Lora_Leigh_Bound_Hearts_4_Wicked_Intent[1].pdf (3 page)

She sighed with exaggerated forbearance. “Very well. Though I don’t understand

why you need to go over a contract that was obviously dropped a week ago. Besides,

the owner is a maggot. You wouldn’t like him.”

She rose to her feet and walked slowly over to the file cabinet as she restrained her

own anger. Whereas Jesse had most likely understood her reluctance to deal with the

tall, imposing metal cabinets, Lucian merely stood negligently against the doorframe

and watched her with narrowed eyes.

He
would
want a file that was stored in the upper drawer. The cabinet was over five

and a half feet tall; Tally was barely five two. Pulling the drawer out, she stood on her

tiptoes and began riffling through the files until she found the one he wanted. Lifting it

out, she pushed the drawer in and walked sedately over to him.

His gaze was hot, but not from anger now.

“Your file, Mr. Conover.” She handed it to him, fighting the flush she could feel

gathering on her cheeks as his gaze dropped to her breasts. She couldn’t keep her

breasts from tingling, though, or her nipples from heating beneath his gaze. She

breathed slow and evenly, but her heart was racing out of control.

“Your shirt…” He ignored the file, his hand reaching out as his finger slid beneath

the parted fabric.

Tally dropped her gaze, almost flinching as his finger slid beneath the edge of her

lacy, low-cut bra. The two buttons had somehow slid free on the white silk shirt,

leaving her all but bare to his gaze. The sight of his flesh, dark, yet not as dark as her

own, sent vibrant trails of awareness blazing through her body.

18

Wicked Intent

Suddenly, the memory of him naked, his cock working between Terrie’s thighs,

sent anger pouring through her system. Unaccountable, uncharacteristic anger. She

shouldn’t care who he fucked or how often he did it. It shouldn’t matter.

She lifted her hand, casting him a look from beneath her lashes as she ran her finger

up one side of the parted fabric.

“Do you want this file?” she asked him, her voice low, seductive at first. A second

later she raised her gaze, and allowed the ice beneath the surface free rein. “Or the one

I’ll present later for sexual harassment if you don’t move your hand?”

His gaze rose slowly back to hers and the heat in his eyes nearly seared her. She

could feel her pussy swelling, her clit aching in response to that look. She lifted her

brow in haughty inquiry.

“Would you?” he asked her. “I never figured you for a hypocrite, Tally. But if that’s

the way you want to play…”

He pulled his hand back reluctantly as he took the file from her hand. A small smile

edged the corner of his sensual lips.

No, she wasn’t a hypocrite, but she would use whatever edge she could get.

“If that’s all you need then, I’ll be going to lunch.” Without looking she casually re-

buttoned her shirt before turning away from him.

“It’s a half hour before lunch, Tally,” he reminded her smoothly. “I’ll have to dock

your pay.”

Tally shrugged in unconcern. It would be worth it.

“I’ll survive.” She collected her purse and headed for the door.

“I didn’t take you for a coward. Maybe I was wrong.” His voice had her stopping,

anger seething through her body as she turned back to him.

“A coward?” She lifted her brow as she assumed an expression of haughty disdain.

“And you came to this conclusion how?”

19

Lora Leigh

She crossed her arms beneath her breasts as she stared back at him. Damn him for

the arrogant ass he was.

“Because you want me. You know it and I know it, yet you fight it.” His voice was

low, dark and husky. She hated it when he used that voice. Hated the way it made her

pussy pulse and tingle, made her yearn for his touch. Unfortunately, she was also well

aware of the fact that there wasn’t a chance in hell it could work.

“My dear Mr. Conover.” She sighed mockingly. “I’m old enough that I understand I

can’t have everything I want in this life. Perhaps this is a lesson you should learn as

well.”

It was one she took to heart. Some things, men like Lucian topping the list, just

weren’t good for the emotions or the general stability of life. Tally prided herself on her

stability. If she had thought for one moment that she could go to bed with him, enjoy a

few hours of wild sex and have it done with, then it would be a different matter.

Something warned her that this would not be the case, though.

She stood still, in control, as he paced over to her slowly. He was tall, broad, and if

the bulge in those slacks was any indication, he was fully aroused and just as large as he

had looked while fucking Terrie.

He stopped directly in front of her, staring down at her, forcing her to raise her

head to stare back at him in unconcern.

“Funny,” he said with apparent gentleness. She wasn’t fooled in the least. “This

suddenly antagonistic attitude didn’t show up until you walked into that office while I

was fucking Terrie. Jealous, Tally?”

Her breath caught in her throat and she knew he caught the tightening of her eyes

at his shocking question.

“Oh yeah, I saw you come in.” He dropped the file on a nearby shelf as she backed

away from him.

20

Wicked Intent

He was too close; she felt too overwhelmed, too weak when he towered over her

like that. Unfortunately, there was no place to retreat. Her back came against the door

as his arms bracketed her, holding her firmly in place.

“Your nipples are hard, Tally,” he growled. “And that cold little expression can’t

hide the fact that you’re fucking hot as hell right now. You want me, and you’re

damned scared to take it.”

“Scared? Of you?” She only barely managed the disdain she was trying for. “Not

hardly, Lucian. You’re letting your imagination run away with you. You’re not the first

man to make me respond sexually and you won’t be the last. Never doubt that. But I

decide who I fuck and who I don’t. And I won’t fuck you.”

“Because you’re scared.” She watched as his gaze softened, the brilliant green color

warming drastically. “You’re small, baby, but you can take me.”

His outrageous words had flames of anger—or was that violent lust—shooting

through her.

“Oh, get away.” Sarcastic amusement filled her voice; her hands flattened on his

chest as she pushed him back forcefully. “You think your dick’s so big I’m afraid of it?”

She straightened the shoulders of her silk shirt, smoothed the crease at the top of her

skirt before staring back up at him, allowing her lips to curve with seductive

knowledge.

“Dream on, Conover. It’s not your cock I reject, or even your hedonistic lifestyle,

such as it is. Quite frankly, you couldn’t handle me, and I’ll be damned if I’ll deal with

the complications of your bruised pride when you realize that. It’s not fear; it’s fact.

Now touch me again and I’ll resign. I don’t have to deal with your advances as well as

your snappish attitude. I’ll quit first.”

She gripped the doorknob and jerked the door open as she rushed to leave, only to

be stopped abruptly as she ran into the dark, devil’s version of the wicked apparition

behind her.

21

Lora Leigh

“Easy, sweetheart.” Devril Conover’s voice was rough sex, whisky at midnight and

depraved desires all rolled into one. The same as Lucian’s. She was trapped between the

two men now as Devril gripped her hips and eased her backward as he came fully into

the room, pushing her flush against Lucian.

“Everything okay?” Dev asked her when she didn’t speak. She couldn’t speak.

Lucian enclosed her from behind as Devril pressed against her breasts. Heat enveloped

her. Like bands of invisible steel it held her motionless, curiously shocked by the

sudden impression of protectiveness and strength that emanated from the two men. She

was surrounded by their warmth. Wrapped in it.

She stared up at him in surprise. He was the devil’s image of the man behind her,

watching her heatedly, reminding her of exactly what she was passing up by walking

out that door. It was bad enough to have Lucian tempting her, but to have Dev, the

dark-haired vision of the sin twin helping him? That was completely unfair as far as she

was concerned. Fate had it in for her, that’s all she could say.

“Just what I need.” She sighed with mockingly false patience as she stared up at

Devril and batted her eyes seductively. “Tweedle Dee to join Tweedle Dum. Do you

boys ever do anything solo?”

“Where would the fun be in that?” Lucian asked her as his lips settled against her

ear, his hands on her shoulders as she felt the hard length of his cock against the small

of her back, Devril’s against her lower stomach. “Or the challenge? I’ll make you beg

me to touch you again, Tally.”

The sexual tension thickened as she realized the implication behind his words. The

breath locked in her chest and lust sizzled through her veins. Both of them? Brothers?

The temptation was damned near impossible to deny. She couldn’t have thought of any

sexual experience that would have possibly been better. Or one that came closer to her

fantasies.

Except.

22

Wicked Intent

Lucian was her boss. Her position as assistant to the vice president of Delacourte-

Conover could become extremely precarious and even if she did quit, resign or walk

out, the gossip that would abound could destroy her career. They could destroy her

heart.

“Ohhh, so confident,” she mocked him waspishly, well aware that she had lost her

appearance of calm disinterest as she pushed her way past Devril and made it to the

door again. “I could make you beg.” She rolled her eyes with forced patience. “Not

hardly.”

She turned back to them. They were like night and day. Devril watched her with

blatant lust while Lucian watched her with a mix of predatory interest and a flare of

anger.

“We’ll forget this episode ever happened,” she drawled coolly as they watched her

with their ever-present amusement. Fighting back the knowledge that she was walking

away from the ultimate sexual fantasy, she bit back her sigh of regret and informed

them instead, “I’m going shopping. I’ll be back when I get back.” Her gaze hardened on

Lucian. “And if you dock my pay then you better make certain you bring your own

coffee to work. Because anything you get here won’t be safe to drink.”

She turned and walked sedately from the room, though she closed the door a bit

harder than she intended. The blood was rushing through her body, heat and lust

curling through her womb as her cunt trickled with her juices. Had anything ever been

so intensely carnal? Not that she knew of. Which was terrifying. They were a weakness

she could ill afford.

She had turned them down. She drew in a hard breath and gave herself a mental

pat on the back even as the darker part of her desires mentally kicked her. Could there

be anything more seductive than the thought of being mastered by the two fallen angels

of Delacourte-Conover? Not to her mind there wasn’t. But, she reminded herself, was

there anything more dangerous?

23

Lora Leigh

Okay, so she had choices to make. Tally sat alone in the small gazebo in the center

of the park, staring out at the placid blue of the pond, on whose banks it had been built.

The wooden bench was hard but not uncomfortable. The slight breeze that flowed

through the branches of the trees above her was soothing, even if it did little to cool the

fires raging in her body.

She was out of control. Or at least as out of control as she felt it was possible for her

to get. She was nothing if not well aware of the fact that she had run from that office

and from Lucian and Dev like a scared little virgin. She was anything but a virgin. And

just because they may not be aware of it, she was honest enough with herself to admit

the truth.

She was scared.

She hadn’t anticipated that when she had first been moved to Conover’s. She knew

she lusted after Lucian, knew she wanted a chance to experience his touch, to fuck him

until she knew at least some small relief from the desires tormenting her. When Dev

had been added to the equation, she had been positively gleeful. Two men at her beck

and call, she had thought. Amazingly virile, able to provide her with her every carnal

desire. She hadn’t expected the dominance as well. Nor had she expected the growth of

her desires. Her needs were almost consuming her now. Needs she had no business

seeking.