Heat: An Alpha Male Criminal Romance (A Hotter Than Hell Novel Book 1) (22 page)

I doubt that will ever happen. I give her a mumbled, “Sure,” and she remains her same giddy self, which is why I didn’t argue.

“My aunt says you are a strong woman and perfect for El Señor. She has been with the family since before she was my age. She is very protective, and now she sees you as a possible match. You are fortunate my aunt is playing matchmaker and not making your life hell. She can be quite cutting, and that is her usual demeanor when women come close to El Señor.”

I only received a short example of Gabriella’s bite, and I do feel fortunate.

Lupe has me move closer to the top of the bed because she has the curling iron plugged in there. I turn this way and that at her direction. I never take this much time with my hair and prefer it up off my neck. Of course, I’ve never been in serious seduction mode before.

Lupe won’t allow me to look in the mirror until she’s finished with my hair and I’m completely dressed. When I’m standing in the gauzy red material and wearing black pumps, she whispers, “Oh la la. I hope Señor Gomez is not around. He will spirit you away before El Señor sees you.”

I laugh because it’s obvious Lupe has a thing for Gomez. I hear it when she says his name with a dreamy quality in her voice. “One last thing.” She runs back to her makeup case and takes out several stems of colorful silk flowers and pulls a red one off. She tucks it behind my ear.

She leads me to the full-length mirror in the bathroom.

Holy hell.

It’s not me staring back. It can’t be. Not a single bruise shows through the makeup. My cheekbones are accented with a dusting of pink and my eyes are out of this world gorgeous. Black liner defines the upper and lower lids and she has given me the perfect smoky-eyed look that I could never manage in a hundred years. And my hair. Large curls rest over my shoulder and around my cleavage. The dress shows my breasts to full advantage. I kick my leg out a bit and the skin of my thigh peeks through the side slit.

If Moon doesn’t fall at my feet and worship me, I’ll shoot him.

Lupe claps with glee. “You are beautiful.”

“You’ve worked miracles.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

MY STOMACH IS A
tight ball of nerves as I walk down the staircase. Moon is waiting below and watches me descend. He was wearing a suit when he left the house today. He has obviously changed into another one. It’s black and sleek, and I catch my breath at how incredible he looks. It’s not only how he looks. It’s the power he holds by the way he stands. The intense expression on his face, and damn—his eyes.

I stare at Moon like he is the most scrumptious piece of candy on earth. His expression says something entirely different. He’s looking at me like the predator he is and I’m prey. My belly flip-flops and my knees go weak. He places his hand out and I take it because if I don’t, there’s a good chance I’ll fall.

I pull in a breath and try to regain my equilibrium. His gaze travels to my breasts. I can feel the heat rise over my chest to my neck and up into my cheeks. Moon is the combination of every sexual fantasy I’ve ever had. I’m burning with need. His appreciative gaze tells me I’m beautiful.

He bends down slightly and whispers in my ear. “It would be so very sad to walk you back up the stairs after you so carefully walked down. It’s all I can think about right now.”

I don’t smile. “Would you like to know a secret?” I place my hands on his shoulders, slide them up, and touch the perfectly manicured scruff on his jaw. I lean in so our lips are almost touching. “I want you to fuck me.” If he had any doubts that I wanted him, they’re gone now.

His fingers slide up my back and beneath my hair. He tips his head so he’s whispering in my ear again, “I plan to fuck you until you scream.”

I lean away and slide my hands over the shoulders of his suit coat once more. He’s not wearing a tie, and my fingers hit warm flesh at the V of his shirt. He peers down the few inches that separate us. His nostrils flare as he inhales. I most likely smell like him because I used his soap. The look he gives me says differently.

“Gabriella will kill us if we don’t eat,” he growls softly.

“Kiss me first.”

His lips descend. It’s a light kiss and I want deep. He tugs my hair slightly and I open my eyes. “Last chance for dinner, baby.”

Gabriella worked hard. I know she did. It’s not that I’m undecided. I want Moon, now. It’s the guilt that makes me hesitate.

Moon releases my hair and takes my hand. “We will devour our food,” he says, and I can’t hold back a giggle. “Come on.” He marches us to the formal dining room. We round the corner and the only light in the room is offered by candles. Beautiful and delicate China plates are intimately placed at the corner of the large table. Crystal glasses and heavy silverware add to the grandeur. Covered silver dishes are spread out in front of the place settings.

“Where’s Gabriella?” I ask breathlessly as I turn my gaze to Moon.

A small quirk appears on his lips. “She said she’s visiting her ill sister.”

I instantly feel horrible that she went to so much work when she should be with her sister.

“I’m sorry that her sister is ill,” is all I can think to say.

Moon allows a little more of his repressed smile to escape. “Gabriella only has brothers. She also said if we touched a dirty dish, she would skin us alive.”

I laugh with relief. “Don’t ever give her a reason to leave you, Moon. She’s worth her weight in gold.”

He pulls out my chair, and after I’m seated, he takes his. He pours Champagne into two long crystal flutes. He hands me one and tips his to mine when I take it.

“To the strong and beautiful women in my life.” He lifts his glass to his lips and I notice a bit of my lipstick on them. Desire burns in my gut at the need to lick it off.

I take a slow sip instead and then lift my glass. “To men who understand that strength in a woman is a blessing.” I receive my first full smile of the evening as he takes another drink.

If I don’t stop staring at him, I’ll never be able to eat. I can’t believe how hungry I actually am. “Where do we begin?” I drag my eyes away from him and I turn my full attention to the food.

Moon uncovers steaming hot flour tortillas and puts one on my plate before placing one on his own. “These are homemade and Gabriella’s specialty. The meat will be seasoned perfectly. My father said there was no finer cook in the world. My mother was incapable of doing more than boiling water. Gabriella saved us from starvation.”

During the next hour, we eat, drink Champagne, and laugh over stories of our childhood. I sense his sadness when Moon tells me more about his parents, but there’s happiness too. The stories of his brother are emotional and heartwarming. Moon’s love for his family runs deep. He asks about my parents and also about my childhood. I’m so fortunate to still have my parents, and I tell him so. He kisses my fingers and gives them a slight squeeze before asking me more about my studious, nerd-girl school days. He appears fascinated with my young girl hopes and dreams, which I freely share because I’ve had too much Champagne. I even tell him funny rookie stories just to hear him laugh. An uncomfortable pause happens when he touches on my shoulder injury. “I don’t think about that,” I tell him. “I’m a PI now. The past needs to stay behind me.” My story is nowhere near as tragic as Moon’s, but he understands.

“You have more strength of will than any woman I have ever known. I am sorry for the damage to your shoulder that took away your dreams.” He refills our glasses and lifts his in another toast. “To new dreams.”

I’m completely undone. I drink the Champagne to keep from crying.

Moon moves over the only dish left and uncovers it. It’s filled with sopapillas. He places one on my plate and picks up a carafe filled with honey. He winks at me. “It’s impossible to be sad when your fingers are covered with honey.”

It’s the perfect thing to say. He’s absolutely correct about the honey. I’m laughing when he leans over and wipes a dollop from my mouth with the tip of his finger. My eyes follow his finger as he brings it to his mouth and slowly licks off the sticky sweetness.

He leans back in his chair and grips the sides. It reminds me of the first time I saw him sitting when I woke up in his house after hitting my head on the cement curb. I would have run screaming from the house if he said the words he says now, “I want you, baby. Right here, right now.”

Moon stands and takes my hand, pulling me up. He lifts me into his arms and carries me to the opposite end of the twelve-foot-long table. He sits me on the edge and guides me until my back is flat on the table. He lifts my foot at the ankle and I bend my knee when he applies a bit of pressure. Without removing my shoe, he places my foot against the surface. He lifts my other foot and skims his fingers down my leg until he pushes the dress out of the way. His lips follow his fingers.

My hands are clenched at my sides as I watch him.

“Place your hands above your head, Madison.” He bites the inside of my leg just above the knee. It stings and everything inside of me compresses into a ball of pure need as his white teeth press into my skin. My hands move up and he releases me so his tongue can soothe the lingering ache. “You’re beautiful.” He pulls my leg around his hip and stares down at me.

I’ve never felt this way before. I want him looking. I want to be beautiful for him. His fingers slide up my thighs and then beneath the dress until he encounters the strings of my thong. He uses one hand to push the dress up past my hips so he can see what his fingers are touching.

The intensity in his eyes should make me uncomfortable or even self-conscious. It has the opposite effect. I’m panting with the need for more. More touch, more teeth, more everything. I tighten my leg around his hip as I grind the heel of the other shoe into the table. He inches my dress up a little more and splays his hands on my belly. With deliberate slowness, he hooks his thumbs in the strings and pulls them down until he can lift the foot on the table out of them. They hang from my other knee, but he’s unconcerned. He’s watching me… there. I’m wet and needy and I’ve never felt so turned on in my life. Moon bends down and his forehead sinks into my belly as he inhales.

Fucking. God. Christ. I want this man. I’m shaking with urgency and at the same time I want him to go teasingly slow. His lips touch my skin right above my pussy. I moan and grind my foot even harder into the table. He pushes my knee outward and kisses lower. His mouth is warm and wet and driving me wild. His tongue strokes and I lift my foot off the table. His hand clamps down on it and forces it back. His husky laugh sends more warmth across my pussy. If he does it again, I’ll come.

My desire is jacked through the roof. Moon’s only just begun this slow, torturous seduction, but our sexual dance has been going on for days, and I’m insane with need. He lifts up from my inner thighs and moves over me so his mouth is at the neckline of my dress.

No, no, no. I need him back. Down. There. I need him tasting me and doing more wickedly wondrous things to me. He has no intention of giving me what I want. I read the message in his eyes when he looks up. He’s in control. He pulls aside one side of the dress, bra too. He cups my breast and licks my nipple. When it’s wet with his saliva, he backs several inches away and examines my breast like it’s a piece of art. My moan of frustration does nothing.

He swipes aside the material from my other breast and sucks my nipple between his lips. I don’t know how my hands make it to his hair, but I need to hold onto something. “You’re killing me, Moon,” tears from my throat.

“Hands up,” he growls back.

I almost refuse. It’s the demon light in his eyes that makes refusal impossible. When my hands are back where he wants them, his one hand slides down my hip and finds its way beneath the material of the dress again. His other hand is flat on the table at my shoulder. His fingers down below find me, and my hips thrust upward. I close my eyes at the sensation as one finger and then two slide into the wet, swollen part of me that needs him most. Moon’s fingers continue their assault as his teeth skim up my chest to my neck taking small bites that drive me mad.

He wraps his fingers into the hair at the base of my neck and lifts my upper body off the table until our lips clash. This kiss sends lightning bolts to my core. I’m his, there’s no denying it. He takes the air from my lungs and drinks it down. His fingers continue torturing me with steady strokes. I gasp into his mouth when his thumb presses against my clit. He eases the pressure and then it’s back. My orgasm builds, and I’m standing on the precipice when his fingers and tongue leave me. I almost scream. He kisses down my throat and over my breasts as he continues traveling south. My hips are thrusting into the air and I’m desperate for him. His mouth finds me again and the noise I make is that of an animal, and I just don’t give a fuck. He sucks my clit past his lips while his scratchy face burns my inner thighs.