I lifted myself on shaky legs and walked back to the couch, refilling my wine glass and settling back down to finish my reading. I was nearly done the chapter. I’d end there for the night, even though I had meant to go a little longer. I deserved a little bit of a break.
I was working on the last page when my phone rang. I jumped, adrenaline still zipping through my system, and checked the caller ID. I breathed a sigh of relief and answered.
“Hey, Molly,” I said. “How’s work?”
“Screw work. Have you seen what’s trending on Twitter right now?”
Chapter 22
Gemma
My old, decrepit laptop hummed to life, spitting line after line of code onto the screen while it considered living another day. I tapped my fingers on the keys impatiently. I’d never waited so long for the damn thing to load.
Finally, the geezer gave me access to the internet and I navigated to Twitter as quickly as possible. Sure enough, along the left-hand side I found the hashtag Molly told me about. #FINDGEMMA.
I clicked through and looked at some of the posts, scrolling down the page without really understanding what I was seeing. Some sort of street art? I decided to search for a bit of context first and Googled the hashtag. What came up surprised me.
There were a handful of articles and a whole message board devoted to the movement. Most of the recent posts asked questions, posed theories, and just in general discussed what #FINDGEMMA was. Who was Gemma? Why was somebody looking for her? Was there a Gemma, or was the name just code for something else? Who was behind all this?
From what I read, I gathered that, starting around a week ago, mysterious graffiti started popping up around the city, with no tag to say who the artist was—just #FINDGEMMA.
I couldn’t be that Gemma, could I? Niles and Justin already know where to find me. Who else would be looking for me? I didn’t dare hope that Nik would go to such lengths. That would be crazy, right?
I decided to look at the art and see if there were any clues, and navigated over to Twitter for pictures.
What I saw lit my body on fire. There was so much more to the paintings than the hash tag. I clicked through nearly a dozen, all of which were clearly done by different artists but shared a common theme.
Diamonds.
Some were elaborate, some were abstract. Some had diamonds raining down from the heavens, some had them bursting from the earth, but each painting featured a diamond of some sort. I knew then that it couldn’t be a coincidence.
My diamond, he’d called me.
“Oh my god,” I breathed. “Oh my god!”
I jumped out of my chair, no longer tired, and started racing around the apartment. A shower, I needed a shower. But was there time? He wouldn’t be going anywhere, would he? I would hate myself if I showed up covered in nine hours’ worth of gross hotel goop.
I jumped into the shower and scrubbed myself raw, heart racing and hands shaking.
My diamond.
I groaned out loud. This was too good to be true, right? No way in hell Nik somehow organized a street art movement with the sole purpose of finding me and getting me back. That was the craziest thing I’d ever heard.
Or was it a case of truth being stranger than fiction?
I dried off and ran a brush through my hair, not bothering with makeup and barely even managing to pull sweatpants on my damp legs. My hands shook as I locked the front door behind me and I nearly dropped my keys.
I called Molly as I rushed down the stairs.
“I’m Gemma!”
“And I’m Molly. We’ve lived together a few years now, babe.”
I laughed. My whole body felt like it was buoyed up by bubbles and even the slightest wind might take me away.
“No, Molly. I’m Gemma. As in the #FINDGEMMA.”
“Thought you might be,” she said with a hint of satisfaction. “What are you going to do about it?”
“I’m going over to Nik’s,” I said as I burst through the front door and onto the street.
“You’re sure that’s the best idea?”
I frowned. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I don’t know. You guys just haven’t seen each other in a while, maybe you could find a way to message him or something. Talk that way.”
“I couldn’t possibly wait that long.”
“And what are you going to do if he’s not home?”
I was legging it toward the subway, heart thudding like a jungle drum, and my responses grew short as I tried not to lose my breath.
“Wait.”
“I’m happy for you, Gemma,” she said. “Let me know how it goes.”
“I will.” The smile returned to my face. “Have a good shift.”
I ended the call and picked up my pace even more. Every second between now and when I saw Nik was agony, even though I was racing toward a world of uncertainty. What if I wasn’t actually the right Gemma and this had nothing to do with Nik? I could show up in the middle of him and Valentina’s marital bliss. That would be awkward, to say the least, especially since I’d have no reason for showing up out of the blue except I saw a street art campaign and thought it had something to do with me.
None of that mattered though. I had to see him. If there was any chance, however slight, that Nik was looking for me, I needed to find him.
I shifted from foot to foot on the subway as I waited for my stop, watching the cement walls and lights flash by and listening to the rails scream. It only exacerbated my sense of urgency.
Finally—finally—I made my way back up to the street and into the brilliant sunshine of Spring in its full glory. Summer was just around the corner, and the warm weather suited my mood perfectly.
I made it to Nik’s building and wondered if his doorman would still let me straight up. He did.
That had to be a good sign.
The elevator ride was the longest one of my life but then I was there. At Nik’s door. Hand poised just over the dark wood, heart in my ears, trembling.
I knocked.
My stomach did a nervous flip as I heard footsteps approach, and then the door swung open.
Nik’s dark eyes widened with surprise as he took me in. He looked the most casual I’d ever seen him in jeans and a white t-shirt, his hair a little messy and a couple days’ worth of black stubble dusting his chin. His scent hit me like a cool ocean wave and my mouth tugged into a wide smile.
“Nik,” I began. “I saw—“
He swooped down and kissed me, arms banding behind me and squeezing me tight to his chest. I kissed back without hesitation. He made a soft noise of delight in his throat and kissed me deeper, tongue pushing into my mouth. My arms were trapped against his chest but I gripped his t-shirt tightly, like if I let go he might disappear. I couldn’t take the chance.
“My diamond,” his whispered against my lips.
Heat pooled between my thighs. “Yes,” I murmured. “Yours.”
Nik bent down and swept me into his arms, nuzzling his nose into my throat and walking back into the apartment. He kicked the door shut behind him with a slam.
There were so many things I wanted to tell him, but now wasn’t the time. The urgency that had pulsed through me on my way over here had not receded, only changed in need. I needed him. I ached for him. And when he delivered me straight onto the bed, I knew he needed me too.
He covered me, pushing me up toward the pillows and jamming a leg between my thighs. His skin was hot, feverish. I kissed from his lip to his chin and then his neck, his coarse stubble scratching my lips. He tasted and smelled just as I remembered.
A deep rumble emanated from Nik’s throat and I nipped above his pulse, hands tangled up in his t-shirt. The only way today could have gone better would have been if he’d opened the door naked, as I was shaking so badly I barely had the dexterity to undress him.
I worked off his t-shirt and Nik kissed me hard. His stomach flexed against my fingers and I shuddered with pleasure.
Nik pulled back
a little, holding himself up with one hand while he ran the other along my cheek, my jaw, holding my chin up so he could inspect my face.
“Your image has been burned in my mind for the past three weeks,” he said, eyes dark and full of want. “Yet somehow I nearly forgot how beautiful you are.”
“I guess we’ll have to make sure not to leave it so long next time.”
His lip quirked at the corner. “There’s not going to be any fucking next time.”
He devoured my mouth again I could taste his sincerity. His body crashed into mine and I could feel his conviction.
Dominik Orlov wasn’t letting me go anytime soon. And me? I was hanging on tooth and nail.
Chapter 23
Dominik
I had never been so grateful to Dexter as when I opened my door and saw Gemma standing there, breathless and pink-cheeked. In the moments afterward, however, Dexter no longer existed. Nothing did. Gemma showing up wiped clean every though except how much I’d missed her, how much I wanted her, and I fell upon her like a starved animal. In many ways I was.
I had her and I wasn’t going to let her go.
I could tell how much she felt it too—could taste her desperation, desire, hear it in the way she panted desperately in my ear as I kissed down her neck. It felt strange to miss somebody so much when you still had so much to learn about them, but there was nothing strange about our reunion.
We were radios set at the same frequency, fires that burned with the same heat. I was going to make sure this was a night Gemma never forgot.
I tossed my shirt to the floor and Gemma ran her hands up my abs, resting them on my pecs and squeezing. She nibbled my lower lip and my cock throbbed painfully against the zipper of my jeans. I wanted to fuck her more than I’d ever wanted to fuck anybody.
But there was something else I wanted to do more.
I worked my hands under her shirt and pulled it over her head. Her skin was soft, supple, and her ample tits jiggled in their cups. I kissed between them, massaging them with my hands as I continued down to her belly. I fanned my breath across the plane of her stomach and she gasped, tensing. I loved her reactions. She was sweet, almost innocent, though there was something deep inside of her clawing to get out. I was determined to help her.
I grabbed the waistband of her sweatpants and pulled them down, tossing them to the side of the bed. She was bare underneath.
“Dirty girl,” I said approvingly.
Gemma bit her lip. “I was in a rush.”
I chuckled and kissed down to her thighs, taking my time. I kissed the inside of her thighs, inhaling her musk with pleasure, and Gemma squirmed. I held her still and kissed closer and closer to her sex, watching her reaction with a smirk. Her tits heaved with every breath. It was a glorious sight.
I hovered above her pussy close enough that I could feel its warmth. Gemma whimpered.
And then I continued kissing up her belly, her ribs, and she groaned in her throat.
“You’re such a tease,” she said, tangling her fingers in my hair.
I grinned. “Can’t give you what you came for right away. That would ruin the fun.”
“That’s not what I came here for.”
I slid a hand under her back and unclasped her bra, setting her tits free. Once the air hit her nipples they stiffened, and I rubbed my thumb over one absently as I gazed deep into her emerald eyes.
“Oh?” I pinched her nipple. “You didn’t come here wanting me to fuck your brains out?”
Gemma moaned.
I lowered my mouth to one swollen bud and sucked on it, teasing her with the tip of my tongue. She gasped and arched against the mattress, offering herself to me. My cock pulsed with need and I rubbed against her silky thigh, groaning deep in my throat.
“Speak up,” I told her. “If this isn’t what you came here for, then let me know and we can stop this right now.”
I loved teasing her like this, seeing her peaches and cream cheeks flush with want and her eyes glaze over. I moved to the other nipple and slid a hand down her belly, resting over mound. She was soaked. It took everything in me not to bury my face between her legs right that second.
“Tell me what you want, Gemma,” I whispered over her wet nipple.
“You,” she managed to pant. “I want you, Nik.”
“Be more specific, my diamond.” I applied pressure with my hand, rubbing just enough to send bolts of pleasure through her but not enough to provide any relief.
She groaned. “I want you to—oh god—“
I slipped a finger into her wetness, brushing against her clit.
“I want you to fuck me, Nik,” she gasped, straining at every word. “With your hands, your tongue, your mouth, it doesn’t matter. I just need you.”
I rewarded her by sliding a finger into her heat and rubbing it along her inner walls. “Good girl.”
And that was about where my self-restraint snapped. I couldn’t hold back from her anymore, couldn’t resist my baser urges. In one fluid motion, I hooked her legs over my shoulders and started to feast on her pussy.
Gemma cried out and it was music to my ears. I swirled my tongue over her nub and sucked, relishing her earthy taste. She was divine. I went deeper, pushing my tongue inside of her just like she asked. Gemma needed to learn that I would do anything for her, do anything to her, and all she had to do was ask. I was powerless where she was concerned. My primary thought as I fucked her with my tongue was how much I wanted to see her crash over the edge. My secondary thought was how when I was ready, I’d fuck her senseless until I reached my own shattering climax.
Gemma’s fingers tangled in my hair and she bucked against me. I held her hips tight to my face and lapped at her with wild abandon, cock stiff against my leg. She squeaked and squirmed and I growled, fingers digging into her fleshy globe of an ass. Fuck, I loved her ass. I squeezed it tighter for good measure.
Gemma’s breaths grew erratic. “I’m gonna...”
She didn’t have time to finish that sentence before I thrust two fingers inside of her and sucked hard around her clit. Her walls were tight. I remembered how good they felt squeezing my cock and I moaned, sending vibrations through her.
Gemma went still, holding her breath, and then her pussy squeezed my fingers like a vice as she came.
Gemma gasped and shook. “Nik, oh my god, Nik!”
I licked up her juices until the spasms subsided, then pulled out my fingers and settled her back on the bed. Gemma was limp. She stared at me through half-lidded, dreamy eyes and smiled.
She was a fantasy come to life. I’d never seen such a beautiful sight.
“What?” she asked.
I realized I was staring. I chuckled and shook my head. “Nothing,” I said. “I was just thinking how I’d never seen such a beautiful sight.”
She stuck her tongue out. “That’s cheesy.”
I growled low in my throat. “I’ll show you cheesy.”
I climbed over Gemma and she yelped in mock fear, shimmying toward the side of the bed. My swollen cock delighted in her attempted escape and I grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her roughly to the edge of the bed. Gemma giggled, but she stopped when I tore open my jeans pulled out my dick. Her eyes widened with want, lips parted invitingly.
I grabbed a condom from the dresser next to me and rolled it down, then parted Gemma’s thighs with my knee. Her breath hitched.
I’d been waiting for this moment for so long. I wanted to keep a snapshot of it in my mind forever—Gemma, naked and spread before me, ready to receive my waiting cock. A shiver ran down my spine and I leaned over her, kissing her hard on the mouth as I probed her entrance.
Gemma kissed me back feverishly. She gripped my ass and urged me closer, trying to spear herself. I held back just long enough to elicit a frustrated growl from her.
Then I plunged inside in one smooth thrust. Gemma screamed.
She was so hot, so wet, so tight. Her body fit mine perfectly. I slammed in and out, fisting
my hands in the sheets for momentum. I tossed her legs over my shoulders to get deeper and pressed them back so far her ankles nearly touched her ears. Gemma moaned louder, loving this new angle. I swallowed her moan with a kiss.
My body vibrated with need. I pistoned in and out of her delectable pussy with punishing force, unable to hold myself back. Gemma bit my lip, challenging me, and I bit her right back. Sweat prickled my brow but I couldn’t slow down. And the world would have to end before I stopped.
She felt so good. She tasted so good. This woman was my drug, and with every hit I only wanted her more. Her silken lips danced down my jaw, coming to rest in the junction of my throat, and her labored breaths sent pleasurable shivers down my spine.
My balls tingled. Every thrust brought me closer to exploding, and the pressure grew so intense each stroke was bliss. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth, grunting into Gemma’s neck and trying to hold it back. I didn’t want to cum until she did. I needed to feel her seize around me, needed to taste the relief on her tongue.
“You’re so fucking good, Gemma,” I whispered. “I could fuck you all day.”
She sucked my earlobe between her lips and nibbled. I came dangerously close to shattering.
“But if you fucked me all day, when would I have time to suck your cock?”
Fuck.
The comment was so unexpectedly filthy that I couldn’t stop myself. I slammed into her and came hard, my entire body sizzling and snapping with electricity. White noise and static filled my ears. My legs shook and I had to put most of my weight on the bed.
Gemma cried out and her pussy clamped down on my cock. I groaned and bit down on her shoulder, nearly forgetting to breathe. The pleasure was intense, more intense than I think I’d ever felt. She milked my cock to perfection, sighing softly in my ear with every spasm.
Mister Diamond Page 14