Page 30 of Dagger in the Sea

10

Adriana

“Now that’s an original proposition,”I said.

He laughed. A warm, rich baritone laugh, and my pulse quickened at the sound. Sexy, sly.Yes, quite indecent. A crooked grin flashed over his face giving him a sudden boyish look. Just for a second then it was gone, and the lethal returned.

Tonight, Cinderella had met a foreign prince. An indecent one. Very indecent.

Oh, but he was lovely, handsome in an austere way. His hazel eyes had a golden glimmer that shone in the muted lighting of the club. Gleaming with precision, pinning me to the spot. Their initial cold, savage irritation at my violent interruption had transformed into a vampiric-like interest.

I met his gaze full-on, and he only slanted his head at me. The chiseled angles of his jaw were ridiculously masculine. His slightly wavy, short hair was a light brown colour that he had perfectly slicked back with gel at the sides. He tended to every detail. Suddenly, that muscle along his jaw tensed as if something had changed, a thought had occurred to him.

Here we go.

I waited, but it didn’t come. That familiar cocky look hadn’t flickered across his face, that look that assumed, expected, anticipated, relished.

None of that. I was so tired of all that.

My face heated under his brutally fastidious gaze. A gaze that was patient, a gaze that sizzled over my flesh, that searched for signs of worthiness of his attention. Certainly, what he deemedunworthywould be charred and discarded.

A few small lines marked the skin around his eyes, the corners of his mouth. He was older than me, but by how much? Certainly in his thirties, but he was as fit as any twenty something I knew. A defined chest, back, and shoulders were evident under that lean cut suit. A suit that was finely tailored, a very expensive suit—nothing off the rack, as they said in America. His gold wristwatch glinted in the lighting. Patek Philippe. One of the most expensive, prestigious Swiss watches, understated, lean, and classic in design, and not ostentatious in the least. Decadence packaged crisply and cleanly. Elegant sophistication with an edge.

Oh, that edge.

He moved closer to me and took my hand, bringing it to his lips. The barest of kisses on my skin, yet an electric charge jolted through my arm, charging any and all inanimate particles inside me into a furor. I could see him taking his time with every detail, savoring and enjoying himself, the world burning to cinders around him and he not being bothered. Not one bit.

“I’ve never been called an indulgence before, though.” His fingertips lingered on the back of my hand and my breath caught in my throat, burning there. He lifted those eyes to mine once again and something jolted inside me.

Indecent, lethal, and merciless as well.

The room, the music, the chatter faded.

“Indulgences are necessary,” I said. “After all, isn’t life meant to be enjoyed?”

He slanted his head. “Is that a Greek philosophy?”

“Yes, it is.”

A quick flash of his edgy, sly smile and my stomach caved, clenching, sending waves of heat washing through me. I squirmed on the barstool. “It’s something you Americans need to learn.”

He released my hand. “I think you’re right.”

I took another sip of wine to steady myself, the mellow flavors of berries and cocoa swirling through my mouth. The sleeve of his jacket rubbed against my bare arm, its texture more harsh and prickly than it actually was. What would his hands feel like on me? His body pressed against mine, demanding from mine?

Tonight I’d had plenty to drink already along with that one hit of coke, all of which had blessed me with a swell of fearlessness. Or was it recklessness? All the better. I hadn’t been out to a club in a long time. Quiet restaurants and cafés with my mum and little brother or a girlfriend or two, a few shops, yes, but a full-on glam it up, loud music, party ’til you drop night like tonight? No, not in a very long time.

The moon had risen higher in the sky, its heaviness suddenly giving way into bright, shining prominence over us. One of my favorite songs throbbed through the room, and I swayed to the music, the beat swelling inside me.

“I love this song. Dance with me?” Touching his arm, I stood.

He cuffed my wrist tightly and my breath caught. “Ask nicely,” he said.

I moved closer to him. “Please dance with me, you lovely, indecent man.”

“Better.” He took my hand in his and I led him to the dance floor. Winding his fingers in mine, we moved easily together with the pulsing beat. He pulled me in closer, his arm wrapping around my bare back, and a shiver raced over my flesh sparking through me. I pressed my fingers into the tightness of his shoulders. I didn’t take my eyes off him. I couldn’t. I had no choice. I didn’t feel powerless under their spell, but exhilaration swept through me under their heat, a different kind of arousal. The intense kind. The kind I’d always craved.

“Do you like the song?” I said in his ear.

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