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“And erotic art. I see you with oversized paintings on every wall.” I brought the glass to my lips, hating the nervousness.
He moved toward one of the chairs, sitting down and immediately crossing one leg over the other. My thoughts were coming randomly at that point, but I couldn’t help but think he appeared like a king taking his throne, studying one of his servants as she babbled her way through a conversation.
“Please continue. I find this fascinating.” As with everything else about him, he was issuing a command, even if his sensual tone suggested true interest. “Tell me who I am.”
He had no idea how I craved a challenge.
I’d observed him enough times I felt confident in my opinion. “You come from money, likely starting with your father.” I hesitated. “No, earlier than that. Old money that’s been built on over the decades from a thriving family business. You take great pride in the fact you doubled the wealth, perhaps from solid investments such as real estate.”
“As I said, my friend owns this house. I could live in a five hundred square foot apartment in a seedy part of town.” He took a sip of his wine and as with everything else about him, the simple act was lewd, his eyes darkening as he stared at me.
“My observation has nothing to do with the house or the five thousand dollar suit you were in last night. Or even what little the senator told me. I can tell by the way you speak, which indicates a very high level of education. And by the way you carry yourself, the domination you secure whenever you enter a room. That only happens within an affluent background. Then there’s the way you groom yourself, perfectly coiffed as if ready to handle any situation that might come your way. And by the single piece of jewelry you wear.”
Cruz lifted his hand, taking more than a few seconds to twist the ring back and forth on his finger. “A family piece.”
“I’d already made that determination. You wouldn’t be wearing it unless it was.”
“Go on.”
There was a sharp edge to his voice much like the chiseled cut of his jaw, both sexy and intoxicating. “You’re prepared to take the throne of whatever empire you’re already running, which will make you one of the most powerful men in the country.” I was winging it to get a reaction, or perhaps a slip of his tongue in setting the record straight.
“Other than real estate, I must be into something else.”
Shit. That I had no idea about. “Commercial construction but you also do philanthropy work, giving a huge percentage of your earnings to charity.” Was this wishful thinking?
He shifted to the edge of his seat so quickly I almost retreated, and opened his legs wide. I couldn’t help but to notice the huge bulge between his legs, fully aroused from my descriptions of him.
“Come here, Eden.”
I was drawn into his sultry voice once again, involuntarily pressing my finger against my lips as if the action could keep me from embarrassing myself. “I’m enjoying the wine as well as the music.”
As he narrowed his eyes, he took a gulp of his wine before placing the glass on the coffee table. The air in the room suddenly crackled. As he placed his elbows on his knees, steepling his hands, his expression became entirely too possessive. “When I give you a command, you will follow it. That’s the first rule.”
There were rules? Of course there were with a man like Cruz.
I’d pushed his buttons on purpose, but there was something entirely different about the look in his eyes. They weren’t just dangerous, they no longer held amusement as they had before. They were much darker.
Soulless.
The word wasn’t one I liked to use in thinking about him, but it was fitting. Yet I found myself moving closer.
He kept his hands in the same position, those same eyes never blinking. The thick cords on the sides of his neck were bulging more than I’d noticed before. I wasn’t certain whether he was annoyed, or this was part of his game, but the tickling sensations had shifted into sharp vibrations.
As he lifted his head, the expression that he was undressing me with his eyes no longer sufficed. The man was devouring me inch by inch, taking his time to languish in his feast. I was thrown by the imagery fighting my rational thoughts,
Then he took my hand into his and the connection sucked every ounce of breath from my body. “You seem to know me better than friends I’ve had for years, Eden. That’s as surprising as everything else about you, more appealing than you could understand.” He took the wine from my other hand, his actions deliberate as he eased the stem to the table. Then he pulled me between his open legs, rubbing his thumb back and forth across the top of my hand. “And you are quite right about my taste in houses, as well as about the ring that was gifted to me the day I turned eighteen. However, you’re very wrong about my professional endeavors and that of my family.”
“How so?”
As he pulled my fingers to his mouth, rolling my knuckles across his lips, I hated the fact I found it difficult to breathe. He had far too strong of an effect on me, but I was powerless to break the spell.
He narrowed his eyes, concentrating on his evocative actions.
Then without warning, he pulled me into his lap, cupping both sides of my face.
“Because nothing about me is noble or even moral, even less so with my family.”
“Then what does that make you?” My voice was now little more than a whisper.
