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She swallowed hard and nodded, still looking out the window.
I let out a harsh laugh. “You don’t need to be so worried.”
“Of course, I’m worried,” she said in a whisper. “We formed a truce, but I didn’t go into it with one hundred percent honesty.”
I clicked off my phone, the email response saved as a draft for later. “It’s okay, Talia. I was waiting for the right time to bring it up.”
It was Talia’s turn to scoff. “And you thought dying on your front porch step was that time?”
She turned from the window to meet my gaze. With her features hidden in shadow, she looked ethereal. I wanted to pull her close and promise nothing out there would touch us. But that wasn’t true. Not yet. Instead, I captured one of her hands in mine.
“I almost lost you,” she confessed in a broken whisper.
“But you didn’t,” I said with vehemence, hoping it would chase the lingering ghosts from her features.
“I feel like I still could.”
“Talia.” I reached out with my other hand and trailed my fingers along her throat. Her eyelids fluttered shut, and her breathing became stilted. I wanted to promise her nothing would happen to us...but that would be a lie. All that we had was the here and now.
Her fear was understandable. I’d almost lost her to Iryna. I knew my sister had only been looking out for my best interests when she tried tomake me a widower, and it was because of this deep-seated loyalty that I could never hate Iryna, but until things were sorted out between us, I had to put distance between the two. I was a greedy bastard; I had no intention of losing either of these women at the hands of the other.
“You look stunning tonight,” I murmured, releasing her hand and returning mine to my lap.
Talia gave me a small smile. “Thank you.”
The town car pulled up at the front gate of the villa. The security staff stationed out front was a blatant reminder of how formidable my villa was compared to my cousin’s home. I made a mental note to remedy the situation. The firm I used was one of the best in the nation, definitely the superior choice on the West Coast. It would cost a hefty sum because Adrian lived in an apartment complex, but you couldn’t place a price on safety.
As the car drove up, I sent a string of communications to Jakob, asking him to call me at his earliest convenience. Although it wasn’t office hours, the security tycoon would get back to me at some point during the night, and after shooting a glance at my wife, I sent him another message, asking him to get back to me after midnight. That would give me an hour before being interrupted.
The car stopped at the front of the house, and Philip came around to open Talia’s door. Utter relief to be home, as well as a sense of urgency to take my wife, filled me. I turned to watch her as she exited the vehicle. She moved slowly, almost stiffly. I wasn’t looking directly at her face, so I couldn’t be sure that Talia winced.It could be the dress...or shoes.But those things had never bothered her before....
With a grunt, I pulled myself from my seat and exited the car. Turning, I faced her over the hood of the vehicle. But by the time she looked at me, a serene smile was on her bloodred lips. They were full and sensual, and I immediately pictured how damn good they would look sliding around the girth of my cock.
“Get upstairs,” I growled. I must have imagined her discomfort, or maybe it was a projection of my own physical pain?
Talia paused, making no secret of looking me up and down. “The banishment to my room is over?”
“It was never supposed to happen.” I closed the distance between us. Even in her skyscraper shoes, I loomed over her. “You were told that you belonged in my bed and nowhere else. So why has it been empty?”
Talia arched a brow. “Do you really want the answers to that question?”
“When I give an order, I expect to be obeyed.” At the serious tone of my voice, a shiver raced over her skin. It sent a stab of lust straight through me.
Talia pulled away, not breaking eye contact as she masterfully sidled up the stairs, her fingers tightly gripping her skirt. I waited until she pushed through the front door before I began to prowl after her. She didn’t necessarily run, but her pace hastened as she crossed the distance of the foyer to the stairs. At the top, she didn’t make the mistake of turning down the breezeway to go to the guest suites, and I caught her small look of satisfaction as I, too, began to climb the stairs after her. No doubt she also caught the look of pure hunger I could feel etched on my face.
Mercifully, she didn’t see me stop and run a hand over my forehead after climbing two thirds of the stairs. My molars ground so hard together I thought they might break as I chastised myself with each inhale. This was not how a man was supposed to act. Perhaps a weak-ass beta, yes, but a real man didn’t let things like gunshot wounds keep him from bedding his woman.
However, while my ideals might be set one way, my body didn’t give two shits about my philosophies.
By the time I got to my room, a trail of clothing and shoes led from the door all the way to the bed. A very naked Talia had draped herself over the comforter, and she lay on her stomach with her head held in the palm of one hand as she watched me enter. I forgot how to breathe. Her legs were crossed behind her, swinging in the air, and my gaze latched onto the firm ridges and slopes of her muscular legs before traveling up the tight curves of her ass. That sculpted mound was begging to be touched, and I couldn’t wait to explore her most intimate places.
“Your turn,” she whispered.
With a harsh yank, my bow tie fluttered to the floor. The jacket dropped next. My pulse increased, and I ripped my tuxedo shirt open, the buttons popping off. I kicked off my shoes next. Using my toes, I tugged down my socks so I didn’t have to bend; I couldn’t let Talia see how much I was struggling with the limitations of my body.
When my slacks hit the floor, Talia unabashedly dropped her gaze and ran the tip of her tongue over her lips. My dick strained in a rigid salute. I knew what I wanted. In two steps, I crossed the distance and threaded my hands through her thick, dark hair. I pulled her head back, firmly enough to let her know who was in charge, and guided the tip of my cock between her plush lips.
Talia moaned, eyelids fluttering down. I rocked my hips forward, forcing my length deep down her throat. She gagged a little but took everything I gave her without complaint.
