The Wicked Bad (Crimson Romance) (22 page)

Veronica was floored. She couldn’t get angry here or start nagging, she didn’t want that kind of relationship with Nick, and she knew he wouldn’t stand for it. Would remind him too much of his mother.

In a calm voice, she said, “The De Luca’s, Nick? Isn’t that the Lucci’s all over again?”

He shook his head vehemently. “No, Lorcan says the club is legit, I believe him. It would only be for a few months. I could use the money.”

“You’ve only known this guy for a few weeks.”

“Lorcan saved my life. That means something to me. I trust him.”

He spoke with such emotion. He really cared for Lorcan, felt obligated and grateful. What could she say? Nothing.

“It’s your decision. I’ll back you whatever you decide.”

His eyes widened in surprise. He no doubt thought she’d rail and scream at him, that they’d argue and fight. That was not going to be their relationship if she could help it. She patted his leg and stood.

“Watch the rest of the game; I’ll be back in a bit.”

• • •

Nick watched her leave the room. Damn, she was glorious. His mouth quirked. Where was she going, out back where she kept the ball and chain?

She’d been his rock through this whole thing. Never thought anyone would be such a support to him like she’d been, and Lorcan too for that matter. He tried so hard to keep people at a distance. Thought he was above any emotion or need. Turns out, he wasn’t. The surprising thing? He found he didn’t consider himself weak for wanting that contact or that connection. His eyes drifted back to the TV, the Yankees just hit another home run. He picked up the remote and channel surfed.

Nick clicked back to the game, then to the Discovery Channel watching a show on sharks, then back to the game. He felt bored. Restless. He thought about their conversation. So they had both noticed each other in high school, felt a pull but did not act on it. As he said, it was for the best. Funny how life turns out. More than ten years later here they were.

The door opened. Ronnie stood in the doorway, her hand behind her head in a classic pin-up pose.

His cock hardened immediately and with such a force he thought it would burst through his zipper. She wore the lingerie outfit they’d ordered over the Internet. He’d all but forgotten about it in the upheaval. He moaned aloud. The sound burst past his lips, he couldn’t have stopped it if he tried. She looked stunning and he’d been right, she had the curves to pull it off. His heated gaze started at her high-heeled white shoes, her luscious legs encased in the sexy white stockings, up to the white, lacy corselet. She wore sheer white gloves past her elbows. Jesus, she even wore the pearls. Ronnie’s hair was piled up on her head with soft tendrils framing her gorgeous face. Ruby red lipstick. She was a vision. Venus rising, like that damned painting by Botticelli. His goddess. Forever. She did this for him.

He stood. His legs shook from the intensity of his passion. Nick walked slowly toward her then dropped to his knees in front of her. He wanted to worship his goddess. He tossed off the sling, he didn’t need it. Pain? Itching? He wasn’t feeling a thing except desire — and more.

He reached out and embraced her legs, resting his face next to her midriff. His eyes closed, the feel of the silk stockings churned all manner of emotions in him. He lowered his head and kissed her leg, caressing and worshiping it. He moaned. He hung on for dear life. His hands moved higher over the corselet.

“Your body drives me wild. I love it,” he rasped.

He stood and pulled her tight against him and ravished her mouth. His tongue plunged deep, taking total possession.

“Mine,” he growled. “All mine.”

She threw her arms around his neck.

“And you’re mine, Nick. I’ll not share you with anyone, ever.”

He moved his lips down her neck, nibbling, licking and tasting.

“Ever. Never. No sharing. With no one.”

He scooped her up in his arms.

“Nick, your arm!” she squealed.

He carried her to the bed and laid her down. “Don’t feel a thing.”

She was his, forever. He wanted no one else, no other woman but her.

He reached for the zipper on his jeans and in one smooth move was out of them and briefs. His cock stood at full attention.

He crawled on the bed and stood on his knees. His hands explored her again. The feel of her, the touch of her skin. Her scent. He slowly parted her legs. Ah, as he hoped the corselet held no barrier to the paradise that beckoned.

Nick didn’t hesitate. Ronnie was wet, he could see it. His cock plunged in, neither mentioned a condom. This alone spoke volumes to Nick.

His goddess.
He took her legs and wrapped them around his hips, then thrust even deeper. Hell, it felt so good. Gazing at her face, he observed she was close to coming. He pumped faster. She liked it this way, so did he. He slammed away, her groans matched his. She cried out, bucking off the bed her peak so intense. Nick reached under her rear end and brought her closer. Sweat dripped off his forehead, he didn’t care. He kept pumping. Ronnie’s inner muscles contracted around his cock urging him on. She matched his powerful thrusts.

“Do it, Nick. Come inside me,” she said seductively.

He clenched his teeth and poured himself into her, everything he was and hoped to be, all his loneliness and vulnerability and self-doubt. His very heart and soul, he poured it all, let it flow. Intense, soul crashing. His climax went on and on. He groaned with each shudder. She took it all, took all he had until he was utterly spent.

He withdrew, lay on the bed, and pulled Ronnie close to him. Never had he experienced that before. Never.

They both drifted off to sleep. Sometime later, he woke. Ronnie stroked his hair, murmuring to him softly. She kissed his cheek and stood, yawning and stretching.

“Ronnie.”

“Yes, Nick?” she whispered, sleep heavy in her voice.

“I am in love with you.”

She didn’t reply right away, and then he heard a sob escape her lips.

“I love you too, Nick. So very much.”

Ball and chain snapped around his ankle, he heard the metallic click.

And he didn’t care.

Karyn lives in a small town in the western corner of Ontario, Canada. She wiles away her spare time writing and reading romance while drinking copious amounts of Earl Grey tea. A multi-published author with a few best-sellers under her belt, Karyn loves to write in different genres and time periods. Tortured heroes are a favorite.

As long as she can avoid being hit by a runaway moose in her wilderness paradise, she assumes everything is golden.

Karyn’s been happily married for a long time to her own hero. His encouragement keeps her moving forward.

You can visit Karyn at
www.karyngerrard.com
.

Ellie Holdsworthy took another long, shaky sip of wine as she waited for the perfect moment to put her plan into action.

From her vantage point at the restaurant bar she had a perfect view of Gideon and his date as they took turns impressing each other over their untouched food.

He hadn’t changed a bit since she’d last laid eyes on him nearly a year ago. His short, pitch black hair shone in the dim light of the candles flickering on the table, and even from this distance she could make out the sharp contours of his cheekbones and the full curve of his lips.

Her body thrummed with nerves. At least, that’s what she put the unsettling feeling down to.

She continued to watch him charm his date, his athletic, rangy body draped comfortably over the chair. A couple of women on a table to his left were also surveying him surreptitiously, mesmerized by his striking looks and effortless charisma.

Fools.

She snorted with derision as he tipped his head back and gave a deep growling laugh at something his blond companion said. It was sad really, how the poor girl had no idea what she was letting herself in for.

If she hadn’t known him since she was twelve and seen this very same act being performed year after year with a different woman each time, she might have been taken in herself. As her brother’s best friend, Gideon DeLancy had been in and out of her life now for seventeen years. She was well versed in his womanizing ways.

Ellie knew why women fell for him. He was an amazing looking man, confident, funny … rich. In fact there wasn’t a single reason not to fall for him — if you didn’t mind your relationships short-term and emotionless. That was why she’d kept her own childish crush on him so well buried; there was no happy ever after with him. It was men like him who gave women like her false hope.

A flash of scarlet skirt at his table brought her focus back. She watched as his leggy blond companion rose and sashayed off toward the ladies room, finally leaving him alone.

Show time.

Ellie took a deep breath, trying to calm her erratic heartbeat, and wound her way quickly through the tables until she stood facing him, threading her fingers together nervously.

It took a couple of seconds for him to glance up at her, but when he did, it was with a look of surprise in those acutely familiar bright green eyes.

“Gideon, you have to help me. I’m desperate.”

He leaned back in his chair, taking her in. “Ellie? What are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“Now? I’m in the middle of something here.”

“Yeah, yeah, we both know she won’t last five minutes. They never do.”

Gideon gave the smile of a long-suffering friend used to her jibes. “I had no idea you took such a keen interest in my love life. If I didn’t know better I’d think you were jealous.”

The wicked gleam in his eye made her stomach do the cha-cha, raising her tension levels to maximum. She swallowed the glib retort that threatened to fly from her lips and focused instead on her carefully structured plan. “Look, Gideon, I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”

He frowned. “How did you find me? Nobody’s heard from you for months. I thought you’d skipped the country or something.”

“Your PA. I told her it was a family emergency.”

“Very enterprising — and a wicked lie considering I don’t have any family left.”

Ellie felt the mood darken, but plowed on regardless. “I know, but I needed to find you fast. Look, I appreciate you’re in the middle of a romantic dinner,” she cocked an ironic eyebrow, “but please hear me out.”

He put down his cutlery with a resigned sigh and gave her his full attention, his languid gaze sweeping her up and down. She shifted from foot to foot and tried to ignore the heat that curled low in her pelvis.

“Ellie, what are you wearing?”

She looked down at her haphazard appearance. Perhaps the lime green A-line skirt, red fishnets, and oversized sweater were a bit much together.

“It’s washing day. I just grabbed what I had clean.”

“You know you’ve only mascaraed one eye, right?” A devilish twinkle lit up his usually guarded eyes.

Her cheeks grew hot under his gaze. “Whatever, Gideon. I was in a rush, okay?”

“Too much of a rush to put on a matching pair of shoes?”

She glanced down at her feet in horror.

Damn. One black and one brown.

The bulb in her hallway had gone and she hadn’t got round to replacing it, so she’d dressed by the light from the kitchen. In her rush to get out of the door, she hadn’t checked her appearance.

Her face flamed even hotter, this time with embarrassment. “All right, Mr. Impeccable, I admit, I’m not exactly dressed for dinner at such a high-class restaurant.” She glanced around her, desperate to regain her cool. “Not that you’d ever find me eating in a place like this. Seriously, Gideon, you can get a decent meal for a lot less.”

“That doesn’t tend to be the point.” His eyes crinkled in mirth at her pathetic attempt to distract him.

“Look, can we focus here? It’s about Penny. She’s about to do something stupid and you’re the only one who can stop her.” She pulled out the vacated chair and sat down determinedly in it. She needed him to take her seriously now — her friend’s happiness depended on it.

Gideon watched her, a dark eyebrow raised. “Penny Gosling-Hyde?”

“The very same.”

He nodded. “Okay. Tell me.”

“She’s engaged.”

“Really? I hadn’t heard. And that’s bad why?”

“Because it’s a whirlwind romance. She only met the guy a few months ago and she’s talking about running off to Vegas to get married, in a few weeks.”

“Sounds romantic to me.”

Romantic? Since when did Gideon do romantic? She swallowed the retort and fought to keep her voice steady. “I don’t think romance has anything to do with it. I don’t like the sound of him. I’ve been hearing some bad stuff.”

“Wait, you haven’t met him? I thought you and Penny were best mates.”

“We were … are … I’ve been busy at work.” A thread of guilt began to unravel inside her.

“Busy feeling sorry for yourself you mean.”

“Whatever.” She brushed aside his pointed remark and the thump of sadness it provoked. “Can we please focus? This guy sounds like a real piece of work. He doesn’t want her going out without him and when I speak to her, she sounds … weird.”

She was pleased to see a deep frown cross his handsome face, wiping out his previously wry expression. “Weird, how?”

“I don’t know … just not like her usual bubbly self.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Ellie sighed. “I’m worried about her, Gideon. I think she’s making a huge mistake. She told me he doesn’t have a job and she’s paying for everything until he gets one.”

“Hmm. So he knows about her inheritance then?”

“What do you think?”

“No offense to Penny, but he does sound suspect.”

Ellie nodded encouragingly, hope rising in her chest. “Exactly. He’s playing her. Word has it he’s hugely in debt.”

“Word?”

“I Googled him. There are articles about bankruptcy.”

Gideon nodded slowly. “And you pointed all this out to her, I take it?”

“Of course.” Ellie looked down at her hands to avoid his gaze, hoping he wouldn’t push her on this.