Desire's Edge (12 page)

Authors: Eve Berlin

Tags: #Romance, #Erotica, #Adult, #Legal, #Fiction

BOOK: Desire's Edge

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His eyes were glittering as he spoke. So damn sexy she could hardly stand it. And emanating power. She wanted to resist him. To focus on all the reasons why this wasn’t a good idea. But she couldn’t tear her gaze from his. It was torture. Wanting him. Feeling she shouldn’t be doing this . . .

“Oh yes,” he went on. “You begged me to fuck you. To make you come. And you love the begging as much as I do. Hearing that surrender in your voice.”

She yanked her wrist away.

“Dante, we should stop this. You should stop.”

He shook his head. “Only if you really want me to. But I don’t think that’s the case.”

“You’re a lawyer. You could find a way to argue anything.”

“The same can be said for you.”

She stared at him, rubbing her wrist where his fingers had rested moments before. She felt as if he was still touching her. As if he’d left a mark on her skin. Branded her.

“So, are we going to continue to argue, Kara? Because as you said, I can do that all day. And so can you. But why waste our energy on argument? We both want the same thing. We have from the start. Maybe even back in high school. But we couldn’t admit it then. I can admit it now. How about you?”

She started to shake her head. But there was something about the low, even tone of his voice, the absolute control with which he spoke. It reached down inside her, deep down, and shook her to the core.

He was right. She wanted him. Wanted the things they did together. And that was why she was so mad. Because it felt like a risk to have it. Because they worked together, yes. But there was something more . . . some element of danger with him she didn’t want to examine too closely.

“Tell me what you’re thinking, Kara,” he asked. Demanded.

“I’m thinking that . . . you’re right.”

She looked up at him, but there was no gloating in his expression. There was nothing but pure pleasure on his face, in his smile.

“I was hoping you’d see the error of your ways.”

“You’re teasing me now.” But she didn’t really mind.

“Yes. I can’t help myself. It makes you blush so beautifully. It makes me think of that lovely shade your ass turns when I’m spanking you.”

“Dante, do you have to do that here?”

“Oh yes.” His smile widened. “Definitely.”

“You are a wicked man,” she told him, smiling a little.

“I try.”

She shook her head. “I’m not going to get any lunch, am I?”

“I’ll order something. I want you well fed for what I have in mind for you later.”

Too dangerous, the way her body lit up with a pure, aching need simply thinking about going home with him, getting back into his bed. Or on his kitchen counter. Or the living room floor . . .

“Maybe we should . . . think about this, Dante.”

“Maybe you think too much.”

“Hmm, well, yes.”

He picked up her hand once more, drew it to his lips and laid a soft kiss on her open palm. “Later, when I have you alone, I’ll see what I can do to get that brilliant mind of yours to slow down. To empty out. A good spanking always seems to do that for you. But maybe you’re ready for something more.”

“Are you trying to scare me?”

“Is it working?”

“Maybe.”

He grinned, looking pleased with himself.

“And maybe not,” she added. “I’m not afraid of the things I crave.”

“Aren’t you? Wasn’t that what held you back from pursuing your desires all these years?”

“Not anymore.”

But that was a lie. She wanted Dante. More than she liked to admit. And that scared the hell out of her.

But she was going to have him. She would think about the rest later.

“Let’s feed you.” He let her hand go, motioned to the waiter and ordered without looking at the menu.

“Do you always do that?” she asked him.

“Do what?”

“Take charge in any given situation?”

The question seemed to surprise him. “Yes. Do you have an issue with me ordering for you?”

She eased back into her chair, the wood biting a little into the sore spots on her behind, making her feel a strange rush of pleasure. She shrugged helplessly. “I like it. I hate to admit that, but I do.”

He smiled at her. “We’re going to get along just fine.” She rolled her eyes, making him laugh. “It’s true. And I’m pretty sure we have a few other things in common.”

“Like what?”

He shrugged. “We’re both lawyers, so we’ve both been through the hell that is the bar exam.”

It was her turn to laugh. “True enough.”

Their food came. He’d ordered eel rolls, some salmon sashimi, a calamari salad. All of the things she liked. They both pulled pieces onto their plates, along with the thin slivers of tangy ginger. Dante mixed a bowl of soy sauce and wasabi and pushed it close to her plate. She didn’t think to question it. She was getting used to him taking charge already.

A little scary. But she liked it.

Don’t think about it. Just enjoy it. Enjoy him.

“So, what else?” he asked her between bites.

“What do you mean?” She bit into a piece of the sashimi. “Oh, this is good.”

“I mean what do you like? Aside from kinky sex.” He grinned, his dimples flashing, his whiskey eyes sparkling.

“A lot of things.”

“Art?”

“Yes. Always,” she answered. “But you already knew that. What about you? I gathered from what I saw at your apartment that you have a good eye. Unless you had a decorator.”

“No, it’s all my own doing, good or bad. I like a little of everything. I like to mix it together. I don’t know if anyone else thinks it works. It doesn’t matter to me, though. I like it.” He paused to take another bite of his sushi. “I’ve been getting into modern sculpture recently. Abstract pieces. I don’t really understand it. I just know what I like.”

“You don’t have to understand art, in my opinion. It should be more . . . experiential than that. You only have to know what you like, as you said. Movies are the same, I think.”

“I agree. There’s something for everyone, and it’s not up to anyone else to judge. I like watching movies. Always have. I have a fondness for the old classic film noir, stuff from the forties and fifties.”

“Seriously? Those are some of my favorites.” Why did it surprise her that they should have so much in common? Surprise and excite her. “
Citizen Kane
,
The Maltese Falcon
. And so many of the noir films center on women of questionable virtue, which appeals to me, for some reason.”

“Absolutely.
Double Indemnity
. Lana Turner in
The Postman Always Rings Twice
. Some people think the pacing is slow. It
is
slower. Film styles have changed. But I feel like I need the slower pace sometimes. I like the starkness of black and white on film as much as I do in still art, photography. When I’m up late at night I’ll flip through the channels until I find one of the old classics. Or I’ll pop in a DVD from my collection.”

“I do the same,” she told him. “It’s relaxing. Soothing. There’s something sort of cozy and lonely at the same time about an old movie at three a.m.”

He nodded. “There is. Late at night, or sometimes early in the morning. I don’t know why. I like those quiet hours, the mood of it. Sometimes I’ll get up really early—like five a.m.—and take my motorcycle out. Just ride . . . anywhere. Usually by myself, but sometimes I can talk Alec into going with me.”

“You both have motorcycles?”

“It’s one of the things that brought us together. Aside from kink.” He grinned. “Except that he has deplorable taste in bikes. I’m a BMW man and he has this odd liking for Ducatis. But otherwise, he’s a great guy. We’ve traveled all over together, done some cross-country rides. He’s talked me into doing some crazy stuff. But I like that he brings that out in me. And there aren’t too many other people who would go cliff diving with me in Mexico.”

“I think it sounds exciting.”

“Do you?” he asked.

“Yes, absolutely. I’ve always wanted to do something like that. Something to really challenge myself. What else?” she asked. “Tell me what else you’re interested in.”

“Making demands, Kara?” he teased her. She could tell it was just teasing by the sparkle in his eyes, the small grin quirking the corners of his mouth. “Trying to shift the balance of power?”

Why did that make her blush? And laugh. “Would that be such a bad thing?”

“As long as you know it’ll always shift back to me.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I wouldn’t doubt that for a moment.”

He’d broken into a full smile again, his dimples accenting the masculine lushness of his mouth. She couldn’t wait until they were alone, until he would kiss her again. Had it only been that morning? She’d nearly forgotten being angry with him, thinking they couldn’t see each other anymore. She couldn’t wait. Couldn’t imagine never feeling his touch again.

He muttered under his breath as his cell phone went off. “Damn it. Sorry; I have to take this.” He put the phone to his ear.

“This is Dante . . . Hi, Ruby . . . What? . . . No, I haven’t forgotten. I’m on my way back now. Give me fifteen minutes.”

He hung up and said to Kara, “I did forget. You’re very distracting. Not that I mind, but I have a meeting with Ed Tate to go over the cases he’s bringing me in on. And they warned me it’ll probably be a late night. Which makes me realize we’ll have to wait to get together. And tomorrow night I’m already booked.”

“Oh. Of course.”

She didn’t like the enormous surge of disappointment that filtered through her.

He’s just a guy. Just sex.

She knew that was a lie. One she wasn’t ready to face.

He reached out, took her hand, brushed his thumb over her palm. Heat rippled over her skin. “Wednesday night, then,” he said, another command.

“Wednesday is good.”

He smiled at her once more. “Excellent.”

He paid and they left, going outside, into the cool January afternoon. The sky was gray and heavy with impending rain, but luckily it hadn’t started yet. She’d been in too much of a hurry when she’d left the office to meet Dante to think of taking her umbrella. Too excited, a little annoyed at being summoned by him. The annoyance had disappeared as if it had never existed.

Dante hailed a cab and held the door for her. “I’m assuming you’d like to keep things quiet. I’ll get another one.”

“Thank you. For lunch. And for being mindful of . . . my reputation.” She laughed. “God, I sound like some sort of fifties debutante.”

He smiled, leaned in and kissed her cheek, just a brief brush of his lips. She was burning up inside immediately. “You’re welcome. I’ll see you back at the office. And at my place Wednesday night. Be there at seven.”

She nodded, the aching desire in her body muting her.

Dante helped her into the cab and she rode back to work, crossing and uncrossing her legs, trying to ease the sharp, pulsing need between her thighs his kiss had left her with.

It’s only two days
.

Those two days were going to seem like an eternity.

Back to her friendly vibrator, she supposed. But she knew it was going to do nothing more than take the merest edge off. Nothing was going to help calm the heat raging through her system. Nothing but Dante’s touch.

Dante
.

She shouldn’t want him this much. She certainly shouldn’t
need
him. But she did. She was afraid that it was more than his demanding kisses, his clever touch. The way he knew what she needed instinctively. The kinky and amazing sex. But she was more afraid to stop and really think it all through. Because if she did, she’d have to face the fact that Dante De Matteo was a man she could fall for.

She had no intention of falling for anyone. She’d done a very good job of that so far. Even with Jake, it had been more about it being easy. Something they had both sort of slipped into, more than anything. It had been convenient.

There was nothing convenient about Dante. He challenged her.

She loved that about him.

Still, that didn’t mean she was going to fall for him. She wasn’t that kind of girl. Never had been. Never would be.

Just keep telling yourself that
.

seven