She started to turn away but Des grabbed her arm, stepping close, his gaze pinning hers. “Jessica.”
Her name came out as a raspy whisper, and nothing but silence followed. He didn’t have to say more. The raw need in his expression spoke beyond any words he might have offered. She didn’t know this man, yet she did. She understood him on some unexplainable level, as she sensed he understood her.
Without question, he needed her as much as she did him. Would that need last beyond tonight? She didn’t know. Right now, she didn’t care. She simply wanted to get lost in this man’s arms.
“Take me home, Des,” she whispered.
Des stood beside Jessica in the elevator of her apartment building, every nerve ending in his body alive with her presence. The depth of his desire for this woman touched him inside and out. It pressed him beyond logic and reason, controlling his decisions and overcoming the turmoil of his thoughts, of his concerns. Of the many reasons to turn and walk away from Jessica. His team had already copied her security pass and keys, and had slipped them inside the Porsche at the mansion. Staying would ignite temptation.
But he didn’t walk away. He couldn’t.
The door to the elevator opened, and Des motioned Jessica forward, careful not to touch her.
While he worked the key to Jessica’s apartment, he drew a breath. Damn it. Why was he putting himself through this? Jessica stirred the past in his mind.
He shoved the door open and allowed her a path inside her home. Desperate, Des grabbed the pain of the past and twisted it into anger, clinging to it, using it to shield himself from his interest in this woman.
As if she’d read his thoughts, she turned at that moment, fixing him in a brilliant stare, the long dark strands of her hair a contrast to the light blue of her eyes. His anger melted away, lost in the soft touch of her gaze.
“Thank you for everything you did tonight,” she said, her tone laced with sincerity. Her face flickered with distress and then softened as she focused on Des again. “It was difficult to lose my mother’s diaries, but it could have turned out much worse if you hadn’t been there. I really think they might have hurt me. To prove to my father they meant business.”
Guilt engulfed Des at her words. His men had stripped the intruders of the diaries before they’d ever left the property. As much as he wanted to tell Jessica they were safe, wanted to tell her everything that was going on, he’d seen how emotional she and her father had been back at that house. He couldn’t risk telling her and having her decide he was the enemy. He had to claim the journal before the Beasts.
“Don’t thank me,” he said, his voice low, running a rough hand through his hair and discreetly turning off the mic, tuning out his men. They’d heard more of his personal life than they should as it was. Then he added, “I don’t want your gratitude.” Silently, he added, I don’t deserve your gratitude.
Her eyes lingered on his, warming. Her voice lifted with challenge, a hint of seduction playing along the edges of each word. “Then what do you want?”
Lord help him, he wanted her and he wanted her in a bad way. His gaze traveled over the soft curves of her hips beneath the fabric of her skirt, clinging to all the right places, before returning his attention to the ivory perfection of her face. “More than I can have,” he answered, the truth washing over him like a tidal wave. One night would never sate the yearning this woman had created.
She took a step closer, tempting him with her nearness, teasing him. His nostrils flared, the scent of her arousal now mixed with her perfume, insinuating into his senses, driving him wild. The softer side of Jessica had fled, replaced by a sensual woman who seemed intent on pushing him over the edge.
“My mother used to say you could have anything you want.” She paused. “If you want it bad enough.”
Oh, he wanted her bad enough all right. That was the problem. He wanted her too much. He followed her lead, reaching deeper into the realm of temptation. Every word, every moment ushering him to the place of no return. “What do you want, Jessica?”
“I want you,” she whispered and took the final step that put them within reaching distance. One lift of her hand and she would touch him, and without question, his barely contained control would unravel.
Desperate to find his willpower, Des leaned against the door, pressing his hands against the surface, forcing himself not to reach for her. Adding space, no matter how minute, as an obstacle.
He used words to further his position, to aid his battle toward resistance. “You think you want me tonight. But in the morning, with all the craziness of tonight behind you, you may well think differently.” He paused, letting his words linger in the air, and then added, “You can’t turn back time.”
“Des.” She said the word as if it were a plea for understanding, her voice husky, seductive. “I don’t need you to save my virtue. My decision to invite you here came before that call from my father.”
He remembered all too well what had happened before that call. And he remembered how pleased he’d been to hear it was out of character for her to invite a man to her apartment. Not that he’d needed her to tell him that. He knew women. He knew Jessica better than most, it seemed.
“A lot has happened since then,” he reminded her, when he really wanted to replay the earlier scene, wanted to grab her and kiss her.
Her reply came slowly, her gaze scrutinizing, probing. Uncertainty flashed in her eyes and she took a step backwards. “Clearly, you’re trying to talk me out of this.”
Des felt a wave of emotion, of Jessica’s emotion, of her insecurity and pain, barely holding back a reaction. He was intuitive, all the Knights were. But this went beyond that. In this moment, and several times before, he’d felt Jessica’s feelings as his own. This had been a rough evening for her and she yearned for comfort.
He made a decision then. He simply couldn’t bear her pain. Screw keeping his hands to himself.
Des reached for her, pulling her against his body, enclosing her in his arms. Everything inside him screamed to protect this woman in all ways possible. It had back in that house and it did now. He couldn’t stand the idea of hurting her.
“I was trying to talk myself out of this,” he confessed, one hand framing her face. “You’ve been through a lot. I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
“You’re not,” she said. Her lashes fluttered and lifted, a hint of trepidation in her tone. “I really need you tonight, Des.”
Requiring no further convincing, Des slid his fingers into the silky strands of her hair, his mouth claiming hers. She melted into him, arms lacing behind his neck, the hard peaks of her nipples grazing his chest. A low growl escaped his throat, passion rising, claiming, taking away his sense of present or past. There was only Jessica.
She kissed him with hungry strokes of her tongue, meeting his need with her own, setting off a firestorm of yearning in him. He couldn’t kiss her deeply enough, couldn’t get her close enough.
They kissed, nipped, tasted. Soft sighs of pleasure slid from her lips, the sexy sound driving his desire higher, hotter. His cock thickened, his hand finding the curve of her bottom, molding her hips to his. She wrapped her leg around his calf, her hands traveling to his hair, his face, his shoulders.
He was losing coherent thought, ready to take her here, now. Ready to find his way inside her wet heat, to find the satisfaction he couldn’t with any other woman. He knew this, knew it with every ounce of his existence.
But not here, not like this. He tore his mouth from hers, acting with what little rationale he had left. She stared up at him, a question in her passion-filled eyes.
“Where’s the bedroom?” he asked, determined to make love to her like a man, not a Beast. Not on the floor in front of her door.
She took his hand and started to guide him. The Beast in him demanded action. This time Des didn’t argue. He grabbed Jessica and picked her up with ease. She gasped as if surprised but didn’t complain.
She pointed him
down a hallway and quickly went to work on the buttons on the front of his shirt. Good. He wanted to be rid of all barriers, to be skin to skin.
He found the bedroom, not bothering with a light. The curtains were drawn, but the full moon and an abundance of stars shone through and illuminated the room. Anticipation tightened his gut as he settled her on the bed. He shoved his shirt off even as he settled on the mattress above her, the temptation to remove his clothes overshadowed by the need to feel her beneath him.
She spread her legs, welcoming him as he settled between her thighs as if he belonged there. Her hands caressing his bare chest, his arms, his shoulders. Her mouth reached for his, commanding him to please her the moment he was able, the kiss deep, hot, full of passion.
There was no question, she wanted what he did, and despite the demand whispered in her kiss, neither dominated the other. A fire had been lit between them, perhaps from the moment they’d met. A fire that now burned with furious force. A fire that ignited some strange bond. Mate. The word screamed in his head and he tried to reject it. Primal heat pulsed through his veins, the Beast clawing at his mind, pressing him to claim her. It wanted more than satisfaction. It wanted to taste her. It wanted to feel her blood on its tongue.
He pulled back, his forehead pressed to hers. His breathing was heavy as he remembered Jag speaking of finding his mate. Of how the Beast screamed for him to claim her. Of marking Karen with his teeth and bonding them for eternity. But Jag had feared that tasting Karen’s blood in order to mark her would drive him over the edge. Would push him to take more than the small taste of her life’s blood needed to mate.
Jessica’s hand went to his face. “Des,” she whispered a second before her lips brushed his jaw. So tender, so sweet.
Des kissed her then, kissed her as he’d never kissed another. Kissed her as if she held his last breath within her. And perhaps she did. He understood none of this. He simply knew he had to have this woman, completely, entirely. Now.
Chapter 9
In the midst of that kiss, Des battled his primal side, working to smash it, to tame what he’d allowed to roam free. Sex as an outlet for the primal needs of his Beast. But not tonight. For the first time since he’d become a Knight of White, intimacy with a woman was not about sex. It was about making love. And the man in him demanded control. With a force born of all he was, all he would ever be, Des shoved aside his Beast.
Needing Jessica closer, to become a part of him, his hand slid up her skirt, beneath the sweet fullness of her ass, lifting her hips. She arched into him, moving against his hips, teasing him with how easy it would be to rip those panties away, to find his way inside her.
Had he ever wanted to be inside a woman the way he wanted to now? He felt a need to merge with her. A need to be one with Jessica.
He palmed her breast, remembering the way her nipples had hardened beneath his touch only hours before. She murmured his name, a sensual reward that played along his nerve endings, coaxing a rush of sensation to rip through his body.
A low growl escaped his throat. He nipped her lips. “Take off your clothes.” It was an order he knew she’d obey, and he didn’t wait for a response. He shoved off the bed and made fast work of ridding himself of his as well.
Naked, hard, raging with primal need, Des drew a breath, forcing himself to calm. To enjoy the glorious sight of Jessica naked. Her full breasts were high, her nipples pebbled, her creamy skin a drastic, sensual contrast to his darker coloring, a fact that aroused him beyond belief. His cock pulsed, throbbing.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, meaning his words. They weren’t spoken for the seductive purposes he might say them to another female. Because whatever it was about Jessica that called to him, it did so completely. To him, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. The most engaging, sensual beauty that existed.
Her gaze slid over his body, lingering on his erection, touching him with heat. Slowly, her eyes lifted. “So are you,” she said, her teeth sliding seductively along her bottom lip, her voice husky with arousal.
She offered him her hand, inviting him to join her. The invitation felt bigger than the moment though, bigger than life. As if touching her now, taking her tonight, would somehow change his life, his world.
But he didn’t stop to analyze those feeling, didn’t need a second request. His knees hit the mattress and she met him halfway. Soon they were face-to-face, their eyes locked, the connection in that moment, soul deep, intense. Beyond words, even beyond touch.
Des drew a breath and settled his cock between her legs, easing her into his arms, air escaping his lungs, trickling past his lips. And then the oddest thing happened. He experienced the most intense sensation of calmness, of being complete. He could almost feel his Beast purring inside, as satisfied as the man.
He whispered her name a second before he kissed her. There was tenderness in the way their lips melted together, merged. The impact of that connection held no less potency than the devouring passion of their prior kisses.
Des was lost, hoping never to be found.
Somehow they ended up on their sides, lying on the mattress, legs entwined. He didn’t remember how. Only that she fit his body perfectly, and he marveled at how sweet her flavor, how addictive.
Des had always taken pride in his ability to pleasure his partner, but it had been about his ego, not about his desire to give. And he so wanted to give to Jessica.
But Jessica had her own ideas, urging him to his back as she eased close to him, her breasts pressed to his side. One of her fingernails scraped his nipple. Her teeth scraped the other. Des sucked in a breath, molten heat firing his veins, threatening his willpower. It was all he could do to remain still, to allow her to work her magic.
Her hand slid down his stomach, her mouth finding his, teasing him with quick caresses of her lips. His heart kicked into overdrive as her fingers walked downward, and without warning, her palm wrapped around his shaft. Her touch sent a jolt of pleasure shooting through his groin and spiraling through his body. He let out a deep moan, his hips lifting.
Jessica smiled against his lips for a moment, clearly aware she was driving him insane.
“Witch,” he accused.
“And you like it,” she purred, sliding her palm up his length and then spreading the damp proof of his arousal at the head of his erection.
A second later, she released her hold, leaving him aching for the return of her hand. She moved between his legs, her mouth finding his stomach, tongue dipping into his navel, his cock pressed between those lush breasts.
He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting for restraint. Because as much as he wanted what he knew she intended, what he knew came next—the wet heat of her mouth around his shaft—he wanted inside her more.
Forcing himself to act before he lost the will, Des sat up. His fingers slid into the soft strands of Jessica’s hair, guiding her lips to his, kissing her…taking her with his mouth, his tongue, his teeth. He pressed her for all she would give him, his demands fuelled by primal need—need that demanded he act, consume, claim.
Palming her breasts, he kneaded, and then plucked at the nipples. With satisfaction, he felt her shiver, her hand coming up to close over his, to urge him onward.
“I want inside you,” he whispered against her mouth.
“Yes,” she said and pushed on his shoulders, urging him onto the mattress.
He complied, easing down to rest on his elbows. Des took in the vision she made, his stare hungry, devouring her beauty as she straddled him. She reached forward, closing her palm around his shaft. Des sucked in a breath as she guided him to her core. Slowly, she inched down his shaft, taking him inside her—wet warmth surrounding him.
For several seconds, they sat there, intimately joined, eyes locked. Something inside him moved with that look, with that shared moment. Emotion expanded in his chest, in his body, in his soul, a feeling of closeness, of belonging consuming him.
Suddenly, he ached to hold her. An ac
he that pressed, demanded. “Come here,” he whispered hoarsely.
She eased forward, her gaze never leaving his, her fists finding the mattress beside his head. Her chest rose and fell, drawing his gaze.
“You drive me crazy,” he told her.
Her response was to melt into his body, to kiss him with such passion, such utter desire, he could taste the urgency, the hunger on her lips. At the same moment, they began to move, in tune with each other’s wants and needs. Her fingers rested on his jaw, as if she feared he would stop kissing her. Des took her in, his arms around her, melding her soft curves tighter against his body. He couldn’t get enough of her.
The slow sensual dance grew frenzied. Faster. Harder. Almost desperate. He wanted deeper, wanted all of her. Wanted more. He couldn’t get more. He needed more. They bucked together, even as their hands explored, guided, teased. Desperation began to build inside, clawing at Des, claiming him.
Abruptly, his primal side flared, roaring to life with a fierce intensity. It was the kind of showing every Knight feared when off the battlefield. Because in battle the Beast demanded one thing…To devour.
Des struggled to smash his Beast back down. Struggled to claim the control he’d always reveled owning. He’d never before feared his darker side, but he did in that moment, feared it as he never had because the Beast cried out for Jessica, demanded she be claimed.
Des felt his teeth elongate. He pressed his face to Jessica’s neck, hiding from her view, desperate. But the position put his mouth closer to her flesh, to temptation, and his internal war intensified.
What the hell was wrong with him?
“Des,” Jessica murmured, her lips brushing his jaw. “Des, I…” Her body spasmed, clenching his cock with silky pleasure. Somehow, her satisfaction pulled him back into a place where only he and Jessica existed, where the Beast ceased to exist.
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