Irresistible

by Shara Azod

  “Because I simply don’t care. I am fortunate to be rich enough that none of that would ever matter.” All he had to do was hold out his hand, and she took it. Without argument, without hesitation, she allowed him to pull her to her feet. “If you’re done eating, perhaps you’d care for a bath?”

  Chapter Six

  It was like he hadn’t heard a word she said. However, Delilah had observed the way his eyes moved during the prolonged silence after she stated her case. His eyes had first lightened before deepening to the gray of an overcast sky right before a thunderstorm. A slight curve to his lips was the only clue to the direction his thoughts may have been going; if only she knew how to interpret it. As it stood, she didn’t have a clue what he’d thought of what she said, if he thought anything at all.

  Oh this was such bullshit! Like he’d been serious about marriage in the first place! She wasn’t going to sit around just waiting to be used and abused by some asshole—with more money than some small countries—who thought he wanted to teach her a lesson. That was what this was all about; she was certain of it.

  “David helped me get my GED and was helping me with the tests I need to get into junior college.”

  God, that was a hard admission. It sucked out all her pride and left her exposed.

  Confessing her educational shortcomings to a brilliant professor made her feel like twice the dumbass. Just a stereotypical stripper, not bothering to finish high school.

  Never mind there’d been reasons why she left home, reasons why finishing school just hadn’t been possible. She may have made a mess out of her life since walking away from an untenable position, but it had been a good decision. The only one she could’ve made.

  “I gave him back most of the money he paid for private dances, since he was really only tutoring me.” Not nearly enough, she knew, but it was what she could do.

  She didn’t have a clue what David was getting out of the deal, but he hadn’t wanted the money back.

  Edward stared at her like one might gawk at a roadside accident. In a way it was where she’d driven her life, but damn it, she was only trying to turn that around. Still she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. Some sense of self-preservation wouldn’t allow her to witness that shocked expression slowly turn into disgust.

  “Do not look away from me, Delilah.” The absolute steel in the command surprised her enough to make her head snap up. The last thing she’d expected from him was anger. Weirdly, she knew without a doubt he wasn’t angry at her. “And did my nephew take the money you offered?”

  “Why wouldn’t he? He wasn’t there to be entertained. It isn’t like he got anything out of it.” Was she supposed to charge the kid for dances he never got? Trying to understand Edward’s point was like trying to understand cold fusion if you’d never taken a science course.

  “The first time he came to your club he was there to be entertained, was he not?” He had her there, but that was besides the point, wasn’t it? The entire conversation was confusing the hell out of her. When she didn’t reply to Edward’s question, he looked away. There was a tick working seriously in his clenched jaw, though Delilah still had no idea why he was so irate.

  “Look, don’t be mad at him for that. He probably would’ve never come back so often if he hadn’t been helping me.” Not knowing what else to do, Delilah placed her hand on top of the hand he had resting on the table, giving it a squeeze. Surprisingly, he let her; his hand twisted to capture hers and didn’t let go. It wasn’t an action she would’ve expected out of him. “He wasn’t very comfortable being there. He was there with friends looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. That’s how we met. I felt sorry for him, so I started just talking to him. I think he really appreciated it.” She shrugged.

  “We came up with this idea so I could go to a local junior college or maybe a school online and eventually get a better job.”

  Letting it all hang out like that was making her more and more uncomfortable.

  Shifting in her chair, she looked everywhere but in Edward’s direction, though he didn’t let go of her hand. The odds of finding any job that paid as well as stripping on a couple of good nights a week with little more than an Associate’s Degree were slim. The point was that she was just making enough to support herself in a decent way.

  “He’ll give you back every red fucking cent you returned to him. He went there for a purpose; what it was doesn’t matter. He can damn well pay for the pleasure of being in your presence.” Edward Prichard was just a little too much. She was floored, not knowing what to do with his proclamation. “I’ll help you get through college, and not some junior college either.”

  “Look, you don’t have to do any of that. Just let me go home and that will be that.” Please, please accept that and take me home. She could’ve just insisted, but she didn’t want to; didn’t have the strength of will to want to leave. “I swear if he ever comes back to the club, I will have nothing to do with him.”

  “And if you’re carrying my child?”

  Back to that. And he’d said “my child,” not a good sign. He was claiming a possibility, a sign he was already fixated on the possibility.

  “Probably won’t happen. Wrong time of the month.” If only that was true.

  Actually, it was exactly the right time of the month. Shit. What had she been thinking?

  “There’s always the morning-after pill.”

  Yes! Perfect solution! Why hadn’t she thought about that earlier? A wave of relief washed over her. Soon this whole fiasco would be over with.

  “If I can get a ride to the nearest pharmacy, we can pretend none of this ever happened.” And she could find out where the hell she was.

  Right now all Delilah wanted was a long, hot shower and about thirty-six hours in her own lumpy bed with the covers pulled up over her head. She could get a lukewarm shower at home with about five hours to sleep before she had to be back at work.

  “I’m afraid the nearest pharmacy is a couple of hours away from here, and I’ve sent the driver on an errand.” It was quite obvious he was lying; he wasn’t even trying to hide it. Delilah didn’t even feel like arguing. “Come.” Edward stood, keeping a steady grip on her hand so that she rose too. He hadn’t touched any of her arguments, hadn’t even referred to it at all. That had to mean his so-called proposal was bullshit, didn’t it? The possibility didn’t just piss her off, it enraged her. The asshole knew she had no recourse against him. He held all the power. What exactly was he trying to prove?

  “I already told you I would give all of David’s money back—every dime. Why do you insist on fucking with me?”

  Before she could even blink, she found herself pressed up against Edward’s very bare chest. The man was nothing like one would expect if going by reputation alone. As a tenured professor, a man at the very top of his field born to the world of old money, he shouldn’t have been as tall, as cut, or nearly as virile as he was. If one were to just read the description of Edward Prichard, they would expect a frail-looking shrimp of a man with bug eyes behind thick glasses and pale, pasty skin. The reality of Edward was just too much. This man was the type only seen on movie screens or in the pages of a romance, wrapping her in an embrace that was tight without hurting her. A woman would have to be made of pure ice not to be affected by him.

  No matter how much she may wish otherwise, Delilah wasn’t made of ice. The robe had gaped open enough so their skin touched, her chest to his lower torso. It was hard to say whose skin was heated the most. The warmth was an irresistible draw; she wanted to rub herself all over him, feeling the heat seep into her very bones. She craved the feel of the light scattering of chest hair against her breasts. They felt heavy and tight at the thought, her nipples beading painful against the press of his skin. It was hard not to think about the way they seemed to meld together so perfectly, the way their breaths became one, the way their lips met and clung, reluctant to ever part. Heaven help her, she wanted him so bad she could climb him right there�
�she had to fight not to do just that.

  “I have no interest in fucking with you.” The deep purr of that accent made her shiver, her sex moistening in anticipation of their joining. “But I have every intention of fucking you.” His face was close, bending down so that they were eye-to-eye. Her heart thumped loudly, racing as she struggled not to close the gap and kiss the sensual lips that taunted her. “Often and well. Tell me you don’t want it. Tell me you don’t want me and I will take you home right now.”

  There was a whole lot he wasn’t saying. His eyes promised her a hell of a lot more than his words had. Trying to force the lie past her lips that she wanted nothing to do with him was impossible. No amount of forcing them worked. The infuriating man had the audacity to actually smirk at her attempts.

  “Thought so. Come.”

  They were out of the kitchen and halfway up the staircase before it occurred to her befuddled mind he’d issued the one-word command not once, but at least three times this morning. No matter how she might’ve originally protested, she’d acquiesced every single time.

  “I am not a damn dog.” Concentrating all of her energy on her anger helped take her mind off the sizzling chemistry between them. “You don’t get to snap your fingers and command me to heel.”

  One immaculate masculine brow lifted, kissable lips turned up ever so slightly.

  God, the man was really too sexy for words. “I don’t recall telling you—excuse me, commanding you to heel.” Delilah noted that Louisiana drawl got especially pronounced, his body going statue still as if he were some very big, very dangerous animal posed to pounce.

  Well, she could lift a brow with the best of them. Lifting her chin, she mimicked him, giving him his own imperial stare right back. “Come.” She would’ve snatched her hand away from his had he relaxed his grip the least little bit, which he didn’t.

  “Forgive me, Delilah.” Tugging with just enough strength, he made sure their bodies were once again meshed together. Lord help her, she loved it; loved the way he manhandled her without being overly forceful. Standing just one step above her added to his already formidable height advantage. It made her feel ultra-feminine, petite, even; a thing she hadn’t experienced in far too long. “I tend to get a bit imperious at times.

  Please never hesitate to correct me.”

  All the anger reserves she’d been carefully building deflated in a whoosh of exhaled air. When a man looked at a woman like that, not offering a sorry-assed excuse but being direct and seemingly sincere, what woman wouldn’t melt? She’d love to know how she was supposed to resist, especially being so securely wrapped in his arms, his head bending ever closer.

  His lips sealed the deal as they settled over hers. This time they weren’t so demanding. Edward gently coaxed, seducing her mouth in a slow, deep caress. His tongue swiped her lower lip until she was desperate to capture it, to suck it into her own mouth. Delilah’s entire being contracted then expanded, her skin zinging with every brush of his hand moving against her cheek, moving up her arms under the massive terry-cloth robe, going up to stroke her collarbone. She forgot to care who he was or what his real purpose might be. Not wanting to want him was nothing in the face of the way her body yearned for him. Straining upward against him, she buried her fingers in the silky strands of his hair, yanking him down closer. Or trying to, anyway—

  he wouldn’t allow it. In fact he lifted his head just a fraction, just enough to barely sever their connection.

  It was so wrong. A tiny mewl of protest cut through the heavy breathing, surrounding them both before gradually dissipating.

  “Slow down, sugar. We have all the time in the world.” That had to be a joke. Slow down? He’d deliberately started a fire, and now he was refusing to put it out? Delilah went up on the balls of her feet to reach that teasing mouth. She needed it, had to have it. Damn him, he wasn’t giving in! He actually laughed, a low rumble of sound while moving back just out of her reach. Smacking him was definitely an option, only he pulled her hair back, the little sting increasing the churning lust that was eating away all of her control.

  “Please.” It wasn’t something she said easily or lightly. In her world begging implied weakness. She didn’t want to be weak where Edward was concerned. Oddly, she didn’t feel weak now either. She felt as if he were stronger, as if he were in control, but not in any way did she feel less.

  Maybe he saw that. Perhaps all the conflicting emotions she felt were reflected on her face. For whatever reason, he gave in, his mouth crashing on hers, all pretense of playing with her gone. His urgency matched hers as soon as their tongues twined. He lifted her right off her feet and carried her up the remaining stairs. Almost weeping with relief, she clung to him, the robe falling off her body and left somewhere on the floor. The skin-on-skin contact was exactly what she’d hungered for. Pushing out her chest, she rubbed against him like a cat, her hands moving to the closure of his jeans to free his heavy erection.

  “Hang on, baby.” Oh, hell, and she’d thought the lazy drawl did wicked things to her eardrums. The sonorous rasp of Edward all hot and ready was lethal. “I’ll give you what you need. Wrap your legs around my waist.” Just inside the bedroom door, Delilah found herself pinned to the wall as if she weighed nothing. He even managed to shimmy out of his jeans without letting her go.

  She was panting at the feel of him against her, unable to move to her liking, unable to think about anything more than getting him inside of her. With one hand Edward managed to pull her arms over her head, keeping them there.

  “Is this what you wanted, Delilah?” One deep, hard thrust and he was inside her.

  She felt him everywhere; his thick cock set off all the nerve endings in her core, moving throughout her body. Her eyes closed, her head leaned back against the wall. “Answer me!”

  Her eyes snapped open, her body shaking not only from his invading organ but from his masculinity. He was taking control over her entire body. “Yes. Please, God yes.”

  How soft and feminine she sounded. Not the fake, silky purr she used on her customers, but very real, very female. Exposed and raw, she had nothing left to hide from this man.

  “Do you need this, baby? You need me to show you how good we fit?” The sensual assault was ruthless, his hips slamming into her over and over again, robbing her will to do anything more than feel him. So fucking good, so beyond sweet. “Tell me you need me inside of you. Tell me we’re not so damn good together.” Her cunt clenched, her body vibrating at his words.

  “Yes, I need you. I need you to show me.” There were other words, ones she absolutely refused to say slipping between them, taunting them both with their very existence, however unsaid.

  And he knew it as much as she did. Delilah could see it in the fierce determination on his face. He wanted the words she denied them; she sensed it in his expression. He powered into her welcoming body, stroke after stroke as if he were some hell-bent miner who’d glimpsed something precious just beneath the surface. Even though every slow drag of his broad cock against her vaginal walls sent wave after wave of electric sensation pounding through her veins, the words he were after just wouldn’t come.

  For just this moment, she wanted more than anything to be able to say what Edward wanted to hear and believe it too. But life had taught her all too well no matter how crazy he made her, no matter how hot and intense making love to him was, to say the things he wanted to hear would place her at a severe disadvantage. It could hurt her far more than if she kept the words bottled up inside. There was just something ingrained in her that kept her feelings behind walls too thick to be breached.

  “Ah, hell,” he muttered, giving up his unspoken quest, she supposed.

  His lips swept down on hers after his groaned surrender. Despite her resolve, Delilah felt no joy in the small victory of not saying something she couldn’t take back.

  Instead there was a vague sense of loss. He didn’t allow her to dwell on that, or much of anything else. His tongue was demanding, ta
ngling with her own. He dropped the hold he’d had on her wrists and grasped her buttocks, pulling her into each powerful drive forward.

  She pulled at his hair, clawed at his back, certain that each action would only urge him on. And it did. He completely invaded her, possessing every corner of her body. Using a carnal onslaught, he conquered all but a little sliver of her resistance, and made her love every second of it. In fact, she welcomed it. Her first climax slammed into her with a vengeance, shaking her limbs as a hoarse cry erupted from deep within her belly.

  “Edward! God, please yes! Don’t stop!”

  She couldn’t help but beg. Being the man that he was, Edward complied, his movements increasing in intensity and tempo.

  “Never, baby. I will never stop. Come for me again.” Another orgasm tore through her, shook her while wringing her out. Just when she could’ve sworn she couldn’t take any more of the pure erotic bliss without losing her sanity, yet another ripped through her body, converging with the previous one. He took it all, everything she offered him, and made it his own.