"Pull them down," the voice commanded.
Looking back down his heaving chest, Gideon watched in tortured fascination as Jade pushed his pants carefully past his black boxer briefs until they bunched on the floor around his ankles. Straightening back up, her hazel stare dropped to the bulge in his shorts.
Fucking hell. It wasn't supposed to be like this.
Gideon willed himself, begged even, for his dick to calm down. It ignored him. He could feel her gaze settle over him like a goddamn caress and his dick loved every minute of it. His chest and abs tightened at the inspection as if his body was preening for her. Kill him now, God, just kill him the fuck now.
"Now Gideon, undress your sister," and this time, Gideon could hear the mocking tone at the word sister.
Her tiny sound of dismay was like water to boiling oil. Snapping his gaze to hers, Gideon could feel something dark and a little cruel wrap around his heart as he stepped easily out of his bunched pants. Oh yes, he would undress her all right. And he would let his eyes linger on every fucking bit of her just as she did him.
Without preamble, he stepped forward and reached for her shirt. Jade jumped, and the sudden determination that overtook him vanished.
Holding up her hand to him, Jade backed away, bumping into the nightstand behind her shaking her head. "I-I can't," she stuttered. "I don't want Gideon to have to do this. Please, there must be some other-"
Her words stopped, and Gideon frowned as her head tilted ever so slightly to the side. Was the man talking directly to her now? Angry Gideon stepped forward, closing the gap between them, ready to reach out and take one of her earbuds. He didn't want that bastard talking to her.
"I understand," Jade nodded, and her shoulders sagged in defeat.
"What the hell did you say to her?!" Gideon demanded.
"I just reminded her of our deal," the man spoke again. "Now, continue."
Gideon was still trying to process the situation when Jade grabbed both of his hands. Gently, she led his hands to the center of her shirt where the buttons of the top began between her breasts and dropped her hands away. Gideon's mind immediately went blank.
For a moment, neither one of them moved. Their eyes were locked on one another's, and Gideon prayed she could see the silent apology in his. Moving his fingers slowly, he began to unbutton her top. Each button felt like a beat of a drum in his chest. Five buttons fell away, one by one, until her shirt draped open, revealing a pink bra underneath.
God help him.
Gideon could feel himself begin to sink under the tide of his desire and could feel the part of him he held deep down inside of him for so many years begin to surface. His hands began to steady themselves, losing their nervous shaking as he carefully pushed the material off her shoulders and down her arms to fall to the ground. Blinking slowly, he took in her rapid breaths and burning skin, and heaven help him, he savored it.
"Now her pants," the voice instructed.
But the command was unnecessary, Gideon was already reaching for the drawstring of her pants and pulling it free from the little bow she placed earlier. Carefully, he let his hands flatten over her skin as he traced every contour of her body, pushing the fabric down to the floor. Standing up straight, Gideon lingered on every detail. She looked like something out of a book standing there in that mask. A forest goddess come to drive him insane. The strong curves of her calves, the ampleness of her thighs, and the small scrap of pink and purple fabric hiding her most delicate spot from him, all of it were aids to his growing madness.
Nervously, her hands tried to cover her stomach, and Gideon found himself fighting the urge to snatch her hands away. No, her stomach wasn't perfectly flat, but it was fucking beautiful. Everything about her was. He didn't need to look down at his dick to know its straining condition. He could see by the way her breathing increased, and her eyes kept drifting downward that she was just as aware.
"And her bra," the voice added.
Gideon ignored Jade's whimper at the decree. He was too far gone. If that piece of shit told him to rip the remainder of her underwear off with his teeth, Lord help him, Gideon would. He would do it, and fucking love it.
Stepping forward, Gideon encircled his arms around her.
"Gideon please," she whispered, and he groaned.
He wasn't sure what she wanted. His hands paused on the clasp of her bra, and he looked down at her. That was a mistake.
Teary filled eyes pleaded back at him. Grasping her gently by the shoulders, he felt his body move on instinct, pressing himself to her, his one purpose changed as he lowered his lips to hers.
"Do. Not," the voice thundered evenly over both of their earbuds.
Barely a breath away, their lips paused. The exquisite yearning between them suspended in torture.
"Take off her bra," the man repeated.
Grinding his teeth, Gideon straightened stiffly and reached around her again. Finding the clasp, he undid it with ease, and reality came crashing back into place. Stepping back, Gideon swallowed and watched as Jade crossed her arms, holding the bra in place. Knowing what needed to be done and hating himself for wanting it like a drowning man needing air, Gideon reached for one of the pink straps and pulled. Slowly, Jade complied, straightening her arms, giving the bra a clear pathway to follow before falling to the floor.
All coherent thoughts evaporated from Gideon's mind.
"Taste them."
And in that moment, Gideon knew no sweeter words had ever been said.
Faster than she could react, Gideon grabbed her around the waist and held her steady as he lowered his head to her breast. Clamping his mouth around the delicate bud, his body roared to life as her cry rang out in the room. Easily, he lifted her off the ground, giving himself better access as he rolled the stiff peak across his tongue. It. Was. Glorious. It was everything he fucking dreamed.
Jade fought his hold, one of her fists pushing fruitlessly against his shoulder. By God, he didn't care, he thought. All he could focus on was the sweet swell of her warm breast pressed against his nose, and the beautiful sounds she made with each flick of his tongue.
With a noisy, wet pop, he released her reddened nipple, and he felt her sag in his hold in relief, but fuck if he was done. Shifting her weight against him, he ran his nose and lips over the curve of her other breast in warning staring at the dusky velvet peak he had every intention of devouring.
"No, Gideon," she moaned breathlessly, but he could feel her hands tangle in his hair, urging him forward. He nearly came then and there. The front of his shorts was already moist with his precum. He was on the edge, and she hadn't even touched him yet.
Taking the nipple in his mouth, they both released a groan.
"Use your teeth," the voice in his ear commanded thickly.
Gideon obeyed, laving the firm bud in his mouth one last time with his tongue before gently taking it between his teeth.
Her cry finished him.
"Fucking hell," he grated out, her nipple still between his lips. With a deep, shaking groan Gideon let her slide to the floor, grunting as her thighs rubbed across the moist fabric of his shorts and the surface of his sensitive dick.
Looking down at her, Gideon felt his dick swell again at the sight. With an arm around her back, he was keeping her upright. With her back bowed and bare breasts pushed high into the air like an offering, Jade looked up at him through her golden mask with an exhausted, dazed expression. He wanted her more than anything. He wanted to lay her on the bed and slowly work her body into an exhaustion she had never known.
"Kiss her," the voice instructed again.
And Gideon complied. Tightening the arm at her back, Gideon pulled her warm, soft body closer and angled his head catching her lips to his. Her satisfied moan thrummed through his lips and rippled throughout his body in encouragement. Opening his mouth, he gently pulled her lips apart and slipped his tongue inside. Everything and nothing mattered all at once. Gideon didn't care if the man watched as Jade's hands
clasped around his neck. He didn't care about the deal they made or the trouble they were facing as her leg came up, and his hand caught her by the knee. All he could focus on was her warm wet center pressing against his damp shorts and grinding against the ridge of painful erection.
"Jade," he whispered, pushing her against the bed and allowing his body to follow. He would have her here and now.
"That's enough," the voice came again. "Separate, or I'll have Dominic come in and happily do it for you."
Jade stiffened. Pulling from her lips, Gideon looked back at her hazel eyes and could see that some of the haze of desire fading as the reality of their predicament pressed itself back upon them.
Cursing under his breath, Gideon pushed himself shakily off of the bed and stood before pulling her up to stand next to him. Covering herself with her hands, Jade looked around for her clothes. Anger flooded through him as he reached down and snatched up his shirt. Not anger, he realized as he turned to her and roughly stretched the hole of his shirt wide enough to fit over her masked head, shame was what he felt. Shame so deep and pervasive, he was shaking with it. Tugging the shirt over her head and down around her, Gideon ignored her searching gaze and turned from her.
"Installment one is finished. Tomorrow installment two," the man's satisfied smile was audible before the line disconnected with a beep.
Chapter 15
Laying on the far side of the bed facing the wall, Jade listened to the sound of the bathroom door opening behind her. Ever since they left the other room, Gideon had not spoken to her. The hard edge of his jaw and the glint of rage in his eyes made any words she attempted to speak dry up on her tongue. The last time she had seen him this angry, he had four officers between him and Ron.
Shutting her eyes, Jade felt her tears roll down her face and into the pillow beneath her head. What had happened seemed like a dream turned nightmare. The voice in their ears had been merciless and twisted. He demanded things she had only ever dreamed of, and for a moment, she thought that despite the depraved path it took, she could have savored the outcome. She was wrong.
Despite the hunger she had witnessed in Gideon's eyes and the depth of his soul rendering kiss, he had come away from the room, pulling her in tow in stony silence. His simmering anger had reverberated off his partially nude frame like thunder across an empty sky. Letting go of her hand, he had walked directly into the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind him. Jade had felt every shred of hope inside of her die at once. He hadn't wanted her. All the signs she had thought she read correctly were wrong. Curling tighter into a ball, she lay very still under the covers, still only wearing her panties and Gideon's shirt. Sometime later, she heard the bathroom door open, and she felt the bed depress to her left, and Gideon's weight sink into the mattress beside her.
The silence in the room was overwhelming, and each second that crawled by felt like the score of claws across her heart.
Beside her, the bed shifted, and Jade held her breath as she felt a hovering heat at her shoulder. Without turning, without opening her eyes, she could sense his hesitant hand hover just inches above her shoulder suspended in the air. Please touch me, she begged silently in her mind. Please.
The hovering heat vanished, leaving her cold and more alone than she had ever felt in her life.
"I'm sorry, Jade," Gideon whispered into the air. "I'm sorry I fucked up and got us in this."
Taking a deep breath, she wiped her teary face and made her voice sound as normal as possible. "It's fine," she managed to say.
"No, it's not," he breathed, shifting in the bed, and Jade bit her lip to push back the unbearable sob building in her throat. She realized he had turned away from her, his back facing her like mirror opposites on either side of the bed.
It felt like a small eternity before she finally heard Gideon's breathing even out, signaling he was asleep. Sliding from the bed with cat-like silence, she padded around the room, picking up a handful of clothes along the way before slipping out of the room's double doors. Dashing across the suite to the other bedroom, Jade closed the doors. Finding her discarded bra still lying on the floor where Gideon had let it fall earlier, she did her best to ignore the pain in her heart and quickly got dressed. Coming back out of the room, she grabbed the few things she thought she would need and opened the door, and stepped out into the brightly lit hallway.
The hotel felt eerily quiet as she walked towards the elevator and called it up. With a ding that felt way too loud in the silence, Jade looked nervously back towards their room door, half expecting to see Gideon burst out at any moment. Getting on the elevator, she sighed in relief as the doors closed, and it began to take her down to the lobby.
Unlike before, the black and gilded first floor was like a ghostly shadow of its daytime self. She could hear the occasional sound of the noisy slot machines working in the distance, telling her some poor addicted soul was still playing even at this early hour. Turning left instead of right, she headed towards the empty hallway that led her past the bathrooms and towards the hotel's event space. Big black double doors edged in gold-lined the hallway on either side, each door held a numbered gold metal plate reading meeting room one, two, and so forth until it stopped at meeting room ten. At the end of the hall sitting on a gold mirrored table, was a courtesy phone. She had seen it earlier that day when she and Gideon had taken a wrong turn trying to find the elevators.
Stopping in front of the phone, she stared down at it. She could call the police anonymously, she thought, trying to play the scenario out in her mind. She could tell them she and Gideon had been taken hostage and blackmailed. No, she bit her lip in frustration, that would not work. They would probably only send one officer or detective maybe, and they would ask them questions, embarrassing and incriminating questions. Maybe a bomb scare? Maybe during all the commotion, she and Gideon could escape. But that would do nothing to stop the blonde man, Dimitri, from posting the video of her or calling the police on Gideon.
Feeling at a loss, Jade hung her head a little. There was only one other thing she could do, something she had toyed with in the back of her mind as she had lay in bed waiting for Gideon to fall asleep. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the phone that wasn't hers and one of the earbuds. Placing it in her ear, she hit the redial button.
The line ringed once.
"Yes, Jade," the familiar accented voice answered at once, and her stomach twisted a little in panic.
Not expecting him to answer so fast, she nearly stumbled over her words. "I w-wanted to speak to you—alone," she quickly added. "I'm sorry to wake you, but—"
"I hardly ever sleep, you did not wake me," the man said, and she could hear the heavy sigh of bitterness to his words before returning to his usual wry tone. "Come and speak with me, just follow Dominic he will escort you."
The line clicked in release before she could ask where Dominic was. Frowning, she turned around to go back down to the main hallway and gasped. Standing silently at the end of the hall like a giant sentry, Dominic's hulking figure stared back at her.
Her instincts told her to run, but she ignored them, and she forced herself to take a step and then another until she was within reaching distance of the behemoth. Without thought, her eyes trailed over the man's form. His suit jacket was gone leaving him wearing only the black slacks and a white button-down shirt that fit him like spandex. Muscles bulged everywhere on him, and she could see the faint dark markings of tattoos pressing against the white shirt, telling her that underneath that, his body was a canvas of design.
Nervously, she forced herself to make eye contact with the man. Instead of the hostility she expected, or the cold hardness of a criminal, soft brown eyes stared down at her with silent patience, and Jade immediately felt a tiny fraction of her defenses weaken. Something pitiful and weak in her wanted to hug the man. There was an odd sense of comfort radiating from his big form that called to her. It was pathetic how desperately she wanted to be held and told everything would be all righ
t.
Swallowing, she offered him a weak smile and followed him as he turned and led her to the elevators. Taking the elevator only two floors up, she followed the silent giant down a series of hallways until they stopped at an unmarked door.
Reaching past her, Dominic swiped a card he held within his palm and pushed open the door. Inside, the room was designed a lot like their room in grays, blacks, whites, and occasional pops of color. Walking with her to the edge of the foyer, Dominic stopped with her as her eyes scanned the huge living room. Twice the size of their suite's living area, this room had two gray sectionals that overlooked a wall of windows staring out at a glittering infinity pool. Sitting in one of the sectionals in front of a coffee table strewn with papers, Dimitri sat with one arm slung across the back of the couch and some papers in one hand.
Seeing her, he looked up from his papers and smiled, lifting one arm in greeting. "Welcome, Jade."
A Love So Wrong: A Forbidden Romance Page 21