Page 27 of Obsessive Cravings

The hotel was on the upper end of town, near the shopping district. It stood tall and regal, warm light spilling from its doors as my driver helped me from the car. The doormen held the doors open for me while I walked up the red carpet, feeling like a movie star.

Blue and white snowflakes adorned the pillars in the lobby and the staircase that led to the second floor, where the ballroom was. I held my breath as I climbed, my nerves tingling through me like butterflies on a spring day. Just like the night I’d fled Treemont, there was no turning back now. I was in charge, and this was my game now, no matter what Greyson Tides expected.

Music streamed from the ballroom, a pale bluish light adding to the ambiance as I took my first steps in. I couldn’t stop myself from gaping, my eyes taking in everything down to the tiniest of details. I’d been to a few parties Mason had hosted, but none were as extravagant as this. Tables sat throughout the room with vibrant blue and white roses. A chandelier with too many crystals to count hung above a dance floor, sending sparkles of light out that looked like snowflakes in the blue haze of the room. Frosted garland and twinkling lights hung from the ceiling. Royal blue cloth with tiny snowflakes embroidered into it covered each table. White tea lights in long glass cylinders sat in the center, surrounded by more roses, these white with blue frosted petals.

I could have looked in wonder the entire night had my focus not settled on Greyson. He was standing in the far corner, resting against the wall with his arms crossed. It was clear he didn’t want to socialize. This was for his guests and not for him. I wondered if he bothered to attend every year or if he was only there for me. The thought sent a cascade of tremors through me. He lifted his blue eyes to me, a sexy curve forming on his lips. He looked even yummier than he usually did. His auburn hair was dark in the lighting, making his blue eyes even more startling. The tux he wore fit perfectly and left me hungry with the way it emphasized his toned figure. My heart stammered, and I hated the effect he had on me. How easily he unraveled me with just the intensity of his gaze.

My path didn’t falter. I avoided the stares and the murmurs as I walked through the tables and stopped halfway on the dance floor. It was time for me to take control of whatever game Greyson was playing. I raised a brow at him and parted my lips, seeing how his gaze faltered for just that moment. People continued to dance as the music slowed and Greyson left his place on the wall. His eyes didn’t leave mine, and I knew we’d be the talk of the city in the morning. That I’d likely no longer have a job because Greyson Tides was the company’s owner, and I was in a position under him. I didn’t care. I wanted Greyson, and I knew he wanted me. He’d already laid his claim on me. He’d ripped orgasms from me that were more powerful than any I’d had and ingrained the touch of his hands on my skin as well as the pressure of his tongue on my clit.

“Miss Brinks,” he said, stopping just shy of me. There was something sweet about the adoration that sat in his eyes, and it warmed my heart.

“Are you going to dance with me, Mr. Tides?” I asked. “Or is that inappropriate?”

He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close, taking my hand in his. It felt natural, like he was meant to hold me, our hands fitting perfectly together.

“Like how you staked your claim on me?” I whispered.

He gave me a coy grin. “You look delectable, Miss Brinks. Maybe I’m paying you too much.” He fingered the bracelet. “Or is there another man I need to worry about?” he said against my ear. He drew back, his eyes dark. “I think I told you what I thought about anyone touching you.”

My insides quivered, warmth flowing between my legs. “Then I suppose you’ll need to fight for me…Greyson.”

His eyes searched mine and I could read the humor in them. He didn’t know that I suspected, and he liked the game he was playing. I couldn’t wait to take his power and stake my own claim.

He leaned close to my ear again, “I told you, Riley. I will burn this city, this province, this world down around you before I let anyone touch what’s mine.”

I couldn’t stop my sharp inhale, his words weakening me to my core.

The music stopped, but he didn’t let me go, even as another song started. His gaze was intense, and he seemed to see deep into my soul.

I leaned closer to him, letting my lips graze his neck, and murmured, “Then burn it down.”

His eyes danced with hunger, melting me with their ferocity. For a moment, I almost forgot about the game and where we were. His hand slid up my back, the touch on my bare skin firm and confident. My body rebelled, the dampness between my legs growing and, as if he knew, his lips turned to a coy grin that had me teetering in my heels. I needed to move before I lost control of the game and gave in to my need for him. We were in a hotel. There were plenty of places for him to tear my dress off and take me like I was craving. And if I didn’t make my move, that’s exactly where he’d have me.

“It’s time to finish laying your claim on me and no safe word will stop you this time, Mr. Tides,” I said, backing out of his hold and feeling how his hand twitched like he wanted to keep me there.

I let my wrap slip, and he caught it as it fell. His eyes took in the scarves before he glanced back at me. The smile he gave me was mischievous, and it left my knees weak.

I turned and left him there with the scarves. I’d played my cards; now, I would wait to see if he would fold to me.

Chapter Fifteen

GREYSON

My eyes trailed Riley as she left the hotel. She was breathtaking, and I’d wanted nothing more than to steal her away and take the dress from her body one inch at a time. I had thought I wanted her before, but now that she’d turned my game on me, I was hooked. She’d figured it out. Of course she had. She was calculating like her brother.

Running my fingers along the silk scarves, I smiled at the overt act of wearing them tonight. It was a sign, an invitation, an acknowledgement that she accepted my claim on her, that she wanted to play my game.

Her words thundered through my mind. Then burn it down. The feel of her lips on my neck left me harder than her words had. I was more than ready to follow her out, to carry her to a room in the hotel and mark her as mine. But my games had never been about anything but control and I would make her wait.

I bided my time, making a few more required greetings before I left the hotel. This time, I didn’t bother hiding my car or my men. I didn’t give a fuck who saw me parked outside her apartment building. She wouldn’t be working for me in the morning because she would be mine completely—no safe words, no rules, no limitations.

I wasn’t a nervous person, but nerves were tingling through my stomach in anticipation of what was waiting for me. Passing the adjacent apartment, I went straight to hers, slipping my key into the lock and opening the door. The lights were out, but the moonlight streaming through her window highlighted her silhouette. She was lying on the bed, her blindfold on. The dress that clung to her perfect curves remained on, and she had her arms stretched above her head and ready to be tied. My cock twitched at the sight.

I rolled the scarves between my fingers, taking two and leaving the others aside. Sliding my hand along her arm, I stretched it out and loosely tied the scarf around it. As I walked the length of the bed, I let my fingers drift along her body, hearing her sigh and feeling her nerves quiver. I tied her other wrist to the first, then took my suit jacket off before undoing my tie and kicking off my shoes. I could see the trembles that continued as she waited in expectation. Unbuttoning my sleeves, I rolled them up before climbing on the bed, taking her leg in my hands and running my mouth along it as I pushed her dress up. When I reached her hips, I groaned. No panties stopped my path, and I continued until my hands cupped her breasts. I’d feasted on those breasts the last time I’d tasted her, and I was finding there was no part of Riley Brinks that I didn’t want to feast upon. Her stomach quivered as I ran my tongue over it. My path continued until my cock was pressing against her warmth, straining to be set free so she could take it.

Circling her nipple with my tongue, I ran my hands up her neck, following its curve until my fingers threaded in her hair. I kissed her neck, tasting the berry lotion she wore and making my way to her mouth where I hovered over her lips, watching as they parted for me and grinning as she moaned my name.

“Tell me how you want me, baby girl,” I said, not bothering to disguise my voice this time.

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