Owned By Fate (12 page)

Don’t ask.
“How so?”

Jonah moved between the
V
of her thighs. “I don’t think I need to spell it out for you.” He searched her expression, appearing a little surprised by whatever he saw. “But you’d like me to? Very well, sweetheart. I’ve stroked my goddamn cock to the thought of your mouth so many times, I’ve made myself sore.”

Caroline’s chest shuddered, the lips in question parting on a moan. “S-sorry?”

“I don’t accept.” He moved quickly, sucking her bottom lip into his mouth and letting it go with a
pop
. “You shouldn’t be allowed to walk around with that mouth exposed, talking to everyone from corporate executives to cab drivers. It’s fucking indecent.”

She worked to form a rational thought among the tangle of hot, churning want. “What would you have me do about it? Stay inside all day?”

“I can only tell you what
I
would do, Caroline.”

His dark retort begged for clarification. “What?”

Jonah dipped his head, wetting her lips with his tongue, before rubbing his own lips over them. “I’d train this mouth. Train it to give me pleasure. Only me.”

Caroline’s thighs shot together in a tight squeeze when chemical heat twirled through her. No stern warnings or resolutions could penetrate the cloud of lust enveloping her. The sexual intensity in his eyes, every word out of his mouth made her want to be reckless. As if that thought had given her permission, Caroline looked up at Jonah through heavy-lidded eyes. “Who said I need any training? Maybe I already know how.”

“Don’t speak to me like that unless you plan to follow through. And by follow through, I mean you
do not
stop until I’ve gotten my fill of your mouth.”

Her ability to lie had evaporated in the heat he projected. His words. Him.
Jonah
. “I’ve been wanting it for days. You wouldn’t
let
me.”

His hands turned rough and glorious in her hair. “So much of my pleasure comes from trust, Caroline. Why should I trust you now?”

Pain lanced her, but there were so many different forms of it—lust, need, desperation—it got swallowed up, and all she could think was,
Please, please, please
. “I’m begging for it. Everywhere I go, all I can think of is what you said. How I left you that day. It
hurts.
Don’t you
understand
?”

“
Yes
, goddammit.”

Caroline went down on her knees. Or Jonah put her there. She had no idea. Not wanting a second to pass wherein she might talk herself out of it, she quickly undid his pants and yanked them down to his ankles. His erection strained toward her, begging for relief only she could give. Keeping their gazes locked, she circled her hand as far as it would go around the wide base, then sucked him hard to the back of her throat.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” Jonah chanted above her, his fist coming down hard on the counter with a slam. “I knew all about this mouth the second I saw you. Knew you’d be a dirty girl if I got you kneeling. Suck it hard and prove me right.”

She hummed in her throat, losing herself in the moment. While her hand worked him in a gentle pumping motion, she kept his arousal sucked into her mouth, swirling her tongue around the rigid flesh, loving the way he thickened more with every passing second. When Jonah gathered her hair in his fist and began subtly pumping his hips toward her mouth, she let him dictate the rhythm, knowing how much he craved that control. In that moment, giving him what he wanted was, in turn, giving her pleasure. His groans increased in volume along with the tempo of his hips. The hand in her hair pulled tighter until tears formed in her eyes, but somehow, that loss of his control only turned her on more.

Please him. Please my master.
She hated her thoughts and loved them at the same time.

“That’s enough.” Three more restrained pumps of his hips. “I’m going to come, you dirty girl. Take your mouth off me before I fill it up.”

As if she could. Every taste, every movement was driving her wild. She’d caused him discomfort, and only she could take it away. That responsibility went to her head, blocking out everything else. Keeping her lips sliding up and down his swollen length, Caroline reached between his legs and palmed his balls, closing her fist around them and massaging.

“Jesus, harder.
Harder
.” Caroline did as he asked, squeezing him in her fist, and felt his big body begin to shake with the oncoming climax. “Take it for me, sweetheart. One more good suck, then I’ll let you have it.”

She drew on him hard, pulling him to the back of her throat as he came apart with a shout. At that moment, Caroline swore she could feel his pleasure coursing through her veins. As if his relief were so powerful it encompassed her and pulled her into its depths. She had no idea how long she stayed on her knees, reveling in this newfound power, but suddenly Jonah wrenched her to her feet, where she swayed against him.

His mouth moved, wet and determined, along her neck, down to her breasts. “Baby, I’m going to reward you so well for that. Let’s get these leggings off so I can tongue that pussy. I’m going to keep it up until you cry this time.”

“Yes.
Please
.” Caroline’s thumbs hooked into the top of her leggings as Jonah continued to suck on the sensitive spot beneath her ear. “Oh God, Jonah, that feels—”

“Um, hello?”

Jonah and Caroline both froze at the sound of Eliza’s voice calling from the living room. Her friend sounded slightly drunk and a whole lot disconcerted. The interruption should have cooled the flames burning her alive, but nothing could. Nothing but relief. Still, it was obvious she didn’t have a choice. She couldn’t leave her friend confused out in the living room to selfishly take what Jonah was offering.

“You can’t leave here like this. Look at you. You need me so badly, you’re shaking.”

“I-I…We don’t have a choice.”

“Caroline.” He leaned down and pressed their foreheads together hard. “You’re asking me to let you walk out of here, wet and ready as fuck.”

Feeling as though her world could potentially end without Jonah bringing her to completion, Caroline was jolted into extricating herself. Mentally as well as physically. She thought of how he’d left her shaking in the limousine that day. Drove away from her as she drowned in the knowledge she’d left him in need.

Exactly as he’d expected she would.

“Yeah?” She looked him in the eye, praying and dreading at the same time that this would be the nail in their coffin. “How does it feel?”

His expression hardened, but he didn’t respond. The act of moving away from him was physically painful, and Jonah didn’t make it any easier by refusing to budge from where he’d pinned her against the counter. Swallowing heavily, she dragged their bodies together as she slid from beneath him.

“Eliza,” she called, straightening her clothes. Not wanting Jonah to be seen with his pants down and needing to get away as quickly as possible, she went into the living room to find her friend.

“Caroline?” Eliza looked around at the apartment. “What’s going on?”

“I could ask you the same question,” she hedged. “Let’s talk about it in the cab. You’re staying with me tonight.”

As she led Eliza from the apartment, her body still quaking with unquenched heat, Caroline could feel Jonah’s intense gaze on her back.

Chapter Thirteen

Three days. He hadn’t seen her in three goddamn days.

Jonah tossed his hat on the bar, dragged impatient fingers through his hair, and signaled the bartender. Finding himself in need of escaping Serve and its rowdy Saturday night crowd, he’d spent the last half hour walking uptown twenty blocks without any real idea of where he wanted to end up. Even now, he wanted to get up and keep walking, but he didn’t have the luxury of time. They would need him back at the club soon.

First, however, he wanted a drink. Or ten.

Jonah observed his surroundings as he pulled out his wallet. He’d walked into a popular upscale steakhouse he frequented on the rare occasion he managed to escape from the club. With a bar tucked in the back, out of view of the street, it suited his mood. He wanted to be isolated, even more than usual. Most people came to the steakhouse for dinner, so the polished bar sat mostly empty, except for two businessmen in suits discussing fantasy football.

Caroline. Everywhere he looked, even inside his own club, there were reminders of her. He’d ordered the bartenders to stop garnishing the drinks with lollipops, unable to provide a coherent explanation. His private elevator suddenly felt huge. This afternoon, he’d observed a spanking being delivered on the first floor and had immediately wondered if Caroline would disapprove…or if it would turn her on. These were useless thoughts considering how she’d walked out on him
again
, but nothing stemmed them.

And if his obsession with a woman who’d written him off wasn’t bad enough, he’d received more news about his petition for visitation this afternoon, courtesy of his lawyer. His request to meet with Renee to discuss terms had once again been rejected. When Winston had hesitantly suggested withholding financial support to see if Renee would relent, Jonah had immediately said no. He had no court order dictating that he was required to give Renee money, but the idea that Gabby might suffer from his actions made him feel sick.

Jesus, he hadn’t felt this out of control in a long time. He was a man who got what he wanted. Not because the things he wanted miraculously fell into his lap. Oh no. He worked his ass off for what he had. He might have procured Serve with winnings from a poker game, but that had only been the beginning of his battle to make it a premier New York City destination. He’d practically renovated it with his bare hands, turning it from an abandoned tenement building into a place he was proud of. He’d spent months being turned down by investors until he’d found one willing to take a shot on a nobody from nowhere.

He hadn’t been that nobody in so long, he’d forgotten what it felt like. When nothing you did or said made an ounce of difference. Not with Gabby’s mother. Certainly not with Caroline. The feeling sat like a lead weight in his stomach, making him edgy, turning his usual craving for control into an entirely different animal.

Jonah picked up the glass of whiskey and took a healthy pull, his eyes rising of their own accord to the restaurant’s second level, which overlooked the bar.

It took him a minute to believe what his eyes were seeing.

Caroline, sitting at a table with a man in his mid-thirties, her face lit by soft candlelight. For the first time since he’d met her, she wore no glasses. Her arms were bare, except for the gorgeous wealth of hair falling down around her, caressing her skin like a lover. The black cocktail dress she wore came to mid-thigh, drying his mouth, the feel of those very legs squeezing tight around his head still a powerful memory.

She smiled at something the man said, dulling Jonah’s vision at the edges. A roar began in his ears. His instinct dictated that he should take the stairs two at a time, drag her out of the restaurant by any means necessary, and ask questions later. After he’d reminded her, very clearly, who she’d called
Master
.

Jonah’s hands fisted at his sides, the need to touch her so painful, they shook. No, he couldn’t take this. Couldn’t sit there and watch her enjoy the company of any man beside himself. It went against the voice shouting in his head. The one chanting,
Mine, mine, mine
, on a loop until he almost bellowed it out loud. Even seeing her with someone else, even knowing she found
him
acceptable where Jonah was not, he still wanted her to an illogical degree. He absorbed the image of her, his body readying to give her the pleasure she’d denied him giving the last time they were together. It would be a cold day in hell before he let a man attempt to put out the fire he’d stoked inside her.

When the man reached across the table and laid his hand on top of Caroline’s, Jonah came off his barstool in a flash, sending it scraping loudly across the floor. He’d just made the decision to go get her, irrational or not, when their gazes collided.

Even from a distance, Jonah swore he could hear her quick intake of breath, the accelerated pumping of her heart. Green eyes widened in a face gone pale. She made a move to stand, but the man grabbed hold of her arm, as if in concern. Jonah’s jaw clenched dangerously, a low growl escaping his chest. She jerked in the man’s grip, as if Jonah had made the sound next to her ear.

Without another second’s hesitation, he strode toward the staircase.

…

Caroline sat immobile in her seat. She could hear Chris, the source she’d come here to meet, asking her if she was all right, but beyond a quick nod, she couldn’t find the wherewithal to communicate. Because she was the
furthest
thing from all right. So many times this week, she’d imagined seeing Jonah in a setting just like this. The market. A movie theater. The gym. Wondering if they’d ever cross paths again and imagining what it would be like. She’d never expected it to be so soon. Nor did she anticipate the immediate reaction she would have upon seeing him.

Dark, dizzying lust danced in her belly as she and Jonah maintained their blistering eye contact. She couldn’t look away from his anger. It was magnificent in its intensity. After a week of floating untethered, feeling nothing resembling what Jonah could make her feel, his unchecked emotions slammed through her hard, stealing her breath. She should be scared of an expression so forbidding, but she only wanted closer. It made little sense, and yet the sudden, pounding need overrode any kind of intelligent thought. Caroline could feel the blood moving in her veins; every breath she took sounded like a windstorm.

When Jonah’s attention transferred from her to Chris, darkening further, she forced herself back into the present situation. Chris, aka Patrick Dempsey’s way less charming twin brother, had his hand on her arm, speaking urgently near her face. Too close. Again. She’d asked him here tonight to talk about Joseph Kimble, and while he’d given her invaluable information, he’d begun treating their business meeting as more of a date. She’d continued to steer the conversation back toward her investigation, but he’d been more interested in her star sign and how she liked her eggs cooked. He was a sleazeball she had zero interest in personally.

Jonah drew her attention once more when he made for the staircase, appearing as though he were intent on doing somebody physical damage. Caroline sucked in a breath, knowing he’d misinterpreted the business meeting as a date. Kind of like Chris, but with more vicious results. He had no right to question her being out with another man. None at all. They were not in anything resembling a relationship. Yet her body—and another part of her she refused to name—told her he had every right. She should stand her ground and refuse to let him interrupt her meeting, but the look on his face propelled her into motion.

Caroline pushed back her chair and stood. “Excuse me.”

“Where are you going?” Chris asked, sounding puzzled.

She didn’t answer, her focus centered on Jonah. Stopping him from reaching the table and creating a scene. At least, that’s what she told herself at that moment. Truthfully, she was physically gravitating toward him. As she drew closer, the ache in her belly tightened, making her breath falter, a whimper passing her lips. Jonah narrowed his gaze when he saw her coming toward him and must have read something on her face, because he changed direction, leading her away from the upstairs dining room toward the back of the restaurant. When they rounded the corner, he threw a hot glance over his shoulder before opening a door marked
Stairwell
.

“Up,”
Jonah commanded as Caroline walked through the opening, shivering from the sound of his voice. She began her ascent of the stairs, heat rolling through her in ferocious waves. Every inch of her tingled with the awareness of him following close behind, no doubt watching her every step. It was impossible not to sway her hips, to allow her dress to ride higher on her thighs. Not when she could hear the low, hunger-filled sounds he made as they climbed. Not when she knew instinctively what was coming, even though they had barely exchanged words.

At the top of the staircase, Caroline pushed open the exit door and walked out onto the patio. Having been here during the summer, she knew the space was used for dining throughout the warmer months. However, the crisp fall breeze blowing her hair around her face meant they were outside alone. And Caroline couldn’t have felt a chill at that moment in two feet of snow. Finally, she turned to face Jonah, taken off guard once again by his anger.

“Who is he?” He came toward her slowly but purposefully, backing her against a concrete wall, deep in the shadows. She gasped as their bodies made contact for the first time in far too long, hard against soft, every line of his body taut with tension. “Who is he, Caroline?”

She inhaled shakily, squeezing her eyes closed when he brushed the hair back from her face. Such a tender gesture when coupled with his anger. Another contradiction. “You know it’s none of your business. You know we’re not…together.”

“Oh, believe me, I’m aware.” Jonah took both of her hands in one of his and pinned them above her, high on the wall, leaving her feeling exposed. Starting at her neck, he trailed a single finger down between her heaving breasts, over her belly, to end at the juncture of her thighs. “And yet you abandon your little date to follow me up here. Something of a mixed signal, isn’t it, sweetheart?”

Before she could answer, Jonah’s hand slipped between her legs to cup her intimately, with pure, blatant ownership. Caroline arched her back on a husky moan, thrusting her breasts toward him shamelessly. After days of attempting to ease herself, the simple act of Jonah cradling her in his hand somehow managed to be infinitely more satisfying than any effort she’d made. Each and every overwrought cell in her body rushed toward his touch greedily, reveling in the exquisiteness of it. “Oh, Jonah. Please.”

Looking as though he were in pain, he rolled his forehead against hers. “Who the fuck is he? Tell me
now
, goddammit.”

“He’s a source,” Caroline whispered, damning herself. By giving him an explanation, she was acknowledging something between them. “For a story I’m working on. That’s all.”

Jonah scrutinized her for long moments, as if trying to gauge her honesty. Growing impatient for more of him, Caroline brushed her lips across his, back and forth, until he finally surrendered with a deep groan. There was nothing gentle about their kiss. He took her mouth with enough passion to melt every thought left swimming in her head. Arms still locked above in his grip, Caroline went boneless against the wall, being forced to absorb every ounce of his lingering fury. He abused her mouth with his teeth, kissing her until she went dizzy from lack of oxygen, then giving her only a single gasp before continuing his punishment. When he finally released her mouth, Caroline gulped in a lung’s worth of air.

“How can I miss you this much?”

His barely audible question filled Caroline’s eyes with tears. “I don’t understand it, either,” she answered breathily.

Between her legs, his palm began moving in slow, rhythmic circles. She could feel how damp her panties had gotten as they kissed. Judging from the flair behind Jonah’s eyes, he’d noticed, too. “Ah, baby…” he crooned. “Where else did you miss me? Tell your master.”

Caroline’s thighs began to shake, her stomach drawing tight as a bowstring. “Inside me,” she confessed against his lips. “Everywhere.”

Jonah’s chest rumbled with satisfaction over her answer. One finger edged her panties aside and pushed past her slick entrance, teasing in and out. “I’m going to fuck you hard against this wall, Caroline. Just like I should have done our first time together, before I knew you’d make it so goddamn difficult for me to have you again.”

She sucked in a breath. “Can we? Here?”

“Don’t question me.” He added a second finger and thrust them both deep, licking his lips when she cried out. When he spoke again, his voice radiated intensity. “Anywhere, Caroline. I’ll take you
anywhere
. If I were dying of thirst in the desert and I knew you needed a good fucking, I would find a way back just to give it to you. Can I make it any clearer?”

“N-no.”

“No,
what?
”

“Master,” she corrected herself quickly. “No, Master.”

Jonah finally released her hands to peel the soaked panties down her legs. Their lips interlocked, but didn’t kiss, as the material slipped to the ground. Caroline brought her shaking hands to his belt and unbuckled it before carefully drawing down his zipper. The farther the zipper descended, the harder he bit into her bottom lip, only relenting when she gasped. His erection pressed urgently into her hand, and she fleetingly realized he wasn’t wearing underwear. Why that fact somehow made her even hotter, Caroline had no idea. Nor did she care.

“Please, I need you.”

He soothed her swollen lip with his tongue, all the while roughly tugging her dress up over her hips. “Ah, sweetheart. Do you have any idea how raw you’re about to get it?”

“Show me.” She savored his arousal, the steeliness of it in her hand, wanting to go on touching him but also ready to cry unless she felt him moving inside her soon. Feeling bold, Caroline positioned his thick erection between her legs and dragged it through her wetness, gasping when it encountered her most sensitive spot. Jonah didn’t give her a chance to repeat the action, throwing her higher on the wall with a guttural noise, rolling on a condom from his pants pocket, then slamming into her with force that rendered her incapable of releasing the scream trapped in her throat.