Gia tried to out-stare him, which was probably the most idiotic thing she’d ever done in her life.
Those blue eyes burned into hers and she couldn’t look away, partly because she was terrified and partly because she was overwhelmed.
His face appeared too dark, too dangerous now.
"Why are you sleeping in my apartment?" he demanded in a voice that was too soft.
It cost her, but Gia managed to keep her tone cool and calm.
"I find myself temporarily homeless."
One dark eyebrow lifted in a way that made sweat trickle down her spine.
Those eyes narrowed into blue slits.
"Do you now? So you thought to make yourself at home in mine?"
"You weren’t using it." And as soon as the words were spoken, she regretted them. It was as if another woman had taken control of her mouth.
Now he smiled.
A smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Ooooh, Mrs. Del Russo, was that a smart comeback? From you?"
Now her eyes slid over his incredible body, inhaled the scent of Daniel and the ache deep in her belly simply melted like butter over hot toast.
Her nipples seemed to have a mind of their own.
Gia had never considered herself to be a particularly sexual person.
Certainly Liam had found her ‘An unresponsive bitch’ in bed. And since her husband had been so much more experienced than her, she’d naturally believed him. But now, the way her breasts were reacting, swelling, under Daniel’s hot gaze and the way her nipples were bullet hard, she was beginning to wonder if she was losing her tiny mind.
"Your late husband was an idiot," said Daniel without looking at her. Instead, he casually counted out the notes.
She desperately tried to come up with a plausible reason why she had so much cash.
Gia opened her mouth to speak, but his gaze flew to hers and the hot flash of warning in his eyes made her stop and think again.
"Do not even think about lying to me, darling."
Darling?
He'd called her darling as if he actually meant it.
Then she realized that by referencing her thoughts of her late and not lamented husband, plus her thought of coming up with an excuse, Daniel did indeed appear to have the ability to read her mind. Something like fear hit her too hard because she knew the possibility was utterly ridiculous. However, logic didn't stop her throat going bone dry.
Still holding the cash, Daniel moved off the bed and made himself comfortable on a couch. He stretched out long legs as he took a sip of cognac, all the while those vivid blue eyes never left her face.
"Before you speak, let’s look at the evidence, shall we? It appears you’ve been moonlighting. Correct? A nod of the head will do." This was the lawyer speaking and Gia knew what Daniel was like in this mood.
A hard rock of anxiety settled in her belly. Moonlighting was strictly forbidden if you worked for Gillespie, Pattullo and Hindmarch.
She nodded.
"And by the dress you were wearing last night and the amount of cash I’m holding in my hand I assume you’ve sold yourself in some way. Correct?"
Her brow creased as the tip of her tongue ran from one corner of her top lip to the other.
Then a sound had her eyes jerk to his in alarm.
Did he just growl at her?
Now that voice went very low, "And you’ve been sleeping in my apartment? For how long?"
A trickle of perspiration wormed down her spine.
"Five days," her voice was no more than a whisper.
"Care to tell me why?" But then with a careless flick of his hand he waved away the question as his eyes took a leisurely stroll over her body. "What does it matter."
He knocked back his drink, rose to his feet and moved towards her.
Before she could even take a breath, her chin was taken in a rough grip as he tilted her face up to his.
"I hope to fuck you’ve had enough common sense to use protection, have you?"
Her breathless sob had him narrow those vivid blue eyes fractionally and she knew he was going to kiss her.
Torn between terror and a brutal arousal, her pulse fluttered wildly in her neck.
Daniel’s gaze appeared riveted to the spot before he groaned deep in his throat and his mouth plundered, ravished hers.
Shock had her go utterly still as a strong arm pulled her into his rock hard chest.
His fingers threaded through her hair gripping it too tight.
Now his heavy body pushed her back to the mattress.
Through his jeans she felt his thick and heavy shaft press into the soft skin of her belly firing molten heat between her legs. She shuddered in his arms and found her own slide up his back and over wide strong shoulders. Muscles of steel tensed under smooth skin as her fingertips pressed into his flesh.
Nothing could have prepared her for this.
She’d been kissed by Liam but she’d never been kissed, tasted, so thoroughly like this by a man as if he was starving for her.
His tongue explored the soft wet heat of her mouth.
A whimper escaped from her throat.
This was nothing like last night.
This was a different man.
How often had she secretly wondered what Daniel Gillespie tasted like?
Well, now she knew.
Large hands slid down her back to grip her bare bottom as he pulled her closer.
His hips swivelled and his erection pressed harder into her belly.
But this was nothing like her dreams where he’d taken her gently and slowly and with care.
His hands moved between them to unzip, strip off his jeans.
Her mind went blank.
All she felt was sensation, desperate feelings of lust, of desire, of a desperate need, as his mouth ravaged hers.
He took without pity and she gave everything he demanded of her.
And more.
Her breath came in sharp little pants as her breasts strained against his hard chest.
Arousal was a hot and slick yearning between her legs.
Daniel moved back to kneel between her thighs.
Gia’s eyes widened as his huge thick shaft pulsed.
Good God, he was hung like a horse.
Her late husband used to boast about the size of his penis, but like everything else that came out of his mouth, Liam had lived in his own version of reality.
But when Daniel took his shaft in his strong fist and stroked, once, twice, three times, Gia’s throat went tight.
This was going to hurt and her arousal dried up so fast she brought her knees up and pressed her thighs tightly together.
Her eyes flew to Daniel’s and the brutal lust she saw there made her bite down hard on her bottom lip.
"Don't you dare think of that bastard when I take you, Gia. Don’t you look at me like that either. You want me and I want you. God knows I’ve waited long enough to have you."
The Scottish burr was stronger now in that deep voice.
Her mind whirled.
She couldn't get her head around the amazing things he was saying to her.
What did he mean he’d waited long enough to have her?
Nothing, none of it, made any sense.
He’d never once, not once, given her an inkling he was remotely attracted to her.
Okay, he'd recently been staring at her pretty intensely.
How could she have guessed it was because he was attracted to her?
"Look," she said, desperation making her voice high. "You’ve got the wrong idea. I didn’t earn the money by having sex."
Jet brows rose, but he didn’t stop that long slow stroke of his heavy shaft.
"We’ll talk terms later, darling. My need for you hurts."
She shook her head.
"I don’t want to do this, Daniel."
Those eyes went dark now as his nostrils flared and she recognized that look since she’d seen it often enough in the office, when he was displease
d.
"Little liar. And you're not in any position to play me, Gia. Your nipples are bullet hard and you're wet. I can smell your need of me. Open your legs."
The command in his voice had her shake her head and roll off the bed.
After everything that had been happening to her over the last two years, she needed Daniel Gillespie behaving like a caveman like she needed a hole in the head.
How could she have thought having an affair with this man was a good idea?
Yes, Daniel was a beautiful, aroused male but she simply couldn’t cope with him making commanding physical and emotional demands of her like this.
As if he owned her.
As if he controlled her.
Hadn't she been down this road before?
Had she learned nothing?
Weak tears stung the back of her eyes and she found herself blurting out nothing but the simple truth,
"Please, Daniel. You’re too big for me. Too much for me."
His blue eyes went wide and he nodded.
"Do you honestly think I would just take you without making sure you were more than ready for me, darling? Don’t you remember last night?"
She did remember last night.
How would she ever forget it?
But she needed to explain herself to him.
Neither of them moved while their eyes battled for endless moments.
"Please, I don’t want to do this with you."
Even as she spoke the words she knew they were a barefaced lie.
If he so much as touched her she’d go up in flames and by the look in his eyes Daniel knew it, too.
He smiled.
Chapter Nine
This time the smile instantly transformed him from scary into a man with a dazzling quality of potent male charisma.
He rolled to lie on his side on the bed, all the while still pleasuring himself, lazily stroking his shaft.
Her cheeks burned.
Had the man no shame?
"Come here, luaidh."
His accent, the way he spoke the words, so softly, so gently, broke something deep within her.
"I didn’t do anything to be ashamed of, Daniel. I'm telling the truth. I didn’t have sex," she whispered.
Those eyes went soft and so blue her breath caught in her throat.
"I know."
Gia frowned even as she stood naked in front of him, trembling, fighting the need to dive onto the bed, onto him.
"I earned it by working hard."
She seriously wished he'd cover himself.
Now he groaned as he rolled onto his back and she got an eyeful of a majestically aroused male.
The blanket he pulled over his body tented over his erection making him wince as he sat up against the pillows and folded his strong arms. Her gaze couldn't help but take a long leisurely stroll over those wide shoulders and muscled pecs.
He looked magnificent.
His black hair was still tousled from her fingers, his strong jaw unshaven and his wide mouth almost pouted as he stared at her. But it was the dark look of utter male frustration that made her mouth twitch, made her bite down hard on her bottom lip.
"Okay," said Daniel. "Confess all. What did you do? But I’m telling you now, Gia, you’d better not have been stripping or pole-dancing."
Annoyance with him, with her nakedness, had her reach out to grab a pillow to hug.
Pride made her voice sharp.
"Is that all you consider I’m good for? Stripping?"
His dark brow rose.
"That’s a lot of money for one night’s work."
Her chin lifted and the move made his eyes cool.
"I’ve been making that and more every night for weeks," she informed him.
"Have you now? I’m all ears. So what is it you do so amazingly well that would make a person pay you this amount of money?"
She took a shaky breath and her eyes held his.
"I’m a singer."
Those blue eyes went wide with what she realized was a patent disbelief.
Silence.
"Must be some voice," he muttered. "Okay. Sing."
Now that she’d been put on the spot, a horrible mix of the jitters and nausea roiled in her gut. Why did stage-fright happen to her every single time she was about to perform? But she would not permit fear to win.
Daniel leaned forward to study her closely.
And again his eyes narrowed but this time she recognized alarm and was that guilt?
"You’ve gone terribly white. Are you sure you're feeling well?"
She shook her head.
"No. I’ve suffered from stage-fright my whole life. I’ll be okay once I start."
He sat back, all relaxed sexy male and gave her an impertinent grin of disbelief that had temper battling through the tight nerves in her gut.
Cheeky bastard.
Without giving him a warning, or herself time to prepare, she took a breath and her voice punched through worry to nail Bob Dylan’s song about feeling his love.
When she finished she rolled right into Christina Aguilera’s rock song about a fighter for love. The words for some reason seemed to resonate deep inside her in a way that had her strutting her stuff, tossing the pillow at him.
He caught it in one hand and hugged it close as his jaw went slack.
His reaction only spurred Gia on as elation rose through her blood along with the strange feeling of power she'd felt before swept through her. She had no idea Daniel's vampyre ears where ringing or that the windows were gently vibrating with the strength and perfect pitch of her voice.
As the final note died, she realized her own ears were ringing and her heart was racing so fast in her chest she could hardly breathe.
Daniel’s wide smile of utter astonishment and delight made her eyes sting.
She was trembling so hard, she gripped her hands together.
"For Christ’s sake, Gia. Why the hell are you working for me? You’re bloody fantastic."
He held out his hand and she found herself kneeling on the bed to place her hand in his.
The way he pulled her close, the way his strong hands cupped her face to stare deep into her eyes made her frantic heart go even faster.
He was smiling.
He was looking at her as if she was the most wonderful woman in the world.
As if he was proud of her.
The sensation was such a new one, that she couldn't help but smile back.
His mouth whispered a kiss over her cheek, her forehead, her eyelids, the tip of her nose before resting gently on her lips. Then he began to do it all again as his hands slid over her shoulders, down her arms to hold her hands in his.
A huge wave of arousal rose and lifted Gia up to slide her into a sea of utter pleasure. She heard a low moan sound in her throat as a hunger, a desperate need for more swept over her. She turned her mouth towards his, but he simply fluttered his lips across her other cheek, across her forehead, feathering over her eyelids again until they trembled closed.
As if held under a spell, she permitted his lips to range over her face, leaving her mouth greedy and unsatisfied.
She could taste his breath on her lips and she wanted more but his mouth went lower to nuzzle her neck.
Closing her eyes, she surrendered to the inevitable.
Her hands went limp in his and she didn’t even notice, but Daniel did.
His shaft, hard as steel, was aching, throbbing, starving to feel the hot, soft wetness of his woman.
Against his cheek, her silky hair was aromatic. And it took everything he had not to plunder her soft mouth that waited, naked, for his. His tongue traced the back of her ear and he felt her convulsive shudder of delight. Taking great care he skimmed kisses over her temple, over one brow then the other on a journey to the other side. He nibbled gently on the lobe, letting his tongue slide over her flesh until she shuddered again.
Now he pressed his mouth to that hectic pulse in her throat and fought the need to feed, to
take, to taste the delicious and heady cocktail of her blood.
Her pulse was rabbiting, in perfect time to the sound of her breathing.
An excitement raced through him, made him almost dizzy with desire. Dimly, a little voice told him to think about what he was doing. To think of the consequences of an action that once done could never be undone. But his vampyre was straining hard at the leash, too far gone to listen. He wanted his mate and he wanted her now. He wanted to pump his heavy shaft between the silken heat of those endless legs. He wanted to ride her until she screamed his name.
But then Gia spoke, and it was too late to anything except follow his nature, his instinct.
"Please. Stop teasing me, Daniel." His name was a throaty moan that fired his shaft. "Kiss me."
He pressed his mouth to her clavicle, ran his incisors gently, gently, over her smooth, silky flesh making her shiver in response.
"What do you call this?"
"Kiss me properly."
He drew back to look at her.
Eyes closed, her full lips were open, pouting, a picture of pure female temptation, her breath trembling through them.
He moved into her, kept his mouth a whisper from hers.
"In a minute," he said softly but he laid her very gently on her back. His big body pressing hers into the mattress as his mouth met hers.
Her whimper sent him over the edge so fast his head spun and his vampyre rose too fast and took control of the kiss. This time he plundered, his tongue thrusting into her mouth and her throaty moans drove him out of his mind.
He shoved her arms above her head, took her wrists in one hand and held them firm.
The way his hips thrust spearing his shaft into her had her scream into his mouth as her breath gasped with a pleasure pain that matched his own.
And he couldn’t be sorry for it.
The weight of his heavy body pinned her to the bed, holding her still as he gripped her jaw and turned her head to the side to expose her vulnerable throat.
His vampyre growled before sinking incisors into her carotid artery to feast.
The way she went stiff in his arms told him of her utter shock but then her body clenched down too hard on his as her core muscles flexed and relaxed, flexed and relaxed.
Dear Christ, he couldn't believe the way she was milking him. His whole body began to shudder as he bit his wrist, pressed it to her mouth.
The Vampyre Legal Chronicles - Daniel: Book: 3 Page 7