Mine To Hold (5 page)

Claire didn’t speak again until they’d
cleared the airport and were in the back of yet another limo. Noah
and his limos. At this point, she figured that wherever he went, a
car would be waiting.

As the car drove, she found herself leaning
closer to the window as she tried to get a glimpse of the city.

“It will be a while before you see anything
out here.”

She kept looking. Everything here was new to
her.

“The privacy shield is up.” And the deep
longing, the lust, was gone from his voice. Noah seemed back to
business now. “Finish what you were saying to me on the plane.”

Making sure that she did not bite her lip,
Claire turned toward him. “I can’t give you what you want.”

“Don’t be so sure of that…”

Claire shook her head, hard. “Hot sex.
Pleasure.”

“That’s
exactly
what I had in
mind.”

He wasn’t understanding her. “That’s not for
me.”

A faint line appeared between his brows.
“Claire, if there’s one thing you’re made for, it’s pleasure.”

But pleasure just brought more pain. “I don’t
have lovers.”

Silence. His stare seemed to measure her.
After what had to be at least two minutes of extremely awkward
silence, he said, “You
don’t
as in…you don’t have one
now?”

“I don’t have one now. I haven’t had one in
nine years.” She didn’t let emotion leak into her voice. There was
no emotion. She was simply stating a fact. “I don’t let men get
close to me. So you and I…it’s not going to happen.” She glanced
away from him. There. She’d done it. Now Noah wouldn’t touch her
again. And she wouldn’t feel the longing that his touch stirred. A
longing for something Claire knew she wasn’t meant to have.

“He should be dead.”

Those cold, biting words had her gaze flying
back to his.

“The only lover you had? That bastard who
tried to destroy you?” Noah growled the words. “He should be
rotting in the ground.”

“H-he’s in a cell—”

“Prison is too easy for Ethan Harrison.”

His eyes…his voice…Claire shifted nervously.
“You aren’t who you pretend to be.”

He smiled then, and the sight chilled her.
“No, Claire, I’m not. I’m a man who knows too much about death and
dealing out bloody justice.”

“Why?” The question slipped from her. She
hadn’t meant to ask, but—

“Why do I think Ethan should be dead? Because
he’s a monster. No amount of rehabilitation is going to fix what’s
wrong with him. If he ever gets out—”

I’m a dead woman.

Claire already knew exactly what would happen
to her if Ethan Harrison ever got out of prison. “That’s not what I
was asking.” She took a breath and pushed on. “Why do you even care
what happens in my life? You once said that you owed me a debt,
but…we both know you don’t, not really. So why do I even matter at
all to you? You’re
Noah York.
” He’d been on the cover of a
dozen magazines that she’d passed in the airport. “And I’m…I’m no
one.”

He leaned closer, but he didn’t touch
her.

She was…disappointed? No, surely not.

I am.

“You’re someone to me.”

She had to look away from him again. His gaze
seemed to see too deeply into her.

His fingers caught her chin. He turned her
head back so that she had to stare into his eyes. “Your sister died
in Chicago because she was pulled into Trace’s battle. You lost
her, and I wish every day that hadn’t happened.”

So did Claire. “Sara was all I had left.” The
one person who’d believed in Claire, no matter what accusations
were tossed around in their small town.

“I damn well do owe you, Claire, but that’s
not why I have my
interest
in you.”

She waited.

“I want you.” Flat. Almost angry. “More than
I can remember wanting any other woman.”

“Y-you’ve had dozens of lovers—” Claire
began.

“Yes, dozens.” He released her chin. “But for
the last three months, when I close my eyes, I only see you.”

Claire swiped her damp palms on her new,
black pants. “I can’t compete with them.” The guy dated super
models, heiresses, and—

“There’s no damn competition.” He gave a
hard, negative shake of his head. “I told you, I’ve never wanted
anyone as much as I want you.”

“But…
why?”

“Because I find you sexy as hell. I look at
you, and I ache.”

Her breath came faster.

His gaze was on her mouth. “And I have the
feeling that when I do finally taste you, you just might addict
me.”

Helplessly, Claire shook her head. “I can’t
give you…what you need.”

“We’ll see about that, Claire.” He inclined
his head. “You might want to look out the window now. You don’t
want to miss what’s coming…”

She turned back to the window, dazed. D.C.
rose before her, but in her mind, she saw a pair of glittering,
golden eyes. Eyes that shone with desire.

A desire that she’d felt, too. She hadn’t
wanted any man, not in so long. She’d been in cold storage but…

He was warming her again. And making her want
things that were too dangerous for her to ever have.

***

At eight p.m., Noah walked into Claire’s
temporary D.C. office. They’d been in meetings all day. Talking
with contractors, working with marketing staff. They’d barely
stopped for lunch.

Claire had surprised him. He’d known that she
was smart. After all, the woman had graduated at the top of her
class, but she was also damn savvy when it came to the inner
workings of the hotel business. And the woman sure had a gift for
tact.

Noah wasn’t always so tactful. When he’d been
ready to tear into the contractors, Claire had carefully
interceded. Charmed.

She was sure charming him.

She was also not even aware that he was in
the room with her. Claire was crouched over the laptop that he’d
given her earlier, her fingers tapping furiously across the
keys.

It was rare that a woman could ignore
him.

But then, Claire
was
a very rare
woman.

So he just crossed his arms over his chest
and watched her. A small furrow was between her brows—a sign of her
focus, he was certain. Her cheeks were pale, her lips bare of
color. But Claire didn’t need makeup to shine. She was already so
close to perfect that he ached just looking at her.

I don’t have lovers…
I don’t have
one now. I haven’t had one in nine years.

He’d taken that revelation like a punch to
the gut. Claire truly was made for pleasure, and by locking herself
off from the world, she was just giving that SOB Ethan Harrison
more power over her.

Claire deserved pleasure. Noah was going to
see that she got it.

Claire glanced up then. She saw him—and
jumped.

“Sorry,” Noah murmured as he straightened.
“Didn’t mean to scare you.”

Claire surged to her feet. “Then you
shouldn’t skulk in doorways.”

Skulk? He smiled at her. “You looked focused.
I was waiting for the right time to interrupt.”

Her eyes narrowed, and he knew she was trying
to decide if she believed his story or not.

Since it was a lie, he let his smile stretch
a bit more. He hadn’t announced his presence because he’d just
enjoyed watching her. “You need to wrap things up for the
night.”

She pushed back her hair. “Ah, right…just
give me—”

“We’re going out for dinner,” Noah added.
Then, so she wouldn’t be so nervous, he said, “I want to check out
the competition in town.” He’d just bought one of the historic
hotels in D.C.—the hotel they were inside of right then. His crew
was updating the hotel’s interior, while still working to keep the
ambiance and the character that the clientele would love. He wanted
to add a roof-top restaurant to the hotel, though. A new place that
would be the talk of the town. He already had a celebrity chef
lined up for the new venue.

So while he didn’t
technically
need to
check out the competition, he did want to take Claire to
dinner.

Their first date. Even if she didn’t know
it.

Claire nodded. “I’ll change and meet you in
the lobby.”

Sounded like one fine plan to him. He
wondered what the odds were that she’d put on the sleek, black
dress that had been purchased for her. One that dipped low in the
back and would reveal Claire’s long legs.

She approached him slowly. Cautiously.

Noah realized that he was blocking the
door.

If he didn’t move, Claire would have to brush
against him as she passed.

I want her to get used to my touch.

He also wanted her to make the next move.

He slid to the side.

But Claire…she still brushed against him as
she passed.

That’s it, Claire. Touch me. Do it all you
want.

He turned, watching her as she left the
little office. Hell, yes. Claire had been made for pleasure.

And soon, he’d give her so much pleasure that
she screamed.

***

Noah was in the lobby, talking with the hotel
manager, when the elevator doors slid open and Claire walked
out.

She was wearing the black dress. It clung to
every curve that she had.

And her legs…sweet hell, her legs seemed to
go on forever. Her feet were clad in high, black heels. Fuck-me
heels.

She’d put on lipstick. Slid color on her
cheeks. Pulled her hair back into a little twist.

She also had black ribbon tied around her
wrists. Sexy, silky ribbon that made Noah think of Claire…

Tied to his bed.

“Ah, Mr. York?” The manager, Chuck Collins,
cleared his throat. “You were, um, you were telling me about the
construction upstairs—”

He couldn’t remember a damn thing that he’d
been saying to Chuck. “Carry on with your work.” He nodded curtly
to the guy.

“But Mr. York—”

Noah stalked toward Claire. The woman looked
good enough to eat. How was he supposed to keep his hands off
her?

She put
her
hands in front of her
dress. At that angle, it almost looked as if her wrists were bound
together with the ribbon.

Noah swallowed. The woman had no clue what
she was doing to him.

“Sorry it took so long,” Claire told him with
a slightly nervous edge in her voice. “I had to, um…improvise a few
things.”

He reached for her hand. Noah had to do it.
That ribbon was driving him insane. How could something so simple
be so sexy?

He lifted her hand. Turned her wrist and
realized—

She’s not wearing this to be sexy. She’s
using the ribbon to hide her scars.

“I improvise if I wear something without
sleeves,” Claire said, her voice so low it was almost a whisper.
“It’s just…people might ask questions, and I didn’t want to
embarrass you.”

A growl rumbled in his throat. “You would
never embarrass me.” He didn’t let her hand go. He knew exactly how
Claire had gotten those scars on her wrists. His Claire had broken
once.

Because of Ethan Harrison.

Noah would make sure that she never broke
again.

Her lips started to curl. He waited for her
smile to come. For her dimples to flash. He—

“
Claire Kramer!”
The snarl cut across
the hotel’s lobby. The tall, arching ceiling in the historic hotel
seemed to make the cry echo all around the space.

Noah turned at the cry, frowning at the fury
he heard in those words.

An older man had just entered the lobby. His
gray hair had thinned, his shoulders hunched, but a feverish
intensity lit his eyes. Eyes that were locked on Claire.

“I’d know you anywhere,” the man snapped.

He advanced on Claire.

The hell,
no.

Noah stepped in front of Claire even as he
heard her gasp behind him.

“Mr. Harrison,
no!”
This cry came from
the man who was hurrying to grab the older guy’s arm. A
brown-haired fellow wearing a three piece suit. Probably in his
late twenties, with one of those All-American faces.

But
Harrison
shook off the man’s hold.
“You damn bitch!” He yelled at Claire. “You should be in prison!
Not my boy! You should be—”

“You need to close your mouth,” Noah said,
his own voice lethally soft. “Before I close it for you.” His hands
were clenched, and he wanted to drive his fist into the old man’s
jaw.

He knew he was looking at
ex-
Senator
Colby Harrison. He’d seen photos of the guy, but those photos had
been during the man’s time in office. Harrison hadn’t aged so well.
Age spots and thick lines marked his face, and the stench of booze
clung to the man.

Colby Harrison wasn’t a D.C. power player any
longer. This jerk was about to find his ass kicked into the
street.

“I’m sorry,” the man with Harrison muttered.
“He got a call that she was here, and I couldn’t stop him—”

Harrison made a mistake then. He tried to
lunge around Noah and actually touch Claire.

Huge mistake.

Noah shoved the bastard back. “You don’t
touch her. You don’t even
talk
to her again,
understand?”

Colby Harrison blinked as he stumbled back a
bit more. His gaze was full of rage and hate. “You know what she
did?” He shook his head then yelled, “
She ruined my boy’s life!
Twisted him! Made him—”

“From what I hear,” Noah’s voice was still
low, but grating with fury. “Your Ethan was a twisted bastard all
along.
You
knew that. Instead of getting him help, you just
covered up for the asshole.” He closed in on Colby Harrison. Stood
toe-to-toe with the guy. “I know who you are. The question is…do
you know
I
am?”

The ex-senator frowned at him.

“Noah York,” the other guy whispered from
behind Colby. “He owns this place. Now, boss, come on, we need to
get out of here.”

Colby’s shouts had attracted too much
attention. That just wouldn’t do. Not only because Noah just didn’t
allow shit like this in his hotels but because—