Surrender by Melody Anne
Page 34
He’d offered her a nice place to live, a great salary, and luxuries he was sure she’d never seen before. Why would she turn her nose up at all of it?
When another fifteen minutes passed, Rafe lost his last ounce of patience. Not allowing his irritation to show, he slowly stood from the table and sauntered down the hallways of his large home.
It took him several minutes to reach the guest room Ari had been placed in, but he didn’t allow himself to change the speed of his steps. He wanted to reach her quickly, which made him stay cool and steady.
No woman would control his actions.
“Mr. Palazzo,” Misty said as she jumped from the chair in surprise. “Ms. Harlow hasn’t emerged from the bathroom yet. Do you want me to hurry her along?”
“No. You’re dismissed. ” Rafe didn’t stop his forward movement to the bathroom door, nor turn to make sure his maid followed orders. Everyone who worked for him followed orders without question. He really should quit trying to hire Ari. It couldn’t possibly end well.
He reached for the doorknob and found it locked. A wicked smile crossed his features. Did she honestly think she could keep him out of any room in his own house? His pulse quickened as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a master key. Training Ari to surrender to him would be more fun than he could remember having in years.
The sensual fragrance of the bubble bath filled his nose the instant he entered the room. It sent his pulse racing as his eyes zeroed in on Ari in the tub. The bubbles had mostly faded, leaving plenty of her nearly perfect figure for his visual pleasure.
Ari, covered in water and a thin veil of bubbles, was going to cause a few fantasies over the foreseeable future. He felt himself begin to harden as he stepped closer, then sat on the edge of the tub and let his hand sink into the still warm bath.
When his fingers brushed along her ribcage, she twitched and then her eyes slowly opened, connecting their gazes. His stare was hot and hungry, hers was slowly waking, desire quickly filling their sleepy depths.
“I don’t like to be kept waiting, Ari,” he whispered as his fingers danced along her slick torso.
She opened her mouth to respond, but no words drifted out as she was caught up in this strange chemistry they shared.
It was time he showed her how good it would be between the two of them if she decided to agree to his terms. Obviously patience wasn’t working, and he still couldn’t seem to get her from his mind. Now it was time for persuasion.
He reached into the water and pulled her dripping figure easily from the tub, setting her na**d form on his lap, soaking his suit.
With a startled gasp, she pressed her hands against his chest, intending to push him away.
“What do you think you are doing?”
“What we both want. ”
His mouth dropped and he broke his 'no kissing' rule – devouring her mouth in a seemingly never-ending hunger that tore right through him.
Chapter Fourteen
As Rafe’s mouth captured hers, Ari remained stiff for several seconds, thinking that she could possibly resist him. As Rafe’s tongue slipped past her teeth and caressed the contours of her mouth, her resistance became futile.
Thought was wiped from her mind as sensation exploded inside her body. What was it that she was feeling? She’d never experienced anything of such magnitude before. Her stomach was fluttering, and she felt a swelling sensation in her core.
Ari pressed her legs together, trying to relieve the building pressure. As she attempted to gain the willpower to push Rafe away, his mouth slowly moved down her jaw, trailing soft feather kisses along her slender neck as his tongue traced her skin and his teeth gently nipped her shoulder.
A shudder passed through her, and she was shocked when he effortlessly lifted her with the smoothness only strong muscles could support and then walked into the bedroom, laying her upon the mattress, her body sinking into its comfort.
“I don’t normally have sex without the contract being signed first – without a mutual agreement, but I can’t seem to get you out of my mind. I have to have you, and I’m tired of resisting the pull. I’m not stopping unless you tell me to, so if you have protests, give them now,” Rafe demanded as he slipped off his suit jacket and began unbuttoning his soaked shirt.
Ari knew now was the time to tell him this wasn’t going to happen. She needed to get the words past her tight throat and demand he leave her alone. As his contoured olive chest was exposed with the release of his last button and his dress shirt fell open, she forgot exactly what she’d just been thinking.
The sight of his ripped abs and narrow waist sent more sensations through her body. She felt a pinch in her br**sts, and her ni**les hardened, causing desirable pain. She lifted her hands to her br**sts, her palms squeezing over her peaked pink skin, trying to relieve the ache.
He’d offered her a nice place to live, a great salary, and luxuries he was sure she’d never seen before. Why would she turn her nose up at all of it?
When another fifteen minutes passed, Rafe lost his last ounce of patience. Not allowing his irritation to show, he slowly stood from the table and sauntered down the hallways of his large home.
It took him several minutes to reach the guest room Ari had been placed in, but he didn’t allow himself to change the speed of his steps. He wanted to reach her quickly, which made him stay cool and steady.
No woman would control his actions.
“Mr. Palazzo,” Misty said as she jumped from the chair in surprise. “Ms. Harlow hasn’t emerged from the bathroom yet. Do you want me to hurry her along?”
“No. You’re dismissed. ” Rafe didn’t stop his forward movement to the bathroom door, nor turn to make sure his maid followed orders. Everyone who worked for him followed orders without question. He really should quit trying to hire Ari. It couldn’t possibly end well.
He reached for the doorknob and found it locked. A wicked smile crossed his features. Did she honestly think she could keep him out of any room in his own house? His pulse quickened as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a master key. Training Ari to surrender to him would be more fun than he could remember having in years.
The sensual fragrance of the bubble bath filled his nose the instant he entered the room. It sent his pulse racing as his eyes zeroed in on Ari in the tub. The bubbles had mostly faded, leaving plenty of her nearly perfect figure for his visual pleasure.
Ari, covered in water and a thin veil of bubbles, was going to cause a few fantasies over the foreseeable future. He felt himself begin to harden as he stepped closer, then sat on the edge of the tub and let his hand sink into the still warm bath.
When his fingers brushed along her ribcage, she twitched and then her eyes slowly opened, connecting their gazes. His stare was hot and hungry, hers was slowly waking, desire quickly filling their sleepy depths.
“I don’t like to be kept waiting, Ari,” he whispered as his fingers danced along her slick torso.
She opened her mouth to respond, but no words drifted out as she was caught up in this strange chemistry they shared.
It was time he showed her how good it would be between the two of them if she decided to agree to his terms. Obviously patience wasn’t working, and he still couldn’t seem to get her from his mind. Now it was time for persuasion.
He reached into the water and pulled her dripping figure easily from the tub, setting her na**d form on his lap, soaking his suit.
With a startled gasp, she pressed her hands against his chest, intending to push him away.
“What do you think you are doing?”
“What we both want. ”
His mouth dropped and he broke his 'no kissing' rule – devouring her mouth in a seemingly never-ending hunger that tore right through him.
Chapter Fourteen
As Rafe’s mouth captured hers, Ari remained stiff for several seconds, thinking that she could possibly resist him. As Rafe’s tongue slipped past her teeth and caressed the contours of her mouth, her resistance became futile.
Thought was wiped from her mind as sensation exploded inside her body. What was it that she was feeling? She’d never experienced anything of such magnitude before. Her stomach was fluttering, and she felt a swelling sensation in her core.
Ari pressed her legs together, trying to relieve the building pressure. As she attempted to gain the willpower to push Rafe away, his mouth slowly moved down her jaw, trailing soft feather kisses along her slender neck as his tongue traced her skin and his teeth gently nipped her shoulder.
A shudder passed through her, and she was shocked when he effortlessly lifted her with the smoothness only strong muscles could support and then walked into the bedroom, laying her upon the mattress, her body sinking into its comfort.
“I don’t normally have sex without the contract being signed first – without a mutual agreement, but I can’t seem to get you out of my mind. I have to have you, and I’m tired of resisting the pull. I’m not stopping unless you tell me to, so if you have protests, give them now,” Rafe demanded as he slipped off his suit jacket and began unbuttoning his soaked shirt.
Ari knew now was the time to tell him this wasn’t going to happen. She needed to get the words past her tight throat and demand he leave her alone. As his contoured olive chest was exposed with the release of his last button and his dress shirt fell open, she forgot exactly what she’d just been thinking.
The sight of his ripped abs and narrow waist sent more sensations through her body. She felt a pinch in her br**sts, and her ni**les hardened, causing desirable pain. She lifted her hands to her br**sts, her palms squeezing over her peaked pink skin, trying to relieve the ache.