I’d awakened all alone, which had been another surprise. I’d expected him to make good on his promise that I belonged to him, coming to me in the middle of the night. I’d found him moments before he’d left without telling me where he was going.

  The silent treatment had continued but his eyes couldn’t hide the hunger or the man’s predatory stance. I’d walked outside, watching as he climbed into a stunning sleek black Ferrari, gunning the engine as soon as he’d turned it over. As he’d left, he’d turned his head in my direction.

  A wave of undeniable heat had shot through me, enflaming my blood and leaving the pulse on the side of my neck jumping irregularly.

  After that, I’d felt lonely.

  Just like the man I was determined to hate.

  The one I couldn’t stop thinking about.

  I found myself walking down the hallway in search of the person who’d entered. It had to be Phoenix. He’d returned after a partial day at the office. I almost laughed at the sentiment. I couldn’t see him sitting behind a desk, signing contracts, or preparing a marketing campaign. He was all brute strength and animalistic need contained in an expensive suit and suave demeanor.

  That categorized him perfectly.

  Then again, so many things did.

  As I headed toward the kitchen, I heard raucous noise. It sounded like someone was having a temper tantrum. When I moved into the doorway, I sensed whatever he’d gone through was tearing at a part of him.

  He’d grabbed a beer from the fridge, knocking a pint of strawberries and a package of cheese onto the floor in the process. He’d also left the refrigerator door open. Now he was standing with one palm planted on the kitchen island, using the other to guzzle beer.

  I quietly moved into the room, my bare feet keeping my presence unknown for a few precious seconds. He was obviously distraught, cursing in Greek. He’d torn off his jacket, pitching it across the kitchen table, his weapon in plain view. He was seething from rage, his jaw so clenched the sharp edges could chisel stone.

  What in the hell had he done?

  He was a beautiful disaster waiting to happen, a man considered corrupt, but I’d seen the goodness inside of him. I’d experienced the gentle man who would live or die by his honor. He was the man I craved, the one I hadn’t been able to get out of my mind.

  Shivering, I crouched down, picking up a strawberry at a time. Three seconds later, I finally felt the heat of his glare. Goddamn it. If he thought the childish game of his was going to continue, he had another think coming.

  After gathering everything into my arms, I tossed the cheese in the fridge, the pint into the garbage, and slammed the refrigerator door with enough force I was certain I’d broke several bottles. I didn’t care. He could afford more. Lots more.

  He stood there staring at me, pulling the bottle of beer to his lips every few seconds as if needing to drown in the alcohol. I was floored at the effect he still had on me, my skin tingling to the point I couldn’t seem to stop shaking.

  As I walked closer, he shifted the same heated gaze I’d seen dozens of times down the front of me, likely laughing inside at my choice of attire. Jean shorts and a tank top. The day had been sweltering, the humidity ungodly. Just walking outside had left me wet and hot all over.

  And it had only a small amount to do with the weather.

  Phoenix didn’t move an inch when I grabbed the bottle from his hand, but our fingers touched, and I was shocked at the level of current tugging at my organs. Blood pounded through my veins echoing in my ears. As I took a sip, his breathing became labored, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

  Then he yanked the bottle from me, just as possessive as all his other actions, the fire of lust on his face more pronounced than before.

  “Are you going to continue not talking to me?” I asked. He seemed much taller than before, so large that his size felt oppressive.

  “What do we need to talk about?” He polished off the beer and I watched his Adam’s apple bobbing. When he was finished, he tossed the bottle into the sink, unwanted.

  Unneeded.

  I was his drug like he was mine, something I’d finally come to terms with during my silent treatment.

  “Why you’re so angry.”

  “Do I need a reason?” He snorted the question.

  “Let’s just say my life is complicated.”

  “And you complicated mine. Maybe you deserve to feel a little of what I do.”

  The same familiar flash of his eyes might be meant to intimidate me, but it had the opposite effect. I pushed my hand onto my hip, keeping my glare as icy as possible.

  “Yeah?”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  His took several exaggerated breaths, raking me with another powerful look. Then he wrapped his arm around my waist, dragging me onto my toes and against him. As he pressed his hard cock into my stomach, flashes of light pulsed in front of my eyes. The man could drive me to madness in the blink of an eye.

  He fisted my hair roughly, yanking on my head as he lowered his. “You don’t want me. I’m not good for you.”

  The words were stated with such defiance, a man desperate for me to believe him. “I don’t care.”

  “I’ll fucking ruin you.”

  “Maybe I’m already ruined.” As he lowered his head even more, I rose onto my tippy toes, my body swaying even in his firm hold. I was crazy, a complete idiot for wanting this man the way I did, but as my mama told me more than once, the heart wants what the heart wants. There was no substitution or absolution.

  Maybe I had meant to say salvation.

  Our lips were dangerously close, so much so I gathered the scent of the beer he’d just consumed mixed with a hint of cinnamon. The combination was irresistible.

  “You don’t know what you’re saying, beauty.”

  “So what?”

  He issued a husky growl, the sound so low it vibrated in every muscle. I was thrown by the raging need, a hunger that knew no bounds, but when he captured my mouth, the fear and trepidation vanished.

  The man was arrogant and imposing, strong and protective.

  And I wanted him.

  All of him.

  The danger no longer mattered, nor the anxiety that my life would never be the same. I just didn’t care about anything but being in his arms, feeling his touch.

  As the kiss became brutal, he rolled his hand down my back, cupping my bottom. In his hold I’d felt safe before, even though I hadn’t known anything about him or his occupation. I moaned into the kiss as he thrust his tongue inside, dominating mine so savagely that I wasn’t certain I’d be able to breathe much longer.

  Phoenix was different than he’d been before, as if his world had spun out of control. My mind was a fuzzy blur as I wrapped one leg around his, my foot hitting the cabinets. When he swung me around the other way, there wasn’t a muscle in my body not aching from anticipation of what the brawny man would do. I didn’t need to wait for long to find out.

  He pushed back from me, yanking my top over my head. I hadn’t worn a bra, the air conditioning unable to break through the sweltering heat. With a savage growl, he cupped both breasts, squeezing them together, dropping his head then nipping one of my nipples.

  I leaned my palms against the counter, arching my back as he crowded between my open legs. He took his time swirling his tongue around my other hardened bud before pulling the tender tissue into his mouth. His actions sent another wave of rocket fuel into every vein, igniting a wildfire of need. Every sound he made was animalistic, the sound in rhythm with my wildly beating heart.

  When he dragged his tongue between my breasts, I struggled in his hold, longing to feel his skin searing my fingertips. As I finally jerked his shirt from his trousers, he issued a salacious grin that I adored.

  “Don’t think you can tame me, beauty.”

  “I’m not trying. I like you primal, hungry.”

  “I’m going to fuck you.”

  I refused to stop, ripping the buttons on his shirt. As they popped to the floor, he laughed, dragging up his darkness, the beast coming alive. I pressed my hands on his chest, digging my nails into his skin. The explosive heat between us left me gasping for air, the unbridled lust I felt unlike any of the times before.

  After I rolled the shirt over his shoulders, he yanked it off, pitching it aside. There was no stopping the man as he ripped at the button and zipper on my shorts. He pushed me down on the counter, dragging the unwanted material away. This time, he didn’t waste time with niceties, snagging the edge of the panties he’d just bought, shredding them instantly.

  Every sound we made together was guttural, as if we couldn’t get to each other fast enough. When he lifted and bent my legs, yanking me to the edge, stars floated in front of my eyes. Without hesitation, he buried his face into my pussy.

  “Oh. Oh…” My moans were ragged, and I could barely think clearly, the pleasure was so intense. With every swipe of his tongue, I was pushed into a freefall, unable to catch my breath. He was rougher than he’d been before, keeping me wide open as his fingers dug a permanent place in my thighs.

  Every thunderous moment was filled with joy as he thrust several fingers inside, his masterful way of bringing me close to an orgasm then pulling away as surreal as the man. It didn’t matter that I was on full display, any of his employees able to witness our carnal sin. I should feel embarrassment, but how could I around a man who made my world turn on its axis? He was my everything.

  Including my devil.

  “So wet. So hot, my baby. I’ve waited all day for a taste of you.”

  The darkness in his voice sent a cold shiver all the way down to my curled toes, but it wasn’t about fear but worry that we couldn’t get enough of each other. He pushed my legs as wide open as possible, licking up and down my pussy in wild frenzy as he plunged his fingers deep inside. I wouldn’t be able to hold back, the ride to ecstasy taking me far too quickly.

  As I panted, writhing forcefully on the counter, my head hitting the hard surface several times, I stared down at him. His eyes were dilated, hazy orbs of intensity. I could watch him for hours feasting on me, taking me to extreme limits then pulling back. He was purposely tormenting me, another reminder that he was very much in charge.

  I tossed my head from side to side, my body almost convulsing from the rapture coursing through me. “I’m going to… come.”

  “Not yet.”

  As a nervous laugh bubbled to the surface, he yanked me further off the edge of the counter, driving his thumb into my asshole. That was all I could take, the climax exploding in pings and firecrackers deep inside.

  “Uh. Uh. Uh. Uh.” Everything was a blur as the orgasm swept through me.

  As I started to come down from the blissful haze, he eased my legs down, shifting me on the counter but leaving my legs dangling in response to the powerful pleasure. As he backed away, I rose onto my elbows, watching in delicious anticipation of seeing his rock-hard body.

  His impatience was more than evident as he ripped at his trousers, kicking his shoes aside. In the bright light of the kitchen, I was able to gather an incredible view of the ink covering his body. From this angle, his muscles looked even more massive.

  Then he issued a deep rumble from his chest.

  Something dark.

  Possessive.

  Demanding.

  Then he advanced.

  And for a few seconds I wondered if this was what love felt like.

  Phoenix

  I was far too hungry to go with niceties with the woman tonight. She’d interrupted my moment of silence, my attempt at curtailing the beast. My brother’s words remained a sharp dagger in my chest, the need for violence as intense as it had ever been.

  I’d wanted to destroy everything in the kitchen, smashing dishes and shattering glasses until the rage inside me abated.

  Then Whitney had walked in.

  All fire and ice.

  Obliterating anything but my need to be inside of her.

  The sweet taste of her lingered on my lips, boosting the ache in my balls. I was in a rare place, a zone of hunger that only rough sex could appease. As I tore her off the island, she wrapped her long legs around my hips, interlocking her feet. Just the sight of her pretty crimson toes leading up to shapely ankles had been enough to tear down my defenses. The woman had the ability to cast aside all the darkness, showering me with light.

  Now I needed to fill her with my seed.

  I pushed her against the refrigerator, thrusting my cock inside. She threw her head back, laughing from the roughness I’d used. Then she raked her nails down my back, the pain an incredible series of sensations. The woman was electrified.

  Insatiable.

  Feral.

  Her needs matched mine, the look in her eyes captivating and as dark as the filthy thoughts firing off in my brain. Together we were a firestorm, a force to be reckoned with. I rolled onto the balls of my feet, plunging hard and fast. I would never be able to get enough of her.

  “Harder,” she said, her voice a husky whisper.

  “You’re a wildcat.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  I spun her around, smacking her against the island as I developed a brutal rhythm, her muscles still stretching as I continued to swell. She was so wet, the scent of our combined desires the sweetest fragrance.

  Her eyes were dilated, her mouth open in a daring invitation. I dropped my head, nipping her earlobe, raking my teeth down the side of her neck. She threw out her arms, managing to catch a basket of fruit. As it cascaded across the floor, she laughed, the sound of her voice silky and raw from passion.

  Everything about her was tumultuous and uncontained, a firefly caught in a jar.

  And I’d been the bad man to capture her.

  She wrapped her hand around the back of my neck, her chest rising and falling, her eyes never blinking. I was caught off guard by the raging hunger billowing inside of her, the crazed need we both felt all consuming.

  We were both breathless, her slight laughter highlighting the vixen I knew her to be. I shifted again, finally easing her onto her feet. When I jerked her around to face the counter, forcing her over the edge, she clawed at the granite, daring to think she could get away from me.

  I brought my hand down on her bottom several times, nothing more than a reminder that she’d never be in charge. She purred her response and every cell in my body clutched, another wave of desire rolling to the surface.

  How could a woman have this much of an effect on me? The rhyme or reason no longer mattered. She was in my life for good. I’d kill anyone who dared try to take her away from me with my bare hands. The woman had the ability to make me want to forget my life, all the ugly responsibilities that came with my position.

  I cracked my hand on her bottom four more times before thrusting her arms over her head, wrapping one hand around both her wrists. She undulated underneath me, doing everything she could to get out of my hold. Our relationship would always be tumultuous, striking a thin balance between love and hate. That excited the sadist inside of me.

  “So horrible,” she whispered.

  “You haven’t seen anything yet, beauty. I’m your worst nightmare.”

  Her laugh sparked another wave of current through every muscle. As I drove my cock inside once again, she closed her eyes, panting. I rolled my body over hers, grinding against her until my shaft was fully seated inside. There was no stopping my insatiable need. I became the savage she’d initially feared, driving into her with enough fury, I could feel the anger just below the surface.

  Whitney flexed then fisted her fingers, her heart thumping. I refused to stop, my need to ravage her unlike anything I’d felt in a long time. The rush of adrenaline was kicking my ass, my control slipping. But I wasn’t finished with her yet.

  I rose onto my hands, freeing her wrists. She tossed her head to the side as she pushed hard against me, managing to meet every brutal thrust.

  The feel of her body molding against mine pulled at the hunger until it was spiraling out of control. Every muscle was tense, the need pushing at my resolve. As she thrashed her arms across the counter, spilling papers and other items onto the floor, I heard her subtle laugh.

  She enjoyed our rough encounters as much as I did.

  “Yes. Yes.”

  Her murmurs only fueled the fire until I couldn’t hold back any longer. “Come with me. Come.”

  Panting, she twisted her head, pushing hard against the counter, bucking to the point the friction became too much to take. I wrapped my hand around her hair, yanking her off the granite, sinking my teeth into her neck.

  As we both climaxed, every sound she made enticed the beast. The moment I erupted deep inside, I threw my head back, the husky roar filling the room. My entire body spasmed, shaking violently as I filled her with my seed, beads of sweat trickling down over her shoulders. We were both out of breath, her laughter tingling my senses.

  I wrapped my arm around her waist, holding her against me until our breathing slowed. As I brushed my fingertips down her arm, she shuddered against me. The moment was intense, an understanding forming between us.

  We were toxic yet incapable of being apart.

  God help us both.

  CHAPTER 16

  Phoenix

  Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.

  The Khalil Gibran quote came to mind out of nowhere, but the reason was clear. Whitney was the light to my darkness, a fusion of electricity that held no time or space. She was the tether that kept me from damnation, although even her goodness couldn’t protect me from the brutal sins I’d already committed. Yet through her eyes, everything was beautiful, fresh, and new.

  She was unabashed about her desire, her needs simple yet deep at the same time. Perhaps she understood what she did to me, or maybe she was as out of control as I’d become. Either way, watching her as she performed a single task enlightened my world.