All He Needs (All or Nothing) (22 page)

He stopped. “Does it hurt?”

“Not very much.”

He breathed in hard. “Jesus Christ, Katherine.” His words emerged in a strangled rush of air, edgy, a white-knuckled voice. “No one else can have you.” He rested his thumbs on her nipples. “What do you think of that?”

She looked up at him from under her lashes, the green of her eyes equatorial. “I don’t want anyone else, Dominic.”

He’d never heard his name spoken so beautifully. With challenge in every whispered syllable. And an undertone of possession as unfettered and unconditional as his.

“Thank you.”

She took a small breath and he felt his thumbs slide over lace. “Pleasure’s all mine,” she whispered, her gaze flickering downward.

Slipping his thumbs under the rim of lace, he pried her nipples free, added his index fingers, and gently squeezed. “Tell me if I should ease up.”

Her eyes were shut, her breathing shallow, the world dissolving from view.

“Or not,” he said under his breath and, flexing his hips, he thrust upward, jacking his erection with ruthless intent at the same time he brutally compressed the soft flesh of her nipples.

She shrieked, then panted in explosive little bursts, then
moaned, low and whisper-soft as the most shocking pleasure battered her senses.

Dominic waited for his brain to stop detonating.

He didn’t ask again after that.

He drove into her hot, slick sex over and over again, hard, then harder still, holding her captive, his fingers clamped on her nipples, not caring at first who came when or first until he heard the familiar gasping sound she made just prior to orgasm, felt her tense around his dick, and he dragged himself out of the savage fantasy swirling like a hurricane through his brain.

He paid careful attention to those small preorgasmic whimpers he’d replayed over and over in his dreams that month in Paris, the same ones he’d heard for real the past two days, the sights and sounds that were etched so deeply in his psyche that they’d probably be the last thing he’d think of before he kissed off.

He smiled at the thought.

Then her high, thin wail began.

“Here, baby, we’re here,” he whispered, moving his hands to her hips, locking his fingers hard to hold her in place, arching his back and giving her everything she needed. Holding himself where she wanted him most, feeling her convulsions ripple up his dick, watching her, gratified and content, as she climaxed with her usual unmuzzled, free-wheeling abandon.

With Dominic her orgasmic pleasure was so ungodly intense that she always came down off her high harboring the faintest melancholy, knowing he’d always be her gold standard for pleasure, knowing he’d be impossible to replace.

Knowing she’d be without him someday.

And bereft.

But a moment later, with the warm, shimmering tremors still cutting a rapturous swath through her senses, she dismissed her pensive thoughts. She had Dominic now, and tomorrow, perhaps longer. So carpe diem—until she ran out of road.

“That was fabulous as usual,” she said with a gratified sigh. “But you know that, don’t you, Mr. Knight.”

“I didn’t,” he lied, his smile radiant enough to bathe the entire world in sunshine. “Thank you, Miss Hart.”

Her lashes drifted lower. “So,” she whispered.

“Your call, baby.” He moved inside, delicately, slowly.

She sucked in a breath. “Goddamn.”

“You like?”

His expertise was the result of years of flagrant lechery and an innate talent for fucking and while she might resent the reasons for his expertise, she definitely benefitted from them. So she really had no right to take issue. No more than she had the right to sulkily murmur, “Sometimes I wish you were a virgin.”

“I feel the same way about you,” he said, his voice suddenly razor sharp, his jealousy limitless.

“From now on, ours is an entirely monogamous relationship. My attorney will have the exclusivity contract ready for us to sign tomorrow.”

“You’re serious.”

“Did you think I wasn’t? Did you think I ask just any fucking woman to sign an exclusivity agreement with me?”

He was glaring. “Sorry,” she breathed.

“You’d better fucking be sorry. Jesus, Katherine, when the hell are you going to get it? I’m not screwing around here. This is for real.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I understand.”

“It’s about fucking time you do.” He dropped his head back against the chaise with a thud. Shut his eyes. Counted to ten enough times not to frighten her. Then he opened his eyes and said quietly, “Sometimes you’re really stupid for a genius hacker.”

“And sometimes you don’t understand that I’m looking at a man who hasn’t been serious about a woman since—when—how many years, Dominic? What the hell do you expect? Why would I think you’ve changed?” She gasped. “Jesus, does he ever go limp?”

“Not with you around. You’re signing those papers tomorrow. End of discussion. Now, how many more times do you want to come?”

“I don’t want to come at all when you’re talking like—oh God… Jesus.” She shut her eyes against the exquisite, spiking ecstasy. “Oh fuck.” Pleasure lit up her brain as he thrust deep inside her again, rapture flared like wildfire through her body, melted hot and lustful through her sex, made her weak with longing and insatiable with desire and reduced her to a sordid mass of horniness.

“Change your mind, baby?” he murmured, straightening his legs, pulling her up so she was straddling his thighs, ruthlessly changing the subject, selfishly changing the subject, making sure Katherine would accommodate him now, on the contract tomorrow, always.

Fully aware of her taste for wild, audacious sex, when
she was panting hard and flushed and glowing, he said, sharply so she’d hear him through her frenzy, “First, you have to make me come, Katherine. That’s an order. Don’t you dare come first. Open your eyes, tell me you understand.”

She struggled to open her eyes. “I don’t know… if I can… wait.”

“Of course you can. Because you know what will happen if you don’t?”

Her eyes flared wide. “No, please.”

“Yes, Katherine. Do it or I won’t let you come for a week. Only a week this time, Katherine. That’s not as bad as a year. Now, I know you can do it if you try. You learned how to wait in Hong Kong, didn’t you? I need an answer.”

“I’ll try.”

“That’s not good enough, Katherine.”

She took in a deep breath. “I won’t come.”

“There you go, baby. I knew you could do it. Now take your time. I’m not in a rush to climax. Jesus, Katherine, don’t get all pissy. Don’t I get a turn?”

But two minutes later, when it was obvious she wasn’t going to be able to stem her orgasmic momentum, he slid his finger along the top of his erection, found her clit, pressed gently, and whispered, “Here, baby, let me help you.”

She tensed, shook her head.

“No rules, baby. I’ll come with you, okay?”

Throwing her arms around his neck, she dropped her head into the hollow of his throat, whispered, “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” and began shuddering.

“Everything’s good, baby,” he whispered, feeling her spasms begin. “We’ll go together.” Holding her hips, his fingers splayed wide, her orgasmic screams echoing in his ears, he forced her thighs wider and drove deeper into her. He grunted with each powerful thrust and quickly came like he’d never come before, like he’d been starved for sex, like there was nothing in the world but need, sensation, then spectacular, fission-level relief.

For a man who’d had enough orgasms for ten lifetimes, he knew he was operating outside the normal perimeters of his life with Katherine. All he could think about was screwing her again. Wanting more. Right now. This second.

But she was shaking, so he caressed her shoulders, her back, comforting her, stroking her, soothing her. He kissed her lightly on the top of her head, her temples, on the curve of her cheek, until her tremors stopped. Then he turned her face up to him and kissed her mouth, gently, then deeper when he shouldn’t, when they should get dressed and join the party.

She started to tremble again.

His cue to be sensible. He raised his head and sighed softly.

“We better make an appearance.”

She groaned. “Do we have to?”

“I wish we didn’t.” He ran his hand through his hair, stared out the glass door to the darkened courtyard. Frowned. “Come on, baby.” He sat up a little straighter, lifted her away from his shoulder, smiled faintly, and kissed her once on her pouty lips. “We’ll make our excuses and leave as soon as we can. I promise.”

T
hey were backing out of the bathroom kissing when they heard a disgusted, “Euuwww! Kissing again!” Quickly disengaging, they found six children staring at them: the two older girls smirking, the boys clearly revolted, and Ellie wide-eyed in her pajamas, clutching a teddy bear.

“Ready to play chess?” Nicole said with a world-class grin.

Dominic wanted to ask,
How long have you been here?
but he didn’t really want to know. “Give me a couple minutes, Nicole. We have to check in with your mother.”

“How long?” Nicole did a teenage eye roll that was part sass and part know-it-all. “We’ve been waiting
quite
a while.”

He gave her a bland look. “I’ll be up in five minutes. Now go back upstairs. You shouldn’t be here in the first place.”

“Mom didn’t know where you went so we looked for you, that’s all.”

No shit. Stop grinning.
“Fine, good. Set up the board. I’ll be there soon.”

As the children disappeared down the hall, Kate muttered, “Please, tell me that was a mirage and they really weren’t here.”

“Relax. Nicole’s the only one old enough to know anything. The others are too young.”

“Oh, good, that makes me feel better. Only one child knows we were fucking.”

“You worry too much,” he said casually, taking her hand and moving away. “Come on. Let’s get this over with. The sooner we make an appearance the sooner we can leave. And the sooner I have you in my bedroom”—he grinned—“doing things for me.”

“If you want me to do things for you,” she said, giving him an unblinking stare, “I’m going to need a time frame for departure.”

“Um—that sounds grumpy.” He flashed her a smile. “Am I doing penance for something?”

“If you hadn’t walked away from your sister, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“I’d be happy to take the blame,” he said. “But you can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy yourself.” He shot her a teasing look. “Or are you a better actress than I thought?”

“Shut up,” she grumbled. “And I could have waited.”

“No, you couldn’t. You should be thanking me,” he said blandly, dipping his head and kissing her lightly on the cheek. “I showed you a good time.”

“You’re impossible,” she muttered.

“Just trying to keep up with you, baby. I’ve never met a more impossible woman—and I mean that in the nicest way,” he dulcetly said.

She sighed softly. “I’ve just never been outed like that before.”

Get used to it baby. His life was the
National Enquirer
on steroids.
Dominic glanced at his watch. “We should be able to leave by nine. How’s that?”

“It’s fine as long as no one makes any remarks about—well… you know—us disappearing. Because that would be totally embarrassing.”

“Just stay next to me,” he said, squeezing her hand. “No one will say a word to you. And we’ll be walking out the door at nine—I promise. Now give me a smile. Forty minutes and we’re out of here.”

They stopped in the kitchen first, ordered two of Po’s martinis from the bartender, and while Kate was watching the bartender make the drinks so she’d know how to do it herself, Melanie came up behind Dominic and touched his arm.

He turned with a frown, his gaze on a sleek blonde beyond the kitchen lifting a champagne glass to her mouth. “Why is she here?” he asked in an undertone, lifting his chin slightly in her direction.

“Mother invited her.” Melanie spoke as softly.

“I wonder what Mother promised her?”

“Really? I don’t wonder for a second.”

Dominic shot his sister a black look. “She never fucking quits, does she?”

“Not this side of the grave.”

Dominic snorted softly. “Incentive to stay healthy and outlive her.”

“Or turn saintly.”

“That’s for people like you, sis. People like me wouldn’t recognize a saint if her halo was hitting me over the head.”

“Mother’s meddling aside, it looks like Charlie will be wasting her time tonight.”

“Tonight or any night. I took her out a couple times, that’s it. Why she’s never given up is beyond me.”

“You must have shown her a really good time.”

Dominic glowered at his sister.

“You could have told Julia not to hire her. You should have,” Melanie added firmly.

“Julia’s NGO was her business. I never interfered.”

“Except to fund it.”

He shrugged. “It made her happy.”

“You’re too nice, Dominic. You should fire Charlie. Or have someone in your organization fire her. She doesn’t have to work. She’s just hoping to get her claws into you and she’s willing to play her role as concerned citizen of the world while she’s waiting to snare your fine ass.”

“Good luck with that.” He glanced over his shoulder at Kate, waited to catch her eye, then blew her a kiss.

Melanie gave her brother a teasing look. “You must have had fun with all your
freshening
up.”

He turned back. “Off the charts. I’m a very lucky man.”

“Lucky about what?” Kate asked, coming up, carrying their drinks.

“Lucky that I found you, baby.” Taking his drink, he leaned in and kissed her. “I was just telling sis that we’re not staying long. After the chess game with Nicole we’re escaping.”

“You should say hi to Roscoe,” Melanie said. “He came in a few minutes ago.”

“I will before we leave. I’ll bring him one of these.” Lifting the glass to his mouth, Dominic drained it and handed it to a passing server.

Melanie said, “I’d like to steal Katherine for a short time so she can meet Gretchen. She’s my dearest friend,” she
added, smiling at Kate. “Dominic, tell Katherine she’ll like Gretchen.”

Kate looked at Dominic, pretended to smile.

“You’ll like her. Really,” he gently said, putting his arm around Kate’s shoulder. “Gretchen’s a partner in a cyber security firm. Stay with me if you like, but you might enjoy talking with her. She was ahead of you at MIT.” He turned to his sister. “Gretchen’s closer to my age than yours, right?”

“She’s a year older than you. Give me five minutes,” Melanie coaxed Kate, recognizing her reluctance. “Just come say a quick hi.”

Putting his mouth to Kate’s ear, Dominic murmured, “I’ll expect you upstairs in five minutes.” Then he turned Kate slightly and kissed her under everyone’s fascinated gazes.

A small hiss ran through the crowd at the spectacle, because Dominic never engaged in open displays of affection. Caught up in the glow of the moment, bathed in happiness, Kate didn’t hear the soft whisper of sound resonating around the room. She only delighted in Dominic’s tender kiss—different from hot desire, sweet, almost wistful. “Okay,” she whispered when his mouth lifted from hers, “I’ll see you in five minutes.”

“I’ll be waiting.” He glanced at his sister. “Don’t keep Katherine too long.” Then he smiled at Kate. “Follow the noise when you get upstairs. They’re not a quiet bunch.”

Melanie led Kate through the crowd, avoiding all the guests who were interested in meeting her after Dominic’s very public kiss. Melanie merely nodded or smiled in passing, not slowing down to chat. “Most of these people won’t be of interest to you,” she murmured, waving at a couple
who were openly staring. “Some are neighbors who’d be offended if they weren’t invited, some are my friends, some are Matt’s friends from work or play—he’s a sports fanatic. There isn’t a sport he doesn’t play. Dominic’s not much better. Then there are some of Mother’s friends whom I try to avoid, ah—there’s Gretchen.” Melanie drew Kate to a young woman who was standing at the windows, gazing at the lights of a ship coming into the bay. She wore a pantsuit, as if she’d come from work, her dark hair expensively cut so it swung in a sleek, ebony wave when she turned at Melanie’s greeting. A smile lit up her eyes. “Great party, Mel.” She held up her flute. “Great bubbly.”

“And why not? It’s your vineyard,” Melanie replied with a grin. “I’d like you to meet Katherine. She’s Dominic’s friend. Katherine Hart, Gretchen Calder.”

After courtesies had been exchanged, Melanie offered a brief account of Kate’s activities for Knight Enterprises. “Katherine did some consulting work for Dominic and tracked down a good deal of money that had been stolen from Knight Enterprises. Thanks to her expertise, it was returned. She’s from your alma mater; you might have had professors in common. I think you’ll be more interested in each other than anyone else here tonight. Refills anyone? No… then, I’ll leave you two alone.”

“Melanie should be a cruise director,” Gretchen said as Dominic’s sister walked away. “But she’s right. Most of these people here are incredibly boring.” She grinned. “How rude is that? Tell me about the stolen money.”

Kate explained the Bucharest issue in broad terms and answered a few more detailed questions; the two women
compared notes on illicit banking and the dark market. Both spoke the same obscure language, worked in the same free-wheeling, tech-savvy world where unhindered creativity was the bible and code vulnerabilities and encrypted operating systems were chapter and verse. In fact, they got along so famously, Kate readily accepted an invitation to lunch. “I’ll give you a call when I know Dominic’s schedule,” she said.

“Anytime. I’ll show you my operation.” Gretchen smiled. “And my baby. I bring her to work with me.”

“Sweet. The modern workplace in action.”

“It helps when you’re part owner.”

They spoke for a few more minutes about Gretchen’s baby girl, who was eight months old and already recognized pictures and words on the computer screen. Then when two other women joined them, Kate chatted for a few minutes more before excusing herself.

Dominic was right. When she reached the top of the stairs, the children’s high-pitched voices echoed down the hallway. Following the sound, Kate came to a stop in the open doorway of what was obviously a young girl’s room. Decorated in soft pink and apple green, a large canopied bed held center stage, framed posters dotted the walls, clothes were strewn everywhere, and a noisy game of chess was in progress.

Kate’s gaze zeroed in on the women seated on either side of Dominic. The trio was on the bed, the women framing Dominic like matching bookends. Both blond, one with a tawny mane of hair, the other with frothy curls the color of pale dandelion down, their long-legged, elegant bodies
were smoothed into wool slacks and tiny cashmere sweaters that showcased their perfect boobs, not too big, not too small—like they were special ordered to accommodate their form-fitting sweaters. Large diamond studs sparkled in their ears and the scent of their perfume was heady even at a distance.

They were as perfect as first-rate orthodontists, personal trainers, and cosmetologists could conceive, both women resplendently artificial with almost a plastic quality to their collective improvements. That they could have been clones for a thousand other expensively put together women was a bitchy judgment call, but nevertheless true. Neither woman had the smallest spark of vitality.

Ah—except for that.

One of the women was staring at her with squinty-eyed menace.

Whether that belligerent glance came with an audible sidebar or whether some random protective instinct kicked in, Dominic suddenly looked up.

He smiled. “Hi, baby. Come on in.” He patted his knee. “Sit with me.”

The chess table had been drawn up to the bed, Dominic and the women on one side, Nicole sitting opposite on a pink frilly chair, the other children either sitting or standing around the table, watching and kibitzing.

Dominic politely said, “Excuse me,” to the woman on his left, indicating that she move, then raised his arms to Kate as she approached.

The tawny-haired blonde moved a minimum of six inches; Dominic frowned slightly, but didn’t speak other
than to whisper, “Missed you, baby,” as he pulled Kate onto his lap.

“And you are?” the sleek blonde said, scowling at Kate.

“Katherine, this is Charlie and”—Dominic nodded to his right—“Angela.”

“Don’t ask,” Charlie said, her smile cool. “It’s a family name.”

That wasn’t what she was going to ask. Kate was going to ask what she thought she was doing sitting so close to Dominic she was giving him friction burns. But Nana wouldn’t approve if she was openly rude so she said, “Nice name,” and smiled instead.

“Are you from around here?” Angela’s gaze was arctic.

Kate shook her head. “No.”

A pursed mouth, a calculating up and down look. “Where
are
you from?”

Kate debated for a second, tempted to say Mars. “Minnesota and Boston mostly.”

Angela raised one perfectly plucked and dyed eyebrow. “Harvard?”

“No.”

“I didn’t think so,” the frothy blonde said with a jeering smile. “What
do
you
do
?”

“I work in IT.”

“Is that how you know Dominic? You
worked
for him?” Angela’s emphasis on the verb suggested that work was for those poor souls without substantial trust funds.

Really, Nana, do I have to be nice?
Kate inwardly sighed. “Yes, I worked on a project for him.”

Dominic glanced up from the chess board while Nicole
was deciding on her next move and put an end to the rude interrogation. “I’d like Katherine to become involved in the company full time, but she won’t. She wants to be independent. Isn’t that so, baby?” He brushed her cheek with his fingers in a small reverential gesture. “I’m trying to talk her out of it. I’d like her to stay with me and make me happy instead. So far, no luck. But I’m not giving up.”

If that wasn’t pure heaven, it was only a cloud away, Kate decided. How sweet of Dominic to stake his claim in such a public way. She couldn’t have scripted a better response if she’d tried and the blondes’ shock and indignation was just the icing on the cake.

At the sight of the women’s gaping mouths, Dominic tugged Kate closer and turned his attention back to the game. Clearly his message had gotten through. “Hey, Nicole, just a sec. Sure you want to do that? My bishop’s just sitting out here”—he pointed to the edge of the board—“waiting for your hand to lift from that rook. Come on, think.”

Nicole moved her rook out of danger.

“Good girl. That’s better. Now I’m going to move my knight and he’s always a threat. So pay attention. Katherine’s a good chess player. She could give you a few pointers. She beat me in Hong Kong.”