by Cox, Carrie;
I don’t know how it happened.
How was it possible that in such a short time, Ella had completely and utterly claimed to me? I knew then that I would risk everything to keep her safe.
I had been worrying that Victor would decide to get rid of her permanently if he still considered her a risk. I knew without a doubt, if he gave that order, I would take them all on, the whole crew, to protect her. I would save her, or die trying.
The waiting was agony. Victor was charm itself, with his smarmy smile and his attentiveness. I could see through it all. Victor wasn’t a reasonable man. He was a dangerous man, and I knew that from personal experience. Until Ella, there was no way I would have contemplated going against his wishes, but now… No one, not even Victor Blackthorne, would hurt her without going through me first.
Chad and Tom were at the bar too. They were chatting and drinking, but all the while keeping an eye on Victor and Ella. I wasn’t so inconspicuous. I couldn’t tear my eyes away, and I couldn’t hide it even if I’d wanted to.
When Jackson took her hand and led her away from Victor, I wanted to tear his arms from his body just for touching her. It was now a different kind of heat flowing through my veins, and to my shock, I realized that I was jealous.
When he’d arrived on the scene, after he’d done his first job with Victor, he’d been an instant hit with the ladies. His cool, good looks made him stand out from the rest of the crew. I couldn’t see the appeal myself. He was a slippery and as dangerous as ice. I’d nicknamed him the iceberg, and I thought that described him perfectly. I was sure Jackson had a lot going on below the surface as he cruised through life destroying anything that got in his way.
As he approached me — walking much too close to Ella for my liking – I tried to hide my fury. I’m not sure I was very convincing.
He smiled at me as if he had a secret that could destroy me.
Jackson’s eyes flickered to Ella, as he delivered her to my side. “I think Steel would like to have you to himself right now, Ella. I’ll give you a raincheck for that drink.”
He hesitated, and for a moment, I had the enraging thought that he was about to kiss her. My fists clenched at my sides. I’d knock him out if he tried it.
But Jackson just smiled again and slipped away from us, and my attention moved to Ella who was trembling. What had that bastard said to her?
“Ella,” I murmured, pulling her in towards me and wrapping my arms around her. I breathed in the soft, strawberry scent of her silky hair. The way her warm body pressed against mine felt so right. She belonged in my arms, and I felt my heartbeat slow back down to a steady pace as I held her. “What happened?”
She pulled back and looked up at me. Her eyes were shining, but she wasn’t crying. “He said I can go home.”
The words shocked me to the core. I hadn’t expected that.
I looked back towards Victor and saw that he was watching me with a cold smile on his face.
“You’re going home?”
She nodded and grinned at me. “Yes, on Monday.”
I tried to swallow the bitter taste in my mouth. Monday? That wasn’t enough time. I tried to smile.
This was what she wanted. This was the best possible outcome, so why did it feel as if someone had driven a knife into my gut?
“That’s great,” I said, pulling her back into my arms so she wouldn’t look up and realize from the expression on my face that I was a selfish bastard. I wanted her to stay. I detested myself for my weakness and selfishness.
After a moment, I looked down at her and tilted her chin so I could kiss her soft, pink lips. “Monday, huh? Why don’t we get out of here so I can take you to bed, and we can make the most of the time we have left?”
It was the easy way out, choosing to take her to bed so I wouldn’t have to confess how much this was killing me, but I needed to feel those sweet, lush curves and lose myself in her body before she left me.
9
I felt a tingle of excitement as Nick took my hand. I would miss this. I would miss the way my body responded to him in an instant. I’d never had that with anyone before. As I followed him down the corridor, I took the chance to study his broad shoulders, powerful arms, and tight ass. I wanted to drink him in. After Monday, I’d never get the chance again.
Let’s make the most of the time we had left…
The line played on a loop in my head, and I tried to push it away. I didn’t want to think about Monday, not yet. I wanted to lose myself in Nick’s embrace. I didn’t want to think about anything other than the way he made me feel.
He looked back at me over his shoulder and gave me a slow, sexy smile that sent a bolt of heat sizzling through me. The look he gave me held so much promise of the pleasure to come. I was oblivious to all the people we passed as we made our way back to the room I’d been allocated. I could only focus on Nick. My mind was full of all the things I hoped he was going to do to me. If I was going to leave on Monday, I wanted to take some fantastic memories with me.
He pulled me into the bedroom and shut the door behind us. His eyes burned into mine as he pressed me back against the closed door and stroked my hair. “Are you okay, Ella?”
Instead of answering him, I went up onto my tiptoes, interlaced my fingers behind his head, and pulled him down towards me, so I could kiss him. His lips parted beneath mine, and I traced my tongue along his soft lower lip, feeling his stubble scratch my skin. I kissed him harder, clinging onto him.
He put his hands beneath my ass and scooped me up in his arms. I gasped and wrapped my legs around his waist. I could feel his hardness pressing into me, and it was such a turn on. I was so ready for him, so wet already.
He pulled back slightly so he could look down into my face. His eyes were burning with such an intensity my breath caught in my throat. His arms tightened around me, and I ground myself wantonly against him. The bulge behind his zipper was huge, and I knew he wanted me as much as I wanted him.
He looked as if he might have wanted to say something, but then he thought better of it and crushed his lips to mine, interlocking his tongue with mine.
I couldn’t get enough of him. The way he tasted… The way he smelled… And the way his hard body felt beneath my fingers.
When he pulled away again, his breath was coming hot and fast. He groaned as I shifted myself against him and reached a hand down towards his zipper. I stared into his eyes as I traced my fingers along the bulge in his jeans.
“Oh, God, Ella,” he murmured as I continued to stroke him beneath the denim.
“I need to feel you inside me,” I whispered. I wanted to remember this moment for the rest of my life.
He gave me a crooked grin. “My pleasure.”
He slid his hand beneath my clothes and moved his fingers upwards until he reached the lace of my panties. I flushed because he’d be able to tell how aroused I was already. The lace was already wet. His eyes darkened as his fingers found my most intimate spot. “Christ, Ella.”
He delved beneath the lace, burying his fingers in my wetness, sliding them slowly back and forth. I shivered with pleasure and let out a little moan.
“Do you like that?”
“Oh, yes.” I pressed down against his fingers as his other hand clutched my ass.
I wasn’t exactly a skinny girl, and yet he held me with one arm as he caressed me. My cheeks grew hot as he used his thumb to circle my clit.
“I’m going to make sure you don’t forget tonight, Ella. I’m going to ruin you for any other man. I’m going to fuck you so hard, you’ll think about me every time you sleep with someone else. After you leave, I want to be the man you think about when you’re alone in bed, touching yourself.”
As he spoke, he slid a finger inside me, and flicked my clit at the same time. Out of nowhere, my body responded, and my internal walls clenched around his finger as I came hard.
I breathed his name as I tried to get my breath back.
“What… What did you just do?”
Tha
t had never happened to me before. I always knew when I was going to come. There was a slow buildup before the delicious release, but that had been sudden and powerful. It made me feel uneasy — like he was more in control of my body than I was.
“That was nothing,” he said. “I’m going to make you come so many times that you’ll lose count.”
Nick reached down to unbuckle his jeans and fulfil his promise. My whole body was tingling as my eyes hungrily took in his hot, toned body. I wanted to remember every detail of this night when I left here.
As Nick moved toward me with a sexy smile on his lips, there was a loud hammering on the door.
I clasped a bedsheet in front of me, and my eyes widened as I looked at Nick questioningly.
“Who the hell is that?” Nick said in frustration.
He didn’t bother refastening his belt before he flung the door open. “Oh, it’s you,” Nick said, cuttingly. “What do you want?”
I couldn’t see who was at the door. Whoever it was had seriously bad timing, though. I shrank back against the bed. It was pretty obvious what Nick and I were doing, or at least what we had been about to do. I wasn’t ashamed exactly, but I would have preferred to keep it private and didn’t want anyone to see me.
“Victor would like a word.” The cool, deep voice was instantly recognizable. Jackson.
I flushed and hoped he hadn’t seen me.
“What about?” Nick snapped.
“I suggest you ask him that yourself,” Jackson replied. No matter what situation he found himself in, I couldn’t imagine anything ruffling Jackson. He always seemed so calm. So controlled.
“Hello, Ella,” Jackson’s voice took on a teasing tone as he leaned against the door-jam and winked at me.
Crap. My cheeks grew hot and I bit down on my lower lip. “Hi.”
Nick scowled and stepped to the side, so he was blocking Jackson’s view into the room.
“Fine,” he said. “I’ll be there. Give me a minute.”
“I’ll wait here.”
“You don’t need to wait. I’m not a five-year-old. I can make my own way there.”
“All the same, I’ll wait. Orders are orders.”
Nick shut the door on him and cursed under his breath.
“I’m sorry, Ella. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said, buckling his belt.
I nodded. “What do you think Victor wants?”
“Damned if I know,” Nick grumbled, and put his hand on the doorknob.
I purposely let the sheet fall forwards, exposing my breasts. “Hurry back.”
Nick’s eyes blazed and he sucked in a breath. “You can bet on it.”
After I covered myself again with the sheet, he wrenched open the door to confront Jackson.
“Let’s go.”
After Nick closed the bedroom door behind him and I heard his and Jackson’s footsteps retreating, I lay back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. I couldn’t help wondering what Victor needed Nick for and why Jackson seemed to enjoy interrupting us, but I reminded myself that none of it really mattered anymore.
I was leaving on Monday, and I would never see Nick Steel or any of the other members of the Blackthorne crew again.
As I lay there, waiting for Nick to return, I had no idea that things were about to get a hell of a lot worse for me.
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A Note from Carrie
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed reading about Nick and Ella as much as I enjoy writing about them. You can add your email address to my mailing list and I will email you as soon as my next book is released.
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Well, I’d better get back to work. I’ve got books to write…
Carrie x
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The Desire Series
(Kate and Benjamin’s story)
Part one is FREE here: Desire part one
Desire part two
Desire part three
Desire part four
Desire part five
Desire Boxset
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(Kristina and Jack’s story)
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Fragments (Broken: book 2)
Whole Again (Broken: book 3) Coming Soon
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The Billionaire’s seduction 2
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(Nick and Ella’s story)
Steel part one
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