Page 42 of Driven by Desire

Soloman watched the emotions cross her beautiful face. He wanted to capture each one and cage them for himself. He wanted to be the selfish bastard that he was. She was trying to teach him to be someone else though. He didn't know if he could, but he knew he should try. He gave her a quick nod. Surprise flashed in her eyes.

He chuckled deeply and turned to walk to the door, intent on putting at least two more guys on the garage to keep an eye on his woman. “You can stay for a few hours. I have business at Merchant’s anyway. We’ll discuss what happens after that. No promises though.”

“Soloman…” she called out, guilt and hesitation saturating her voice.

He turned and looked back at her, taking in the way she was biting her lip and refusing to meet his eyes. She definitely had something to tell him that she didn’t want to say. He sighed and rubbed a hand over his short hair. Finally, shaking his head, he said with quiet resignation, “Fuck, woman. I figured you were responsible for doing my car, but the club too? You really know how to push a man’s buttons.”

Her gorgeous eyes snapped up and her mouth popped open into a perfect round ‘oh.’ If he hadn’t just finished using that beautiful little target, she would be back on her knees, with his dick shoved right back in there. He was already stirring at the thought. She nodded guiltily, her messed up ponytail bouncing against her bare shoulders.

“I hired someone to distract you and piss you off in the process,” she admitted.

“Well it worked,” he grunted. “Must be one crazy motherfucker to mess with me in my town. Jesus, Riley. Were you trying to get someone killed?”

She hung her head a little and twisted the end of her soft ponytail to brush against her full lips. She peeked at him through thick lashes, scraping her doodled-on Sketcher against the concrete. “I wasn’t trying to get anyone killed. I was just super pissed at you. And I won’t give up his name, so don’t even ask,” she said defiantly, tilting her chin a little. “I paid him off and told him to leave town again.”

His lip curved just a little at her sassiness. He could get the name out of her if he really wanted, but he wouldn’t. It was enough that she put a stop to the mischief. Even though it’d cost him his second favourite goddamn car and thousands of dollars in damage to one of his clubs. Fuck, she was worth it though. He’d have to remember her idea of vengeance next time he pissed his beautiful girl off.

“I’ll accept that for now,” he agreed. “I have the one responsible for all the damage anyway. I can spank her ass until I’m satisfied.”

She quit playing with the ends of her hair, allowing them to slither back over her smooth shoulder. She watched him closely with those incredible chocolate eyes as though trying to figure out a puzzle. “You really did know it was me that took out your Audi? And stole the Regera? How the fuck am I still alive after all that, Soloman?”

He stood completely still without speaking, allowing her to work it out on her own. She was a quick woman. Even if she didn’t want to understand, she would come to the correct conclusion. He could see the moment her eyes flared wide. Panic and awe mixed in their velvet depths. She looked as though she wanted to run and hide from him. Not something he would ever allow.

“Y-you actually care about me,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. It was a statement, not a question.

Anger at her refusal to truly understand crashed through him. He tensed his muscles so he wouldn’t stalk back over to her and shake her until she got it through her thick skull.

“Care? That’s a fucking stupid word for what I feel. For what I want from you, Riley,” he growled across the space at her. Fear flashed across her face and he knew she was seconds away from begging him to stop talking. He cut her off, ignoring her vulnerability and plowing on. “I fell for you the first fucking moment I saw those idiotic shoes sticking out from under that stolen car you were working on. For the first time in my life I had to pull back from a kill. I was forced to question my entire existence as you sat on this very pavement and looked up at me with those eyes, begging me not to end your life. Something inside me shifted. You took hold of me that night and haven't let go since.”

She stared at him, her eyes shimmering with tears, small hand covering her mouth. She dropped her hand and said in a shaky voice, “You haven’t let me go either.”

“And I never will,” he said, releasing a breath from deep in his lungs that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

He’d been afraid she would reject his words. Throw them in his face and run in the opposite direction. Not that it would matter, but he was man enough to acknowledge it would hurt if she chose that path. Instead, she was looking at him with the first hints of tentative acceptance.

“You love me?” she barely breathed the words.

“What the fuck else could it be?” he groaned, annoyed that she was so slow to come to the correct conclusion. “You’re it for me, woman. Forever, mine. Get used to the idea, because I won't be separated from you.”

She pressed a hand unconsciously against her chest and blinked at him dazedly. She opened her mouth as though searching for the right words. He shook his head. “I know it’s too soon for you, gorgeous,” he said, quirking his lips. “You’ve spent too much time being afraid of me and running in the opposite direction. I’ll give you as much time as you need. I’ll give you forever if that’s what you want. As long as you spend that time with me.”

He winked at her and strode toward the door, leaving her to sort out her twisted emotions and run back to the safety of her office. She needed to check the mirror and make sure she didn’t look like she’d just been mouth-fucked into oblivion. As she adjusted the stretched straps of her bra and tank top, her fingers drifted to her slightly swollen, full, red lips. A dreamy look clouded her brown eyes.

“Wow,” she breathed, leaning her hip against her small desk and covering her face with her hands. “Who knew that man could be so romantic? I am so fucking fucked.”

---