PrideandSurrender (2 page)

And true.

My body shook as my chest heaved. I blinked up into his
face, his green eyes as dazed as I felt. His breath the same ragged rhythm as
my own.

We matched.

I wanted to believe it. Trust in it. But something stopped
me. Habit or fear? A mixture of both? I didn’t know, but it lodged firmly in my
chest and I didn’t know how to set it free.

In truth, I didn’t want to. I needed that protection as much
as I needed my next breath.

It was the only defense I had.

His fingers loosened from my hair and rubbed the soft spot
at the nape. He stroked down the cords of my neck, up and over the line of my
jaw.

My pulse beat frantic and erratic.

In the silence, neither his breath nor mine slowed.

Long, strong fingers caressed my jaw. I shuddered. I
couldn’t help myself.

“One kiss, Juliet.” His voice was hoarse, gravelly. “That’s
all it took.”

“W-what?” The question popped out before I could press my
lips together.

“Have you ever kissed like that?” The question managed to
sound conversational, despite the unevenness of his tone. His thumb brushed
against my mouth, rubbed along the bottom lip. “I never kissed a woman and had
it be like that. Better than sex. Hot and wet and heart-stopping.”

Never in my life had I wanted to trust blindly—until right
that second. Trust wasn’t in my nature. Trust was for the silly and naїve.

Not a woman like me.

Fear will make a person do stupid, foolish things. And I was
no exception. I garnered my strength and shrugged one shoulder. “It was all
right.”

His green eyes flashed ten kinds of fire, and his fingers
curled along my jaw, no longer loose and easy.

The moment the words left my lips, I recognized my mistake.
This was not a man to be pushed. Fear joined the rapid pounding of my heart. My
skin flushed under his intense gaze.

“When I decided I’d had enough…” His tone had turned hard. A
sense of danger spiked the air and I shivered. “When having you hiss and claw
like an alley cat every time I dared get within ten feet of you wasn’t putting
a damper in my desire to claim you, and I knew going after you was inevitable.
I made a decision.”

I tried to break free once again, but he held fast. “I don’t
care about this, Christos.”

“I’m not done.” The words were a warning, and
self-preservation had me going still.

I’d let him have his say then I’d get the hell out. With any
luck, I wouldn’t run into him for a couple of months. Next time, I wouldn’t be
in an enclosed space that felt three sizes too small. Next time, I’d have built
my defenses back up. “What?”

Annoyance flashed across his harsh features. “I decided on
brutal honesty.” He shot out the words like bullets, and they hit with deadly
accuracy. “In exchange for mine, I’m demanding yours.”

“I don’t obey orders.”

He smiled. A wicked, knowing curve of his lips that made him
look like sin itself. “I know.”

One second I was free—the next, he had me facing the mirror,
my arms pinned behind me again. My heart thudded in my chest. His gaze on mine,
he bent down, nipped the lobe of my ear. “Just remember, Juliet, you picked the
hard way.”

“Let me go.” Anger flowed through me, or at least that’s
what I pretended it was. Once again my breathing hitched, and I watched the
telltale rapid rise and fall of my breasts. Giving me away. I wanted to close
my eyes but didn’t give him the satisfaction.

“It’s frustrating, isn’t it?” His gaze raked over my body.
“To be so furious and so turned-on.” He leaned down and bit the side of my
neck, hard enough to leave a mark.

I shot a spiked heel into his shin. He winced but didn’t
loosen his grip, instead he kicked my legs apart, as far as my skirt would
allow. “I know because I’ve been there. Jesus Christ, you piss me off. Do you
know how many fucking times I’ve tried to put you out of my mind? Countless.”

I stopped my struggle and blinked at him. Hope beat like a
tiny bird in my chest. But it couldn’t be true—he couldn’t feel the same way I
did. And even if he did, it was the challenge, damn it. Men like him were used
to getting their way. All I was to him was a dalliance with the unusual. That’s
it.

Don’t let him make you believe.

My expression must have revealed something because he shook
his head, his gaze softening. “Sometimes you don’t get a choice. Sometimes you
don’t get to pick. It picks you.”

For the second time in an hour, my throat closed over. I
gritted my teeth and willed the brightness in my gaze to disappear.

One big hand moved up my waist, over my ribs to cup my
breast. His thumb traced a path over my nipple and I bit my lip to keep from
crying out as sensation pierced through me. Such a small touch, almost
innocent, and its power shook me.

He bent down and kissed my neck. His lips a soft brush
against my skin. All I wanted was to tip my head back and rest it on his
shoulder. It looked strong and capable in a way I could never be. Solid. A nice
place to rest while I let him carry me away.

I kept my head up. The muscles of my neck ridged with the
effort.

“Even now, when you’re so afraid and every defense you have
is on high alert, you can’t resist. I could have you naked, mindless and coming
in no time flat.”

I started to shake. Was I so transparent? Was there nothing
about me he didn’t see?

“The only thing that stops me is that if I strip you now
you’ll have an excuse to run.” His eyes met mine. “And you’ll get no excuses
from me.”

“Did I lose you, Juliet?”

I blinked Jonathan Marsh into focus. I’d drifted off again,
unable to stop thinking about
him
.

Over and over my mind returned to the scene in the bathroom.
Like a broken record, I replayed how he’d touched me. How his hands moved over
my body. How badly I wanted him.

And how he’d left me.

He’d made it clear I was powerless against him, turned on
his heel and walked away. I’d stared into the mirror and tried to cope with the
fierce longing squeezing my chest, and hating that he hadn’t looked back.

The days wore on and I heard and saw nothing. The startling
revelation that I expected him left me shaken. But no matter how hard I tried,
I couldn’t stop waiting for him. The phone would ring and my heart would leap
into my throat. A knock on the door and I’d break into a sweat. I’d be sitting
alone in the corner cafe by my townhome and find myself staring out the big
picture window, searching for any sign of him.

The most disturbing thing of all was the way my stomach
twisted every time I was wrong.

“Juliet?” Jonathan’s tapered fingers brushed my forearm.

At his voice, I jerked back to the present.

I flashed him my most dazzling smile and murmured an
insincere “I’m sorry” while I shifted away from his touch. There was nothing
wrong with Jonathan. In fact, for a woman fast approaching the wrong side of
thirty he was a catch. That was if I liked my men on the elegant waxy side.

I waved my hand over the glittery black-tie crowd littering
the field museum. “I thought I recognized someone I knew. I apologize, what
we’re you saying?”

I didn’t want to be here. I wanted to be home. Tucked away
while I regained control of my emotions and sulked in private.

I eyed the man smiling down at me, his brown eyes shining
with interest that had nothing to do with my business skills. I sighed. The price
I paid for networking.

Jonathan’s brown hair was neat in a politician’s side sweep,
his face classically appealing, and his bank account fat. Prime cut Chicago
meat. “Robert said you were wonderful to work with. Perhaps we should talk?”

I didn’t doubt where this was going. He would ask me for
lunch, talk about business for an obligatory fifteen minutes then spend the
rest of the time trying to talk me into dinner.

I knew this game.

I took a sip of my champagne and tilted my head. “Our work
focuses on mid-size companies, not corporate giants. You boys have more than
enough resources at your disposal.” If I thought there was a chance in hell he
was serious, I’d never point this out, but since he wasn’t, I didn’t have a
problem stating the obvious.

A prickle of awareness had the fine hairs on my neck
lifting, and in an instant, my heart started to pound frantically against my
ribs.

Christos.

My body surged like a live wire and I couldn’t help glancing
over one bare shoulder. My gaze shifted through a sea of tuxes and long
sparkling gowns and saw
nothing
. I wanted to scream in frustration.
Where
was he?

What in the hell had he done to me? The corners of my eyes
pricked.

Look at me.

One kiss and I’d been shaken to my very foundation. One kiss
and I turned into one of those pathetic girls who spent countless hours staring
at the phone, willing it to ring. My fingers clenched on my small evening bag.

He wasn’t coming. His abandonment had proved what I’d
believed all along—once he knew for certain he could have me, the game had
ceased to hold his interest.

I frowned. Where was the vindication for being right? All I
felt was empty. As though I lost something I hadn’t realized I needed.

I glanced back up at Jonathan and tried to work up some
interest. He was everything I could want in a man. He would wine and dine me,
say all the right things. We’d have interesting discussions about politics,
current affairs and the arts. He’d take me to the best places and we would rub
elbows with all the best people.

But he would never touch
me
. He’d never really know
who I was. We’d be two strangers who lived side by side. I’d be perfectly safe,
wrapped in my own little fuzzy cocoon where nothing could hurt me. Exactly how
I liked it. Exactly what I wanted.

But the interest wouldn’t come.

He slid an open palm down my bare arm and up again. I wanted
to snatch it away from his grasp. His touch had my skin crawling. It felt…
wrong
.

One kiss and no other man would ever do.

Jonathan’s hand brushed my shoulder. “Perhaps it’s time you
come out to play with the big boys.”

Christos had ruined me. Forever.

I stood frozen. My fingers locked in a death grip around my
champagne flute, the rubble of my carefully constructed armor at my feet. All
this chaos for a man who hadn’t looked back.

“How about a late lunch on Friday?” Jonathan smiled down at
me. “If I’m lucky, maybe it will last into dinner.”

“She’s busy.” A hard, commanding voice sounded behind me,
and it was like being pushed back into life.

Thank god he’d finally come.
The thought, followed
quickly by an almost painful relief, had my spine snapping straight.

Jonathan peered over my head, his thin lips curving into a
frown. Then his aristocratic features cleared. “Christos, always a pleasure. I
didn’t know you were on the guest list.”

“Last minute change of plans.” His deep voice vibrated
through me, calming something deep within even as anger flickered through me.

I caught my breath and turned, only to have it knocked right
back out of me again. Gorgeous and imposing in a black tuxedo—everyone in the
room ceased to exist.

One large hand curved over my biceps and it sent a shock
wave through my system. My body responded to this man as if it had finally
found a home.

His green eyes glittered, and I shivered. Whether from fear
or anticipation I couldn’t be sure.

“I’m afraid Juliet is unavailable.” His attention stayed
riveted on me, but his words were delivered with the commanding bite that dared
anyone to cross him.

I started to tremble. I yanked my arm from his grasp and
resisted the urge to fuss. With a forced smile, I turned to Jonathan, who
watched us with avid speculation.

I parted my lips to speak, only to have Jonathan say, “Well,
Juliet, if you’re not available on Friday I’m sure we can come up with a time
to talk next week.” His gaze flickered to my face. “Certainly, you can squeeze
me in.”

The man hadn’t become CEO of a Fortune 5 Hundred company by
being timid and fighting for territory was a familiar game.

Christos slid into the empty space beside me, and his palm
stroked over my bare back, as though he had every right to touch me. Goose
bumps popped along my skin as his thumb rubbed a slow circle at the base of my
spine. I locked my legs to keep my knees from buckling as every cell called to
be taken by him. His fingers caressed over my waist and curled over my hips in
an entirely intimate gesture. “Maybe I didn’t make myself clear. She’s not
available
for you
.”

Surprise flittered across Jonathan’s expression as his brows
rose up his forehead. “I see.”

At long last my pride kicked into high gear, and I welcomed
it like a long-lost lover. I squared my shoulders and dug one heel into
Christos’ foot, but his grasp didn’t loosen. If anything, his fingers dug
harder into my hip.

With a tilt of my chin, I reached into my small evening
clutch and pulled out a business card, handing it over to Jonathan. “I’m
available Friday for lunch.”

Triumph lit his brown eyes and he couldn’t resist greeting
Christos with a mocking curve of his mouth. My card slid into his breast
pocket, and my stomach sank to my toes. “I look forward to it, Juliet.”

I gritted my teeth, instantly regretting my actions. Where
was the satisfaction? I searched but couldn’t find any.

Christos’ fingers stroked over my hip and then his lips
dropped to my ear. “There’s no way in hell you’re going anywhere with him.”

Dizzying pleasure sped through my blood as his hot palm
branded my flesh. Claiming me in a way as old as time.

My skin flushed as my heart pounded.

The possession in his voice, the confidence in his words, I
liked it. Craved it. Words of indignation died on my lips.

I wanted him so bad. Too damn bad.

The truth hit me. It was only a matter of time. One way or
another I’d succumb to his wishes, his desires. He was going to win.

And when he left—and he would leave—I’d be shattered.

I needed to get away.

I wrenched from Christos’ grasp. Plastering a smile on my
lips, I nodded to the two men. “Excuse me.”

Throat tight, I turned on my high heels and walked away.

This time, I was the one who didn’t look back. I weaved
through the crowded room, nodding to acquaintances, my gaze roaming for a place
to find some privacy.

Off to the right, I spotted a darkened corridor, a strand of
thick red rope blocking passage. As quickly as my four-inch evening shoes would
carry, I made my way to safety.

After all the time I’d spent waiting for him, now I couldn’t
escape fast enough. His presence unnerved me as every emotion I’d experienced
over the past week welled to the surface and vied for attention.

I reached the rope and undid the large silver clasp,
slipping through before refastening the meager restraint. My fingers stalled on
the cold metal. All my carefully assembled defenses, that had so long been
effective in keeping me safe, were as meager and useless as this rope in the
face of Christos’ determination.

I began walking down the deserted corridor, my heels
clicking on the smooth marble floor.

Even with the expansive ceilings, the walls felt tight.

What was I doing here? I need to go home. Climb into sweats,
wash away my makeup, put my blonde hair in a ponytail and curl up on the couch.

But what really waited for me there?

An empty, lonely townhome that reminded me of a time when
what I’d had in my life had been more than enough. Anger welled inside me. I
wanted that back, damn it.

Somewhere amidst the rubble, my prior comfort and
contentment hid, but for the life of me, it continued to elude me.

“Juliet.” Christos’ voice echoed down the corridor along
with his pounding footsteps.

This was all his fault.

I’d been fine before. Fine.

Yes. Anger. I embraced it. The fury blocked out the need
better than any other piece of arsenal I carried. I whirled to face him.

“How dare you.” My voice shook as I jabbed a finger in his
direction.

In a flash he was on me—gaze blazing—jaw set in a hard line.
Long fingers encircled my wrist in an iron grip, and he hauled me forward.

I stumbled, losing my balance. He caught me around the waist
and pulled me close.

His mouth claimed mine before I could say another word.

Oh yes.
The icy anger melted into warm, hot liquid.

His lips moved over mine. Our tongues met. Breath mingled.
Our bodies pressed together like missing puzzle pieces.

A low moan spilled out of my throat and he caught the sound
with his lips. His fingers dug into the curve of my spine. My breasts flattened
against his chest.

I struggled against him and he held me fast.

Even I, in all my vehement denial, couldn’t pretend I was
trying to break free. Not while my hand gripped the back of his neck and my
palm curled into the lapel of the tux.

He walked me backward, swinging me around until my bare back
pressed along a cold marbled surface.

His head angled, deepening the kiss.

I rose to tiptoe. Wanting closer. Needing closer. My god, it
wasn’t enough. I moaned in frustration as I strained to somehow seep into him. This
kiss—it had to be enough. Eventually I’d have to pull away.

But for now, I surrendered. I liked to believe that it had
been my choice to do so, but I couldn’t be sure.

A low growl vibrated in his chest. Then his hand was at my
thigh, pulling the fabric up and up. I flexed the muscle, raising my leg so it
slipped through the side slit. His fingers brushed bare skin.

I jerked as sensation radiated from his palm. Wanton and
crazed with long-denied lust, I hooked my leg at his hip. I wanted his cock to
fill me right here. I rose up to meet his erection, which nudged the cleft
between my thighs.

I needed to be filled. Claimed. Taken.

He tore his mouth away. The cool air hit my swollen, wet
lips.

I wanted him back.

He dipped his head to my neck, licking and sucking where my
pulse beat a frantic rhythm. He bit the lobe of my ear. “Mine. Juliet. You’re
mine, goddamn you. Don’t you see how you belong to me?”

Yes!
The word screamed in my head. My fingers bit
into the black fabric as I fought the tide of lust and fear raging inside me.

The words he wanted to hear hovered on my lips, desperate to
get out. But I couldn’t say them. Couldn’t admit the truth.

Couldn’t admit that he had all the power.

Instead, I pressed my lips to the line of his jaw and
squeezed my eyes shut to keep the tears from slipping out.

“He can’t have you,” he whispered in a hard, uneven rasp.
“Tell me you won’t go.”

Reality returned like a rush of a tidal wave.

All I craved was the oblivion only his touch provided. I
wanted to rage at him for ripping it away so cruelly.

If I gave this to him, I’d be giving him everything. And we
both knew it.

I shook my head as I fought to control the foreign desire to
give him whatever he wanted. Fought to control my body’s response that wanted
to devour him like a glutton’s last meal.

“It’s business.” My heart broke as soon as the words left my
lips.