“This is only our second show,” Calyx corrected politely, still smiling, still friendly.
But Mariam’s eyes narrowed like those of a Siamese cat. Nathalie couldn’t say for sure, but she had the distinct impression this would be their last show. She was good at reading people, and the business manager looked like a man who, out of respect, wouldn’t date a woman who’d already infiltrated the Baddrick Group once before.
Darius beamed at Nathalie as though he was oblivious to the byplay. “Mariam’s right. I’ve been remiss.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I should have been taking you out on the town instead of keeping you all to myself.” His eyes darkened as if he’d forgotten there were
other people in the conversation as he added, “But I haven’t been able to help myself.”
All right, Darius definitely wasn’t oblivious. But Nathalie stopped caring as her pulse raced and she
couldn’t look away from him, couldn’t do anything but wish they were somewhere private so that
he could strip her clothes off and make love to her. And she could make love to him, too.
“Calyx, isn’t that the mayor I see over there?” Mariam’s voice grated Nathalie right out of the spell
Darius had cast over her. “Didn’t you say you wanted to speak with him?”
Over Mariam’s head, Calyx raised a brow at Darius, before saying, “Of course. It was lovely to
meet you, Nathalie.” He let himself be led away.
“Spencer, it’s good to see you.”
Another tall, well-dressed man, with an older woman wearing fuchsia taffeta, slid so quickly into
the vacated spot that Nathalie didn’t have a chance to ask Darius about Mariam. Which was a good
thing. Because she shouldn’t ask about Mariam. It wasn’t her business whom he’d been with before
they started spending time together, and the very mention could come across as jealousy.
Except that when one conversation ended and another began as yet a different society couple
poured into the empty space, she couldn’t help but consider what Mariam had been to him. Had he
called the other woman sweetheart? Had he looked smitten as he’d introduced Mariam to all of
these people at similar events? Had he invited her to meet the other Bevericks?
Or was there any possibility that Nathalie was the only one he was always touching—her back, the
nape of her neck, her cheek, her hair?
And was there any chance at all that Nathalie was the only one he’d taken for those fast and wild
rides?
When the bell rang signaling the end of the intermission, Darius finally led her back to their box,
pulling her close as soon as the door sealed them in. “If I’d known it was going to be like that, I’d
have brought the champagne in here and kept the door locked.” He nuzzled her hair. “Sorry about
Mariam. She can be catty.”
Nathalie couldn’t think while he was touching her. Which meant she also couldn’t remember to
hold back the words, “You used to date her?”
“A couple of times.” He shrugged. “She likes men with money.”
Nathalie had enough experience with fortune hunters after Zion’s trust to understand. But even
though she still couldn’t quite shake the jealous vision of Darius sleeping with a woman like
Mariam, she needed him to know something. “She was a fool.”
He turned to her with a surprised look that she was able to catch just as the lights went down. But
when he kissed her—a kiss that was not only full of passion, but something more, something that
seemed even bigger than desire—she didn’t need to see his face to know how much he’d liked
hearing those words.
Their limousine could have seated ten. Champagne chilled in a silver bucket on the center console,
and a pot of Darius special caviar teased her senses as the limo maneuvered through the San
Francisco streets, heading to Darius penthouse flat. The flutes were filled with raspberries, already
half drenched in champagne.
This was the opulence she’d expected from him that first night—an exclusive restaurant, a private
box at the show, a stretch limo. And yet, while it was still more than a little overwhelming, it didn’t
scare her away the way it would have back then. Because she knew Darius. Knew the man behind
the money and the power. Knew how kind he could be, how sweet. Sexy, too, but that had been
obvious from the outset with nothing more than one look.
He filled the glass and handed it to her before doing the same with his, then tapped his glass to hers
in a ting! of crystal. Flush against him on the seat, his exquisitely male scent went to her head like
the champagne bubbles.
“Did you like the show?”
“It was wonderful. Thank you so much for taking me.” The plot was a little fuzzy, though, since
she’d been so taken over by him that she couldn’t remember much of it. But what she did remember
—all of his incredible kisses, the way he’d teased her with barely-there caresses—made her tingle
all over.
“It was my pleasure. Being with you always is.” He tipped the stem of her glass, and murmured,
“Drink.”
It was ambrosia, with a hint of almonds and the sweetness of the fruit at the bottom.
“Now try a caviar chaser.” He unscrewed the lid of the caviar and dipped his finger into the pot.
No spoon, no cracker. Just him. His lids half-closed, he fixated on her lips as they parted, and she
took his finger into her mouth.
He was a burst of flavor—the rich, buttery taste of the caviar and the saltiness of his skin. An ache
blossoming deep in her core, she licked him clean, every last morsel. The sensory overload was
already close to sending her over the edge, but when he trailed a kiss along the low neck of her
dress, over the swell of her breast, she was sure she would die of wanting him.
Slowly, he pulled away, raining more kisses over her skin before saying, “Your turn.”
Dazed with desire, Nathalie dipped a finger into the pot, retrieving a scoop of the luxury before
Nathalie set it back on the console. Then he captured her wrist, bringing her hand to his lips. His
eyes on hers, he went down on her finger and sucked the caviar away.
The limo idled through the city traffic, but she no longer needed speed to get that wild, crazy
feeling from racing fast in a car.
All it took was one touch from Darius.
He licked her finger once more, his gaze smoldering. Then he tipped her champagne against her
lips. She took a long drink, the bubbles bursting all the way down her throat. When she was done,
he leaned in and tasted her mouth, licking away the drops of the champagne.
“I want you now,” he whispered against her lips, “but I swore to myself I’d have you in my bed
tonight. All night long. Over and over.”
Moments later, the car stopped and the door opened, garage lights beaming beyond the driver’s
shoulder. Her knees seemed to wobble as Darius helped her from the car. He carried the two
champagne glasses in one hand as he walked her to the elevator, which he opened with a special
key card. There were no floor buttons. Once inside, he simply inserted the key again. The doors
closed as the limo rolled away.
His arm wrapped around her, he held the glass to her lips once more. “Eat the fruit. It’s been sitting
in champagne.” He tipped the glass until the berries slid down into her mouth. They were rich with
bubbles, sweet and sparkling.
Then Darius lips crushed hers. He held her tight against his body, pressing her up against the
elevator wall as he tasted the fruit with her.
But though she’d truly had an amazing time at the show tonight and the fancy ride, complete with
fruited champagne and delicious caviar had been seductive and decadent, she hadn’t needed any of
it to be happy.
All she’d needed was him.
* * *
Nathalie’s taste on Darius lips lingered as the elevator doors opened and they stepped into his flat.
“Wow.”
Nathalie’s breathy exclamation of wonder called him to her. She glided to the wall of windows
showcasing the vast blackness of a nighttime San Francisco Bay, with the blazing lights of the city,
the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, and the East Bay surrounding the water like a ring of fire.
Abandoning the champagne glasses on the coffee table, Darius shadowed her.
“It’s so beautiful.” She spoke to the inky night and to him.
With the room still dark behind them and moonlight falling across her, she was more beautiful than
any landscape. He shifted to stand close at her back, seeing through her eyes. He’d bought the place
because of the view, but he’d long since stopped noticing it. Nathalie made it fresh again as he
shared her awe, revealing the beauty he’d forgotten.
She turned her head slightly to gaze at him over her shoulder. “Do you sit here at night just staring
at all this?”
“I haven’t.” But he could sit here all night watching her. “But I see now that I’ve been missing
something.”
He’d been missing so damn much until she’d walked into his life. If only what he felt for her was
enough to wipe out ten years of his past, from the ages of eight to eighteen...
She turned back to the vista, leaning against him. “Just looking out your windows would be like
meditation after a long work day.”
“Maybe I should rearrange the furniture and make this window the centerpiece.”
“Yes, you should,” she said, and her hair, still fragrant with some sweet shampoo, brushed his
cheek, his chin.
He’d planned the evening meticulously, from dinner to the sold-out tickets for the two-week run,
the limo, the caviar, the fruit in the champagne glasses. He’d wanted to wow her.
But he was the one wowed. From the very first moment he’d set eyes on her.
She needs to know how you feel. Trust her with your secrets.
Sally’s words had been his constant companions since their talk. Wrapping his arm around
Nathalie’s waist, he pulled her back tightly against him, as he wondered for the hundredth time:
Could she handle what was in his heart? Or would it send her running?
Rich men in fast cars, the teenager who’d run her brother down, the wealthy father who’d bailed
him out—Darius knew he embodied all Nathalie’s fears and he instinctively stiffened at the thought
of losing her.
“Darius?” She turned slightly to look up at him again, her eyes meeting his. “Is everything okay?”
He brushed her hair aside to plant a kiss on the sensitive skin of her neck. “You’re here.” He sucked
her skin, leaving his mark on her, then moved up to her ear, a sweet little hot spot, and nibbled.
“Everything is amazing.”
“You make me totally crazy when you do that.” She twirled and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“You’re such a tease.”
He wanted to tease her right up to heaven, wanted to give her so much pleasure that she’d never,
ever think about leaving him. “The word tease implies no follow-through. And believe me, I intend
to follow through.” He kissed her lightly. “All—” Kiss. “—night—” Kiss. “—long.” Then he parted
her lips and took her mouth, hot need spiking through him. “You’re absolutely perfect.”
“So are you.”
But he wasn’t.
Not even close.
* * *
Nathalie was dying for him to tear off her clothes, throw her down on the carpet, and take her right in front of the window.
That was how he always made her feel—totally wild, crazy, and out of control. But this was going
to be a night for firsts: the first time in his bed, the first time with him completely naked, the first
time she’d have him all night long and wake up beside him in the morning.
They’d rushed everything else, but she couldn’t bear to rush this.
Even if it killed her.
And yet, when she looked into his eyes, she saw shadows. The same shadows that had been there
moments before when his whole body had tensed against her back.
“Darius.” She reached for his cheek. “If something’s wrong—”
“No.” The word sounded choked. “Nothing’s wrong when you’re here. Nothing’s wrong when
you’re with me.” But there was a storm in his eyes. “Let me love you, Nathalie. Please, just let me
love you.”
His words rippled over her, through her, tugging at her heart. So even though she knew this was just
supposed to be for fun, how could she say anything but, “Love me, Darius.”
The next thing she knew, he tugged her dress off her shoulder and traced a finger down until it
rested against her breast. Slowly pulling the material aside, he revealed the lace of her black bra.
Slowly, so slowly that she nearly went crazy, he pulled the cup down until her aroused flesh finally
popped free.
“Delicious,” he whispered before he bent his head.
His thick, soft hair caressed her skin, and his tongue devastated her. She held him tight as he licked
her, then closed his lips around the peak and sucked.
All her electrons were firing like crazy when he raised his head and said, “More.”
He always wanted more from her. And she always gave it to him.
When she whispered “More,” he splayed a hand across her back and turned her insides to liquid
with his lips and tongue.
Then his teeth scraped across her, like a live wire straight to her center. Her body shuddered, and
she clung to him, gasping, writhing. It wasn’t an orgasm, but a deep, needy quaking that made her
moan, clutch him tight…and beg.
“Please.”
“Whatever you want.”
“I want you naked.” Her need whispered out on a breath. “I want to see all of you.”
He was always the one taking her clothes off. But she couldn’t wait any longer to see every inch of
that gloriously hard flesh.
She expected his usual grin, but just that quickly, the storm was back in his eyes as he suddenly
lifted her in his arms to carry her through the dark living room. There was no hall, just a doorway
off the central area. In his bedroom, city lights illuminated a four-foot rectangle in front of the
window, hiding the rest in darkness. He walked unerringly to the bed and laid her down gently.
They’d been in the dark since they’d entered his apartment, but that wasn’t enough for her anymore.
“I need light,” she said, “or I won’t be able to see you.” And she had to see.
He paused for a long moment, his face still grim in the shadows, before finally flicking a light
switch. The lamp lit the bed, his scrumptious black tux, white shirt, and lightly mussed hair.
A dark wood bureau matched the nightstands and headboard. White tile glinted through the
bathroom doorway, and a big jet tub two steps up lay just beyond in the shadows. His personal
space was expensively furnished with a fabulous view and probably cost a fortune—he even had his
own elevator, for goodness sake—but while it was rich, there was nothing that shouted Darius ownership.
Instead, it looked almost lonely.
He advanced on her. “You have on too many clothes.”
He was still minus his usual grin, but the sensuality in his tone made her forget all about the room
and its lack of a personal touch. There was only the huge bed and the gorgeous apartment.
And Darius.
“So do you,” she agreed. And this was her turn. All the other times, he’d managed to keep even his
shirt on. “I want to see you, the way you’ve seen me,” she insisted, her pulse throbbing.
He moved away from her then to snap the blinds closed, so that it was just them—no people on the
street far below, no cars honking.