After Theo vanished, I spent the next several minutes nervously wandering around the ballroom and trying to get back in contact with Cam and Gabriel. They had both disappeared, and so had every single one of the guys Cam had brought along for backup. I even saw one of them being escorted out by Berling’s security.
Theo definitely knew we were here, that part was obvious. The question was, why was I the only one left?
I mingled around uneasily, wearing a plastered smile on my face that made the people around me give weird looks and stay away. Security would be coming for me any moment now.
What should I do when that happened? If I tucked my tail between my legs and left just like that, it would mean our mission was a failure. Do I make a run for it? Do I make a scene? Decisions, decisions.
I felt a sudden buzzing in my pocket and pressed the button on the earpiece to answer the call on my phone. “Where are you guys! Theo’s been gone for like twenty minutes—”
“How flattering,” a sardonic voice came. “I never expected you’d be so dismayed by my absence.”
Oh shit.
“Or perhaps I should take offense that you’ve laid a trap for me, and such a pitiful one at that.”
“Theo! Hi! Uh, we just wanted to talk.”
“With Cam’s team on standby at all exits?”
“Well, it is a very important talk.” I tried to think of ways to stall as I scanned the ballroom urgently, trying to locate the two missing heirs.
“If you’re looking for Cam and Gabriel, they’re occupied for the rest of the night.” Theo sounded downright pissed under his falsely pleasant tone. “I’d worry for myself if I were you.”
I gave the crowd another scan before giving up. “Yeah? And why’s that?”
“Because I’m presently on my way to you.” Theo paused expertly, letting that alarming titbit sink in. “And when I find you, you’ll wish you obeyed what I said the previous times we met. Do you remember what it was?”
My heart dropped to my stomach. “To stay away from you?”
“Have you done that?”
“Er… No?”
“No, you haven’t,” Theo agreed. “And here you are wrapped in that delectable green dress, a ripe fruit waiting to be plucked. I can almost taste you from where I am.” He made a sound of approval. “Did you know you taste like a sugar pastry? Sweet and decadent... and a hint of tart, just enough to make a man crazed for more.”
I spun in a circle, trying to find him. “Where are you?”
“Behind you.”
There were only guests as far as I could see. A low laugh sounded in my ear as I turned again, and I scowled. “You’re toying with me.”
“Oh, the game’s just started.” Theo dropped the false pleasantry in his voice, revealing the hard steel underneath. “You have five minutes to run, Karin. Five minutes until I catch you and make you wish you had obeyed me.”
Great, Theo was properly pissed off now. I ditched all hope of finding Gabriel and Cam. They didn’t look like they’d be returning anytime soon, and “Not getting eaten alive by Theo Valentine” had just been bumped up all the way on my list of priorities.
My first thought was to make a beeline out of the hotel and hop on the first cab I saw, but that would mean going home empty-handed. Ryland had been right—I was more stubborn than Allie. It was the only way my voice could be heard over her strong personality.
Guess I’d have to out-stubborn Theo now.
Instead of heading for the main doors, I made my way to the exit at the back of the ballroom. The vast hallway outside was empty now that Cam’s guys were gone, and I quickly headed in the direction that I hoped would bring me deeper into the hotel instead of out of it.
“Wrong choice, princess,” Theo murmured. “I’ll see you soon.”
The connection went dead.
I plucked out the earpiece and stuffed it into my purse impatiently. It was the wrong one alright, for him. Theo didn’t know half of what he was dealing with.
I knew he was following close behind, and I needed to find a quiet spot soon if I wanted to trap the tiger. I strode down the empty hallway as fast as I could without breaking an ankle on the soft carpeting. Up some stairs, a left turn, another left turn…
I soon came to a deserted hallway with several doors. I went to the first one and grasped the handle, pausing to listen. There was no sound from inside—or behind me, but I felt the hairs on my arms rising all the same.
Theo was closing in on me.
I turned the handle and pushed my way in. It was dark inside, but my eyes adjusted quickly to make out a meeting room. I shut the door and scooted to the far end of the room, pressing my back against the cool glass windows.
Then I held my breath and waited for Theo to find me. My heart was beating so hard I could hear it in the stillness.
The door opened again a minute later.
Theo was shrouded in darkness, but the light from the hallway outside illuminated him from the back. He looked large and intimidating, and the danger of it was thrilling.
He shut the door behind him, taking his time with the action.
“Nowhere to run now,” he said conversationally as he locked the door. The click was abnormally loud in the silence.
“I wasn’t running. I led you here.”
“Perhaps,” Theo allowed. He came towards me, taking slow, unhurried steps. “And right now you think you’re in control. You couldn't be more wrong.”
His voice sent shivers across my skin. “I just wanted to talk.”
“I should inform your sister and Ryland about what you’ve been up to,” he mused as he came to me. “They’ll keep a closer eye on you, and then you’ll be out of my life for good.”
I couldn’t see Theo’s expression in the darkness, but I realized that I was dying to know what he felt as he said those words.
Did he truly want that?
“Allie and Ryland are on holiday now, and he’s going to propose,” I said. “Please don’t ruin it. If you want me out of your life that badly, just give me the flash drive and I’ll be gone. You won’t ever have to see me again, I promise.” I paused, looking up at him hesitantly. “That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
Theo didn’t answer as he stepped closer to me. The movement brought him into the pale light cast by the moon outside, and I saw his expression for the first time.
It wasn’t the cool disinterest that his voice held.
Instead, I saw yearning, the kind that hurt like a knife to the heart.
My breath caught. “Theo?”
Theo remained silent as he stood before me. His emotions were hidden deep in the amber depths of his gaze, but to me it was stark as a light in the darkness.
“I should try something else.” Theo murmured to himself as he watched at me. “Something… drastic.”
I swallowed hard. “Like what?”
Theo closed in on me, backing me up against the icy cold glass pane. His façade remained cool and dispassionate, but his eyes tracked my every move hungrily.
“Something that will keep you up at night.” He leaned in, his words hot on my skin. “Something that will make you ache for me for years to come. Something that will terrify you with how badly you want it. Perhaps then, you’d run.” He smiled mockingly. “Shall we test that out?”
Yes. Please.
I must have said that out loud, because Theo murmured his approval.
He caressed my neck with the back of his knuckles, bringing his lips to the other side. I jerked when I felt the tip of his tongue on my skin. His mouth felt soft and hot, burning me wherever he tasted me.
“Are you afraid yet?” he murmured at my ear.
I released an unsteady breath. “No.”
Theo reached around my back, tugging my dress zipper down in an excruciatingly slow descent. He slipped the sleeves off my shoulders, letting my dress crumple to the floor in a heap.
The breath left my lungs. I stood before him in my bra and thong, trying not to shiver from nervousness.
Theo tilted his head, his gaze bright and predatory. “Now?”
My throat had gone dry. “No.”
Never taking his eyes off me, he reached around me again and unhooked my bra, moving deftly as he lifted it off my body and tossed it aside.
Then his fingers hooked around the waistband of my thong, tugging it down my hips and onto the floor.
I tipped my chin up even though I was dying to cover myself with my arms. I had never been shy about my body, but the way Theo was taking me in, raking his gaze over my naked body made me feel more vulnerable than I ever had in my life.
He looked dangerous now, with that mocking look in his eyes, with that faint smile playing on his lips. He was in perfect control, and his goal was to take control from me.
“Ask me,” I whispered.
“Are you afraid?”
“Yes.”
Theo’s eyes darkened at my response. “Good.”
He tipped my head back as his mouth descended on mine, leaving me no choice but to open for him.
I moaned, kissing him back helplessly. My arms laced around his neck, pressing my breasts against his chest.
I was naked except for my heels, but Theo was still clothed. There was something erotic about it, like I was doing something very, very dirty. I had a feeling Theo intended for me to feel this way.
My hands reached down to cup him, but to my dismay, Theo grabbed my wrists and wrenched them behind my back. The pose thrust my body full against his.
“No touching.” Theo’s gaze burned into mine. “This is a lesson, Karin, and you will learn.”
I bit my lip as I clasped my hands behind my back.
My breasts were full and heavy from arousal, pushed outwards as I held my arms behind me, and my nipples were pink and swollen like they were begging for Theo’s attention.
Theo’s gaze was dark with lust, but he ignored my breasts, brushing his fingertips down my stomach instead.
A moan escaped me when he went lower and dipped into the wet heat between my legs, touching the swollen bud of my clitoris and gave it a good stroke with his finger. My legs nearly buckled from the pleasure, and I arched back against the glass for balance.
Theo pinched my chin, forcing me to look at him.
I obeyed, my chest rising and falling with my unsteady breaths. The unpredictability of his anger made me excited. Aroused. Theo had gone hard too, his erection straining behind the placket of his pants, thick and urgent.
Never releasing my gaze, he undid his tie and whipped it off of his neck. The sound of the silk whooshing through his collar made my legs weak.
“Theo?” I swallowed, staring at the strip of black silk. “What are you...?”
“Close your eyes. You're about to learn what happens to girls who disobey.” Theo tilted his head. “Or perhaps you’re afraid?”
I was shocked into silence at what he was demanding.
I had never been blindfolded before, and I didn’t know if I should do it now. Theo was dangerous, I never once forgot that.
The question now was, could I trust him?
My blood hammered in my ears. No, that wasn’t completely accurate.
The better question was, how badly did I want this?
The answer came to me as I took in the sin in Theo’s faint smile, the erotic way he was wrapping the black silk around his hand, as if he already knew what my answer would be.
“I want it,” I whispered.
Theo reached out and captured my breast in his hand, rewarding me with a rough caress that had me arching my back.
“Excellent,” he smiled.
Moving unhurriedly, he led me to the center of the room. There, he placed the tie over my eyes and knotted it at the back above my bun.
My world was engulfed in darkness now. I was vulnerable, completely at Theo’s mercy, and I had to force my hands to stay clenched at my sides instead of pulling the tie off.
Without my vision, my other senses seemed heightened twice over.
I could hear Theo’s shoes clipping on the marble floor as he circled me slowly, taking me in. I could feel the cold air puckering my nipples, smell the scent of Theo’s cologne and my own arousal.
It was terrifying.
It was thrilling.
“I never thought I’d ever see you like this,” Theo said, his voice low. “A present unwrapped for me.”
I felt his gaze roaming over my body as keenly as a caress.
What would he do to me? Where would he touch me?
My breathing was shallow with anticipation, almost panting as I waited for his touch.
I gasped when his fingertips brushed over the skin at my back. Theo was unhurried, taking his time to run his fingers down the arch of my spine. He touched the dimples at the base of it, dipping his thumbs into the shallow dents in my flesh.
From there, Theo began to learn my body.
He ran his hands over the curves of my ass, going up to where my hips flared from my waist. He touched the soft curve of my stomach, the heaviness of my breasts, the skin on my arms. He began to trace the freckles and scars on my body, as if he were charting a map of me.
“Perfect,” he said softly. “I’d always known.”
I forced myself to hold still as Theo explored my body in a way that was more intimate than any sex I’d had. The silence of the room was broken only by my faint breathing and the sound of his shoes as he circled me.
The pins were tugged from my hair suddenly, falling to the floor in soft clinks. I moaned softly as Theo delved his hands into my hair, unravelling it from my bun as he spread the curls out. The air was filled with the scent of my shampoo.
Then his hands went back to my head again, sinking into my mass of hair. He massaged my scalp deftly without jostling the tie, soothing my aches from the tight bun.
My head fell back against his chest blissfully.
This wasn’t like any seduction I knew of. Theo hadn’t touched me in any way sexually, and yet I was languid and ready for him, wanting nothing more than to lie back and let him do whatever he wanted to my body.
I reached up helplessly, holding onto his shoulders as I leaned back against him. Theo’s arms felt even bigger with just my touch. He was hard and masculine, the strength rippling through his muscles as he worked my scalp.
“Hands by your side, princess,” he murmured. “I didn’t say you could touch.”
I licked my dry lips, feeling daring suddenly. “Make me.”
A rumble of amusement in his chest, then Theo took my shoulders and eased me to stand upright. I bit back a protest, wanting his hands massaging me again.
“Taunting me now isn’t the best idea, Karin,” Theo said conversationally.
I swallowed, eyes darting behind the silk. “Why not?”
“Because I can torture you in ways you can’t imagine.”
Without warning, Theo bent and took my nipple into his mouth.
I gasped as my hands flew up to hold his head against me, but before I could, he grabbed my wrists and wrenched them away. I twisted my hands, but they might as well have been secured by steel manacles. Theo didn’t even budge.
All the while his mouth worked on my nipple, suckling and swirling it with his tongue. He touched no other parts on my body, leaving all my pleasure to be centered on that one point.
“Theo,” I gasped.
My hands struggled in vain and my back arched desperately, trying to push my breast further into his mouth.
But Theo never gave me more than he allowed me to have, moving back slightly whenever I arched.
Soon I was panting for him, mindless with frustration. My thighs were wet from desire, nearly dripping down my thighs.
“Please,” I whispered, my legs weakening.
That had been the word Theo was waiting for.
With a sound of approval, he took more of my breast into his mouth, sucking my flesh deeper. He suckled hard, his teeth scraping lightly against my skin.
My hips rolled in bliss.
“Yes,” I whispered hoarsely, my hands clenching and unclenching in his unbreakable hold. “Don’t stop, please.”
“Now you’re learning.” Theo released my aching nipple to give it a soothing lick. “Shall I reward you with more?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
I could almost hear his smile as I swallowed thickly, parting my legs for him.
“There,” I whispered. “There, please.”
“You beg so easily,” Theo remarked softly. He pressed his hot lips to my ear in a hard, punishing kiss. “It turns me on.”
I gasped in relief when Theo released my hands, but that relief was short-lived.
He started to make his way down my stomach in open-mouthed kisses, leaving a scalding trail wherever he tasted me. I felt him getting on his knee before me, his lips caressing the sensitive skin on my hipbone before moving unhurriedly to the thatch of curls between my thighs.
“Theo.” My eyelids darted behind the silk. “I want to touch you.”
“Hands by your side, princess.”
I bit down on my bottom lip in frustration. I was already wet for him, my thighs hot and slick with arousal. I was swollen and soaking, and I needed more.
Theo finally took my hips, bringing his mouth to where I needed him most.
My hands shot to his hair, grabbing hard. I moaned as he buried his face in me, nuzzling my clit with the tip of his nose, then covering me entirely with his open mouth.
I didn’t give a damn about his instructions anymore. I needed to touch him, and I needed to hold him right there as he pleasured me.
To my relief, Theo didn’t take my hands away. My urgency seemed to turn him on, and he began tasting me with his tongue, teasing the folds of my pussy with firm strokes. His approving hum rumbled against my flesh, vibrating my throbbing clit.
“Hold tight,” he murmured.
He took my left knee and hooked my leg over his shoulder, opening me wider for him. My fingers tangled in his hair for balance as he ate me whole, sliding a finger into me and thrusting in time to his tongue. I moaned from the pleasure, breaking off in a cry when Theo put another finger into me, working me steadily.
“Yes...” I held his head down, rolling my hips against his face.
I was dripping wet and desperate for more. My every nerve was now centered on that one place between my thighs. My eyes were squeezed shut behind the black silk, and my world was only Theo and the pleasure he was giving me.
He filled me with his fingers, curling them and thrusting in deep, steady strokes. His tongue never stopped working me, and I cried out from the ecstasy of being filled by him, of having my clitoris suckled.
I soon became light-headed from the pleasure, my body leaning heavily on Theo. He caught me when my legs finally gave way, easing me down on a carpeted area.
But there was no respite for me. Theo took my knees and spread them wide to resume his torture.
I tossed my head as he suckled my clit, my moans in time with my rapid breathing. My lips were parted in ecstasy, my thighs trembling against his face.
“Do you know what I see right now?” Theo murmured against my core, his voice low and sinful. “Your body, pale white from the light outside. Your hair, fanned out behind you like liquid fire. And the black silk against your skin…” He lightly ran his teeth over the skin on my inner thigh. “It turns me on so bloody much.”
“Theo, please,” I whispered hoarsely. “I can’t… can’t hold back…”
My begging seemed to drive Theo over the edge. He eased up and took my mouth hard, exploring every inch of it with his tongue while thrusting into me with his fingers.
I grabbed his wrist, holding his hand between my legs. My inner muscles clenched, milking his fingers as my hips thrust uncontrollably.
“That’s it, princess,” Theo murmured at my ear, his voice husky with lust and sex. “Use me for your pleasure.”
“Theo…” I panted loudly as I held his hand down there and worked my body on his fingers. “Oh god… oh god, yes!”
My head fell back as I climaxed, my entire body arching with the force of my orgasm. I clenched around Theo’s fingers as I rolled my hips again and again, coming so hard that my ears rang and my skin burned from the carpet.
My voice was hoarse from my cries, but I took everything that Theo gave me, falling over the edge in the most intense climax I ever experienced.
***
I held Karin in my arms as she came down from her orgasm, pressing my forehead to hers in quiet shock.
I had intended to take my time and savor her, but every cry from her, every gasp seemed to be pulled from my deepest fantasies. I had to let her come before I spilled in my own pants.
Karin lay back in my arms, dazed and completely limp. Her hands still clung to mine trustingly, her lips parted with her shallow breaths.
I eased the tie off her face, watching as she opened her eyes and blinked hazily up at me.
My chest lurched as I took in her face. She was so bloody beautiful it hurt to look at her. This had been meant as a lesson for her, but it felt like I was the one being tortured instead.
“You must be my punishment for all the things I’ve done,” I found myself saying.
“I think I’m a blessing,” Karin countered breathlessly.
That she was. She was everything that was good, everything I ever wanted but would never have.
I helped Karin into a sitting position, then gathered her discarded clothing and handed them to her.
Karin took them with a hesitant smile, and I watched in silence as she put herself to rights.
“Why didn’t you go all the way?” she asked as she slipped on her dress without meeting my eyes. “I wanted you to.”
My lips curved bitterly. No matter how much she begged, no matter how much I yearned to give in, I couldn’t use her to take my pleasure. Not while I was still a traitor.
“There’s something you should know.” I waited for her to look at me before I told her the truth. “I met Estelle earlier.”
Karin was stunned.
“What?” she breathed. “You mean, just? In this hotel?” Her brows drew together in shock. “But you said you sent her to Switzerland!”
“She never left. Ryland has eyes all over the city, but there are cracks that even he has no autonomy over.” My jaw tightened, but I forced myself to admit, “I’m getting her a new identity to leave this country.”
Karin went still at this revelation, her eyes wounded and hurt.
“So this is the lesson,” she whispered. “That you’ll hurt me no matter what I do.”
I was utterly disgusted at myself, but my mouth curved into a cruel smile out of habit. “Do you hate me yet?”
Karin remained silent, her posture reminding me of an abandoned doll. I loathed that I had hurt her again, but she needed to understand that nothing good ever came out of associating with me. I had to end this before we went any further.
“I don’t hate you,” she finally said. “But I hate what you’re doing. She hurt my family, Theo. She’s a murderer.” Karin glared up at me then, her eyes teary but determined. “Please do the right thing.”
I couldn’t. I fucking couldn’t, and I needed her to know that too, to understand that what stood on the other side for me if I gave up my only family was nothing.
“You don’t know what it’s like to be alone,” I said in a low voice, furious at her refusal to back down, at my own incompetence. “You don’t know what it’s like to have absolutely no one. I can’t go through that again.”
“You won’t have to,” she said, “because you’ll have me.”
Karin’s words nearly felled me.
God help me, but I wanted to fucking worship her for even saying them, never mind if she meant it or not. Only the thought of keeping her safe from me forced me to stay where I was.
I looked away, feeling unbelievably weary all of a sudden. This had been a fucking mistake from the start.
“I can’t compromise on this, Karin. I’m sorry.”
“Apologize to me only when you’re going to fix it,” she said, her voice unsteady with hurt.
She got up and went to the door, but before she left, she turned back.
“For the record, I still believe you’ll do the right thing.” Her gaze softened. “I’m just waiting for you to realize that.”
I was silent as I watched her leave, feeling like the lowest fucking scum.