Page 53 of Vow of Revenge
Standing on tip toes, I lifted to his mouth and waited for a beat. Light wisps of air left his nose. The heat of each shallow exhale was the only thing separating our lips. My mouth met his with a gentle delicate pressure – the aim to test his restraint. Tracing the seam of his lips with the tip of my tongue, I felt the swell of my own arousal burn between my legs. He froze. His back went rigid and his muscles tensed like he was readying himself to take flight. My tongue skated inside, mingling coffee with peppermint in a teasing display. He suddenly let out a long puff of air like he was surrendering himself. His hands fell between us and landed on my hips, tugging me forcefully into him.
I kept the slow seductive torture at a leisurely pace, pulling back a little when it felt like he was trying to take control. What he couldn’t do with his mouth, he did with his fingers, digging them into me with an unyielding grip. He held me so close to his groin that I could feel the energy vibrate from him and echo through my core.
I could’ve clung to his lips all evening and not let him leave. Instead, I sucked his tongue lightly and dropped down from the balls of my feet. “Goodnight,” I whispered, fully aware he was almost panting.
Kaleb backed up and half turned. “Goodnight,” he said with a low growl and a tight grimace.
The sight of his confident strides made me second guess the sharp rise and fall of his lungs. Was Kaleb truly turned on by just one kiss, or was I just another woman to him? I watched him march outside without looking back. My hand pressed to my stomach to settle the excruciating feeling of loneliness that suddenly took over. I looked down to the abandoned paper cup and sighed. He actually brought me coffee.
Irehired the ex-employee to write up my notes and follow through on some research. It only cost a hundred pounds more in her pay packet at the end of each month, so in the grand scheme of things, it was worth it to not have Freya Beaumont working for me. The initial idea had legs, but it tripped up the minute I fell into her restless golden eyes at Glimmer HQ.
Not only did she open the lock to some of the memories in my head, but she was making me feel edgy and pumped too. I couldn’t shake her fucking face from my thoughts. It was overwhelming and even drove me to the heights of stupidity. After I’d taken her in my town car a few days ago, I showed up at her apartment that night with a coffee. What sort of a lame ass move was that? I regretted the decision instantly because she looked so exposed and sensual in a girly camisole and soft casual pants. The way her glossy hair flowed long and loose over the bare skin on her narrow shoulders, how her long lashes batted with wide eyed intrigue, and even how her pale pink lips parted when I shook out the rain from my hair. Now all I could think about were those lips, not just on my dick but all over me. She was messing with my head and that fact alone made me livid.
I’m always the one in control.
How the fuck could I let her kiss me, and why did it turn me on so fucking much? It was like Freya was getting the upper hand – she was getting the better of me.
I’d stayed away from her as long as possible. Although, just because I didn’t contact her, didn’t mean she was absent from my thoughts.
Having been in my home office most of the afternoon with Champ sleeping soundly in his bed by my desk, I called it a day around 5 p.m. It was time to work off some steam in my home gym. To rid the antsy knots knitting my ribs together.
Brett announced that he was going out to see his new bit of fluff, so the night was my own. He’d reneged on our plan to play cards in the usual back street pub we frequented, so I decided to blow the invitation off myself, feeling somewhat unnerved by the new memories floating around in my mind.
I knew Freya was dangerous, and the fact her voice triggered something in my mind made her both a necessity and a threat. The only problem I faced was the burning need to see her pretty little smile from the second I’d opened my eyes this morning. It was like she knew the combination to my past and found something buried deep inside me that I never knew existed.
I jabbed the punching bag solidly, each direct thump released shards of tension and frustration, but it wasn’t enough. An intense longing manifested in the fibres of my being. I wanted to feed off her voice and see if I could remember more. Even though I knew she was the enemy, I needed to see her again – to be with her, in the same room, breathing the same air, watching her pulse race and feeling that uncontrollable desire bolt through me when she says my name in that sexy way that only she does.
Chucking in the towel, I grabbed a shower and retreated to the basement for a whiskey on the rocks, or the whole fucking bottle. This was my home, where I’d made my own memories over the years, and ironically, I was ruminating over Freya - and the fact her ass was forever captured right there on my couch.
Hooking her bracelet around the bottle neck, I sat back and stared at its simple structure and intricate links. How could something so fragile hold so much importance? Why was Freya so different from every other woman I’d met? Champ nudged my arm with his wet nose, sensing my mood fluctuate. With a quick swipe, I took the bracelet into my palm. Her memories were in my hands, and I didn’t want to let them go. I was starting to need her more than I wanted to push her away.
Sliding Champ closer, I felt a contented sigh leave his warm curled up form. No matter what I said or did in life, the dog loved me. He welcomed me home every day with kisses and a wagging tail. Unconditional love. No judgement.
With my palm on his soft head, I slammed another whiskey and cursed myself for letting Freya consume me. Closing my eyes, I let the unknown woman’s recognisable words replay in my head like an endless summer – warm and familiar. It was a comfort to lay down in the welcoming new memory and absorb the syllables and meaning. I hoped for more, only they didn’t transpire.
The hours dwindled and a few whiskey’s later I was lost in my own mind. Flipping out my laptop, I paused, hovering over the send button. I could’ve sent Freya another email — I considered it, but if she didn’t answer, I would just end up at her place again.
She was the key to my fractured memories, and I was hooked.
Alight tap on my door, startled me from sleep. It was a blessing really, because Kaleb was kissing me, and I was loving every heated second of it.
“Yeah?” I sat up on elbows and waited for Syrah to slink in, but then she never knocked unless we had a visitor. “Brett, is that you?” He’d been staying at our place most nights.
Silence.
A sudden chill rocketed over my sleepy skin.
The door flung open.
Kaleb De Courcy stood in my doorway wearing loose black sweatpants and a tight tee. His inky hair draped in parts over his forehead, dreamy blue eyes gathered up every inch of my bare legs.
I bit down a nervous smile. “Can I help you? How did you get in?” I said softly, fiddling with the messy strands of hair that hung over my face.
He strode into the room and sank down on the edge of the bed. “Brett let me in.” He shrugged. There was a softness to his usual tight muscles, like being in my room gave him gratification. A flash of something unknown lurked behind his eyes. “I went to your office to save you from, Lynn, and to ask if you would do some work for me.” His eyes lowered to my heaving chest. “On reflection, it wasn’t right to think you could work for me. I since filled the position with the previous girl.”
My toes curled into knots. “I see. And this new girl…” I paused. “Will she be taking trips in your town car too?”
His eyebrows pinched together, and I wondered if she’d already enjoy the experience. “Doubtful,” he replied flatly.
