JOINED (The Joined Series) (11 page)

“Very well, then,” Mateja conceded. Darting his eyes over me,
he moved farther away from me.
“Rebecca, a moment, please?”

Brayden’s eyes widened in alarm, his mouth opened in a muted gasp, rapidly changing into a disbelieving look of sadness mixed to anger washing over his face. I flinched, never experiencing such disappointment from him. “Bray,” I said solemnly. “It’s fine. I know him.”

Making a moue of disapproval, he took a seat on the nearby chair. “I’ll be waiting, Rebecca.” I cringed under the dour sound of his voice and the use of my first name.

I walked side by side with Mateja, following him and his two bodyguards
.
To anyone else, like his bodyguards, he was impassive, but his dark brown eyes conveyed a mix of emotions that I couldn’t divine. Sharp in his pin strip tailored suit, he definitely gave the impression that he was a power-player. I wondered when he owned this hotel or how he came to own it.

“I didn’t
ask the front for
his last name. There’s
absolutely
no resemblance,” he said in a suspiciously calm tone.

“
So
that excuses your behavior? Let’s say, he wasn’t my brother?
” I temporarily stopped and his bodyguards gestured me to follow Mateja.
“
Who do you think you are?!

Ignoring my question, with pride, he stated, “I like him. Obviously,
h
e takes his role seriously.” His bodyguards
briefly looked
at each other, equally surprised that I questioned him
about his behavior
and by him complimenting my brother.

We walked into a small sitting room, with three chairs, a small
marble oval shaped
table, and photographs and signatures of celebrities
who
stay
ed
at that the hotel
on the center wall
.
The room
was an oddly nondescript and barren in comparison to the grandeur and the décor of the other rooms that I saw in the hotel. Tilting his head at his bodyguards, they immediately left.

“Why am I here?”

“Because you followed me in here.”

Pivoting on the heel of my feet, I strode to the door.
I was still fuming from mixed messages
and I didn’t want to play games
.
Mateja
pulled
me from behind, molding to me like a glove. The feel of his chin on the crown of my head brought me to a daze. Every pore on the surface of my body absorbed the dense air in the room. I inhaled the crisp scent of his aftershave and the minty breath feathered over my ear. Lost to the feel of his muscular and hard chest over my back, I involunta
rily nestled my head against him
. No longer frustrated or angry, I began making circles on the front of his hand with the pad of my index finger.

His hold over me relaxed and I wanted to turn around, give him a leer. “Did you think you’d be able to get a hold of me when you left?” He asked with an edge of humor.

Forcing me to acknowledge his virility, he brushed his hardness against the small of my back and
I
bit the inside of my cheek in an attempt to erase the pleasure that
it
gave me. I wanted to
wrap my arms around him
.

Mateja
molded my swollen breasts into the palm of his hands over my shirt, releasing my breasts from my bra, the silk material felt abrasive on my nipples as he pinched and kneaded them. A feeling of sexual electricity traveled all over my body. I rubbed my rear against his rigid pelvis.
M
y body felt a light tingle w
hen he slowed down, our breaths
already heavy.

Every stroke of his momentarily reminded me of my two previous uneventful lovers. I didn’t have to tell him what I wanted, how I liked to be
caressed
. Travelling upwards, he ran his callous fingers between my shoulder blades, down to the small of my back, up and down, light and rough
.

He was
right; I missed him already and I wouldn’t have been able to get ahold of him. From day one, he tested my resolve.
I knew that
his
eyes
swept over my body
, appraising me
.

I pursed my lips together and blew the strands of my hair that brushed against my face. “You are one arrogant son of a bitch!”

Mateja moved
his hands
around
my lower
stomach.
“Rebecca.
”
H
is
thumbs
pressed against the dimples in the small of my back
.
The rest of his fingers kept my hips from moving. “I am not arrogant. I
am just right
.” Laughing huskily, he resumed, “Most of my focus was off during my meeting. All I can think about was
when I could taste you again
.”

I pulled away from him, trying to get a handle on my emotions
.
“Life is about taking one mind-fuck at a time and knowing what to do with it. I chose to leave.”

“Rebecca, I wasn’t trying to be cryptic with you.”

“Yeah, right! Mateja.
W
hat is it that you’re trying to do
here? H
olding me like I am dear to you while being evasive just the same?”

“You
’re
say
ing that
you didn’t want to see me again?”

“Are you going to keep answering a question with a question?” Frustrated, I threw my hands in the air. Despite my misgivings, I couldn’t leave him after he held me. Logically, my mind told me run out of the room, go home, talk with my brother, and pig out on something starchy, and preferably sweet. “I just upset someone who loves
me
, faults and all, a brother, who you recognize cares for me
.
I can’t stand to look myself in the mirror after the way he looked at me. I don’t know what you’re angle is, but I can’t cause him more
stress by screwing you again
and further disappointing him.”

“I am not trying to compromise the relationship you have with
him
.
I shouldn’t have made it clear that I knew you’re name.” He paused, probably detecting the lightly pleading sound that came out of his mouth. “I brought you here because I
’ve been thinking about you, especially after this morning
.” The sincerity and torment on his face left me
unsettled
. He walked
towards
the table and took a seat.

“
So
it really bothers you that you’ve thought about me, huh?” I clapped my hands against my thighs and he licked his lips, making me forget
what
I was going to say to him.

H
e motioned me to sit across from him. I complied
.

He reached over the table, his broad upper body looming over me with sinuous grace, kissing my forehead and then the tip of my nose. Caught
aware
, I leaned back. In response, he reached even closer and pulled me forward, until my nose came in contact with the smooth and firm tip of his nose. I don’t know how I forgot how long his body was.

“I am bothered, not because it’s you that consumes my thoughts, but because I know you want something from me too...maybe just—“he swirled dramatically over the side of his body and I cliqued my tongue against my teeth—“I didn’t know what I would do if I didn’t see you again. There’s no listing for Rebecca Salins.” I gulped, trying to alleviate the dryness in my throat. He shook his head at me, letting me know that I misunderstood him. “You tried to give the cashier your charge card. I called them to make sure your purchases went to my account when I didn’t see them posted online.
They told me your last name
”—Drifting his hand upward from my arm, he cupped my chin, grazing
his fingernail against my lips
. “Why didn’t you give them your address, Rebecca?” He
knitted
his eyebrows at me in uncertainty, a feeling I am sure that he was uncomfortable having. “Do you have stable housing?”

“Honestly,
it slipped my mind
.” I sighed, remembering that I was going to call the store when I returned home, but I forgot again. “Why do you care about my housing status?”

“Now, you’re answering my question with a question. It’s a yes or no question, Rebecca.”

“I live with Bray,” I immediately answered.

He exhaled, and he looked at me critically and with playful shrug of his shoulder, he appeared pleased with my living situation. “Good.” His tone became calmer. “Are there limitations to your stay with him?”

“I don’t think so.”

He reclined back into his seat, making me feel abandoned without his touch
. “I
don’t think so either
. Anything
in the apartment that need
s
to be fixed or improved?”

“None. The apartment is
in great shape
.”

“But if anything, take my number.”
He placed
his hand over mine on the
marble table.
“I really care.”

Bristling at his expressed concern, I brought my phone out from the small leather purse Sarah selected for me. Gesturing that I was ready to enter his number into my phone, he recoiled. I felt uncomfortable, wondered if he regretted embracing me, caressing my chin, and admitting that he I was apart of his consciousness.

“Your phone cover,” he screwed his face with displeasure. “It’s
atrocious
.”

“Yes, I know.”
He gave me his phone number. “I’ll think about it.”

“That’s your problem. You
keep making
assumptions about me.” His eyes flashed to match the intensity of his flared nostrils. “I wasn’t asking.” I cleared my throat, transfixed by his dark brown eyes and his fervor. Finally, I believed that he cared about me—to some extent and I care
d
about him as well, but I wasn’t sure why. Momentarily, I thought about T
oby
. I liked him, but I never wanted to serve him intimately the way I wanted to serve Mateja, in any way he wanted.

“You need something. You’re in danger. You call me. I don’t want you to discount the value of your needs being met.
Don’t
discount my needs
being met either
.”

He stood up, took my hands in his, and brought me to
sit on his lap
.
Any
semblance of control and clarity that I held since the moment I entered the sitting room dissipated
when I sat on
his thigh
. Placing his hands on the handles of his chair, I shifted onto the side, trying to find a way to sit where my groin wasn’t planted so deep onto his lap. But his glare never wavered, even while I struggled not to touch him or gawk at him. I tried to sh
ow him that I could mirror his stoicism
.

“I’ll call you when I need you.”

“Or?”

“Or text.”

“You feeling alright…your pussy…your breasts?” He asked in a monotone.

I blushed and instinctively, I brought my head down. “My body is a little sore,” I admitted.

He frowned and brushed his k
nuckles under my chin. I
t was affectionate, but there was a mild threat in his touch, ensuring that I spoke with him honestly. 

At his steady stare, I willed myself to ignore the flutter in my belly.
“
Was it too much for you
?”