Page 30 of Driven by Desire

“Time for bed,” he announced.

He reached for her and lifted her easily off the counter. She was grateful when he set her on her feet instead of carrying her once again through the massive house. He took her hand and once more, without turning on any lights, began leading her. They arrived at a set of stairs leading down. He placed her hand on a railing and helped her glide down the wide staircase.

She frowned. “You sleep in the basement? That seems like an odd choice for a guy with tons of money. Why don't you buy a house with upstairs bedrooms? Or get a condo like me. Well, not exactly like me. My place is pretty small for a big-time guy like you. Something bigger, like a penthouse, with a pool or something.”

She knew she was babbling, but she couldn't seem to help herself. She was becoming more and more nervous as they descended further into the darkness of the house. She was beginning to feel like Persephone being swept off into the underworld by Hades. That had always been one of her favourite Greek myths because of the dark romance involved. Now that she found herself in virtually the same situation as the virgin goddess, she was rethinking what she considered romantic.

“I have a pool,” he grunted in response to her question, amusement lacing his deep tones.

As she stepped off the last stair and the bottom floor spread out in front of her she saw why his bedroom was down there. She gasped in surprise and, momentarily forgetting both her fear and his hold on her, she stepped toward the panoramic windows. He followed her. The windows faced a massive lawn that stretched out toward the inky black ocean where waves crashed against the beach. The moon flooded the entire area with light, including the interior of the room they were standing in. She could see a free-standing fireplace and a leather sofa set.

His estate home must be set on a slope where the front half of the house was level with the front lawn and the back half of the house was at the bottom of a hill. It was both modern and beautiful. She quickly calculated how much an ocean front property like that would cost and realized she was way further out of her depth than she had originally thought with this mafia boss. Like, maybe a few dozen of her little chop shops could buy a place like this.

Soloman curved a hand around her waist and urged her down another dark hallway. Her heart crashed in her chest the further he escorted her into his home. She began to feel as though there would be no escape. She knew she wouldn’t make it five steps if she tried and not just because of her dislike of running. He finally had his prize and he was not letting her go.

He lead her through another doorway at the end of the hall. She blinked in an attempt to bring something into focus. Did this guy have something against lights? She licked her suddenly dry lips and quickly stepped away from the arm that was curved around her waist. Surprisingly, he let her go. She guessed now that he had her where he wanted her, he didn't need to pin her to his side.

The windows in this room were covered in blinds, she supposed so he could sleep in darkness once the sun rose. Glancing at the clock she realized sunrise was only an hour away. It was 4:22am. They had driven all night. After leaving her Sparrow Hawk victory behind, they had only stopped once for gas and to stretch their legs. Ironically, Soloman had chosen to stop in Blackbird. The seething look he’d given her as he’d pumped gas told her that his choice hadn’t been accidental. He had traced her there. He knew about the track. He probably knew she shared a room with Wendell. It was a fucking miracle that guy was still alive.

Riley carefully made her way to the window and touched the cord on the blinds covering the sliding glass doors. “May I?” she asked quietly.

“Of course,” he murmured, coming to stand behind her.

She pulled, opening the blinds and revealing the magnificent view. A sigh escaped her lips as her eyes traced over his immaculate lawn and the dark ocean beyond. The faint beginnings of dawn were starting to crest over the water, creating a blue glow. He ran a hand over her shoulder and curved her into the strength of his arms. She brought her hands up against his stomach to push him away, but as soon as her fingers brushed the fabric of his shirt she felt the heat of his body. She gasped and dropped her hands. Her fingers brushed the rigid length of his cock, pressed hard against the fabric of his jeans.

Oh god! She couldn’t do this! She thought dizzily.

She pressed her hands back against the door behind her and reached for the latch. It opened beneath her fingers. Without thinking, she shoved the door open. She turned to run, but he was on her in seconds. His growl turned feral as he wrapped long fingers around her arms and dragged her back through the door. The kiss of ocean breeze barely touched her before she was turned around and slammed into his hard chest.

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