Taken (Dark Desires 1)

“Mmmm…So you did pull some strings.”

He smiled and pulled one of the chairs out so that I could sit. “Just a few.”

I rolled my eyes playfully but settled in the seat, looking up at him. “This has been really nice. It’s better than I expected.”

“I’m glad I could exceed your expectations.” He poured us both a glass of wine and sat down as well, holding a glass up.

I clinked mine against his before taking a long drink of the sweet, pungent liquid. This was good wine. “So, what is with this whole playboy persona, huh? I mean, when I told Miguel about it, the first thing he told me was to beware of the big bad wolf. He said you were going to try and seduce me and then run off.”

“He wasn’t wrong to warn you. That is my calling card around town.”

“Why?”

He glanced up at me and sighed, sipping his glass. We were both already tipsy from the drinks we’d had earlier in the night and our lips were already loose. I figured now would be the best time to really get to know him.

Jami sighed and leaned back in the wrought iron chair, inspecting the drink in his hand. “Why? That’s a good question,” he mused. He set the glass down and looked at me for a moment. “Because I never wanted to get attached. I didn’t want to end up in a situation where I’d fallen in love with someone only to realize they didn’t want anything other than my money,” he said bitterly.

The words had a whole lot of hurt behind them. I could practically feel the pain pulsing through him. He’d been hurt before and I couldn’t even blame him for keeping people at arm’s length. I’d never, and probably would never, have the kind of money he had. I’d never worried about people using me for my money.

“That makes sense.”

He turned to look at me, slightly surprised. “Really?”

“Yeah. I’ve never been in your situation, so I’ve never really thought of that scenario before, but it makes sense.”

He paused and glanced at me, sighing. “Most people lecture me and tell me that I shouldn’t be so cynical.”

“Well, you know what you’re doing. You know how to protect yourself. When someone you think is worth it comes around, you’ll make the right decision.” I offered him a smile and tapped on the rim of my glass.

He poured me more wine without question, topping off his own glass. “Since we’re getting to know each other…Why did you spend so much time abroad? Don’t you have family in the states?”

I stiffened a little and took a long drink from my glass, nearly draining half of it before setting it down, grunting softly. “Yeah. I have family in the states,” I murmured.

“It just seems hard to stay away from your family for that long.”

I sighed and closed my eyes, shaking my head slowly. “it’s not really that hard when you don’t get along with them.”

He seemed to realize the conversation had gotten tense and cleared his throat. I was happy we seemed to understand where each other’s boundaries were. I set my glass down and turned towards him, scooting my chair closer so that I could rest my head on his shoulder. My heart was beating just a little too fast, but I didn’t care. I was drunk enough to ignore all the warnings in my head. I knew I shouldn’t have opened my mouth. I shouldn’t have asked him about his past and I shouldn’t have told him about mine. Those were my first two mistakes.

I sighed a little and closed my eyes “Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For taking me out. I’ve had a really nice time.”

He hesitated, but gently wrapped his arms around my shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. We looked out onto the balcony together and I smiled as fireworks wound their way through the sky, exploding above our heads. It took my breath away and I leaned against him, my eyes closed. He was warm and the breeze was cool.

I looked up at him and saw the reflection of the fireworks in his eyes. I was unable to ignore it and sat up, pressing my lips to his in a long, needy kiss. He moaned and cupped my cheeks, pulling me close. It wasn’t as passionate or desperate as the kiss we’d shared in the kitchen, but it was just as electric. Goose bumps rose on my arms and when we parted, my cheeks were flushed. My lips parted and I whispered the words that had been stuck in my throat.

“Take me home?”

Jami

We stumbled through the front door of her small, but well-kept apartment, unable to keep our hands off each other. Her finger roamed my body, pausing at my waist to hastily undo my pants. Every single movement screamed of desperation. She wanted me, and I wanted her just as badly. I couldn’t ever remember wanting someone like this.

By the time, we reached the bedroom, we’d left a trail of abandoned

clothes that led to the queen-sized bed pushed up against the blush colored walls. Her knees hit the back of the bedframe and we tumbled into impossibly soft sheets, our arms wrapped around each other as our lips crashed together for the hundredth time that night. We hadn’t stopped kissing since we’d left the restaurant and it still hadn’t gotten boring. I could have done this all night long, but there were things I wanted even more.