“Not yet,” I repeated.
His pointer finger started drawing invisible circles on the wooden bar. “Is that why your father is an overbearing asshole?”
I pulled my beer back to me. “I guess this isn’t going where I thought it was.”
His laughter tickled my ears in the most pleasant way, deep with a rumble of an entertained man. “All right. No more talking about your father.” His pointed finger made those lazy circles on the scarred wood. His voice lowered to a dominant purr. “Would you like to leave here with me?”
I took one last drink of my beer. “To have sex?”
I could be blunt too.
“Yes.” There was seductive humor in his tone.
The noise had definitely died down in the bar.
I peered out into the crowd, but no one was looking this way. I pushed my beer away from me once more. “You haven’t even seen my face.”
“And you haven’t looked at mine either.”
True. “Then why?”
He shrugged. “I like your voice.”
My lips curved up. “I like yours too.”
“So?” Godric waited with patience I didn’t have.
“Yes, I’ll leave with you for a few hours.”
My father would hate this choice. A corporate man.
A corporate rich man.
That made him perfect to have a romp with before I left this place. My anger would have a nice outlet…and release. Plus, I might as well see if these corporate men were any good in bed—since I was headed to New City, anyway. That was all they had there. It was time to give them a good ol’ test drive.
CHAPTER THREE
Godric turned, slid from his chair, and buttoned his suit jacket in one fluid move. “Let’s go.”
A little bossy, but I didn’t mind.
I was on a time crunch.
“Gina, put my drinks on my tab,” I hollered.
She nodded and waggled her eyebrows, fully knowing what I was doing.
I turned and slid off my seat, not nearly as gracefully as he had.
When I landed, my right foot slammed on top of his left one. He didn’t complain. He merely pulled his shiny shoe out from underneath my sneaker and grabbed ahold of my shoulders, steadying me. His hands fell to his sides as I stared at his massive chest. I was almost eye level with it. He was much larger than I had thought.
He grunted. “Are you sure you’re twenty-four?”
“Yes.” I straightened my shoulders. I knew I wasn’t tall.
“Were you hit with the short stick as a child?” Humor laced his tone.
I snorted. “Did you eat magic beans as a child? You’re like an ogre.”
His chest vibrated in front of my gaze, the white shirt stretched lovingly over his muscles. His laughter was a pure delight. He raised his right hand and tapped one finger on the edge of my hat. “Take it off. I’d like to see you now.” It was a soft order.
My fingers twitched as I peered back to the other occupants of the bar. They weren’t looking this way, and we were in the back. But my father had always told me to keep my hair up around men. He said I was too pretty for my own good. Whatever that meant.
“Are you hideous under there?” he teased playfully, sensing my hesitation.
I ground my teeth together and yanked my ball cap off. My long red waves fell over my shoulders to the middle of my back in a rush of freedom. I shook my head a little, so they weren’t as crushed, and then I peered up into the face of the bossy corporate man.
The crushed skyscrapers outside the base must have swayed, a strong wind rattling their infested dwellings, because the world danced a beautiful melody under my feet and my knees weakened. The axis that I judged all men upon tilted and crashed. I couldn’t move. I could barely breathe.
He. Was. Magnificent.
His skin was the color of cocoa mixed with rare marshmallows, perfectly tan from a distinctive heritage. His eyes tilted just at the ends, like an Egyptian god. His nose was strong like his jawline was proud. The lips that created such beautiful tones from regular words were lush and red. And his hair… it was tawny with golden highlights, the loose curls down to his giant shoulders. He appeared near my age, a little older. Probably thirty.
But his eyes held my attention.
I stared. And he stared right back, not looking away.
Gold eyes with flecks of amber held my brown gaze.
His penetrating gaze was extraordinary against his complexion. This man was flawless.
Time passed—flew, really.
Maybe a second. Maybe a minute. Maybe ten.
Neither of us spoke.
My mouth finally bobbed. I croaked, “Yeah, you’ll do.”
His blink was so slow it was near lethargic. “Yes. I suppose you’ll do, too.” Those golden eyes with amber splashes ran down my slim frame, his perfect eyebrows pinching together. “I may be too much for you, though.” His words were quiet, not bragging—just truthful.
“There’s only one way to find out.” I gestured toward the front door. “After you.”
Any hesitancy evaporated from his gaze, his attention sharpening on my eyes. “Actually, I’d love to see how you snuck in here. Those front doors are locked.”
I shrugged and turned back the way I had come in. “Follow me then.” I waved my hat in the air and peered over my shoulder. “But we’re not going to my quarters right now. Not unless you’d like to meet my overbearing father. He’s working in there right now.”
His words were dry. “As much fun as that sounds, I’d rather not.”
I snickered and opened the back door. “I didn’t think you would. He would be a mood killer.” Understatement.
My father would probably pull one of his deadly swords and ruin the handsome corporate man’s face. That would be the real tragedy. This ugly world needed beauty like his. And my father would laugh with glee, wiping it away, if he saw this man headed to my bedroom.
Shadows danced at our feet as we walked down the ivory hallway. I glanced back quickly, palming the handle of the knife strapped to my right thigh. But I paused in pulling it, eyeing the two Corporate Army soldiers who trailed us. “They’re yours?”
“Yes.” He didn’t even look back. “The others will be along shortly.”
Others? How many guards did this man warrant?
He eyed the next door I stopped in front of and evaluated the room through the window. “We’re going in here?”
“Yeah. It’s our exit.” I opened the door to the food locker, the blast of cold air ruffling my hair. “This way.”
He plucked an apple from a bin and munched as he followed. “Are there any more exits to the bar?”
“One other one. But it smells. No one goes that way unless you’re unloading trash.”
“The trash shoot.”
“Yes.”
“Too small to enter from.”
I grinned and punched in the code at the back door. “Not for me.”
He leaned forward and pressed his chest to my back, and grabbed the door handle. His heat burned against my chilled shoulder. “Allow me.”
The door swung open with ease as he pushed.
I usually had to put a little muscle into it.
“Thank you,” I whispered. I stepped into the warmth outside the cooling unit.
“Where to now?” he asked, peering around the loading dock.
I pointed to the door ten feet away. “That’ll take us to the lobby.”
He raked his gaze back to his men and tossed them the apple core, finished with his snack. He barely tipped his head to the door and flicked one finger. They were shutting the door to the walk-in refrigerator and leaving us alone on the dock in a blink, disappearing back to the bar.
My brows rose. “No guards?”
Godric snorted. “There are always guards outside of New City.”
When we stepped through the door into the lobby, I choked on air.
He repeated himself, “Always guards.”
I sputtered, “They’re all for you?”
“Yes,” Godric muttered, not too pleased with it. He placed a proprietary palm at the small of my back, guiding us to the center of the guards. They were all buff like the man I was with, but Godric still seemed so much more. It made me take pause and wonder if I really would be able to make the cut in this army.
I leaned toward him as they all started moving—us with them. I whispered, “What the hell do you do within the corporations to get stuck with this much detail?”
Golden eyes peered down at me. “Remember my overbearing ass of a father?”
I nodded.
He flicked a hand at the guards, full of arrogance. “This is his doing.”
“Ah.” I nodded again as if he hadn’t evaded the question rather beautifully.
Not only was he the best-looking man I had ever seen, but he was also intelligent.
The way the guards took the stairs was a movement of magnificence, all walking as one in front of us and behind. I stumbled on a step, not paying attention, and Godric pulled me closer to his side.
He sniffed in my direction, and then questioned, “Are you drunk? Did you drink before you entered the bar?”
I held my head higher. “No.”
He snorted, and looked away, but kept his arm close around me. “Then you’re a klutz.”
I ground my teeth together. “Only sometimes.”
“It’s been twice so far in the past ten minutes.”
“Sometimes…might be a loose term.”
Godric snickered. “Honesty with one’s self is most important.”
The guards turned in the opposite direction of my quarters, and I breathed a sigh of relief. If we had gotten any closer, my father’s guards would have taken notice of the entourage—with me in the middle of it. They would have taken offense to be sure. I was sure no one wanted a sword fight happening in the cramped hallway of the housing area.
We eventually stopped turning down multiple passages and headed straight to a door at the end of the hall. The section we were now in was reserved for the VIP business associates. The typically bland colors decorating the halls turned decadent and vibrant, the carpeting now plush under my sneakers. This area was meant to seduce the eye and coax visitors into relaxation. My father had always said that where a man lays his head for the night could mean either pampered friends or stubborn enemies in the boardroom. Hence, why he kept this area pretty-pretty for the corporate snobs that battled with him across a conference table.
The guards parted and placed their backs to the wall, clearing an area for Godric and me to walk forward. Two of his guards were already searching his room, not yet giving the all clear to enter.
My lips trembled in amusement. I stood up on tiptoe to whisper, “They’re just going to stay out here while we do the funky monkey?” Those doors weren’t soundproof.
He peered at each guard before us, some with suspiciously shaking shoulders as if they had heard my whispered comment. He flat out glared with death’s own blade at all of them and ground his teeth together. He finally muttered, “Yes. They won’t leave. These unloyal bastards work for my father, not me.” He cleared his throat. “But I do pay them enough on the side that they’ll keep their mouths shut. This will be between you and me. No one else.”
“Well, I’ll just need to be extra quiet,” I mumbled under my breath.
The guards exited his room and nodded their heads.
Godric led me into his room, shutting the door behind us. He walked straight to the oversized bed in the center of the room, unbuttoning his suit jacket as he went. It dropped on the floor. He turned and leaned a hip against the side of the mattress and started to undo the buttons on his white shirt.
His head tilted to the bed, his blazing eyes on mine. “Are you coming?”
When his shirt hit the floor, and he revealed the torso of a man who knew how to take care of himself—muscles all along that tan flesh—I started unstrapping myself of weapons and nodded.
“Fuck yes.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Godric picked me up next to the bed and slammed my back against the wall. I grunted in pain, but he didn’t apologize. His mouth instantly landed on my tender neck, and he placed a hard kiss on my flesh, his warm, plump lips crushing against my skin. The tip of his nose trailed up to my ear while he inhaled deeply. He hissed, “You smell good enough to devour, pet.”
“Oh, God,” I moaned, pressing my body flush against his. He didn’t smell so bad himself. Wildness and spice, with a hint of cherries. I groaned and tilted my head to the side as his teeth bit my earlobe.
The click of metal had my eyes lowering, to the object he had taken from the back of his pants, as he placed it on the bedside table. I hadn’t noticed any blades on him before, and this item I was unfamiliar with.
I asked, “What’s that?”
“A weapon.” He pulled my t-shirt off over my head. Golden eyes flared on the soft mounds of flesh at the top of my bra. He ran one heated finger against my heaving breasts. A shiver ran down my spine at his hard demand, powerful and sinful. “Don’t touch it.”
I arched against the wall while goose bumps pebbled on my skin. His lone finger rubbed gentle circles on my small cleavage, and I whimpered for more.
My words were breathless. “What kind of weapon?”
“The dangerous kind.” His olive skin rippled with lickable muscles as he lifted me again and tossed me on the bed—away from the unknown weapon. Golden eyes full of heat burned into my exposed skin while I scooted to the center of the bed. He yanked off one of my sneakers and then the other. Godric licked his bottom lip, his gaze lingering between my thighs. “Are you protected from pregnancy, pet?”
I nodded and lifted my silver bracelet in front of my face. With a simple punch of a code, it scanned my body while he pulled my socks from my feet.
I tilted my arm in his direction so he could view the readout. “No diseases. And I’m set for six more months on birth control.”
He stopped unzipping my pants to type in a code on his own silver bracelet. The readout he showed indicated he was free of all diseases too. “No condoms then?”
“No condoms,” I agreed.
Skin on skin was a wicked indulgence.
Godric leaned down and placed his strong arms on either side of my body. He bit the waistline of my pants and peered up with the navy material still between his teeth.
My breath caught. This man wanted to consume me. So much desire radiated off him, in waves of heat, that I lifted my hips just to be closer to his warmth.
He tugged the material with his white teeth before releasing it and licking along my waistline just above my pants, his pink tongue appearing between his red lips.
“In the bar, you said you only had a few hours. How many?” Godric questioned.
“Maybe two.” I wiggled beneath him. I unhooked my bra and let it fall off the side of the bed. “Maybe less.”
“Let’s make the best of it then,” Godric purred.
There was a slight draft coming from the air conditioner overhead, but the cool air would feel wonderful in just a few minutes. His muscles clenched as he pulled my pants down, my panties going with them. They were tossed aside, and I was naked before him.
Godric rose to his knees on the bed and gradually unbuckled his black belt. Hungry golden eyes stared down at my skin, eating up every secret spot on my body. His lips curved up at the edges, a hint of sensual delight. He was enjoying the view as he unbuttoned and unzipped his dress slacks.
I grinned in appreciation and sat up, pressing my palms to his chest. His warm pecs were dark compared to my porcelain skin. The pads of my fingers dipped over his hardened muscles; they were glorious and lethal, pure power all in one man. I
peered up into his eyes as I played with one of his tiny brown nipples.
I whispered with honesty, “You are gorgeous.”
He pressed his lips lightly on my forehead, before removing the rest of his clothing. “The same could be said for you.”
I wasn’t prepared when he placed his right hand on the center of my chest and shoved me back flat on the bed. A shocked grunt escaped, and I stared at him wide-eyed. But he was already dipping his head to my breasts. He may have been right. He may be too much for me.
Except the man had a fantastic tongue. Godric’s mouth captured my left breast and sucked without remorse while one of his hands cupped my right one. His mouth and tongue tortured me on one side, and on the other, he was gentle and careful as he molded my flesh. His resulting groan had my eyes rolling up in my head, the cadence of his voice just as stimulating.
My hands lifted and my fingers threaded through his tawny hair. It was soft but not as soft as mine. Each fine strand had a coarseness to it that matched this man’s wicked ways. I hissed as his teeth latched onto my nipple with enough bite to make my muscles clench. Then he ran his pink tongue over the sting and sucked my nipple softly into his mouth.
I spread my legs and wrapped them around his body as his mouth traveled south down my stomach. His tongue circled my belly button three times before he nipped at the soft skin there. I giggled from the touch, a ticklish spot, and he fluttered his fingers over it while his face dipped between my thighs. I was stuck between wiggling and laughing or tossing my head back in a pleasured shout.
It came out as a choked groan, loud and long.
He snickered gently.
I smacked his forehead softly. “Mean.”
“More than you know,” he whispered.
Then his sinful mouth was on my core, and I couldn’t speak any longer. No complaints passed my lips. Every lap of his tongue, each moan rumbled from his chest, every flick of his finger against my clit elicited a shouting, shivering mess.
So much for being quiet.
His large, strong hands gripped my thighs and held them apart with ease when my legs clamped down on the sides of his head. My fingers clenched his hair, but he didn’t care. He only groaned more fiercely when I yanked his face closer, tightening my grip even further on his tawny curls.
Trigger (Origin Book 1) Page 2