by Anna Antonia
“You should keep your nose out of my business.”
She didn’t respond to my warning growl other than to keep pushing. “I understand why you’re hurting, Killian. I do. But keeping yourself cut off like this is no life at all. You haven’t lost everything—”
“Shut your mouth.”
“No. This is too important, don’t you see?”
This bitch lost her goddamned mind! Not just that but her mouth didn’t stop either.
“Quiet I said!”
“Your grandfather hired me because you’re lost.”
“He doesn’t need a map to find me. He knows exactly where I’m at day or night.”
“That’s not what I mean and you know it.” She wrung her hands, a thoroughly unusual action for this nosy woman. “He sees the good in you. He sees you’re self-destructing but he doesn’t know how to help you. The wall between you is too high—”
“Stop.”
Rage pulsed through me. I was losing control. Years of practice made it easy to fall back on my patent drawl. It would save me.
It had to.
“You’re boring me, Lucy. I won’t tolerate your insipid thoughts. Take them elsewhere. I’m sure Gramps would love to hear them. You can continue talking about me. Twist the knife as you mourn over the poor devil.”
“Don’t do this. You’re not a devil. You’re a great man. I can see it. Everyone else would too if you’d just let them. Stop letting fear rule you, Killian. Your grandfather wants to help you more than anything because he loves you.”
She was wrong. Grandfather didn’t want to help me.
If he did he wouldn’t have abandoned me right after my mom died.
He wouldn’t have taken Timmy from me.
He wouldn’t have shipped me off to that cold-blooded bastard, Prince Peter Von Hügel.
He wouldn’t have left me there to rot for an eternity of three years.
I needed the Kings and all I got was an army of Austrian servants who were more interested in maintaining a pile of stones than the Von Hügel heir. Remembering the unending loneliness and suffering lit a fuse on a decade-long powder keg.
“Loves me? You have got to be kidding me.”
“He loves you! Anybody with eyes can see that, Killian!”
“You’re out of your fucking mind, bitch, to say that to me—”
Lucy hauled off and smacked me in the mouth. Way harder than a girl her size should’ve been able to. The sting in my jaw battled with the sting in my ears when she yelled, “Don’t you ever disrespect me like that again, Killian King! I am not a dog and I am not one of your hoochies! When you talk to me you will talk to me with respect!”
Looming over her, I roared back, “Don’t ever raise your hand against me again!”
“Then don’t ever call me out my name again!”
I spit out a guttural curse. Angry temptation dared me to call her a bitch or worse. Who the hell did Lucy think she was to physically attack me? All for spewing a name that fit…
It did, didn’t it?
Our chests rose and fell in unison, out of breath as if we were doing more than fighting. My fury instantly turned to something familiar. Zeroing in on her mouth, I wanted to taste this little warrior goddess. Again.
“Lucy Martin, you are tangling with the wrong man. Walk away from this or I promise you will regret it.”
She stared at the corner of my mouth. I felt the trickle of blood. Did she feel guilty?
I doubt it. She hit too damned hard to feel bad.
“I already regret it, but I’m not going anywhere, Killian. I don’t care how much you threaten me.”
“Is that what you think this is? No, no, no. It’s not a threat, Little Lucy. It’s a promise.”
Lucy’s pretty eyes widened. She lost her combative edge. “You talk big. You use that nasty mouth of yours to push everyone away. But it’s not going to work on me. I’m not leaving you, Killian. I’m staying right here and prove it to you. Do you hear me? I don’t care how long it takes.”
Her ballsy declarations should’ve suffocated me. Or pissed me off at the least. Instead, I panicked. Lucy had no business making vows to me she’d never keep.
I didn’t want them. I wanted her, but I didn’t want broken promises.
“Nasty? I’ll show you nasty.”
This would push her away like nothing else could.
Grabbing Lucy, I took her mouth roughly. No sweetness, no seduction. It was a kiss of raw domination. Her full lips were just as delicious as I remembered them to be.
Better.
I expected my little goddess to haul off and hit me again. I’d deserve it and would accept whatever punishment the NDA couldn’t cover. Instead, she did something incredible, shocking even.
Lucy moaned like I’d made all her filthy wishes come true.
It was just the opening I needed.
Slipping my tongue into her hot mouth, I couldn’t believe how fucking good she felt. Closed mouth pecks on the lips for the benefit of Russian thugs had nothing on the real thing.
I was a goner as soon as I tasted her.
Lucy clung to me, hands tangling deep in my hair. Without me coaxing her, she brought her thigh up and rested it on mine.
Incredible.
Every time I broke away for a breath, Lucy arched closer and pulled me to her. She wasn’t alone in her greed. I chased her back, kissing her mouth, cheeks, jaw, and neck. Lucy’s labored breathing was barely drowned out by mine.
I’d never shared a kiss like this. Passionate, sweet, and aggressive, as if neither one of us could decide which way we wanted it. Maybe because it was all three.
When she whispered my name, looking up at me as if I was her birthday and Christmas all rolled up in one, I felt something I hadn’t in a long time. There was a stirring, not just in my cock, but in my heart.
Heart? The hell was this?
My heart had no business making an appearance. Useless. I let go of Lucy slowly. My body thundered to bring her back. I needed to touch her body, mouth, pussy…
Twitching with need, I took a deliberate step back.
Lucy Martin was dangerous. My instincts warned me that I’d end up regretting this if I didn’t walk away.
Now.
I could abandon my plan and find another random model or actress to fuck within the hour. Going through enough of them I’d soon forget all about this innocent sexpot. Eventually, I’d wonder what I even saw in her.
Her sweet smile.
Her beautiful eyes.
Her stubborn chin.
Her curvy body.
Her gorgeous ass.
Christ! Seeing Lucy with a red and swollen mouth, I drifted back to her. I couldn’t help myself. Didn’t want to. Not anymore. Not when it hurt too damned much to have even this small distance between us.
“Killian…” she sighed as I took her back in my arms.
Fitting my mouth over hers, I breathed in her scent. She felt right, more than right. She felt perfect, as if she was born for me. And the way she kissed seemed to prove it.
Lucy’s kisses grew confident, bolder, as she tasted me. Every part of me hardened when she sucked my tongue. Her hands roamed feverishly across my back, digging her nails hard into my shoulders.
Damn it felt good.
It was too late for me because I had to see this thing through. I wasn’t going to rest until I had her completely. Then once I had Lucy in my bed, surely I’d go back to normal.
Nothing lasted forever and neither would this.
18
LUCY
Sinning didn’t feel terrible at all.
In fact, it felt glorious.
No—addictive.
Killian’s large body pressed against mine. I tasted the faint copper of his blood. What should’ve disgusted me, or at least filled me with shame, excited instead. I craved more. The violence, something I abhorred in myself, brought this whirlwind of passion.
How could I regret it? Especially when he circled
his fingers around my neck, pressing just enough to send a thrill straight to my core.
“Fuck, Lucy! What are you doing to me?” Killian groaned long enough to press a series of sharp kisses along my jaw before returning to my mouth. “Whatever it is…don’t…fucking…stop.”
“I don’t…want…”
Killian pulled the base of my ponytail. The hard yank snapped my attention to his absence.
“What don’t you want, Lucy? You don’t want me?”
My lids dropped until I could barely make out his sinfully beautiful face. “I do want you.”
“Say it again.”
Curling against his body, seemingly without control, I gasped my truth. “I want you.”
I’d barely finished the last word before Killian possessed me again. Unfortunately, reason filtered through between each sweep of his talented tongue and growl of my name.
I did want him. I wanted him from the moment I first saw him. I wanted him so much that I was kissing Killian King. My boss’s grandson.
The man I was supposed to be helping.
What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?
Yes. Yes.
Reluctantly trying to break off the kiss, I lasted only for a second. It hurt too much. Helpless, I kept going back. Killian’s lips were soft. I never imagined a man’s mouth could be so delicious.
I wanted to kiss him forever.
He’ll never have you for a month, much less forever. You know the world and you don’t belong in his.
But I wanted to. Badly.
Aroused and horrified by my newfound hunger, I finally broke free. We stared each other down, mouths bruised and eyes heavy with lust. I couldn’t catch my breath fast enough to keep me sane because I’d absolutely climb Killian given half a chance.
What was I thinking?
This was why I’d never dated. Kissing led to sex, sex led to loss of freedom. I saw it firsthand and it was enough to keep me alone. I’d worked so hard to make something of myself. I couldn’t just throw it away over some boy.
But Killian King wasn’t just some boy. He was a man. A gorgeous man who delighted my mind as well as my body.
I want him.
Yes, I wanted him. All his kisses. More so, I was infinitely drawn to his pain. I wanted to help him heal. Kissing Killian wasn’t part of that plan.
It could be…
Killian’s blue eyes lost their glazed look. The mask returned. He stared at me, daring to smirk. “Well, well, well. This is quite the surprise. I wonder what Gramps would say if he’d walked in on that.”
No! He wasn’t going to seize control by throwing me under the bus or diminishing what we’d just experienced. I wasn’t alone in this. Not by a longshot.
“You kissed me first.”
“You kissed me last.”
True. I craved to kiss him again. My first kiss couldn’t be my last with this man. Life couldn’t be that unfair to me. Not when I was an especially patient woman with this devil brat.
Killian visibly enjoyed my inability to argue back. I’d still be kissing him now if my conscience hadn’t decided to show up. However late.
“What is this blessed sound? Did I just dropkick Lucy into silence?”
My mouth itched to remind him I was almost always quiet. There was no point though. Killian wanted to rile me up for a reason and push me further away while he was at it.
Very well. I just had to play it cool. For however long it took me to get it together.
Change the channel, Lucy. Far, far away from the “After Dark” section.
“That was unexpected, Mr. King.”
He raised a brow. “I’m no longer Mr. Killian or just Killian? I thought we’d gotten closer than that, Lucy.”
I loved hearing my name on his lips. Those very same firm yet soft, deliciously masculine lips. Sweet like candy. Dangerous like heroin.
“Have we though? Gotten closer that is?”
“What do you think?” Killian tilted his head, studying me beneath a sultry stare. “I can still taste you on my lips.”
My lower body clenched. Walking down the street guaranteed I’d heard all matters of verbal perversions. All of Killian’s words were G-rated but never had I been affected like this.
Words from a girl I knew back in high school suddenly thundered over me. “Lucy, ain’t you ever had a dick that was so good you couldn’t live without it?”
My answer then was a loud “No!” If she asked me now though…I had a strong suspicion Killian King might just have what I needed and never let myself crave.
What kind of dirty thoughts am I thinking?
I looked away, backing down for the first time in forever because I couldn’t push for what I desperately wanted. Not and be able to meet Mr. King’s eyes. He brought me here to help Killian. Not to kiss him until I lost all sense.
Or my virginity.
“Lucy—this is the part where you ask me to take you to dinner and the latest word in nightclubs.”
Blinking rapidly as if coming out of a deep trance, I just stupidly croaked, “What?”
Killian ran a hand through his hair, tousling it so that it lay in a sexy sprawl across his temple. “You. Me. Dinner. Clubbing. Then…well, we’ll let the night decide what comes next. What do you say?”
I couldn’t tell if Killian was mocking me or if he was 100% serious. The fact that I didn’t know proved how off I was. All this week I’d known when Killian was throwing up barriers or being dismissive because his feelings were too close to the surface. I recognized his nastiness for what it was.
I didn’t know this side of Killian King. Charming. Blunt. Alluring in his vulnerability.
The urge to flee suddenly hit me like a brick to the back of my head. “No.”
“No?”
I’d offended him if Killian’s haughty tone was any kind of proof. Thankfully, it gave me what I needed to get my head on straight.
“No. I don’t know what exactly happened here but we can’t do it again.”
“What exactly happened here was you sucking my tongue like a lollipop while rubbing against me like a cat in heat. I could’ve had you against the wall in a minute flat—if I wanted.”
My temper flared back up. How could I have considered breaking my lifelong chastity streak with this man for one second?
“First—you’re wrong. Second--weren’t you jabbing your tongue down my throat?”
He smirked. “I don’t jab my tongue, querida. I slide it wet and slow until neither of us can take it anymore.”
This was the perfect cue to slap Killian for…for…for making me want him like this. Despite his ugly words. My hand flew up but this time he caught it and shook his head slowly.
“No, no, Lucy. You get one because I deserved it for calling you a bitch but never again. Understand? You keep your little hands to yourself unless…” Killian leaned down, nuzzling the tip of his nose against my ear. “My God you smell divine. What are you doing to me? I’m so fucking hard for you right now.”
My breath sounded choppy and loud to my over-sensitive ears. “I’m not doing anything to you.”
“Liar. You’re fucking up my life.”
I tried to pull my hand free. Killian tightened his grip. Shaking, I said, “I’m not here to mess your life up. I’m here to—”
“Help me. Yeah, you’ve told me a time or two. But here’s the thing, querida, you’re not helping. You’re distracting me day in and day out. How can I work when you’re right there stealing my mind? Gorgeous little thief…”
I licked my lips, having difficulty swallowing past the knot of excitement in my throat. “You don’t mean a word you’re saying. You’re just trying to throw me off-balance.”
“Is that right?” Killian feathered a kiss right along my jaw. “Then why am I the one who can’t find his footing? Hmm? Can you find the answer in that oversized heart of yours?”
I couldn’t. I didn’t want to because I wanted his words to be real.
What if
he wasn’t making fun of me?
What if he actually meant it?
What if Killian King actually saw something beautiful in Lucy Martin? Something he wanted more than for a night?
What if he saw the same demons in me I saw in him and actually wanted to free us both? Could this be the true reason Mr. King crossed my path?
Because I suffered but no one ever saw it…
“Lucy, ask me to take you out tonight. Ask me to buy you all the beautiful clothes, shoes, and jewelry your sweet little heart desires. You want to and I need you to do this for me.”
“Why?”
“Why?” he drawled syrupy-sweet. “Don’t you own a mirror? You’re so fucking gorgeous I can’t help but want to have you. Every bit…”
Closing my eyes, I gasped when he bit down on the nape of my neck. Shudders rocked my body. My knees weakened. But my resolve hardened.
He didn’t see me. Nor my demons.
Killian didn’t scratch the surface. He just saw something shiny and new. I’d be tossed away once the shine wore off and it would. Lust burned bright like a sparkler and died just as quickly.
“I cannot be bought.”
He froze. I was sure I angered him when I heard his soft laughter. “Don’t be silly, Little Lucy. Everyone has a price. Even me.”
“No! Not me.”
Killian pulled back, putting his gorgeous face in front of mine. “That sounds like a dare.”
Fear licked at my heels. I resisted the urge to make the sign of the cross. Not because I feared Killian, but because I feared this devil was right. I’d gone my whole life not really being attracted to any boy or man and the first time in a long time that I was out of my neighborhood, I wanted to be with the boss’s grandson.
I didn’t like what that said about me.
Deliberately, I took several steps back until Killian let me go. Reluctantly, if the lingering sweep of his fingertips were any indication.
Clearing my throat, I met his gaze. “It’s not a dare. It’s just the truth. I didn’t come here for money—”
“But it helps.”
“It does, but that’s not my motivation.”
Killian turned away with an aggravated sigh. “That Angel of Mercy crap is getting old—fast. Can it, Lucy. No one is that selfless.”