DEVASTATED

AIDEN & OLIVIA

PART 3

Stephanie Julian

Copyright © 2017 by Stephanie Julian

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at stephaniejulian@msn.com.

 All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.

Chapter One

Aiden

So beautiful.

Still sunk deep inside Olivia, I hold her tight against my chest as she clenches around me.

I want to move so badly I ache from the effort to hold myself in check. I don’t want to come yet because there’s so much more I want to explore with her tonight. But the way she responds to me makes my inner Neanderthal want to beat his chest.

I know she came here tonight looking for answers. Answers I can’t give her without giving away my endgame. And I’m not ready to do that yet. Because once I do, she’ll be gone.

I’ve already deviated from the original plan and now I’m trying to figure out how I can keep her, even though I know that’ll be impossible once she finds out who I am and what I’ve done.

Another pulse of her body around my cock. I thicken even more as I pull out as slowly as I can, centimeter by centimeter. Her sheath tightens around me, as if trying to hold me inside.

Turning her onto her back, I watch as her breathing returns to normal and her lids flutter a few times before opening to reveal those beautiful eyes.

My lungs catch and struggle for air. My muscles bunch, ready to thrust back inside her warm channel, but my brain intervenes, reminding me that I don’t want to simply fuck her.

I want so damn much more. I want her complete surrender until it’s a gnawing ache in my gut.

Then I can’t deny myself. I slide my knees between her legs and press home again, tilting my hips to gain another half inch of depth. Every motion is tightly controlled, my teeth gritted against the intense sensation that shoots down my shaft and through my body.

Every part of my body wants to fuck her hard and fast, to lose myself in the carnality of her heat and her scent and the way she grasps my cock.

But my brain keeps putting on the brakes because I know, if I can draw this out long enough, the reward will be even better.

On my next retreat, I pull out completely and am rewarded by the disappointed sound she makes.

Staring down into her eyes, I remove the condom and drop it over the side of the bed. I’ll replace it with a new one later.

Now, I lean over her and reach for the rope on the nearest post. Her gaze follows my hand and she swallows hard but she doesn’t flinch away or say no.

As I lean closer, I hear her suck in a sharp breath. My cock throbs, the heat of her body searing the sensitive skin of my shaft.

It would be so easy to move closer to her mouth, to rub the tip of my cock against her lips, and watch her suck me in. I want it, badly. And if the look on her face is any indication, she wants the same.

But if I let her lips wrap around me, let her tongue slide up my shaft, I’ll come and we’ll have to start all over again. Not that I’m not planning to take her at least three times tonight, but this first time I want to savor.

So I unwind the rope from the left post and let it fall across the bed. Then I do the same with the other.

“Arms up.”

She doesn’t respond immediately, but her gaze locks with mine and her teeth sink into her bottom lip. I want to bite that lip myself but if I do, I’ll drag my mouth from her lips to her neck to her breasts and I’ll keep going until I open her legs and lick her pussy.

And I’ll get to that. But first…

Slowly, her arms rise until they rest above her head. The motion makes her breasts pull up as well and now my mouth waters for a taste.

First things first.

I force back the almost overwhelming urge to suck those nipples into my mouth and lave them with my tongue until she begs me to stop. I’ve discovered how sensitive she is, how she squirms when I bite her. Makes me harder just thinking about it.

Forcing myself to focus, I pick up one of the ropes and wind it around her left wrist. Not too tight but not much slack. When her right wrist is done, her arms stretched out, I take a few seconds to simply stare.

I haven’t yet been able to figure out what it is about her that fascinates me so much I’m willing to jeopardize a plan years in the making.

If it were only her appearance, fucking her once would’ve been enough. At least, it has been with other women.

No, there’s something about Olivia that makes me crave her more every time I see her.

How the hell can I work her out of my system?

Maybe you don’t.

That voice again, the one I keep trying to ignore.

With an effort, I shake it out of my head and narrow my focus. She’s staring at me with those gorgeous eyes but I break contact and move down the bed.

I spread her legs and wrap the silk ropes around her ankles, baring her pussy. I barely stop myself from falling on her and rutting like an animal.

That’s what I feel like right now. I can only think about fucking her, about the fact that she’s given me permission to tie her to my bed and trusts me not to hurt her.

She wouldn’t be here if you weren’t blackmailing her.

Another thought I don’t want to deal with right now. She’s here and that’s all I care about. The rest we’ll deal with later.

Right now…

I kneel between her legs and put my mouth over her, licking the delicate lips between her thighs and tasting her. She moans and her body stiffens. But not in rejection. Her hips press forward, encouraging me to take more.

Every sound she makes fires my blood. I slide one hand beneath her ass to tilt her up, opening her farther. She tastes like heat and desire and I want so much more. My teeth graze her clit, making her jerk beneath me before I swipe my tongue, soothing the tiny hurt.

Heart beating against my ribs, I suck in air and focus every ounce of effort on making her come.

I could lick her all night, love how she responds to my touch. With my tongue on her clit, I slide two fingers into her channel, into her heat. She clenches around me, making me groan at the memory of her tightening around my cock.

Just a little while longer. I want to hold out a little longer to see her completely wrecked by her desire for me.

The need to have her surrender completely is becoming essential and I work harder, listening to her every sigh, feeling her every motion.

Her thighs are taut, her belly a flat plane as I lift my head from between her legs. I leave my fingers lodged inside her body, twisting and wringing more pleasure from her.

Her lips are parted and I want to run my tongue over them, between them. But first, I make sure she’s holding my gaze before I drop my head to her belly and run my tongue from her navel to just between her breasts.

I look up again and find her watching through slitted eyes as her chest rises and falls at an ever-increasing pace. Her breasts quiver with each breath and I hold her gaze as I move my mouth to one tight nipple. I lick the pointed tip, the texture butter-soft against my tongue. When I run my tongue around the areole, the flesh pebbles even more.

Releasing her gaze, I focus on sucking her nipple into my mouth and teasing it, making her squirm. Raw animal desire surges and I bite her, hard enough to make her cry out, just short of outright pain.

My cock throbs at the sound and I switch sides, lifting a hand to mold her neglected breast in my palm. Her skin feels like heated satin and I want to rub my cock between her breasts.

But I think that’s going to have to wait until she’s no longer bound. I don’t want to push her too far tonight. I’m already planning more nights with her. No need to do everything at once. There’ll be time later.

You hope.

Rising above her, hands planted on either side of her head, I stare into her eyes as I settle my knees against her thighs and brush my cock against her mound. The finely trimmed hair teases my sensitive skin, making my cock bob in anticipation.

“Are you okay?”

She wasn’t expecting me to speak and surprise makes her eyes widen. She swallows hard before answering.

Her hoarse voice ignites my blood. “Just do it.”

“Spell it out for me, Olivia. I need to hear it.”

She doesn’t answer right away and I don’t know why I’ve given her so much control. She’s already agreed to let me have her, has trusted me to tie her to the bed.

Her throat convulses as she swallows and her lips flatten before she takes a deep breath.

“Go ahead and fuck me. I want you to. I want to feel you push inside me. Make me come.”

Every word out of her mouth nails me right in the balls. I’m already close enough to the edge that I’m afraid if I accidently brush my cock against her skin, I’ll come on her stomach.

Her words are rough but her tone is breathy and seductive, no hard edges. She’s trying not to give in to the same primal forces pushing at me, but she’s losing the fight.

She’s wrapped her fingers around the slight slack in the rope, drawing her arms tighter. Her legs slide against the sheets as if she’s trying to rub them together, to create friction.

Reaching to the side table again, I grab another condom. She never takes her eyes off me. Her gaze follows my hands and I swear I feel her fingers around mine as I roll the condom down.

Coming up onto my haunches, I put my hands on her inner thighs and squeeze. I can scent her arousal and my gaze falls to her pussy, slick and puffy. My cock is ready to burst but I force restraint and lean forward just enough to rub the tip of my cock between those folds.

I don’t push deep, just enough to part her lips, enough for the head to disappear inside.

Her pussy contracts, trying to draw me deeper as her hips lift to do the same. I let her take me deeper, let her work her hips until I’m lodged inside her. Not far enough. The next move is mine.

Planting my hands just above her shoulders, I flex my hips and push against her resistance. Swallowing hard, I let my cock throb halfway inside her before drawing back out. The next time, I go farther.

Each thrust tests my endurance, my resistance to her charms. Every retreat makes me grit my teeth against the urge to slam home.

Sweat slicks my skin and moisture coats my dick as she circles her hips, slowly enough to be torture. My breath heaves in and out like I’ve just run a marathon but it’s still not enough. I feel like I’m suffocating slowly.

I have no idea what my breaking point is. Maybe it’s her expression, a mix of frustration and yearning. Maybe it’s the growing pit of desire in my gut. I only know that the next time she arches her hips, I thrust. Hard.

My body comes down over hers, crushing her into the mattress as my hips nail hers with fierce intent. I’m hard as stone everywhere, muscles straining.

My mouth covers hers, demanding a response. She opens immediately, her tongue tangling with mine, demanding more. At this moment, I’m willing to give her whatever she wants…as long as I can continue to fuck her.

With our mouths fused and my hips pumping against hers, I make sure every time I thrust forward, I make contact with her clit. I grind down hard, making her squirm, her hips rising to meet mine.

I kiss her harder, demand more. She gives it but not without cost. Every time I slide back inside the heat of her body, I lose more of the hold on my control until, finally, it’s gone completely.

Without that restraint, the orgasm I’ve been holding back races to the forefront, hammering at me until I thrust as deep as I can get. Grinding against her clit, I feel her moan deep inside and her sex spasms around me, milking me until I can’t hold back.

I release all restraints and come, my cock pulsing with heat. Groaning into her mouth, I fall over her, completely covering her with my body until I have to tear my mouth away from hers so I don’t suffocate us both.

Her breath rushes against my cheek as mine does against her neck, both of us loud and unable to catch our breath.

I’m deadweight over her and I don’t want to move. Sooner or later, though, I’ll have to because she won’t be able to breathe.

And I have so much more planned for tonight.

Chapter Two

Olivia

I’m so wrung out, I can barely move. And that has nothing to do with the ropes around my wrists and ankles.

It has everything to do with the man sprawled on top of me.

Sucking in air, I bury my nose in his neck as I try to calm myself. But every breath is laced with his scent and I soon feel like I’m drowning once again.

Still, I don’t move, just let myself drift in that surreal space where nothing makes sense. Like the fact that this man is blackmailing me and I’m enjoying paying his price.

My eyes open and I stare across the room at the window where I’d snuck in only two nights ago.

How the hell had things gotten to this point? And where the hell do we go from here?

Questions I had no answers to. Questions I wasn’t sure I wanted Aiden to answer.

A slight movement of my arm and Aiden slides to my side and unwinds the ropes from my arms. I’ve never been tied up before and I flex my wrists, working out the slight stiffness. Rolling to the side of the bed to remove the condom, Aiden is back a second later to undo my ankles.

“Does anything hurt?”

His tone holds no apology, just a straightforward question.

I circle my wrists and ankles for a few seconds before shaking my head. “No. I’m fine.”

With a slight nod of his head, he watches me as I slide back until my head is almost at the headboard. Then I pile a couple of pillows beneath my head and stare at him.

The air holds a slight chill and as soon as I think about it, I shiver. A second later, he reaches down to pull the covers over us.

Then he piles the remaining pillows behind his head and I wonder if he’s about to grab a cigarette. The image makes me smile and now his gaze narrows.

“What’s so amusing?”

That voice of his does wild and crazy things to my insides. I haven’t figured out why and maybe I don’t want to know.

“Do you smoke?”

His brow furrows as he mulls over what I mean and finally his mouth curves in a slight grin. “No. I don’t. Sorry to disappoint.”

I’m about to say he doesn’t, but I bite the words back because it would sound too much like normal pillow talk.

And this situation is in no way normal. My gaze slides away from his and I turn my head to stare at that window on the opposite wall again.

I want to ask what now. But I don’t want to leave. Not yet. Especially not without that file. That’s my entire reason for being here.

And I want to have sex with him again.

“How were you able to make that climb?”

His question makes me turn to face him again. He’s staring at me with open curiosity on his face and, despite the circumstances, I want to answer. But I want something in return.

“I’ll answer your question if you answer one of mine.”

He mulls it over for a split second. “Agreed.”

Then he falls silent, waiting.

“I’ve been climbing since I was a kid. I started with trees but I nearly busted my head open when I was eight. I fell out of a fifty-foot oak in Fairmount Park, spent a few days in the hospital. I was lucky. The only bone I broke was my right arm and it wasn’t bad. My dad took me to the indoor climbing center as soon as I was healed. One of my instructors was a former Army Ranger and he got me into parkour.”

“Guess that comes in handy in your line of work.”

There’s absolutely no inflection in his voice, but my back wants to stiffen anyway. I don’t allow it to.

I’m not about to let him make me feel guilty about what I do. He has no idea who I really am, what I’m like.

“It does. It was great training. Not many kids are into that kind of thing so my teacher was able to spend a lot of time working with me.”

“Does he know what you do with that training?”

“Of course not.” I shrug like it doesn’t matter but he’s managed to pick open a sore spot. “Mr. Jim was regulation all the way.”

“Was?”

My heart twists a little. “He died last year. Freak accident on a course. He was training a group of disabled vets for a special Spartan race. A rope snapped while he was crossing a stream. He fell, hit his head on a rock and never woke up.”

A goddamn tragedy. A thousand people had attended Jim’s funeral and I recognized several others who had the same job description I did.

Maybe Jim had known what I did but he’d never mentioned it. And he’d never treated me any differently than any of his other students.

“Sounds like you were close.”

“He was a good man. My turn.” I speak before he can say anything else and I feel him tense slightly beside me. But I’m a cat burglar. I’m sneaky by definition. “Why do you have the files I need?”

I can tell that isn’t the question he’d been expecting. His eyebrows rise slightly and that amazing mouth turns up at the corners. I almost expect him to pat me on the head and say, “Clever girl.”

Instead, he leans back against the pillows a little more, his naked body on full display. Unashamed. I’m not a prude but I’m not about to lie here on his bed naked for him to ogle.

Of course, if he’s going to let it all hang out, I’m not going to look away. Because, holy crap, the man makes me weak in the knees. And, Jesus, I wish I were kidding.

“Don’t you want to know who I am?”

“Maybe I already know who you are.”

I meet his gaze head on, unblinking. He stares at me like he thinks he can read my mind. Not happening, but he does have very nice eyes.

After a few seconds, he takes a breath and releases it on a sigh. “Because a man in my position is only worth as much as the information he holds.”

A frown creases my brow. “What the fuck kind of answer is that?”

“The only kind you’re getting right now.”

He looks so damn arrogant, my fingers curl into a fist in an attempt not to smack him. “How can you be such an asshole?”

My dad’s life is on the line and he’s playing games. Which I knew when I came here tonight. So why the hell am I so mad now?

Because you still want him and you still don’t have any answers.

He moves so fast, I don’t realize I’m beneath him until he’s staring down at me, my chest pinned beneath his.

I can barely breathe again but it’s not because he’s lying on me.

“Have you stopped to ask yourself what possible reason I could have for wanting your father to pay for his crimes?” Aiden glares at me although the rest of his expression is perfectly bland. “You’re not stupid, Olivia. You, maybe more than your brothers and sister, know what your father’s capable of, don’t you?”

My eyes widen at the hardness in his voice, a sharp edge I haven’t heard from him before. And that’s before I register the fact that he knows I have brothers and a sister.

My mouth opens to say something, anything, but he beats me to it.

“Maybe you need to ask yourself if your father’s worthy of your loyalty.”

There’s a furious tone in Aiden’s voice and, for the first time, I actually wonder if my dad’s told me everything he knows about what’s going on.

In the next second, Aiden is on his feet by the side of the bed. “I’ll leave another payment by the front door. I’ll see you Saturday night. We’re going out. Wear something decent.”

He grabs the file from the bench then walks out the door, leaving me to stare after him with my mouth hanging open.

My first instinct is to rip into him, verbally hand him his ass then tell him to go fuck himself and this deal.

Anger pulses through my veins, spreading through my body until I vibrate. I’m not hurt. I can’t be hurt by him. Our affair is strictly business.

And yet…

No. I shake my head. There is no “and yet.”

Sliding out of bed, I realize I’m going to have to walk down two flights of stairs naked.

It shouldn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. I’m not ashamed of my body in any way. And if Aiden is watching… Well, let him see what he’s not having for the rest of the night.

I make my way down the stairs, taking my own damn time, knowing he’s watching from somewhere.

I don’t expect him to be sitting in the library where I left my clothes.

He has a glass in his hand but it’s empty now. I’ve noticed he likes good whiskey, which isn’t a bad thing. Right now, I want to fill a glass and throw that good whiskey in his face.

Damn it, I can’t let him get to me like this.

I look for my clothes and realize he’s piled them on the desk. Below a single sheet of paper.

My anger is becoming a full-blown fury and it’s probably better for his safety if I get the hell out of here before he does something that will make me want to cut off his balls.

Without looking at him, I walk to the desk, set the paper aside, and pull on my panties.

“Want a drink before you go?”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him to take a flying fuck, but I bite back the words and grab my bra.

“Blind loyalty will bite you in the ass.”

I turn on him before I know I’m going to do it. “What the fuck do you know about my family? You don’t know shit about my family. And okay, you want me to ask, I’m going to ask. Who the fuck are you? What gives you the right to play with my family’s lives like you’re goddamn God? And why the fuck do you want to fuck me anyway?”

I realize after the words are out that I’m still standing in front of him mostly naked. I hadn’t gotten my bra on before I turned on him. And right now, I don’t fucking care.

“You know what? I’m sick and tired of waiting for you to give me answers in snide comments and cryptic questions. Either tell me what the hell I’m doing here, or I’ll find another way to help my dad figure this out.”

He doesn’t even blink but his gaze burns and his mouth flattens into a straight line, those sensuous lips hard.

“Are you sure you want the answers?”

I roll my eyes. “Yeah, I am. Go ahead. Tell me whatever it is you think my dad’s done that’s so fucking awful, you want him dead for it.”

“I never said I want him dead.”

“Semantics.” I slash my hand in front of me and watch his gaze dip for a brief second to my breasts. Which just pisses me off even more. “Your actions will lead to his death so in my mind, you’re just as responsible if anything happens to him as the man who’s threatened to kill him.”

When he doesn’t answer right away, I sneer and huff and turn away to continue to dress. I’ve got my bra on and am reaching for my shirt when I hear him rise from the chair and walk over to me, stopping only inches away.

I try to ignore him but it’s impossible because my body reacts whenever he’s anywhere in the vicinity. I want him even though I know I shouldn’t. And the fact that he wants me shouldn’t make me happy.

Fury and confusion are a combustible mix. And I’m already primed to blow.

Just because I don’t reach it often doesn’t mean I don’t have a breaking point. It just means that when I get to it, I can’t stop it.

Grabbing the switchblade out of my jeans pocket, I turn and take him down with a move my parkour instructor had taught me when I started getting those looks from the guys in my group. I’m strong but I’m not strong enough to overpower a man with at least fifty pounds of muscle on me. But Jim taught me other ways to take down a man twice my size.

Aiden is flat on his back before he knows what’s happening, staring up at me with the first sign of surprise I’ve seen him show. Followed by a heat I’m familiar with.

The bastard doesn’t even have enough sense to be concerned by the small knife I hold at his jugular. It would take a considerable amount of effort for me to pierce his skin with it, and just thinking about it makes me queasy. But Jim also taught me that appearance can be more effective than action.

“Are you really going to stab me?”

I press the blade even closer. “I’m pissed off enough that you don’t want me to answer that question right now.”

Something in my voice makes him still, his gaze glued to mine. And then the damn man smiles. Not enough to make me want to actually stab him, but enough to make that heat coursing through me pour into my lower body. With my knees on either side of his body and my free hand braced on his chest, my sex is only inches away from his groin.

I have the almost overwhelming urge to grind down on him, rub my pussy against his cock and make him hard. If he isn’t already.

Damn him.

“I guess you could just take the file and run, leave me bleeding on the floor. Cut my jugular and an ambulance couldn’t get here fast enough to save me.” He lifts his chin, baring more of his throat. “Go ahead. You know you want to.”

The problem is, I don’t want to. And he knows it.

Bastard.

“Maybe I’ll just take the file now and be done with it.”

He doesn’t look concerned. “You could try but other than that one piece of paper, the rest is in the safe now. You have to know I’ve changed the combination, which means you’d have to crack it again. And as much as I enjoyed watching you the first time, you can’t crack the safe and keep the knife on me.”

Since he’s right, I don’t move. I’m still pissed off but the heat of his body is seeping through my bare skin. My underwear are paper-thin and only an inch or so above his belly button. My nipples have tightened and now ache.

“What the fuck do you want?”

My question comes out much more bitter than I anticipated but his expression doesn’t change.

“Right now, I want you to ride me right here on the floor.”

I can barely swallow. His voice holds a growl that makes my thighs clench and my panties get wet. I want to lower my hips and grind my pussy against his cock to get some relief.

Jesus, this night is fucked up.

“Maybe I’ll just get myself off and leave you high and dry.”

His harsh laugh sends shards of need into my gut. “Go ahead, Olivia. I dare you.”

Even though I know I’m playing right into his hands, I ease the knife back an inch. Jesus, what’s one more bad decision in a long line of them?

“Tell me your name, your full name, and maybe I’ll let you come, too.”

He appears to think it over for several seconds but I can tell he’s just as turned on as I am. Dark color flushes his cheeks and I have a second to think maybe he’s actually going to be the sane one tonight and tell me to get the hell off him.

Then he glances down at his jeans. “Aiden Knight. Right front pocket.”

I have a second to wonder if he’s given me his real name before I think, Jesus, does he have a condom in every pocket? Right now, I hope he does.

“Take it out. Slowly.”

I sit back, my ass settling against his lower abdomen. He has to reach around me to dig into his pocket, his hand brushing against my thigh as he does. I can’t help my shiver but I try to minimize the effect. He does it again as he sets the condom on the floor beside us then pointedly glances at the knife in my hand.

I hesitate, more for effect than anything, then reach behind me and lodge the blade in the floor. It’s far enough away that he’d have to sit up to reach it but not far enough that I can’t easily get to it.

Even though I know I don’t need it and he won’t go for it. We’re both focused on other things right now. Like, how fast I can make him lose his control.

I didn’t think I could be turned on any more than I was earlier. Now I know he and I have only scratched the surface of this thing between us. Chemistry, hormones, whatever the hell you want to call it.

It’s absolutely insane. We know barely anything about each other but I want him more than any man I’ve ever met.

Holding his gaze, I let my hands roam over his chest. That perfectly muscled, amazingly mouthwatering chest. My fingers tweak his nipples, already tight and pointed. Just like mine. I wonder if they’re as sensitive.

Leaning forward, I put my mouth over one, sucking on the tip before grazing my teeth over it. I hear him suck in air through his gritted teeth as his hands sink into my hair. He holds it back, out of my face, probably so he can see what I’m doing. His abs tighten as he lifts his head. I feel the motion beneath my pussy and moisture floods my channel, seeping into my already sopping-wet panties.

His rough groan echoes through the room and pings against something deep inside me. I move to his neglected nipple for several long moments before licking my way down his belly.

He’s not hairy but he doesn’t manscape and I blow on the hair around his belly button before dipping my tongue into the indent. His abs tighten and become highly defined as he reacts to my seduction.

This is my time and I’m not giving it up easily. He seems to understand that. With my hair wrapped around his fists, he holds steady and doesn’t pull, although I can sense that he wants to.

I know what he wants and what I want. Luckily, it’s the same.

Scooting back until I’m over his thighs, I unzip his jeans. No need to do away with the button. It was undone. As if he’d known what was coming.

He couldn’t have. I certainly hadn’t. I’d been on my way out the door, pissed off and frustrated.

Now…

Shaking the thought out of my head, I work his jeans over his hips, just far enough to release his cock. He’s hard and hot and I put my mouth over the head and suck him deep.

His tortured groan makes me want to hear it again. And again. I love the way his cock throbs in my mouth, as if he can barely control himself. As if I have the control.

Keeping one hand on his abdomen, as if I could actually hold him in place, I curl the other around his hip as I drive my mouth up and down his shaft.

I’m not gentle and I’m not patient. My teeth graze the shaft as I sink down, my tongue swirling around the head when I pull back up.

The heat of his body makes me feel woozy, almost drunk.

What started as a power play has quickly become something else. I find myself listening for his groans, wanting more of them. I want his hands to pull at my hair, want his hips to thrust as he tries to get deeper.

He’s thick and my lips stretch around him, burning a little, but I don’t let up. And I definitely don’t release him. I want him right on the edge so that when I finally take him inside my pussy, I make him come in seconds.

Because I know as soon as that thick cock lodges inside my channel, I’m going to come.

Yes, I’m that turned on. Every second I have him in my mouth, under my control, pushes me one step closer to the edge. Every second he’s not stretching me wide, I’m that much closer to coming.

“Olivia. Fuck.”

I don’t know whether he’s begging me for what he wants or if he’s just swearing. I don’t care.

Tearing my mouth away from his cock, I scramble to reposition myself. I don’t bother to take off my panties. It would cost me precious seconds I don’t want to waste. I’m so close to coming, my pussy is already convulsing.

When I impale myself on his cock, we both cry out. My hands brace on his ribs and I lift my hips, ready to ride him hard. But his hands clasp me around the waist and slam me down, grinding me against his groin.

My clit rubs against the base of his cock, shock and pure sensation shooting up my spine, making me arch.

And then I am riding him, my head dropping back and my hair teasing my back as I shimmy and roll against him. I work myself on his cock, every movement shoving me closer to a peak I’m dying for.

I manage to force my eyes open, so I can watch him. His eyes are closed, his expression set in harsh lines as his hips slam against mine in a brutal rhythm.

We both know it can’t last but I struggle to hold myself back. My bones feel like jelly, my lungs hurt, and my heart pounds against my ribs.

I can’t hold out much longer. The next time I push down to meet him, I break, my entire body convulsing in an orgasm so raw and powerful, I’m not sure I don’t black out for a second.

But I know he’s right there with me when he groans out my name.

I can barely breathe, my heart racing so hard I’m afraid it’ll never stop.

I can’t stay upright and find myself coming down to lie against his chest. His arms immediately curl around my body, holding me close.

Turning my head to the side, I see the small square foil wrapper.

I never put the condom on him.

Oh fuck.

Chapter Three

Aiden

My brain’s so damn foggy, I know I’m not thinking straight.

I also know there’s something important I’m missing.

With Olivia panting against my chest, it’s hard to get my brain kick-started. When she put her mouth on me, I swear my neural network short-circuited.

Combined with the knife she’d held at my throat and the blow job, I guess I could be forgiven for the momentary lapse—

Condom.

Holy shit.

My eyes fly open and I turn my head to look. There it is. Unopened.

“Olivia—”

“I’m clean. Healthy.” She pauses. “And I’m on the pill.”

For some reason, that last statement doesn’t make me as happy as it should. I’m going to ignore that for now.

“I’m clean as well. I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have happened.”

I’m not used to saying those words to anyone, but they’re appropriate here. The bigger issue, the fact that I got so lost in her that I forgot something I never forget, is more problematic.

“That won’t happen again.”

“Damn right it won’t.”

I barely hear her as she disengages and slides to the side, away from me. My arms tighten but I force myself to release her.

“Is there a bathroom?”

I point down the hall. “Second door on the right.”

She rolls to her feet with such grace, she should be a dancer instead of a thief and I’m pissed off in a heartbeat.

Her fucking father has a lot to answer for.

Snagging her clothes, she stalks out of the room and I sit up, using my t-shirt to clean myself, then pull up my underwear and jeans. Settling into a chair, I wait for her to return but after several minutes, I’m ready to go knock on the door.

She emerges a second later, looking like she doesn’t have a care in the world. Which makes my jaw clench.

She walks by me to pick up the paper from the desk, looks it over then turns to meet my gaze.

“Who the hell are you? And I want a goddamn straight answer to my question.” She tosses the paper on the table like it means nothing to her. “Now. Or I walk and I don’t come back.”

“What makes you think I care if you come back?”

Her lips flatten into a straight line. “Are you always this much of a dick?”

She has to know the answer to that question is yes. I’m not ashamed by it. The attitude has served me well to this point of my life. “My name is Aiden Knight.”

She shows no sign of recognition, not that I expected her to. Picking up the paper, she heads for the door.

I shouldn’t say another goddamn word but I can’t help myself. “I’m not sure I’m finished with you tonight.”

She doesn’t stop. “Well, I’m finished with you for tonight.”

She’s halfway to the door before I catch up. I don’t have to do anything more than lay my hand on her arm to get her to stop.

“Saturday night. I’ll text you the address to meet me.”

She glances down at my hand then gives me a look I can’t mistake. She doesn’t want me to touch her.

Tough shit. I’ll touch her whenever and however I want. I’ve already decided she’s mine and I want her for more than just a few nights.

Pulling her arm away from my hold, she doesn’t say anything, just continues on her way to the door. Her back ramrod straight, she opens the door, walks through, and closes it behind her. Doesn’t slam it, just pulls it shut.

I want to go after her. I’d planned to keep her here all night, to make sure I got my fill of her.

I’m not sure that will ever happen. And that’s a problem.

As I stand at the door, I hear her car start and walk to the window. She drives a vintage muscle car, a yellow Mercury Cougar that looks like it’s seen better days but whose engine rumbles with perfectly tuned precision. Her brothers’ work, I’m sure.

From everything I’ve learned about them, they’re loyal to a fault to family. Mess with one of them and you mess with all of them. That had trickled down from their dad. If it’d been any man other than Patrick Maloney, I might’ve understood. But they’d given their loyalty to a man who didn’t deserve it.

The man who’d killed my grandmother.

No, Maloney hadn’t killed her with his bare hands, but he was responsible. When he’d stolen this same information twenty years ago, he’d given it to my granddad’s competitors, who’d used it to try to ruin my grandfather.

Granddad was no saint and that file had held his sins, sins that made men just like him come after them. A dark night. A deserted road. My grandfather’s car forced off the road and into a ditch.

All because of that damn file.

After the accident, I lost the only person in my life who’d ever loved me unconditionally. And my grandfather became a different man. Bitter, harder, meaner. And he’d molded me in his image.

Back in my office, I pick up my phone and make the call.

“Is it done?”

Granddad’s hoarse, frail voice reminds me that he’s close to ninety years old. He doesn’t sleep much anymore and his mind is sometimes addled but, in this, he’s clear.

He wants Maloney to pay as much as I do.

“Not yet.”

“Why?” he demands. “We know he’s responsible for your grandmother’s death. What are you waiting for?”

I’m waiting until he knows about me and Olivia. I need him to know that I’ve taken away something of his. Then I’ll let Vincenzo take care of the rest.

“The right time. If we rush this, the wrong people will ask questions. We have to let this play out like we discussed. And when he winds up in a ditch, no one will think twice about him. Nothing will come back to bite us in the ass.”

Silence from the other end. I know he’s not happy but he’s not screaming so that’s good. At his age, he could stroke out if he overexerts himself. I swear the only reason he’s still alive is because Maloney is still breathing. When Maloney goes, so will Granddad.

Then I’ll be able to put all this shit behind me.

Including Olivia.

“Don’t let me down, Aiden. I’m counting on you to handle this. That man needs to pay. You owe me this. You owe your grandmother.”

I can hear the fervor in his voice, the rising anxiety and the fury. When he gets like this, there’s nothing anyone can do to calm him until he gets it all out so I let him go. It’s nothing I haven’t heard before.

“If that bastard hadn’t stolen from me, my Ellen would still be alive. She loved you more than anything in the world, Aiden. More than your worthless mother or your weak father. Without her, you would’ve ended up on the street like your mother, an addict. You would’ve been dead by twenty.”

All true, which is why I keep silent.

“She deserves your loyalty. Don’t let your dick do your thinking. Get this done. And when I go, everything will be yours.”

He doesn’t bother to say good-bye. He never does. The phone clicks in my ear and I set it back on the desk.

I wait for it to ring, for him to call me back and remind me again of everything I wouldn’t have if it weren’t for him.

When my grandmother died, I was twelve. My mother had dropped me on my father, who’d dropped me on my grandparents. If my grandmother hadn’t taken me in, I’m sure I would’ve been shuffled into foster care.

I know exactly how much I owe my grandparents. Still, when this business with Maloney is finished, my debt is paid.

But I’m starting to wonder if the price to pay is too high.

Chapter Four

Olivia

I’m shaking by the time I reach my car, the effort of holding my emotions in check beginning to overwhelm me.

There’s absolutely no reason I should be this affected. And yet I can’t control my reaction. It makes me want to scream. And break down in fury.

I manage to get the car started and head back out the lane. I have to keep my attention focused; otherwise, I could end up veering off the road and into the trees.

Nothing about tonight went the way it was supposed to. The only good thing to happen was the fact that I got his name. If he was telling me the truth.

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

Christ, I’m reverting to a child. And my pants aren’t what’s on fire.

I want to bang my head against the steering wheel, but that won’t end well while I’m driving.

I can’t believe I make it home without wrapping myself around a tree or taking out another car on the road. I manage to hold myself together long enough to park my car in the garage and start the two-block walk back to my apartment.

My heart hasn’t stopped racing since I left his home and I’m trying hard not to hyperventilate. It’s close to midnight and hopefully my brothers won’t be waiting for me because I’m so messed up right now, I might tell them exactly what’s been going on.

And that would end badly. For everyone.

I’m halfway to my building when I realize there’s a car tailing me. I’m not even surprised, not after everything that’s happened.

And I’m not amused when someone jumps out of the car and runs toward me.

I glance over my shoulder as I start to run. The man chasing me is bigger and stronger but I’m pissed off and I’m no damsel in distress. My dad and brothers have taught Maylyn and me how to take care of ourselves.

I run because that’s the first line of defense. I’m fast but the guy on my tail has long legs and he’s motivated. He catches me just a couple of steps from my front door.

I open my mouth to scream, but he claps a hand over my mouth before I can do more than suck in air. And even if I do manage to make a sound, in this neighborhood, I’m not sure anyone would come to my rescue anyway.

Except my brothers. They’d be here in a heartbeat…if they knew I was in danger. The way this is going, they won’t even know I’m in trouble until they can’t find me tomorrow.

Kicking and squirming, I use my nails to scratch at his skin as he tries to drag me to the car. He barely flinches.

Now, I start to struggle in earnest. I can’t let him get me in the car. Once he’s got me contained, my chances of surviving this go way down.

With one hand over my mouth, he’s only able to hold me with his other arm around my upper body, holding my arms against my sides.

Which means my legs are free. My heel connects with his right shin, hard, and I hear him grunt. He pauses and my next kick is aimed at his left knee.

“Sonuvabitch.”

He curses and his hold on my body slips a little, just enough for me to twist and loosen it even more. I keep struggling, whipping my head back and forth, moving his head far enough for me to get a decent angle to bite his hand.

“Motherfucker.”

He pulls his hand away and I suck in air. I’ve got an opening and I’ll be damned if I don’t make it count.

He bends down just as I ram my head back. Yes. I hear the crack of his nose as my skull connects. Pain radiates through my head but I can’t stop now.

Howling with pain, his arm loosens enough for me to get a little leverage. I smash my foot as hard as I can into the same knee I nailed before and now he’s in some serious agony.

With blood rushing in my ears, I twist and break free. Falling to my knees, I scurry forward until I can get on my feet. Then I’m up and running.

I know I won’t have time to get my front door open before he catches up with me so I don’t stop. There’s a bar two blocks away that’s open until two a.m. If I can get there—

Footsteps behind me and the adrenaline rush gives me added speed. I cut into the nearest alley even though I know there’s a fence at the end. That fence has been part of my practice runs through the neighborhood for the past two years. I can scale it in seconds. I’m betting on the fact that my would-be kidnapper won’t be as fast.

Not stopping to look behind me, I lay on speed and leap for the fence, grabbing at the links several feet off the ground. I dig the toes of my sneakers into the chain-link and pull myself up. My jeans and shirt snag at various spots but I ignore it and climb. The shirt shreds but my jeans slow me down. I yank my leg up, tearing into my skin. Sharp pain makes me cry out but the man is right on my tail.

He reaches for my foot but he grabs the shoe just as I’m swinging it over the other side.

His triumphant grin turns to fury as I smash my foot into his neck and he loses his grip. Scrambling over the top, I drop to the other side of the fence. I don’t pause to gloat. I run like hell and don’t look back.

I don’t stop until I’m back at the garage. My hands shake so badly, it takes me three tries to get the key in the ignition. Gunning the engine, I get back on the street and head away from the city.

I don’t know where I’m going. I should head to my dad’s but that man could follow me and I don’t want to lead him to my dad or sister. I could go to my brothers but they’d put me under lockdown.

Obviously, I’m not thinking clearly because my car is already headed back the way I came earlier tonight.

Anger boils in my blood because I can only think of one man who would try something like this.

Aiden must have something to do with this. He’s not the kind of man to take rejection sitting down, and I’d pretty much slapped him in the face with it tonight.

Half an hour later and I’m back at his place, skidding to a stop in front of his door.

I’m icy calm and anyone who knows me knows this is when I’m most dangerous. Because I’ve had enough time to get well and truly pissed in the time it took me to drive here.

I barely make it to the front porch when the door opens and he steps into view.

My right hook is less dangerous to him because of our height difference but he doesn’t see it coming so I take him off guard. He only has time to take a step back, which minimizes the blow but not enough. It still hurts.

“What the fuck!”

He raises his hand to rub at his jaw while I cradle my now-throbbing hand to my chest.

But he doesn’t raise a hand to me.

“I don’t know what game you’re playing, but if you want to talk to me, don’t send your fucking goons to collect me. I’m not easy prey.”

His gaze narrows as I stand there, glaring at him. “What the fuck are you talking about because I don’t have a goddamn clue?”

“Bullshit. You know exactly what I’m talking about, you bastard. I’m not some stupid socialite you can order around however you want. I’m fucking you because that’s what you want in return for your fucking information. Not because I want you but because I have to. Don’t send your goddamn hit men after me again. Next time, I won’t go easy on them.”

I turn to leave but he grabs me by the arm. My fist is already on its way back to his face, but this time he’s ready for me. He blocks my punch and holds my hand away from my target, which was his nose.

His grip is tight enough that I can’t escape and I’m too far away to kick him. Instead of struggling, I stay still, knowing eventually he’ll have to release me and then I’ll leave.

I already realize what a huge mistake I’ve made by returning. I’m too pissed off, too upset, too frightened. And that makes me even angrier. Because I don’t want to be frightened. It dredges up memories I can barely remember. More feelings than memories, really. Nightmares I’d had as a teenager after I found out how Reese and Bryant had found me.

“I want you to tell me what the hell happened. Every detail. Now.”

His words hold a command that pisses me off. As if he has every right to my response. “Why should I when you already know exactly what happened?”

His mouth flattens. “I don’t have the first damn clue what you’re talking about. Why the hell are your clothes ripped?”

He sounds pissed and I examine his expression carefully. I don’t know if he’s telling the truth or not, but he’s certainly selling it if he isn’t.

“Jesus, you’re shaking. Come in and have a drink and tell me what the fuck is going on.”

I look down at my hands. My right one throbs with pain. His damn jaw is hard as concrete. But he’s right. They’re shaking; my fingers look like they’re playing a phantom piano.

Actually, my entire body’s shaking, worse than it had been when I left here an hour ago. I’m not sure I could drive now if I tried.

The angry tone of his voice grates on my already shredded nerves. But the hand he wraps around my upper arm is surprisingly gentle. And when he tugs me closer, I take a step forward. I immediately stop but he tugs again.

I want to go. I want to wind myself around that big, strong body and let him wrap his arms around me and keep me safe.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

What the fuck have I done?

I take a step back, panic making my skin pebble. “I need to leave.”

His brows lower. “No fucking way. Get in the goddamn house and tell me what the fuck is going on.”

“This was a mistake.” I raise one hand as I continue to back away. “My mistake. I have to leave. I can’t be here—”

He puts his arms around me without warning and lifts me, holding me against his chest as he strides back through the front door.

I make a token struggle, which dies because I’m shaking too badly. I hold myself as stiffly as I can, even though I want to lay my head on his chest. Which is so totally wrong, it makes me gasp in air, as if I’ve been punched.

“Christ, don’t hyperventilate. Olivia, breathe.”

His command snaps through me like an electric shock and I freeze as he makes his way through the house.

I’m trying not to notice how solid his chest is against my arm. Or how much heat he radiates. It’s mid-June and the night air is warm but I’m chilled to the bone, probably due to the adrenaline leaching from my system.

A sense of safety creeps in, which is so stupidly ridiculous, I feel like an idiot. But I don’t insist he put me down. No, I just let him carry me through the hallway toward the back of the house.

We wind up in the kitchen, where he sets me on a padded chair at a table. I miss the warmth of his body immediately and curl my hands into fists so I don’t reach for him.

But I can’t stop myself from staring into his eyes, so dark, they’re mesmerizing. The intensity of his stare should be frightening.

Instead, I’m calm. And that should be terrifying.

“All right, tell me what the hell happened. Every detail.”

He leans forward, hands on his knees. He looks ready and able to rip someone’s head off and that makes me feel safe.

Jesus, it’s been a fucked-up night and I’m back where I shouldn’t be. But for some weird reason, I don’t want to be anywhere else.

Still, I can’t just give him what he wants. It’s not in my nature.

“I already told you. Are you going to hold me here against my will?”

“If I have to, yes.” His dominance is like a force of nature. “Now talk.”

I bite my tongue for several seconds but he doesn’t move and he doesn’t look away. And the urge to let everything out is strong.

And the more I think about it, the more I think I was totally wrong to believe he had anything to do with my attempted kidnapping.

“I was two blocks from my apartment when I noticed a car behind me. A man got out, grabbed me, and tried to drag me into the car. I got away, climbed a fence, which is how my clothes got torn, and drove back here to confront you. End of story.”

A muscle in his jaw flexes and I have a hard time drawing my gaze away from it. All those hours over the past two weeks watching him are coming back to bite me in the ass. I was already captivated by the damn man. Now I might be downright obsessed.

Blinking, I drop my gaze but now I’m staring at his hands. They’re clasped together, his elbows propped on his knees as he leans forward slightly. He’s had those hands all over my body and I’ve loved every second of it.

“What did he look like? Can you describe him to me? Identify him?”

If I start stripping, will he take the hint and fuck me? I don’t want to think about—

“Olivia.” His sharp tone makes my gaze snap back to his. “Can you tell me what the guy looked like?”

“Why do you care?”

“Because while you’re mine, no one is allowed to harm you.”

My mouth drops open at the blatant dominance in his voice. “Are you fucking insane? I am so not yours.”

“While I’m fucking you, you’re mine. No one’s allowed to touch you.”

I want to laugh but he’s clearly not kidding. “You are insane. Seriously, you are out of your mind. You’re blackmailing me so you can fuck me. You don’t own me.”

His expression holds steady. “I’ve never held you against your will. You’re free to leave whenever you want. Maybe you need to ask yourself why you haven’t.” He pauses, as if to let that sink into my hard head. “Now, tell me what you remember.”

My brain spins, like it can’t quite grasp what he’s saying. Yet some part of me knows the reason I haven’t left yet is because, in some twisted way, I want to be here.

And if that isn’t fucked up enough, I want to crawl onto Aiden’s lap and kiss him.

“I’m a damn good thief.”

His brows rise but he stays silent, waiting for me to continue.

“I get in and get out and no one ever knows I’m there. I don’t take chances.” Well, not anymore. I’ve outgrown my reckless phase. Although, maybe I haven’t, after all, because here I am. “How did you know I was here Tuesday night? How do you know my name?”

“You want to play another game of Tit for Tat?” He leans back in the chair, lifting one leg to put an ankle on the opposite knee. “Yes, I knew you were here. I knew you’d been watching the house for the past two weeks.”

“How?”

“Tell me what the man who tried to grab you looked like.”

I want to scream at him but I’ve learned in the short time we’ve spent together that he’s just as stubborn as I am.

“Tall but not as tall as you. Light hair. Short but not buzz-cut. His eyes were light, too, but I couldn’t tell if they were blue or gray or green.” I thought for a second. “He kind of looked like that actor from The Walking Dead, the sheriff, but blond.”

Aiden gets a look on his face that I’d be frightened of if I didn’t know it wasn’t directed at me.

“Do you know who he is?”

He looks like he wants to shake his head and his jaw clenches before he answers. “I’m not sure.”

“Bullshit. You want me to tell you the truth? Then nut up and spill your own.”

His lips quirk and the hardness in his eyes softens the tiniest bit. It makes him even more handsome, if that’s humanly possible.

At some point, I’m going to have to figure out how to stop looking at him like he’s just another guy and force myself to see him as he truly is—a ruthless bastard who takes what he wants and doesn’t give a shit about the consequences.

And I’m going to have to walk away. Get away while I still have enough sense to realize nothing good can come from this attraction between us.

I still don’t know who he is, not really. I don’t even know if the name he gave me is real.

And I’m sick of feeling like I’ve been playing a game I don’t know the rules to.

I stand and he’s on his feet immediately, towering over me so I have to look up to meet his gaze.

“I’m leaving. Now. I need to talk to my dad. I need to find out what the hell’s going on. And I need to get the hell away from you.”

“No. If I’m right about who these people are, they’ll try for you again. You’re safer here.”

“I’ll be safer with my brothers.”

There goes that muscle in his jaw again. It’s his only tell that I’ve been able to identify but so far I haven’t needed any others.

“Do you want to put them in danger?”

“My brothers are the meanest badasses in Philly. No one fucks with them and, if they do, they find out how big a mistake they’ve made pretty quickly.”

“But do you really want to put them in danger? And what about Maylyn? You don’t want to be anywhere near her, do you? What if she gets caught in the middle of something?”

He’s not wrong and that just pisses me off even more than I am already.

“I’m not staying here.” The words barely make it through my clenched jaw. “I’ll be fine on my own now that I know someone’s out there.”

“And what if you don’t see them coming next time? What if they just aim for your head?”

I cross my arms over my chest but his gaze stays locked with mine.

“Fine, I’ll stay…long enough for you to tell me what the fuck is going on. And I don’t just mean parts of the story. I mean the whole damn thing. I want to know what’s in that damn file and I want to know why my dad needs it to save his life. And I want to know why you’re the wizard behind the damn curtain.”

Chapter Five

Aiden

I hadn’t planned on telling her the truth. At least, not all of it.

I still don’t.

I was saving that to throw in Maloney’s face just before the end. I want to be there when he takes the file to Vincenzo so I could see his expression when I tell him exactly what I’d done with his daughter and why. I want him to come after me, to grab a gun and try to shoot me so the shot that takes him out is justified.

A life for a life, right?

But if I’m right, and Granddad has decided to do something to hasten along my plans…

I wouldn’t put it past him. As a matter of fact, I’m almost a hundred percent positive that Granddad is behind Olivia’s attempted kidnapping. I need to confront him, find out what the hell he’s done.

But I need to make sure Olivia stays here where she won’t be in danger. And that she doesn’t talk to her father.

“I told you my name. It’s Aiden Knight.”

She frowns. “You say that like it’s supposed to mean something to me. I don’t know who the hell you are except that you know a hell of a lot about my dad and my family.”

“I’m a businessman. It’s my job to know a lot about everything.”

“But what the fuck does your business have to do with my family?”

I hear anger in her voice, see frustration in her expression, and know that if I keep pushing, she’s going to leave. And short of putting her under lock and key, I won’t stop her.

I also know that if I play on this building heat between us, it could backfire on me. But right now, I’m willing to take the chance.

I see her realization of what I’m about to do but she’s not fast enough. I have my hand wrapped around her nape before she can move and I’m lifting her to my mouth a split second later.

Her hands slam into my chest but not in fists. And when my lips meet hers, the heat in my gut blazes through my body and blood rushes to my cock. I want to devour her.

Instead, I try to seduce her into kissing me back. I gentle the hand at her nape and massage the tight muscles as my lips move over hers, nipping and teasing.

She refuses to respond and her lips remain unmoving below mine.

So I kiss her the way I’ve been dying to since she walked back into my house.

She stops trying to push me away but her nails bury themselves in my pecs. I’m wearing a t-shirt so she doesn’t hurt me. Hell, she just makes me want more.

I wrap my right arm around her shoulders and bring her close. Her arms stiffen but she stops trying to get away.

I allow her to hold me at arms’ length but I refuse to let her get any farther away.

Then I demand she open to me. I slide my tongue between her lips and tangle with hers, sucking the sweetness and the sass out of her and into my mouth. Her taste makes my head spin and drugs me into wanting so much more.

With my hand at her nape, I tilt her head to deepen the kiss, coaxing a response. She fights the need to give back, but I feel her weakening resolve in the slight tremble of her lips against mine.

Then her fingers curl, her nails sinking a little deeper, and I know she’s mine.

Whatever this is between us, it’s potent. And dangerous. And definitely unstable.

Moving my hands to her ribs, I lift her off the floor so I don’t have to bend as far. She wraps her legs around my waist without any urging from me and instinct takes over.

I’m halfway to the bench in the window alcove before I realize that’s where I’m headed. It’s wide, padded, and close. Otherwise, her back would be against a wall and I’d be pounding her into it.

As it is, we almost don’t make it. She reaches one hand between us to grab my already aching dick and a massive wave of lust roars through me, threatening to snap the remaining threads of my control.

I was already close to my limit when she told me what happened. I wasn’t kidding when I told her no one else was allowed to touch her. She’s mine and I won’t allow anyone to hurt her.

The fact that I’m probably the person who put her in danger just enrages me further.

I kiss her harder, wanting more from her than she probably wants to give. So I’m surprised when she wraps one hand in my hair to hold me steady so she can kiss me.

Her mouth now demands and I’m only too willing to give her what she wants. One thing I’ve learned about Olivia is that if she wants something, she goes after it. And right now, she wants me.

She shoves her hand into my jeans, her fingers curling around my hard shaft. Groaning into her mouth, I stop in front of the window and let her stroke me. Her hand is just as demanding as her mouth and if I let her continue, I’m going to come all over my stomach.

But the sensation is too good for me to give up just yet. Her fingers tighten around my cock until it’s almost painful. Which just makes me want her to stroke me harder.

I’m kissing her with even more fury, our bodies slammed together with barely enough room for her to maneuver her hand.

And now she grinds her hips closer and the pressure of her hand and her hips makes it imperative for me to get inside her. Soon.

I just need to hold out a little longer.

Turning so my back is to the window, I drop onto the window seat, forcing Olivia to pull her hand out of my pants. In the next second, she yanks away and I reach for her, practically growling like a dog whose favorite toy is being taken away.

But she’s already got her hands on my jeans, tearing open the zipper before reaching for her own. I’m not stupid. I shove my jeans below my hips, baring my cock, which stands straight against my abs, I’m so fucking turned on.

I remember at the last second to grab the condom I’d stashed in my pocket earlier. She doesn’t notice because she’s shimmying out of her own jeans. My gaze catches on the bloody scratch on her leg and anger mixes with the lust.

Whoever caused that mar on her beautiful skin will pay. And it’s going to be a high price.

Then my gaze lifts and I stare at her mound, the dark hair trimmed. She straightens, and in the next second, my hand lies flat against her stomach, under her t-shirt, my thumb brushing against that silky soft patch.

Watching with laser focus, I slide my hand down until my thumb brushes against her clit. I hear her suck in a sharp gasp, see her hands tighten into fists at her sides and her stomach contract. My free hand grips the soft cotton of her t-shirt and pulls it up so I have an unrestricted view.

I can smell her arousal, and when my thumb finally curls over her clit and presses, she moans. Her hands reach for my shoulders, as if she can’t stay on her feet without help. Now I’m determined to make her surrender completely.

Playing with her clit, I focus all my attention on her every move. She’s so damn responsive, I merely have to brush the pad of my thumb over the tip of her clit to make her shake. I want her to completely come apart.

For several minutes, I work her clit, my other hand drawing her shirt farther up her body. Pressing my thumb against her clit and holding it there, I look up to find her blinking, her lips parted.

“Take this off and spread your legs farther apart.”

She responds immediately, sliding her feet a few more inches away from each other and ripping the shirt over her head.

Goddamn, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

Sleek, firm, perfect.

She’s close enough that I only have lean forward a few inches to put my mouth on her breasts. I suck one tight nipple into my mouth and rub my tongue along the tip as I continue to torment her clit. Her hands tug at my hair until my scalp burns but I don’t want her to release me.

I want her totally pliant, and I want her to be coming when I shove my cock into her.

I could suck at her tits all day, feel them plump as I lick and bite. My hand between her legs now slides between her slick folds while my thumb ruthlessly works her clit until she’s breathing so hard, she’s gasping for air.

Still not enough.

Pulling my mouth away from her breasts, I slide two fingers into her body. She’s so wet, it’s easy to go deep that first time. I stay high inside, stroking her inner walls until she’s rocking her hips, mimicking exactly what I want to do to her.

Her expression makes my cock throb with anticipation. Her gaze burns into mine, as if she’s begging for more.

At this moment, I’ll give her whatever she wants. Anything she wants.

But first, I want her to come.

I circle my thumb on her clit, pulling my fingers out of her tight sheath only to thrust them back in hard. Her eyelids flutter down and she braces her hands on my shoulders, rolling her hips in time to my thrusts.

I realize she’s close on the next thrust. Her pussy clenches around my fingers and she gasps. Deliberately twisting my fingers, I press inside on the inner wall of her pussy and watch her fall apart.

Her channel clamps down on my fingers then ripples around them, trying to suck them deeper. I corkscrew them again and she moans, leaning closer to me, her forehead resting against mine as she shudders.

Pulling my fingers from her body takes real effort because I want to keep pushing her, need to keep pushing her. Need burns through my blood, clouding my brain to anything that’s not Olivia.

My other hand still cups her left breast but now I slide it around to her back, urging her forward. Instead of coming closer, she takes a step back. She’s breathing heavily, her naked body pure temptation. I want her now and I’m not waiting.

I lean forward, grab her by the hips, and lift her, bringing her over my lap. Her knees settle onto the cushioned bench on either side of my thighs, but her hands land on my shoulders and push me away when I would have brought her closer.

“Condom. Now.”

Her voice holds a tone of command that makes my balls tighten. I’ve never had a woman talk to me like this while she’s naked and poised over my dick.

I’m more than willing to let her have this because I’m too far gone to care who’s in charge right now. All I want is to get inside her and fuck her until we both pass out.

It’s nothing I’ve ever wanted to do with another woman and I know it’s not healthy. And I don’t give a shit.

I obey her command as she watches, her fingers flexing on my shoulders, digging into the muscle with delicate force. I’m too fucking horny to make a show out of it so I rip open the packet and roll it down then grab her hips and bring her down.

My control only goes so far.

She gasps as I enter her, and I freeze, wondering if I’ve hurt her. Adjusting her body, she sinks onto me with a moan and drapes herself around me like a blanket. And that fast, I’m in control again.

“Come on, Liv. Move.”

She sucks in a sharp breath and buries her face in my neck. Her warm breath brushes my skin, causing every hair on my body to stand on end. My cock throbs inside her and I wish like hell I’d thought to take off my shirt. I want to feel her breasts against my chest.

When I finish with her here, I’m taking her to my bed on the second floor and getting completely naked and then I’m going to gorge on her all night.

I hadn’t thought I’d have her again until Saturday so the rest of tonight will be a bonus. And I’m going to enjoy every fucking minute.

But first, she has to move. I’m ready to rock her on my cock when she shifts her hips forward and then back, creating friction that sears through my blood.

Her languid pace is at odds with her hurried breathing, and I groan at the effort it takes to remain still. Her fingers curl into my hair again and tug. I raise my head and she tilts hers back to stare into my eyes.

The balance of power has shifted because, at this moment, I’ll do anything she wants.

She doesn’t say anything, just holds my gaze as she rises onto her knees, lifting off my shaft, then sliding back down.

A connection clicks into place, something I’ve never felt with another person. Something I can’t explain and I’m not sure I want to examine too closely.

And definitely not now.

Not while she’s rocking her body along my cock, making me so damn hot I swear I’m going to combust.

I wrestle with my control but it’s fading fast. Especially when she clenches around my cock as she bottoms out. Her almost leisurely rhythm makes it impossible for me to stay still and I thrust up.

Her gasp and the look of sheer pleasure on her face make me bare my teeth in triumph. All bets are off now.

We’re in sync, perfectly in rhythm. Our gazes locked, we move like two pieces of the same machine. We have the same goal…to make the other break first. I’m not sure I can win this battle, not sure I want to.

What I do know I want is more than we have. I want her in my bed because she wants to be there, not because I’m blackmailing her. I want her to be someone she’s not. I want her to be mine.

My release hits me like a freight train. A shock to the system that makes me yank her down as I thrust hard into her.

Tilting her pelvis forward, she rocks once, twice and I feel her contract around my cock, milking me as she comes.

Seconds later, her body still spasming, she goes limp against me, her body shaking, her breath a hot rush against my chest. Her head is tucked under my chin and my arms wrap around her body, crushing her even closer.

“You’re staying here tonight.”

She tenses, which is exactly what I didn’t want to happen. But she has to know I’m not letting her go home tonight.

“I’m not staying.”

Her voice holds no conviction and, for the first time, I hear it waver. This woman who never appears to have a weak bone in her body is now afraid. Delayed reaction to the kidnapping attempt?

I hope to hell she’s not afraid of me. She hasn’t shown any fear in all the time we’ve been together. Which hasn’t been more than a few hours. I guess it feels like more because of how long I’ve been watching her.

It’s been months since the investigator I hired began to send me photos of Maloney and his family. Months since I began to focus almost entirely on her.

Fixate is probably more accurate.

She fascinates me and that’s become a problem. It’s a weakness and I can’t have any, not without jeopardizing everything Granddad has built and is giving to me.

When my father dumped me on him, my grandfather taught me that the only things in life worth having are those that are the hardest to come by.

His respect and love were two of the hardest. Keeping Olivia would be another.

Because I’m going to be responsible for her father’s downfall. Hell, if I give Vincenzo the okay, he’ll kill Maloney.

And if that happens, she’ll want to take me down just as hard.

“Let me rephrase.” I pull back and reach for her chin, tilting her head back to look at me. “I think you should stay here for tonight. Whoever tried to grab you tonight knows where you live and will probably be waiting for you.”

Her gaze is steadier now and she takes her time responding, though she doesn’t answer my question.

“Did you hire that man to kidnap me?”

At least I can answer that honestly. “No, I didn’t.”

“But you are responsible for the shit situation my dad’s in, aren’t you?”

Tricky question. “Your father is responsible for his situation.”

And now it’s awkward, because she’s still sitting on my lap, completely naked, my softening cock still inside her body.

Without warning, she slides off me, getting to her feet and turning to find her clothes.

“I have no idea why I came here.”

I rip off the condom and toss it on the cushion then stand and haul up my pants so if she runs I can catch her. But once she has her clothes on again, she stands in front of me with her hands on her hips, eyes staring directly into mine.

She’s not afraid of me and that’s the biggest fucking turn-on.

“Don’t start lying to yourself now. You know exactly why you’re here.”

She swallows hard and her gaze narrows. In anger. She’s getting good and pissed. “I’m here because you’re blackmailing me. I don’t know who the hell you are and I don’t know why you’re doing any of this.”

“I had nothing to do with your attempted kidnapping. Are you sure it doesn’t have something to do with your father?”

She pauses for several seconds and that quick brain of hers is coming up with answers to questions she hasn’t asked. “You’re using me, aren’t you? To get to my dad. What I want to know is why.”

I can’t tell if she’s angry or upset. I don’t know if she’s just figured out what’s going on or if she’s fishing for information.

I do know it’s time to change the rules of the game because the game’s been turned completely on its head.

When I don’t answer right away, she takes a step backward. And then another.

My jaw clenches because I don’t want her out of arms’ reach but I force myself to stand still.

“Are you really sure you want the answer to that question?”

“Are you telling me I’m right?”

“Do you know your dad as well as you think you do?”

Her gaze never falters. “I know everything there is to know about my dad. He’s done what he needed to do to provide for us. He fought to keep the five of us together when it would’ve been easier to pass us off to someone else. He loves us unconditionally.”

“He raised you to be a thief. Your brothers are just as bad.”

Her eyebrows rise and she laughs. “You know nothing about me or him if you think that. Who the fuck are you? You live in this mansion, in the richest area of Philadelphia, but you don’t seem to have a job. You’re playing with people’s lives like they’re expendable, and maybe to you they are, but to me, you’re fucking with my life, with my family. You’re fucking me. And what’s worse is I let you.”

I hear the anger rising in her voice, hear the fury. She’s not wrong, not about any of it.

And for the first time since I started down this road, I wonder if I’m wrong. If the revenge I’ve been chasing for the past ten years is going to be worth it.

Six months ago, Liv had been a pawn. Nothing more.

Now she’s…

Standing right in front of me and I have to restrain myself from reaching for her and pulling her back into my body. Kissing her and making her agree to stay for the night.

And if she doesn’t agree, well, I know that if I kiss her, I stand a better chance of getting her to change her mind.

It’s time for her to find out just what kind of monster her father truly is.

And then I should have no problem convincing her to stay with me.

“You father is not the man you think he is.”

Her expression turns snide. “And how do you know that?”

“Because he murdered my grandmother.”

Chapter Six

Olivia

I blink and my mouth opens to say…something.

But I close it because I don’t know what to say. Except that he’s delusional.

And he obviously has no idea of the man my dad is. If he did, he’d know that was the biggest bullshit he could have spouted.

The one thing guaranteed to make me want to take off someone’s head is to accuse my family of something I know they didn’t do.

And I know my dad. My dad is not a murderer. That’s not who he is.

So for Aiden to accuse him of killing someone, I’m ready to rip his throat out and laugh in his face.

Which is confusing the hell out of me because my internal muscles still quiver from the sex we had minutes ago.

 This thing between us can only end badly. I know that in my brain but my body is mesmerized by the sex.

It can’t be anything else. I don’t know him. Not really. The hours we’ve spent together haven’t been like any first or second dates I’ve ever been on. There haven’t even been many of those.

Nothing about this situation is normal.

Maybe that’s why I’m drawn to him. He’s mysterious, dominant. An alpha male who knows what he wants and goes after it.

But I should know better. Am I really stupid enough to fall for a man like this? Especially one who blackmailed me into having sex with him?

Finally, I shake my head. “You’re wrong. It’s not true. Whatever you think you know, it’s not true.”

Aiden has kept his mouth shut while I stood there staring at him, my mind racing. I see absolute conviction in his eyes. He believes every word he’s said.

“He didn’t pull the trigger. But the information he stole led directly to her death. In any court of law, he’d be liable.”

Now my blood chills because, yes, that’s entirely possible.

“Then why didn’t you turn him over to the police if you’re so sure?”

“Because we take care of things our own way. Your family takes care of each other. I take care of mine.”

“So fucking me has been your revenge?” And just that fast, I realize. “No, the revenge will be when you tell my dad you’re fucking me. You’ve been the one pulling Vincenzo’s strings. You set this all up.”

I’m chilled to the bone at the extent of his plans. And I’m sure I don’t know everything yet.

“So why send the goon after me? You already have me on a leash. Why the fuck do you need—”

“I told you. I didn’t send him. I don’t want you hurt.”

Huffing, I sneer at him. “Until I don’t do what you want, right? Until I’m not under your thumb anymore.”

“You were never the target, Olivia.”

“No, I’m just the pawn.” Furious hurt eats away at my guts like acid and I’m so pissed off at myself. “Jesus, I’m so fucking stupid. How the hell did I not see this coming?”

“Because you’re blind to your father’s faults. He raised you to be a thief, brainwashed you—”

“You don’t have the first idea of who my dad is. Or who I am. I became a thief because I get off on the thrill. And because I’m fucking good at it. I get paid damn good money to take back things that were stolen in the first place. Did you know that? Or don’t you give a shit? My dad’s gone legitimate. But I’m sure you know that, too, right? No, he wasn’t always on the right side of the law, but when you have four children and they’re starving, you do what you need to do to feed them.”

“You don’t need to justify Patrick Maloney to me. I don’t care. He’s responsible for my grandmother’s death and that can’t go unpunished.”

“What exactly are you accusing him of?”

“The file you tried to steal, he recognized it, didn’t he?”

I nod because he already knows the answer to the question. He’s still one step ahead of me.

“That file contained information that a competitor used to strike back at my grandfather. Your father stole that information for a man with far fewer morals, and he used that information to try to destroy my grandfather. He sent men after my grandfather. My grandmother was caught in the middle. Their car was run off the road in the middle of the night. My grandfather was paralyzed from the waist down. My grandmother was caught in the wreckage. The gasoline spilled around the car caught fire.”

My gaze drops to his hands and he lifts them, turning them so I can see. “I tried to get her out. I got away with a concussion and third-degree burns. Police got there in minutes. And it still wasn’t enough. She lingered for a few weeks and finally she just gave up. She died because someone thought they could take what my grandfather had built.”

I don’t know what to say or even if I should say anything. His voice is toneless, as if he’s reciting someone else’s story. But his gaze burns.

The urge to comfort him makes my fingers curl at my sides. Compassion and anger batter me. Confusion makes me stupid, apparently. For all I know, he’s lying.

But looking into his eyes, I see conviction. Belief.

And doubt creeps into my mind.

“I’m sorry, Aiden.”

His expression doesn’t change at all. “I don’t want your pity. I don’t need it. What I want is to close the books. Your father is the last piece to fall.”

“Your grandfather… He was behind the deaths of the others involved, wasn’t he?”

A muscle jumps in his jaw. “My family takes care of its own.”

“So does mine. Do you want to know why my dad took that job? Or do you just want to kill him?” I don’t wait for him to respond because I’m not sure I want to hear his answer. “We were barely surviving. My parents were trying to make ends meet but they couldn’t. We were squatting in an abandoned building. Dad said he wasn’t going to watch his kids starve so he took a job. A job that paid well. The man who hired him never expected him to actually be successful. He thought my dad would die trying and they’d use his failure to learn more for the next time. But he didn’t fail.

“My dad did what he had to do to make sure his kids survived. Your grandmother’s death was horrible and cruel and never should’ve happened. But you’re blaming the wrong person. Dad said the file he stole looked like two sets of books. Maybe you need to ask your grandfather why he would have a second set of books.”

“There was no second set of books. Your father’s lying.”

His voice holds absolute conviction.

But I’ve been a thief for a very long time. I’ve seen more underhanded shit than anyone could possibly imagine.

“For what purpose?” I shake my head and stare straight into Aiden’s eyes. “You need to ask your grandfather if it wasn’t his greed that killed your grandmother.”

To be concluded…

Stephanie Julian

Stephanie Julian has been a daily news reporter, a freelance feature writer and a movie, theater and music critic but what she loves most is writing heat with heart. She’s happily married to a Springsteen fanatic and is the mother of two sons.

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