The Dare Collection January 2020. Lauren Hawkeye

already given me, so I took his hand and put those warm fingers on my sex, the pressure against my clit. And I showed him, rubbing up and down lightly, tantalisingly, letting the pleasure flood through me.

      He didn’t take his gaze from mine as I used his fingers, watching me with such focus it felt as though I was at the centre of his universe. That nothing was more important for him right now than what I was showing him.

      ‘Fuck, you’re hot,’ he murmured in that dark, purring voice. ‘Keep your eyes on me. I want to watch you come again.’

      I could feel his body beneath mine tensing up, but he didn’t move, continuing to hold himself back. And I wanted to push him, drive him as crazy as he was driving me, so I pressed his fingers to my slippery flesh, showing him how I liked it, hard then soft, light then firm, drawing it out until I was gasping and trembling.

      ‘Come all over my fingers, Sugar,’ he whispered. ‘Do it.’

      And I did, my control slipping away, the pleasure washing over me, a deep, strong wave that had me moaning, holding his fingers hard against me as the orgasm caught me up and held me fast.

      I was still shuddering through it when he wrapped an arm around my waist and turned us over, so I was lying beneath him and he was still buried deep inside me.

      ‘I’m going to fuck you now.’ He leaned over me. ‘If it gets too much, tell me to stop.’

      ‘Okay,’ I croaked, the breath going out of my lungs as his weight settled on me. But, God, he felt good. He was big and hot inside me, and over me too.

      Putting one hand on my hip to keep me in place, he reached up with the other and gripped the ornate wooden headboard. Then he drew his hips back in a long, slow glide before pushing forward, again long and slow, using the headboard as leverage.

      I gasped and shuddered at the sensation, the aftershocks I was already feeling intensifying, spilling over into yet more, almost unbearable, pleasure.

      He thrust again, looking down at me as he moved, his biceps flexing as he gripped the headboard. Going deeper, harder.

      ‘Yes,’ I whispered raggedly. ‘Yes... God...’

      His eyes were pure silver and he wasn’t smiling now, his jaw tight, the expression on his face burning.

      I stared back, unable to look away as the pleasure rolled over me, irresistible, unstoppable. The pressure in combination with the intense way he was looking at me was agonising, yet I didn’t want him to stop.

      I never wanted him to stop.

      I put my hands on his lean hips, his skin hot under my palms, and arched my spine, moving with him, watching the pleasure burn in his eyes.

      ‘Look at you,’ he purred like a big, lazy cat. ‘Look at you, all beautiful and perfect.’ He drove inside me harder, deeper, searching my face, looking at me as if I was a fabulous new piece of jewellery he wanted to acquire. ‘Who are you? Give me your name.’

      I groaned, arching beneath him as another climax threatened. Another one; God! What was this man doing to me?

      He adjusted his angle slightly, as if he knew exactly what was going through my head, and suddenly I was shaking and gasping as the pleasure exploded through my body without warning.

      He let go of the headboard and gathered me up in his arms, holding me as I shuddered, my face turned into his neck. ‘Thea,’ I said hoarsely against his skin, giving him a gift for all the pleasure he’d given me. ‘My name is Thea.’

      His arms around me tightened and he thrust once more, hard and deep, and groaned into my hair, his big body shuddering as the orgasm came for him too. ‘Hi, Thea,’ he whispered after a moment, his voice ragged. ‘I’m Damian.’

       CHAPTER EIGHT

      Damian

      ‘ANY SECURITY ISSUES from last night? Clarence mentioned something about a waitress.’ Everett sounded impatient. ‘Quickly. I gotta flight to catch.’

      I was standing on the terrace, scowling at the detritus from last night’s party: empty glasses and plates strewn everywhere, a glittery high heel on top of the pool diving board, someone’s boxers shoved under one of the outdoor couches and various other clothes lying discarded on the tiles. There seemed to be a spray of glitter with a balloon lying in the middle of it near the pool. Fuck, if any had got in the water, there’d be hell to pay.

      ‘I dealt with it.’ I gripped my phone and turned around, staring at the view of Kowloon stretched out before me instead, the scents of rain and pollution, flowers and garbage hanging in the sticky, humid air. ‘And if you have a flight to catch, why the hell are you calling me?’

      ‘Because it’s important,’ Everett growled. ‘In fact, you of all people should know how important it is.’

      Yeah, I did. Coming from the backgrounds we did—none of us had had easy childhoods—security was always going to be vital and any breach had to be taken seriously. So, why I was getting pissed off with him, I had no idea.

      Black and White had its share of enemies—the bigger we got, the more we had—and anything that put either our business or our staff at risk needed to be dealt with and fast. Especially with the launch of the new non-profit coming up.

      We all wanted this to be a success and even minor issues, such as a thief who’d managed to get herself where she didn’t belong, needed to be contained.

       Thea.

      She’d given her name to me so unexpectedly, like a gift, and that was how I was treating it. Because a woman like her, all guarded and watchful, wouldn’t simply give a piece of herself up to just anyone. Yet she’d given it to me. I didn’t know whether that meant anything or not—I certainly didn’t want it to mean anything—but, whatever, it certainly fucking changed things.

      Last night, I’d been intending to tell Everett all about her but now some protective and territorial instinct had me not liking that idea one bit.

      She was mine to deal with, and if either of those two bastards found out she’d breached Everett’s security, especially considering the launch, they would not be happy. They might want to contact the authorities and that would not be happening.

      If anyone wanted to question Thea about how she’d got in and what she was doing, I would be the one to ask her, not the cops. And certainly not my fucking friends.

       Since when have you got territorial about a woman before?

      Pretty much never. I didn’t get territorial about people because getting territorial implied that they mattered and I didn’t want anyone mattering to me.

      I already had my little sister, Morgan, to worry about and I didn’t need anyone else. She worked for Black and White, managing our PR, but I’d made sure she based herself in London rather than anywhere near me.

      It was just easier that way. For both of us.

      And anyway she worked with Ulysses, whom I trusted like I’d trust family, and he was there to look out for her.

      Ulysses and Everett might not be my blood, but they were my brothers just the same.

      ‘Yeah, I know how important it is.’ I forced down my irritation and tried to keep it casual. ‘But, like I said, I dealt with the issue. Would you like me to repeat it again in American so you can understand?’

      Everett ignored that. ‘You disappeared for a long time last night.’

      ‘Because I was busy fucking an extremely beautiful woman. If you want the details, I’m more than happy to supply them. Hell, I’ve even got the video if you want to check up on me.’ Not that I’d ever send him a video even if I had one—too easy for that shit to