Bliss punched him in the gut as he looked down to see his thick rod disappear within her lips. She couldn't fit him all the way inside, but, devil and damn, this was enough. Too much. The slick pressure, the softness of her hands as they milked the base of his prick ... he wanted to hold on, wanted to watch her sucking him forever. But his bollocks tightened, and he felt the warning heat gathering in his groin.
It took all his willpower to wrench from her generous kiss. "Percy, I'm going to—"
"Do it. Spend for me like I did for you," she whispered. Her fist tightened around him. Her breasts quivered as she stroked him faster, harder, giving him everything he needed. His carnal innocent, his adorable love—his vision blurred. He yelled out as his seed shot up his shaft. The climax erupted from him, taking everything he had.
When he regained his senses, he gazed upon her. Satisfaction hummed in his veins, and yet his pulse took a wayward leap. He had marked her, his essence splattered on her flawless bosom. Her golden hair tumbled where he'd dislodged the pins. Not only did she not look put out by the disarray, she was smiling. With a sensual cheekiness that warmed him inside and out.
And that had merely been the appetizer. Just thinking of the main course made his groin stir with renewed interest and his chest expand with something like wonder. Collapsing next to her on the sofa, he slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. When he heard her snicker, he asked, "What is so amusing, buttercup?"
Her eyes held an incorrigible sparkle. "'Tis just that I finally understand the meaning of ..."—another gurgle escaped her—"just deserts."
His laughter joined hers.
TWENTY-NINE
"Gavin, oh God, don't stop …"
Cuddled in front of Gavin in his oversized tub, Percy moaned as he continued to tease her without mercy. Under the guise of washing her, he drew the wet cloth over her aching nipples, rousing them to taut peaks. His other hand did sinful things beneath the warm, silky water. When he drew a teasing circle over the most sensitive part of her, she arched her back against him. She could feel the sizeable evidence of his desire prodding her bottom and yet he stopped.
Again.
He'd been doing this for the past half-hour … at least. As a result, she felt like a firecracker on the verge of exploding. Panting with frustration, she turned her head to look at him. Her pulse quickened at the controlled hunger in his expression, the intent way he was watching her.
"Do stop teasing." To her chagrin, her tone bordered on pleading. "I can't stand any more of this."
His eyes gleamed. "You can. And you will."
"But why can't we—"
"You're too impatient, love. We're going to take this slow." He petted her between her thighs again, causing her to shudder. "Waiting builds the pleasure."
"I hate waiting."
His finger worked a little deeper, and she writhed helplessly against him. "What do you want then, love?" he murmured against her ear.
"You know." His hard, slick muscles bunched against her back, titillating her further. Everything about him felt so good. "What we did before."
She gasped as he spun her to fully face him. Her knees spread to bracket his hips beneath the water, and she had to steady herself against his shoulders.
"Do you want me to make you come again, love?"
Did she. She nodded eagerly.
"This time, you'll have to work for it." He leaned back, his sinewy arms draped along the tub's edge. Raising a brow in challenge, he said, "Show me you want me. That I am the only one for you."
His sexual command filled her with a blend of excitement … and uncertainty. Though not timid, she still had limited experience when it came to carnal matters. In fact, everything she knew she'd learned from him. This time, could she take the lead? Her fingers flexed against his shoulder; instantly, the iron muscles leapt beneath the smooth skin, sending a pulse of confidence through her.
She could do this. She could prove to him just how much she wanted him, loved him. And to herself the power and resolution of her own desire.
She moved her hands upward, spearing her fingers into his thick, damp hair. Though his eyes did not leave hers, she felt his shudder travel through her own limbs. The power was heady, thrilling beyond anything. Leaning closer, she kissed his forehead, his cheek. The raised line of his scar trembled beneath her lips. She nuzzled his ear and could hear the raggedness of his breath as she licked the sensitive organ, sucking the lobe as he'd done to her.
"There's my girl," he rasped.
In answer, she kissed the scratchy plane of his jaw, moving toward his mouth. She loved the sensual yet hard line of his lips. When she ran her tongue along the firm seam, he let her in. She kissed into his open mouth, poured all her desire for him into the mating of lips and tongues. His hands clamped her bottom, pulling her closer.
She stopped him with palms against his chest. "No, wait. You said I get to do this."
Her assertion seemed to surprise him as much as it did her. Slowly, he released her. Driven to please him and herself, she continued to explore him, the first true opportunity she'd had to do so. His body was so different from hers. Dark where she was pale, hard where she was soft. The mementos of old battles marked his skin. She pressed her lips to the jagged star upon his shoulder. Beneath her fingertips, his paved chest quivered with power, and a breath hissed from him when her investigations took her below the line of water.
"You're so magnificent." The flat ridges of his abdomen jumped at her touch. "So large and solid,"—her hand lightly passed over his manhood as she murmured—"all over."
"What are you going to do about it?" he dared her. The fire in his eyes turned her blood to honey, the thickening heat gathering between her thighs.
All thought receded as she climbed further atop him, hitching herself against his huge, burgeoned shaft. They groaned in unison as her sensitive flesh slid slowly against his. Slick and sinful, the exquisite rub of two bodies made to pleasure one another. Her head fell back as she gyrated against him. Rising and falling, each pass a tumult of delight. His fingers gripped her posterior as he grated out his praise of her.
"Good girl. You're so hot against my cock. Do you like this?"
He thrust upward, and she gasped as the crown of his member bunted upward against her sensitive nub. "Gavin, oh my God."
Pleasure jolted through every fiber of her being, too powerful, too overwhelming to deny. Control spun from her, and she clutched at his shoulders. It was too much, not enough. Heaven and hell. Moans broke from her as water sloshed over the edge of the tub. She couldn't get enough purchase, couldn't get all that she needed. All of a sudden, his arm clamped her around the waist. Trapped her so that she couldn't move.
She struggled against him. "Oh Gavin, don't stop, I'm close. I need to ..."
"I know what you need." His eyes had gone black, burning up at her with mesmerizing power. "You ache here, don't you, love?"
A moan left her as his finger traced her opening. Circled it, reminding her trembling muscles of the emptiness that lay inside. Lungs burning, she managed, "Y-yes. I ache so much. I need you."
His finger left her, replaced by a broader, thicker presence. The head of his cock notched against her, setting off shocking waves of pleasure. Every instinct in her knew that bliss lay inches away. Hard, thick inches, as it were: the last mystery between her and true womanhood.
His dark voice filled her senses. "Feel how your pussy quivers, how badly it wants me to fill it. You need my cock inside you. Let me in where I belong."
Her back bowed as his engorged tip burrowed against her entrance. Delicious stretching. What would it be like to be filled so completely …? Eyes sliding shut, she felt temptation sizzle in her blood. So desperately did she want to say yes, to give herself to him irrevocably and forever.
Need him.
"No, wait—you promised," she gasped.
The powerful muscles beneath her flexed. Gavin's hold on her tightened, and her senses scattered to t
he wind as his dome nudged deeper against her, sending streaks of heat down her legs. If he meant to take her, she could not stop him.
God help her, she did not want to.
"Give yourself to me, Percy," he said in a guttural voice. "Choose me."
She stilled. "I … can't." Looking down into his glittering eyes, shaking with need, she whispered, "I want you Gavin, but I cannot betray my brother. I won't."
Silence stretched between them, broken only by their panting breaths. Neither moved, and it took every shred of her resolve not to shimmy back against his hard, jutting presence. Not to seek relief from the fires burning inside her.
The next instant, she found herself deposited unceremoniously at the other end of the tub. Water sluiced from Gavin's magnificently aroused physique as he rose and stepped onto the tiles. He reached for a towel and began to dry off.
"If you loved me, the choice would be simple," he said flatly.
Her frustration boiled over. "That is so deuced unfair!" she burst out. "If you cared a whit about me, you wouldn't ask me to choose."
He faced her, hand on his hips. He made no effort to hide his erection, which only fueled her aggravation as her body quaked with longing at the sight of the rampant instrument. So large and thrillingly masculine … so ready to please. If only the rest of the blasted man could be as accommodating.
Hastily, she lifted her gaze, only to realize he'd caught her ogling him.
"We could both be enjoying this," he said with calm arrogance, "if you weren't so bull-headed. I am going to win this wager one way or another, Persephone. You're only delaying the inevitable."
"If that's the case, why are you pressuring me?" Snatching a towel, she wrapped it around her and left the tub. She faced him with her arms crossed over her chest. "Why won't you tell me what is really going on?"
His eyes hooded, he said, "You know what is going on. I've given you ample time to come to a decision about the wager. You said you love me—now prove it."
"You're not telling me everything." She narrowed her eyes at him. "I know you by now, Gavin Hunt, and you are capable of compassion. You protect urchins, you've even protected my brother from that character O'Brien ... why can't you at least consider relinquishing Paul's vowels? Unless ..." A dreadful thought occurred to her. "Why do the shares of Fines & Company mean so much to you?"
He regarded her with a stony expression.
With trembling fear, she asked, "Did ... did Paul wrong you in some way? Does he owe you more than money—"
"This has nothing to do with your brother."
"Well, that's a relief." Thank goodness. We can overcome anything but that. She took a deep breath. "It's the money, then? I know you don't wish to deal with Nick, but there is another option." Cheeks warming, she said, "I have a dowry. It's not worth as much as the shares of the company, but it's quite substantial."
"I don't want your bleeding money."
Her patience snapped. "For goodness' sake, what do you want?"
"Justice." In that instant, Gavin transformed from her playful lover to Lord Hades himself. His eyes blazed with crystalline fire, and his arms bunched, veins prominent against the taut sinew. "Tell me, Percy: if a wrong was done to me, a grave injustice, what would you do?"
She blinked. She hadn't been expecting that. "Well," she said cautiously, "I'd support you, be there for you, no matter what. What injustice are you talking about, Gavin?"
"If it came down to making a choice," he said, ignoring her question, his eyes pinning hers, "between me and your family, who would you choose?"
"Why would I have to choose?" she asked, bewildered. "I don't understand."
"Answer my question."
"But that's ridiculous. How could I possibly say ..."
"It's a simple enough answer. Me or them?"
She chewed on her lip, her head whirling with questions, possibilities. "Is this about whether or not my family will accept our marriage? Because you don't have to worry about that. They may be a bit shocked at first,"—there's the understatement of the century—"but they'll come around, trust me. Once Mama gets to know you, I am sure she will adore you. As for Nicholas and Helena—"
"I don't give a damn about them," he roared. "I want to know where your loyalties lie. Me or them?"
"You're not giving me enough information. Without knowing the circumstances, I cannot make a choice," she said, lifting her chin.
"You want circumstances? Fine. When I take over Fines & Company and tear it to pieces, will you be standing by my side or theirs?"
Her lips parted in shock. "You mean to destroy Papa's company? But why?"
"Tell me this first: will you still love me then? Can I still trust you?"
Hope began to slip away. Numbly, she shook her head. "I couldn't allow you to demolish my father's legacy, no matter the reason. You couldn't expect me to."
"So there it is." Though his features were as rigid as a mask, anguished rage flashed through his eyes. "All your talk of love, of trust ... in the end, it amounts to nothing. You're no different than the rest."
"Now wait one minute—"
"You thought you could manipulate me. Thought you could wind me round your finger and convince me to release your brother." His hands braced his lean hips. "When were you planning on giving me the ultimatum?"
Enough was enough. Despair gave way to anger.
"I am not planning on giving you an ultimatum, you bloody ass," she said between her teeth, "because I am going to win the wager. The trouble is I fell in love with you—although at the moment I am seriously questioning my judgment."
"Just like a woman to change her mind," he sneered.
"I am not your mother. I'm not going to abandon you," she shot back.
Perhaps she'd gone too far. The dark flare in his eyes made her take a wary step back. He stalked toward her, backing her against the bathing room wall.
"Words, Persephone. They mean nothing if they're not backed by action." His gaze flicked deliberately to her towel. "Will you commit yourself to me?"
Her mind spun even as her traitorous body thrummed in response. Questions battled with feelings. "Trust goes both ways," she managed to say. "You cannot expect me to trust you if you do not return the favor."
"I have shared more with you than I have anyone." His jaw looked harder than basalt. "Yet it still isn't enough for you."
Forcing herself to take a breath, she said, "You haven't told me why you want to destroy Fines & Co. If I understood, we could work together toward an alternative solution." She gave him a beseeching look. "If you could just trust me."
When he didn't answer, a sinking feeling entered her midsection. She'd told herself that his intensity, his possessiveness was his way of showing his love for her. That his behavior spoke of the words he'd never been taught to say—that she would eventually reach him. But what if she'd been wrong? What if his past had irreparably damaged his ability to love and trust?
Meet me halfway, she begged silently. Love me as I love you.
His scar tautened. "You cannot handle the truth."
Her temper snapped. "For the last bloody time, I am not some insipid miss! If you think so little of me, I might as well leave right now." She shoved at his chest.
She gasped when he took her wrists, pinning them at her sides. A dark storm flashed in his eyes, the charge running through the sliver of air separating their bodies. Quivering, Percy waited.
"It has to do with ... Morgan," Gavin bit out. "This is between him and me."
"You mean Nicholas?" she said, bewildered. "You know him?"
Before he could answer, a shot tore through the night.
Gavin's head snapped up. "What the devil was that?"
Unintelligible shouting sounded through the walls. Another shot fired.
Releasing her, he yanked on his clothes. He strode to the doorway. Stopped. "We'll finish this later," he said. "For now, you stay put, do you hear me?"
Questions and worry warred within her. "Be car
eful," she said, her voice trembling.
He looked as though he might say more, but he gave a curt nod and exited.
THIRTY
Stewart met Gavin at the door to his apartments. "'Tis Fines. He's out in the alleyway—drunk and with pistols drawn."
Hell's teeth. Just what I need. "Did he say what he wants?"
"I'll warrant it's your neck, lad." Stewart's eyes thinned as Gavin jammed on his boots. "You're not plannin' on going out there?"
"What bloody choice do I have? He's like as not to shoot a customer if this keeps up."
"I 'ave a better solution. I've a clear shot from behind the gate," his mentor said. "Won't aim to kill, just stop the fool from carryin' on."
He wished the solution was that easy. But Percy would not want her idiot brother shot or hurt at all. Gavin wrenched open the door. "No one's shooting anyone."
Grumbling, Stewart followed him out the into the rear courtyard. Several of Gavin's men were already outside, armed and lining the gate that separated the property from the alleyway. Shadowed by tall buildings on both sides, the narrow thoroughfare had become a place for whores to do their business and a sobering place for customers too inebriated to find their way home.
One of his men shouted through the bars, "Go home, you jug-bitten fool!"
Well-bred yet slurred accents replied from beyond the gate. "Not goin' anywhere 'til I see Hunt. I've a debt to settle with him." The tones rang with rising rage. "Are you in there, you bloody coward? Seduce an innocent girl, will you, but can't face me like a man?"
As he approached the barrier, Gavin could see it was Percy's brother—there was no mistaking the classical Fines features, the glint of golden hair in the darkness. He had to give the man credit: downtrodden fool though he was, Fines stood amidst the filthy peaks of the night's refuse like some virtuous prince.
Out of habit, Gavin scanned the alleyway. He detected no activity in the dark, gravel-lined lane except for a couple of homeless wretches picking through the rubbish heaps and the flicker of an abandoned grate. Fines had probably scared the rest off with his blustering.
Her Wanton Wager Page 24