Save Me (7 page)

Nadir was deadly handsome but incredibly cold. Unlike his younger brother, he kept his locks cropped just long enough for a woman’s fingers, but only on top. Those icy jade eyes were fringed by the thickest, longest lashes she’d ever seen. No way those eyelashes belonged on a man. Yet, he was the least feminine-looking man imaginable, aside from Claus. Although his lips were full—sensuously so—they were cruel. Everything about this man left Alicia cold. She seriously doubted he’d felt an honest human emotion in a very long time, if ever.

Her answer seemed to surprise him enough for him to lift a brow, but otherwise he showed nothing. She could tell he hadn’t been expecting bluntness, at least not from her. Either intelligent women unaffected by a pretty face were in short supply in his life, or he’d never bothered to engage one in honest conversation. She was willing to bet it was the latter.

“You understand I’m no longer a young man able to wait for something I believed was already in my grasp,” Nadir purred, leaning forward on his elbows. “I find myself in need of an heir, but for that, I would need a wife. I had such a woman picked out, perfect for my needs, only to have her snatched away.”

Good God, what the hell was the difference between the underworld of criminals and medieval times? This man was completely serious about this perfect wife crap. Though she understood why he couldn’t exactly go shopping for a wife in polite society or wherever rich people met and married, expecting to have a woman raised to be his bride was way beyond old world.

“I provided significant financial support in your daughter’s upbringing. There was a contract.” How reasonable he sounded. What an utter load of bullshit.

“Mr. von Blucher is more than willing to reimburse any expense,” Claus smoothly interjected, giving her shoulder a little squeeze for courage. “With interest.”

“And the fifteen years I waited for my property, only to have it stolen by a friend?” Nadir shot back without any real heat.

It hit her then—this man didn’t care in the least that he’d lost Deja. Not really. This show of faux concern was about the principle of the matter; someone had takn what he believed to be his. The unwritten laws of the world he lived in demanded retribution. On the way here, Alicia had feared she’d be unable to contain her anger at this man for daring to attempt to buy her child. All that ire washed away in the face of the reality of the situation. It was imperative they find a way for him to save face.

Nadir de Choiseul was an island, a man so completely alone, devoid of real feelings. This buying of a wife seemed to her to have been a desperate ploy to buy true companionship. For whatever reason, he didn’t trust himself to go out and find such a thing for himself. It made her feel sorry for him more than mad.

“If my daughter or I were aware of any contract, there would’ve never been a breach of trust.” It was suddenly so simple—all she had to do was give him an out. A way to uphold his reputation. If he took the escape route she was about to offer she’d know she was right about him. He didn’t care that Deja was gone; he was annoyed he had to find someone for himself.

“Is that so?” He smiled now, relaxing back in his chair. For the first time, there was a semblance of true emotion playing across his face. He was amused, and more than a little intrigued. “It was my understanding that Petric was the girl’s guardian and acted on her behalf. Are you telling me this is not so?”

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you,” Alicia lied without even batting an eye, She hadn’t survived as long as she had by giving herself away. “Grgur Petric was, at best, muscle. I needed protection for my daughter and myself. As he grew weaker, I was forced to make a move to secure my daughter’s continued good health. He never had any right to enter into a contract on Deja’s behalf. Or mine.”

That was quite a whopper. She was in essence saying Grgur had worked for her. The idea was ridiculous on its face. Behind them, the younger brother started to openly giggle. It was an insanely masculine sounding bubble of laughter, half-heartedly covered with a cough. Even Nadir didn’t bother hiding an open smile—one she was guessing was completely unintentional. She didn’t have to look at Claus to know he was barely concealing his own laughter. She could feel it in his touch. She also felt his pride. God, what that man’s approval did to her!

“You do realize with this new information I’ll be forced to deal with the remaining Petrics for this grievous misrepresentation?” Nadir kept right along with the line Alicia was feeding him.

Like she cared. That family gave her nothing but grief. Even though those that remained had nothing to do with her own life of hell with Grgur or with him selling Deja, they’d watched their brother torment her for years. They too had women more or less bought, kept against their will. She hated that family, hated their grasping greed, their coarseness, and most of all their cruelty. It didn’t matter if Nadir wiped them off the face of the earth; sooner or later this was bound to happen. They were too stupid not to run afoul of someone more powerful, more ruthless.

“Mr. von Blucher and I will, of course, assist,” Claus added eagerly. There was no doubt he’d probably planned on this course of action anyway.

Nadir’s eyebrow rose once more as he regarded them with new eyes. So, he hadn’t known until now she and Claus were together, but she could see the pieces clicking into place for him. Not that she cared what he thought, but she was willing to bet someone would pay for the oversight. The Duke struck her as a man who liked to be fully informed on who he was dealing with. That dead man’s gaze stared pointedly at Claus’ hand on her shoulder, up to Claus, then finally back to her.

“I’m really going to have to visit America soon,” he murmured more to himself than anyone else in the room. “Such fascinating women.” Catching himself, he straightened, looking toward Claus. “The offer is accepted. Please inform Herr von Blucher I can’t accept his money. The debt, as Madame so aptly stated, is on the Petrics. Their Eastern European operations are recompense enough. Please give Herr von Blucher and his lovely bride my blessings. You seem to have both found priceless treasures in your women.”

He really meant that. There was genuine regret in his voice, though no ire. Alicia felt another pang of sympathy for the man. However, her relief was far greater. Just one more hurdle to jump, and she would be well and truly free.

The ride back to the hotel was proving to be hell. Not because Claus felt any anxiety at what had transpired with Nadir; he couldn’t be happier with the end result. No, it was hell because his dick throbbed so hard his head ached from the need. He’d known from the first look that Alicia was one hell of a woman under all the shit life had dumped on her. What he hadn’t quite realized was how fully she’d come into her own. How could he not be proud of her? How the hell could he not be turned on? The way she’d kept her cool and smoothly turned what could’ve been a volatile situation on its head to everyone’s mutual benefit was masterful. Placing the blame on a dead man was something he’d never considered. Both he and Dieter had been prepared for a long, drawn-out conflict.

Thank God Nadir hadn’t wanted Deja as much as street whispers had suggested. But then, street whispers often spewed lies, half-truths and gross exaggerations.

“I’m so relieved.” Alicia sighed happily, snuggling into his side.

Fuck, she was so soft! Thinking of how perfectly those soft curves melted against him, yielding everything to his touch…damn it, he really needed to be inside her soon. Without thinking, the hand that had casually massaged her shoulder moments before drifted down to her biceps, scant inches from her breasts. The most perfect breasts in the world: not too large, not too small. They fit perfectly in his mouth, and he was a greedy bastard. He watched his hand as if it belonged to someone else, fascinated the way the tips of his fingers grazed the sides of her breasts.
Sheiße
, the way her body shuddered from the barest touch made him throb harder.

“Take the long way to the hotel,” Claus growled at the driver. “If your gaze wanders from the road, I will take your fucking eyes out with a toothpick.”

Perhaps that was too harsh. He probably should’ve just threatened to kill the man. Thank God he’d gotten a car with tinted windows. The idea of killing everyone in sight might not be something Alicia would accept, and Claus simply couldn’t wait any longer to have her.

“You know, one thing I love about you is how subtle you are.” Alicia giggled, climbing over to straddle him.

He loved how she accepted him, how she allowed him to be himself without trying to change him. And thank God she’d understood his need because he couldn’t think straight right about now. All he could think about was being a part of her, inside her, reaffirming his claim. Fuck, he needed her skin on his, he wanted to look into her eyes and see himself reflected there. God knows, she lived inside him, invading every formerly empty space in his heart and mind. Everything he had, everything he was belonged to her. The drive to implant a piece of himself inside her was driving him insane.

“I need you, baby,” Claus growled, his hand snaking up the skirt of her dress. “I can’t wait.” The crotch of her panties was hurriedly pushed aside, his thick fingers shoving insistently into her snug, wet heat. The sound of her anguished gasp made his cock jump. Good girl that she was, Alicia responded by grinding down on him, even with his fingers pushing deep into her cunt. “I don’t know if I can be gentle.” In fact, he knew he couldn’t. Not with the sweet, tangy smell of her desire flooding the confined space.

“Don’t be,” she moaned just before placing a soft, wet kiss on his lips. So very sweet. Best of all, she didn’t stop moving against the rock of his erection. “I need you to stop being gentle, always giving me control. I want you to show me how much you want me.”

Why the hell did she have to go and say something like that? His dick was out of his pants in less than a heartbeat, the thick head pushing to get inside her. Even though she was tight, so fucking snug around his shaft, he was leaking copious amounts of pre-cum to ease his way. Not that she wasn’t wet enough. The way she flooded for him made his eyes cross. Taking hold of the generous globes of her ass, he drove up hard, managing to impale her on half his dick.

“I want to eat you until you can’t do anything more than shake and whimper for me.” God, how he wished there was space. He wished the need to be inside her wasn’t so urgent. “I want to devour every part of you.” Because he couldn’t feast between her legs, he would take her breasts. Tugging down the front of her dress, his mouth fastened down on a dark chocolate nipple as soon as it was bare.

Claus was nothing but ravenous greed as he sucked while he shoved upward in hard, persistent thrusts. With every push, more and more of his cock slowly was sucked into her compact little pussy. The way her nails dug into his shoulders sent shockwaves of raw lust rushing through his body. Every breathy groan was praise to his ears. Planting his feet firmly on the car floor, he thrust harder, harder until he was fully embedded. Only then did he pause, tearing his mouth away from her chest.

“Look at me, Alicia.” While she was the very study of exquisite ecstasy with her eyes closed and her head thrown back, he needed to see her eyes. More than anything, he needed to see what he did to her, needed her to see what she was doing to him. The untamed savagery she inspired in him, it shocked him, scared him, but God he wanted more. “Do you see what you do to me,
schatz
? I’m nothing more than an animal when I’m inside you.”

Not smooth, certainly not exactly what he’d meant to say, but nonetheless true. But contrary to his words, he didn’t move now that he was completely inside her. Instead, he used the hold he had on her behind to press her more fully into him, not allowing her to move, either. Drinking in the sight of her skin glistening in the dying spring sunlight, he was in awe of her timeless beauty. In this light, the rich earth tones of her skin appeared to glow with golden highlights. There was just something so damn ethereal about her, an agelessness that was so fucking gorgeous, it was hard to believe she was real, that she was in his arms. The way she could get lost in pleasure was amazing. A precious gift he could never repay. She humbled him every bit as much as she made him hungry.

“I need to move,” she begged, her quim tightening around him in delightful little spasms. There was a frantic look in her eyes, almost feral, as her nails dug even deeper into him. He welcomed the pain; it helped to keep him grounded. “God, Claus, I need you so much. I need to move. I need you to move.”

“I know, I feel it.” After a quick glance toward the driver to ensure the man wasn’t sneaking a peek, Claus guided her body up his shaft slowly before slamming them back together again. “And I will give you what you need.”

He couldn’t allow her to move. There was no way he could handle that. So he set the pace, keeping the glide of his dick slow and measured while watching her intently. The steady pulsations of her pussy grew stronger, increasing in number. He had to stop all movement several times just to hold on. Every ounce of the frantic desire reflected in her eyes, he felt just as keenly. He wanted it to last just a little longer. God knows he was driving himself crazy every bit as much as he was tormenting her, but torture had never felt so intoxicating!

Without warning, he withdrew completely, turning her to face forward before entering her from behind. He couldn’t take it anymore. The plea in her eyes was too much. This time when he entered her, he went in smooth, able to bury himself balls-deep without problem. Pushing her back so that she lay against his chest, he reached between her thighs to press his finger against her clit. Even though she bucked at this new stimulus, he was able to keep them closely locked together.

Waiting until her body ceased shaking, he began to tap against her sensitive nubbin as he began rocking their bodies. With his other hand, he rolled her nipples between his forefinger and thumb.

“Do you see how the driver tries to ignore what we are doing?” he murmured against her ear before tugging the delicate lobe with his teeth. “He wants to look. He wants to see my beautiful woman lost in ecstasy. But he knows I would see him, and I would kill him. You are mine. No one dares look at what belongs to me. No one dares disrespect you as long as I draw breath.” That was perverse of him, he knew, yet he could feel her cunt contracting around him at his words. Fuck, this was killing him. “He can smell you, smell us. He hears the sweet way you cry out for me. I bet he’s rock hard fantasizing, imagining himself where I am now.” More contractions, more flooding. He had to push her forward so he had more room to move. Then he slammed into her as he spoke. “He wants you, but he will never have you.” His hips propelled her forward so hard, she had to brace herself against the front seat. It was sick, so wrong, but damned if he could stop. “You belong to me. Just me. Only me. I claim you forever as my own. My heart, my fucking everything.”

More words than he’d spoken in as long as he could remember. But once he started he couldn’t stop any more than he could stop pounding into her. This was his woman, his salvation. His chest burned, his balls so tight as he drove relentlessly inside her. He pressed on her clit, steadily driving inside until she exploded all around him, her juices rushing through her channel even as her vaginal walls cradled his cock tightly, convulsing all around him until he no choice but to explode along with her.

There was no world outside the car. Not even the driver existed in that moment. There was only this, only them.

“I wasn’t alive until the day I met you,” Claus heard himself say as they collapsed back against the seat, a tangle of arms and legs. “I can’t live without you.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Alicia murmured against his chest, stroking his very soul with her words. “Good thing for us both I am never letting you go.”

Indeed. There would definitely never be any letting go.