“No more games, Riley,” he said in a hard voice, shaking her hard. “Trust me, you do not want to come to my bed this way. I will hurt you, woman.”
She opened her mouth to deny him, but nothing came out. She realized she was both desperately frightened and aroused. They had been dancing around each other for weeks. And if there was one thing Riley loved it was the adrenaline rush of a good chase scene, but somewhere along the way things had changed. He had changed. Things became real. She sensed this was no longer just a fuck to him. He intended to keep her. To chain her to him. And she so wasn’t ready for that.
“Please,” she whispered, her lips shaking as she gazed up at him, hoping he could see the fear in her eyes. Hoping it wouldn’t call to the predator in him.
“We passed please when you took my car, little girl,” he growled, his fingers biting into her biceps. He pulled her closer until her breasts brushed against his chest.
“I’m sorry,” she offered, biting her lip and trying to look contrite. She really wasn't sorry at all. She’d won the fucking Sparrow Hawk Cup! She’d shown the world what the Regera was built to do.
He sighed angrily and shook her. She brought her hands up to brace herself against his chest. “Don’t lie to me,” he snapped. “You’re sorry you got caught. And believe me, Riley. I’m about to make you very sorry.”
She opened her mouth to snap back at him, but he brought his head down, closing the space between them. Crushing her lips with his, he took her mouth in a brutal kiss that told her exactly how their time together would be. Desire fled as fear set in when he continued to ravish her mouth with no thought for her comfort. When she tried to turn her head away, he took her ponytail in his fist and pulled it back in a brutal hold, twisting her head beneath his until her face was tilted exactly where he wanted it.
He fucked her mouth with his tongue until she was helpless to deny him what he wanted. The fight drained from her and she opened her lips with each invasion of his tongue. The hands that had been shoving uselessly against the immoveable muscles of his chest now clutched his shirt so she wouldn’t fall at his feet. Not that he would allow that. He had her pinned with her back against the window.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her until only the toes of her Sketchers grazed the floor. He crushed her against his body, forcing her to feel the length of his erection against the cradle of her thighs. She whimpered into his mouth as he moved to kiss down her throat, his mouth hot and demanding against her tender skin.
“Soloman!” she cried out, when he bit into the skin of her shoulder blade through her T-shirt.
His head snapped up and he immediately swooped down for another intense, dizzying kiss. She cried out in pain as the day old growth on his cheeks and chin scratched against the ravaged skin around her mouth where he had brutalized her. He jerked back and looked down at her with a frown. It was clear he couldn’t see what was wrong in the shadows surrounding him. Taking her by the arm, he dragged her roughly to the side of the bed and switched on a nightstand lamp.
Riley gasped and turned her head away from the sudden light. So he did pay his electricity bill, she noted bitterly. He took her ponytail in his hand once more and, before she could jerk it away, used it to turn her face to the light. His frown turned fierce and he swore so viciously Riley wondered if she was about to die. Instinctively, she tried to yank her arm away from him, but he held her tight. She flinched back when he brought his other hand up, but all he did was run his fingertips over the swollen, reddened skin around her lips.
He growled in annoyance and thrust a tattooed hand through his hair before dropping it to his side. Did he care that he’d hurt her? But she thought he intended to punish her for her constant defiance and denials. She was confused. Was the mafia kingpin about to fuck her or take pity on her? She glanced down to see if she was still in danger. Yup, still fucked. Or about to be.
“It doesn’t matter,” he growled quietly, almost to himself.
He pulled her in more closely and continued to watch her face. His was set in stone, his scarred mouth a relentless slash. He swung her around and began lowering her onto the bed. She brought her hands up in a panic and clutched his arms as though he might stop if she clung onto him hard enough. She suddenly understood what he meant. He wanted her bad enough to take her using whatever means necessary. He was a bad man, used to doing very bad things. Yet it bothered him that he had hurt her. But he didn’t understand why, because nothing in life had taught him to be soft. Her heart melted just a little.
She was still terrified though. Far too frightened to give him what he was about to ruthlessly take from her. She just wasn't ready. She stiffened as he lowered his hard body against her, crushing her into the soft mattress.
“Soloman!” she gasped. “Please can I take a shower?”
He stiffened over top of her, clearly not expecting that kind of a request from her. But he did stop. She pressed her advantage by wiggling a little, trying to get out from under him. He groaned and thrust his hips hard against her, forcing a sharp gasp from her throat when his erection pressed intimately into her. She stopped moving, looked up at him pleadingly and begged, “Please, Soloman, I feel so dusty from driving all day yesterday and this morning.”
He thought for a moment and then finally grunted his assent and rolled off of her. She shot off the bed as though it were on fire. They both knew she was buying time, but it didn’t matter. She would take anything he gave her. He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her against him.
“Ow!” she snapped. She was getting really sick of all the arm grabbing.
He hauled her into an ensuite and smashed his fist against a light switch, flooding a gorgeous, marble washroom in yellow light. Someone was clearly getting grumpy at being constantly denied his sexy time prize. She pressed her fingers against her lips and shuddered. His patience was running out as fast as her time.
She glanced around the washroom and quickly assessed her ability to squeeze through the window over top of the whirlpool bathtub. Yeah, no problem. She dropped her eyes so he wouldn’t divine her thoughts. Too late. His annoyed gaze met hers.
“Clothes off,” he said coldly, leaning a hip against the vanity and holding a large hand out.
Her jaw dropped. “Not with you in here!” she gasped, horrified.
“Do it now, or I’ll do it for you,” he snapped. “And I promise, little girl, if I get my hands on you right now, I will fuck you right here and now. I’m just about done waiting. Don’t want you jumping out that window and running.”
She continued to glare at him angrily until he took a step toward her. She gasped and jumped back until her elbow touched the immaculate glass of the huge shower stall. “Fine!” she snapped back at him. “It’s not like you haven’t seen it all before, asshole!”
His scar quivered and his lips thinned for just a moment before he spoke. “Watch that mouth, Riley.”
She glared fireballs at him, but kept her lips sealed. There was a whole lot she would love to say to him, but kept her peace for the moment. She could tell he was rapidly reaching the edge of his patience. She wasn’t used to playing with men like him. Fuck, she didn’t think anyone survived long enough to play with him. He deserved it though. He was a dick through and through. She would make him regret fucking around with her. Yeah, she’d burn his house down or something. Not his garage though. She bet he had some sweet deals in there. She’d boost those babies and sell them. Then she’d burn the garage.
She threw her T-shirt in his face, ignored his growl of annoyance and reached for her jeans. She did her best to pretend he wasn't there, but knew her face had gone cherry red as she pulled her jeans and panties down her hips. She didn’t bother taking her time. There was no point. She wanted him out of there as fast as possible. She reached around behind her and unsnapped her bra, allowing it to fall into her other hand. She was about to fling it at him when his hand closed over hers in a crushing grip.
His eyes burned into hers like glowing coals. She felt his desire to own every inch of her like a physical presence filling up the space in between and all around them. She didn’t understand how he could want her so bad. He barely knew her. Yet he had maneuvered her to this point. She was now in his power. She swallowed and dropped her eyes, submitting under the heavy heat of his arousal. He pulled the bra from her fingers and released her hand.
“You have five minutes, Riley.”
***
Soloman stood outside the patio door next to his bedroom listening to the shower run. He took a long draw of his cigarillo and allowed the smoke to linger in his mouth, hoping the subtle scent would calm the blood that sizzled through his veins. The blood that raged through his cock and demanded he stalk into his washroom, drag Riley wet and dripping out of the shower and make her his woman.
He pressed the heel of his hand against his painfully engorged erection and tried not to picture the woman naked beneath the spray of his shower head. It had been a mistake to force her to undress in front of him. He knew she wouldn’t be able to go through the ensuite window. The damn thing was welded shut. Every window in his home was shatter proof and only certain windows and doors opened. No, he had wanted her to strip for him, the way she had in his office. And something about having her strip naked while angry was even better. He wondered how she would fuck angry?
She had been in the shower for seven minutes. Of course, she would push her time limit. Goddamn woman never did anything easy. Would he want her as much if she did? She had been a challenge right from the word go. Glaring up at him with those beautiful melted chocolate eyes and refusing to tell him her name. Even after admitting she knew who he was. That made her reckless and brave. A combination guaran-fucking-teed to get him and his dick’s attention.
What she didn’t know was he noticed a whole lot more than that. She was strong, with a backbone of steel. But gorgeous and soft in all the right places. She was loyal to a woman that was never the mother Riley needed. A woman that was batshit crazy one moment and fucking brilliant the next. She was loyal as fuck to the people she called friends. She ran her legitimate garage and her chop shop like a fucking pro, despite her relative youth and inexperience. She was a woman willing to give the world the finger and do whatever it took to make the people around her happy and proud.
He needed a woman like her by his side. A loyal wife.
He stubbed the cigarillo out and dropped it into the ashtray on the patio table next to the door. He turned and reentered the bedroom. She was standing hesitantly next to the bedroom door as though she had been about to run upstairs and out the front door despite her lack of clothes. She wore only a fluffy white towel over her curves with another one wrapped around her long, dark hair.
Her wide eyes met his and she edged toward the door a little more. The glow of the rising sun coming in from the door behind him caressed her features. She looked so vulnerable, standing there with her arms wrapped around her waist. As though she would break apart if he reached for her now.
“Don’t run,” he said softly.
Her eyes jerked to his and he saw genuine fear. He wanted to soothe her, but this wasn't the time or place. He knew she wanted to beg for more time. It wouldn’t be granted. Every step he took had driven them to this point. He would impress his domination on her, no matter what she wanted. He watched her carefully, expecting her to fly at any moment.
"Do you trust me not to hurt you?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "You've already hurt me. You nearly killed one of my best friends, you sicced your guard dog on Katie, you drove my mother out of town. You're a dirty, ruthless son-of-a-bitch. You've clearly never heard of honour among thieves."
His eyes became glacial as he continued to watch her every move like a hunter about to make his kill. "If you believe that, then I have no need to be gentle with you. I might as well take you and fuck you the way I crave."
She shivered and took another step away from him toward the open door behind her. Her gaze darted frantically toward escape, before her long lashes swept down in an attempt to conceal her thoughts from him. He took another step closer to her, stalking her.
"You know, that night I went to the shop looking for Riley Bancroft? The night we met?" his deep voice drew her in, commanded her to look at him.
"Yes?" she whispered, her lashes sweeping up. Dark eyes clashed with darker. How could she forget that night? It was the night he decided to stomp all over her life and steal her independence forever.
"I knew you took my car," he told her, his dark eyes cold. She froze, pinned to the spot by his words. "How could it be anyone else? I knew of only one man capable of stealing a car of that rarity and quality. Your father, Alan Bancroft. It only made sense, since the man was dead, that his illusive progeny would follow in his footsteps. I had heard rumblings that the 'son' was most likely going to qualify for the prestigious Sparrow Hawk Cup and needed a car. I put two and two together. Unfortunately, I didn’t get quite the right answer, did I?”
She froze, pinned to the spot by his words. He stepped closer to her, his gaze taking in every nuance of her features as she worked out what he was saying.
Reading the growing horror on her face, he nodded. "I was going to end you that night, Riley. Put a bullet in your head,” he admitted, his deep voice caressing her, despite the chilling content of his words. "I had to send a message to anyone else interested in touching my property."
"Only... I wasn't what you thought," she whispered, her velvet eyes wide with apprehension. She had come so close to death in her single-minded pursuit of racing glory. What if Solomon hadn't become fascinated by her that night?
He reached her side but he didn't touch her. He didn't need to. His eyes and his voice were powerful enough to capture and hold her. He watched as a drop of water escaped from beneath the towel, fell from her temple and dripped onto her breast. Her chest rose and fell with her rapid breathing. He brought his fingertips up to touch the water drop, catching it on his knuckle and sliding his finger up the soft curve of her breast. She flinched and stared at him wide-eyed as he brought the water to his mouth.
"No, you weren't what I thought," he admitted. "You can now claim the privilege of being the only person to change my mind once I set my course. And Riley?"
She moistened her lips. "Yes?" she whispered.
"I don't change my mind," he told her, his words holding deep significance.
Her chest lifted and dropped with the effort it took to just breath. He pinned her in place without touching her, watching closely as she struggled to breath. He hoped she wasn't having a panic attack. He was going to fuck her. No matter what she threw at him in the next few minutes. He didn’t care if it made him a monster, he would fuck a hysterical woman. He couldn't go one more minute without sinking into Riley’s delicious body.
"What now?" she asked him.
He didn't answer. Instead he brought both hands up and gently unwrapped the towel from her hair so he wouldn't tug the wet strands. He let the damp towel drop to the floor and reached for the one knotted against her breasts. She brought her hands up and took a quick step back. He snagged her wrist in one hand and wrenched the towel away with the other, baring her once more.
“Soloman, please!” she gasped out.
He didn’t fucking care that she was saying his name in protest. That she was afraid and half-heartedly trying to stop him. He loved the way she said his name and then “please” after. It sounded like she was begging him and, fuck yeah, he liked the sound of that on her lips. He wanted her to beg him. They would get there. Soon. Once he’d slaked his lust on her body a few times and brought the raging hunger under control. He would be calm enough to show her exactly what he was capable of giving her in bed. She would never want him to stop. She would wonder why she was so afraid to begin with. Then she would say his name and beg him for more, forming those words with those too sexy lips in something other than fear.
But now… now… as she struggled against him, her naked body wiggling in all the right places, he only saw a green light. He picked her up, took the necessary step to the bed and threw her into the mattress. She let out a yell and rolled onto her belly. She tried to climb onto her hands and knees and crawl away from him, but the view of her ass and pussy from behind only inflamed him further.
He shook his head, trying to remind himself that he wasn’t a beast. That he usually had enough finesse to ensure his sexual partners enjoyed themselves. He took hold of her waist in a bruising grip and jerked her back toward him. Her arms flew out from under her and she landed on her chest in the bedding. He buried his face in her ass from behind, inhaling the scent of her pussy.
Heaven.
She froze at the first stroke of his tongue. Probably because she had been expecting a brutal assault, not the ravaging but pleasurable touch of a tongue against her clit. He explored each fold of her pussy while she whimpered and squirmed underneath him, until he finally sat back and spanked her ass cheek with enough force to draw a scream from her.
“Stop trying to get away from me or I will tie you down.”
He flipped her over, pinned her arms over her head and glared down at her. Her wide luminous eyes stared back at him, begging him for something. His lust fogged brain tried to understand what she wanted. More time? Slow down? Impossible. His body was on fire for her.
"Stop fighting. Just feel." He tapped the side of her head with two fingers. "Stop thinking so much. Stop thinking about my reputation."
"The things you can do to people..." she whispered up at him. “I’ve heard things.”
"I won't do that to you," he promised fiercely. "I will never touch you that way."
"But you might hurt me.” She arched her body underneath him as though to get away, but only managed to press her naked body further into him. He grimaced and tensed, trying to hold himself back from savagely ripping into her.
He didn't want to lie to her. It was inevitable that he would hurt her. She was willful, head strong and loved to throw herself into dangerous situations. "Hurt, yes, probably,” he said as softly as he could. She shivered underneath him. "But break, never. I want you whole, gorgeous girl.”
"I'm scared of you,” she admitted.
He nodded. It was what he thought he wanted. Now he wasn't sure. He ran his fingers down her cheek. "Just feel, Riley. I can make this good for you. Will you let me?"
Her eyes shimmered luminous in the early morning light. She didn't have a choice. He was giving her a reprieve from the anger and punishment he had felt when she ran from him with his damn car. He was willing to make their first time together good for her if she stopped fighting him.
Finally, she nodded and forced her body to relax. Something inside his chest, something he didn’t know existed, loosened and melted for the woman underneath him. He would make it good for her if it killed him.