Page 12 of Desperate Vows

“Do you normally warn your prey?” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them, and like an insane woman, I licked my lips again, testing him.

I don’t know what I expected. A hard kiss, one where his tongue invaded my mouth and taught me a lesson on dominance and submission, at least. Instead, his gaze swept over my face one more time before he angled his head and caressed my lips with his.

It was so soft and sweet that I arched into him. His free hand slid up my back and continued its ascent until his fingers were buried in my hair. The sensation was unreal. It almost felt like he wanted me.

Lucas’s kiss was unhurried and sensual. His tongue gently probed against my mouth, and I surrendered. It was a magnificent dance of passion and desire. He explored my mouth while I explored his, and all I wanted to do was live in that moment.

Breaking the kiss, he pulled my head back until my neck was completely exposed. The tender kisses he trailed across my sensitive skin pulled an uncontrollable moan from me. I’d never wanted a man. Never thought I’d ever want a man, but he was a force of nature that made me helpless and desperate for him.

“Lucas…”

His teeth nipped at my throat. “Yes, Claire?”

“Does this mean you’ll marry me?”

“It means I was itching for a kiss, and you were the closest available candidate.” His response was sharp and hit its mark.

Ice flooded my veins. All men ever did was use me. I wasn’t sure why I expected any better from Lucas Kalantzis… or myself. How incredibly stupid. He’d been playing me the whole time. I pushed against him. “Let me go.”

“Now, is that any way to treat a guest of your fathers?”

The words were the same. The only difference was the voice. Where his felt like feathers against my skin, the others had felt like a rusty knife. They should have felt the same, but my body was at war with my brain.

Why was I even fighting? It wasn’t like I could overpower him any more than I could the last man, so I stopped struggling. “What would you like from me, Mr. Kalantzis?” My voice was foreign to my own ears. The mechanical way I spoke as I drifted somewhere safe. He’d have my body, but he’d never touch my mind.

Instead of answering me, he claimed my lips again. My treasonous body quickly responded, igniting a kiss that threatened to consume me. I slid my hands up his toned chest and around his neck, clinging to him as my knees weakened. I’d never experienced kisses like this. The only kisses I had experienced were forced by men who were old enough to be my father.

I was panting by the time he broke the kiss this time. He released me and stepped back, a smirk on his lips. “I’ll see you around, Claire.”

Before I could catch my breath or speak, he was back inside the club. Not two seconds later, my father was prowling toward me. I wanted to run, but if I did, it would be worse. When he reached me, he buried his hand in my hair and wrenched my head back. “What did you do?” His spittle hits my cheek.

“Nothing, Daddy, I swear. I even let him kiss me.”

“No doubt that’s what’s chased him away.” His lips twitched up as he shifted us until I was hidden from the prying eyes of guests who might happen to drift by. “Perhaps it’d be in my best interest to get you lessons from a few of our more seasoned members.”

Terror clamped down on my throat. Tears welled in my eyes. I couldn’t do that again. “Please, no.”

His free hand came to my throat and squeezed. “You’ll do what I tell you, when I tell you, and with whom I tell you. An Italian has mentioned wanting to have a taste of you. Maybe it’d be better to form an alliance with them. They’ve got an operation in Thailand. When I get what I want, we can both be rid of you.”

My knees gave out, increasing the pressure of his hand, cutting off what remaining air I had. I had no desire to die, but the thought of being a toy in a foreign country stole my will to live.

“Franklin? Have you seen Claire?”

Lucas.

I’d never seen fear in my father’s eyes before tonight. His grip loosened as he bent closer to me. “I’m going to let you go. Make sure you’re standing when I do. Do you understand? And if you say anything to him, I might just forget how much I want that trust fund.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

A smile was already on his lips as he turned. “Yes, she’s right here. I was checking on her. She wasn’t feeling very good before we arrived, and I wanted to make sure she was okay.” He met Lucas at the halfway point. “I thought I saw you leave.”

“Oh, well, I realized I’d forgotten my cell phone. It’s typically busy on Friday nights at the restaurant, and I want to make sure I’m available.”

My father turned to me. “I see. Well, why don’t you two come inside? Dinner will be served shortly, and seafood isn’t nearly as delicious when it’s cold.”

I nod. “Yes, Daddy.” By the time I reached Lucas and my father, I’d pulled myself together enough that perhaps it’d escape the notice of Lucas. “I’m starving.”

When my father’s hand landed on my lower back, I wanted to wrench it away. His touch made my skin crawl. All I wanted was to be free of this man. That was all I’d ever wanted.

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