Killian (Dance with the Devil 3) Read online

  She dragged her mouth away from his to cry out as she felt that pleasure rising beyond her control. “Killian!”

  His face was buried against the side of her neck. “Give it to me,” he instructed at the same time as he arched his spine to press his cock harder against her nubbin. “I want your pleasure now.”

  The grate of his voice and the heat of his breath against her throat, along with those thrusts against her clit, sent Natalia hurtling over the edge into an earth-shattering climax.

  “Again,” Killian demanded, having shifted slightly so his fingers were now a tormenting caress and pressing against her clit.

  Her body no longer seemed like her own as Natalia shook and trembled into a second release. Followed by another.

  “I’ll buy you a new pair,” Killian promised gruffly.

  Natalia’s head was too befuddled from those releases for her to have any idea what he was talking about. Until she felt the tug on her panties, followed by a ripping sound as they were torn from her hips. She gasped as Killian slid down the length of her body before he began to feast on her sensitive and wet pussy.

  Her body arched the moment she felt a single finger breach her channel, a second quickly joining it to begin thrusting inside her in the same rhythm as Killian’s tongue continued to lash and stroke her nubbin.

  She became totally lost in those caresses and the pleasure, having no sense of time, no awareness of anything but Killian as he continued to pleasure her to climax after climax.

  She roused herself enough to protest she was too heavy when she felt herself being lifted into Killian’s strong arms. A protest he ignored as he carried her down the hallway to her bedroom before entering the room and placing her carefully on the bed.

  “You aren’t leaving?” She grasped hold of his arm as he straightened, sure she must look a fright with her hair in wild disorder, her face flushed, and her lips bare of gloss.

  “Not yet,” he assured. “Take your dress off for me,” he encouraged gruffly.

  She released him as she sat up on the bed. “If you’ll undress too.”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” His gaze remained fixed on her as he slipped off his shoes before throwing off his jacket and tie. He lost patience when it came to unfastening the buttons on his shirt and ripped it open instead, revealing his muscular and tanned chest.

  Natalia continued to look at him as she released the fastening on her gown to slide the sleeves down and then off completely, revealing she wasn’t wearing a bra beneath. Full and swollen, her breasts were nevertheless pert and tipped with engorged and rose-colored nipples.

  “Completely off,” Killian instructed huskily as he unfastened his trousers and let them fall to the floor before stepping out of them.

  Natalia wriggled her gown down her hips, then took it off and tossed it to the floor. As Killian had ripped off her panties earlier, she was now completely naked, while he was still wearing black boxers. The fitted garment revealed the long length of his aroused cock. There was a damp patch visible on the material, but she was unsure whether that was from her or him.

  “Take those off too,” she said softly.

  She could barely breathe, certainly didn’t move, as Killian pushed his boxers down his muscular legs. His cock sprang free, long and heavy, with a thick vein running along its thickness, and a visible slickness on the mushroomed head.

  She licked her lips in anticipation of tasting him. “Come over here.” She held her hand out in invitation, smiling her approval when Killian stepped close enough to lightly clasp her fingers and allow himself to be drawn closer to the bed. “Don’t move,” she warned as she moved up onto her knees.

  She glanced up at him shyly before wrapping one of her hands about the heated and silky length of his cock and then lowering her head until she was able to take that bulbous top fully into her mouth to lap up his juices.

  He tasted both salty and sweet, and utterly addictive.

  Natalia had never done this before either, and she took her cues from Killian’s indrawn breaths and groans to guide her as she licked and sucked that delicious length in and out of her mouth in rhythm with the pumping of her hand along the inches that wouldn’t fit inside that heat.

  His appreciative low moans grew more intense when she cupped her other hand beneath his balls. She felt that sac tighten in her palm when she pressed a finger against the sensitive skin behind.

  His hands grasped tightly to her shoulders. “Keep that up and I’m going to— Oh fecking hell!” he gasped as his cock swelled even more and his balls drew up tight beneath it, telling Natalia he was close to releasing. She was inexperienced, not ignorant of the workings of a male body.

  Natalia smiled about his throbbing cock, continuing to press and pump that responsive flesh as pulse after pulse of delicious-tasting cum shot into her mouth to be quickly swallowed down before the arrival of the next one.

  She didn’t stop sucking and pumping until she was sure she’d drained him of every drop.

  She released him reluctantly, her gaze once again shy when she looked at him.

  His eyes were feverish, his cheeks flushed, his bottom lip slightly swollen, as if he had bitten it to stop himself from crying out when he reached his release.

  That fevered gaze avoided meeting hers. “I— That was— Thank you.”

  “No, thank you,” she came back teasingly.

  A frown appeared between his eyes. “I’m not sure we should have—”

  “Don’t ruin it, Killian.” Her humor faded as she cut firmly across what she was sure were going to be words of regret. Whereas she had never felt so fulfilled, so in her element, and so sure of anything as she was that she’d been born to pleasure Killian and to have Killian pleasure her. “Do you want to—”

  “No! Sorry.” He grimaced at his sharpness. “Let’s not compound the situation, hm?” he amended gently.

  “Then let’s just get into bed for now, hm?” She moved so she could fold back the duvet invitingly. “We can talk about this again in the morning, if you feel we need to.” Personally, she would just prefer that they carry on where they’d left off. It didn’t require either of them talking.

  Killian stared at her for several long, tense minutes before giving an abrupt nod. “Okay.”

  Natalia heaved a sigh of contentment and closed her eyes once they were both beneath the bedcovers and she was cuddled securely in Killian’s arms with her head resting on his chest and one of her legs thrown over both of his.

  As if she feared he might disappear in the middle of the night if she didn’t hold on to him tightly.

  If that was true, then she couldn’t have held on to him tightly enough, because in the morning, Killian was not only gone from her bed but, she also quickly realized, he’d removed himself as her bodyguard.

  “What the feck is going on with you?” Jericho demanded after Killian had opened the door to the hotel suite and let him inside. “Whatever it is, you look like shite,” he added as he dropped his bag on the floor.

  “Keep your voice down or you’ll wake Natalia,” Killian hissed.

  Jericho narrowed hazel eyes on what Killian knew from looking in the bathroom mirror this morning was his ashen face.

  The moment Natalia had fallen asleep deeply enough that Killian was gently able to ease himself out of her arms and then the bed, he left her bedroom. Uncaring of Leon’s request not to be disturbed during his honeymoon, Killian had put a call straight through to the older man and asked him to send one of his cousins to Paris as his replacement.

  Leon had been in the middle of demanding to know why when another voice spoke in the background. Killian was able to hear Leon and his wife having a brief conversation, but not the content of it.

  Whatever Carla had said to Leon, the other man came back on the line a few minutes later to tell him Jericho was currently in London dealing with some other business for him, but that he would arrange for Jericho to fly to Paris immediately and replace Killian.


  Then had come the waiting for Killian’s cousin to arrive, all of those minutes spent knowing that if Natalia woke first, there was going to be one almighty row between the two of them because he was leaving without even discussing it with her.

  But what could Killian tell her?

  He couldn’t do this anymore?

  That, much as he’d enjoyed last night—enjoyed it? Being intimate with Natalia had been the only thing he’d longed for these past two years and it had been everything, more, than he had ever dreamed—it had also totally compromised his ability to act as her bodyguard. Something he’d known at the time but decided not to give a damn about the moment he had Natalia’s mouth sucking on his cock.

  Just as he hadn’t cared, not right then, that Natalia was in love with and heartbroken about another man and had only turned to Killian as a sop to her injured pride.

  That had come later when Killian lay in bed beside her, holding her naked body tightly against his and listening to her breathe as she slept, and knowing he would never hold her in his arms like this again.

  “What happened, man?” Jericho now prompted in a softer voice. “You’ve been coveting your right to head Natalia’s protective detail for years, and now it seems you’re just going to walk away.”

  A nerve pulsed in Killian’s cheek. “I’m not walking, I’m fecking running.”

  “Why?”

  He breathed out noisily. “Because I overstepped the bodyguard/client line.” No point in keeping secrets from his cousin.

  The two men were both aged thirty-five, and Jericho was the cousin Killian had been closest to when they were growing up together in Ireland. Over the years, they’d not only worked together, but partied together, gotten drunk together, and once even bedded two sisters in the same bedroom. Killian didn’t have too many secrets from his auburn-haired cousin.

  Jericho had hated that his hair was red when he was growing up, but once he reached his teens, it darkened to a rich auburn that only looked red in certain lights, just as his hazel eyes fluctuated in color between blue and green. He didn’t have any freckles to go with that coloring, but what he did have were tattoos. Lots of them. They weren’t visible at the moment, hidden beneath a black cashmere sweater worn over dark blue jeans, but Killian knew there were tattoos on Jericho’s back, both shoulders, and down his forearms.

  None of which was of the least fecking importance when Killian had this huge block of concrete wedged in his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe.

  Jericho winced. “What did you do, man?”

  Killian glared. “I’m not discussing the details with you.”

  His cousin held up his hands. “I’m not asking you to. I just wanted to know if you did something serious enough that Leon is going to want to kick your arse out the door when he gets back from his honeymoon. If he does, then know we’ll all have your back.”

  Killian hadn’t even cared about the possibility of facing Leon’s anger last night. He’d wanted Natalia so badly, and for so long, that the first taste of her had made him an addict.

  And everyone knew the only way to deal with an addiction was to go cold turkey before it killed you.

  If Leon took exception to Killian’s behavior with Natalia, that’s exactly how he might end up!

  “What were you doing in London?” He frowned, knowing Jericho had been with the newly married couple when Leon and Carla left on their honeymoon a few days ago.

  Jericho dropped into an armchair. “He has Kieran and Liam with him, and the rest of the island’s security, so he had me take his private jet to London to deliver some paperwork to the Russians that he didn’t want appearing in an email.”

  It was virtually unheard of for two rival organizations like the Italian Mafia and the Russian Bratva to join forces on anything, but the infiltration of violent gangs from Romania and other Eastern Bloc countries had made it necessary for them to do so if they were going to stop those gangs from taking over organized crime around the world. Three months ago, Leon Brunelli, head of the Italian Mafia worldwide and based in New York, and Gregori Markovic, head of the London Russian Mafia, had made an alliance between their two organizations that included them doing business together on occasion and protecting the other’s interests against those rival gangs when it didn’t.

  “The jet is waiting at the airport to take you to the island in my stead,” Jericho added when Killian remained silent.

  He nodded abruptly. “My bag’s already packed, and I’m ready to go now.”

  “Go where?”

  Killian’s whole body tensed at the sound of the same voice that had called out his name in pleasure the night before.

  Natalia.

  So much for Killian’s hope that he would be able to leave before she woke up. Cowardly, maybe, but he simply wasn’t up to trying to explain his actions to her right now.

  Not without completely admitting he was in love with her, all while knowing she’d merely been using him last night because of her hurt feelings over Asselin’s rejection of her.

  Chapter Nine

  “I asked where you’re going,” Natalia repeated. Not that she really needed an answer.

  She hadn’t been best pleased when she woke up alone in her bed, the cold sheet beside her telling her that Killian had been gone for some time. She’d quickly got out of bed and pulled on and fastened her silk robe over her nakedness.

  But she knew Killian’s travel bag as well as she knew her own, and she’d seen that bag sitting beside the door out of the suite on her way to where she could hear the murmur of two male voices in the sitting room. One of those voice had been easily recognizable as Killian’s. She’d assumed the other one was either Evan or Luke.

  She certainly hadn’t expected to enter the room and realize that second voice belonged to Jericho Price.

  But the other man’s presence, along with that packed bag near the door, made Killian’s intentions all too obvious.

  He was leaving.

  And he’d arranged for Jericho to replace him—what on earth could Killian have told her father to get his immediate agreement to this change in her lead bodyguard?—obviously with no intention of saying goodbye to her before he left.

  The hurt over his actions came first, almost crippling her, but it was now quickly being replaced with anger the more time passed without Killian answering her question.

  Her eyes narrowed to angry slits. “You cowardly bastard.”

  “I believe that’s my cue to go and unpack my bag,” Jericho murmured before slipping out of the room.

  Neither Natalia nor Killian acknowledged his leaving, both too intent on the visual battle of wills taking place between them.

  Killian was finally the one to break first. “I—”

  “Don’t,” Natalia bit out between gritted teeth. “Just tell me what you said to my father to convince him to let Jericho replace you so quickly.”

  “I didn’t tell him anything. I started to,” he added when she gave a disbelieving snort. “But then Carla spoke in the background and your father went offline for a few minutes. When he came back, it was to tell me he was sending Jericho to take over from me.”

  “No questions asked?”

  “None.”

  That was probably because Carla was aware of Natalia’s feelings for Killian. The two women had never spoken on the subject, but they were close enough friends that she was pretty sure her new stepmother was aware of Natalia’s interest in Killian. Even so, she doubted her father would be as reticent with her about demanding answers when next they met.

  “Fine.” Natalia nodded abruptly. “You’d better go, then.” She turned away.

  “Natalia!” Killian gripped her arm and swung her back to face him. “I’m doing what I think is best for both of us.”

  “Really?” she scorned. “Wouldn’t you actually have to ask for my opinion to know what’s best for me?” She was so hurt, so fucking hurt, she could cheerfully have hit him and not regretted it. Maybe later, but
certainly not now.

  Last night had been magical. Everything she’d ever wanted with Killian. Well, maybe not everything, because they hadn’t made love fully. But she’d fallen asleep in his arms the previous night believing they would make up for that omission this morning. Instead, she’d woken up alone and seconds later learned that Killian had spent part of the night arranging to leave her.

  God knows what her father thought of the situation, even with Carla’s input.

  As for Jericho…

  Knowing how close the cousins had always been, it was uncomfortable for Natalia to acknowledge that Jericho probably knew exactly what had happened between his cousin and her the previous night. Especially when he was now taking over as her bodyguard twenty-four-seven.

  She would deal with that embarrassment later. Right now, she had to try to salvage what was left of her battered pride. First Henri had destroyed all her hopes and dreams of becoming a fashion designer. Now Killian was showing her, with his hurried departure, that the dream she’d had of him one day falling in love with her wasn’t even a possibility. By having Jericho replace him, Killian couldn’t have shown her any more clearly that he considered last night to have been a mistake.

  Natalia had no intention of allowing him to think otherwise by making a fool of herself and pleading with him to change his mind and stay. “You’re right,” she stated flatly. “Last night shouldn’t have happened, and it’s for the best if Jericho now takes over as lead of my personal security detail. Hopefully, he doesn’t snore like you do,” she added dryly.

  Killian glared. “The two of you should never be in close enough proximity for you to ever learn whether or not he snores.”

  “I knew way before we shared a bed last night that you snored,” she taunted. “Sometimes loud enough to wake the dead.”

  Killian was well aware that she couldn’t have heard him snore the previous night because he hadn’t fallen asleep. He’d continued to hold her naked in his arms for as long as he dared without his restlessness waking her, and then spent the rest of the night either making his plans to leave or pacing the sitting room as he waited for Jericho to arrive.