Dubious (The Loan Shark Duet 1)

Gabriel stands stark naked and hard in front of me. His scarred body is terrifying in its brutal beauty. The marks on his foot and knee don’t diminish his physical perfection. To me, they add to his appeal, making him breathtakingly perfect in a broken kind of way. Is it the warped attractiveness of imperfection, or is a part of me is just attracted to everything that’s dark and destructive?

Flashing me his rock-hard ass, he walks to the deep end and dives. Water splashes onto the side, the sound reminding me of holidays and stress-free times long gone.

“Come on,” he calls. “The water’s good.”

It’s tempting. It’s been a hot as hell day, and my body feels sticky. I can’t remember the last time I swam.

My gaze travels in the direction of the staff quarters. “Rhett––”

“Rhett won’t come near the house unless I give him an order. Now I’m giving you one. Get in.”

“All right.”

Pulling off my trainers and clothes, I walk to the edge of the pool. The minute our gazes lock, there’s a shift in his. The ice in his eyes makes way for a molten look of heat. Unashamedly, he ogles my breasts and lower. His cock grows enormous under the water. I wish I wasn’t tingling between my legs or that my nipples hadn’t hardened, but I’m as helpless to my reaction as I am to his wordless command when he curls a finger at me. Stepping into the cool water at the shallow end, I leave my guilt and judgment behind. No matter how hard I protest, Gabriel will do whatever he wants. The crazy, unequal power play gives me a measure of absolution.

When I’m up to my waist in the water, he swims to me and grabs a fistful of hair. Pulling my head back to arch my upper body, he latches onto a nipple, and sucks my breast deep into his mouth. I cry out as pain assaults the sensitive tip. Immediately, he pulls back to look at me.

“You usually like that.”

I cup the sore curve. “It’s almost that time of the month. They get overly sensitive.”

He studies my breasts with new interest, taking both into his hands. “They’re bigger.” He jiggles them, making me groan with the discomfort. “And heavier.” His hands move down my sides to my hips, and over my swollen stomach. “When’s your period due?”

“Tomorrow.” I shake a little when I say it. After that, the birth control will be effective, and nothing will prevent him from taking the final step.

He eases up then, setting my body free. “Maybe the water will do you good.”

It does. We swim a few laps and just drift around without talking. By the time we get out, my skin is wrinkled. Gabriel fetches towels from the pool house and covers me with one on a deckchair. For a few blissful moments, I forget my circumstances and simply enjoy the rays of the setting sun on my face. I’ve never been alone with him in the house. There’s less tension when no one else is around.

When it starts to get cool, he carries me inside and lies me down on my bed. Like every night he came to my room, he makes me come. He’s gentle, avoiding my sore breasts and swollen abdomen. Afterward, he lets me take him in my mouth and stays with me for another hour.

Does he hold other women like this? Does he go out to fuck someone after he’s been with me? I’ve never seen another female in the house except for the woman in his study, but that doesn’t mean he’s celibate. Maybe he entertains his women elsewhere to protect Carly. For all I know, he has a girlfriend. Maybe it’s the woman I saw. Maybe he’s fucking her brains out every night after he leaves my room. Our silence is no longer amiable.

I can’t help myself from asking, “Are you sleeping with someone?”

His chest vibrates against my back with a chuckle. “Does it matter?”

If the ache in my ribs is anything to go by, yes, it does, but I’d die before admitting it. “Just wondering.” Hell, I don’t even sound convincing to myself.

“Her name is Helga.”

Humph. It’s like he punches the wind out of me with a fist in the stomach. I wanted to know, and now I regret asking. I especially don’t want to know her name. Pain lances at me from all directions, rendering me vulnerable. Jealousy mounts in my chest.

“She’s the woman you saw in my study. That’s what you’re really asking, isn’t it?”

Now that it’s out, I may as well go the full nine yards and let myself hurt thoroughly. Maybe the ache will dampen my need for Gabriel. “Did you sleep with her?”

“Yes.” After a moment, he continues, “But I haven’t fucked her since you arrived.”