MasterofVelvet (15 page)

Having finished on a sequence of bull’s-eyes, he took the
weapon back to the gun room, cleaned it and locked it away, part of him wishing
that the next time he took it out he’d only be using it for field sports.

And now he wanted Beth.

He’d held off thinking about her while he was cleaning the
shotgun, but now he wanted to bury himself in her body and celebrate being
alive with her.

“Beth!”

They almost collided in the hall. At the sound of her name,
Beth had come running out of the family room, her feet bare. Adam caught hold
of her and pressed her against the wall, his mouth crushing hers with the
violence of his need for her. “Now I’m taking you to bed,” he growled.

Adam headed for their bedroom rather than the playroom. He
barely made it inside before he started to peel Beth’s clothes from her body.
When she was naked, he lifted her in his arms and laid her on the bed, stepping
back to devour her with his eyes. She moved onto her side facing him, her eyes
never leaving his as she pillowed her head on one arm, one leg slightly bent
for balance. He was aware of her gaze never leaving him while he shed his
clothes.

“Beth, I want you.”

Her smile turned him on even more.

She’d been desperate to be with Adam for the last hour, and
now the desperation was gone, replaced by pure animal desire.

Beth wanted him so badly—she’d never realized it was
possible to ache with wanting someone until now. For the last hour she’d been
unable to concentrate on anything other than imagining being with this man, and
right now she wanted to spend the rest of her life in bed with him.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re perfect, Adam?” she
wondered aloud, lowering her head to lick his nipple like a cat lapping a bowl
of cream and gaining immense satisfaction from the noise he made— somewhere
between a purr and a growl.

He tasted warm and sexy and male and she wanted more of him,
so much more.

“Beth.” His voice was rough with desire. “Give me your
mouth.”

She obeyed and in the same instant his hand parted her
thighs so that his fingers could push into her pussy. She knew she was already
wet with wanting him—his fingers moved slickly over her swelling clit and her
hips bucked in response, trying to fuck his hand.

“Easy, love,” he murmured against her lips. His fingers
dipped into her pussy again and then his hand moved further. She felt the tip
of his finger pushing against her anus. “Has anyone ever fucked you here?”

Beth shook her head. “No one, Adam. Never…”

The fingertip pushed more insistently, opening her up a
little. “Relax, Beth. I’m going to teach you to take me here but I need to get
you ready first.”

She’d known he’d wanted this—he’d told her so. She braced
herself for discomfort at best, pain at worst but what she experienced was
gentle care that robbed her of all sense of self, all sense of time. Adam’s
soft words serenaded her mind into acceptance and his tender touch soothed her
body into making the movements he required of her, his hand on her back calming
her when she whimpered at the easing open of the place only he had ever
claimed. He was the Master of her body, her mind and her senses and when his
cock finally nested within her, she opened her eyes and saw their reflection in
the huge mirror that almost covered one wall of the bedroom.

The eroticism of the image was stunning. The beautiful,
muscular sculpture of Adam’s body as he arched over her melted her insides all
over again and what Beth felt she was watching was not lovemaking or fucking,
but a mating of two people who were meant to be together.

Always.

Their eyes met in the mirror. Adam paused, balls-deep inside
the woman he loved. He covered her hand, resting on the bed, with his, their
fingers twining together. “Beth?”

The look in her eyes had a dreamlike quality—there was no
sign of discomfort now and it looked like she was enjoying the reward he’d
promised her. Slowly he began to move again, every stroke controlled to maximize
her pleasure. It was all for her now.

Her fingers, still tangled with his, tightened their grasp.
He knew how aroused she was without touching her pussy—he could smell the warm,
feminine scent of her, a scent he could drown in.

“Sweetheart, you have permission to come when you’re ready.”

He pushed her thighs further apart, took hold of her hips
again, and began to increase the tempo of his fucking. He wanted Beth to be a
wild woman under him, to hear her scream when her orgasm came.

Her back arched. She was getting close, he was sure, as she
pushed back against him, driving him deeper inside her. Instinct took over. His
left arm slipped under her waist, and as he lifted her upright, sitting back on
his heels, his right arm went across her chest, pulling her hard against his
body.

Her whimpers became impassioned cries of sexual excitement.
She was helpless in his embrace, vulnerable, totally dependent on him not to
let her fall—impaled on his thrusting cock, arching back against his body as
she surrendered to the pleasure he was giving her.

“Let go, Beth,” he encouraged her, his voice hoarse with
restraint from holding his own orgasm at bay.

He felt her clench around him, her head lolled back on his
shoulder, and then the quake of her orgasm began, her body shaking as a wild
howl signaled her climax.

Adam reached round to push the pillows out of the way, then
lowered his woman to the bed. His own need for release was increasing to the
point where he doubted he could control it for much longer. Taking his weight
on his arms so as not to crush her, he increased his rhythm, feeling the
ripples of her pleasure intensify and as he felt the semen shoot from his cock,
she climaxed again.

He held Beth while she calmed down, reluctant to let her go
until he knew that she was settling. When his cock slipped out of her anus, he
was both surprised and gratified by the little grunt of complaint that she gave
in response.

She blew his mind. He thought of the Beth he’d known a few
days ago—his very proper, tightly controlled executive assistant—and looked at
the sated, sensual woman lying limply in his arms. The love he felt for her
saturated every cell in his body. Beyond any doubt, he’d go to hell and back to
keep her in his life.

It was a sobering thought but Adam knew, more surely than he
knew that the sun would rise tomorrow, that his life would be worth nothing
without her. He stroked her hair, lifting it away from her face and neck so
that he could place a gentle kiss on that sensitive spot at the top of her
shoulder.

Taking a brief moment to remove the condom, he installed
Beth beneath the sheets, sliding in beside her to gather her to him, to warm
her with his body and shelter her in his embrace. Although she was still in a
post-orgasmic haze, she snuggled into him, her cheek pressed to his chest, her
arm lying across his waist. He barely heard her sigh of contentment.

“Beth?” His voice was little more than a whisper. “Are you
all right?”

He felt what he thought was a nod. It must have been a nod
because she nestled closer to him, a reaction so different from that of the
last woman he’d made love to in this bed.

“Love, I know you want to go to sleep but there’s something
I need to know. How do you feel?”

She looked up at him with a drowsy smile. Her hand lifted
from his chest to touch his face. “Safe. Protected. Loved. Like I could spend
the rest of my life just like this. If I could bottle this moment, Adam, I’d
keep it forever.”

Her kiss was sweet and gentle. Her words brought warmth to
his heart and reason to his life. Her next words made him feel cared for in a
way that had been missing all his life, until the moment when Beth had walked
into that life.

“May I keep you forever?”

Adam took a deep breath. “You mean the world to me, Beth. I
love you. I want you in my bed and in my life for the rest of my life.”

He ran his finger under the golden chain around her neck,
pausing when he reached the padlock. It was a work of art and she looked
beautiful in it, but he had to know.

“Beth, are you happy to wear this?”

He felt her lips against his chest, an inch or two above his
nipple. “Adam, I love this collar. I love what it means. I want to be yours—this
collar means that I am and it lets everyone know who needs to know that I am.”

As they lay facing each other, Adam—overwhelmed by a feeling
of possessiveness so primitive that it drove the last veneer of civilization
from him—gathered her in his arms and wrapped his leg over hers. She was the center
of his world, his holy grail and he’d kill or die to protect her.

Beth and Adam had been sitting tight at Winterleigh for a
week. Their days had settled into some sort of routine, with Adam spending his
mornings on the shooting range, out running or in the gym while Beth explored
the house, familiarizing herself with the layout of it and working on her
novel. She still hadn’t let Adam see it yet, but it was getting more and more
difficult to resist his cajoling.

One thing that was causing her some grief was Adam’s
flat-out refusal to let her stray beyond the bounds of the house and grounds.
She would have loved to take a walk to the nearest village but her man insisted
that she remain on his property for reasons of safety. The one time she’d tried
to defy him he’d caught her before she reached the main gates, lifted her
bodily into the Range Rover he kept to use while in the country and when he got
her back to the house, he’d put her over his knee and spanked her so hard she
hadn’t been able to sit comfortably for hours.

Each day Dan had called Adam with the latest update on his
investigation into who was intent on harming him, be it through industrial
espionage or some sort of personal vendetta. There hadn’t been much to report
up ‘til now but today Dan had insisted on a personal visit. The plan was for
him to spend the day there and stay overnight in one of the guest suites.

“Beth, we’re going to the shooting range,” Adam informed
her, dropping a sexy little kiss on her mouth. “Dan and I need to discuss a few
things. While we’re doing that, you go and do your homework.”

Beth watched the two men leave, keenly aware of how grave
their demeanor became once they’d left her. For the last few days, she’d almost
forgotten how serious the situation was that had brought her to this house in
the first place, but Dan’s visit brought it all back. She hoped it would all be
over soon.

Homework. Beth frowned—sometimes, she really felt like
kicking Adam’s legs from under him.

Think calm thoughts.

Oh she knew he was taking care of her and she did feel bad
about being irritated by what he’d said. She also knew she should look at the
positives—she was in love with and loved by a beautiful man who gave her the
sexual domination she craved, who was giving her support and encouragement in
her attempts to become a writer. She was also able to give him the emotional
support he needed, in spite of all his Dominant characteristics. They worked
well together in so many different ways.

Back to homework. That meant two things—the first was more familiarization
with the layout of the house and the second was working on her manuscript. She
opted for the second.

Beth sat in front of her laptop. She hadn’t wanted to
impinge on Adam’s workspace but he had insisted on having her share his office.
He had occasionally spent time in there with her keeping in touch with the
office but at the moment she was alone—and couldn’t concentrate worth a damn.

She stood up and stretched. Maybe some fresh air would help.
It was dull outside, probably cold as well, but at least it wasn’t raining.
Wrapped up in a bright red knee-length duffle coat, feet shod in warm boots,
she headed for the woods, away from the sound of shotguns—plural—being fired.

Boys and their toys.

Fallen leaves crackled and crunched satisfyingly beneath her
feet as she walked through the trees, mostly denuded by autumn winds. Although
she loved the colors of autumn Beth’s favorite season was spring, when all the
trees would be sporting the light, fresh greens of new growth, birdsong would
be making the woods come alive and the days would be getting longer.

And by next spring all of this would be nothing more than a
bad memory.

Another barrage of shots sounded in the distance. Beth
shivered—not from cold but by imagining what might happen to cause those
weapons to be fired in anger. She really didn’t want to think about it. It
would all be over soon. It had to be. Perhaps that was the reason for Dan’s
visit—to tell them that it was all over and there was nothing to worry about.

No. Who was she fooling? That was the sort of news the blond
Dom could have imparted via a phone call. Even if he’d felt a need to deliver
it in person he and Adam wouldn’t have gone off to practice on the shooting
range. Something must have happened that required the two of them to talk in
person and if that were the case it couldn’t be good.

She was washing dishes in the kitchen when the two men
returned to the house. Masculine arms came round her waist, pulling her into a
hard male body while firm lips planted a sneaky kiss at the side of her neck.

“Did you lose the dishwasher again, love?”

Beth raised her eyebrows. “It wasn’t worth loading it with
so few dishes and I hate leaving the things lying around.”

“Will you two quit already? You’ll put me off my lunch.”

Beth felt Adam chuckle at his friend’s words, spoken with
mock disapproval. If only things could have been like this without the threat
that was hanging over them. “So what have you two been talking about?”

She felt Adam tense up. “Nothing much,” he said
dismissively.

Dan coughed. “She should know, Ad.”

“Yes, she should,” Beth agreed. “Don’t keep me in the dark.
I need to know. This affects me just as much as it affects you.”

Adam’s arms tightened around her waist. “Come on. If we’re
going to talk we might as well do it in comfort. Dan?”

All three of them went to the family room. Adam sat on the
sofa with Beth while Dan made himself comfortable in one of the armchairs.

“Beth, my love,” Adam began, “we know what’s going on now. It’s
not industrial espionage. Someone from my past is coming after me.”

“What exactly does that mean?” She didn’t want to know the
answer but knew she had to face the facts.

“Revenge,” Dan supplied succinctly.

“Have you told the police?”

A look flashed between the two men. It was Adam who spoke.
“I don’t want the police involved in this. Dan and I can handle it between us.”

Beth couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Excuse me?”

“The evidence we have won’t stand up in court, so there’s no
way they’ll take action,” Adam said soberly. “It’s too flimsy and it’s going to
take too long to get more evidence to convince them to get involved, assuming
that such evidence even exists. And while we’re trying to do that the person
responsible could take this to the next level. That means it’s up to us.”

Beth nodded, feeling sick inside. “There’s not enough
evidence for the police but enough for you to believe it’s a real threat?”

“Yes,” Dan responded tautly. “Adam and I are working on a
plan to deal with it.”

She looked from one man to the other. “What can I do to
help? There must be something I can do.”

Adam put his arm around her and drew her to his side. “Make
sure you know where the secure room is and how to get there. If the worst
happens we can deal with it so long as you’re safe.”

“You won’t get in trouble with the police because of what
you’re doing, will you?”

The two men exchanged a brief look. It was Adam who answered
the question, albeit in a roundabout way. “We know what we’re doing, Beth.
We’re putting a plan together to ensure that we keep you safe—”

“But what about you? Both of you. I don’t want you to get
hurt.”

“Neither do we, Beth,” Dan said, his tone as serious as his
manner. He was a million miles away from the lighthearted charmer she knew from
her interactions with him in the office. “Trust us—we know what we’re doing.”

“Dan, I just had a thought. I don’t suppose you’ve managed
to convince Ros Allen to come and work for you, have you?”

Dan grimaced. “Not for want of trying. She’s still thinking
about it.”

The heavy emphasis he placed on the last three words left
Beth somewhat bemused. “Who’s Ros Allen?”

Adam hugged her tightly to him. “Someone I would trust with
your life, love. I was thinking that if Dan had managed to charm her into
quitting on her uncle and working for him we’d get her down here to keep an eye
on you.”

“I’ve been trying to get her to come and work for me for at
least a year,” Dan explained, “and every time I ask her she says ‘I’ll think
about it.’ ”

Beth wanted to know more about this woman whom they both
knew and knew well, or so it seemed. “What does she do?”

The two men glanced at each other, it was Adam who spoke
first. “There’s only so much we can tell you, because of OSA—”

“And what’s that?” Beth felt like she was rapidly getting
out of her depth and clutching at anything remotely resembling a lifeline.

“The Official Secrets Act,” Dan supplied. “Ros used to be in
the Army. She was a military police officer but she came out about eighteen
months ago and went to work for her uncle. He commands a covert unit—“

“And that’s as much as we can tell you,” Adam finished off.
“But if Ros is still working for Giles she’s probably off somewhere we can’t
talk about doing things you can’t imagine, Beth. For which I am extremely
grateful.” He kissed the top of her head.

“You now know for sure that it’s not just industrial
espionage?” She had to be certain.

“We know, sweetheart,” Adam’s tone was grave with
resignation. “And we can’t just sit here waiting for something to happen so
that the police will get involved. We have to be prepared to protect
ourselves.”

Beth turned her face into Adam’s chest, her arm resting
across his waist. Her mind was fighting the worst-case scenario—that she could
lose the warm, vital man she loved. She breathed in the scent that was uniquely
him, feeling her body respond in its usual way.

Her voice was muffled. “What’s going to happen? What do you
think they’ll do?”

Adam’s arms went around her. “Not they. It’s one man and we
know who it is. And why.” He paused. The look on his face was a look of
revisiting a past that wasn’t a good place. “I killed his brother.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it, Adam!” Dan exploded.
“Underwood was a damn fool and didn’t obey your orders—“

“He was under my command when he was killed and there wasn’t
enough left to bring home for his family to bury.” Adam’s voice was quiet and
bleak.

Whatever it was that had happened it had clearly hit Adam
hard. Beth nestled closer, offering her man the comfort of her body in spite of
Dan’s presence just a few feet away.

“Jimmy Underwood was a loose cannon,” Dan insisted. “You
know that as well as I do. You gave the order to stay back but he charged into
that building anyway. You didn’t lay the IEDs, Adam, any more than any of us
did. If that idiot had followed orders—your orders—he’d still be alive now.”

“When did this happen?” Beth asked.

“Fifteen years ago,” Dan replied. “The building blew seconds
after Underwood ran into it. Adam went in after him and that was when a second
wave of explosions went off. We were able to pull Adam out but there was
nothing left of Underwood.”

Beth went very still, glancing from one man to the other as
she took in what had been said. That was the incident that had given Adam the
scars. It had to be. “You mean that that man deliberately disobeyed orders,
Adam risked his life to try to save him and now his brother’s coming after Adam
in some misguided desire for revenge? And isn’t fifteen years a long time to
wait?”

She felt Adam’s arms tighten around her. “I survived, Beth—Underwood
didn’t. I was his officer commanding, it’s hardly surprising Ewan blames me for
his brother’s death. That family’s been through enough—another reason why I’d
like to keep the police out of this if we can.”

“But why now? That’s what I don’t understand.” Beth was
genuinely puzzled.

“There could be any number of reasons,” Dan said. “It was a
covert op—it could have taken him years to find out Adam was in command at the
time of his brother’s death.”

Beth’s mind was racing. “If you know who it is does that
mean you know where he is now?”

“He’s gone to ground, which means we’ve lost him for the
time being,” Adam told her. “Dan has contacts on the lookout and as soon as
they find out anything they’ll let us know.

“Beth, I don’t want you to worry about this,” he continued.
“Ewan will make a mistake and then we’ll deal with him.”

“You don’t want me to worry? You’ll deal with him?” She was
incredulous. “First of all you might as well tell me not to breathe as not to
worry. And what does ‘deal with him’ mean exactly? He was either smart enough
to get into the office and plant the surveillance equipment himself or he knew
who to pay to do it. And if he does track us down to Winterleigh who’s to say
he’ll come here alone? Do you know anything about him? Any training he might
have had?”

All of a sudden Beth stopped talking. It struck her that
she’d just stepped into the realm of teaching her grandmother to suck eggs,
judging by the look that passed between the two men.

“Everything will be all right, Beth,” Adam reassured her.
“We’re putting a plan together and we’ll deal with Ewan Underwood.” Even so he
still held her a little more tightly.

“I know what we can do,“ Dan said suddenly. “Get some of the
boys down here for a training exercise out in the woods. It’ll stop them
getting too soft between jobs.”

“Can’t hurt,” Adam agreed.

“They could do with some unarmed combat training and knife
practice and remembering how to live rough won’t hurt them. I’ll get them
organized.”

Again Beth was confused. “And what does all that mean?”

“It means, my love, that a couple of Dan’s operatives who
aren’t on assignment will be spending an indefinite but hopefully short period
camping in the woods around the house.” Adam’s tone held an audible degree of
satisfaction.

“Bodyguards. You’re talking about bodyguards.” Beth couldn’t
believe what she was hearing.