by Sienna Snow
"I'm glad you're so excited about this."
"Whatever. I have no love life, so I have to live vicariously through you. Plus, you've had a thing for him since we were kids."
"You're still a kid."
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You know what I mean. So answer one question, and I'll leave you alone."
I crossed my arms over my body and waited.
"Is he as good in bed as the tabloids like to say?"
My blush deepened, and instead of answering her question, I said, "I think it's time we get back to work."
"Man, you're no fun." She did a pouty face that only a nineteen-year-old could get away with. "I bet if it was Henna or Amelia, you'd spill all the details."
I glared at her and tapped my clipboard.
"Fine." She threw up her hands. "Besides, Collin always said one day Hagen would get his head out of his ass and go after you."
I almost asked her to elaborate about that statement. As far as I knew, Collin was the last person to want anything good for Hagen. But I decided to keep quiet. I had way too much work to do.
For the next few hours, we worked tweaking the formula for the next distilling as well as the logistics of the bottling of the next barrels of the batch I liked to call the private reserve. I planned to hold it off the market for at least another year or two.
It was my best product yet, but it just wasn't ready by my standards.
If I was honest, I hated the marketing and distribution end of the business. My passion was the process, but I couldn't get one without the other. It wasn't until one of HPZ's subsidiary companies had contacted my public representative that I had considered selling the front-end part of the company while maintaining control of the back-end development and bottling.
Maybe in the future.
As of now, my focus had to remain Dara.
A beep sounded on the perimeter alarm, making me jump. Anaya was the first to glance at the surveillance feed. Her face got a bit of a dreamy quality as she saw Adrian's car.
Well, that was interesting.
I had mere seconds to linger on that thought before I saw Hagen pull up behind Adrian. He stepped out of the car and my heart all but stopped. He wore a fitted T-shirt and jeans, accented with a reflective pair of glasses that gave him a sexy edge.
"Well, hot damn, woman. That's who you’re banging?" Anaya fanned herself. "Please tell me all of them are as hot as sin."
I stared at the monitor and felt the slow pulse of need Hagen's presence always ignited. "I guess. I don't view Pierce and Zack any different than I do Adrian. They’re all my brothers."
"Let me be the first to inform you that Adrian is hot, so I bet Pierce and Zack are probably as smoking in person."
I scrunched my face. "You just made me nauseous."
The door to the warehouse opened, and Adrian, Hagen, and Zack walked in.
Zack? When had he gotten here?
Hagen had mentioned Zack knew about my involvement with Firewater, but I never expected him to come to the warehouse.
I glanced at the monitors again and saw his Porsche parked behind Hagen's. I'd been so focused on Hagen I never noticed the other car pull up.
"Hey, sis. Hey there, Ana." Adrian nodded to us and then moved to a bank of terminals he would tinker on whenever he was in the lab.
"Hello, ladies," Zack said, coming toward me and pulling me into a tight bear hug.
"Penny, I'm going to head out." Anaya checked her watch. "I'm supposed to meet Henna for a Krav Maga class in an hour. If I leave now, I'll have enough time to get home, change, and arrive at the gym before big sis can ream me for being late again."
I nodded. "Thanks for all the help today."
"You can pay me back with a cruise around the world when you make your first billion."
"Definitely." I smiled as I leaned into Zack.
As soon as the door closed, Zack asked, "How is my favorite underground bootlegger doing?"
I squeezed him tight and kissed his cheek. "It's not illegal, therefore no bootlegging."
"So what do you call this secretive production?"
I beamed up at him. "Incognito."
"A certain somebody told me it's called Firewater."
"No, that's the name of the reserve I'm working on. Firewater Incognito."
Anaya and I had only an hour earlier decided on the name of my special batch.
"Can I taste? It's the least you can do for taking millions from me over the last few years on your way to billionaire status."
"Not happening. And billionaire isn't a goal of mine, it's yours."
"How about a game—"
I cut him off. "I am not playing a game of cards for this."
He sighed. "It was worth a try. Then again, you'd probably swindle me out of my share of HPZ."
"Want to get your hands off her?" Hagen interrupted the banter and glared at Zack, who didn't seem to care and pulled me closer to him.
"Nope. We're fine right here."
It was apparent Zack was trying to get under Hagen's skin, but I wasn't willing to play that kind of game.
Not yet, anyway. Hagen and I were too new for harmless flirtation. I slipped from Zack's hold and walked toward Hagen.
When I was a foot away from him, I paused. "Hi."
He watched me with the intensity I now understood as possessiveness.
Instead of responding, he cupped the back of my head and drew me toward him, kissing me mindless.
When he pulled back, he said, "You left before I woke up."
"Sorry,” I whimpered.
My body was burning up and ready to jump him despite the fact I was sore.
Was I ever going to get enough of this man? We'd spent most of our time over the last few weeks fucking, sleeping, eating, talking, and fucking, and I wanted more.
Shit, I’d become a nymphomaniac.
It was the most hedonistic time I'd ever had. Hagen had essentially played hooky from his clubs to spend time with me, saying he paid people to keep things going when he was busy. I, on the other hand, had guilt for not being at Kipos but then had a sense of relief. It was as if, even for a few days, the weight of what happened to the company wasn't on my shoulders.
For all I knew, Dara had burned all my files and replaced me with a clown.
The thought had me smiling inside. All the sex I was having must have fried my brain.
"You could have left a note."
"Sorry," I repeated. "I was running late, and it slipped my mind."
I slid my palms up his forearms, loving the feel of his defined muscles, and lost myself in the intensity of his gaze.
"I don't like it when I have no clue what happened to you. Adrian tracked your car before I turned the city upside down looking for you."
"I had to work. I'm behind schedule. On a normal day, I'd get here by six and then head to the office for any early meetings."
"You don't have to worry about two jobs anymore. Set normal hours and focus on your distilleries."
A wave of sadness hit me for a moment before I pushed it back. No matter what I'd thought moments earlier, there was a sense of helplessness I couldn't shake. The future of Kipos International was out of my control, and if I was honest with myself, I'd never had any control to begin with.
The most important thing was to find out the truth about Papa's death and then devise a strategy to oust Dara. Selling the company was the last item on the list.
"From now on, if I'm still asleep when you're ready to leave, wake me up." There was a determined fierceness to his words that had me studying him.
He was gorgeous as ever, but there was a hard set to his face.
Maybe this was part of being in a relationship, or perhaps it came with being in a relationship with Hagen.
He was way too serious. I was a nerd. How much trouble could I get into?
"Is there something you're not telling me? Am I in some danger or are you letting your possessive side go amok?" I leaned up on tiptoes, smir
ked, and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
However, I noticed something pass in his eyes that made me think my joke hit the nail on the head.
"I want to go somewhere private."
"Umm." I glanced around. "Okay."
We were in an open warehouse. There weren't many places for privacy.
"We can go in the insulated lab." I pointed in the direction of my chem lab. "That is as alone as we can get here. Though the scent of all the fermenting barley may get to you."
"I have a better idea. Let's talk in my car."
"Adrian," I called.
"Yeah," he responded, lifting his head away from the monitors.
"Keep Zack entertained, and don't you dare let him mess with any of the machines. Zack has this need to touch things that aren't his."
"For Christ's sake, Persephone. I took your car out one time for a quick drive, and you act like I crashed it or something."
"You had the other poker players distract me so you could sneak out and get behind the wheel."
"You're too possessive of that car." A grin formed on Zack’s face. "I have to admit, it was a sweet ride."
I rolled my eyes. "Don't touch." I pointed a warning finger at Zack and let Hagen lead me to the car.
"You are the only person I know who gets away with treating Zack like a dumb brother. If you don't know this, Zacharias Lykaios is probably one of the most ruthless businessmen around."
"Zack is Zack. The boy who'd tease me and pull my hair and get into mischief with me. I know without a doubt that if circumstances had been different for all of us, Zack and I would have been partners in crime giving our moms gray hairs."
Hagen remained quiet as if he was pondering my answer.
By the time I was seated inside his car, Hagen seemed to be in a brooding mood.
The second he closed the driver’s side door he said, "Why didn't you ever hook up with Zack? It's obvious that the two of you have chemistry. Hell, you have a history with Pierce too."
Wrinkling my nose, I frowned. "There are too many reasons to count why they do nothing for me."
"Name them."
"You're kidding, right?"
"You just said you and Zack would have been partners in crime."
Hagen gripped the steering wheel. Well, shit. He was seriously jealous of his brother. For such a confident man, he was really unsure of his appeal.
I released a sigh. "Hagen. They weren't you."
The fire in his eyes calmed.
"Come here."
I looked around. "What do you mean? In your lap?"
He nodded, pushing the button to move his chair back to the farthest point.
"But I'm wearing a skirt."
"I know."
"There are cameras everywhere. My brother does not need to see me straddling his boss's lap."
"Zack probably has him occupied with discussions of some new security software Adrian's developing for him."
Zack was notorious for finding some way to get the most work out of any given day.
"Fine." I climbed over the gearbox and positioned my legs on either side of his thighs as I held on to his shoulders. "Now what?"
His hands slid under my skirt, over my hips, and to the globes of my ass. He ground his hard length against the soaked slit of my underwear.
"Hagen," I gasped and then moaned as his thumb slid forward and grazed my clit.
"I want to fuck you right here. Right now. I want to tear the thing that you know you shouldn't be wearing and bury my cock so deep in your cunt that it permanently marks you. I want to fuck into you so hard that everyone and anyone knows you’re mine."
I wanted that too.
"Yes. Anything, Hagen."
"But since I know you’re sore from our early-morning antics, we'll have to settle for a bit of foreplay."
I couldn't help feeling disappointed. I wanted him to pummel my aching pussy, but he was right. I needed some recovery time. To go from never having sex to having it four to five times a day was going to take some getting used to.
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"It means I'm not going to fuck you, but I am going to make you so hot that you’ll orgasm from my slightest touch."
"Okay."
"I want you to start by sliding your pretty pussy up and down the seam of my pants."
I followed his instructions, grazing my thong-covered slit over the stitching on his jeans. My sensitive clit ached as my core grew slick and swollen.
"Now. I want you to roll that cunt over my hard cock, showing me how you'd move if you were riding me."
I shifted my hips, grinding my damp heat against him and mimicking the slide of my pussy if there weren’t any barriers between us.
All of a sudden, the familiar tingle I experienced every time I was with Hagen ignited, and my body took over. I rubbed and bore down on his hard and thick length until I shattered, bucking and screaming and coming so hard that I thought I was about to pass out.
“Hagen. Oh God, Hagen,” I gasped, staring into his eyes.
"That was beautiful." Hagen's words were gruff and full of desire.
My face was flushed, my heartbeat erratic as I came slowly down.
Without thinking, I reached between us until my hand closed over his belt. Just as I pulled the leather through the loop, Hagen stilled me.
"What are you doing?"
I gave him a wicked grin. "Foreplay."
"I'm not going to fuck you."
"I know."
I freed his cock, sliding my hand up and down his hard, thick length.
"Starlight." He said my name as if it were a prayer. It sent a shiver down my spine.
I kissed him, taking his hands and using them to slide under my shirt to my breasts.
"I want to do something I read about in a book."
He pinched my nipples, and my core spasmed. "And that is?"
"Something similar to what we just did, but this time I want to get us both off with the slide of your cock between my pussy lips, with no barriers separating us."
For a split second I thought he'd say no, then he smirked. "Show me."
The fire in his blue eyes had nervousness creeping in. I had no idea what I was doing. It was obvious he'd just handed me the reins. God, I hoped what the romance novel said was accurate.
Pushing my thong to the side, I gripped Hagen's engorged cock again and positioned it against the lips of my sex. I rolled my hips to slide along his length, letting my slick arousal coat him.
The sensation was heady as he moved back and forth. It was as if I had control but actually had none, and from the dazed bliss on Hagen's face, I could tell he'd never done this before either.
That thought brought a surge of confidence I hadn't expected. He was the experienced one. The man with a trail of lovers and conquests, and here I was giving him something he'd never encountered.
The more I moved, the more the ache in my core grew. Soon, my body took over as I increased the gyration against him. I threw my head back, feeling my orgasm creep up. At the same time, a low guttural sound escaped Hagen's lips.
"I'm close. Fuck. This is so hot. I'm not sure how long I can hold out."
Hagen slid his thumb over my clit, and I detonated. Ecstasy washed through my body. I bucked and ground harder on his girth. My nails dug into his shoulders as I rode out the pleasure.
The next thing I knew, Hagen lifted me and positioned his cock at the entrance of my pussy and came, spurting hot jets inside me. He held me over him until the last of his release emptied out of him.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Hagen
* * *
"WHAT NOW?" Starlight asked as she nuzzled against my neck.
"This was your plan, remember?" I reminded her.
This woman had rocked my world. Her innocence and desire to explore was throwing me for a loop. I was never into public sex. It was a hard-and-fast rule.
And here I was, coming in front of at least a dozen cameras and two people
who probably wanted to kill us at the moment.
I was supposed to tell her about what I'd learned about the will. Instead, I was consumed by jealousy and a desire that I'd never experienced with any other woman.
"Hagen?" She lifted her head from my shoulder. "Why'd you come inside me? Were you marking me in some caveman fashion?"
"Yes," I honestly answered before I thought otherwise.
I wanted to mark every inch of her inside and out. I wanted every man within one hundred feet of her to know she was mine.
I wanted her forever. I wanted her round with my children. I wanted her… Fuck, what the hell was I thinking?
This woman made me feel too much and we'd barely begun.
I had to get control.
"And?"
"And what?" I said, hoping the coolness of my tone would get my mind back in order. "You're my woman. I can mark you with my cum wherever, whenever, and however I want." I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the seat's headrest.
"Umm, okay." She slid off me and moved to the passenger seat. "You've put me in my place. I'm yours until you get me out of your system. Isn't that what you said the first time we were together?"
Immediately, I regretted my words, from a few weeks earlier and just now. I sounded like an asshole. She was more to me than she could ever know.
"Starlight."
She wouldn't look in my direction as she adjusted her clothes. There was hurt on her face and a sheen of tears in her beautiful green gaze.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
"It doesn't matter. Just tell me what you need to talk about so I can get back to work."
Her arms were crossed tight over her body, and her posture was ramrod straight.
"I'm sorry," I repeated.
"I said it doesn't matter. We will fuck as we agreed, you will help me prove Dara's involvement in Papa's death, and then you can move on to your next temporary conquest."
"Dammit. It's not like that between us. It never has been and never will be."
I was fucking this up royally.
"Could have fooled me." She turned her body away from me.
I set my hands on her hips and adjusted her back to face me, causing her to shove at me.