Beautiful Prey 2: The Storm Series (BWWM Romance) (14 page)

Deon, along with Steve and Tracy, decided to hang out in the
ballroom and wait for Natasha. She was helping the band break down their
equipment. Afterward, they hung around the bar to discuss their current
mission; lockdowns. Natasha was not at all happy about parading around, ass
naked, in a locked house with no back up.  But Deon expressed his happiness
about seeing Natasha scantily clad during the takedown. They all laughed as
Steve recalled how Deon fell on his hands and knees when he saw her in the
slingshot.  Deon laughed graciously, but

Natasha was a little embarrassed at the thought of her team
see her with so little clothing. Strangers were bad enough, but she didn’t have
to look at them every day. Besides, since the day she started working in Vice,
Natasha noticed the way Deon looked at her.

           
Yes, Deon was fine as frog hair. However, getting involved with someone at work
is never a good idea. Especially since, because of her lawsuit, the department
had attempted to peg her as a cop fucking conniving whore. Therefore,
friendship was the only thing she would offer Deon. Yet, Natasha realized that
allowing him to caress her the way that he did on the dance floor might have
been leading him on, but she needed Gianni to believe that she’d moved on. When
in reality, she’d thought of him every day and night since he pinned her
against his elevator wall.

           
As if he could sense that he was occupying Natasha’s thoughts, Gianni walked
from the kitchen with his sleeves rolled up and his necktie hanging loosely
from his neck. He hadn’t noticed Natasha, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of
him.

           
As he walked across the ballroom toward the bar, she noted the confidence in
the way he moved. Gianni had the swag of a man that knew he was sexy. He was
truly an animated temptation. He looked up, and their eyes met. Natasha wanted
to look away, but her eyes betrayed her. His green gaze had her hypnotized.
Upon his approach, he smiled seductively. Natasha immediately averted her eyes
and returned her attention to her friends. Gianni stood beside her, and the
familiarity of his masculine scent attacked her senses. She instantly felt her
sex swell.

           
“Steve and Tracy, it’s good to see you again.” Gianni reached out to shake
Steve’s hand. When he kissed Tracy’s hand, Natasha could swear that she was
blushing.

           
Charming asshole
,
she thought to herself, as she resisted rolling her eyes.  

           
“Gianni, this is Deon,” Natasha offered.

           
Gianni gave Deon the head nod and then possessively placed his hand in the
small of

Natasha’s back. Her traitorous body instantly warmed, and she
could feel a bolt of electricity run down her spine.

           
He leaned into her and whispered, “Natasha’s may I walk you to your cottage? I
need to speak with you.”

           
“I’m not leaving just yet,” she responded dismissively.

           
“I’ll wait.”

           
Before Natasha could respond, Gianni took a seat in a nearby chair and crossed
one leg over the other. Natasha stared at him in disbelief, until Tracy’s
chuckle diverted her attention. She turned back to the group and while Steve
wore a smirk, and Tracy continued to giggle, Deon’s expression didn’t display
the slightest bit of humor. Natasha smiled and attempted to revive the
conversation, but Tracy wasn’t having it.

           
“We’re gonna call it a night. I’m tired,” she said through an obviously fake
yawn.

           
Natasha narrowed her eyes at Tracy. She looked to Steve, who simply shrugged
and reached for Tracy’s hand.

           
“Night night, Tasha. See you at breakfast,” Tracy said while walking away,
pulling Steve along.

           
“Yeah. Breakfast,” Natasha mumbled, before looking up at Deon, who was staring
at her.

           
Then he glanced at Gianni. “You cool? You gone be alright?”

           
“Yeah, I’m good. I’ll see you in the morning.”

           
“Okay. Goodnight.” He was reluctant but followed Steve and Tracy out of the
ballroom despite it.

           
Natasha closed her eyes and gave herself a quick pep talk. Something along the
lines of resisting temptation. Gianni stood and walked toward Natasha, stopping
just before invading her personal space.

           
Ignoring his alluring scent, she asked, 

           
“What did you want to speak to me about?”

           
Gianni tilted his head and narrowed his eyes as if he was totally surprised by
her stupid question. Instead of responding, he gestured toward the exit.

           
“This way,” he said.

           
Together, they walked in silence until they reached the rear exit of the
ballroom. Natasha began walking toward one of the golf carts that were lined up
along a paved pathway to the cottages. Gianni gently clutched her hand and
tugged, urging Natasha in the other direction.

           
He asked in his sexy European drawl, “Can we walk for a minute?”

           
Disappointed that she’d so easily disregarded all of her efforts to avoid
Gianni, Natasha nodded and joined him along a lighted path. Being in such close
proximity to him almost made her want to forget the way he treated her the last
time they were together so that she could, without guilt, fall back into bed
with him. Although Gianni Storm had given her the gift of multiple orgasms, his
fleeing in the middle of the night was not something that Natasha intended to
give him the opportunity to repeat. She increased her pace, hoping to reach her
cottage soon, but Gianni would have none of that. He quickened his step until
he was walking backwards in front of her. When he stopped, and blocked her
path, Natasha stopped walking.

           
“I tried calling you.”

           
“Yes, I know.”

           
Natasha’s simple response prompted Gianni to continue. “I’m sorry, Natasha. It
was rude and inconsiderate of me to leave while you were sleeping,” he
admitted, reaching for her.

           
Natasha sidestepped him and continued along the trail. She could see the refuge
of her cottage. There, she could hide from temptation. But, once again, Gianni
had made his way in front of her. Looking up at his chiseled features and into
his, now, emerald eyes that were framed by thick dark lashes, proved to be a
mistake when his tongue raked across his top lip. Memories of his tongue
flooded her thoughts. She needed to get the hell away from Gianni. So she cut
through the grass and made a mad dash for her cottage.

           
“Natasha, I don’t intend to give up until I am forgiven,” he declared.

           
Natasha, deciding not to call his bluff, turned back to Gianni. “Okay, Gianni.
I forgive you. You can go back to Paris now.” She yelled at him from the porch
as she turned to open the door.

           
“No chance of that,” he called out from behind as she entered the cottage.

           
Natasha didn’t need to look back to know that Gianni was still standing in the
same spot where she left him. Nevertheless, she did peek between the curtains,
wanting to get a glimpse of him one more time. She watched as he walked away.
Natasha headed up the stairs to prepare for bed; knowing that Gianni’s presence
was going to make for one hell of a weekend.

******************

After a fitful night’s sleep, Natasha gave up. It was almost
six in the morning, and according to the weatherman, it was going to be a
beautiful spring day. She showered, shampooed, and threw on a green haltered
maxi–dress. Natasha applied leave in conditioner and fluffed her short hair
with her fingers, allowing her natural curls to form. She grabbed a pair of
oversized sunglasses and headed out of her room. The cottage was silent, so
Natasha assumed that

Parker and Malik were still sleeping. She tipped down the
stairs and out of the front door.

           
She thought of Gianni during her brief walk down the trail that led to the main
building. The night before, Natasha hadn’t paid any attention to the gorgeous
landscaping, the moon that hung brightly in the sky, nor the bright stars.
Gianni’s presence was commanding.

           
When she arrived at the dining area, the staff was beginning to set out a
breakfast buffet. The patio doors were open, and tables were set for outdoor
dining. Natasha decided to sit outside until the start of breakfast. With any
luck, she could eat and take a walk around the grounds before Gianni emerged.
But it was clear that Natasha didn’t have the luck of the Irish when a plate of
fresh fruit and pastries were placed under her nose. She looked up at Gianni,
who was smiling and holding a glass of orange juice, wearing a white apron over
a crisp white shirt that was unbuttoned just low enough to see a hint of the
soft hair on his chest. He had a sexy hint of peach fuzz along his sculptured jaw
line. The man was dangerously sexy.

           
“This is what I should have done when you woke in my bed,” he said, placing the
orange juice on the table. “If you give me another chance, it is what I’ll do
every time you wake in my

bed.”

           
Sarcastically she replied, “Thank you, but isn’t your bed in Paris?”

           
Gianni smiled devilishly and replied. “Natasha, I have many beds. You can wake
up in them all.”

           
With no other words, he turned and walked away. Natasha stared at his broad
back and reminisced about the night that she caressed and gripped his rippling
muscles while screaming his name.

           
“He wants you,” a soft voice said, interrupting her carnal thoughts.

           
Natasha turned toward the sound and found herself looking into the beautiful
brown eyes of a dark haired woman.

           
“He wants you,” she repeated with accented English. Natasha was speechless. She
didn’t know how to respond.

           
“My little boy, Gianni. He wants you. He watches you. I am Catarina. May I
sit?”

           
“Y... Yes,” Natasha stammered.

           
Even though she was surprised by Gianni’s mother, she couldn’t help the thought
that formed in her mind.
Ain’t nothing little about your boy.

           
Catarina smiled and sat next to Natasha. The thought of the filthy things that
her little boy had done to Natasha’s body caused her to blush.

           
“What’s your name, dear?”

           
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Natasha. Natasha Walker.”

           
Catarina smiled warmly.

           
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Storm.”

           
“Catarina. Please,” she insisted. “It’s nice to meet you, Natasha. Your voice
is ... Angelico.” She emphasized the compliment by closing her eyes and
pointing to the sky.

           
“Thank you, Catarina.”

           
“Now, my son... he has been spoiled by greedy women.” Catarina said, shaking
her head. “But he is a good boy and he likes you.”

           
Natasha had no idea how to have a conversation with Catarina about Gianni, so
she had no intention of doing so. 

           
“Catarina, would you like me to fix you a breakfast plate?” She asked, deciding
to change the subject.

           
Catarina simply smiled and shook her head. “What is this thing between the two
of you?”

           
“There is nothing between us.”

           
“But there was.” Natasha was without an answer, so Catarina carried on. “There
is indeed something between you. I saw it in both your eyes. Last night, the
way you looked at one another, this cannot be denied.”

           
Natasha could not deny the truth to Gianni’s mother any longer. She obviously
had no intention on letting her skate through breakfast with polite
conversation alone.

           
“It was brief,” Natasha confessed.

           
“No doubt because of Gianni. Si?”

           
“Yes.”

           
“He is regretful and he wants you... badly. A mother knows these things.” 
Catarina nodded confidently, before continuing. “And you want him. But,
Natasha, do not give in easily. Making him work for your love.”

           
“Love?! No, Catarina...”

           
“Yes, Natasha... Love. What else is there to strive for in the short existence
that we are granted? There is nothing more important. Nothing.”

           
With that being said, Catarina finally settled on polite conversation.

           
Surprisingly, it was an interesting and humorous conversation about Gianni as a
child that kept Natasha wide–eyed and giggling.

           
After breakfast, Catarina excused herself, claiming she needed to show her
husband some attention. Natasha smiled and noted the love in her eyes as she
spoke of Gianni’s father. She understood how Catarina could keep the attention
of a man so long, because she was a beautiful, intelligent, captivating woman
with a zest for life.