Irresistible Nemesis (12 page)

Jesus Christ, what the hell was he doing barging into BPA headquarters? Was he trying to get himself killed?

Eva bolted out of her bedroom and ran down the stairs towards the front door. The voices seemed to get louder and louder. What she saw when she finally arrived at the entrance, made her quiver. Four big, burly men attempted to hold Andreas back as Oliver ordered him to turn around and get back in his car.

“I am not going anywhere until I talk to that fucking traitor.

Where the hell is she?” Andreas thrashed his arms and legs as he unleashed his fury on those closest to him. Then he sent one of his captives flying through the air. Eva needed to end this before somebody got hurt, and she had a feeling it wouldn’t be her vampire.

“Andreas, stop! You must calm down.” Eva’s voice remained steady as she coaxed him to comply with her demands. He was angry and volatile and pinned her down with a defiant stare. “If you promise not to hurt anyone, I’ll tell them to release you.” With his crimson eyes still blazing red against the dark sky, he barred his fangs and snarled as if ready to attack.

“Please. Leave them be. They’re only protecting me. I know you’re upset. Come upstairs and we can talk in private. You can take your anger out on me if you must.” Andreas stood his ground. A solid, unmovable force draped in the doorway. The veins in his neck pulsated as the seconds ticked on. His corded muscles tightened and flexed, at war with his futile emotions. Several moments passed before he nodded in agreement.

“Oliver, make them let him go. I’ll take full responsibility for his actions.” Eva knew very well that she was taking a monumental risk with her comrades’ lives. Oliver paused and rubbed his thumb and index finger along his jawline in contemplation. Then he acquiesced and instructed his men to release their captive. Eva crooked her finger at Andreas, motioning for him to follow her.

As she escorted him up the stairs to her room, she felt Andreas’s gaze concentrated on her backside. Eva walked ahead of him down the winding hallway. She was almost sure he’d had a clear view all the way up her mini-dress.

What a perfect day for me to go commando.
Just thinking about him getting his peep on, had her juices flowing. Unfortunately, Andreas wanted to kill her, not fuck her.

Once they were secured inside her room with the door shut, Eva turned to face Andreas. He stood in silence without saying so much as a word. His expression blank. She’d expected him to scream obscenities at her as soon they entered her bedroom. She didn’t have a clue what to say to him. How could she explain to a blood-thirsty vampire that she had betrayed his fragile trust? After what seemed like an eternity, she broke the deafening silence.

“Andreas. Say something!”

“I’m trying really hard not to rip you to shreds.” Andreas answered under his breath, his jaw wired shut as if struggling to maintain control. He tossed the manila folder onto the bed. “Tell me what’s in that folder isn’t true? Because if it is, by God, I’ll have to fucking kill you!” Eva didn’t even bother to look inside it. She knew why he’d come. It was time to shatter the façade. She had to end it.

Otherwise she’d lose her nerve.

“Yes. It’s true!” Eva roared at him. Her wicked tongue lashed out at him, desperate to hide the unshed tears behind her eyes. “What else do you want me to say? I was doing my job for Christ’s sake. We both knew from the beginning that this was a game. Now be a good sport and accept defeat.” Her entire body shook, quivering from head to toe as she enunciated each word. Andreas didn’t seem to listen.

Instead, he stared at the erratic movement of her unsteady hands. The bastard never missed a beat. This time, her convulsions weren’t caused by sexual need. It was fear. She was afraid he’d walk out of her bedroom and never come back. Eva had screwed up this case.

Royally. Even if BPA made the charges against the Kristopolous family stick, she wouldn’t be able to stay in New York. How could she, knowing she’d run into Andreas at every turn? She didn’t want to leave town, but she had no other choice.

Andreas must have sensed her turmoil. He stalked toward her slow and steady like a predator approaching its prey, using her vulnerability against her.

“Eva, you are a terrible liar! I may not have the gift of telepathy, but I can read
your
body language like the back of my hand.” His whole demeanor changed. He still looked furious, but instead used that anger to intimidate her on a whole different level. He advanced on her until they stood face to face, their noses nearly touching. Then he grabbed her by the waist and jerked her forward, making Eva gasp in surprise.

“You’re trying to push me away, aren’t you? You sent those emails on purpose, so that you had an easy way out. Too much of a coward to see this thing through, huh? Well, I’ve got news for you, babe. You don’t have what it takes to win this game.” Eva could feel the heat of his erection flush against her thigh. Thicker and harder than ever before. This time, she’d pushed him too far.

Andreas clasped the back of her neck and pulled her forward.

A demand for her unbridled kiss. She whimpered and melted against his solid, bulky frame. The thin material of her dressed made her feel naked against his strong, muscular body. Their wanton tongues weaved in and out of each other’s mouths, and Eva’s nipples peaked into sensitive rosebuds begging for pleasure. He broke the kiss, and yanked on the scooped-neck collar of her dress to expose the sensitive flesh of her firm breasts. Andreas captured her plump areola in his mouth and sucked hard. She felt his touch everywhere as it reverberated throughout her body like an earthquake. Its epicenter situated squarely between her shaky legs. Eva was nearly delirious with need for him.

As Andreas continued to suckle, Eva reached desperately for the waistband of his trousers. The need to touch this strong, virile man overpowered all common sense. This time, her hands wandered without reproach. He helped her unbuckle his belt and pull his pants down to his knees. Eva watched him with bated breath, his mesmerizing orbs shifting from one moment to the next. Brilliant green to red and back again. Both of them stood motionless for a split second, taking in the reality of the situation. Waiting for the other to chicken out. But for Eva, there was no going back. She took hold of his pulsating cock with greedy enthusiasm. He was so thick she could barely wrap her trembling fingers around his intimidating width. With slow, even strokes, she pumped her hand up and down his shaft. The whole time she stared into fathomless eyes that could see clear to her soul.

Andreas let out a deep and terrifying growl. He picked her up by the ass and forced her to wrap her arms around his impenetrable biceps to keep from falling. He lifted her onto his throbbing cock in one fluid motion. With his manhood seated on the precipice of her sex nearly begging for entrance, the vampire again captured her lips. The kiss was rough and relentless as he gave them what they both so urgently needed. He took command of her mouth and stalked toward the closest wall. Eva’s legs still clutched his midriff. Andreas finally reached the partition and thrust deep inside of her – hard and fast.

She bit down on his shoulder to keep from screaming. It was so good. Like nothing else she’d ever experienced. Eva was no virgin, but with Andreas, it felt like her first time. He pumped in and out of her with searing strokes that bordered on both pleasure and pain. Her clitoris throbbed with the need for release. Sweat formed in the sexy curve down the middle of her back. Liquid heat wound its way along the crack where her ass met the center of her womb. It was that sweet spot in between the two that had her writhing in his arms. Lost in the moment. Her insides began to spasm and clench down on his shaft with a fierce grip. She was so close. Andreas must have sensed it because he increased the tempo as he rubbed the tip of his cock against her clitoris over and over again.

That was all it took.

“Andreas.” Eva screamed an involuntary response as her insides clamped down and milked him of every last drop of semen.

The ripples of ecstasy cascaded over her. Minute twinges of pleasure erupted all throughout her body from the tips of her toes to the hair follicles on her scalp. It was a heady, intoxicating sensation. The spasms took their time, dissipating in delicious waves. Their chests rose and fell, unable to bring enough air back into their starved lungs.

Andreas’s white cotton dress shirt was drenched in sweat. Eva’s dress remained hiked up to her waist. And she’d never felt more alive.

“Eva. I heard screaming. I’m coming in,” she heard a voice call from the other side of her bedroom door. So dazed, she didn’t realize who it was at first. Then recognition dawned. The voice belonged to Oliver. Andreas jerked away and refastened his trousers in a hurry. It left Eva feeling empty inside. Incomplete. Lucky for her, she didn’t have too much time to dwell on it. The bedroom door burst open. Her lover stepped in front to shield her from view as she adjusted her dress back into place. It was a gesture meant to protect her honor. She wouldn’t have expected it from any man, let alone a vampire.

“No need to get hostile. I’m leaving.” Andreas raised his hands above his head in retreat as Oliver stalked toward him. As he walked out the room, he turned to Eva one last time. “We’ll finish this later, honey.” Andreas’s husky voice sent bolts of excitement racing through her body. Her knees buckled, weak at the sound of his raspy declaration. Naughty little fantasies swam through her imagination as his words finally sunk in.

It was nearly 3:00 a.m. when Eva drifted off to sleep. Well-sated, she nearly purred with satisfaction. Tomorrow she would worry about the consequences of their actions. But tonight, she simply wanted to bask in the afterglow.

Andreas sat at the desk in his office with his head in his hands.

He tried to focus on the mound of emails he had to sift through. The sheer number of problems that needed to be solved overwhelmed him.

In hindsight, he probably could have used more finesse in tackling the Ivan situation with the media from the get go. Nonetheless, his father’s aggressive strategy had done the trick. The cease and desist letter his attorney fired off to both local newspapers resulted in an immediate retraction by the
New York Times
. It helped to avert any serious repercussions for the Kristopolous family.
So far, he’d avoided any involvement from the police or other governmental agencies.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his office door. Natasha poked her pretty little head inside.

“Hey there. It’s just me. I thought you might like to see the official retraction.” Andreas waved her in, motioning for her to bring him the latest copy of the periodical. “I know you received an emailed apology from the editor of the
Times
, but seeing it in black and white is much more gratifying.” Natasha sighed and plopped into the chair on the other side of the mahogany desk. A second later, she crinkled up her nose and sniffed the stagnant air.

“What is it?” Andreas asked, cognizant of Natasha’s keen sense of smell. Had she picked up a foreign scent he hadn’t recognized?

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Eva waved her hand in front of her face as if to dismiss Andreas’s suspicions. “I just don’t care for the scent of newsprint. It gives me a bit of a headache.” Natasha was a horrible liar. She’d brought him the newspaper hundreds of times over the years and never once complained of such an aversion.

“You haven’t been in the office very much this week,” remarked Natasha. “Is there anything else you need to brief me about before I get back to my other duties?”

Then it dawned on him. Natasha must have sensed Eva. Her distinctive feminine scent still clung to him days after they made love.

To him, the aromatic combination of sex and gardenias had become a natural part of his aura. His head of security would no doubt identify it as human. And utterly offensive.

Andreas worked out of his home office at
Miravale
the last four days, so he could remain close to his father’s side and focus his attention on pressing coven business. Aristotle’s health had been a factor, but also, Andreas needed to prove to the older man that he was able to handle the potential media catastrophe with calculating precision. “No, I believe you’re up to speed on everything.” Andreas shook his head, not ready to divulge information about his private life.

He paused, holding his breath as he waited for Natasha to say something more.

Natasha put a hand on her hip and cocked an eyebrow at her boss. Then shook her head in disbelief and sashayed toward the door.

As she twisted the door knob clockwise to open, Natasha pivoted back on her heels and looked up at him. She wagged her finger in the air as if she remembered something important she wanted to say.

“There is one more thing.” Natasha’s sympathetic gaze bore into him. “What’s the status with the huntress? Have you dealt with her yet?”

Andreas sighed. He knew the inquisition would come sooner or later. “I have spoken to Eva. We’ve come to an understanding of sorts.” He shrugged his shoulders, reluctant to say more.

“What kind of understanding? I thought your father made it clear that he wanted the person responsible for the breech dealt with.

Permanently
.” Natasha pushed the issue, insinuating the huntress needed to die as a result of the offense.

“Look, I’ll handle Eva. You make sure the Russians don’t get out of hand again.” Andreas tugged on his bottom lip as the words spilled out. He wished he could take them back. His last comment would cut deep. But when it came to Eva, his animal instincts kicked in. He’d be damned if he let Natasha, or anyone else for that matter, stand by and threaten her.

“Okay, fine. If that’s the way you want it.” Natasha clasped her hands together and rolled her eyes. “I hope you’re being smart about this. Think with your head, Andreas. And preferably, with the one attached to your shoulders!”

As usual, Natasha was right. Andreas’s behavior proved beyond reproach. He paced the room as he racked his brain to come up with a compromise that would please everyone involved. But the situation was futile. He had exactly three days before Aristotle would send his hounds of hell after Eva. Either he had to kill her or they would do it for him.