by Jennifer Rae
‘You win,’ she said. ‘I’ve got nothing else. You’ll have to have my dress.’
She turned and her fingers reached for her zipper. Everyone was silent. Edward’s gaze zeroed in on her back. He felt as if there was only the two of them in the room. She slowly pulled the zipper down, exposing her smooth tanned skin inch by excruciating inch. Further down it went, until the dress fell off one shoulder. She held it up but kept pushing the zip down.
All he could hear was his own breathing. His trousers pulled across the front and he had to push his legs wider apart to allow for the extra length that was now there. He felt harder than he ever had in his life. Rock-hard. When he saw a telltale dimple in the small of her back he jumped up, almost knocking the damn table over in the process.
‘Stop.’
She turned her head.
‘What for?’
‘I have a deal for you.’
‘What kind of deal?’
‘Double or nothing. If you win you get to make me do anything you want until midnight.’
She lifted an eyebrow. ‘Like what?’
‘Anything.’ He wanted her to lift that zipper. He could hear Casper’s heavy breathing beside him. ‘Want me to strip naked and go in to dinner? I’ll do it.’
‘Oh. My. God. That’s brilliant!’ howled Bunny. ‘Yes, do it. Make him bark like a dog every time Dad tells someone off.’
‘What if I lose?’
‘Then you have to do what I say.’
She considered him, her eyebrow cocked and those blue eyes on fire. Then she zipped up her dress and sat down.
‘Deal.’
Never had a game of poker been so serious in the Winchester house. The cards were dealt, drinks poured. Everyone sat in coiled anticipation. Edward’s palms were damp. He could win this.
Olivia’s eyes were unreadable. She smiled and set her cards down.
‘Call.’
He flipped his cards over. A Full House. She could beat it. But she wouldn’t. Her eyes flickered with confusion. Then she flipped her cards over and his brain froze.
Four of a Kind.
She’d won.
The room went up in hoots of laughter.
But Olivia wasn’t smiling. She stood slowly—a seductive movement that heated his blood.
‘Well, what do you want?’ he asked.
‘Follow me.’
* * *
Olivia had spotted the conservatory on her way back that afternoon. It was located at the rear of the house and was filled with leafy plants and colourful flowers. She wanted to be alone. With Edward.
Inside the conservatory it was warm. The heaters overhead glowed, trying desperately to warm the foreign flowers. At one end sat two chairs that could be laid right back and Olivia headed for them. Edward followed. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say to him—and she definitely didn’t know what she was going to make him do tonight.
Relaxing into a chair, she realised that she could see straight through the roof. But there were no stars out tonight. Edward silently sat next to her and she sneaked a look at him. The long column of his neck was tilted and the lump in his throat stuck out. She longed to touch him. To run her fingers along his neck and over his hard shoulders, down the mounds of his chest and to his stomach. But he wouldn’t want that. She looked up at the ceiling again.
‘So—what’s my punishment to be?’
‘I haven’t decided yet. Something embarrassing. And humiliating.’
‘Sounds fair.’
They were silent for a while as the tension surrounding them started to crackle. Olivia needed to defuse the situation. If Edward suspected what she was feeling right now she was sure he’d leave. And she didn’t want him to do that. Not again. Not now they were alone.
‘What do you do, Edward—for a living—exactly?’
Olivia felt his deep brown eyes warm her skin.
‘I work for the Treasury. I look after Fiscal Policy and Statistics.’
‘Wow. That sounds exciting,’ she teased.
He looked up, craning his neck back. The angles of his cheekbones stood out against the warm light of the heaters. ‘What do you do? Besides going to parties and having a good time?’
Olivia flinched. Was that how he saw her?
‘I work in insurance. Well, I do now. Before that I sold real estate, and before that I was in marketing.’
‘The Artful Dodger?’
He was teasing her. She did feel a bit as if she was dodging. She laughed. ‘Something like that.’
They fell into silence again.
‘What’s going on here this weekend?’ she asked quietly after a time.
‘It’s called a wedding. When two people meet and fall in love...’
‘No.’ She threw him a wry look. ‘With you. What’s going on with you...and me?’
Edward’s eyes met hers. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You seem so angry at me. Then you’re all lovely and nice. Then you’re angry again. Is there something in particular I’ve done to annoy you, or is this your usual personality?’
She wondered if he’d tell her the truth. She wondered if he’d say that he was annoyed because she was trashy and throwing herself at him and that he actually couldn’t stand her. Or would he be his usual polite self and lie?
He turned back to the ceiling. ‘I don’t know, Olivia. I’m not myself this weekend. You should probably just ignore me.’
She felt the anger rise in her. Edward had ridiculed her, lectured her, put her to bed, kissed her neck and held her hand while walking through a love maze. And now he’d lost to her in a poker game. She was going to get the truth out of him one way or another.
‘You should try being more honest.’
His head snapped around to look at her. ‘Honest? Says the girl who smothers herself in slap and dresses like a hooker when she’s nothing like that at all?’
Olivia blinked. ‘I do not smother myself in slap.’
‘You wear too much make-up.’
She thought about that for a second. Make-up did a lot to hide her imperfections—and what was she supposed to do? Expose her ugliness to everyone? If he knew what lay underneath that make-up he might not be so keen for her to take it off. But then...he’d seen underneath, hadn’t he? When he’d taken her make-up off. Maybe that was why he kept pushing her away. He knew what he would have to face in the morning.
She turned to the sky and her stomach felt heavy. Her heart felt heavy and her arms were heavy at her sides. ‘Everybody has something to hide,’ she said.
‘What are you hiding, Olivia? Why are you the perpetual party girl? Why do you feel the need to throw yourself at dropkicks like Bolton-Smythe?’
Olivia sat up. ‘Throw myself? I have not thrown myself at anyone.’
Edward sat up too, and faced her. ‘But you don’t tell them to leave. You tolerate them. Why?’
He was angry. She could see it in the lines in his forehead and the way his hands gripped the side of the lounger. Angry? Why would he be angry? Unless he was... No. He couldn’t be jealous. He didn’t want her. He couldn’t. But maybe Edward was one of those men who didn’t like to lose. Perhaps he just wanted to be the one to score with the easy Aussie chick first.
She stood up and moved slowly until she was right in front of him, her breasts level with his lips. She only had to push a little closer and he’d be able to place his lips around her nipple and suck. The idea made her shiver. She needed to stay in control. She was going to teach him that she wasn’t as easy as he thought.
Slowly Olivia dragged her hands up past her hips and over the curve of her breasts until she reached her hair. Then she pulled out the pins and let her hair fall down in a long curtain that surrounded her shoulders. His lips parted and his eyes locked with he
rs. Hard.
‘What game are you playing, Olivia?’
‘No game.’ She smiled, moving closer, so his lips were mere inches from her breasts. ‘I’m just trying to get you to be honest with me.’
Honest? The woman wanted honest? What he honestly wanted to do was drag her over to the wall, lift her barely-there dress up and take her. Like a wild animal.
He loosened his grip. This was getting out of control. She knew how he felt and she was teasing him—taunting him. She had no intention of giving herself to him. Once this weekend was over she’d move on to the next party. He and his broken family would be forgotten. Time to take back control.
Carefully he lifted his hands, letting them slide over her hips and dip into her waist. Then he pushed harder to feel the sides of her breasts, before cupping them and flicking his thumb over her now-hard nipples. She gasped and her arms fell to her sides. That was better. He was in charge now.
‘Tell me about your life in Australia, Olivia. Tell me about your family. Tell me why you’re here and why you play so many silly games.’
He heard the shake in her voice when she spoke but he still didn’t let go, flicking her nipple again when she hesitated.
‘I have a sister. A very beautiful, very talented sister.’ She stopped talking so he flicked again. Then she went on in a rush, ‘Ahh... She plays tennis for Australia. She’s tall and beautiful.’
He didn’t say anything. Just waited for her to continue. His hands stayed where they were even though he longed to massage her soft breasts.
‘And then there’s my mother. And that’s it. Just the three of us.’
‘What about your father?’ he demanded.
‘He died when I was twelve. He had a heart attack on the front lawn, mowing the grass.’
Edward let his hands drop to her waist and held her there. He hadn’t been expecting that. ‘Olivia. I’m so sorry.’
He knew exactly what she was going through. And he knew how something like that could change a person for ever.
THIRTEEN
She looked down and met his eyes, then pushed his hands away and sat down. The moment was gone. ‘You don’t have to feel sorry for me. My dad and I didn’t really get on. Anastasia was always his favourite. She cried for weeks afterwards, but I...’ She turned to the roof. ‘I didn’t really feel anything.’
‘Olivia.’
He held out a hand. Her words didn’t match the shake in her voice and they didn’t match the grief that spread across her face. He wanted to hold her, but she wouldn’t let him. Her wall had gone back up.
‘I don’t miss him. Really.’ She really didn’t. She’d barely known him—he’d spent every weekend away with Ana, coaching her for tennis. So why did the tears well in her eyes? ‘My mum took over coaching Ana. That became our life. Tennis. Every day. Summer and winter. Until I left home.’
‘Did you play?’
‘Couldn’t hit a bowling ball.’ Olivia laughed, but she didn’t look at him. If she saw those big brown eyes looking at her she’d cry. She preferred his cruel teasing to this. Preferred his hands on her body, as he showed her what she could never have, to this.
‘So what were you good at?’
Olivia thought about it. Nothing. She couldn’t think of anything. She let out a sigh. She’d lost control. Her nipples were still hard from where he’d flicked them. He’d challenged her earlier when she’d tried to show him she could resist him and she’d lost. The feel of his hands on her breasts and the warmth of his breath on her stomach only proved what she already knew. When Edward was around resistance was impossible. He brought her out of herself and made her feel something she wasn’t. He made her want something she could never have. Especially not with him.
‘We’re supposed to be talking about your punishment.’
She sat up to face him. He looked gorgeous tonight. Dressed in a tuxedo. She’d almost fallen off her chair when he’d walked in the library. His black hair was slicked back and his jaw was freshly shaved. She could smell his cologne. He was still watching her, his forearms resting on his wide thighs. She felt the urge to touch him bubble up inside her again. So badly that she had to stand up.
‘What should I make you do?’ She caught a whiff of his scent and moved quickly because it was filling her head and making her knees weak. As was the way he was looking at her. Focussed and steady.
‘I could make you be my slave. Fetch my drinks; feed me my dinner... No.’ She paced the room, taking in the orange and pink of the tropical flowers that were reaching for the heaters—avoiding the chilly windows that looked out over the frosty lawns.
‘I know.’ She came to sit opposite him again, realising in that second what his ultimate punishment would be. ‘I want you to kiss me.’
He didn’t move, simply raised his eyebrow.
‘I’ve already done that.’
His deep voice vibrated through her and she felt the oxygen all around her start to thin.
‘Not like that. Properly. I want you to kiss me like you can’t live without me. Like you’ll die if you can’t kiss me.’
That’ll teach him. He thought she threw herself at men. He thought she was gagging for it. He thought she’d fall at his feet when their lips locked. But she wouldn’t. Not this time. She was going to show him that she was in charge of her emotions and that he didn’t affect her. Not now. Not now she knew he was playing with her. Teasing her.
He shifted and his lips parted. Her heart beat up a hard, steady beat. She shifted forward and pursed her lips, tightly shutting her eyes. Just a kiss. Just lips on lips. Nothing more. She had to get Edward out of her system because she’d never be in his.
‘Stand up.’
His voice growled and her eyes flew open.
‘What?’
‘Stand up,’ he ordered as he stood above her, looking down. ‘Move over there. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it properly.’
She stood up. Perhaps this wasn’t such a great idea. His commanding voice was making her shake, and the heat of him behind her was making her legs a little unsteady. Why did she always think she was tough? She wasn’t so tough.
‘Stand there,’ he told her, and she stood in front of the window, next to a line of hot-pink orchids. She could feel the chill from the window behind her back and the heat on her forehead from the heater above. He watched her before moving, prowling around her.
‘You are beautiful, Olivia...’
‘No, you don’t have to say that...’ she protested, but he stopped her. He put his thumb against her bottom lip and his eyes went hard. They were dark and somehow...dangerous. Her heart stopped beating.
‘Quiet.’
He prowled again, not touching her with his hands but touching her everywhere with his eyes. She felt naked, exposed...and more beautiful than she had ever felt in her life.
‘You are funny and charming and the most frustratingly annoying woman I’ve ever met...’
She started breathing again, ragged and uneven. A fiery heat spread over her body and her nipples hardened. She couldn’t help but push her breasts out, trying to touch him as he prowled past again. Everything stopped except the throbbing that had begun deep, deep down in her centre.
‘Do you know what I want to do to you?’
His voice had lowered and Olivia had to close her eyes against him. She felt the hotness of his breath as he came closer and leaned down to brush her neck with his lips.
‘I want to rip that silly dress off and hold you up against the wall...’
Her breathing became more erratic as his lips reached the spot underneath her ear where her tattoo lay.
‘Poi voglio fare sesso con te.’
The words were rough and raw, and Olivia had no idea what he’d said but his voice was deep and sexy and his manly
scent was assaulting her nostrils and she wanted him to kiss her. To lift her up and drive himself into her.
She gasped and opened her eyes, and all of a sudden his mouth pushed hard onto hers. She felt him, forceful and needy. He held her shoulders, then his hands slipped down her arms until his fingers laced with hers. His knee pushed up against her centre, parting her legs, and she fell open for him, pushing forward to give him more. She wanted him closer, wanted his hot lips all over her skin. He tilted his head and she opened her mouth, letting him in, getting lost in the feel of his hot, lush mouth sliding against hers. He made her feel so alive, so desirable that she just wanted more and more of him. His mouth moved down her neck, planting open-mouthed kisses on her skin and making the air around them feel thin and hard to suck in.
He kissed lower and lower, tugging at her dress until her bare breast was exposed to him. He stopped and moved his head back, looked at it for a second, before letting out a groan and taking her nipple into his mouth. Hard. He sucked and kissed and nipped and soothed and Olivia slipped her fingers into his hair and pulled. Then she pushed him closer, wanting to feel the relief of his rough tongue against her.
Something was happening. Something Olivia didn’t understand. It was wild and manic and she never wanted it to stop. He pushed her dress further down, exposing the other breast, and moved to give it his attention. Giving her his attention, as if she deserved it. As if she was worth it.
‘Edward...’ she whispered, barely able to breathe let alone talk.
He groaned in response and she felt the vibration move all the way through her breast and rush down to her throbbing centre.
‘Touch me,’ she begged, and his hands moved slowly over her hip to the hem of her dress.
His long fingers trailed their way up her thigh until they hit the lace of her underwear. Then he was inside them, stroking her slickness and sending her mad with want. She pushed against him, felt his mouth still on her nipple, and he pushed his fingers in deeper. She tried not to scream out but she couldn’t help it. He moved his mouth up to hers and kissed away the noise.
‘La mia bella,’ he said, in a way that made her weak. ‘You drive me crazy, Olivia.’