Page 10 of A Seductive Beauty
He says something to the men near him before he moves across the room toward us. Most men look at Kayla with that predatory look in their eye, but he is staring me down. It’s like a caress down my skin, and I’m warm all over. I shift slightly and his eyes roam down to my leg and his jaw locks tight.
Aidan
A buzz fills my ears, the voices of the room dim as I take her in. The dress hugs her curves and molds to her knockers. I watch as she moves behind Mikayla and Wesley, their engagement just announced. I’m happy for them, but why she let her cousin wear that dress should be illegal. If she were mine, she wouldn’t leave the house without me on her arm so every man would know who she belongs to.
“Seamus.” I grind my teeth. He steps up beside me as her eyes focus on me. From across the room, I see her fuller bottom lip, and I want to bite it and suck it into my mouth.
“Boss?” Seamus breaks me from the sexual tension building in my body.
“You will stay at her side tonight. If anyone speaks to her, tries to sit with her, or otherwise engages her, I will have your balls. No one gets near her.”
“Boss.” He nods. I watch as he moves away from me, then I start across the room toward them. I need to focus on tonight, not the beauty that demands my attention.
In the weeks since I last saw her, I’ve tried to exercise her from my mind, but all it’s done is bury her in me more. Her leg shifts and I see a hint of black on her thigh. A tattoo. My little beauty has a bit of bad girl in her. My mouth waters to lick it. I’ll kill the man who touched her thigh to mark her. My palms itch for my knives to gouge out the eyes of every man in the room who’s looking at what is mine. I can’t have her, but no other man will either. It’s a fecked-up thought, but it’s what I have to do to control my insanity.
I should just have her and purge her from my system finally. The decision has been made tonight when I see her like this. The wisps of hair hanging around her face demand that I use them to angle her head where I want as I take her. Those sexy heels still on her feet as they dig into my back.
I almost trip over my own feet when she takes a deep breath and her perfect handful of knockers swell over the top of her gown.
The man behind her moves slightly and I focus on him for a breath of a second, not wanting to take my eyes from my beauty. Seamus told me he was following her, and I’m wondering why all of a sudden she has protection. I know who he is and even worked with him just last month when Dr. Russell was kidnapped. Andrew Edwards had better only be a bodyguard and nothing more, because he will die on my knife if he’s got thoughts of my Fiona. His blood will run down my arm as I slice his skin from his body.
"Hello, Lady Griffin." I take Mikayla’s hand in mine and kiss the back of it as I try to keep my eyes from Fiona. "Welcome, Mr. Nash. Congratulations to you both." When I finally get a close-up look at Fiona, I know I’m fecked. Royally. She’s more beautiful than any woman in this room. I clench my teeth and feel my face harden. I look over her head to Seamus and nod. "Hello, Ms. Griffin." I take her hand, and when I bend to kiss it, the feel of her skin on my lips causes me to linger longer. Her body trembles slightly and I hear the soft intake of her gasp. I can smell her sugary sweet smell and her innocence. If I can, so can other wankers. The need to mark her as mine overwhelms me. I stand back up and take her in. Her cheeks flush, her eyes drop slightly, a perfect submission to me. "I'd like you to meet an associate of mine, Seamus. He'll keep you company tonight while your cousin is busy." Seamus approaches, he’s dressed in all black tonight, while I have maroon accents to my tux. His long hair is pulled back into a knot at the back of his head. I hold myself back as he reaches out to take her hand. She smiles at him, and I really want to punch him because that’s my smile.
"No, my cousin will stay with us." Mikayla breaks me from my thoughts of homicide of my best mate.
"But, Mikayla, you'll be meeting with sponsors and other racers. She'll be bored." I forget myself and call her by her first name. Something I very rarely do.
"She'll be safe with me," Seamus adds as he smiles down at her.
"No." Mikayla’s voice brooks no argument, and I turn to her. Something is going on. I’ve been focused on my beauty instead of reading the room and the correct issues. "Besides, like I told you before, Mr. Tiernan, I'm not going to be racing with your team after all. I'm here to show support and to help with promotion." She changes the subject, but I know there is more going on. I raise an eyebrow slightly, trying to get her to confess, but she’s trained and doesn’t intimidate easily.
I’ll give her this for now. I tip my head toward her. "I agreed to that. I also wasn't insinuating anything. If you don’t want Ms. Griffin with us, I understand." I head back across the room, leaving them all alone. My body screams for me to turn around and take my beauty in my arms. To protect her from whatever Mikayla isn’t telling me. Seamus stays with them but at a distance.
As the night progresses, I watch as Seamus engages her several times in conversation, and I want to know what is being said. I want to hear her thoughts and get to know her mind as much as I want to know her body. My brothers finally make an appearance and stand at my side after the meal is done. I don’t eat much as my only appetite is across the room from me. She nibbles at her food too, nervous around all the people. If she were mine, she would feel safe and comfortable in her skin.
The tables have been pushed back; the announcements made. No one is dancing but everyone is mingling. I keep finding my eyes on the beauty across the room.
“Who’s the sexy little creature with the Lady?” Brody’s voice breaks through my thoughts.
“I think I know her from campus. She doesn’t attend but she has friends who do,” Rory says.
“That is Lady Griffin’s cousin.” I don’t offer her name.
“I think I’ll go introduce myself.”
“You do and I’ll cut off your fingers,” I growl.
“Okay, so it’s that way.”
“It is.”
I turn to see Mikayla and Wesley making their way across the room toward me and my brothers.
"Lady Griffin, Mr. Nash, how can I help you?" I try for calm, but I can hear the bite in my voice. Tonight has been a test of my will power and it’s fraying at the seams.
"We'd like to ask you a couple of questions." Wesley cuts to the chase.
"Is this the right time and place?" I worry that what they are going to say has to do with the fact Fiona has a protection detail now, and I know I will lose my cool quickly.
