But this whole gala was a romantic, extravagant one and Shawn just wasn’t one for romantic gestures. “Shawn’s not much of a romantic type,” she added with a frown. In her hand, she held a rose that Ethan had bought from a lady inside the restaurant. The woman had walked around with a basket full of them and when Ethan had stopped her, Pam’s heart had skipped a beat.
She really did love flowers. He’d picked out a perfect red rose and when he had given it to her, Pam had felt her heart melt a little.
His hand appeared in her field of vision, gently taking the rose from her. “Women need a little bit of romance in their lives,” he said, turning the rose around and trailing the petals down her cheek.
The satiny-soft, light touch had the same effect as if he’d leaned over and kissed her. Pam shivered. “Lean back,” he murmured, sliding a little closer. “Close your eyes.”
Common sense screeched that listening to him was a bad idea. But common sense lost. She’d listened to her common sense most of her life and look where it had landed her. Resting back against the buttery soft leather seat, she closed her eyes and held her breath. The rose slid down her neck, stroked across the swell of her breasts, over one nipple, then the other. “I love seeing that look on a woman’s face,” Ethan whispered.
She jumped, not realizing he’d slid so close. Opening her eyes, she stared at his face and asked, “What look?”
He smiled and stroked the rose petals across her lips. “Surprise and desire. You want me. But you’re also not so sure it would be a good idea,” he murmured, trailing the rose down her neck again. “I’m moving faster than you like. Part of you wants that but the other part of you is nervous. So tell me which part I should listen to.”
Once more, the petals of the rose brushed against her nipples—one, then the other—then down, lower…lower… “Should I stop? Should I keep going and just see what happens?”
Pam held still, almost afraid to breathe. Damn you, she thought darkly. He saw far too clearly and it was damn unfair considering she really couldn’t read much of anything about him. She wanted him to keep going but at the same time, she was a little horrified, a little embarrassed that she was letting him touch her like that. Letting him touch her at all.
What she wanted to do was just lean back and tell him to do whatever he wanted. She could still hear that sexy promise he’d made earlier. I could take you places you’ve only dreamed about, pretty lady, and you’d love every second of it. She believed every word and more, she wanted to let him do just that.
But instead, she reached up and closed a hand over his wrist. She didn’t try to tug his hand away, she just stilled it with her own.
Pam said nothing but she didn’t need to. That faint, mocking smile curled his lips and he pulled his hand back, laying the rose gently in her lap and then leaning back against the leather seat. “I understand caution,” he said conversationally, “but right now, I wish neither of us were the cautious type.”
At that, Pam had to laugh. “You’re not the cautious type.”
Her laugh died in her throat as he caught her hand in his and lifted it, pressing a kiss to the inside of her wrist. “Oh, but I am. Caution is the only thing that kept me from kidnapping you, taking you someplace quiet and isolated and fucking you, making love to you, until you forgot any other man ever existed.” His tongue circled around the pulse point in her wrist. His breath brushed warmly across her skin as he added, “So you see, this is actually extreme caution on my part.”
She thought he was kidding. Ethan could tell by the look on her face as she turned to gaze out the window. The lady didn’t know him at all, a depressing thought considering how he’d spent the past couple of years learning everything he could about her.
He hadn’t been joking about the kidnapping thing. He’d been tempted more than once and every time she’d looked at him with those wide, nervous eyes and he’d gotten a glimpse of a desire she worked hard to hide, that temptation had gotten harder and harder to resist.
Ethan wanted her with a need that was quickly starting to override his common sense. Touching her as he had, telling her some of things he’d told her, could make a sane woman run screaming for her safety and her virtue.
Yet Pam hadn’t done that. Didn’t mean she wouldn’t but he hoped that somewhere inside, she understood that he wouldn’t ever hurt her. That he couldn’t.
* * * * *
Other than the charity dinner that night four years ago when she’d met Ethan, Pam hadn’t been to a formal deal since college and that night had ended with two thirds of the attendees getting shit-faced drunk and some frat boy had ended up puking on her dress. It hadn’t left the best impression but it also hadn’t made her swear off extravagant events either.
Pam just hadn’t had the opportunity until now.
Standing in the doorway, her arm looped through Ethan’s, she stared at the glimmer of candlelight, flashy jewelry, brilliant dresses of silks and satins interspersed with the dark tuxes worn by most of the men. Some of the dresses were so gaudy that she had to wince in sympathy. Others were so racy that she half expected to see the women’s boobs fall out. And yet others were so damn pretty that their wearers looked so beautiful, it almost didn’t seem real.
The music played at just the right level—not too loud for those wanting to talk and perfect for those who crowded onto the dance floor. Swathes of silk and strands of white lights glowed overhead and huge bouquets of roses and baby’s breath adorned each table.
Rough, calloused fingers trailed over her shoulder and she looked up, meeting Ethan’s gaze.
“We’ll have more fun if we actually go all the way inside,” he teased gently.
Forgetting for a minute that she was here only because he’d forced her into it, she smiled back at him. “Give me a minute to wallow. I don’t get to indulge my girly side like this too much.”
He dipped his head, brushed his lips over her shoulder, following the trail his fingers had taken so he could whisper into her ear, “I could give you moments like this, all you wanted.” He nuzzled her neck and Pam shivered a little, melting inside. “Come on, I want to dance with you.”
Following him onto the dance floor, she let him pull her into his arms and there she snuggled in against him and rested her head on his chest. His arms looped around her, one hand resting low on her back and holding her close, so close she could feel the hard strength of his body through her dress and his tux. In very vivid detail she could feel the length of his cock, thickening, expanding, throbbing against her belly.
Her body’s instinctive response would have had her squirming in embarrassment if she could think past it. “If I’d known dancing with you would be like this, I would have made you dance with me that first night,” Ethan murmured against her ear.
“Made me how?” she teased, turning her head to look at him and ending up with her mouth just a breath away from his.
“Using whatever means necessary.” The hand on her back tightened, brought her lower body in even closer and his fingers stroked over the skin left bare by her dress. “You did bad things to my control, pretty lady. Really bad.”
He wasn’t too good on her control either, though she wasn’t so certain she wanted to admit that yet. But she had a feeling he knew. He closed the distance between their mouths, pressing his lips to hers and kissing her with a skill and thoroughness that left her head swimming. Unconsciously, she started to rock against him, echoing the movement of his tongue in her mouth. When he would have pulled back, she slid a hand around his neck and took charge of the kiss, exploring his mouth, the shape of his lips, feasting on the sexy male taste of him.
His body tensed and he pulled back despite the way her hands clung to him. Unconsciously, she made a disappointed little whimper and he smiled, easing her head down to rest on his shoulder. “You keep this up and I’ll forget that I promised myself to try not to rush you.”
“Did you promise yourself that?” she asked.
He only
paused a second before he answered ruefully, “No. If you’re willing to let me rush you, I’ll have you upstairs and checked into a suite before you can even catch your breath.”
Okay. The word sprung to her lips and she only barely managed to bite it back. If Pam listened to her body, she knew she was already more than willing to do just that—check into a hotel room and see if he could make good on the promise. I could take you places you’ve only dreamed about.
Damn, remembering that and the husky, sexy drawl of his voice, the way his eyes had roamed over her body as though he wanted to strip her naked and feast, was enough to have her shuddering with want.
But instead of teasing him just a little more, instead of telling him, “Fine, let’s get a room,” she leaned back into him and let him guide her around the dance floor. The night was moving too fast as it was. She needed a chance to get her head level again.
It didn’t happen though.
Three hours passed and they spent most of the time swaying back and forth on the dance floor, leaving it to sit down for a few minutes here and there or to get a drink from the cash bar. She kept herself to two glasses of wine and water after that but still, by the time midnight rolled around, her head was spinning and she was so aroused that it was almost torture just to look at him.
Aroused enough that when he led her outside for a breath of air, she realized she couldn’t focus on anything beyond his mouth and how it felt pressed against hers. His fingers tightened on her arm and she shook herself back to awareness, staring up at him.
“You’re asking for trouble, Pam,” he murmured, cupping her chin in his hand and angling her face upward.
“Hmmm.” She turned her head just a little and kissed his fingers. “What kind of trouble?”
He swore roughly. “The kind that’s going to end with the two of us naked if you don’t cut it out. I’m trying to be a decent guy here. I don’t want to push you into anything you’re going to regret in the morning.”
Unable to help it, she laughed. “A decent guy who blackmailed me into a date?”
“A decent guy who was grasping at straws before it was too late,” he growled. The hand on her chin tightened and that was the only warning she had before his mouth came crushing down on hers, forcing her to open, to accept him. He’d been sweetly seductive, he’d been tender and teasing but this kiss was none of those things.
It was a claiming, plain and simple. By the time he lifted his head, they were both panting and she was so turned on, she had to lock her knees just to keep from melting against him.
His pupils flared and he stared down at her. She could see the intent in his eyes and she braced herself for it. Braced herself for him to pull her closer and she wanted it, wanted it with a passion that made her forget where they were and how they’d come to be there.
But instead, he pulled away. His face went blank and he murmured, “It’s getting late, Pam.” Then he slid his hand down her arm, curled his fingers around her elbow and led her back inside. Back through the crush of bodies. Somebody must have been waiting and had called Ethan’s driver because by the time they got out front, the long black limo was at the curb. He gestured to the driver waiting by the car and said, “You can get inside, Tom. I’ll help the lady in.”
She licked her dry lips as Ethan opened the door and she slid a quick look at his face, her gaze widening at the look she found there. His pupils were so huge only a thin rim of gold was visible around them. “Get in the car, Pam,” he said, his voice sounding tight and rusty.
“Damn it, I said get in,” he repeated and this time his voice was a rough growl that sent shivers down her spine.
She lingered there and he grabbed her, whirling them around so that she had the car pressed against her back and Ethan pressed against her front. “Tell me to let you go,” he whispered roughly. “Do it and I’ll let you go.”
Instead, she lifted her face to his. She wanted him to kiss her again. When he kissed her, he made her understand what it was like to be craved. Desired to the point of obsession—her.
It wasn’t an overwhelming possession this time, it was a slow and subtle taking. His lips bussed hers, light and gentle. He slid his tongue along the edge of her lips, tracing the contour and taking his time before he pushed inside her mouth. By the time he did, she was shaking, her fingers clutching at the lapels of his suit. She was pretty certain her knees were going to collapse before he was done and sure enough, as his hands closed around her waist, she swayed against him. She held on to him and locked her knees to try to stay upright. He groaned against her lips and pushed his knee between hers. The thin layers of her skirt and his pants might as well have not even existed as he rubbed his knee against her. She’d been in a state of semi-arousal half the night and that light touch was enough to set fire to whatever control she had left.
Pam clenched her thighs around him, rocking against him, riding the muscled length of his leg and whimpering low in her throat. “Shit,” Ethan muttered, tearing his mouth away from hers and easing back. He pressed his brow against hers and slowly the roaring in her ears faded and she realized it wasn’t just the pulse of blood in her ears she heard.
She also heard somebody clapping and a low, long wolf whistle. She stiffened against him and shoved against his chest. Ethan slid soothing hands down her arms and murmured, “Shhh. Don’t worry about them.”
Them were a couple of punk kids, the kind with more balls than sense. Ethan lifted his head and though he said nothing, she watched as the teens fell instantly silent. One averted his eyes, the other kicked at the concrete for a minute and then they turned and headed down the street, rounding the corner to be lost from sight.
“Get in the car, Pam,” Ethan murmured, dipping his head and kissing her shoulder. “Get in now before I forget we’re in public.”
Too embarrassed and flustered to argue, she ducked into the car and sat down, sliding along the long leather seat until she was as far from the door as she could get. Ethan didn’t try to follow her. He settled onto the seat close to the door and remained there, watching her through heavy-lidded eyes. “I’ll take you on home now,” he murmured.
“No.”
Oh, shit. Had she just said that?
Ethan didn’t move at all but everything about his demeanor changed. His body stiffened, his pupils flared and when he spoke, his voice was a low, sexy growl. “No?”
She swallowed. Blinked. Swallowed again. Then she glanced toward the front of the car. He followed her gaze and then leaned forward, pushing a button that had a window sliding up right behind the driver’s seat. That didn’t make it much easier but Pam knew she wasn’t going to change her mind.
The past four years, this man had unnerved her to the point that she avoided him as often as possible. He made her uncomfortable, made her nervous, and she was starting to realize, he made her damn hot too. She was willing to admit that he pretty much always had. If he wanted her this much, then she was going to go for it.
Shawn had all but tossed her aside or at least it felt that way. Maybe he hadn’t expected to get his ring back but Pam had expected him to be so protective of her, so possessive that Ethan’s demand would have sent Shawn through the roof. Ethan would kill a man who asked from him what he had asked from Shawn. He was the kind of man who would never share what was his.
He said he was obsessed with her. Right now, that was exactly what she needed. Pam needed to be the focus of somebody’s entire world. No, not somebody. His world. She licked her lips and she slid across the leather toward him. She took his hand and bent her head, pressing her lips to his palm. “No,” she repeated.
“How much of this has to do with Shawn?”
But then he shook his head. “No. Don’t answer that. Just tell me this has nothing to do with the club. I already told you—”
She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. “I know. It doesn’t have anything to do with the club.”
And honestly, as he looked down at her with all the na
ked hunger in his eyes, she had to ask herself how much of it had to do with anything other than Ethan but the answer to that question was almost too disturbing to think about.
At least right now.
* * * * *
The entire drive back to his condo, Ethan didn’t touch her. He didn’t trust himself. When Tom parked the car, Ethan let the driver help her out. When he touched her, Ethan had a feeling he wasn’t going to be able to stop.
Maybe he should have told her that. Because when she turned to look at him in the elevator, she gave him a nervous smile and then swayed forward, pressing her lips to his throat. Ethan’s control snapped. He grabbed her and spun her around, pushing her back against the glass wall. “Open your mouth,” he ordered and he didn’t bother waiting for her to do it, crushing his mouth to hers, pushing his tongue deep inside her mouth as he slid his hands underneath her skirt, dragging the emerald silk up as he slid his palms along the plump, satiny curves of her thighs until he could palm her ass. He grabbed the scrap of underwear and jerked it out of the way, pushing two fingers deep inside her.
Fuck. She was soft as satin, slickly wet and the scent of her flooded his system. He pushed her skirt to her waist and she squeaked. “Ethan, we’re on an elevator.” She shoved against his chest and he caught her wrists in one hand, stretching her arms high overhead.
“Private elevator,” he muttered. “Goes straight to the penthouse. Wrap your arms around my neck.” He let go of her hands and when she tentatively, slowly wrapped her soft arms around his neck, Ethan groaned. He fisted his hands in the silk to keep the skirt out of his way as he freed his cock from his pants. He pulled a condom from inside his tuxedo and let go of her skirt long enough to tear it open and roll it down his aching length then he grabbed her skirt again, pushing it to her waist and staring down at the exposed, pale curves of her lower body.
She glanced from his face to look around the elevator. It might be a private elevator for his exclusive use but it still had glass walls and she bit her lip nervously. “Tell me to stop and I will,” Ethan rasped against her lips. “It just might kill me…”
Drastic Measures Page 4