by KT Grant
She almost choked as she swallowed. “You have a barbell in your mouth?”
“Yes.” Marella displayed her tongue, and the metal ball in the middle of it.
“Why?” Fascinating. This was the first time she’d met someone with an actual piercing in their tongue.
“I was young and stupid at the time I got the piercing. But I kept it. I also have one in my bellybutton.” Marella’s eyes twinkled. “And, no, I don’t have any others.”
Kennedy pressed her lips together to stop from laughing at a conversation she’d never thought she would have in a million years, and in Iceland of all places.
“How about you? Any piercings?” Marella crossed her legs, brushing Kennedy’s knee with the hem of her skirt.”
“Only my ears, but earrings irritate my lobes. I didn’t want to be pierced anywhere else, especially those intimate areas only a few select people have seen.”
Marella slapped the top of the bar. “Good one.” She flicked her bangs away from her forehead, flashing black ink on the inside of her arm.
“You also have tattoos?”
She lifted her sleeve and traced the ink with her fingers. “It’s fjölskyldan mín, meaning family. I got it a long time ago.”
The tattoo on Kennedy’s hip tingled. She tightened her grip around her glass to keep from rubbing at it. Asking for the story of the woman’s tattoo would make things too serious between them. She didn’t want to be solemn or reflect on her own loss then end up a blubbering mess.
“You have a beautiful name.” She brought the conversation back to more lighthearted topics.
Marella lowered her sleeve, and her head snapped up. “It’s my middle name.”
“Your middle name? Why don’t you go by your first name?”
Marella lifted her glass, downed her wine, then set aside her empty glass and flagged down the bartender. “Perhaps I’ll tell you my first name after a few more drinks.”
She swirled her drink. “How about we add food into the mix? I’m starving.”
Marella smiled and claimed her wrist with a squeeze, causing her stomach to flutter. “I’m starving also.”
***
“You’re not going to be forty in October! You look ten years younger!” Kennedy finished the last of the cheese on her plate. She rubbed her hands on her napkin and settled back in the booth. They sat close together, sharing enough appetizers for triple their party.
Marella had started out sitting across from her then moved next to her when their food arrived. After a few glasses of wine—or maybe more, she’d lost count—Kennedy felt very relaxed. Marella’s arm lay over the cushion behind her, brushing Kennedy’s back with her fingertips every so often.
Marella grimaced as she finished her glass, setting it down on the table with a click. “I’m so fucking old. What are you, thirty?”
“I turned thirty-one in January.” Kennedy sighed and licked some salt from her finger.
Marella refilled Kennedy’s glass. “Everyone I work with is younger than me.”
“You never said what you do. Something in the arts?”
Marella arched her eyebrow. “The arts? Honey, I work behind a desk. I’m an executive.”
She snickered and swallowed more wine. The wooziness in her head helped loosen her up, but also made her brave. She grasped her companion’s inked arm. “You’re an executive even with your tattoo and tongue piercing? You must work for a cool company.”
She twisted her arm, taking Kennedy’s hand. “It’s one of the coolest in Reykjavik. I work for a brewery and spirits distributor.”
“That’s why I’m here. I have a business meeting at one of the breweries. You must know Landvik, then.” Her eyelids fluttered as Marella stroked her wrist with her thumb.
“I know them very well. Their wild honey victory vodka is amazing.”
Kennedy’s eyes popped open. “Vic for Landvik?” She giggled.
“What’s the purpose of your meeting?” Marella’s breath brushed her ear.
She shifted closer. “I work for the Segal Corporation. Our headquarters are in California. We’re signing a big deal with Landvik to sell their alcohol at our properties in the United States.”
“You’re an account executive like me?”
“You could say that.” Kennedy took another sip of her wine. “I’d better stop drinking after this glass or someone might have to help me to my room.”
“I wasn’t planning on getting you drunk, so maybe you should stop.” Marella took her glass and set it down. “But perhaps you’re still sober enough for one last drink.”
“What type?” Kennedy blinked away the fuzziness in her vision.
Marella waved for their server. “Since you haven’t tried any of Landvik’s beers or spirits, we’re having a wild honey shot.”
“You sure you’re not trying to get me drunk?” Kennedy hiccupped. “You better order me a water chaser.”
The server came over and took their plates. “Yes, Madame M?”
“Two shots of wild honey vic vodka and two glasses of water.”
After their server left, Kennedy nudged her companion. “What’s with the Madame M? Don’t tell me you’re also some government official like the mayor or governor.” She scratched her nose. “Does Reykjavik even have a mayor?”
Marella tapped her chin with her fingers as a smile broke over her face. “You’re too cute. I’m not in politics. Madame M is just a nickname. Most in Reykjavik use it as a term of endearment.”
“Most? How many do you know here?” Wow. Only a few high-profile celebrities were “known” by most at home in Los Angeles.
“There’s around one hundred twenty thousand residing in and around Reykjavik, so it’s easy to know many people.” Marella’s impish smile returned. There was more to this story.
“Your personality probably has something to with it. You’re very friendly.” The server returned, and Kennedy took a healthy gulp of water, suddenly parched.
Marella dipped her finger in her vodka. “Just my personality impressed you? Nothing else?”
Kennedy swallowed an ice cube too fast it lodged in her throat. As she cleared the intrusive lump, she cut her gaze away from the sexy woman next to her.
Marella tickled her nape. “What about my fashion sense or my hair?”
She opened her mouth to respond, but froze when a vodka-laced finger stroked down her cheek to her throat.
“Maybe my face is more than pleasing to you?” Marella whispered in her ear.
A rush of liquid warmth settled in her belly, and the atmosphere between them became charged with sensuality.
“I ah, think you’re very beautiful. Most of the women here are.” She drank more water, trying to quench her thirst. Keeping her mouth to the rim, as if it would protect her from Marella’s scrutiny, she stared ahead.
“I find you—”
“Did I tell you I’m practically engaged?” She silently cursed the squeak in her voice.
“What does ‘practically’ mean? To a man or a woman?” Skepticism lined her tone.
“To a man. Why would you think a woman?” She released a nervous laugh and finished her water.
The twinkle in Marella’s eyes gave away her amusement. But she didn’t make Kennedy feel like the butt of a joke. Nothing about the woman led her to think her cruel.
Nervous, she set her glass down and tilted it to the side to fish out another ice cube. She froze when Marella petted her thigh.
“You may ‘practically’ be engaged to a man, but your body isn’t as loyal to him as you want me to believe.” She squeezed Kennedy’s knee then skimmed up higher.
The heat swirling in her belly dipped lower. “What about my heart?”
“The heart is different. It may want one thing while the body wants another. I believe this is the case with you.” Her hand curled around Kennedy’s upper thigh.
She dropped her hand on Marella’s. “You didn’t approach me just to be nice. You had an ulterior motive.�
�
“You’re a smart woman.” Marella shrugged and linked their fingers. “You could have thanked me for the drink and left or given off the vibe you wanted to be left alone. You did neither.”
“How often do you do this?” Her heart rattled in her chest. She might be a pushover in some instances, but she refused to be a victim or target.
The light in Marella’s eyes dimmed, and she shifted back, although she kept their fingers linked. “I’m not, how you say, a repeat offender. I don’t go around seducing unsuspecting women or accommodating those here on holiday who want to experience something risqué or naughty. I’m not some temptress or dahlia out to steal your soul.”
Kennedy burst out laughing. “You have an interesting way with words. It must be the language barrier.”
Marella’s shoulders relaxed, and she finally let go, leaving her phantom touch on Kennedy’s thigh. She made a fist on her lap, tempted to caress Marella’s face.
Their intimacy had vanished. Conversation around them had become too loud, with the arrival of a new group of patrons, and the space too crowded. She could thank the other woman for the company and go back to her room alone. But she’d only spend the rest of the evening obsessing over work.
It had been a long time since had done something daring. The last time it had been the biggest mistake of her life, leading to years of guilt and shame. She hoped this next step wouldn’t come back to bite her in the ass.
“Have you ever stayed here or seen the inside of one of the rooms?”
“I’ve never stayed here. My home is less than twenty minutes outside the city.” Marella lifted her shot to her mouth.
She snagged Marella’s wrist before she drank. “I have a huge corner room with a view of the marina. Why don’t you come up with me to check it out?”
Marella’s eyes widened. Then a small smile appeared. “I would love to.” She transferred her shot to her other hand and lowered the arm Kennedy still held. “A toast to new friendships, elskan.”
“Elskan?”
“It’s a term of endearment, like ‘sweetie’ or ‘darling.’” She tapped her glass to Kennedy’s and tossed back the drink.
Much better than being called babe. She mouthed the strange word then drank her shot. As the smooth as silk vodka slid down her throat, a warm prickling spread through her body, making her anxious for privacy to get to know her new friend.
Harmony in Silence
American billionaire Omar Segal has a life of luxury, power and prestige. Even though he may act the well-travelled playboy tycoon who loves fine wine and women, he prefers a quiet night at home adding to his collection of quirky themed socks or expensive outlandish suits and ties. But then an incredible opportunity arises where he can finally get his revenge against the man who stole the most important thing from him twenty years ago. He’ll reunite with the only women he has ever loved- Wilhelmina Kiraly, the first-born daughter of the richest winemaker in Hungary, and Omar’s sworn enemy.
Finally free of her domineering father after his well-deserved death, Willa Kiraly is now ready to embrace her new freedom and resurrect a career in music she had to sacrifice. She always blamed him for the destruction of her concert pianist mother, his former mistress he targeted for ownership when she was just a teenager. A product of her parents’ unstable and violent relationship, Willa has always felt she was never deserving of the Kiraly name and fortune. Laszlo Kiraly forced her to reject her love of classical music because of a dark secret he held over her head for so long. But when her past in the form of Omar reenters her life, all her doubts and fears threaten to rise up again and devastate her.
Omar wants to make every desire and dream of Willa’s a reality. He’ll take her on a magical journey across Vienna, Austria, seducing her senses with decadent chocolate and the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, her favorite composer. But how can she accept Omar when she suffers in silence about the truth surrounding her birth that led to her mother’s suicide and almost caused Willa to do the same in turn?
Excerpt:
He laid his forehead on hers and regulated his breath so she would follow his lead and not hyperventilate. “Your mother would have found another way and another time to kill herself. It’s not your fault.”
“You’re probably right, but I would have had more time with her.” Her eyes opened, glossy and red. “I would have had more time with you.”
He traced the side of her face and through her hair. She was on the edge of tears, making his own eyes wet. He’d last cried at his father’s funeral. All it took was for Willa to break apart for him to do the same.
“Hey, now.” He tucked her hair behind her ears. “Let’s stay in the present.”
“I should tell you what I did after I returned to Hungary with Father.” Her tears wet her eyelashes.
“No, you’re not ready to tell me. It can wait.” He scooped her up and deposited her on his lap, where she hid her face in his shirt. He enclosed her in his arms and rocked her, comforting her like he had wanted to do for so long.
So much talk of time between them, but the loss of time didn’t matter while he sat with her, waiting for her to recover from her emotional trauma. He would have moved heaven and earth to save her from finding her mother bleeding out from slit wrists in a bathtub. But despite the power she thought he had, it was impossible. All he could do was give her new memories to replace the sad ones.
Willa sniffed loudly and wiped her eyes. “I’m not the type of person to break down in tears.”
“It’s important to you to keep your emotions in check.” He hugged her tight and kissed under her ear.
She plucked at a button on his shirt. “It numbs the pain if I ignore it. But you’ve unleashed something inside me that has been dormant for many years.”
He relaxed his arms, wary of how to proceed. She wasn’t pushing him away, which was a good sign, but she’d said he brought out all the ugliness and sorrow she tried to keep in check. His goal was to let her experience the exact opposite of the pain she suffered.
“You lost some color on your face. Why? I’m not going to attack you or lash out at you.” She traced the bare skin under his collar. “You should be thrilled since you’ve gotten me to sit on your lap.”
He gripped her hip. He couldn’t trust his body not to respond to her. God forbid she shifted down in between his legs—
And she did, just under an inch, making him jerk up, which, of course, was a wrong move since his dick now poked her bottom.
Willa laid her cheek on his shoulder while she traced up and around his chest and neck.
“It’s nice, sitting here,” she sighed.
“We can stay all night.” He would, even if his cock went numb from the strain.
“As much as that sounds nice, I think it’s best we don’t.” She combed through his hair.
He moaned, relaxing into the cushions behind him but then froze when she pressed her mouth on the center of his throat.
“You’re playing with fire. I can’t trust myself not to kiss you.” He dug his fingers into her hips when she straddled him.
“Make me feel again.” She laid his palm on her breast. “I give you permission to touch me.”
He gave a quick squeeze—he would return to this luscious globe later. But he had something else in mind. He skimmed his fingers down her front and to her stomach, enjoying how her breath hitched and her eyelids fluttered as he tickled her belly button.
“Kiss me?” he asked, giving her control.
She dropped a damp kiss on his chin, sucking there. Then she moved up, meeting his mouth and possessing it. He responded by opening his wide and curling his tongue forward for her to claim her own.
Her tongue swept over his clumsily, not that he cared. Her unskilled technique made him want to beat his chest. Mine. Had he been the only one to have her? To be inside her?
He would ask later, but for now he was on a mission to make her fall apart in his arms and cry out in joy. He should abstain fro
m going too far or fast since she was now willing to accept him, but he had to feel the silkiness hiding her special jewel.
She nibbled his lips and tongued the inside of his cheeks, moaning. She said his name like a prayer.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KT Grant is a self-proclaimed eccentric redhead who not only loves to read a wide variety of romances, but also loves writing it. As a former book blogger and entertainment columnist with a bad coffee and Twitter addiction, she still doesn’t shy away from voicing her opinion. A proud native of New Jersey, KT is multi-published and writes Gay, Lesbian and Straight romance. KT has also been a top ten best-selling author at Amazon.
KT loves to hear from readers. You can drop KT an email at [email protected].
You can visit KT at:
www.ktgrant.com
On Twitter:
https://twitter.com/katiebabs
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Series:
The Princess’s Bride (Pirates of Flaundia #1)
The Prince’s Groom (Pirates of Flaundia #2)
The Princess’s Valentine (Pirates of Flaundia #2.5)
The Countess’s Mistress (Pirates of Flaundia #3)
Lovestruck (Lovestruck #1)
Burning For You (Lovestruck #2)
If You Only Knew (Lovestruck #3)
For the Love of Mollie (Sweet and Sinful #1)
Claiming of Suzy (Sweet and Sinful #2)
Xavier’s Loving Arms (Sweet and Sinful #3)
A Bid for Love (Decadent Publishing 1NightStand Story)
Island Pleasure (Decadent Publishing 1NightStand Story)
Sharp Bite of Pleasure (Pleasure Bite #1)
The Gate (The Dark Path Series #1)
The Key (The Dark Path Series #2)