“Good morning,” he whispered.
Sleep had restored some of the radiance to her eyes. The skin under them was no longer drawn or bruised. She smiled. “Good morning. Did you know you’re entirely too beautiful for a man?”
“Should I pay someone to break my nose?”
“I’m sure you could find someone willing to do it for free,” she teased and yipped when he rolled on top of her.
Her body was a soft sanctuary for his. He kissed her sweetly. Against her mouth he whispered, “Is that so?”
She giggled, her lips curving under his. “But anyone who’d want to hurt you wouldn’t really know you. I know you Lucian Patras, and you’re nothing like the hard-ass you pretend to be.”
He stilled, schooling his playful behavior. “Don’t be so sure, Evelyn,” he said with total gravity. “I take care of the people I love, but those who betray me live to regret it. I didn’t come this far by being easily maneuvered. Never doubt I’m in complete control of myself and those around me.”
He regretted his words as a bit of the lightheartedness washed from her eyes. Her days had been wrought with hardship and he wanted to take away the pain. He softened his disposition and pinned her arms above her head with nowhere to move as his body boxed her in. He ran a thumb over the crest of her soft cheek.
“You don’t intimidate me, Lucian,” she whispered brazenly.
“Well, that’s good. I don’t want to intimidate you. I want to master you, love you so thoroughly, know you completely, in a way no one else ever has, and that doesn’t happen when one feels threatened, coerced, or intimidated. I’d say we’re making progress.”
When her silver eyes moved as if calculating some in-depth equation, he knew she was overthinking things. He wished he could read her thoughts.
“What’re you thinking?” he asked.
“I’m wondering, now that you have me here, what you are going to do with me.”
His cheek pulled and his lips twitch as he fought a smile. He moved his knees between hers and nudged her body open. Heat from between her thighs scorched him. His erection fell heavily onto her soft tummy. He pressed his hips seductively and she arched into his suggestive hold.
“I believe I’m going to fuck you and you’re going to let me.”
Her lashes lowered and her gray eyes deepened with darker hues of blue. Her hands began to reach for him, but he pinned them to the pillows again. Uncertainty momentarily flashed in those stormy eyes.
“I want you, Evelyn, and I want you to let me take you. When I want, how I want, you are to be mine. Do you call checkmate?”
Her mouth formed the word no. Blood surged to his cock as her head shook slowly. She was his, and he was never letting her go.
Unbidden, thoughts of her friend Parker came to mind. Lucian had given him his word and his word was something he always kept. He shook off the thought. He’d move on, forget about the promise he made. If Parker kept the job, good for him, he’d meet new people and realize there were other fish in the sea. If he lost the job, which he suspected he would—good work ethic was not something beggars usually possessed—then the opportunity would pass him by and he’d be nothing more than a memory. Evelyn was his, and he was a very possessive man.
Ducking low, Lucian took one soft nipple into his mouth and sucked it hard. Her belly pressed into his as her spine arched and she moaned softly. He treated the twin nipple with the same force, taking pride in the wet marks his mouth left over her tender flesh.
Her body curved and stretched in his tight hold. She needed to move and was growing frustrated with his restraint. She needed to learn self-discipline when it came to submitting. Even though her strong will sometimes amused him, and he adored her feisty little spirit, respected it, submission was a beautiful display of inner strength and he wanted to teach her.
“Don’t move your arms, Evelyn.”
He dragged his hips lower. Her arousal glazed his cock and he nudged between her soft folds, careful not to penetrate. He probed her clit as she jerked and sighed.
“I want to show you every form of pleasure two lovers can share when they trust each other. Do you trust me, Evelyn?”
He waited, not wanting to give away how much her answer would mean to him. He had confessed his love and knew, while she didn’t reciprocate his sentiment, her presence in his life again was not meaningless. Love would come, but for the kind of relationship he wanted with Evelyn, trust was necessary.
Reaching down, he turned his wrist and pressed his palm into her clit, his fingers dipping into her honey, and waited. “I trust you, Lucian. More than I probably should.”