“Lay down with me?” It was worded out as a command but came out as a hesitant question.
Theodore was positively whipped. Not only did she not reciprocate the strong feelings he held for her, only feeling strong physical awareness in his presence, but she felt the need to push at all his buttons.
“Hmm, we shouldn’t,” she told him sweetly as she tried to wriggle free of his hold.
He held her chin in his hand and made her look up into his face.
“Why is that?” He asked, wishing his desperation for her and his pain at being rejected wouldn’t show.
“It’s too soon,” she admitted timidly, her eyes averted, her face ablaze.
“So, you do want me?” He wanted her to say it.
“Like I have never wanted anyone before,” she nodded, her face still that beautiful shade of pink.
“I’m willing to wait for as long as you need,” he whispered before placing a kiss on her forehead.
She focused her eyes back on him.
“I’ll sleep in one of the guest bedrooms in the meantime, right?”
How could he tell her no when she was giving him the puppy dog eyes? He ended up agreeing, not only because she had the most beautifully imploring eyes, but also because he didn’t want her to feel as if it was being forced on her.
He nodded his consent.
She beamed at him, got on her tiptoes and pecked his lips. Like the greedy animal he hosted, he wanted more, but he refrained from going further. If his mate was insecure, it was up to him to fix it.
I love you, dorogaya, he said inwardly as she got ready to leave the master bedroom.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
Emily was livid with herself. She had gone to have a damned fight with the man, not to hug and kiss him.
What was this damned attraction pulling them together? If she didn’t know any better, she’d have said it was out of this world.
Put her and Theodore King in the same room, and sparks were bound to fly. As simple as 2 + 2 = 4!
Since she was in no mood for work, she wandered the estate, followed by those three bodyguards.
This is ridiculous, she told herself. You should not be entertaining ideas of sleeping with him when he’s keeping you imprisoned here. Hell, you should not be toying with the idea, period. He’s bad for you. His very name spells heartache. His looks are the definition of trouble too.
But it’s a trouble I want to mess with, her inner slut purred.
Emily really needed to get a grip already. Theodore King had become such a constant in her life, and took such a huge part of it, that she didn’t know whether she was falling for the man or knee-deep in the legendary lake called lust.
Knee-deep? A side of her argued. Honey, you’re struggling not to drown right now. All it would take would be one more push down. One push and you’d be too far gone.
She sighed as she looked around her at the flowers.
If only he wasn’t so powerful that he had made enemies for himself. If only she had been the wiser out of the two of them and asked him to keep a low profile at their dates. She was sure he would have obliged her, provided she implored him the same way she did back in the master bedroom only a few moments prior.
Now, here she was stuck in a beautiful estate with no means to escape. What was she to do, if she did not admire the gardens?
She had been sitting on one of the benches for quite some time, eyes staring ahead unseeingly, head in the clouds, before she felt someone sit next to her.
The smell of his manly perfume was so potent, it made her head spin as usual.
“What’s wrong, dorogaya?” He asked softly. “You have been sitting here for a long time.”
“Will you ever let the mystery surrounding you unfold?” She asked, the ghost of smile on her face. “I don’t believe I can be with someone who’s so secretive.”
He traced meaningless patterns on the back of her hand, arousing her to her utter and complete dismay.
Get a grip already!
“When the time comes, I’ll tell you everything, dorogaya,” was his response.
She nodded at him and placed her head on his shoulder. “I need to go bring my things.”
“No need,” he told her softly. “One of guest-rooms has been prepared for you.”
“What do you mean?” She frowned slightly, as she looked at him sideways, her chin now resting on his shoulder.
He turned his head slightly and captured her lips with his in a kiss so soft, so sweet, she could have melted.
When he freed her mouth, his eyes were still close, the sweetest frown on his face.
His voice came out deeper than usual when he said, “You’ll lack for nothing. Have no fear, dorogaya.”
She giggled in a manner that spoke a lot about how good-humored she was at that moment. “I’m afraid you’ll spoil me rotten, Theo.”
“That’s the plan,” he smirked at her as he opened his eyes.
“I could never pay you back though,” she protested. “You probably bought things that are far too pricey for me.”
“I might have,” he admitted without a shred of shame, an unrepentant smirk playing on his lips.
“You naughty boy,” she teased as she hit his shoulder lightly.
“I’ve stopped being a boy long ago,” he told her sweetly.
“You’re not that old,” she waved it off. “Just barely twenty-eight.”
He chuckled but said nothing further.
“Did you have enough of mindlessly staring at nothing?” He then asked in a matter-of-fact tone.
“It’s pleasant here,” she told him sincerely. “I can feel the light breeze, enjoy the sun, and admire the gardens. What more could a girl ask for?”
“They usually ask for diamonds, I’d say,” he teased her.
She blushed, huffed, and then exclaimed, “I’m not one of those gold-diggers you dated.”
“Obviously not, otherwise we would be in bed…” he began only for her to put her hand over his mouth.
“The bodyguards can hear you,” she admonished him, with a glare to top it off.
“I know,” he deadpanned. “And not only do they not care, but they’re also instructed to keep their mouths shut.”
She let out a stunned oh in response.
“Now, how about heading out with me for dinner?” He offered.
“I thought I was in danger,” she said, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“You are, dorogaya,” he nodded. “But know that no one can protect you like yours truly.”
“You’re a businessman,” she rolled her eyes at him. “Hardly the perfect bodyguard material.”
“You underestimate me, princess,” he said on a dark chuckle.
That had the knack to shut her up. It was true that she didn’t know as much about him as she should. That being said, she shall peel off all the layers there were to him… or die trying.