Page 14 (1/1)

He carries me up the stairs, then sets me on my feet in front of the now-closed doors that lead to the balcony I have barely gotkiss and we stu our path even while keeping us fro flurry of lips and hands

The hs, but before I can even think to sit, Damien breaks our kiss "No," he says, and then turns me around "Bend over," he says "Hands on the bed"

I co frole e in such a position "For so tiy It’s not kind to re inwo should haveup such a sore subject several ti Whatever happened to etiquette and decoruood question, Mr Stark Perhaps I’m not as polite and refined as you think I aers trail overreminded that the end is near It was quite unkind of you to ree "Rude, even Definitely thoughtless And certainly not worthy of the Emily Post seal of approval"

He doesn’t answer I’h

I le "Maybe you should punishHe is still silent, but now the quiet feels dark and heavy instead of playful and light

"Should I?" he finally says, his voice low and controlled "Do you think I didn’t see the way you dug your nails into your thighs in the car on the way to the restaurant? We were only talking about the paparazzi then It orse when they accosted us You kept control, Nikki, but you had to fight for it"

I closeto reht coh my instinct is to tease him, I know better

I don’t alter ht He steps sideways into ht, and I force myself to meet his eyes There’s fire there, but there’s worry, too I should have expected it It is one thing when he initiates, surprisingto hs

But when I ask for the pain, he hesitates It is his way of protecting ht then, it isn’t protection I want It’s the sensual thrill of his palainst my ass

"Nikki," he says That’s it Just my name But I hear the question in his voice

I start to answer, but the words don’t come as easily as I had hoped Because the truth is that I kno that I haven’t left the cutting as far behind as I had thought True, I’ve done nothing but dig ht But it’s barely been a week since I tossed a knife across ry and scared by how ainstrapture of the pain I’d won that battle, but I hadn’t won the war, and my now-short hair is a scar upon hs are scars uponof his palive myself over so completely to Damien flow from the saht twists inside me, dark and unpleasant, and I force it away It’s not true And even if it is, I am safe with Damien no matter what the source of my desire He’s proven that er bent over the bed He hasme up to stand in front of him "Daainst his cheeks and take his ht against hirowing in hiered now seems to seep out from his pores

"I need you," I tell him when I break the kiss "You I don’t need that" His eyes are intent, and they seem to see so far inside htest of secrets I take a deep breath and lay out my heart for hihtest twitch of thefor control

"Do you?" he says

I nod, then s My cheeks are warm, which irritates me I’ve been more intimate with Da? It’s a ridiculous girly-girl reaction, probably instilled by ives th

"I want it," I repeat "And not because I need the pain But because I need you"

I need him even more than I can say I want his hands on me I want to be the object of his pleasure, and I want to loseDa I wanthumbled by my words "I need you, too, Nikki God, how I need you"

I breathe in deep, cherishing those words more than he can possibly know "Then touch h I expect the caresses, the passion, the immediate sensual assault, I am jarred off-center by the fervency I see in his eyes, and by the fir else in the world to hili kiss

"Bed," he says, once he breaks the kiss "Bend over Legs apart"

I raise htly on the bottoasp, both surprised and excited "What do you say?"

"Yes, sir," I say obediently, forcing myself not to smile I turn back to the bed and bend over, my hands firmly on the s to er question my motives; I ahimself deep inside of me