Dark Demands 04: Bound to Him (7 page)

Gina had hoped that Matthew would make some excuse and stay away
.  She
’d
half expected
him
to speak to her dad at the office
instead
– but no
, he didn’t.  There was no
lame excuse to postpone
and he
arrived on time looking as handsome and suave as always and clutching a large bunch of white roses for Grace.

He kissed Grace on the cheek and shook her dad’s hand warmly before turning to Gina.  A small smile - forced and
without warmth followed by a sweep of his
dark, moody eyes
over
the length of
her body
was
all
she got
.   Was he
angry with her for some reason – for not contacting him perhaps after that night in his penthouse?  Or was he
looking for signs of change – some indication of how her body had altered because of childbirth?
  That would be it, she decided.  He was so selfish that should he decide to take her to his bed again he would want her perfect and not spoiled in any way by just having given birth.

Gina glowered back and merely nodded her recognition.  She’d not made much of an effort.  She was wearing her old tight jeans and a loose tee shirt.  Her long blonde hair cascaded freely down her back and her face was devoid of any make up. 
Take it or leave it
– she thought as his eyes continued their private
but
critical
appraisal
of her appearance
.

He, on the other hand was immaculate in a dark beautifully fitted suit and cream shirt with a deep blue tie.  He stood and chatted to Grace easily his hands in his trouser pockets and looking so damned gorgeous.  Gorgeous, hot and smelling of that tantalising cologne he
always
wore.  She wante
d to go to him – to wrap her arms
around his broad frame and sink into his very being.
  Instead she sniffed and grabbing a bag of nappies hauled James from his crib and mumbled something about having to change him.

“Allow me,” Matthew surprised her with those eyes
of his
boring into her
s
.  “
I can do that if you wish,” he offered.

“It’s no trouble and I wouldn’t want you to get your clothes all messed up,” she put to him with a surprised sneer.

“
You may not think it from what you know
about
me but I do have some experience with infants,” he assured her
taking off his jacket and
wiping the surprise from her face
. 

Gina couldn’t think from where this experience would have come from.  She’d met his step mother and his sister and neither of them had small children.

Seeing her bewilderment he smiled understandingly and explained.

“Katarina used to work at a nursery in
Portofino
and from time to time I used to help out. 
I’m back there so infrequently
that the only way I could spend any time with her was to
lend a hand,” he explained with a shrug.  “
Whenever they w
ere short staffed, w
ent out on trips or had birthday parties,” he clarified.

Gina nodded
– so he
really
could do
the baby thing.  Mr perfect with
his arsenal of
particular
skills struck again!
 
But somehow s
he just couldn’t imagine the wonderful
, high powered business man that was
Matthew Dark waist high in small children and actually coping.

“He’s cutting his first teeth,” she told him holding out his teething ring.  “If he’s tetchy give him this to bite on.” 

Gina was too amazed by this admission - this new side to him to refuse.  So as Matthew
held out his arms
she proffered the wriggly bundle
and watched as he calmly cradled their son in one arm while continuing his conversation with Grace. 
James was perfectly at
ease with
this arrangement and gurgled happily while staring up at the handsome strange
r who
had hold of him. 
Then after
disappe
aring upstairs to the nursery Matthew
returned minutes later with baby James changed and happily
sleeping in his arms
.

“See, piece of cake,” he smirked handing him back
to his mother
.  “He’s a lovely boy – can’t
decide who he looks like though but
I
can’t
see much of
Hastings
in him,” he noted
smugly
.  “Or you either, Gina, for that matter.”

Gina
scowled back and
put
James down
in his crib
.  Was h
e trying to make some point, she wondered
? 
Surely he couldn’t have
guessed
?  If he suspected anything, anything at all then he would have said something
she
reminded
her
self as her heart raced
.   Gina
carefully
tucked a blanket around James
then
followed the others into the dining room. 

She wasn’t really very hungry and she certainly didn’t feel like making small talk. 
And then
there was
the
atmosphere – the conversation seemed
forced and
stilted
.  
Grace kept giving her father sneaky little looks and trying to get him to leave with her – leave Matthew and Gina on their own 
Talk about ‘elephant in the room’. 
All four
of them
were really struggling.  Her dad was trying to keep the chat about business but Grace kept on about James and how he was developing and growing.  Gina wasn’t fooled – she knew Grace was trying to
draw him in – trying to get Matthew
to ask questions that she didn’t want to answer. 

Thankfully
a couple of hours later Matthew decided to leave.  He thanked Grace for the meal, swapped a few pleasantries and arrangements with her dad and then asked if Gina would see him out. 

First s
he checked on her so
n who was lying asleep.  “Have you seen James’s teething ring – the
one he can hold
?”  S
he asked carefully moving the covers over his small body so as not to disturb him.
  “Matthew did you bring it back with you from the nursery?”

Dark shook his head – he’d no idea.  “Probably not,” he decided.  “Why is it important?”

“Well it
’s
his favourite – that and this little bear,” she said shaking a small handful of plush, velvet fabric at him.  “They can be funny
at this age
about what they like – I’ll look for it later.”

She trailed after him down the hall and stood in the hallway as he made to leave.

“Goodnight, Matthew,” she smiled a quick half smile and
tried
to close the door
behind him
.

“Not so fast, Miss Deverell
,” he said pushing
his large frame behind t
he door to keep it open.  “I think we have some
unfinished business,
don’t you?”
  He watched her for a few moments – watched
her eyes widen and the fai
nt flush colour her cheeks.   He
reached forward and placed a hand on
her belly.  “You’ve got that wonderful
figure back.  That’s very good – and very quick - so when do I get to sample the new you?” 

Gina put all her weight behind the door but Matthew just shook his handsome head and didn’t budge.  The hand that had caressed her belly
had
now moved up to one of her breasts and Gina groaned softly.

“Perhaps dinner with me – alone – just the two of us and then per
haps we can talk things through,
”
he said with
that delicious
smile
of his
on his face
as his hand went
deliberately
under her tee shirt
.   “No bra
–
now there’s
a blatant
invitation
if ever there was one – what do you think
, Miss Deverell
?
”
H
e asked his
dark eyes glint
ing
with
desire as he explored further
.  The skin of her breast
s
felt cool, soft and very inviting.  He feathered his fingertips lightly over
both
her nipple
s
feeling
them
harden and swell as he pinched
and pulled
lightly.

This intimate
caress had
Gina burning
with
all the familiar
need
. 
As his fingers touched her
sensitive
peak
s
her response was instant.  F
iery hot tongues
sprung into action -
lick
ing
and flaming a
scalding
dance straight
to her sex.  God how she
’d missed
him
, missed this
– and in the worst possible way.  She
missed his control, the way he
dominate
d
her
,
she
missed the frenzied, electric, all consuming delight of having him tie her down and use her
for his own pleasure
until orgasm was all that filled her world.

“I’m
not leaving just yet,” he whispered moving closer
–
his hands kneading her flesh
.  “I’m
going to make you come
first
– come and scream
,” he
promised
twisting one of her peaks hard – so hard that she winced in pain.  “Like it, don’t you?”  He smirked
knowingly and moved
his hand
so that he could
rub between her legs over her jeans.  “
You’ll have missed this as you lay in bed with
Hastings
’s – when all you had were his hands and his vanilla tastes to arouse your body.”   He pinched again – and watched her inhale deeply and close her eyes as the pleasure hit.  “
I
hurt
your breast
but
you thrill
in here
, don’t you Gina?
”
H
e
said
strok
ing
her sex harder and twist
ing
her nipple again
with his other hand
.

“
Loosen your jeans,” he ordered.  “
Like I said – I want you
to
come for me
,” he
insisted
tempt
ingly
.

“
No – not here – I can’t,” she told him falteringly and looking back along the hallway to see if her dad or Grace was watching them.  “I rather you just went and left me alone.”

“No you wouldn’t
– you
want me to pleasure you.  You
like it when I torment and you’re as hot as hell right now – aren’t you?”

She couldn’t answer him – he was so right – again! 
But the way he just stood there – smirking at her – knowing she was finding his invitation so very tempting meant that nothing short of slamming the door in face would get rid of him.
   But she couldn’t –
s
he
just couldn’t turn her back and refuse him.  She
was still
so very vulnerable
.  W
here he was concerned
she just couldn’t say no a
nd he
was well aware of that.  So he stood
watching her
struggle with her needs– an amused look on his
beautif
ul face
as
he
stared straight into her
eyes
in that special way of his
.  Would she always be
such
a sucker for that look from him
, she wondered
?