Betraying Beauty (Sons of Lucifer MC): Vegas Titans Series (11 page)

“That was not my fault!” I shout back, realizing I sound
like a two-year old. “You can’t expect me to see that asshole and try to play
nice.”

“I can expect you to act like a fucking adult and not pick
fights everywhere you go! Besides, you’re not even supposed to be here right
now. No text, no phone call—our agreement explicitly stated that you let me
handle your case my way. So what the hell are you doing here in my office without
any warning?”

Her anger has me off-balance. “Sorry teacher, next time I’ll
ask for permission before I go to the bathroom.”

She groans in exasperation. “Oh my god, Dominic! Grow up! This
isn’t a campground and we’re not eighteen. What do you want?” she groans,
slumping in her chair and burying her head in her hands.

I admit this is not how I was hoping this conversation would
go.

“This was delivered to the clubhouse today, from Colt, with
a blackmail threat.” I toss the envelope on her desk, crossing my arms and
suddenly feeling stupid. Through gritted teeth, I confess: “I need your help.”

Wow, that was hard to say. I can’t remember ever saying that
to anyone else in my entire life. Shit. Fuck.

Harper’s head lifts. She gives me a long, long look that
makes me begin to sweat a little. Then she wordlessly opens the envelope and slides
the pictures out, spreading them on her desk. Last but not least, Colt’s
hand-written blackmail threat drifts to the top.

Harper stares at the pile, her chin in her hands, for a
heavy moment. She is quiet for so long I can hear the radiator clicking in the
background.

I can’t take the silence anymore. “Well?”

Without looking up Harper asks, “Has he shown these to his
lawyer?”

“I don’t know.”

She reaches for the inter-office phone on her desk and
punches in some numbers.

“Harper, what are we gonna do?”
            Ignoring me, she speaks into the receiver. “Sloane, get me Roger.
Roger, hi, Harper. Listen, I need you to phase me out of the Leviathan Corp
case. No questions, just do it. Have the firm pick it up, first priority. I’ll
be throwing everything at the Colt Cobain suit and a conflict of interests has
arisen. Make sure my name is completely removed from all paperwork regarding
Leviathan. Thanks.”

She bangs the receiver down and scribbles some notes on a
legal pad.

“Harper,” I say, trying to get her attention. “Harper, hey,
fill me in. What are you thinking?”

She’s rummaging in a drawer, moving at a hundred miles an
hour.  She pulls out some paper with a very fancy-looking letterhead.

“I can’t be involved in the Leviathan Corp case anymore,”
she explains. “If these photos surface with my face in them, my entire firm
becomes implicit in the crimes at the D.C. You’re caught red-handed for
trespassing, destruction of property, assault. God, maybe even murder. And I’m
there too. These photos could tank your case against Colt but we’re gonna try
to move faster than him and resolve the suit before it hits court. I’m faxing
his lawyer a settlement offer, still twice what he offered before. You’re going
to lay low.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah, well, you commit a crime, it usually bites you in the
ass at some point.”

“Thanks for the dazzling insight.”

She shoots me a lethal look. “Dominic, I’m not here to
coddle you. You know I think what you did at the D.C. was wrong. Your motives
were good, but shit, you killed people honey. Even so the truth is the D.C. is
way worse than what you and the Sons did. Leviathan is worse. So I’m not going
to let our personal mistakes get in the way of justice here.”

“Our mistakes?”

She picks up the photo of us together and holds it up to my
face. “In a court of law, it doesn’t matter why I am in this photo: I’m in this
photo, I’m part of what you did, I can’t deny it.”

I watch her scribble, type, and sign a document before
rushing it through a fax machine in the corner. It’s like watching the
Tasmanian devil—fast and incomprehensible. But she clearly knows what she’s
doing. The fax machine beeps and she resets her shoulders.

“There, that’s all I can do right now.”

She turns her back to me, staring out the window. It’s a
clear, sweltering view of Las Vegas. I bet the Strip looks pretty sexy from
here at night.

“Wow.” I mosey closer to her, staring out of the glass.
“Nice view.”

Silence. I can feel her tension.

“Think that will work? The fax?”
            She doesn’t look at me. “Yes.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

More silence. This is killing me.

“Hey,” I say, “Are you ok? How’s that chin?”

I reach over and gently turn Harper’s face back to me,
inspecting. She winces.

“Sore?” I ask.

She nods.

“That was pretty epic, what you just did in there.”

“What?” Those big blue eyes of hers are making my stomach
twist. “Oh, yeah, yeah, Haden. Blackmail. Character crucifixion. Having to bow
out of the biggest case in the history of this firm. Sort of an epic day.”

“You okay?”

“I’m okay.” A frown flickers over her face. “I should be
asking if you’re okay, shouldn’t I? You must have been panicking about the
pictures. And then Haden. God, he said some awful things.”

“I’m okay,” I laugh. “I’m fine. Great, actually. Been
wanting to do that for ten years. Haden, I mean.”

She laughs absently. “Yeah, try twenty-eight.”

Her hand flies to her forehead, rubbing down to her neck,
and she’s fiddling that necklace again. It seems to be a nervous habit of hers,
I’ve noticed; whenever she’s worked up, she twists whatever that little pendant
is in her fingers like a lucky charm. I want to catch her hands in mine, calm
her down, make her believe she’s safe.

“I’m sorry about Haden,” she says after a pause. “I tried to
tell you about him before. He’s…got a personality disorder. Sociopath. He’s an actual
sociopath. No emotions. No sense of right and wrong. Been in treatment since we
were kids, but I doubt it’s done him any good. That’s why I was so scared of
him back then.”

“But you beat your fears today,” I say softly. “Broke free.
Stood up to him.”

She blinks at me, looking stunned. “I guess I did.”

“You told him you choose me.”

     I take a step closer to her, carefully. I don’t want to
spook her.
            “Did I?” she whispers.

     “You told him you love me.”

     Another step.

     Her breath catches in her throat and she stumbles
backward a step away from me, eyes wide with alarm. “Dominic, I…I mean…I was
just…you don’t have to say anything.”

Her back presses against the window, and she can’t back away
any further. I only stop when my body is inches away from hers. Tentatively, I
trace my hands down the line from her shoulders to her hands, tangling my
fingers with hers.

“Harper, I’ve been wanting to hear you say that ever since I
first met you at camp, as kids, ten years ago. I knew right away, but it took
you fucking long enough.”

     Tears spring to her eyes, and I’ll be damned if I don’t
feel a little water welling up myself.

     “But you hate me,” she gulps. “You think I’m a ruthless
trust-fund bitch who is only useful to you because of the Colt situation.”

     “What?” I laugh. “That’s ridiculous. I do not hate you.”

     “Do too.”

     “Do not!”

     “Do too.”

     “Do not.”

     “Do—”

     I can’t wait anymore and before I know it I’ve snatched
her in my arms, kissing her lips like a desperate man. I pull her toward me
until our bodies collide. Hungry for all of her, I press her into me and cover her
lips with mine. She tastes like rain, like home.

I let all my feelings go into that kiss. I let the world
stop, finally, and I pour myself into her.

The kiss says everything I’ve wanted to say to Harper, everything
I’ve tried to say and tried not to say; that I missed her, that I thought about
her every day, that there’d never been anyone else. That seeing her again that
night at the Depraved Club had almost given me a heart attack, and somehow
brought me to life again. That being near her again had brought up so many
feelings and longings I hadn’t felt in a decade. That I had wanted so
desperately to hate her, to pretend I didn’t care.

Apparently I was a good actor, if I convinced her I hated
her. But I never did. I’d wanted to believe the worst of her, lump her in with
my enemies, but could never find any thing to hate about her. Hard as I tried,
much as I wanted to stop loving her at times, I never did.

Never will.

All of that is in this kiss. It’s the kiss I’ll remember on
my deathbed.

She’s shaking in my arms, melting and gasping for breath. I
pull back to give her a second, and feel her tears falling on my hands.

“Dominic,” she breathes, “Please, don’t play games with me.
I don’t think I could take it. I’m not as strong as you.”

Not as strong? What is she talking about? She’s taken on the
Depraved Club and her brother for me today, standing against all the shit that
used to hold us apart.

I think we can maybe take on the world, together.

“Hey!” I tip her chin, forcing her to meet my eyes. “This is
life or death, baby. You and me. Now. For real. I want you.”

Hope flickers across her face. “You and me?”

“You and me.”

To prove it, I kiss her again and don’t stop until we’re
both gasping and stumble against her desk.

“Is this really happening?” She asks.

I nod emphatically. “God I hope so,” I groan between kisses.
“Harper, I love you. Always have.”

Chapter Twelve

Harper

Honestly, I can’t even remember how we got from my office to
my apartment building. It’s a literal miracle that I managed to reign in my
raging hormones long enough to get us somewhere private, somewhere we can be
alone. The journey to Sahara Ave is a blur, bookended by kisses and the sound
of my own heartbeat thundering in my ears so loud that all the downtown traffic
and lights are overpowered by my own excitement.

I love you.

He’s next to me, his body tense and his pupils dilated,
mirroring my own urgency to get to a bedroom ASAP. Neither one of us seems to
be able to talk as we rush through my building’s lobby, and my doorman gives us
a wry once-over. Oh my god is it so obvious; the doorman clearly can tell we’re
in a hurry to have sex.

Oh well. Life isn’t about having your doorman’s respect. I’m
human, damn it. I have needs.

And this is Dominic.

This is the one I’ve always wanted, the moment I’ve always
dreamed of.

This is the one.

Has the damn lobby always been this big? It seems to take
for-fucking ever to cross from the front door to the elevator; someone could
die of thirst. We should install a watering hole in this lobby. I can hear our
footsteps echoing, our breath catching. Dominic glances at me over his
shoulder, and winks.

Jesus. I can’t feel my legs, I’m so excited. And my cheeks
are on fire.

Then it takes an eternity for the elevator door to shut.
I’ve never resented the elevator attendant so much, standing there in his
maroon cap and blazer, carefully avoiding impolite eye contact with us, making
it impossible to have elevator sex. I hate him. Robby? Is that his name? I hate
Robby. What a cockblock. I could have been having elevator sex right now if not
for stupid Robby. You can cut through this sexual tension with a knife.

Finally we’re on my floor, the penthouse level.

Somehow Dominic has the presence of mind to slip Robby a
ten, which I somehow have the presence of mind to notice and admire, but then
the elevator doors close and Robby’s out of the picture.

We’re finally alone.

All bets are off, as is Dominic’s leather jacket. He lets it
fall in a heap as if he’s forgotten it, staring at me with naked desire blazing
from his eyes.

God! The size of him, the beauty of him: that square jaw,
the dark curling hair, the tribal tattoos up and down his arms. Everything he’s
lived and thought is staring at me through those grey-green eyes, devouring the
sight of me like I’m all he’s ever wanted. He’s two hundred pounds of lean mean
testosterone, the star of all my fantasies right here in front of me.

Every muscle in his body is rippling with a terrible control
that’s about to break, yet somehow I don’t feel any fear.

“Come here,” Dominic demands, his voice husky.

He doesn’t have to ask. Our bodies snap together like
magnets, and suddenly I’m on another planet of sensation as we kiss and strain
together. He’s so strong, so masculine—a heady combination of danger and
desire.

I wouldn’t dream of escape.

His arms winding around my waist are powerful, but his hands
exploring down the small of my back and hips are surprisingly gentle. He’s
pulling me close against him, his fingertips exploring the contours of my
curves while his tongue plunders under mine.

God, it’s amazing already. Electrifying.

Yes, I’ve been with men before. Yes, Dominic has kissed me
before—years ago, but now my body responds with an aching recognition and
excitement, a homecoming celebration complete with fireworks. My hips rock
instinctively against his, pushing for more and more closeness. I don’t have to
force it, to hold myself back—and it’s such a relief, already, to let our
bodies meld together.

It’s finally happening in real time, not just in my dreams.
I’m not leaving him or scared of my family. I’m not his prisoner or his enemy. Now
there’s nothing standing between us, except for our clothes.

We’re finally free.

Dominic’s hands widen against my ass and pull me roughly
against him, letting me feel an already impressive erection under his jeans.

“Damn, baby,” he says. “You feel so right.”

He kisses my neck, pulling my body up close and tight. The
pressure of his muscles against my breasts and his hard-on against my thighs
sends heat spiraling like a river of lava down between my legs.

“I’ve wanted you for so long,” I groan. “You have no idea
how long, Dominic.”

“Since before the lake,” he murmurs.

“Yes,” I whisper, finding his lips. “Since before the lake,
and since your cabin, and your clubhouse, and every day in between.”

Another kiss. Another moan. His skin goes about seventeen
degrees hotter.

“Why don’t we finish what we started, way back then?” he
murmurs.

Both of us are trembling as his fingers find their way
beneath the hem of my sweater and start to roll it, slowly, over my head. He
only stops kissing me long enough to undress me and then his lips are back, claiming
the exposed skin of my collarbones and shoulders.

“Oh Dominic,” I breathe.

My skin is on fire, tingling with each touch and kiss. I
can’t keep my hands from roaming under his shirt and marveling at the taut
washboard of his abs. Impatient for more, Dominic rips off his shirt and pulls
my hands lower until I feel the throbbing outline of his hard-on through the
rough denim.

Oh my god. He’s huge! His cock is huge.

I’m really not surprised, I mean, he’s a big guy anyway and
I should have figured, but the anticipation momentarily takes my breath away. Dominic
laughs at my widened eyes as he expertly unlatches his belt and whips it off,
letting it fly somewhere.

“Don’t worry, baby,” he chuckles. “I know how to use it.”

He pulls me in close, pushing his erection against my hand
and tracing his fingertips over my bare back. His move from my mouth to my
earlobe, nibbling.

“Bedroom,” he orders, his breath and lips soft against my
ear. “I’d be happy to have you right here or anywhere, for that matter, but
let’s do this right the first time. Yeah?”

I can’t stop the bloom of color that washes over my face
like a wave, or the warm melting feeling in the base of my belly. We’ve been
inside for two seconds and he’s already making me feel so safe, so cherished.

So turned on.

“This way,” I murmur, walking backwards so I can keep
kissing his as we move inevitably toward the king-sized bed I’ve had to myself
for too many years. When my calves bump up against the mattress, halting our
progress, the corner of Dominic’s mouth quirks up in a predatory smile.

“Finally,” he says.

My stomach leaps.

Hedging me in with his body, he gently forces me to sit and
then lay on the mattress, pressing just enough of his weight over me to convey
the impossibility of escape. Another one of those deep, world-tilting kisses
happen, this time with the added sensation of his body on top of mine. Without
my even realizing he’s doing it, he somehow unhooks my bra and slides the lacy
material away. Suddenly it’s the bare skin of my torso singeing against the
heat of his, my breasts crushed and teased by his chest.

He kisses me longer, his tongue pushing deep like a hint of
what’s to come. At the same moment his hands close over my breasts.

“Oh, Dominic,” I breathe.

Searing heat rips through my entire body. He feels heavy and
fucking wonderful on top of me like that, and I know he likes the sensation too
because he lets out a low, long groan of satisfaction. The hand moves down to
the fly of my pants, which slide off with my panties in breathtaking speed.

I haven’t felt this alive, this desperate, and this right
since the last time Dominic and I were entwined in that lake, saying goodbye. But
thank god this isn’t the end; it’s the beginning.

I’m totally naked now.

“You’re pretty smooth,” I laugh, curling up towards him. It
feels so amazing to be able to wrap my body around him.

“Look who’s talking! I love how your skin feels.”

Dominic raises his head and gives my body a lingering look,
letting his hands roam. The calluses of his hands are rough and taunting and
exciting. Then he pushes back and stands at the edge of the bed, looking down
at me with a shit-eating grin.

“What?” I ask, laughing nervously.

“It’s just, you’re even more beautiful than I remember,” he
says. “I’ve dreamed about this so many times. Pictured it. But this is already
better.”

“God, me too. Now get back here.”

I scoot closer to the edge of the mattress, reaching up to
him. But before I can pull him back down on the bed he pushes me backwards,
kneeling between my legs and gently pushing them apart.

“Not yet,” Dominic says with a smile. “I want to taste you.”

And his mouth is on me, just like that—no warning, no
hesitation. His tongue is firm and sensual over my clit, his fingers digging
into my hips to hold me steady.

“Jesus,” I moan, arching. He’s making circles and rubbing,
the warmth and wetness and pressure of his tongue turning my body into an
instrument he plays like an expert. Tingling, intense pleasure radiates from my
clit to my toes, growing stronger as he picks up the pace.

“Oh god, Dominic!”

It’s impossible not to laugh in joy, not to moan in pleasure.
Goose bumps rise all over my body. It’s intense, a fine line between ecstasy
and fire.

“You taste so good,” he murmurs.

Dominic’s hands join his tongue, stroking me, and then his
fingers push inside, thrusting. I’m at the edge of reason, moving and gasping
with him in perfect sync. His hands, his tongue, his touch.

“Oh my god, Dominic! Yes!”

“Cum for me, baby!”
            “Yes, Dominic!”

“Come on, baby.”

“Yes!”

He doesn’t have to ask me; I’m already there, an atomic
burst of light and heat and throbbing near-painful bliss. My body tenses and
uncurls around Dominic’s hands, thrashing out its release. Everything throbs
and tingles.

“Oh god!”

“Yes, Harper! God you’re great, baby.”

He doesn’t stop stroking my clit until I am almost
immobilized, sighing and ravaged on the bed. Then he chuckles and kisses his
way up my belly until his body is covering mine. I nuzzle my face into his
neck, trembling, and kiss his firm muscles.

“Wow,” I moan.

“I like feeling you cum.”

“I like how you make me cum.”

But this isn’t actually a chance to rest. It dawns on me
that I can feel his skin all the way along my legs and warm like fire on my
hips. Skin on skin, thigh on thigh, and the full hardness of his dick pressing
against me. Somewhere in there, he lost the rest of his clothes.

The piercing hardness of his cock is tantalizing, pressed
against my pubic mound with nothing between us.

“Guess you’re happy to see me,” I joke.

“Like that?” He smiles, pressing himself against me until I
my breath catches. “Like feeling my cock, baby?”

“Yes.”

Dominic kisses my head, my cheek, my shoulder, until I can’t
take it anymore and meet his mouth with mine in a counter-attack. He groans,
deep in his throat, a guttural, animal sound that makes my insides jump. Our
tongues are urgent and battling, tasting and seeking.

The temperature in the room shoots to a gazillion degrees.

Wrapping my arms around his massive shoulders, I roll until Dominic
lets me spin to the top. Now I can move more freely, take advantage of the
impressive length of naked, hot man underneath me.

I let myself rub and undulate, loving the feel of his skin
and chest hair against mine. Dominic doesn’t seem to mind my playfulness, his
hands squeezing my ass possessively.

Then I slide backward, sitting between his legs and letting
my nails scratch lightly against his thighs. His cock is huge, fully erect, and
I can see a vein throbbing with excitement. I wrap my lips around him and take
him in my mouth, sucking and using my hands to stroke him until he’s hard as iron.

“Jesus,” he gasps, a strangled sound.

It’s payback time, and I love hearing Dominic’s jagged
breath and moans of pleasure. I wet and tease him until his thigh muscles are
trembling and his hands are gripping on my shoulders desperately.

“Stop, baby, stop, you’re gonna make me cum, and I need to
fuck you. Wait. I’ve got to be inside you. Now.”

“I want you inside me.”

“God, baby, come here.”

Somehow he catches my shoulders in his hands and pulls me
up, rolling over and pinning me under him. He kisses me fiercely, his body
surging against me like a tidal wave, his cock rubbing between my legs.

“Oh god, you’re so wet baby,” he moans. “Wait, I have a
condom.”

“No,” I say, surprising myself, grabbing his hand away from
his pants and redirecting it back to my breast. I don’t want anything between
us. “Now. Just you. Inside me, Dominic. Please.”