Page 6 of Primo DeLuca

“Maya,” I whispered before opening a door and peeking into an office space marked, “Staff Only.” The next three rooms were empty, so I continued my quest to see what was behind the next door.

I prayed I didn’t see my friend engaged in a sexual act. Maya was my girl, but I didn’t want to see that much of her.

This time, I didn’t even bother knocking. I twisted the handle on the door and peeked inside. I inhaled deeply, preparing to call out for Maya. Instead of my friend, I was met with at least ten pairs of intrigued eyes attached to tall, well-built, and very imposing male bodies.

The majority of the men were draped in nice expensive suits, all appeared fit, and the sight of a pistol resting inside one’s exposed shoulder holster screamed danger!

My heart rate shot through the roof, and for the life of me, my damn brain refused to relay the message to my body. Back up, close the door, and run.

The man whose pistol was on display wasn’t a detective, although his probing gaze studied me like one.

“Come in,” a voice called out before my hand and mind connected and produced the action that would have pulled the door back closed.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.” I muttered my shaky words, hoping to walk away in peace but sensed that I was disturbing something of great importance.

The tension in the room was thick enough to stifle my next breath. My muscles clenched so tightly, I half expected my body to snap. The sixth sense I relied on growing up said that this was not a normal group of men and not an ordinary business meeting. Although there were lights on inside the room, they gave off a dim glow as if setting the mood for their discussion.

The big man flashing the pistol stepped away from the group. With his menacing gaze set on me, he rushed in my direction. Stuck, my grip tightened around the door handle. Lips parted, my heartbeat pounded loud in my ears and my quick breaths only managed to make it half way down my throat before rushing back out.

A big hand gripped my arm so firmly, it caused me to wince before I was dragged into the room with my heels scraping the floor. When the door slammed behind me, the hard sound added fuel to my flaming fears and caused prayers to instantly consume my thoughts.

According to the group’s intimidating demeanor and sharp-eyed glares, I was standing in a den of vipers.

“Take your hands off of her,” a strong male voice called out, the sound piercing the air like a violent lightning strike. The strong hand gripping my arm let go, and lifted in surrender. Every other big body inside the room grew as tense as I was rigid.

“Do you know this woman?” another of the men asked, glancing at the tall man cast in shadow due to the light shining at his back. Though I believed he had spoken in my defense, the level of dark terror he gave off made the walls in the large room close in on me.

Why did it appear that everyone, including me, held our breaths while awaiting his answer?

Except for the one standing next to me, the men stood in a wide circle, their gazes bouncing back and forth between me and the man who spoke those forceful words in my defense.

The dark, energetic shadow didn’t answer but reached out a hand. Even from across the room, I didn’t miss that his shadowed hand was unmistakably aimed in my direction, palm up. The sight of him reaching out to me sent terror shrieking through me so forcefully, I trembled.

Based on the humbling behavior of the men surrounding him, he was their leader. I didn’t know this man from Adam but had enough good sense to know I needed to take his hand. I sensed he didn’t offer up goodwill gestures often, if ever. My problem? I didn’t know if I was being rescued or dragged deeper into pure, unfiltered darkness.

I reached out for his hand, and although a light tremble shot through my legs, something about his prolonged gesture suggested I could trust him. It was buried deep in his admiring gaze.

When I stepped close enough to see the other elements reflected in those eyes, genuine sincerity surrounded by danger and intrigue was reflected back to me.

He closed his big, warm hand around mine, and the next thing I knew, I was being drawn into his solid body so rapidly, I lost my breath from the firm impact. The sudden rush of panic, excitement, and intrigue snatched the last remnants of mental strength I had left.

Now, I was cast out in a vast uncharted sea with no mental or physical blankets of strength to protect me. The first knowing signs of reality that hit me wasn’t at all what I expected. The scent coming off this man called to my deeply buried erotic impulses regardless of the situation.

The smell was dark and spicy with a hint of ginger and piney woods and so potent, I inhaled deeply. I managed to get a grip on my senses and snapped my eyes open.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Since my face was positioned so close to his, my eyes a few inches below his, the view reeled me in, putting a death-grip on the little bit of focus I had reclaimed.

My first up-close look at him had me swallowing a big gulp of holy shit! He was as sinfully intriguing as his scent. I felt caught, trapped in muted helplessness. Why wasn’t I scared or was I?

The sharp breath I gulped down gave me enough strength to lift my eyes again, but I refused to by-pass the sexy lines of his lips. My curious gaze traced along the curves of those lips that formed their own language of seduction without a single syllable passing through them.

My gaze swept over his thick, dark beard and kept going down and back up until I found deep-set penetrating gray eyes with the ability to hold me captive. His eyes remained locked on mine, and call me crazy, but there was a sense of knowing lingering in them.

Who was this? Why was he holding me like we were acquainted? Why was he staring me down with that big smile in his eyes that didn’t touch his lips?

I had no choice but to succumb to the strong power of his impacting caress and to the tight muscles of his arm pressed against my back. His caressing warmth made me melt, but there was more to our connection when I grasped that my arms were wrapped around his torso as tightly as his were wrapped around me.

---