“Take it easy, Lia. I don’t know what you’ve ingested. We’re going to the ER.”
“No. Take me home, Shane. You can give me your own special tender loving care,” she pleaded as her hand moved down to his neck and rubbed the top of his chest.
How much was he supposed to withstand? Shane had to remind himself that this wasn’t just any woman; this was his best friend’s sister. Rafe had already been betrayed by one of his best friends. Shane was worried that if he fooled around with Lia, Rafe would never trust anyone again.
“I can’t, Lia. Rafe would kill us both.”
“I really don’t want to hear my brother’s name when I’m picturing you stripping my clothes off,” she replied with a flirtatious giggle.
With tremendous relief, Shane reached his car and carefully placed Lia in the passenger seat. While bending across her to secure her seat belt, she reached out and grabbed his head, catching him off guard and pulling until her lips whispered over his.
Shane tried to pull back, but the sweet taste of Lia’s mouth on his tongue melted his resolve. He pressed harder against her until she let out a cry. Only then did he remember her cut and bruised lip.
“I’m sorry, Lia. That shouldn’t have happened.”
“Much more should happen, Shane. I know you want me, and I — it’s just that my lip is throbbing, and my head is about to explode,” she responded, cringing.
Shane gently shut the door, hoping to minimize the sound, and rushed around to the driver’s side. Jumping into the car, he started the engine and made his way more carefully back down the gravel road. He wanted to get her to the hospital as quickly as possible, but didn’t want the jarring road to make her feel worse.
Halfway down the road, Lia’s hand crept over to his thigh, making him hit the gas too hard and causing him to swerve into a bush before he managed to gain control over the vehicle again.
“If you want us to make it to town in one piece, don’t do that, Lia,” Shane groaned through his tightly locked jaw.
He was worse than slime to be lusting after his best friend’s sister, especially when she was not only hurt, but also obviously drugged. Shane figured there was a special place waiting for him in the depths of hell if he didn’t pull himself together.
He didn’t want to ask, but he needed to know whether the men had done anything other than rip her clothes and slug her in the face. Trying to hold back the bile rising in his throat, he looked over before speaking.
“Lia, did they…um, did I get there in time?” he asked hoarsely, unable to say what he feared.
It took a moment for her to understand, then her eyes widened as she seemed to realize the amount of danger she’d placed herself in.
“Yes, you did, Shane,” she whispered before turning away. The fear in his gut wouldn’t dissipate. What if she was lying to him out of embarrassment?
“You know you can tell me the truth, right?”
When Lia didn’t respond, Shane looked over and found her passed out against his seat. With new urgency, he floored the gas as soon as he was on solid pavement again. He couldn’t reach the hospital fast enough.
Chapter Five
Ari didn’t want to feel the sweet anticipation of what was to come, but she couldn’t control her hormones. She wanted to hate Rafe, she even planned to hate him, but as he opened the door to their suite, all she felt was lust — pure unadulterated lust.
How far she’d fallen from the prim, repressed, bookish female she’d been not a year ago, someone who’d worried that she might be frigid. He’d opened a door that she couldn’t shut no matter how hard she tried, and now it seemed her appetite was insatiable. The clicking of the hotel room door made her jump. They were all alone for the first time since she’d set foot on that jet. Nerves began to take complete mastery over her body as she made her way across the entryway into the huge living room area.
Her tiny apartment wouldn’t fill even a quarter of the space of the giant suite. Ari understood Rafe’s desire to have the best in life, but wasn’t this a bit pretentious for a temporary visit? Sheesh!
Yet the huge windows were calling her name as she made her way across the plush carpet, and she couldn’t contain a gasp at the view. Central Park!
Especially after her mother’s grave injuries and then near-fatal cancer, this was a place Ari had thought she’d see only in the movies. And yet, here she was, almost in touching distance. She noticed a telescope to her right and quickly put the eyepiece over her eye, clueless to what she’d see, but not caring. She just wanted to feel truly in New York City for the first time.
Ari squinted as she peered out at the park and to her delight saw a few people strolling down the walk, several couples walking hand in hand, and a group of kids with glow sticks all over their clothes performing a dance. She wanted to run down the stairs and join in, but she knew there was no way Rafe was leaving the room now.
*****
Rafe watched with amusement as Ari’s enthusiasm for a city he’d been to numerous times practically leaped off her. She pivoted from one foot to the other, and held on tightly to the telescope as she did her best to see everything at once. After pouring himself a glass of bourbon, he sat on the couch and watched her play with the telescope until she was satisfied with the settings.
He found himself smiling when she gasped over something she’d spotted. What was it that she found so fascinating? She had piqued his curiosity, but he stayed seated. He had big plans for them that night, and he needed to take a few minutes to calm himself.
If he took her too soon, his pleasure would end far too quickly, and he certainly didn’t want that. Considering how well she responded to him, they could play all night and it still wouldn’t be enough. He drank the amber liquid, enjoying the burn as it glided down his throat and entered his bloodstream. But not even the potent liquor was helping him tamp down his raging lust.
His patience was up. He needed to take Ari — and he needed her to know he was in charge from here on out.
“Ari.” He left no doubt by the command in his voice that he wanted, and expected, her attention. Now. Pleasure filled him as she let go of the telescope and slowly turned around, her expressive eyes widening at the unveiled desire in his own.
He had not a single doubt as he watched her quiver before him: she could fight him all she wanted, but in the end she was his to command — and pleasure.
*****
“Come closer.”