone.

It was an odd, empty feeling. Leaving me a bit cold when I'd so quickly become accustomed to Dane's heat and presence. The way he wrapped himself around me and held on tight.

The oddity, I realized, came from the fact that I missed him lying next to me, missed him filling the space with his muscular body. I tossed off the covers and climbed out of bed. His bed, because he'd said that was where he liked me.
I
didn't like that he'd slipped out on me.

Dressed in the pants he'd worn earlier, though he'd left the top button undone, Dane stood at the windows, staring out into the darkness. There were glowing embers in the hearth yet nothing for him to see outside but inky night.

I slipped on his shirt, capturing the smell of him again, and stole behind him. I circled my arms around his waist. “What are you doing?”

“Thinking.”

My hand moved up to his chest, the temptation too great. His hands covered mine, warm and strong.

“About what?”

“How I'm going to get my revenge.”

A chill ran down my spine. “Dane—”

“It's nothing for you to worry about.”

I considered this. On the one hand, I didn't like how menacing his words were—or the implication behind them. Once more, I was faced with the concern of how far Dane might go to protect what was his.

The other risky piece to the puzzle was that he deserved to fix this situation his way. The investors he'd cut out were trying to capitalize on his blood, sweat, and tears. I could fully understand how furious that would make him. And I honestly didn't know enough about what was going on to judge.

So what I worried most about was how he would react—and how accepting I'd be of his wrath. Because I walked the tightrope with him, wanting him to get his revenge but fearing what sort of person it made me if I approved of whatever he did to resolve the situation.

But that wasn't something I could reconcile just yet, so I said, “I support whatever you're doing. I know it doesn't really matter, but—”

“It does, Ari.” His hands squeezed mine and our gazes locked in the glass pane as I looked around his broad shoulder. “You have no idea how much.”

I kissed his upper arm. Then he turned and led me over to one of the oversize leather chairs in front of the fireplace. He sat and pulled me into his lap, my legs curling as I huddled close and flattened my palms against his pecs.

“What's really going on?” I asked in a soft voice.

“There's so much I don't want to tell you. To keep you safe.”

“Seems like, after yesterday, it's better that I know everything. Knowledge is power, haven't you heard?”

He chuckled, without humor.

“How do you know a sultan? And is Nikolai Vasil Russian?”

“Yes, he is. I met them through Ethan.”

This confused me. “Was he really a professor at Harvard, or is that some sort of cover?”

“You have an active imagination.”

“Not so much. I just know there's more to this situation than meets the eye. You and your friends spent all day discussing the Lux—”

“It wasn't just about the Lux. And we're not friends. We're associates, partners. There's nothing social related to my acquaintances with them.”

That sounded rather ominous. “Except with Ethan, right?”

“He's the one exception.”

“Why?”

“Ari.” His hand smoothed over my bare leg, caressing lightly.

“You're trying to distract me,” I murmured against his neck.

“Why isn't it working?”

“Because I'm trying to learn your deepest, darkest secrets.”

“Maybe I just need to put a little effort into this.” He unbuttoned the shirt I wore and slipped a hand inside, cupping my breast.

“Clever. But I'm still asking questions.” Despite how torn I was, thinking I ought to say to hell with knowing what he hid from me and let him take me to bed. “How do you know these men?”

His head fell back against the top of the chair. “Is this a ‘must know'?”

I kissed his tight jaw and whispered, “I love you, remember?”

His head lifted and he pinned me with a serious look. “You never actually said the words.”

“But you already knew I felt it. And I'm telling you now. It's only fair.”

“You're a little bit devious.”

“You made me that way.”

“Hmm.” He didn't seem to like that reality.

“It was the promise of hot sex from the get-go that corrupted me,” I said. “Since we're in this boat together, tell me what's going on.”

“Fine.” Though he sighed miserably when it came to my logic. “Perhaps it might be best if you know what you've gotten yourself into.”

What I'd been
seduced
into, was a bit more accurate. But I couldn't deny my own accountability. I'd been reticent along the way, but I had willingly given this devilishly handsome man my heart.

He posed his own query. “Have you heard of the Illuminati?”

My brows dipped. Strange direction for him to take. “Sure. In a Lara Croft movie.”

He gave that hollow laugh again. “Okay, that's a start, I guess.”

“Are you about to tell me it's real?”

“No … and yes.”

“You can't make this easy for me, can you?”

“It's not something I can simplify. The origins of these groups began with the Bavarian Illuminati, though it was supposedly dissolved in 1785. There have since been offshoots—descendant factions—that continue to influence the political and financial environment, worldwide.”

I didn't say a word. Just stared at him, knowing I was about to be blown away by the direction of this conversation. And not surprised there was so much more to him than words could describe.

He said, “When I was at Harvard, Ethan recruited me into a poli-econ secret society. The purpose of this particular Illuminati faction is to track, trend, analyze, and predict political and economic climates, with the goal of influencing leaders to effect positive change.
Positive
change,” he emphasized in a tight voice.

I was speechless for a few seconds, eventually asking, “How did Ethan get involved with these people?”

“You were actually close to the mark when you suggested his tenure at Harvard was a cover. It was—of sorts. Ethan is a brilliant forecaster of economic trends. He studies world markets, trades, industries, and basically has a sixth sense about fiscal impacts and expectations. His great-great-grandfather formed the poli-econ group. With the exception of myself, all the nine members are descendants of the original secret society. It's generational—or, rather, it's supposed to be.”

“They made an exception for you? Because you're so brilliant?” Graduating from an Ivy League school with the highest honors and summa cum laude spoke volumes. So, too, did his success.

“I showed potential,” he corrected. “I was recruited during my second year at Harvard. The youngest member to ever join.”

“How, exactly, does this society work?”

“We're the heart of a network of global billionaires and scholars we call upon to influence the political and business realms to guide changing times. It's very complex. Cloak-and-dagger. No one speaks outside the network of what's to be done, what has been done. And within the inner sanctum … I took an oath to never reveal my involvement. To
anyone
.”

“Oh.” I did not miss the significance there. He'd broken his promise to the society—for me. “Dane—”

“Things have gone wrong, Ari.” His expression turned grim. “It's a majority-rules bloc. Five of the nine members plotted a different course during a fragile economic time. We predicted another downturn, similar to that of '08. We've managed to keep it from happening—that
is
the premise of the secret society. But the five used the intellectual property of our think tank for personal gain.
Substantial
personal gain.”

“Criminal corruption.” A chill ran through me. This was growing darker by the moment.

With a nod, he said, “Fortunes have been lost, legacies obliterated—to their benefit. And there's some other stuff—” A sharp grunt fell from his lips. “I can't say for sure. I have no concrete evidence, but some political changes of late and a few ‘fortuitous' deaths make me suspicious as to how far they'll go to increase their own empires.”

“My God.” My stomach roiled. “Dane. That's a huge assumption.”

“That's why it's currently just speculation on my part. Like I said, I can't confirm anything. But what I do know—from the resources I've provided for the society—gives me a strong enough indication of the direction the five have taken so that I am carefully trying to extract myself before their course becomes more destructive.”

“And part of the extrication is cutting these people out as investors in the Lux.”

“Yes. But it hasn't gone over well.”

“How did you manage it?”

“I had a legitimate loophole. Thanks to my legal team.”

“Okay, maybe I didn't need to know all of this.” Christ, the implications were enormous—and dangerous. “Dane, their retaliation is already wreaking havoc—and is dangerous to the people who work for you. They could come after you, or anyone else, with something much stronger if you refuse to bring them back into the Lux fold. They could—”

“Ari, stop.” He caught my chin gently between his thumb and forefinger and stared into my eyes. “Don't start worrying like that. Don't worry about anything. We're taking care of it.”

“How?” I demanded.

“We have our ways.”

“Are they legal ways?”

“Don't ask me that. The less you know about our plan, the better.”

I gaped. How could it be that behind all the luster and beauty of 10,000 Lux lay something sinister and foreboding?

Worse … could it be deadly?

I slipped from Dane's grip and his lap. I stood in front of the fire, trying to warm the frigid blood in my veins. Dane joined me, his large hands clasping my biceps.

“Ari, don't let this upset you. We'll get it under control.”

“By whatever means necessary?”

“I have the right to protect
my
empire. To protect everything that's mine—I told you that before.”

“But within the limitations of the law. Right, Dane?”

“Of course, Ethan, Qadir, Nik, and I want to rectify this as simply and efficiently as possible. Understand, though, that when people of this magnitude strike, you have to strike back. It's the only way they'll respect
our
power.”

I didn't want to hear any more. I didn't want to agonize over what lengths they might go to save 10,000 Lux from shady poachers.

So much of me believed that Dane was correct—he'd had good intentions with the secret society. He'd had good intentions with the Lux. It was perfectly within his realm to want to defend and safeguard what he'd worked so hard to build. I didn't doubt that for a second.

The terrifying part was that I truly did support him, because he deserved to be able to fight for his own legacy. It was the darkness around the fringes that tore at me. What was he willing to do? How far were he and the others willing to go—on both sides?

And why did I feel I was somehow caught in the middle?

That incident in the stairwell … Had it been all coincidence and really bad timing on my behalf? Or had that snake been lying in wait for me? The one person who used that emergency exit more than anyone else—maybe the
only
one to use it.

What about the fire? I'd been the only one around the media room at the time.

I shivered. Dane wound his strong arms around me.

“I will take care of this, baby. You just have to trust me. Do as I ask.”

“Stay out of stairwells and the media room?”

“For now.”

“Damn it, Dane.”

“I know. I'm sorry.” He held me a bit tighter. “Believe me, I'm not happy about any of this. But when you're dealing with the sort of capital wrapped up in the Lux, investors getting greedy isn't uncommon. When it's within their reach, these men are like junkies, Ari. Money is their drug. It's never enough. They want more and more. It's a natural rush, a high they don't want to come down from, so they need bigger and bigger deals. No matter what they have to do to acquire them.”