Assassin Deception (17 page)

“I need you, Salvator,” Chloe whispered with deep desire, her eyes liquid with her want of him.

“Then you have me. While I take what’s mine.”

His weight pressed her further into the mattress, claiming her. Every inch of his hard body enveloped hers, surrounding her in his cocoon of endless safety. His mouth grew more demanding. His heated breath felt hot against her naked flesh, igniting the flames of desire with such passion Chloe felt she might expire beneath him. She remembered this. His heat, his desire. Her want of him. Oh, how she had missed him. His passion encompassed her. Nothing else mattered except him.

Chloe felt her happy tears dripping as she writhed under him. She had missed his touch, dreamed his scent when alone at night, the sweet taste of his heated skin, the way he called to her body and soul in her dreams. How even in sleep she had wantonly felt his hands upon her, arousing her, seducing her, waking her in a soft sheen of sweat to leave her panting.

Now he was here. His fingers moved to her folds, parting her, touching her within, penetrating her moist slippery heat to her welcoming cave of desire with long, stroking, sensuous passion. Gliding, withdrawing, he was indeed taking what was his. Perhaps she would take what was hers.

“Please now, Damien,” Chloe whispered with urgency, her body tingling, desperate to become one with him.

She struggled beneath him, encouraging him to enter her, shifting, thrusting beneath him. She wanted him hard, fast. She had waited a long time for him. But it seemed he was in no hurry. His mouth suckled first one high breast, drawing her deeply past his teeth, grazing her bud.

Deeper he drew her in until most of her breast disappeared into his hot, wet mouth. Releasing his grip, he moved to the other breast when her hand eagerly offered it as she moaned beneath him. He closed his fingers on a taut nipple, pulling, rolling, manipulating it until it throbbed, ached, arching towards him and seeking his welcomed touch. His hand dipped lower to tease more leisurely when she wanted so much more.

Chloe lowered her hand to stroke the long length of him, feeling his heat and hard arousal. She wrapped him within her tight fist, always amazed at his generous size.

Chloe sucked at his neck, whispering his name and her desperate desire, running her hand around his erection in a pumping motion, harder, until, with a groan, Damien pulled her fist away from him. He lifted both of her legs to bend at the knee, exposing her lush mound before him. His gaze rested onto his ultimate desire before thrusting sharply; he entered her.

She cried out, her body arching to meet him. Damien moved slowly, rocking himself against her clitoris. He groaned as her warm tightness engulfed him, drawing him deeper, loving him; she enveloped him greedily.

“I’ve missed you,” Chloe murmured on a heated moan. She wrapped her legs high around his waist, wanting all of him, clasping him to her. Trying harder to pull him ever closer. His soft chest hairs tickled with his strokes against her sensitive nipples, hardening them further to strain towards him.

“Stay with me, Chloe,” Damien demanded with urgency. “Don’t go away again. I couldn’t stand for you to go away again.”

Chloe wrapped herself around him. She held him closer, her eyes squeezed shut, almost angry he would ask now. He had asked her before to stay. She had wanted to, desperately wanted to, but he hadn’t wanted a formal commitment then.

“Please, don’t hurt me again,” Chloe whimpered. She buried her face into his warm neck.

The last time she had left because he had hurt her. He had expected, in his self-centeredness, she would just stay and wait for him until he was ready to make a formal commitment. She had thought when he had asked he would make it legal. She had been flying high with emotion until his admission had sent her crashing to the ground in agony.

She had left when what she really had wanted was to scream out she wasn’t a toy, his to play with when he was ready. James had known; he had seen and understood her despair. That was why he had acquired a job for her, set her up in an apartment of his choice. He found her something that would test her limits and keep her mind occupied in order to try and lessen the hurt.

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” Damien said, holding himself immobile. He looked deeply into her eyes, eyes that were now filled with fear and dread. She could see the shame on his face.

“Please, just make love to me,” Chloe begged.

“Forever,” Damien declared. His hand clasped her chin, holding her gaze, willing her to believe in him.

Chloe could see he was sincere this time. Her eyes lit with happiness and she wrapped her arms around him tightly while her hopes soared once more. She couldn’t stand the thought of going away again either.

* * * *

Damien moved within her once more. He had let her walk out of his life once before. Never again, never ever again. His mouth claimed hers as though sealing their deal. His breath was hot, heavy with want and desire.

He moved harder, faster, pumping as deeply as he was able, to feel her hips become one with his own. The noise of their joining became music to their ears. A wild erotic jungle song, primitive, an ancient hypnotic beat as well versed as time.

His large fist tangled within her hair, gripping her tightly, forcing her jaw up so he could claim her mouth more deeply, capturing her whimpers and moans with his own as they sang in unison. No one would ever again lay a hand on what belonged to him alone.

Chloe writhed beneath him. She dug her fingers deeply into his shoulders, seeking leverage when there was none. He had her. Never before had he taken her so heatedly.

He felt her quick intake of labored breathing when he released her mouth and his grip tightened, filling her unbelievably with more. He was making her his once more, as if she could ever forget. He was claiming her all over again, only this time it was different. He wanted possession of her body, mind, thoughts. He overwhelmed every heated inch of her; he proved victorious as she submitted completely to him and he consumed her.

Chloe cried out his name, arching, clasping his shoulders, and continued to cry out as Damien found his own release, his powerful roar resounding throughout the room in triumph. She shuddered beneath him, breathing heavily, sated, his own rasping breath mixed with hers. For just a brief moment he collapsed on top of her before he rolled with her onto his side, never releasing her from his powerful, possessive grip. His erection remained buried within her intimately. He was loath to end their joining.

“I love you, stay with me forever,” Damien asked once more, his forehead pressed to hers. Damien’s eyes searched hers, offering what he knew he should have before.

“Forever,” Chloe whispered.

* * * *

“This was the work of someone on the inside,” Dirk said quietly to the others gathered around him. Though the disclosure had been suspected, it still came as a shock. Damien could see the pulse at his brother’s neck thumping. It was the only indication he was enraged.

“How can that be possible? A traitor in our midst? Everyone in the family has been checked. There isn’t anyone who has been here under three years. Why now? Why is this occurring now?” another asked. Ten powerful men sat in James’ study, all of various ages, sizes, and race. A few were shifting uncomfortably. Everyone was being scrutinized.

Damien looked at the young man who had spoken. He understood his concern. The young man had been with them for only three years, the baby of the bunch. He could see he was feeling as though targeted. Betrayal in a family such as theirs was decidedly a dangerous position to be in. Perhaps a deadly position to be in. In their line of work loyalty was not only everything. It was life.

“Perhaps the guilty party is counting on the women and children placing us into a more vulnerable position. All of you are more than capable of looking after yourselves. Do any of you feel our stronghold has been compromised because added security is needed for others who are incapable of defending themselves against men such as ourselves?” Dirk enquired coldly.

His eyes settled onto each man in turn. It was not too long ago Dirk’s wife and baby granddaughter had been kidnapped. Damien knew the man who had taken her, Tyler Darren, and his family of cutthroats was no more; Dirk had seen to it personally.

“Damn it, Dirk, you seem to be forgetting not all of us keep our families under this roof. What about my wife and son?” a large man stormed. His green eyes flashed angrily about the room.

“I realize your wife and you are experiencing some difficulties, Mitch,” James interjected.

The man’s face reddened with embarrassment. Of course James would know. James was aware of everything. “Shawna would never hurt you; she holds great respect for you and everyone here,” the man mumbled.

James chuckled. An image of the petite thirty-something woman with a timeless face came to Damien’s mind.

“No doubt, Mitch, if you and I were in a room with her while she sported any flying paraphernalia she would undoubtedly be aiming in your direction. Whatever possessed you to forget her birthday? I had been under the impression we employed no stupid men,” James said.

At that Mitch turned an even redder shade. “I got her something, eventually,” he muttered.

“Words of wisdom, my young friend: when you forget a woman’s birthday it’s best not to placate with a brand new vacuum cleaner. During the salesman’s test of the appliance, did he suck up your common sense?” The others about snickered at James’ teasing of the man.

“She needed one,” Mitch protested.

“You buy her an engraved gold watch or diamond necklace. Then, my friend, you say in an offhand manner that you were a fool for forgetting something so important, but while you were out you saw something she needed and you didn’t want her to think you so callous as to forget something of importance again,” James said wisely.

“Trust my dad, he speaks from
lots
of experience,” Dirk said dryly. Now the others laughed, along with Mitch. Dirk then turned serious. “As for your wife and boy, Mitch, they should be here, angry wife or no.”

“She won’t come,” Mitch grouched, shifting uncomfortably.

“She’ll come,” Dirk replied. His even look settled upon the man.

Mitch nodded in understanding. Failure to comply would be construed as guilt at this time. As loyal members of Dirk’s family, no one would want any to assume they were in fact hiding their loved ones in case they were indeed at fault for the limo’s problem or bomb.

“I’ll bring them when we’re through here…after I stop at the jewelry store,” Mitch said, grinning. Dirk chuckled, nodding.

“As for this being an inside job we’re not going to start pointing the finger at each other. That is why I called this meeting,” Dirk began, once more serious. “Others whom we are close to also represent our circle that we need to be wary of.”

“Others?” Tyr voiced.

“What do you mean?” Damien asked with concern.

Wolf stepped forward at that time to take his place near Dirk. “Everyone, except of course the children, are being scrutinized. Wives, lovers, housekeepers, friends, gardeners. Everyone who has any contact with us will be looked at, even if it has been only brief contact. It is perhaps best not to inform your wives, if married, what is occurring. Some may feel threatened or even frightened. Secrets from someone’s past suddenly being resurrected can be unnerving. Affairs can cause hurt. I expect all of you to come clean on any love affairs you’re having or had.”

“Are you going to tell us what you find?” a man asked.

“If it revolves around this issue, yes. I’m not a marriage counselor, Ethan. If someone’s ‘other’ is clean I won’t push it to be common knowledge,” Wolf replied.

Ethan relaxed noticeably.

“What about your wife, Wolf?” The others turned as the question was thrown out.

All regarded the young man. The man who asked the question had been loyal for five years. Not yet in his thirties, he had already made a good name for himself in the business. He was feared by many, respected by many more. His work proved to be his passion. His ability to spare innocents when taking the evil was surpassed by no other than Dirk, Wolf and Damien.