I was not expecting… her.
When the door had flown open, a pair of gorgeous indigo blue eyes struck me. Almond-shaped and perhaps a little too big for her delicate features, thick black lashes framed them and they flashed with anger. Her hair brought the slight hints of purple in her irises out. It reminded me of a raven’s wing. Sleek and so inky black, I could see flashes of cobalt and amethyst in the sheen. It fell past her shoulders to curl on the ends and made me want to wrap the glossy lengths in my fist and pull her to me so I could kiss those full lips. They were stained a bitable cherry red from the remnants of her lipstick, which created a slightly smudged outline around her lower lip that only made me want to kiss her more. All of these flashes of color were highlighted by her porcelain skin. I wanted to lick her neck to see if she tasted like sweet cream.
Then my gaze moved lower, and I barely contained a possessive growl.
This woman was built for a man’s hands—my hands.
She barely reached my shoulder, but damn if she wasn’t all tucked-in waist and dangerous curves. Her breasts practically spilled out of the skimpy leopard print robe she was wearing. The neckline gave the tiniest glimpse of a red ribbon and black lace bra. From the tight pink belt around her waist, I could make out the generous swell of her hips. Damn if I didn’t love a woman with a pair of sexy hips. Overly skinny women held no appeal for me. I wanted a woman who could fill my hands.
Then she’d had the moxie to try to slam the door in my face, and that sealed the deal. As my cock hardened, I realized I needed to fuck her like I needed my next breath. There was no way I was letting a morsel this delectable fall into my lap and just walk away.
Now she stood defiantly staring me down with those amazing eyes, her back literally against the wall. Her chin rose as she gripped the belt of her robe. “I have no intention of being friends with you. Now get out!”
She had spirit. Good. I loved a woman with fight in her. They were a rare gem. And this was one diamond I had every intention of making mine. I hadn’t amassed the wealth I had without knowing when to snatch up treasure when I found it.
With a chuckle, I shrugged out of my suit jacket and slung it over the padded red and black stool positioned in front of a vanity painted the same shade of black with red roses.
Her eyes shifted from my jacket to the open door behind me. Escape was not an option. The only way she was leaving this room was with a sore pussy after I fucked her raw.
I loosened the knot of my tie and pulled it free from the collar, tossing it on the bed in case I wanted to tie her up. If I used it to bind her wrists it would ruin the silk of the expensive Armani tie, of course, but it would be worth it.
I unlatched a cufflink. “No.”
“I’ll scream.”
I smiled as I tossed the cufflink onto her vanity and reached for the other one. “Please do. I’d be offended if the woman I was fucking didn’t scream.”
Her beautiful mouth fell open. Fuck, I couldn’t wait to have her on her knees with those same red lips stretched wide around my cock. Her beautiful gaze pleading with me to let her breathe as I shoved every inch deeper and deeper down her throat.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re insane if you think I’m having sex with you.”
While it was supposed to be a gesture of defiance, all it did was push her glorious breasts up and closer together. I couldn’t wait to sweep my tongue between them and taste her skin.
I rolled up one sleeve as I kicked off my shoes. “Who said anything about sex?”
She blinked as her head tilted to the side. Her heavy curtain of hair fell over her shoulder, exposing one cute little ear. I’d buy her diamond earrings first, I decided as I rolled up the other sleeve. I wanted to see the rainbow flash, from when the light caught the stones, reflected in her hair and eyes.
I stepped further into the room. She bent to the left and picked up a crystal vase filled with the stems of six dead red roses. Not even a full dozen, I scoffed. An unreasonable, sharp stab of jealousy hit my gut. A woman usually only received red roses from a man. She had said earlier there was no boyfriend, but there was no reason to believe her. I had been holding a cocked gun at the time. Although I knew that if there was a boyfriend, they were done as of this moment.
The man obviously did not know how to take care of a woman, judging by this tiny apartment with its disgraceful lack of security. If he were a real man, he’d see his woman in a proper condo in a high-rise with proper security and a doorman. He would also see that she always had fresh flowers to perfume the air and make her smile, not make her hold on to a handful of dead petals.
And as much as I admired her black lace bra from the glimpses I had gotten of it, it was apparent to me it was not high quality. When I’d touched it, the lace felt stiff and scratchy. A woman like her should have only the finest silk lingerie against her skin.
As her new man, I would make sure of all of it.
It was extraordinary. I hadn’t even fucked her yet, and already I wanted to set her up as mine. I had never experienced that with a woman before. Hell, I’d never wanted to buy one a condo and jewels before either. There was just something so fiery and vivacious about her. The simple and pure name of Mary did not do her justice. I knew before even holding her it was going to be like holding the sun.
Closing the distance between us, I snatched the vase out of her hand and tossed it away, uncaring as the crystal smashed the moment it hit the thinly carpeted floor. “Don’t even think about it.”
She raised her other hand to slap me, but I caught her around her wrist.
She defiantly repeated, “I’m not having sex with you.”
“I’m not having sex with you either. I’m going to fuck you.”
Her eyes flashed as her lip curled. “It’s the same thing and no matter what you call it, it will not happen.”
I lifted her arm high, pinning it against the wall. I clasped her throat with my other hand and tilted her head to the side so I could place my mouth on her neck. I could feel and hear her gasp as my tongue flicked out to tease the space just below her ear. I wedged my leg between hers, knowing with my superior height she would be forced onto her toes as she practically rode my upper thigh.
Biting her earlobe, I rasped in her ear, “You’re wrong. Sex is functional, no different from eating or breathing. It serves a purpose, to scratch an itch, and nothing more. It is unnecessary to have a connection or even genuine passion. When it is over, you go on with your life, unchanged.”
I reached down to undo the belt at her waist. I pulled it free from its loops and tossed it onto the bed. Her robe fell open. I cupped one perfect breast and lowered my head. I ran the tip of my tongue over the lace edge of her bra. “Fucking is different. Fucking is primal. A raw, untamed response to the body in front of you. A deep gnawing need to claim and possess.”
Her breath came in quick gasps as I moved my hand over her belly to dip my fingers into her panties.
I traced the lush fullness of her lower lip with my tongue before whispering against her mouth, “Fucking leaves you sweaty and sore, with marks on both your skin and soul. Fucking leaves a limp, satiated body unable to think clearly beyond the delicious euphoria that continues to rush over you in waves, long after your bodies are no longer connected. Fucking is an all-consuming lust that will not be denied. It’s feeling used and cherished all at the same time, and desperately craving the feeling again before the warmth of your partner’s touch has left your skin.”