Only Yours (4 page)

“Look at me, Tulip,” he commands. I fight the pull his voice has on me. It is not easy, but I manage to keep my face turned away. It is a small triumph, and one that is short lived.

Grabbing my chin, he jerks it up, and snaps at me angrily, “Look at me Tulip!” His jaw ticks with tension and before I can open my mouth and tell him to, “Fuck off,” Tony is behind us, saying it for me.

Groaning, Daemon drops his head down and rests his forehead against mine. “Stay out of this Tony. You know I would never harm, Kelly.” Tilting his head to the side, he gives Tony a pained look. “Just give me two more minutes, then I promise to leave.”

Tony’s nervous eyes move to meet mine. I can see the questions dancing within them, asking me what he should do.
Let him stay? Throw his ass out?
I shrug, not sure which answer is the right one anymore.

“Two minutes,” Tony says, his voice flat and unyielding.

He retreats back to the kitchen and I have to bite my tongue to keep from begging him to stay. Tony’s presence makes me feel stronger and less like a gullible twit. Daemon knows exactly which buttons of mine to push and how to manipulate any situation. That’s what makes him such a superb business man. The longer I am left alone with him, the more I am beginning to feel like a mouse being played with by a very large kitty cat. I don’t want to be a mouse. I want to be a Tiger.

Daemon lifts up and takes two steps back, giving me enough room to move about if needed. I don’t. I stand my ground, refusing to show any sign of weakness. Shoving his hands into his pockets he fixes his deep green eyes on me. I can see the wheels turning in that dangerous mind of his, and it’s making me all kinds of nervous. Wetting his lips, he locks eyes with me. I cringe. I’ve seen that crazy look in his eyes before, and in that moment, I know something bad is coming.
This is not going to be good.

“I’ll make a bet with you, Tulip.”

I blink, letting his words sink in.
A bet?
Curiosity sweeps through me, lighting up single cell in my body. Kicking his ass out the door right now would be the smart choice, but if I don’t find out what he is offering, I will spend the rest of the day and most of the night wondering what he wanted, and kicking myself later for not asking.

Against my better judgment, I ask, “What kind of bet?” My level tone surprises me. It is far more normal and controlled than I’m feeling.

His lips tip up in a half smile. He knows he has me hook, line, and sinker.
Bastard!

“I’ll lay off, and won’t push you into making any decision about us right now, but you have to continue working with me on the design project for my office.” I start to speak, but his hand shoots up, halting my words. “Let me finish first, than you can give me all your many reasons why you hate this idea.”

I bite back a rude retort and nod my head in acceptance. With a chuckle, he continues,” During that time you have to be open-minded. You can’t fight me at every turn. I want you to give me the same respect you give every other client. After the project is completely finished, if you still want to end things between us, then I give you my word that I will willingly walk out of your life, and never bother you again.”

I narrow my eyes in disbelief. It can’t be that simple. I want this job. I deserve this job, but spending the amount of time this job demands, around him, will be pure torture. I study him a long moment before I finally speak.

“What’s the catch Daemon? You know us working together is a bad idea. There are plenty of other talented designers at my office that would give their right arm to work with you. Trey could also step back in and take it over if you insist I finish it out. Why force this?”

“I don’t want them. You’re the best at what you do. I only want the best. My brother is busy on something else at the moment and does not have the extra time to put into making sure this is done right. This is a good deal, Kelly. Take it,” he says with force. “It is a win-win for you. The recognition you will receive from this project will propel your career and secure your place within the company. Plus, in the end, if you still want to walk away from me, you can do so without my protests.”

I snort. “What makes you think I can’t walk away from you right now?”

His eyes twinkle. “Because I won’t let you,” he says with complete confidence. “Whether you are at work, the gym, out with your friends, or holed up here; I will be near reminding you every second of every damn day, that you belong with me. I won’t stop, or give you peace, until you are so worn out and frustrated, that you give in and give me another chance.”

Tucking a stray hair behind my ear, he gives me a slow smile. “Your choice, Tulip. You want to do this the easy way or the hard way?”

“Those are crappie choices,” I remark coldly. “You call that love? Love is not forcing someone to choose you. Dammit Daemon,” I curse, rubbing at my tired eyes. “This isn’t a game. I’m not some stupid prize you can win and place on your mantel,” I rasp through clenched teeth. I glare at him... not that he seems to care. I’m beyond tired and this conversation is doing nothing to help my growing headache.

“Maybe not,” he sighs, “But, I refuse to lose you without a fight. If I have to fight dirty and break a few rules in the process, then so be it. My two minutes are about up and I have a feeling Tony is itching to throw me out. I need an answer.” Lowering his voice to almost a whisper he asks. “Do we have a deal or not?”

I swallow the thick knot in my throat. “What makes you think Cherie will even allow us to continue working together?”

“Don’t worry about Cherie,” he mutters. “I can be very persuasive. The last thing she wants is to call attention to any problems, and the fact that I am one of her largest accounts, would make it even worse. Pulling you off this job will raise a few heads and cause unneeded chatter among the staff. Trust me, she’ll be on board.”

The pounding in my head is making it hard to think clearly. I hate being forced into situations I know will later bite me in the ass. More than that, I hate that he is right on all accounts. I can’t afford to have office gossip circulating around about me. My co-workers would see it as a sign of weakness and circle around me like a shark smelling blood in the water. Charity would be the worst.

Not happening.

I lean my head back against the wall and close my eyes. Breathing deeply, I give myself a mental pep talk, promising myself that I am strong enough to handle this...to handle
him
.

“Fine,” I snap unhappily. “I agree.”

My answer is met by complete silence. Long seconds tick away. When no other sound besides our breathing can be heard, I slowly crack one eye open. Daemon looks like a kid who just got his first ever Christmas present. His wide unabashed smile, and cocky demeanor, want to make me eat my words, but I can’t. I might hate his proposal, but I can also see its benefits. If I play my cards right, not only will I save my job and reputation, but I will get a clean path away from Daemon, with no resistance.

Leaning in, he goes to capture my lips once more. Before he makes contact, I drop down low and spin away, making sure to get far out of his proximity. I cross my arms over my chest and give him my best ‘
don’t fuck with me’
stare.

“Sorry babe, your two minutes are up. You need to go smooth things over with Cherie and I need to work on getting my life back in order...without you in it.”

I smile, proud of how strong my voice sounds despite the uneasiness churning within me.
Who am I kidding?
I’m amazed I haven’t fainted or thrown up yet. Brave and unaffected is hard to fake. I need him to leave now before I crumble and my whole facade goes down in flames.

Not wanting him to see my shaky hands, I tuck them behind me. I didn’t think it was possible, but his smug smile just got wider. Standing to his full height, he laughs as he reaches out and grips the front of my shirt. Tugging hard, he hauls me up against him, swoops down, and gives me a quick, hard kiss.

“Never happening, Tulip,” he whispers, his voice low and raspy. “You’re mine and I’m yours. I’m sorry I fucked up, and I ‘m not sure how yet, but I will find a way to fix it...to fix us. I need you as much as you need me. We complete each other. When I’m buried deep within you, I touch a part of you no one else has ever been able to reach. I make you feel things you never imagined possible. And you do the same for me.”

His words stir imagines in my head that won’t be easy to erase. I know I should pull away from him, but my stupid legs have turned to mush. My breath catches as his lips graze over my neck. Feeling his tongue dart out, he licks a path from my ear down to my collarbone. My insides liquefy and my palms begin to sweat. He continues teasing my skin as he speaks, “You strip me bare, baby. You are my, Tulip. My frustrating, beautiful, strong girl, who drives me crazy, and makes my dick harder than steel.”

I bit my lower lip. “You’re crazy,” I declare, fighting the strong urge to throw myself at him. His words and tongue on my skin, are driving me crazy.

He sneaks a hand under my shirt, finding my aching breasts, and tweaking my nipple. I shiver in response, enjoying his touch, and wanting more. A voice inside my head screams at me to snap out of it, to stop him, but my body overrides anything it says. Instead, I find myself leaning into Daemon, and accepting anything he has to give.

Feeling his impressive erections bumping against my belly, I reach down and grip it, caressing it though his pants. Daemon lets out a low hiss, grinding himself against my hand. Our movements are frantic and frenzied, desire taking over, as logic takes a back seat. Moving a hand to the back of my neck, he takes me mouth, his hot tongue tangling with mine, plunging in and out, possessively taking what he wants, and making my core catch fire with need.

Abruptly, Daemon pulls away. I stumble, throwing a hand on the wall to steady myself. My mind sputters, trying to come to terms with what is happening.
What is happening?
I need his hands back on me. I want this so damn badly I can taste it. Taste him.

Breathing hard, he tilts my chin up. His hooded eyes focus intently on me, pinning me in place. “My time is up. I need to go,” he murmurs, stoking a thumb over my cheek.

“What? Why?” My heart thumps hard against my chest. He can’t leave me like this.

He smiles. “I’ll call Cherie later and get everything worked out. See you soon, Tulip,” he says, giving me an amused smirk, before turning, and stalking out of the room.

I stiffen, unable to move until I hear the front door click shut behind him. I let out a sad sigh. I stupidity want to run after him and demand for him to finish what he started. My heads drops instantly, ashamed at my behavior and weakness for him. I can’t keep doing this back and forth with him. One minute he has me madder than hell and the next I am on fire and ready to combust. I’m tired of feeling like an emotional yo-yo.

“You okay?”

I jump in surprise at hearing Sasha’s voice behind me. I’m so lost in my own erratic emotions and bullshit, I never heard her and Tony come back into the room. Plastering a fake smile on my face, I turn and give them a thumbs up.

“Let’s go have some fun today.” I badly need something to keep me busy and my mind free of Daemon. Sitting in this house all day, alone with my thoughts, will surely drive me mad.

Tony’s eyes light up. “Leave all the planning up to me. I’ve got the perfect thing to get your mind off your troubles.”

Sasha and I glance worriedly at each other. The last time Tony got to plan our day we ended up hiking for miles in the middle of nowhere while getting eaten up by mosquitos and other flying bugs. Not my idea of a fun time.

Shooing us towards the bedroom, he tells us to dress comfortable and heads to the kitchen with the phone already up to his ear, speaking in hushed tones so we can’t hear him. I cringe wondering what new torture device he’s setting up for us this time.

“I want to vote on removing Tony’s planning privileges for life,” I groan, rubbing at my sore feet and aching calves. “I’ve lost count of the number of blisters I have coating the soles of my poor feet.”

“Blisters are better than the bruises and whelps I have decorating my arms and torso. I think I even have one or two decorating my ass,” Sasha breathes through clenched teeth. “Next time you find a hiding place from the lunatics running around with guns, do a girl a favor, and share.”

“I’m sorry,” I sigh, giving her an apologetic look. “When I found that spot wedged behind the wood piles, I was too scared to leave it. I figured if I did, I might never get back. Tony and that crazed friend of his, with rose tattoo on his arm, kept running past me every few minutes.” I lean over, lowing my voice so only she can hear. “I swear that guy never took his finger off the trigger throughout the whole game. He was insane.”

Watching her peel off an ice bag covering her arm, I grimace as she reveals a yellowish-green bruise, the size of a kiwi. “What loser did that to you?” I ask in disgust.

She shrugs. “I can’t remember,” she answers dismissively. “With the masks and body armor they all looked alike to me. Who knew paint ball wars could be so violent.”

“Obviously not us. I never would have agreed to do it if I’d known.”

“Is Tony still in the shower?”

I listen for the familiar sound my old pipes make and nod an affinitive. Sasha gives me an evil grin as she stands and darts off the bed towards the kitchen. I follow in her footsteps curious to see what she is up to. Leaning against the granite island, I watch as she fills one of my large cooking pots full of cold water and a handful of ice, before heading to the bathroom Tony is now using.

“Oh shit,” I silently curse, realizing the cruel retribution Sasha is about to dish out. After the beating she took today, I can’t say I blame her. I might be limping for a day or two, but she looks like the poster child for
‘how to take a beating and keep on ticking’
. It is not a good look on her.