Siren Song (22 page)

“
Good,” he said absently, a frown marring his brow. “I thought perhaps I went too far when I accosted you in your office….”

A laugh burbled out of her, “If only that were true; this wavering hesitation on your part is what is driving me insane. You tell me you want me but you refuse to take me when I am offering myself to you on a platter, with a lovely sugared rose garnish. A… touch is not enough to drive me away, Mr. Tremain, no matter how spectacular that touch is.”

He stared at her for a moment as he brushed a strand of wine-colored hair from her face, “Lexi Darling, you are unlike anyone I have ever known.”

“
Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“
I’m not sure yet.” He shook his head and huffed an incredulous laugh, “There have been several occasions that I have come so close to tossing it all away and give in but something always stops me. And afterwards I prowl in my den like a caged beast wondering when I will see you again. if I will be able to spend more than a moment with you.”

“
Fates like to fuck with you,” she said, repeating the words she had told her aunt just a few days before. “If it were up to me, I would have stripped you as soon as we got to your hotel room; I would have tied you to the bed. In fact, if it were up to me, I think we’d still be there at this very moment.”

“
You are too bold – too brazen – by half and I find it sexy as hell.” He rubbed his thumb over her lower lip, her flesh clinging to his, reluctant to let go, as his voice came out harsh and low, “If I were a different man, Lexi, I would….”

“
If you were a different man I wouldn’t want you.” Her words came out softly as she touched her lips to his in a brief, whisper of a kiss. With her mouth against his, she met and held his eyes, “It’s only a matter of time, Duncan; I can wait.”

With that, she drifted away, leaving him to stare after her.

*****

Duncan sat in his study, nursing the brandy he poured himself an hour before. Having come so close to losing control again it was a struggle to regain the resolution to keep his hands off of Lexi Darling. But all he wanted to do was to claim her, to make her his, to enjoy her body over and over until the world ended.

After she had left him with that barely there kiss, he had strolled over to her pictures and lost himself in the green and gold eyes of the girl staring out at him in the middle of all of that gilded flesh. Of course he had seen and appreciated the artistic expressions of the other pictures of her; he was a man and Lexi was a very sexy woman; but it was the unadorned Lexi in the middle that ensnared him. He was sure he had seen more attractive women but when he stared at that image, with her sun-kissed skin and large hazel eyes, he couldn’t think of anyone more magnificent than Lexi.

“
Beautiful, isn’t she?” her friend had asked, his vibrant outfit at odds with the tender expression he wore as he looked at Lexi’s image.

“
Exquisite,” Duncan had breathed before he could think better of it. “How did you capture what is uniquely her?”

He chuckled, “This one was taken last year when we went to the Caribbean for our annual vacation; she was mugging for the camera… you know, making fishy faces and crossing her eyes, and I managed to catch the one of her laughing at herself. I think it’s my favorite picture.”

“
Yes,” Duncan agreed simply, sipping his champagne and staring at the image of the woman who had been tormenting him for eternity.

If it was only lust he would have been able to handle it; but there was something about the infuriating, delightful woman that made him want to be the uncivilized beast that lurked deep within his body. Even knowing how his wolf hungered for her, he wanted to claim her for his own. If he had to fight himself for her, he wasn’t sure who would win.

He squeezed his hands into fists, needing to get a hold of this rampaging lust. This whole thing was not like him at all, he could not afford to be losing it like this. But she made him feel alive, so damn alive. And it wasn’t just the fact that she was sexy – she was sexy as hell – she was… electrifying. He had never experienced anything like it before, lusting so violently after a woman, let alone a human, and wanting to release his wolf so he could give in to primal madness.

It had to be a disease.

Needing to find his sanity, he turned on the television, hoping to find something – anything – to distract him from his thoughts, his obsession. Grabbing the remote, he pressed a button and the television lowered from the ceiling, already on.

His eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he saw Lexi as he saw her the first time, in her blond wig, a seductress look in her eyes as she looked across the bar. A wave a jealous rage rushed through him until he realized it had been him she was looking at. Good God, the crew had videotaped the entire thing – and with two local celebrities engaging in such relatively scandalous behavior…. Of course they released the tapes; sex sold and Lexi was sex on steroids.

“
It is quite apparent that
lavish
writer, Lexi Darling, enjoys what she does,” the voice over said as the image of her laughing filled the screen. “Filmed on location, this footage shows the lengths Miss Darling goes to get her story. Sources say that this man,” the television showed the two of them as they kissed, oblivious to the world around them, “is the new owner of
lavish
magazine and if his expression is any indication, things down there are bound to get interesting.”

“
Next on….” But Duncan had already clicked off the television and it was disappearing back into the ceiling.

He closed his eyes; the expression on Lexi’s face as he held her in his arms was burned into his retinas: the pleasure, the desire. How was he supposed to resist that? Maybe he could get Lexi out of his system, get things back on track, and when his head was clear, he’d propose to Lexi and have….

His eyes shot open; even his thoughts were betraying him. He really needed to clear his head. Lexi was not what he needed in a wife, with her colorful wigs and her even more colorful clothes and her very humanness. He needed a wolf and there was only the most infinitesimal to be non-existent chance she could make the transition if he claimed her….

The thought of losing Lexi because she couldn’t make the transition had his gut twisting in knots. He couldn’t take the chance that she would be destroyed if he claimed her like his wolf wanted him to do. Hell, like he wanted to do. Damn it; he knew he was on the knife’s edge and it wouldn’t take more than a simple “
hello
” to push him over.

Grinding his molars together, he slammed the rest of his brandy down his throat, welcoming the liquid fire. She was driving him insane and if he didn’t get her away from him he was going to explode or do something crazy and propose to her. Why couldn’t he simply marry her, not attempt to transform her….

That was a dangerous thought; one that he couldn’t quite ignore. Why couldn’t he marry her? Because he knew that in a few years, a few months, he would forget himself, only for a moment, and bite her as he mounted her from behind; sink his teeth into her delicate skin and flood her blood with the wolf’s venom. She would die writhing in agony because most humans couldn’t make the transition. Hell, he didn't know of a single one; generally, wolves didn't mate with humans.

It’s worth the risk
, the wolf whispered.

He had to get her as far away from him as possible yet he couldn’t fire her, not after he promised her a month. But he could make her quit. And then, maybe, he’d be able to get back his sanity. If he gave into temptation, he may never get it back and with each moment he spent with her, the more he didn’t care that she was not what he wanted as a mate; she was becoming what he needed. He had to do something….

Sitting down in front of his computer, he composed the e-mail that would hopefully do the trick. Without a second thought, he pressed send, and prayed that it would work.

Hoping to make a more professional impression on the luscious Mr. Duncan Tremain while laying siege to his libido, Lexi got up much earlier than usual Monday morning, arriving at the office by eight. Thankfully Cole had to be downtown for an appointment and didn’t mind leaving so much earlier than normal. She wore a conservative outfit, at least by her standards: a dark, pin stripe skirt that went all the way to her knees and a matching jacket. Of course, the skirt had a split up the back that stopped just below her butt and the jacket was very fitted over nothing but a lacy, electric blue bra. She wore a pair of stiletto mules and her brown hair was scraped back into a severe bun; no wigs today. Actually, her look was more like 'Dominatrix meets the work place.'

On the way in, she saw his roadster parked in his spot and she realized that she was going to have to get there a lot earlier if she really wanted to impress him. Fortunately, she didn’t run into him as she made her way to her office, giving her a few moments to gather herself together and go over her game plan. Dropping her purse, she sat behind her desk and booted up her computer to check her e-mail.

Picking up the phone, she dialed her mother, something she tended to do at work to avoid getting into a long conversation. As soon as her mom answered, Lexi blurted, “Hey, mom, I have a quick question for you.”

“
Alexandra,” her mom let out a long sigh. “You have the most impeccable timing; I was about to get my hair done.”

“
Why did Thea nearly suffer an apoplexy when the Tremains were mentioned?” she asked before her mom could say anything else. When Charisma didn’t answer, Lexi thought she might have hung up the phone. “Mom?”

When her mom finally spoke, her voice was grave, “Alexandra; if you must know, you'll have to discuss it with Thea. Personally, I would advise caution when dealing with the Tremains; there is something dangerous, primal, about all of them."

A delicious shiver went down Lexi’s spine and she smiled at the thought of Duncan, all dangerous and primal. Her voice was low, husky, when she breathed, “Yeah.”

“
Why are you asking about the Tremains? You usually aren’t one for gossiping.”

“
Um, my boss is Duncan Tremain,” Lexi said, omitting most of the truth.

“
Don’t get involved with him,” her mother warned gravely. “Out of all of the Tremains, he is the most... amused by us. I think he secretly mocks up and I cannot abide being laughed at.”

“
I’m laughing at you right now, mom,” Lexi teased. “And Duncan is too busy conquering the world to spare any thought on mythological creatures."

“
I know you’re laughing, Alexandra; you laugh at everything. But you’re family so I’ll allow it.” Lexi heard the smile in her mother’s voice and smiled in return. “Just think twice about getting involved with Duncan Tremain.”

“
He’s my boss, mom,” Lexi interrupted before her mother could ask a question she didn’t want to answer. “I just want my writing to be given an honest shot because I think I might have influenced Jeffrey a little bit when I applied for the job, albeit unknowingly, since I didn’t freaking know about the Siren thing until recently and I’m worried I will do the same thing with Du… Mr. Tremain.”

“
I am sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, my dear,” her mom apologized for the millionth time. "It's just...."

“
Mom, I’m not mad,” Lexi chuckled, interrupting the excuses before they could start. “It’s just something I’m still figuring out.”

Charisma once again fell silent and Lexi chewed on her lip, knowing that her mother was working through the nuances of the entire conversation. As she waited for her mom to decide whether or not Lexi was flirting with danger, Lexi opened her email.

Her heart dropped when she saw one from him. Was he going to reiterate his ridiculous rules? She already knew them by heart; it didn’t change the fact that he was going to break them – but he wouldn’t necessarily remember. While she would prefer to leave him with his memories of her and whatever time they spent together, she knew that she would do anything she could to ease his torment if it grew too great. With a shaking hand, she clicked on it and began to read. Anger quickly replaced nerves and her nostrils flared as she pressed the print button.

“
I’ve got to go, mom,” Lexi bit out.

“
Are you… contemplating a relationship with Duncan Tremain?” she asked carefully.