Page 44 of Seductive Desires

Liam nodded. “Okay. I’ll leave it up to you then. If you want to tell him, you can. But I won’t say a word.”

I inclined my head, pulling myself out of my seat. I already hated myself for keeping it from him but I wasn’t wrong. He’d go ballistic and probably try and demand he be there too. I refused to have a repeat of Seattle. Honestly, if I could convince him to go back to Columbia, I would. Anything to keep him safe.

Liam spoke up. “Just give me a few days to set things up, then we can get this done, alright?”

“Okay. Thank you, Liam.”

* * *

When I finally stepped out ofLiam’s office, I felt like it had been days, not a couple hours at most. I was wound tighter than a spring. In a few days, I’d be facing down the devil with the Irish mafia and a gang of Russians at my back. Since when did I live on the set of a movie?

I looked out over the entryway, watching people rushing around. This house was always in movement. Even at night, when I would sneak into Mateo’s room, there would be guards walking the hallways. Liam had his very own fortress and part of me wished I could just hide here forever. But he was right. I needed to start living eventually.

The front door opened and Dmitriy and Mateo walked in, talking to each other as they pulled off their jackets. I watched Mateo, his expression light and easy going. Even when talking to an international arms dealer, he was still so relaxed. I envied him a little. He was always smiling, always teasing, just overall a bright warm presence. I wanted to soak it in.

I knew I shouldn’t encourage it. I had no idea how the next few days would play out. And I still didn’t feel like I could reconcile with the fact that he was a criminal. But I found myself heading down the stairs, drawn to him. I was terrified about what was going to happen when I faced Stephen and I wanted to forget for a little while.

He smiled at me as I approached, bathing me in warm light. I slipped my arms around his waist, pressing my face against him. I breathed him in, relaxing against him. He seemed surprised at first and stood frozen for a moment before he slowly wrapped himself around me, burying his face against my neck. I didn’t hear Dmitriy walk away, didn’t pay attention to the people passing us in and out of the house. We just stood there, holding each other.

He pulled back slightly, nudging me with his chin to get my attention. I tipped my head back.

“Mariposa, is something wrong?”

I shook my head slowly and he smiled. He cupped my face, dipping his head to kiss me. He reminded me again of a painter, his lips brushing lightly over mine. I lifted onto my toes, one hand threading into his hair as I drew him closer. When his lips brushed mine again, I refused to let him back away, claiming his lips fiercely. His grip on me tightened and I felt him harden against my belly.

At that moment, I was in control. He was responding to me, not taking over. Every move that was made was my choice. It was heedy, having that kind of control over him. Mateo didn’t strike me as the type to give other people that kind of power over him. But he was giving it to me, letting me pull away without chasing me.

I watched as his brow furrowed, his eyes lifting to lock with mine. His chocolate brown eyes were nearly black, his pupils blown out. His eyes searched mine but he said nothing, letting me take his hands and pull him. I walked backwards, my eyes locked with his as we made our way to my room. He wasn’t smiling anymore. His entire focus was on me and what I was doing.

ChapterTwenty-One

When my backpressed against my door, I pulled him against me, kissing him again. I twisted the knob, dragging us both inside and pushed him against the door.

His eyebrows flew up. “Mariana?”

I tilted my head slightly. He almost never used my name. When I moved to kiss him again, he stopped me, frowning. “What–”

I shook my head. I didn’t want to have a chat right now. I just wanted to be distracted. I wanted to feel his warmth.

“Please.”

He shook his head when I went up on my toes again, but when my lips pressed against his, he didn’t fight me. He slid his hands into my hair, dipping his head so I didn’t have to stretch so far to reach him. When I swiped my tongue along his lower lip, he groaned, sinking into the kiss. And he still didn’t try to take control from me.

I pressed myself against him, slipping my hands under his jacket, pushing it off his shoulders. He let it drop to the ground, his hands coming up to grip my hips. I broke away, locking eyes with him as I untied his tie, pulling it slowly away from him and letting it drop to the floor. I couldn’t help the grin that overtook me. His hand slid along my chin to cup the back of my neck, but he didn’t pull me close until I was ready. His tongue stroked mine and I fought the urge to rush. I wanted to savor this.

While he was distracted, I slid my hands down his body. As I slowly unbuttoned his shirt, I dipped my head to kiss a path down each exposed inch. I slid my fingers into the waistband of his slacks, his hips jerking forward automatically. Flicking my gaze up to his, I watched his lips part in surprise as I lowered to my knees in front of him.

He was frozen, holding his breath as I slid the zipper to his slacks down, unhurried. When I slid my fingers into his waistband again, pulling his pants and boxers down at the same time, he growled softly. I wrapped my hand around his cock, dropping my attention to it. We had been in such a rush last time I didn’t get to see what I was getting myself into. The man has a perfect cock. I slid my hand against him, gripping the base.

I could see him fighting not to move. His jaw was tight now, his eyes glued to me. I leaned forward, swiping my tongue across the head. He grunted, his nostrils flaring and his eyes slipping closed. I smiled to myself. I was teasing him, but payback is a bitch. He’s been teasing me for days. I ran the tip of my tongue from the base to the tip and he held his breath, his hand slipping into my hair. I could tell he wanted to take over, to move me where he wanted me. He was fighting himself to give me the control I needed right now.

Done playing, I slid my mouth over him, taking him as deeply as I could. He let out a strangled groan, his grip in my hair tightening almost painfully. I ran my hand up his thigh. He opened his eyes and his jaw dropped as I repeated the move. I kept my movements slow, each dip hollowing my cheeks and drawing back lazily. When I suckled the tip, his head dropped back and he moaned loudly.

“Fuck. Mariana!”

My body was on fire, my clit throbbing, but my focus was on him and keeping control as long as I could. He panted, his grip in my hair tightening and loosening methodically as I bobbed over him. His eyes were squeezed shut like he was fighting against himself and losing. Suddenly, his grip in my hair tightened painfully and he pulled me off of him, shaking his head.

“Your mouth is sin, Mariana, but if you do not stop, we will be finished when we’ve barely begun.”

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