He shook his head at me as he removed his tie. “You said you wouldn’t do this. You said you wouldn’t let her come between us, but you are. You’re doing it.”

He was right. I was. And I hated myself for it, even as I couldn’t help it.

“You know that I don’t want her, Sam.”

I snickered. “If I thought you wanted her, I’d be juggling your eyeballs right now. This is not about that.”

He began to unbutton his shirt, but he didn’t move his eyes from mine. “I’m not going to say it’s unreasonable for you to be jealous and upset. If our positions were reversed, and I had to be around someone who had touched you and been inside you, it would be the hardest f**king thing I’ve ever dealt with. But I would never have let those feelings, or that person, f**k up what we have.”

Ignoring the element of guilt I was feeling, I threw the question at him that simply wouldn’t stop bugging me. “Why won’t you go to your mum’s funeral, Jared?”

He sighed and paused in his actions for a short moment. “Sam—”

Seeing what he was about to do, I pointed a finger at him. “No, don’t you do that again. Don’t you shut down again.”

He shrugged his shoulders, suddenly defensive. “I just don’t want to talk about her. Doesn’t everyone have things they don’t want to talk about?”

“Good point, yet irrelevant. I want to hear about her, I want to understand.”

“Why? What the f**k does it matter? I don’t want to go, and that’s that.”

“So Magda can know, but I can’t?”

He double-blinked, removing his shirt. “What does she have to do with it?”

“You let her in.”

“I didn’t let her in, and I never would have. She doesn’t know any details − only what emotions her gift allowed her to pick up.” Obviously seeing the doubt in my eyes, he held up his hands. “Baby, I swear, she’s the last person I’d let in.”

Mollified, I went to say something, but it was difficult to keep on topic when looking at his well-defined, solidly built chest. The sod was well aware of that, of course. And then he lowered his zipper. The sound seemed to echo in the room. I didn’t need to look to know that he was commando. “Don’t think you can use sex to distract me.”

“Would I do that?” he asked, all innocence.

“Yes, you would, and you are. Because you’re an inconsiderate, selfish, cocky little bastard.”

He pursed his lips as he considered that. “True…but I’m still going to f**k you, and you’re still going to love it.” And then he leaped at me.

CHAPTER FIVE

(Sam)

I moved quickly, but it wasn’t quick enough to dodge his Pagori speed. Jared crushed me against a wall, mashing his mouth with mine. His kisses were possessive, raw, and punishing, and that familiar feeling of fire shot through me. Pulling back, he abruptly sank his teeth down hard into the crook of my neck, drinking deep. His moans vibrated against my skin, making me release moans of my own. I found myself clawing at the skin of his back, attempting to pull him tighter to me, even though we were as close as two people could be.

Need was in every movement as he yanked on my dress to free my br**sts, cupping and squeezing them almost painfully. It wasn’t just ‘need’ that was driving us. Anger and fear was feeding that need, making it become sheer desperation. I could sense that he was still being careful not to really hurt me; always bearing in mind how much stronger he was. It galled me that he could never completely let go with me, which added to the other feelings, making me almost frantic in my need to have him inside me.

Lifting my leg, he curled it over his hip and began rocking his h*ps against mine. I bucked as he used his thumb to send a sizzling jolt of electricity to each nipple, groaning at that perfect balance of pleasure and pain. Reaching under my dress, he slid my thong aside and did the same thing to my clit. He knew exactly how to make me mindless, and he always set about doing it.

Before Jared, I’d always thought foreplay was kind of overrated. In fact, it had often simply felt like going through the motions. But Jared never did the bare minimum to have me ready to take him, never made it seem like it was all simply a means to an end. I could always sense just how much pleasure he got from what he did to me, from the range of expressions that flashed across my face as my cl**ax neared. Finally, I came, crying out and shaking.

His almost crazed eyes seized mine. “You are so f**king amazing to me.” He speared two fingers inside me, swirling them around. “Nice and wet for me, just how I like it.”

Then his fingers were gone, and he abruptly spun me to face the wall. Instinctively, I braced myself against it for balance. He shoved my dress up to my waist and, without any preamble, slammed into me. I cried out and arched my back as he buried every inch of himself inside me in one smooth stroke. He stretched and filled me in a way that no one ever had before.

When he didn’t move, I squirmed. “Jared.”

His mouth was at my ear. “Feel how perfectly your body fits to mine. You were made to take me, Sam.”

I squirmed again, trying to entice him to move. But still, he didn’t. “Jared,” I growled. “Don’t tease!”

“Tell me you’re mine, and I’ll give you what you want.” When I didn’t, he teasingly flexed his c*ck inside me.

Well we could both play that game. I squeezed my muscles tight around him, smiling at his warning growl. “Make me come, and I’ll tell you I’m yours.” Instead, the cheeky sod spanked my arse. “Oh you—”

He tsked, spanking me again. “You know I won’t let this go.”

“I could just whip you senseless instead.”

“Yes, baby, yes you could. But then you wouldn’t get to come, would you?” His hands slowly, almost stealthily, skimmed over me. One then cupped my breast as the other wandered down to my clit, gently but expertly toying with it. “You know I love your spirit, and you know I love that you never back down, but you can’t refuse me – the guy you’ll soon be Bound to – the right to be possessive of you. You just can’t. If I did that to you, what would you do?”

I answered without hesitation. “Carve out your liver, dice it up, and feed it to you.” All right, so he had a fair point.

“Hear this, baby: I’ll call you that whenever, and as often, as I want. Because you’re mine and I’m yours. Isn’t that right?” When I didn’t answer, he gave me a particularly hard thrust. “You’re mine and I’m yours. Isn’t that right?”

After a short pause, I replied in a low voice, “Yes.” Suddenly, I was flat on my back on the long table with my legs locked around his waist.

“I’m going to f**k you now. Fuck you hard and deep, so that all you feel is me.”

It hadn’t been a false promise. He began ruthlessly pounding into me, holding my gaze with eyes that blazed with possessiveness. At the same time, he was zapping my cl*t over and over with his thumb, and I was almost sobbing with the burning pleasure/pain of it. I could feel my orgasm creeping up on me fast, and so could he.

“I love feeling you come around me. Let me feel it, baby. Now.”

A particularly hard zap to my cl*t knocked me over the edge and sent an explosion of sensation tearing through me, pulling a scream from me that Jared eagerly swallowed. Wanting him right there with me, I tore my mouth from his and bit into his shoulder, drinking him into me.

“Christ, baby.” With a guttural groan, he slammed into me one last time and held himself still as he pulsed deep inside me.

He flopped forward, but landed on his elbows, careful not to crush me. Well I’d certainly never be able to look at this table again without smiling − which would make any future meetings in this room kind of interesting. With reverberations still racking our bodies, he rested his forehead against mine and gently kissed me, sipping from my mouth. “Don’t pull away from me like that again.”

I sighed. “I was just ticked off.”

“I’ll make sure she leaves.”

“She’s not going anywhere. She stays.”

He jerked back to examine my face. “What do you mean, she stays?”

“If she wants to see our Binding ceremony, that’s exactly what she’s going to do.” Because it would severely piss her off.

“You won’t be able to hide your feelings from her, Sam,” he told me gently. “You won’t be able to pretend she’s not feeding your insecurities.”

Smoothing my hands over his shoulders, I joined them behind his neck. “I know that. She’ll sense that she’s getting to me. But she’ll also see that I’m not going anywhere; that we’re going through with that ceremony whether she approves or not. Besides, I wouldn’t want to be robbed of the chance to use my gifts on her.” Magda might have a bad attitude, but so did I, and mine was much worse.

It was a long moment before he spoke. “If she gets too much—”

“I’m not going to challenge her, Jared. I know what it’s like to feel a blood-link die – I’d never been through more pain than what I had when I killed Victor. I don’t want you going through that.”

He looked a mixture of amazed and pissed. “You think I care about a bit of f**king pain?”

“You probably don’t. But I care about putting you through it. See, this is how I feel when you try to protect me and I don’t need it. It’s going to work both ways.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but then snapped it shut. “Come on, let’s get back. People will be wondering where we are.”

As we were both fixing our clothes, something occurred to me. “She probably felt it, didn’t she?”

“What?”

“When we were shagging, she probably sensed it through your blood-link as you’re still in close proximity.”

He tilted his head and frowned thoughtfully. Then he shrugged. “Maybe.”

What could only be described as an evil smile surfaced on my face. “Good.”

He chuckled. “So merciless.” Linking his hand with mine, he gave me a light yet still very possessive kiss before teleporting us back to the parlour. But he didn’t teleport us to the balcony, or to the doorway, or to a quiet corner. No, he teleported us to the centre of the dance floor with a wicked laugh. The sod knew I didn’t like slow dancing.

(Jared)

Before she could pull away from me, I aligned her body to mine, took her arms and curled them around my neck. I then slid both of my arms around her, settling one under the curtain of her dark hair that covered the bare skin of her upper back, and snaking the other down her body. It was with great reluctance that she joined in the dancing. As usual, I found myself enthralled at how snug she felt against me…even if she was stiff as a board. “Relax.”

“I will when you move your hand from my arse.”

“But it’s comfortable there.”

“You know I don’t like slow dancing.”

“Dancing is just like sex – get the rhythm right and you can’t go wrong.”

“We could just go back to the apartment and have some more sex?” she said hopefully.

“We can’t leave our own gathering early.” Could we?

“You know you want to,” she breathed into my ear before nibbling on the lobe.

“None of your little tricks,” I admonished with a smile, tapping her ass lightly but punishingly. Ignoring her scowl, I tightened my arms around her. When that scowl morphed into a grin, I narrowed my eyes. “What?”

Sam tipped her head toward her left. “I think I may have been right. I think Jessica Rabbit might have sensed us shagging.”

Glancing briefly in the direction she had indicated, I almost laughed. If the look on Magda’s face was anything to go by, Sam was right. Hell, steam might as well have been coming out of her ears. I personally didn’t give a shit either way, but I could feel that Sam was smug. If that cheered her up, fine.

Nuzzling Sam’s neck, I breathed her in, took inside me that vanilla scent that was tinted with honeycomb. It was the best smell in the whole damn world. My c*ck was in total agreement; it rose to attention when even a hint of it was in the air. I let my tongue flick out to taste her pulse. Her skin tasted slightly like her scent; like vanilla and honeycomb, and like energy and mine.

“Stop it, or I’ll get horny again.”

I smiled at the breathlessness in her voice. I loved how sensitive her neck was. “I’m already there.” Subtly, I ground my once-again-hard c*ck against her.

She laughed and moaned at the same time. The sound of quick, purposeful footsteps had us both swerving to see our personal assistant coming toward us.

“I’ve been looking for you.” Fletcher’s perceptive eyes scanned both of us. “Been for a bonk, I see.”

“What’s your excuse – you being my best friend – for being so late?” she snapped.

“Oh chilax, will you.”

“Chilax?” I chuckled, confused.

“It’s a mix of ‘chill’ and ‘relax’,” Fletcher quickly explained. “Norm and I were busy preparing your gift from us.”

“Gift?” Sam repeated. “Maybe you’re forgiven. What do you mean by ‘preparing’?”

A huge and very self-satisfied grin spread across his face. “Come see.”

Exchanging a smile with Sam, I walked with her hand-in-hand behind Fletcher. The other guests followed as Fletcher led us out of the parlour, down the everlasting pristine hallway, and out of the mansion. I frowned as I immediately scented fire and the unmistakable smell of meat cooking.