Lucia Jordan's Four Series Collection: Chosen, Whipped, Lick, Risk

by Lucia Jordan

  Gio saw the amusement in his brother’s eyes. “You knew I was sleeping with your fiancée?”

  “Well now, Taryn’s not my fiancée, is she?” He laughed. “God, Gio. This is rich. I leave my ‘fiancée’ in your care, and you take her to bed. Not very brotherly.”

  Karyn punched Stefano. “Stop teasing him, Stef. I think he really feels guilty.” She grimaced. “I’m sorry, Gio. None of us thought this might happen, that you and my sister—” She covered her mouth with her hands as though to hide her smile.

  Gio paced in front of the couple then stopped and jabbed a finger at his brother. “This is all your fault.”

  Stefano narrowed his eyes. “There’s no harm done. You know the truth so what’s the problem?”

  Gio launched into a stream of Italian that would have made his tough grandfather turn red. He switched to English, his words tripping over each other. “Fuck you, Stef! I didn’t know that when I decided to seduce her to prove she was just after your money. Then she was such a damn good employee, I couldn’t do it. I figured time and distance would take care of your infatuation. If not, I figured I’d transfer her. Then she had to break a damn heel.” He hands were waving madly and, when he stopped, he glared at the couple on the couch. “Then everything changed. She was mine. I planned to do whatever it took to take her from you. I wanted her for myself. I, who lecture everyone else on loyalty and family, betrayed my own brother.” He felt slightly sick. “I would have done it, make no mistake.”

  Once again, Karyn elbowed her fiancé. “You’re forgetting one thing, Gio. I would have had something to say about it. As, obviously, did my sister.” She lifted a brow. “And don’t think you’re so irresistible either. Had you tried to kiss me, I’d have taken you down a peg or two.”

  Gio’s shoulders hunched. He turned away, strode to the fireplace, and braced his hands on the mantle. “Please forgive me, Stefano. I should never have interfered. I should never have tried to take what was yours.”

  “And if you hadn’t, you’d never have met and fallen for my sister.” Karyn had risen from the couch and now gripped Gio by the arm, forcing him to face her.

  He drew in a deep breath. “That doesn’t lessen my guilt, Miss—Karyn.” God, there was only one Miss Jones and he needed her at his side. He didn’t dare look at Karyn—look into those eyes so like Taryn’s.

  “Look at me, Gio.” She gripped his arm hard.

  “Leave it.” He met her gaze.

  “Let me ask you one question and you have to be absolutely honest.” She waited.

  His gut churned. “What?”

  “Have you ever been attracted to me? Tempted by me? Even planning to seduce me, were you at all attracted to me?”

  Gio let out his breath. That was an easy question. “No. Not a bit. I’d have gotten you in my bed just to prove to Stefano you were after a rich husband.”

  “That’s what I thought, because the feeling is mutual. Now that you know I have a twin, would you mix us up? Kiss me by accident instead of Taryn?”

  “That’s two questions.” At her silence, he led the way back to the couches and plopped down. “The answer is no. You may be twins but you’re different.”

  Karyn laughed softly. “You don’t know how many people still mix us up.” She rejoined Stefano. “My point is, my soon-to-be brother-in-law, is you. And I’d be willing to bet that you’ve known, on some level, from day one that Taryn was not me. I suspect that, had you known I had a twin, you’d have caught on immediately.”

  Stefano nodded. “Had he known, we’d never have tried it.” He rolled his eyes. “I take it back. We’d have done the same thing, as I was determined to have Karyn with me in New York. But Karyn’s right. We wouldn’t have gotten away with it and you’d have still been stuck with Taryn in the office as I hired her officially and just kept the files at home.”

  Gio considered. He had picked out the inconsistencies and been confused and off balance right from the beginning. He grinned. “You’re right, both of you. That first day when she was early was my first clue, and then she told me off for sending Stefano away, said she didn’t like me. Then there was her taking her coffee black.”

  Karyn looked shocked. “She was early? There goes my reputation!”

  Stefano got up and poured a scotch for Gio and himself, and a glass of white wine for Karyn. “So, what are you going to do, brother?”

  Downing his drink in one swallow, Gio stood. “I’m bringing Taryn to New York.” He narrowed his eyes. “Not a word. In fact, you, Stefano, have just been sent elsewhere. Pick a place, as long as it’s not in New York, and be gone.”

  Stefano grinned. “How about a trip to Italy, love? You can meet the relatives.”

  Taryn stared at New York from the back seat of the limo. She was nervous about seeing Gio again. His cryptic call yesterday ordering her to New York had shocked her. At first, she thought he’d found them out, but when he said he was there because Stefano had been called to Italy, leaving him to deal with the New York merger, she’d been relieved.

  Karyn’s short text confirmed that they were in Italy and she was loving it. At least she didn’t have to worry about Gio running into Karyn with Stefano in New York. She just had to worry about Gio himself. She hugged herself tightly, afraid of seeing him again. What would she do if he’d lost interest in her? Maybe she was too much of a novice. Maybe he didn’t find her suitable to be his sub.

  She’d spent her evenings devouring everything she could find on the Internet on the BDSM lifestyle. It made her realize that they’d never talked about his expectations. No rules, no contracts. Just one brief bout of sex in his office followed by a day on his boat. Maybe that’s all he’d needed to know she wasn’t sub material.

  She sure as hell wasn’t slave material! In fact, she was a one Dom man. If Gio was done with her, she’d never find another Dom. But if he wasn’t tired of her? Then, in the bedroom, she’d hand over control without a thought. She bit her lower lip. Well, maybe a bit of thought. There was some stuff she was definitely not into and didn’t even want to try.

  When the limo stopped at a tall sleek building, her heart raced and her pulse pounded in her ears. The doorman ran down the steps and opened the door, while the driver fetched her suitcases from the trunk. Not knowing how long she was staying or what attire was required, she’d over packed. Better too much rather than not enough. She followed the doorman inside and gave him Gio’s name and apartment number.

  He called up, nodded, and gave a very smart, “Yes, Sir.”

  Hearing the words stirred Taryn’s own desire. God, she wanted to fall on her knees in front of Gio and beg him to take her. Instead, she entered the elevator with another uniformed staff member carrying her luggage.

  When the doors slid open, she gasped. The man had his own private elevator. She stepped into a luxurious foyer with real marble floors and antique furniture. It, by itself, was enough to take her breath away, but it was the man standing several feet away that had her legs going weak. He took the suitcases.

  “Follow me, Miss Jones.”

  Taryn frowned at his abrupt manner, then forgot it as she did her best not to gape and gasp at the luxurious rooms and the beautiful, gleaming staircase they climbed. Gio led the way down a long hall and opened a set of double doors. Like the rest of the house, the suite was richly appointed—and spacious, boasting a sitting area and another set of doors that she assumed led to the bedroom proper.

  Gio carried her suitcase to into the bedroom.

  One glance at the bold red spread sent her insides quivering. “This is your bedroom?”

  “Any objections?” He cocked a brow at her.

  “I—I didn’t know what to expect.” She hadn’t known whether she’d be in a hotel room and on her own, or perhaps sharing a hotel room with him. She didn’t expect this. Her entire apartment could fit in this one room. She wandered to the sliding glass door and looked at the patio beyond. Another window sent flutters into her belly when she saw just
how high they were. She turned, seeing Gio watching her with an unreadable look in his eyes.

  “Things are moving awfully fast, Gio.” How could she give herself to this man when everything was a lie between them?

  “You’d rather I put you in a guest room?” He sounded indifferent, as though it didn’t really matter much to him.

  His hands were planted on his hips. He looked stern, forbidding, and one hundred percent Dom about to take a novice sub in hand. God, she was getting wetter by the minute between that thought and standing in his bedroom, so close to his bed.

  “No.” The protest tore from her throat. “It’s just—Gio, we don’t know each other.”

  He advanced. “Oh, I know you, pet. After all, we’ve spent nearly every day together.”

  She held her position even though part of her wanted to retreat. How could she think when he was so close? “That was work. We’ve never gone out to lunch or coffee or even a date.”

  He stopped inches from her. “What do you call Saturday on my boat?”

  Wonderful. Fantastic. Out of this world.

  “It was sex. We’ve had sex. Great sex, but that’s all. There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

  He waved her protest away as though flicking an insect. “I like you and I respect you. You’re a good person, honorable and I trust you.”

  Trust. Honor. Respect. Her stomach felt hollow. His praise made her miserable. She turned away. “You don’t know,” she whispered. And when he did learn the truth, respect and like would turn to hate. She gasped air as though she’d been socked in the stomach. How could she bear seeing hate in his eyes? She turned away, knew she should leave, go find a hotel.

  Gio reached out and pulled her against him. “Is there something about you I should know, or a reason why we can’t enjoy each other? As you said, the sex was great.”

  “I thought I didn’t please you.”

  He laughed low in his throat. “Oh, you please me, Miss Jones. You please me very much.” He slid his hand around her waist and nuzzled the side of her neck.

  “But, you left. And you didn’t call.” She hated that she sounded hurt. She held up a hand. “I’m sorry. I don’t have the right to make this personal.” She tried to smile bravely. “We had sex and I don’t have the right to expect more. I can be professional.”

  “And is that what you want, Miss Jones.”

  “It’s what it needs to be.” God, how long could she lie to this man? How could she sleep with him without telling him the truth?

  His hands closed over her shoulders as he turned her around. “Is there something bothering you, Karyn.”

  Argh, that’s what was wrong. I’m Taryn, not Karyn, she wanted to shout. Call me Taryn. But she couldn’t. If both Karyn and Stefano were in Italy, the game was still on. She couldn’t risk Gio’s anger. Not until they told him the truth.

  “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  “I can’t.” But she had to, needed to.

  “Why. Do you not trust me?”

  More than anything. “I do. But it’s—it’s complicated.” It wasn’t her secret to reveal.

  He lifted her chin and held her gaze. “I like complicated.” He dipped his head, his lips brushing across hers, his tongue tracing the seam of her mouth, teasing, tasting.

  She sighed. “Gio, I can’t think when you kiss me.” She had to call Karyn and tell her they had to end this. She had to tell Gio the truth. Maybe she should just spit it out. After all, what could he really do to Karyn and Stefano? They were adults. She drew in a deep breath.

  “You think I don’t know you, Miss Jones.” He framed her face between his hands. “I know the precise color of your eyes, the gentle slope of your nose, and even that you have a tiny mole near your temple. I see you every time I look into your eyes.”

  Taryn closed her eyes. “You know. You know the truth.” She stared into his eyes and saw the hurt and pain. And something else that made her heart jump with hope instead of despair. “Please, Gio, believe me. I never meant to hurt you. I didn’t know this—us—would happen.”

  Gio had planned several scenarios to get the truth from her. He had even thought he might have to tell her he knew the truth. She was loyal to her sister and his brother and he admired that. “You should have told me the truth the minute we kissed. Instead, you allowed me to think I’d stepped over the line, stolen from my brother.” The pain was still there, would be there for a long time. He accepted that Karyn was right—he’d known the difference in his heart…but still. His behavior didn’t sit well with him.

  “I wanted to tell you, but it wasn’t my secret to tell. I did it for Karyn and Stef. Then, I did it for myself. I wanted you, Gio, and was afraid you’d be so angry.” She searched his eyes. “You knew Sunday morning. That call from your mom.”

  “Yeah. Her friend in New York sent her a picture of your sister and Stef. I figured she was wrong. After all, I’d just got done kissing you, kissing Karyn. Imagine my shock when she sent me a picture and I found myself staring at you.”

  “I should have known. And then when you didn’t come to work.”

  He shrugged. “Brooding. I admit—I was angry and hurt. I came here and confronted Stef and Karyn.” He grinned. “She surprised me by telling me off. That seems to run in the family. And I realized I deserved what I got for interfering.”

  “You’re not mad anymore.”

  His eyes were deep, dark, hungry. Need slid down into her center.

  “No. I should be, but had you not played your little switching identities game, I’d never have met you, and found a woman who pleases me, both in bed and out.”

  Tears welled in her eyes. “I really am sorry, Gio. I was going to tell you, here.”

  “I know.” He placed a finger across her lips. “We can talk about it later. I’ve missed you, Miss Jones.”

  She felt relieved. He wasn’t angry, or done with her, or even disappointed. “I missed you too. I thought I displeased you, that I wasn’t good enough to be your sub.” Or anything else.

  He chuckled. “Oh, you’ll more than do, Miss Jones.” He kissed her, taking her breath away. She clung to him, her body aching for so much more. When he lifted his head, she moaned.

  “God, Gio. No one has ever made me feel like you do.”

  “How do you feel, pet?”

  Needy and desperate. “My legs are weak, my heart is pounding, and my—my clit is throbbing.” She wrinkled her nose. “And I’m so wet, it’s uncomfortable. That’s what you do to me, Gio. I want you, anyway you want.”

  His eyes darkened even more. He kissed her hard, his tongue sweeping inside until she went limp in his arms. “I want you right now, Taryn.” He stepped back and unbuttoned his shirt. “You have too many clothes on, pet.”

  Grinning, Taryn undressed and stood naked, waiting for instructions.

  Gio’s balls slammed up into him as his need for her struck like a fist to the gut. Every nerve in his body went on full alert. His cock pulsed as blood shot down his shaft and pooled. He needed Taryn, to the point of pain.

  He scooped her up, carried her to the bed, and laid her back gently. He eased her legs apart and drank in the sight of her moist, pink pussy. Unable to resist, he lowered his head, his tongue plunging deep inside.

  “I need you, Taryn.” He swirled his tongue inside and out, then up through her folds until he found her swollen clit. He licked and stroked.

  “Gio!” She gasped and moaned.

  Gio shoved a finger deep inside her pussy, then two. She gripped him, trapped him in her moist heat. She throbbed and cried out as he finger-fucked her and licked her clit. Needing so much more, wanting more, he sucked her clit and drove her toward her peak.

  “Scream my name, Taryn. I need to hear my name on your lips.” He sucked until she screamed his name. He kept her at her peak, feeling orgasm after orgasm rip through her.

  “You belong to me, Taryn.”

  “Say that again,” Taryn begged. “Say my name again. I’m Taryn.
”

  He rose up over her body and stared into her blue eyes. Taryn’s eyes. “Yes, you’re Taryn. My Taryn.” Later, he’d tell her how he had to have known it all along, as he’d never once been attracted to Karyn. But one meeting with Taryn, and he’d fallen hard.

  “I love you, Taryn. We belong. We fucking belong.”

  “Yes,” Taryn cried. “We belong.”

  “Take me, Miss Jones.” With one powerful thrust, he joined their bodies. Her heat, the pulsing of her sheath, made him suck in his gut as every nerve in his body flared to life. She gripped him, held him, and claimed him.

  Taryn groaned. She loved watching Gio. He’d thrown his head back in ecstasy. His features were etched with a combination of pain and pleasure, as were hers. She kept her body still, needing this moment when they were joined as one to last.

  Gio was right. They were one. They belonged, had always belonged.

  “God, I want this to last. You destroy my control, Taryn.”

  Shuddering at the pain in his voice, she squeezed him. “We have time for control and anticipation. And denial. Fuck me, Gio. Hard and fast so I know it’s real and not a dream.” She cried out when Gio pulled out and plunged back in, slamming into her, pounding, plunging and fucking her hard, fast and furious.

  Her cries grew louder. She gasped and panted and her pussy tightened around his cock, sucking him deep inside and surrounding him with her wetness and heat. He shoved her legs back, tipping her ass, the angle allowing him to hit her G-spot.

  She shrieked. “God! Gio!”

  “Come, Taryn. Come with me.” Harder and faster, he pumped his hips, his balls slapping her anus.

  Taryn drew in a deep breath, then gave herself over to Gio as he launched her high into a world where bursts of color flared as though in celebration of their joining. Her body convulsed uncontrollably.

  Gio shouted her name, threw his head back and gave one final, hard thrust, joining her on a rollercoaster ride into their own world of bliss.

  A week later, Taryn sat out on the terrace, shielded from the strong wind. She glanced around, amazed that people actually lived like this. Part of Gio’s apartment included the terrace and a private pool and spa, along with a solarium. She hated to think how much it cost him to maintain the space for how little he used it.