Page 16 of Tyrant

Zakhar puled out my chair, and I shrugged and took a seat. As I had grown accustomed to, his scent was titillating my senses. Dressed in a dark suit, his presence dark and mysterious, he had me in a choke hold the moment he seated me and returned to his chair. I didn’t know what it was about the man that made me want to scream, yet I wanted to feel those lips on mine. Tonight was all about making my decision based solely on that kiss. Several times I found my eyes straying to his mouth, recalling his gest when I was in the hospital.

“Where’s you assistant?” I looked around the empty restaurant. “Wait, why is it empty here?”

“I dislike gawkers, and you just met her.”

“Met who?”

“My assistant, you asked where she was.”

“Huh? I thought that Nathan was … no … you didn’t fire him, did you?”

He gave a throaty chortle. “Of course not. He’s been transferred. I am not a tyrant you know.”

Was he taunting me? He said tyrant with a straight face as though he didn’t know what the world thought about him. I didn’t know him well, and wasn’t sure that the title of ‘Tyrant’ suited him or not. But from what I gather, they might be right. Time would tell.

“Shall we order?” he asked, interrupting my thoughts.

I needed to get this deal over with now as my stomach was churning and my palms all sweaty. I needed to know whether we were a good fit, rather than wasting both our time. Also, I didn’t want to wait three months after marriage to find out.

“Let’s spend the night together,” I blurted out.

With one raised brow, his eyes shifted from its usually sea foam to deep dark moss, he eyed me for a minute. He didn’t answer me, but rather stared directly into my eyes. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Who was this man? Most men would show some sort of emotion upon hearing a woman requesting such a thing. This man was void of any emotion, or rather, he hid himself well.

“This is what you want?” he asked, still looking into my soul, that I almost lost my nerve.

I nodded. “Yes.”

“No regrets later?”

“No.”

“Very well. Let’s eat first.”

I was floored. “Aren’t you gonna ask me why?”

“I suppose you have your reasons and would tell me eventually.”

Standing abruptly, my chair scraped the tile with a grating sound. “I’m done. I’m sorry, I cannot marry a man with no emotions.”

I picked up my purse and began to move away until someone grabbed my arm and pulled me back. I hit a brick wall as I turned to face him. Before I could pull away, his lips crushed mine in a devastating kiss. His arms slipped around my waist to hold me firmly as his lips moved over mine.

The moment our lips met I knew I was done for. In that moment I knew there was no turning back, when bolts of electricity inundated my mouth, running like waves across my face, down my neck and spreading all over my chest. He wasn’t done with me. The man demanded my tongue and when he took it, he took everything with him, namely my soul, leaving me weak and breathless.

When he pulled away, still wrapping his arms around me, he whispered, “Still want to walk away?”

All I could do was move my head from side to side while staring into those soul stirring oceanic pools of his. Then he smiled, taking the balance of my being. I was his and he knew it.

“Now, let’s complete our meal and talk about our marriage.”

Chapter 8

Tabitha

I got my answer and that scared the hell out of me. No man had ever kissed me like that or made me so freaking aware of my own body. There was no waiting three months for sex. We both knew that. The sexual tension since that kiss was almost overwhelming. My mind and body were at conflict because I didn’t like the man much, yet I knew from the start I was attracted to him. I just didn’t know to what extent.

The conversation of our marriage moved naturally deciding on when and where. He’d obviously gotten my answer with the kiss as well and I just allowed him to take charge. That’s what he did best, and I was weak for it, apparently.

Gosh, I couldn’t believe I was finding such behavior enthralling. The idea of him taking me on the dining table almost gave me an orgasm. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on his voice.