Loki's Game (4 page)

“Please do.”

“Three reasons. First, you, at this moment, are too good to be true.”

“That, I can assure you, is not the case. I have my flaws.”

“Second,” she continued with a pointed glare, “you are a very dangerous man.”

“How so?”

“That is the third reason. If I intend to work for you, I can’t have a physical relationship with you. And you doing that,” she wiggled the fingers still clasped in his, “makes it very difficult to think of anything but.”

“So this job… You do understand that there is no clearly defined employment opportunity, right?”

“Oh, yes, there is,” Lily retorted. “You don’t even see the opportunity, do you?” Rowan shook his head slowly, as if he wasn’t following. His smile faltered. “You have the most amazing collection of artifacts I’ve ever seen. You need someone to catalog them and put them on display for you. The world needs to see it. I can do it for you, but I can’t be your beck-and-call-girl and a professional personal assistant all at once.”

“Fair enough,” he mused, that thin smile still playing at the corners of his mouth, revealing dimples. He was trying to kill her...she knew it. Lily closed her eyes and cleared her throat. When she looked up again, the waitress was filling Rowan’s glass from the frosty wine bottle. She conveniently left Lily’s glass empty. Rowan scowled and pulled the bottle from her hand. “Now answer a question for me,” he continued, fixing Lily with a sharp stare.

“Okay,” she croaked.

A smile spread across his face, slow and devious. “How am I dangerous?”

“Power, wealth, and charm,” she said through clenched teeth and took the glass he offered. “No man should have all three.”

“Which says nothing at all about my ravishing good looks.”

“Exactly,” Lily replied, staring at him with smoldering eyes. Rowan blinked in obvious surprise.

“You do know I was kidding?”

“Then you’ve obviously never looked in a mirror.”

Something shifted between them. Lily felt the power surge around her, knowing his desire just as strong and clear as she felt her own. She swallowed the lump in her throat, tensing as he leaned toward her.

The waitress, to Lily’s great chagrin, interrupted the moment by placing their food on the table. Rowan’s meal consisted of the most artistic sandwich, salad and soup combination she’d ever seen, while hers appeared slapped together and tossed around on the plate. What may once have been a beautiful meal worried her. If Lily lifted the lettuce, she worried she might find an unwanted gift, and she had the sneaking suspicion it had everything to do with her choice of company. It was obvious the girl carried a torch for him even if he ignored her.

How he could watch her with such adoration was beyond Lily’s comprehension. Shifting uncomfortably, she scooped the sandwich up as best she could, prepared to eat though it appeared her food had already been chewed a few times, when Rowan’s hand landed on her wrist.

“Wait a minute,” he said, examining her food with a look of disgust. “Give me your plate.” She laid the sandwich down and handed it over. Calm and silent, Rowan stood and took her food back to the small window that acted as a pass. After a heated discussion with whoever was on the other side of the wall, he returned, a new plate in his hands that looked worlds different from what the waitress had given her.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said as he laid it in front of her. “I was going to eat it.”

“I would not let you.”

“Why not? It’s just food.”

“It was tainted.” His gaze darkened, and just like that his good humor was gone. Rowan planted himself in his chair and picked up his own sandwich.

Tainted?
she wondered.
How would he know that?

“Do not ask, Lily. Just eat so we can leave.”

They ate quickly and in eerie silence. His outburst seemed to have stilled the restaurant yet again. Before she’d even finished chewing, Rowan had her by the arm, pulling her out of the door without even bothering to stop and pay a bill. She had to jog to keep up with his long strides, and when he deposited her into his car, she was breathing so heavily that her vision was blurred.

He was already stopping the car before she was able to catch her breath again. “Where are we?” she gasped, which seemed to pause him in his single-minded mission. His face fell blank, and his whole demeanor shifted.

“Away from that horrid woman,” he replied. His nostrils flared with one last hint of residual anger, but when he looked over at her, only the warm humor from earlier remained. My home is just around the corner. I thought it best if I deliver you back to civilization and your means of escape before I decide to keep you forever.”

An anticipatory thrill ran up and down her spine. Absurd, but she liked the idea of being his kept woman. Sort of—with some freedom, of course, but to be his could be fun.

“Perhaps you would like to come back inside for a drink?” he asked as he maneuvered the car into the garage and killed the engine. Common sense told her she should say goodnight, leave, and continue her job search in the morning. Lily wasn’t cut out for his lifestyle. However, her intentions were far different than her common sense dictated.

“I would love that.”

“Fabulous.” Rowan exited the car, and before she could remove her seatbelt was pulling open her door and offering his hand. Lily took it, exciting in the jolt of energy that passed between them. Logically, she knew this was a bad idea and knew what could happen. What would happen.

But she didn’t care. She allowed him to pull her from the seat and lead her inside, stopping only long enough to proffer another bottle of wine from a hidden refrigerator and two glasses from the overhead rack. He took her hand again, and tugged her out of the darkened kitchen.

Lily scarcely noticed her surroundings as he led her up a staircase and into a different part of the building—his home. The whole building, half a city block. That realization was overwhelming.

The stairwell opened into a high-ceilinged room, lavishly decorated with the same cozy antiques as the rest of the house, but this new area felt warm and lived-in. Behind her, Lily heard the pop of the cork, and the soft
glug-glug
of wine filling the glasses. Rowan appeared at her side a moment later and pressed one of the glasses into her hand. He raised his toward her.

“A toast to interesting conversation and a new beginning.” The warm smile on his face melted her reservations, and she touched her glass to his.

“To new beginnings,” she echoed and drank. When she lowered her glass, Rowan was watching her intently. Arousal burned in his pale eyes, and the strength of his determination raised the hairs along her arms. Lily swallowed as he leaned toward her one more time.

Chapter Three

“I am going to kiss you,” Rowan whispered, and she nodded just as his lips met hers. It started as a light flutter of pressure in a chaste brush of his mouth. His warm fingers brushed her throat and she gasped. Bracing his palm against the nape of her neck, Rowan crushed his mouth to hers, sweeping his tongue across her lips before plunging inside and tangling with her own.

When he pulled away, they were both breathless. The bowl of her glass dangled limply from the tips of her fingers, the last drops of wine threatening to drip out onto the carpet as she braced herself on his forearms, strong and muscular through the thick sleeves of his coat.

“I am sorry,” he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers. His voice was little more than a husky growl. “That was highly inappropriate.”

“Yes,” she gasped. “Do it again.”

Rowan laughed as he cradled her head in his free hand and pulled back to look at her. “You said this would ruin our working relationship.”

“No, I said I wouldn’t work for you.”

“Are you saying you have forgiven me for my earlier untruths?”

“Not yet,” she said sternly, and pressed a gentle hand to his chest. She drained the final bit of liquid from her glass. “So you have a lot of groveling to do.”

“Gladly,” he said with a groan and pulled her flush against him. Their lips met once more with a jolt of passionate energy and she vaguely heard the tinkling of glass on the floor as his dropped glass shattered. Rowan crushed her against his chest. Through the thin fabric of her blouse she could feel the heat of his body, pulsing with the frantic beat of his heart. Her own battered out an uneven, excited rhythm as she wound her arms around him, tugging the tie and pulling it loose from the collar of his deep green satin shirt. Her fingers bunched in the fabric, pulling him closer. His hands found her hips, fingers digging into the sensitive flesh there as he tugged her first to a nearby settee, then to straddle his lap. Beneath their combined weight, the legs of the antique sofa groaned, snatching them both out of the moment.

Rowan chuckled against her neck. “I suppose this is not the best place for such activity.” Lily avoided his eyes, a blush blooming on her cheeks. Her gaze raked over his kiss-swollen lips. He looked even more enticing. She hadn’t thought that possible.

Then the reality set in. She was straddling the lap of a man she did not know, all too eager to have sex with him. This was not her. But the things he did to her…just the touch of his fingertips on her cheek ignited a frenzy she’d never felt before.

Fighting panic, Lily shimmied backwards, finding her footing before hauling herself out of his arms and across the room.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I got a little carried away.” Still, she refused to look at Rowan, despite his attempts to catch her eye.

“Lily, look at me,” he coaxed, adjusting his shirt as he rose from the couch. Reluctantly, she cast her gaze up at him. “You have nothing to apologize for.” He took a step toward her and she took one backward. “I fear it is I who should apologize to you.”

The comment startled her. “For what?”

“I should have let you leave when you first asked to do so.” His face flushed and his stare burned. “But you are so beautiful…so intelligent…so…right.” He took a deep breath, inhaling her essence. “The thought of you walking out my door and never returning is heartbreaking.”

Lily chewed her bottom lip. No man had ever said such things to her, and certainly not with such conviction. Rowan watched her, his eyes fixed on her teeth as they worried the sensitive skin between them.

“You don’t know what you’re saying,” Lily said quietly, and re-twisted the chignon on the back of her head. She clutched the chopsticks between her teeth as she did so. Rowan sucked in a breath. “What?”

“You tempt me,” he admitted. “I do not deserve you.”

“Why?” She pulled the sticks from her mouth and went back to chewing her lip as she secured her hair in place.

“My mother raised me a gentleman, Lily. I have been foolish and taken advantage of you.” He watched her through narrowed eyelids. “And unless you stop doing that, I may not be able to stop from doing so again.”

Lily let go of her lip with an audible pop. His intense gaze burned. She felt like she was under a microscope. “I’m sorry,” she said. She licked her lips and swallowed hard. Rowan groaned.

“You really are making this so difficult,” he said, and drew in a hard breath through his nose. “If you intend to leave,” he continued, closing the distance between them in two strides, “you should do it now because I am going to kiss you again, and once I do I will not be able to stop.”

Lily floundered for words, and found none. She wanted him; there was no way to deny it. He moved toward her, backing her against the wall where he pressed his body against hers.

“Last chance,” he breathed. The look in his eyes was feral. It frightened her. There was a hunger unlike any other she’d ever seen. Her mouth opened, but no response came out. Rowan smiled, cradled her face in one hand, and bent to kiss her. The touch was gentle and filled with restraint. He was being careful with her.

Lily discovered in that moment that she was tired of careful. No man had ever shown such interest in her, so she no longer cared about propriety. She was jobless, on the verge of being homeless, and without a single redeeming prospect. She needed the release, and right now all she cared about was having him in the most intimate way possible. As her inhibitions melted, so did his restraint. Tightening his hands on her, Rowan forced her mouth open, possessing her with a hungry growl. She let him lead, let him tug her away from the wall and hard against the length of his body. His arms wound around her as he tasted her. Rowan lifted her like she were no heavier than a ragdoll, and again she followed his lead, twisting her legs around his waist. Without releasing her mouth, he turned and carried her into another room. Then she felt the softness of a down mattress beneath her and the weight of his body on top of her. Warm, wet lips trailed down her throat and over her collar bone. She gasped as the fabric of her blouse parted enough for his fingers to tickle across her ribcage.

“There is more you need to know,” he growled against her, his mouth still occupied by her skin.

“Later…” she gasped. She wanted to speak more but couldn’t find the courage to say his name. Even if she had been able to find her voice, he’d have taken it away again as his teeth grazed the soft flesh above her left breast. He growled something against her skin, and Lily’s hands moved from his shoulders to stroke across the top of his head—something she’d wanted to do since the first time she laid eyes on him. His hair was longer than she thought, thick and soft against her palms.

The sound of ripping fabric echoed in the quiet room, and his fingers danced across her now bare nipples. Lily closed her eyes against the sensations, gasping when the sharp points of his teeth grazed the places his fingers had been.

Rowan rocked back and knelt over her, his gaze smoky. She felt very self-conscious splayed out before him. A growl started low in his chest, rumbling out through him as he loosed the buttons of his shirt. She took a deep breath and watched, rapt, as his chest came slowly into view. On his knees above her, he was a god in flesh, his arms, chest, and throat snaked with tribal tattoos interspersed with scars. This man looked as if he’d seen battle.

“Wow…” she breathed, and sat up, reaching for him. Fingers hesitating, she swallowed and made contact with his skin. Beneath the soft exterior and the raised scars, his body was hard and flawless, his skin tanned and perfect, velvet beneath her fingertips. She leaned forward, brushing her lips along the deepest of the scars. The smell of him—woodsy musk mixed with hints of expensive cologne—filled her senses. He clutched at the back of her head, pulling the sticks from her hair and loosening it from its neat knot to let it thread through his fingers. Lily sighed, and with a tentative kiss, drew her tongue over his scarred skin. Rowan moaned. The sound empowered her, giving her the courage to slide her fingers along his sides, tracing the tattoos as she moved over his chest and up his shoulders, coming to points just behind his ears. As she explored his body, his own hands moved over her, curling around to weigh her heavy breasts and tug at her nipples.

Pushing against her hands, Rowan leaned in and kissed her again. He traced his tongue along her lips before fully possessing her mouth again, driving her back against the mattress.

His skin burned against hers. Every place he touched ignited a fire that pooled low in her belly, every place his lips grazed shot tingles to her center. All coherent thought stopped as his lips descended on her inner thigh. Hot fingers clasped her hips tightly, stilling her while his lips moved slowly toward her center. Lily gasped, fingers bunching in the sheets beneath her. His breath tickled over her, making her squirm in his grasp. A warm tongue traced the line of her opening, deftly slipping between her lips to her core. She squealed, and he groaned against her as if he were a starving man at a feast.

Rowan ground his lips against her, drove his tongue into her, slipped his teeth over the sensitive nub of flesh he found buried there. Lily writhed and moaned as he pushed her closer and closer to the edge, only to pull her back and start over. Several times he drove her to the breaking point, only to tease her back down. Her gaze locked with his as he slipped one finger inside her, drawing it back before pushing in again. Her hips rose and fell in time with his movements, the delicious friction of his tongue pressing against her turning her bones to mush. Drawing her into his mouth, he suckled hard and curled his fingers up, stroking a hidden, sensitive spot inside her. Lily gasped, the breath rushing from her lungs as her body coiled around itself with each deft stroke of his fingers deep inside her. And when she came, it was as if she’d flown apart at the seams.

“You taste wonderful,” he breathed as he crawled up her body. “You must feel even better.” He kissed her again as he flexed his hips, pressing his clothed length against her. Lily moaned into his lips, the taste of herself on his tongue and the feeling of his weight crushing her down pushing her back to that edge and giving her the strength to push him over. He gave in, stretching languidly beneath her gaze as she drew her fingertips down his body, chasing them with her lips.

With shaking hands, she pulled free the button of his pants and snaked her hand inside. To her surprise he wore nothing underneath, and her fingers met with his hard, feverish length. Breath hissed between his teeth when her hand smoothed over the soft head of his cock. She wrapped her fingers around his width and stroked. She swore his eyes crossed as she toyed with him, his hips pumping up against her fist in time with her movements. With her free hand, Lily eased the zipper of his pants down, freeing both her hand and his erection to the cool air.

Lily released him to hook her fingers in the waistband of his pants and draw them down his hips and off. Rowan raised his head and watched her as she tickled her fingers over his bare thighs. She slicked her palms over his hips, her long, slender fingers grasping at him once again. Lily bent, flicking her tongue against the sensitive head of his cock, tasting the salty fluid gathered there. He growled, tangling his hands in her hair, and tugged her up his body to capture his mouth. The rough growth of his facial hair scratched at her cheeks
—had it been that long before?
—as he crushed her against him and rolled her onto her back.

Breath left her in a rush when the full weight of his body bore down on her. His hands and mouth seemed everywhere at once. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders, urging him on, begging him for more. Something resembling a snarl tore from his lips as he hooked one knee under her thigh and drove deep into her. Lily screamed, the feel of him so suddenly filling and stretching her a shock. Her inner muscles clamped down on him greedily, pulling him deeper.

Rowan pulled back and pushed forward again, the muscles in his arms bunching on either side of her as he lifted himself to look down at her. Every cell in her body shivered with delight at each thrust of his cock deep into her womb, every muffled groan and growl from his throat. Her body curled and tightened around him in a dance of the most exquisite torture, dragging him deeper, begging him for more. She shook with need, her legs winding around his waist as her fingernails clawed into his arms. Lights flashed behind her eyes and the edges of her consciousness darkened as the first spasm hit, then closing in with each pleasure-filled shudder of her body. Rowan growled, hands clutching hard at her body and he jerked once, then crushed himself against her in release, pouring into her with a triumphant howl. The last thing Lily knew was the feeling of his fingers relaxing their bruising hold and a rush of cold wind before she slipped into darkness.