ROB

I HAD BARELY SETTLED down to lunch when Harry rang. "Are you somewhere you can talk?" he asked.

"Hold on," I replied before turning to Hope. "Back in a second." I headed out into the hallway, crossing the space to my study. Once I was in with the door closed I turned back to the phone. "What have you found?"

"She was at a pub last night, the bar staff recognised the picture I showed them. She was drinking orange juice and paying with coins."

"That was quick. Anything else?"

"They say two men took her outside. One older, one about her age. I have a potential address, I'm on the way there now. I thought you'd want to know."

"That's great, thanks."

"You still haven't told me what to do if I find them."

"Just call me and give me their names. I'll do the rest."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I don't want anyone getting hurt over this. If they've attacked her, the police can take over."

"But-"

I hung up. I knew what he was hinting and I didn't like the way the conversation was headed. He wanted permission to deal with the two of them and that could mean only one of two things. Either beat them up or kill them. If he beat them up, it would come back to bite me, I had no doubt.

And if he killed them instead, well that was worse. That would mean I wouldn't get the pleasure of dealing with them myself. If they were the men who'd been chasing Hope, then I'd make them pay but at the time I chose.

For now, I just wanted to know who they were and why they'd been after her. I didn't want to ask Hope about it again, not yet at least. She was still traumatised and coming to terms with what had happened to her. She'd talk to me when she was ready and I didn't want to heap any pressure on her. Instead I wanted to enjoy her company.

I headed back into the dining room, moving to stand behind her and leaning down to kiss the back of her neck.

"Everything all right?" she asked.

"It is now," I said, pulling her up to her feet. I held myself against her, wrapping my hands around her, continuing to kiss the back of her neck. "I can't resist you."

I bent her forwards until her hands landed on the table. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"This," I replied as I began sliding her dress up her legs. She remained in place as I moved it upwards, revealing her shapely thighs. I let go of the dress, leaving it bunched around her waist as I yanked her panties down to her ankles.

I grabbed the chair and shoved it away, kneeling behind her as she glanced back at me. "What if the butler comes in?"

"What if he does?"

"He might see us!"

"Then you better keep quiet," I said, grabbing her buttocks and pulling them apart. I ran my tongue over her hole, listening as she gasped with surprised delight.

I couldn't do it for more than a few seconds, my need to taste her growing uncontrollable. I moved my tongue down to her pussy, lapping at her wetness whilst sliding my hand up her thigh, shuffling her legs apart.

I teased her for as long as I could before standing up, reaching for my trousers and pulling my cock out. I slid it between her legs, wanting to tease her but running out of patience.

I slid into her, loving the sensation of her tight warmth as she gripped me, drawing me deeper inside. She pushed her hips back, the plates on the table rattling as I slammed all the way into her.

"That feels so good," she said, her voice little more than a whisper. "Give it to me."

I pulled back and began thrusting fast into her, looking down to see my cock vanishing inside her. My Hope, the woman who an hour before was crying in her bedroom, the woman who'd run from two men into my arms. She was here, her ass pointing at me, giving her body to me, letting me take her like this.

She looked so beautiful, bent over, me inside her, little moans escaping her as we both got closer to orgasm.

I felt her getting close, widening inside to draw me deeper still, then she went silent for a brief second.

I watched as she came, her body shaking, the sight of her pleasure enough to tip me over the edge. I spurted into her, not caring about anything, about anyone else, just me and her.

I grunted as I spurted a second time, my nails digging into her hips before I fell away, sinking onto the nearest chair, holding her on my lap, my arms wrapped around her as I kissed those soft lips of hers.

"You should get back to work," she said in a trembling voice.

"I own the company," I replied. "What are they going to do, fire me?"

She laughed. "Am I a bad influence on you?"

"No, you're reminding me what's important in this world, that's all."

She was a perfect reminder. She was good and pure and everything I wasn't. I had never cared about any of the women I'd slept with before. I'd never felt close to any of them. But with her it was different. I wanted to be with her after sex for one thing. I hated being away from her. There was just something inside her that called to me, that kept me thinking about her even when I was away from her side.

She had barely slid off me when Potter appeared to collect our lunch things. She sat giggling at me as he walked by, her cheeks still flushed. If Potter knew what had just happened, he didn't show any sign of it, vanishing as silently as he had arrived.

"What do you want to do now?" I asked, getting to my feet. "How about a walk outside?"

"No," she said too suddenly, the smile vanishing from her face. "I need to talk to you about something."