Filthy Rich (17 page)

But
now
he
was
out…

The man outside the studio filled her mind. Her heart started hammering. Something touched her elbow and she jumped. “What?” she squeaked.

Nartan was watching her through narrowed eyes. “What's wrong, Celeste?”

“Nothing.” Her voice squeaked.

He reached out and pressed his thumb against her chin gently to make her release the lower lip that she'd set her teeth into.

Shit.

“Why do you notice things like that?”

He chuckled softly. “Because you're my drug of choice. Like any addict, I focus on my fix. Now tell me what you're hiding.”

“Nothing, really. It's just the nature of the topic.”

He wasn't buying. Nartan watched her, pegging her with a hard look that sliced right through what she thought she wanted.

“Just some guy that was watching me outside the studio tonight as I left. My oversensitive emotions tried to make me think it was Caspian, and this conversation has me connecting dots that aren't in the same line.”

His expression hardened.

“But you didn't get a close enough look to know for sure?”

She shook her head.

She stood up, unable to sit still. “He wouldn't waste his time looking for me. I was nothing more than a wound to his pride. Caspian needs challenges.”

He made a low sound before unfolding his legs and standing up. “Like getting you to put his ring back on your finger of your own free will?”

Her throat felt like it was tightening, her mind working frantically to recall the features of the man outside the studio. He'd been looking at her; there was no way to ignore it.

“You're jumping to conclusions.” She felt so exposed that it was almost impossible to resist the urge to hug herself.

“You know in your gut that he might come back for you. That's why you've walled yourself off.”

“I'm not walled off.”

Nartan picked up his pants and stepped into them. “Sabra is your only friend. You work for an ex-JAG officer who was a Navy sniper before earning his law degree. The sort of guy who would welcome anyone who wanted to start something, because he'd have the legal excuse to kick his ass.”

“I have other friends,” she defended as he put on his shirt and buttoned it.

“All masters of martial arts and well connected with lots of other black belts.” He zipped his fly and killed the music. “In short, not the sort of people you want to start something with, or one of their numerous relations will finish in the event you get the best of them. Get dressed and pack a bag.”

“Excuse me?”

He tapped a text message into his phone before answering her.

“Pack a bag, Celeste. I don't want to sleep with one eye open. We're going to my place.”

“I'm not sure that's necessary.”

“You said yourself he wants submission from you.”

She nodded. The topic was too uncomfortable to keep talking about. “I doubt it was him.”

“I don't. You have sharp senses but are still in denial about being a victim. If I set eyes on him, Marcus is going to have a tough time getting me out of a murder charge because I won't wait for him to start something new.”

Her eyes widened with horror. Nartan held her gaze for a long moment before he walked across her bathroom into her closet and flipped the light on. He grabbed a duffel bag that was on the closet shelf and tossed it onto the vanity.

He walked back to her, stepping up close and draping an arm around her body. She shuddered, the smell of his body filling her with a need that was more than sexual. She craved him.

“I'm sorry… I didn't think about what he might do to you.”

“Shhh…” He pressed a kiss against her mouth, sealing her words beneath his lips. “I should apologize for taking advantage of the situation to get you home with me, but the truth is, I don't care how I take you home with me.”

“Maybe you should just go,” she whispered. “It would be safer. Marcus told me Caspian is out.”

Nartan went deadly still, his expression tightening. Something glittered in his eyes that convinced her without a spoken word that he was contemplating murder.

“Marcus told you he's out?”

She was rolling her lower lip in again but stopped.

“When?” Nartan demanded.

“Today.”

“You can pack the bag or I'm going to stay here with you.”

“No.” The word barreled out of her mouth without hesitation. It was an intense feeling, a complete rejection of him being in the line of fire because of her.

“Pack the bag or not. I'll just have what you need brought in.”

He started to release her but she curled her fingers into his shirt, holding him. “Caspian has a lot of friends, Nartan. He could make trouble for you, for Angelino's.”

He stroked her back as his eyes darkened. “I hope he tries. Marcus isn't the only one who would welcome the excuse to beat Caspian senseless.”

Part of her wanted to rebel against the idea of being protected. Nartan read it in her face, and for a long moment he stared her down. But his arms tightened and he lowered his forehead to hers.

“You're not alone, Celeste. Don't push me away. I don't think I can handle it.”

She was shaking, or maybe it was him.

“I've never asked another woman to come home with me,” he whispered against her ear.

“I kept one of the condos for my hookups. I'm not taking you there,” he told her bluntly. “My home is for the woman who makes me feel rich.” He pulled in a stiff breath. “You make me feel that way. So deeply, it scares me.”

His tone was rough and edged with emotion. Her throat was tightening up, her eyes itching with unshed tears. But he kissed her forehead and moved away.

“Pack. I need to make a call.”

***

She wasn't sure what she was doing.

But she filled the bag and grabbed a suit. Nartan was waiting at the foot of her stairs, pacing back and forth as he spoke on the phone in Apache. When he turned back around and saw her, he finished up.

“I'll have you know, I just lost a bet with Tarak.”

He was trying to lighten the mood and avoid the emotional high they'd just encountered so unexpectedly.

“He's been on me for the last year to beef up my personal security.” Nartan grabbed her bag and opened her front door for her.

“Nektosha deals with Defense Department contracts. I remember Sabra waiting for her background check to come back.”

Celeste was already across the threshold when she stopped to fish her car keys out of her purse. “I'll follow—”

“You won't.” He dropped her bag and grabbed her keys.

She held out her hand for her keys. “I'll need my car tomorrow.”

“I'm getting you a driver, one who carries a gun.”

She opened her mouth to argue.

“And I'll discuss it with your boss if you don't see the wisdom.”

“You're overreacting,” Celeste agreed. “You're right. He'll go after you first.”

“My second call will be to Master Lee.”

“That's not fair.” She propped her hands on her hips.

“Caspian has had a lot of time to stew in prison.” Nartan scooped up her bag and carried it to his Jeep. He tossed it in the back and turned around to face her. “He wouldn't be the first man who planned retaliation. Until I get a private detective to verify his whereabouts, I'm not going to let you be exposed.”

“You are overreacting,” she repeated. “And you're the one walling me off now.”

“So indulge me until I gather some information on the prick.” He cut through her argument. “You're important to me, Celeste. I have no idea what that means, only that right now, the thought of you spending even one more night away from me hurts.”

There was an intensity in his voice and in his eyes. Her pride still balked but she turned around and went back to her open front door and armed the security system. She pulled the door shut and he locked it.

When he slid behind the wheel of the Jeep, he paused for a moment with his hands on the steering wheel.

“I'm glad you feel the same way I do,” he muttered.

“I didn't say—”

“You're sitting there.” He cut her off. “Trusting me. From you, that's an admission.”

For a moment, she felt horribly exposed, unmasked, but a moment later, a little bubble of happiness rose up inside her and lodged in her chest. It filled a void she hadn't realized ached so much. She was closer to achieving the true balance she had been seeking.

“I have no idea what it means, Nartan, but I'm ready to go.”

He flashed her a grin before pulling out of her driveway.

Nartan drove past Angelino's and further back into the exclusive Malibu hills. Condos were perched on the hillsides, looking out over the ocean. Many of the condos were three-story units to maximize the million-dollar view. Even the roofs were viewing patios, furnished with expensive iron patio sets. Smoke rose from a couple of them as residents made use of barbecues and the balmy Southern California weather.

Nartan drove past them, leaving artificial light behind. Moonlight showed Celeste the single-lane private road that led further out onto the cliff. The wind was whipping in from the ocean, chilling her nose. She crossed her arms over her chest as the wind hit them full-on in the open Jeep.

“Sorry, I didn't think about the weather.”

“You don't feel it,” she countered.

He shrugged but reached behind her seat and pulled a parka forward, dropping it in her lap while keeping his eyes on the road. “I do sometimes.”

She opened the jacket and just laid it across the front of her body, tucking her chin so that her nose was behind the collar.

Nartan looked at her and laughed. He turned a bend, coming to the point in the coastline that they had ridden up to on horseback. There was a single house here, the road dark except for the lights from the Jeep. A light came on when he opened one door of the six-car garage. He drove inside and punched the controller so that the door slid shut behind them.

“Come on, I want to show you the deck.”

There was a playful quality in his voice now that she hadn't heard before. He held open the door linking the garage with the house and lights came on, nice muted ones. Mood lighting.

“I don't like to kill my night vision.” He pointed to the wall. “You can fix the controls however you want.”

He captured her hand and was off again. The house, a sprawling complex with open arches that let her look into all the rooms, passed in a blur as he headed toward the back of it. Most of the entire back of the house was floor-to-ceiling glass. She stood for a moment, marveling. Support beams were set in, of course, but the amount of glass was still impressive.

“The best part is outside.” He reached over and captured her hand, clasping it in a firm grip. He opened one door and pulled her outside.

“You don't have an alarm?”

“Tarak has been busting my balls about it,” Nartan answered. “This is a private road, so I never worried about it much. The closest neighbors are the condos, and anyone who can afford the price isn't into petty theft. An expensive private patrol is paid to keep undesirables out of the condos, so I've never had to worry about anyone getting this far.”

Off to their left, they could see Angelino's. They were about fifty feet higher. An eternity pool reflected the night sky like a polished sheet of black glass, and a glass weather wall marked the end of the property. Nartan pulled her to the edge of the pool before turning and scooping her off her feet.

“Nartan…it's too cold to go swimming…”

He chuckled and carried her straight into the water. She wrapped her arms around his neck, bracing herself for a drenching.

All that happened was that his amusement doubled. She looked down to see him walking through only a foot of water. He had left his shoes back on the patio.

“You might have shared that tidbit,” she groused, slapping his chest.

“And give up my moment of carrying you off to my fire?”

He crossed onto an island. The pool surrounded it, lapping gently across a lip that was covered in thousands of weather-rounded stones.

“Wow…that's an amazing sound…”

He lowered her onto a double-wide lounge bed next to a fire pit. The sound of the surf breaking was just loud enough to be soothing. Nartan opened a small chest and pulled out a blanket. He tossed it to her before striking a match and lighting the wood that was already positioned in the fire pit.

“No gas?”

“I want the real thing.”

The wood popped and cast a yellow and red glow across him, illuminating his face as he worked and granting her a glimpse at his relaxed expression. The impressive house hadn't brought that look on; it was the simple act of being able to set fire to wood beneath the night sky. There was an ease settling over his body and she felt privileged to witness it. He was letting his guard down completely.

“Gas doesn't smell right,” he offered as he moved toward her. Awareness prickled along her limbs as her lips went dry. She was so in tune with him, which really was a marvel when she took time to think about it.

The lounge was raised up at the back so she could recline. He pulled off his shirt as the fire licked across the dry wood and sent sparks drifting up into the air. He stretched and looked at her, studying her with an expression that was unreadable.

“Trying to decide if bringing me here was a wise idea?” she asked.

The fire was going strong, the scent of the burning wood touching her nose as tiny sparks floated up before they died.

“Do you regret coming?”

He was dead serious and almost sounded like he might be vulnerable. He looked so powerful, so majestic in that moment that she ached with how much she wanted to be right there.

She shook her head, her throat too tight to force words past. It felt like they were linked with one another and a million miles from the rest of the world. She lifted one side of the blanket in invitation.

He stood and stripped down to his skin before moving toward her. His cock stood up, hard and promising. Hunger was growing inside her again, as though they hadn't already satisfied one another. She wanted more than sex, though. The desire gnawing at her was for intimacy.

He walked around behind her, gripped the back of the chaise lounge, and lowered it. Celeste propped her elbow against the padded surface before rolling up to her knees and reaching for his erection. The fire bathed him in crimson and gold, casting a feeling of endlessness over her. They might have been almost anywhere in time. All that mattered was that they were together.

She drew her fingers along his staff, marveling at the silken smoothness of his skin. His cock jerked and she scooted forward so that she could fit her lips around it. Her sex clenched with demand, but she was determined to enjoy the moment. She licked around the crown as she pumped her closed hand down his length once, twice, and a few more times before opening her lips to suck the head of his cock inside her mouth.

It was her turn to make memories in his private space. She hollowed her cheeks and sucked him hard, working her hands along his staff as he groaned. He fisted his hand in her hair.

“I love fucking your mouth…almost as much as your pussy…almost…” He pulled away from her and reached down to grab the sides of the jersey top she'd put on. He pulled it up and she raised her arms so that it slid up her body, but he didn't pull it free. He kept her wrists caught in it and twisted the fabric tight.

For a moment, she tensed.

“Look at me, Celeste.”

She lifted her gaze to his, not out of obedience, but because she recognized the voice of the man she trusted.

“What am I to you?”

The firelight allowed her to see the hard, demanding expression on his face. He pulled her up, until she was all the way on her knees. But she didn't feel overwhelmed. She was exposed, but the hunger in his eyes promised her satisfaction, and that made her bold.

“You're my lover,” she replied in a husky voice. She twisted her hands and slipped free. Reaching around behind her, she unhooked her bra and tossed it aside. “The only man I have ever called by that word.”

She scooted back and stood up. The cushion kept her slightly off balance as she pushed her pants down and stripped.

“You're the only woman I've ever brought here. I wanted to share this spot with you.”

She could see how significant it was to him. He put his knee down on the padded surface and crawled toward her.

Her belly tightened, her insides quivering, because it felt like he was stalking her. She sat down and scooted back, instinct taking over.

“But right now…all I want to do is claim you.”

He reached out and caught her ankle. She giggled before flipping over and sending her foot onto the other side of his hand to break his grip. His fingers opened and she heard him cuss in Apache before the chaise lounge vibrated and he lunged after her.

He tackled her, pressing her down into the cushion. She snorted, partially laughing as he growled against her neck and nuzzled the mess her hair had become. But her amusement died as she felt every last hard inch of him pressing against her. It was erotic in a way she'd never imagined. The cold air blowing in from the ocean while his body surrounded her with heat. There was a strength in his arms that made her shiver with anticipation, her nipples tightening with growing arousal.

Her hunger was explosive, shooting flames up inside her as he kissed her neck. She wanted more from him, craved something hard and primal, like their setting. She pushed her bottom against his cock, purring as he pressed between the halves of her bottom.

So close.

Yet not close enough.

She wiggled and he lifted his hips so that his member could straighten. When he lowered back down on top of her, his cock was pressing between her thighs.

She growled at him. “Stop teasing me.” She flattened her hands against the cushion, intending to rise.

He captured her wrists and held her down. “I want to claim you.”

His voice was muffled in her hair, but she heard him suck a breath in through his gritted teeth and her sex clenched. It was the most delicious torment, feeling his length so close to where she craved it.

“Then do it,” she snarled.

He lifted his lower body. “Offer yourself to me, Celeste…”

She never hesitated but lifted up and tucked her knees beneath her.

“Spread for me…”

It wasn't easy but she wiggled her knees further apart, panting with the need to have him inside her. He released her wrists and straightened up, claiming her hips in a solid grip as he pulled her back and thrust forward in one, powerful motion.

“Christ!” She gasped, not even sure of what she was saying, only that it was impossible to keep silent. He pulled free and sent his penis back into her, and all she could do was moan with rapture.

“Yes…” he growled behind her. “Let me hear how much you enjoy your lover.”

She responded by lifting her leg and swinging it up and over his head. The action broke his grip on her hip and she landed on her back. Nartan was on her in a second, pinning her down and thrusting back into her body.

“I want to watch you come, Nartan…”

She clamped him between her thighs, perspiration coating her skin as they both worked at a frantic pace to feed their desire. Her heart pounded so hard that she wasn't sure she could catch her breath, but she didn't care. She sunk her fingernails into his shoulders, purring when she heard him snarl.

“You…first…” he ordered through a clenched jaw. His expression was dark and possessive, but also determined. “Always…first.”

She wanted to hold out, but her body was too famished, too needy to be denied. He was hammering into her, stretching her sex with his girth. His balls slapped against her bottom, the wet sound of their flesh meeting mixing with the surf and the water surrounding them.

She arched up, everything inside her tightening voraciously before it burst into a show of red-hot sparks. She cried out, trying to pull him closer as the walls of her sex tightened around him.

“That's it's… Milk me…” He began to come, his cock pumping a thick, hot spurt of seed into her. She twisted and strained toward him, pleasure whipping her around as she felt him pumping her through the waves of his own climax. It tore through them both, wringing them out and then dropping them back to earth.

He caught his weight before he smashed her and rolled over onto his back. For a long moment, Celeste could only gasp. She felt red hot, the wind a cooling relief. It blew across her body, lifting the heat away as her heart slowed.

Nartan moved first. Rolling over and lifting her up, he cradled her for a moment before turning her around and settling her on the chaise lounge so that they could gaze out to sea. He retrieved the blanket and held her close as the night air drove her into his embrace. He lay on his back and she placed her head on his chest, unsure if she had ever felt so wonderful in her entire life.

“I used to lie under the stars with my cousins at night and listen to my grandfather tell legends. When I built this house, this was the spot I wanted to be my place of peace.”

He stroked her hair back from her face and pulled the blanket up to cover her shoulder.

“It's amazing.” She spoke in a low tone, not wanting to mask the sounds of nature.

“You make it complete.”

He pressed a finger against her lips when she tried to respond.

“Just let it sink in, Celeste. That's what I'm doing.”

She kissed his finger and stroked his chest. The scent of his skin filled her senses, and she gazed at the stars as he held her.

Yeah, just let it sink in, because no matter how much she wanted to resist the idea, it felt very, very right.

***

His bedroom had a glass ceiling.

Celeste groaned and rubbed her eyes as dawn brightened the master bedroom. She had a dim memory of stumbling into the house behind Nartan sometime after falling asleep in the yard. All that had mattered at that time was burrowing deep beneath the thick blankets on his bed. It might have been a dingy hotel room for all she cared.

It certainly wasn't dingy.

The master bedroom was built in a circular fashion. Above the bed was a glass roof with panes fitted together like pie pieces, held together by copper, which made it look like a giant star.

She turned her head and found Nartan still sleeping beside her. The bed was huge, fitting him. The sheets were a warm honey color, and the frame set had decorative ironwork. Posh but still comfortable. All of the furniture was wood or iron. Wood beams that ran from floor to ceiling were set into the walls of the bedroom at regular intervals, lining up with the edges of the glass ceiling star. There wasn't an ultramodern line in sight, and she decided she liked it. There was an earthy feeling, like she was in contact with the planet, with life.