Page 45 of Driven by Desire

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“Wake up, Riley.”

She moaned and tried to role away from the hands gently pulling her onto her back. She was exhausted and a little sore from Soloman’s sexual demands throughout the night. The man was fucking insatiable! Not that she was complaining. Her body was aching in a happy way, but she was so not a morning person. Unless he was waking her up tell her the new car had arrived.

“Mmmmm, my new car here?” she mumbled into the bedding, rubbing a fist in her eye before attempting to crack it open.

“No,” he chuckled and rolled her over more forcefully so she was facing him. She covered a yawn and shoved an elbow under herself in an attempt to prop herself up and give her a better glaring vantage point.

“Then why’re you waking me up so ungodly early?” she complained, glaring past him through the uncovered patio door at the morning sunlit lawn like it was out to personally destroy her life.

He was already wearing one of his incredibly mouth-watering dark suits with a crisp white shirt and tie underneath. As much as she wanted to tear it off his body and continue their nighttime escapades, she frowned, knowing he was getting ready for work. On a Saturday. What the fuck? They agreed not to work weekends.

“What’s the deal?” she demanded, not bothering to hide her crankiness. If dude wanted to fall in love with her, then he was going to have to take all the bits, including the cranky.

His sharp eyes crawled over her naked torso, taking in the superb bounty of her naked breasts and the tattoo he loved to trace his tongue over before torturing her nipples with his skilled mouth. She shivered and tugged the blanket over her skin, drawing his predatory gaze up to settle on her face. He seemed to be searching for something and it wasn’t good. The look he was giving her promised retribution if he didn’t get the right answer. Maybe not pain for her, because she was very firmly his love, but definitely death to others. For the first time in many weeks, she was reminded of exactly who her boyfriend was. For the first time in just as long, she wanted to run from him. A shiver shook her frame and she shifted away from where he sat on the edge of the bed.

“Soloman?” she whispered.

“I need to ask you something and you need to answer truthfully. It would be a mistake to do otherwise, just because you think you have me wrapped around your pretty finger.” His deep voice was quiet, but deadly. His eyes took on a cold quality that she decided she hated and never wanted to see turned against her ever again. She bit her lip and nodded, dropping her eyes to the bed. He took her chin in a firm grip and forced her face up. “Are you still making trouble for me? Sending someone out to my clubs to cause damage? I know how much you hate the casinos.”

Her lips parted in surprise. “N-no, Soloman. I swear! I asked him to stop weeks ago. Did something happen?”

He frowned at her genuine reaction and released her chin. He rubbed a hand over his head and nodded absently. “There was an explosion in the parking lot of Stealing Sunday. It rocked the entire fucking building. There was no way to keep it contained to just my people. Police are involved. One of my security guys was thrown through a glass door and cut up pretty bad. I have to go back out and talk to his family then go file the report this morning.”

Riley realized right away that he must’ve already been out for half the night and just not woken her up. She had probably been so dead to the world after he fucked her into oblivion the night before. Despite his sinister, don’t-fuck-with-me appearance, she struggled up on her knees, shoved the bedding aside and threw her arms around his neck.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” she said softly into his neck, squeezing him tight against her. He sat stiff and unmoving for a second before wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into his lap.

He breathed in her delicious scent and ran his hand over her bare back and bottom for a minute before gently setting her aside. She had felt very clear evidence of his arousal, but now was not the time for play. He had to go back to work. She dragged the heavy blanket back up her body so she wouldn’t distract him again. He stood and looked down at her, his sinister mafia mask firmly back in place. She pitied the person that had exploded his club.

His dark eyes stabbed into her, pinning her to the spot. Her heart sped up in momentary fear as her body began to understand something her head was too slow to pick up. “You need to tell me who you hired to mess with me.”

She gasped and immediately shook her head. She wasn’t particularly fond of Shank, but she wasn’t going to give the guy up for instant death.

The muscles under Soloman’s incredibly well-tailored jacket rippled as he held himself back from grabbing her. Even the affection he felt for her didn’t stop the darkness from within. When someone denied him what he wanted, he retaliated. He stabbed a finger at her, marking her. “Later we talk, Riley. You will tell me what I want to know.”

She moistened her lips and shook her head. “I-I can’t, Soloman. You’ll kill him.”

He growled in frustration because he didn’t have time for this conversation, but it bothered him that his woman would withhold anything from him. He wanted to deal with this now. His hands curled into fists as he stared down at the woman that owned his soul.

“You would protect this man from me?" he snarled angrily, finally losing his renowned cool. Only Riley could do this to him. “You’ve just signed his death warrant. I will get that name from those gorgeous lips. And then, love, he’s a dead man.”

“Soloman!” she called after him as he stalked to the door.

He didn't turn back, but he did toss over his shoulder, “I’ll have men watching the house to make sure you don't leave. We’ll talk later and you will give me the answers I want this time.”

She scrambled out of the bed and started after him, but the door slammed shut behind him. She stood naked in the middle of their bedroom and wondered if her fairytale was over. A tear slid down her cheek. It was so unlike her that she touched it in surprise. She never cried. Then she realized she was hurt. He hurt her heart. The bastard was actually capable of making her cry. Which meant…

Riley loved Soloman.

Fuck.

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