Page 11 of The Darkness

A thrill of excitement ran through her at his words. She’d believed it was over. That she would never see him again, and the thought had very nearly torn her apart. Now she had a chance to be with him one last time.

She reached out and took the rose, raised it and breathed in the rich perfume. When she looked back up, Darius was watching her.

“I want to make love to you,” he said. “You know that?”

She nodded.

“Good. Now put the flower down. I need to hold you. Then I’ll take you out, wherever you want to go. We never did get to go on a date.”

She laid it on the coffee table and moved into his arms. Burying her head in his chest, she pressed her face against the silk of his shirt, wrapping her arms around his waist as though she would hold him forever and never let him go. His arms went around her, pulled her closer, and for long minutes they stood entwined. After nowhere near long enough, he sighed, then kissed the top of her head, and she released him and stepped back.

She glanced down at her jeans and T-shirt; they didn’t seem right when he looked so stunning and sophisticated. But she was a witch, wasn’t she? She whispered a spell and a moment later stood before him in a slinky crimson dress the color of fresh blood. It skimmed her slender body, clinging to her small breasts and reaching midway down her thighs. Her feet were in crimson stilettos with straps that wrapped around her ankles. She imagined her hair down to her waist, and instantly the heavy weight tipped her head back. Darius was staring at her, hunger burning in his eyes. Her own hunger rose in response, tightening the muscles in her abdomen, turning her nipples to hard little peaks pressing against the thin silk of her dress.

She looked up to find him gazing at her breasts. He cleared his throat. “Do you have anything on under that?” he asked, his voice hoarse.

“Wait and see,” she teased.

His eyes glittered, dark and hot, and his hands clenched at his sides. “I’ll wait, little witch, but not for long.”

He stretched out a hand for her then, but she skipped out of his reach. “I thought you were taking me out?”

As she watched, he fought for control, gained it with difficulty. He held out a hand to her. “Then let’s go.”

She curled her fingers into his palm. “Where are you taking me?”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Show me the city. Show me how people live.”

Thirty minutes later, they were riding on the London Eye, a huge wheel that took them high over the city. Suspended in a glass capsule, the two of them alone, Gina sipped from a glass of champagne and gazed out across the night. For long moments she stared, taking in the vastness, so many people all pressed in together.

“So there it is,” he murmured. “The city of London. For one night it’s yours.”

“It’s beautiful.” Turning to him, she found him not looking at the view but at her. She trembled under the heat of his stare and stood motionless while he took the glass from her hand and placed it on the nearby table. Then he took her in his arms. He leaned over her, burrowing his face in the soft spot where her shoulder met her neck.

For a moment she tensed, but he merely grazed her neck with his lips then trailed kisses up her throat to her mouth. He placed more butterfly kisses across her lips. They tingled, darts of pleasure shooting through her. He was teasing her and she needed more. She dug her fingers into the hard muscles of his upper arms, pulled him closer, and he kissed her as they hovered high above the earth.

“So,” he said, dragging his lips from hers, “What do you want to do next, shopping, food…” he punctuated each question with tiny nibbling bites of her lower lip. She could feel his kisses at her breasts, between her thighs and she pressed her body against his. “…dancing.”

He had shown her the city and it had been wonderful. But she had seen enough. If she had only one night, she didn’t want to waste it. She was suddenly conscious of time running out; dawn was too short a time away, and all she wanted was to be alone with him. She dropped her arms from his shoulders and stepped away.

“Darius,” she said, “where do you stay?”

He caught her gaze, and something passed between them. Taking her hand, he led her to the edge of the capsule, then pointed down into the jumbled mass of buildings.

“Just about there,” he murmured.

“Will you show me?”

“You’re sure?”

She nodded.

It was another fifteen minutes before they returned to the ground. Darius didn’t kiss her again, but he held her close, with her back against the length of his body, and pointed out the things they could see. She could feel the tension in his body, the hard line of his erection pressed against the softness of her bottom.

They walked without speaking. The streets were quiet now, and it didn’t take them long to reach the building. The office block was in darkness. Darius let them in through a side door, and they took the elevator down into the basement. A steel door closed behind them.

Gina peered around her with interest. Looking at this place, she could see why he wasn’t impressed with her room. This was huge, the décor very modern with clean lines and lots of pale wood. The floors were wood scattered with colored rugs, and she slipped off her sandals and dug her toes into the softness of the wool.

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