A flush stole up her neck as she struggled to get the words out. She gasped in answer, “You! You!”
“And?”
“Nolan,” she cried out. “Oh God! Ohhhhh!”
“That’s right,” he growled and withdrew from her honeyed core only long enough to replace his finger with his cock in her ass after he’d lubed her hole with her own copious juices. He went slowly, giving her time to adjust, but it was torture to be patient when he wanted to fuck her so hard that he left bruises. She belonged to him and Nolan! Not Dillon. He pulled her other leg over his shoulder and pushed himself deep into her ass, rolling his eyes into his head as the pleasure of such a tight fit in her taboo place squeezed his cock, almost fighting the intrusion with the ring of muscle. He moved slowly at first but soon he was thrusting like a wild man, his balls slapping against her as he rocked her body. He licked his thumb and toyed with the sensitive clit hidden within her slick folds. She gasped out, impaled on his cock, moaning and crying as he pushed her ever closer to that sweet pinnacle of total oblivion. “Say my name when you cum,” he whispered, watching with lustful satisfaction as she jerked against his thumb, stiffening as her mouth dropped open on a wail. “Say it!”
“V-Vince!” she cried, shuddering as tears slid down her cheeks. “Vince...”
He smiled forcefully around the building pleasure in his own body, no longer needing to hold back. A few hard thrusts into her tightness and within seconds, his own orgasm hurtled from his body, pumping his seed into her gorgeous ass. “Ahhh, my sweet, sweet Penny,” he gasped and withdrew his spent cock. He tucked his cock away and Penny dressed.
An odd silence settled between them and Vince knew he might’ve gone too far. He knew ass play wasn’t her favorite, even though she came harder than ever whenever he forced her to take his cock there. It was part of their dynamic — he pushed her boundaries while Nolan simply worshipped her body — but there was something different about her this time. “Did I hurt you?” he asked, worried.
“No,” she answered quietly, but there was a catch to her voice that immediately sent spikes of regret through his heart. He wouldn’t hurt Penny for the world. She was his girl. His ultimate fantasy. He would do anything to keep her happy. And safe.
“Come here, honey,” he said, inviting her into the shelter of his arms. She went willingly, tucking her head beneath his chin and wrapping her arms around his chest. “I don’t know what came over me,” he lied. He knew exactly what’d changed his mood and it had everything to do with his older brother. “Sometimes you bring out the animal in me,” he said, trying to lighten the mood but when she pulled away to stare at him, he knew his attempt had fallen flat. He sighed and hit the intercom, “Take us to the apartment,” he instructed.
“You got it, boss.”
The car slowed and then swung wide, gravel crunching under the tires and Vince could only guess where they’d traveled and how long it would take to get back.
“Do you trust me?” he asked suddenly and she startled. He leaned forward, repeating with an intense stare. “Do you trust me?” She gazed at him, uncertainty in her eyes, but she finally nodded slowly and he let out a relieved breath as he took her hand and pulled her back to him. “Then trust me when I say that Dillon is bad news. I’d rather die than let anything happen to you. Do you hear me? I know I act a little crazy when it comes to Dillon but it’s only because I don’t want anything to ruin what we’ve got going on. I mean, you’re happy aren’t you?”
Was that desperation in his voice? How pathetic. His fucking brother shows up on the scene and suddenly he’s regressed to that whiny twelve-year-old trailing after his older brother, begging for some quality time.
“I’m happy,” she answered with subdued sincerity but her eyes welled. “But I don’t like not knowing what’s going on.”
“I know, honey. I know. As soon as Dillon leaves town, things will go back to normal. I promise.”
She nodded and he was pleased to see a note of relief in her expression as well. Perhaps he’d imagined the look in her eyes when she’d been around Dillon. Hell, maybe he’d overreacted. But he couldn’t be sure, not with Dillon around.
“Who is Isabel?” she asked in a small voice, bringing his thoughts to a screeching halt.
Isabel. He mentally winced, cursing Dillon all over again for bringing up the past that was long gone. He forced a smile. “Someone from the past. Definitely not a part of the future. That’s all that matters.”
Penny nodded and settled again against his chest but he could feel her questions, her banked curiosity as if it were a physical thing sitting beside them. Beautiful Isabel. Vince closed his eyes and pushed away the mental image of Isabel, the blood seeping from her cracked skull, staining her white-blonde hair with red.
-7-
The brisk breeze lifted the tendrils that’d escaped from her ponytail as Penny dug her toes into the cold sand beneath her feet. Gray clouds scuttled across the horizon, threatening rain but Penny wasn’t ready to go inside just yet. Vince and Nolan had brought her to their Hamptons estate to get away from all the stress of the city — but urgent business had taken them both back on the red-eye after one day spent at their getaway. Of course, she’d offered to return with them, but they’d both insisted that she stay and enjoy the view from their multi-million dollar vacation home while they took care of business.
“Besides, we should have everything taken care of within a few days and we’ll expect you to be fully rested when we return,” Nolan had said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Penny had warmed, knowing full well what Nolan was implying, and it alternately made her squirm at the naughtiness and wet for the anticipation.
So, she’d spent the night sleeping in luxuriant down bedding in an exclusive location — completely alone.
“Well, there are worse places to be lonely, I suppose,” she murmured to herself with a sigh, gazing out at the beautiful, yet moody landscape.
“It’s not really the appropriate season for a stay in the Hamptons,” an amused voice said at her back. Dillon. She turned slowly and met his gaze squarely. His white linen pants rippled with the breeze and he wore a sweater that would’ve looked geeky on anyone else but on him looked positively GQ. “They really don’t have a flair for the romantic, do they? If I were going to whisk a woman away, I certainly wouldn’t take her someplace cold and wet. I’d opt for some place tropical to create the opportunity to wear as little clothing as possible.”
She fought the inappropriate smile that threatened as a sense of recklessness followed. He oozed sex and charm, masculine grace and powerful strength — a heady combination that was definitely hard to resist. And at the moment, she couldn’t quite remember why she was supposed to be resisting at all. This was bad. She ought to tell him to leave. She ought to do or say something that would give him the message she wasn’t interested. But all she could do was watch him advance, her heart rate increasing with every step as he drew nearer. She wet her lips with a subtle dart of her tongue, feeling as if she were standing on the precipice of something monumentally dangerous...or exhilarating.
“How did you know I’d be here and Vince and Nolan would not?”
“Easy. I manufactured the sudden emergency, which sent them running back to home base. I figure we have a few days to ourselves before they come huffing and puffing back to get you. But by that time...it’ll be too late.”
“Too late for what?” she asked.
“I want you, Penny,” he said simply, leaving no room for misinterpretation. “And I think you want me, too.”
“You think very highly of yourself,” she said, allowing a tiny twist of her lips. “What makes you think I want to be with you? I have Vince and Nolan. I’m not sure I could fit another Buchanan into my schedule.”
He chuckled. “What you have right now are the cheap imitations of a Buchanan. Once you taste the real thing, you won’t have any desire for the generic brand.”
It was her turn to laugh. “If this i
s your ‘A’ game, I’d hate to see your ‘B’ game. Does that line actually work on anyone?”
“I’ll let you know over breakfast.”
“Over breakfast? That’s presumptuous of you.”
He disagreed. “Just confident. I know what I want and I see no point in beating around the bush. I think you and I could be great together. Aren’t you the least bit curious to see if I’m right?”
“No. I don’t sleep with people simply to satisfy a whim or curiosity.”
“So why do you sleep with my brothers? What compelled you to sign away your life for a year?”
She stilled. How did Dillon know the terms of her contract? She regarded him coolly. “I wasn’t aware my business was common knowledge.”
“It’s not. Don’t worry your sordid little secret is safe with me.”
“Really? Because when I’m around you I don’t feel particularly safe,” she replied with complete honesty. Dillon was dangerous to her peace of mind, her sanity, but most importantly, her loyalty. When she was around him...her mind went to places best left untraveled.
“I would never hurt you,” Dillon said. “I cannot say the same for my brothers.”
“That’s what they say about you.” She looked to him, wondering if Dillon would answer her questions truthfully or if he would be evasive like the twins. “Why is there such bad blood between you and your brothers?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“I wouldn’t have asked if I felt otherwise.”
“Some truths are hard to accept; they screw with your perception of a person’s character.”
“I’d prefer honesty to lies.”
He chuckled as if he didn’t believe her, which only served to irritate her. She turned on her heel to trudge back to the house when he stopped her with a firm hand on her arm. “Wait.” She stopped and stared, waiting. His smile faded and he rubbed the pad of his thumb against the fabric of her blouse. Although the cloth buffered his touch, it was as if they were, in fact, skin-to-skin. She hitched a sharp breath but left her arm in his grasp. “I propose a deal,” he said, his voice sliding along her nerve endings like a caress. “For every honest answer I give you, I get a kiss.”
“I can’t agree to that deal,” she said. “My loyalty is not for sale.”
“Everything is for sale at the right price.”
Hadn’t Vince and Nolan expressed the very same sentiment when they’d proposed purchasing her for their pleasure? Her cheeks pinked just slightly as she raised her chin a notch. She would not be a hypocrite. “One kiss,” she countered.
His mouth twisted in a sardonic smile. “One kiss?”
“One,” she affirmed firmly. “And no tongue.”
“No tongue? That’s not a kiss,” he scoffed. “No. If I’m going to share dirty family secrets, my compensation should be equal to the value of the information.”
She considered his statement. She supposed one kiss — even one with tongue — wasn’t too much to ask. “All right,” she agreed warily. “But the information better be solid. I’m risking a lot.”
“Ah yes, the morality clause. Ironic, don’t you think, given the nature of the agreement?”
“Not at all,” she disagreed, trying not to focus on his touch. “I found it a reasonable request.”
“They’ve asked you to be faithful during the term of the agreement and yet...did you wrangle the same agreement from either of them?”
“Of course.”
“Did you get it in writing?”
She faltered. “Well, no. Are you saying that your brothers aren’t good to their word?”
His gaze narrowed and he released her arm. “I am not the right person to ask that question. My opinion might be somewhat biased.”
“Fair enough,” she said.
“Back to the question at hand.”
“Which question was that?” She feigned confusion when she knew exactly where their conversation had left off.
“The kiss.”
“I thought we’d agreed: one real kiss in exchange for answers.”
“Oh little dove,” he said, chuckling. “The negotiations have only just begun. For example, we didn’t specify what kind of kiss and where.”
Her mouth dropped open and her cheeks flushed as that damnably sexy mouth of his turned up in a carnal grin. She swallowed and said in a voice she hoped was strong and not the least bit wobbly, “You’re impossible. One kiss — on the lips of my mouth. Got it? Negotiations closed. Take it or leave it.”
To that he simply laughed, the sound rich and deep and delightful to her senses. Why was he so handsome? Damn him. “We’ll see,” he quipped as he walked past her with a confident grin. “You might find the information I have to share worth the risk.”
Of that she had no doubt but she wasn’t about to start adding the entire Buchanan family tree to her list of conquests any time soon. One kiss, she told herself sternly. Besides, Vince and Nolan were more than everything she needed. They satisfied her sexually and financially, even if emotionally they were a little distant. It was Dillon’s fault things had changed between them. She just had to keep sight of that fact.
She followed Dillon into the house and closed the French doors, instantly dulling the roar of the ocean and squawk of seabirds. The house was decorated in a seaside motif with white furniture and blue accents that she adored. In fact, the moment she saw the house, she’d fallen in love. Dillon moved around as if he were quite familiar with the layout, which told her the house had probably been in his family for years.
“Why are you and your brothers at odds with one another?” she asked, sinking into the soft over-stuffed sofa while Dillon rummaged in the kitchen. He paused and graced her with a look that said, “hold your horses,” and she rested her chin on her hand while her elbow propped up her head from the pillow cushion while he finished what he was doing and joined her with two glasses of dark, red wine. She accepted the glass and took a sip, although her better judgment was warning her to steer clear of anything that might lower her inhibitions. “Where are you staying tonight, by the way?” she asked after savoring the flavor of the wine.
“Should we start with silly questions to which you already know the answers?”
Penny smiled. Such a smart ass. “You can’t stay here,” she warned.
“Why not?”
“Now who’s asking silly questions?” she mocked.
Dillon laughed and sipped his wine. “What if I promised to be a perfect gentleman?”
“I’d say you wouldn’t know how to be a gentleman even if you were raised by nuns.”
“Ouch. Such a tarnished opinion of me,” he tsked. “There are three bedrooms in this house. I will take whichever one you’re not occupying. Sound chivalrous enough?”
“Only if you promise to stay in your bed and out of mine.”
He lifted his wine glass to his full, sensual lips as he toyed with a knowing grin. “Of course. But I should add that I wouldn’t mind a bit if you were to come to your senses and climb into my bed tonight.”
“Not going to happen,” she retorted. “Now...are you ready to start answering my questions?”
“That depends. Are you ready for the answers — and the price?”
Penny steeled herself. No matter what Dillon told her it wouldn’t change how she felt about Vince and Nolan. She cared deeply for the twins. They’d opened her eyes to a new world and she didn’t regret a second. But a small voice of doubt worried the back of her brain. There was certainly something the twins were keeping from her. And she had a feeling it had something to do with the woman named Isabel. She looked to Dillon who was watching and waiting her response. He looked the part of a lothario, a playboy of the worst kind, except she sensed there was infinitely more to Dillon Buchanan than met the eye. She wanted to know his secrets almost as much as she needed to know Vince and Nolan’s. “Why are there so many secrets?” she murmured, mostly to herself but Dillon answered in a grim tone.
“Bec
ause money is the root of all evil.”
“Do you truly believe that?”
He shrugged. “The Buchanans can certainly make a good argument for that belief.”
Penny digested Dillon’s statement and knew she was preparing to wade into deep waters that were possibly more treacherous than she realized but there was no turning back now. Her Papa had always warned her she had the curiosity of a cat with only one life left to lose. But she couldn’t stop even if she wanted to. The questions would hound her until she lost her mind. It was either go forward or quit. And she couldn’t quit. “Who is Isabel?”
Dillon’s expression darkened and a heavy silence settled between them. Penny wondered if Dillon would renege on their deal but something told her he wouldn’t. Dillon swirled the remainder of his wine before downing it in a swallow. “The appropriate question is, who was Isabel. And to answer that: Isabel was the woman before you.”
Crazy About Curves: 10 Luscious Reads Page 60