The Drazen World: Destroy (Kindle Worlds Novella) (2 page)

-3-

Rafferty’s cruel comment cut me with a thousand knives dripping with shame. I stared at the direction of the grain in the floorboards.

I hadn’t intended to kill the woman who was already legally dead, but it didn’t matter to the state of California. Due to my “extreme disregard” for her health, I’d been charged with murder. I’d sold everything I owned to pay for a top-notch attorney. He’d been successful in getting my confession thrown out, and the evidence wasn’t there for a slam dunk conviction if it went to trial. The district attorney wanted guaranteed time, unwilling to risk a loss, and offered a plea.

Four years for taking another’s life. I was out on parole after two. People told me it wasn’t enough, but I got what I deserved. She only died once. I died every night in confinement for two long years.

Rafferty’s frustrated sigh echoed in the studio. “That was uncalled for, I’m sorry. I’m upset this very beautiful piece is damaged.”

His voice was . . . strange. Was I narcissistic to wonder if he was really talking about me? My gaze traced the lines flowing in the wood below my feet while I tried to find a response. Everything was easier when I could pretend the last few years hadn’t occurred.

“Look at me, Ms. Carnes.”

His demanding tone lit a fire in my belly and I cast my attention back to him. The bright yellow peeked out between his tanned fingers. Was he aware he was holding a piece of me? In fact, he held all of me hostage when he took possession of my sculpture.

“Are you going to tell me what you need to fix it, or should I call M Gallery?”

“Please,” I said, faltering. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”

“Don’t insult me further, I understand the piece. I bought the damn thing.” He went to the table and gingerly set the broken shards down. I felt an unexpected sensation of loss, like he’d severed a connection.

“It’s raw and brutal in its beauty,” he continued, placing his hands on the waistband of his jeans, which sat low on his hips. He stated it as a widely-known fact. “It’s your best work.”

“Thank you.” He made me feel off-balance, and it became worse as he approached.

“You and I both know you have no options here.”

And I didn’t. There was no way to win. The space between us was too small, and his azure eyes were claustrophobic.

“I won’t repair it only so you can destroy it.”

“Excuse me?” Anger swelled in his expression.

When I subtly shifted backward, he stepped forward, bringing us chest to chest and his hot breath rolled over my face.

“I know what you are, Mr. Rafferty. You prey on other artists’ work.”

“I remember that I asked you not to insult me, but I don’t know what I expected. I’ve seen the video. I know following orders isn’t your thing.”

“Oh my God!” I gasped.

I tried to flee, but he seized my arms and his grip was a vise. “You don’t know me, just like I don’t know you. So stop presuming my reputation or things from my past make up who I am today, and you know what? I’ll do the same for you.” He released me with a shove.

I stared at him with shock, not from being manhandled, but from his words. It was exactly what I wanted from the art community. I’d made terrible mistakes and atoned for them, both legally and otherwise. Perhaps . . . not completely. I’d atoned for
most
of them.

Did Alec Rafferty see some of himself in my sculpture? Was it his new beginning as much as it was mine?

He smoothed a hand over his clean-shaven face as if considering something. “Let’s try this again.” He extended a hand. “I’m Alec. Just Alec.”

I swallowed thickly. “I’m Jessica.”

It was another zap to my system when he clasped my hand in his firm handshake, only this jolt was a million times stronger. He was a live wire. Electricity poured through the connection of our palms. The spark was too powerful to ignore, as much as I was desperate to.

I wanted his beautiful, artistic hands on my body, touching me with the same delicateness he’d done with the sculpture petals.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jessica.” He continued to hold my hand and used his free one to motion to my sculpture. “This isn’t what I paid for. How do you recommend I proceed?”

His words were professional and friendly, but his tone had an edge of warning, hinting his patience was nearing an end.

I chose to make my stand. “Tell me what you’re going to do, and I will fix it. You have my word.”

His grip squeezed the bones of my hand together. “Your word? We just met, I don’t know you.”

His refusal meant only bad things were in the future. His hand on mine had felt wonderful at first, but now it was uncomfortable. “Let go of me.”

He blinked slowly, and released his intense grip. I yanked away like he’d burned me.

“I won’t be sending it back, Jessica.” He drew each consonant out of my name.
Jess-i-ca.
“Correct it, and I’ll tell you what I have planned.” This time his smile was blatantly evil. “You have my word.”

I didn’t believe him.

His phone buzzed from his pocket and was snatched up. “This is Alec.”

My gaze flitted from him to the crowbar he’d set on the table. He was distracted. I should move now. Take the cold crowbar in my hand and swing until there was nothing of me left.

“Yes, it was damaged, but Ms. Carnes promises to repair it.” My focus snapped to him and I let my expression go cold. He only smirked. “It may take her a few days, but she’ll get it done.”

Days
. He was an over-the-top asshole. He moved between me and the sculpture, blocking it from my view.

“It’s no problem, I understand these things happen. Thank you for sending her.”

He’d barely pocketed the phone before I lashed out. “I’m not going to lift a finger until you assure me my artwork is safe.”

“Safe? From what?”

“Your hands.”

Alec’s jaw tightened, televising his displeasure. “You don’t seem to understand how this works. That sculpture is mine. It’s property I own, and can do whatever the fuck I want with.”

I reared back at the profanity, stumbling until I had my back against a wall. He approached steadily until he filled my vision. He was all angry eyes and wild hair.

“If anyone’s a danger to
my
sculpture, it’s you,” he said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Once again, he put his hand on my shoulder, but it wasn’t to guide me out of the way. This time he pressed down. I hadn’t realized how tender I was from toppling the crate over earlier. I gnashed my teeth through the pain, and couldn’t keep it from my face.

“She told me what you did.” His touch was gone, but it still smarted. “You intentionally damaged what’s mine. My very expensive property, which we’ve already established is your best work. Why?”

The air swirled around us with tension, and choked the truth from me. “I don’t want it twisted into something it’s not.”

His nostrils flared and the color of flame heated on his neck. His gaze drilled down into me as he seethed. “It’ll ruin you all over again, and you were lucky you got a second chance. No one will touch you after this. Are you really that stupid?”

Yes, I was.

I couldn’t render a response and my mouth went dry when he set his hands against the wall on either side of my head. Alarms rang in my mind, flooding panic down my legs. I didn’t know this large man, who I’d certainly upset, and his thick arms caged me in. Were we here alone in his house? Would someone hear me if I screamed? There’d only been one car in the garage and he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.

Somehow I found my voice. “I’m . . . passionate about my work.”

Did he find that amusing? He chuckled, but there was no warmth in his eyes. “And you feel so strongly, you’re willing to go back to prison.” He was only a breath away, so close I could see the sapphire strands in his irises. “You willfully vandalized my sculpture. Given how much I paid for it, I’m sure you committed a felony. Tell me, Jessica. Are you still on parole?”

Oh, God. My knees buckled and I slapped my hands against the wall to stay upright.

I couldn’t go back to prison. I’d rather die right now, than every night for God-knew how long. In trying to save my work, I’d damned myself.

“Alec,” I whispered, hoping to appeal to him as a broken woman. It wasn’t a hard role to play.

His voice was low, matching mine. “You can make this all go away.”

He lingered so close, hovering as if he was waiting for something. The sliver of his tongue dragged slowly across his lips, moistening them. It was provocative and sexual. I pressed my hands harder into the wall, needing further support. What was he insinuating he wanted?

A kiss?

Sex?

I pressed my lips together as I considered it. I’d put my body through worse things to get what I wanted, hadn’t I? A quick evaluation of Alec reminded me this wasn’t a big hardship. He was attractive, and seemed reasonably smart, even if he was the enemy. There was the small issue where I hadn’t been intimate with anyone in years. Though, I doubted sex had changed much since my last time with Erik.

The larger issue was my disgust. Could I become a whore for my art? Perhaps the best years of my life were behind me, but I was still a beautiful woman. Sex and lust remained weapons in my arsenal.

I stared up at Alec through half-lidded eyes, tacitly agreeing to whatever he wanted. His gaze washed over me, traveling across my forehead, sliding down the line of my nose, and coming to rest on my lips. When he drew in a tight breath, I moved in, closing the gap between us.

There was no contact between our mouths. The heat from his body was gone as he dropped his hands and straightened. He feigned a shocked look. “Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?”

It was humiliating, but I was no stranger to that and wasn’t blinded by mortification. I saw his intent in the shadow of his victorious smile. I hadn’t read the situation wrong, this was him preying on weakness. It seemed he enjoyed doing that not just in art, but in real life. This was him fucking with my head.

Fine, Mr. Rafferty. I’ve been playing this game far longer than you have.

I kept my chin up, and my tone matter-of-fact. “You told me I could make it all go away.”

“I meant once you’ve fixed my sculpture.”

“Oh.” Did he expect me to be flustered? I smiled widely. “You don’t want to sleep with me?”

Surprise went through him like a bolt of lightning, and was gone as quickly as it had appeared. It was replaced with distrust. “You’re in a world of trouble. And your plan is to, what? Seduce me?” He shifted closer and his deep voice went to a seductive whisper. “And then I’ll just forgive and forget what you’ve done?”

Once again he was over me, invading my space, and this time the air was charged. Heat and unwanted desire wrapped around, cinching me tight as a straight-jacket.

“I paid a lot of money for your artwork, Jessica. You’d have to be one helluva lay.”

His tone was mocking, made my blood boil, and I wanted him to shut up. My fury clouded my judgement. So I latched a hand on the back of his neck and yanked his face down to mine, slamming my lips over his.

-4-

A noise of surprise came from Alec’s throat, and then his hands were on my face, his fingers sliding through my long, blonde hair. His grip made it impossible to run, and easy to follow his lead. I allowed him to tilt my head back so the angle was more comfortable and he could better kiss me. I allowed him to press his soft tongue against the seam of my lips, and then thrust deep into my mouth.

I even allowed the possession of my mind.

He was supposed to push me away and call my bluff, not pull me closer. I wasn’t supposed to want it, either.

He was strong. His hands were roughened, but gentle against my cheeks. I moved my lips in time with his, responding as I should when a man kissed me. However, I wasn’t prepared for the feeling of his tongue sliding against mine, or the noticeable throb that pulsed between my legs. I wasn’t prepared for the tidal wave of lust and want, which was burning me alive.

It was just our mouths meeting, tentative and exploratory at first. Then, his body pressed into me. His firm chest flattened against mine, and beneath my bra, I tightened and pebbled in response. He brought his hips square, so the lines of our bodies were flush.

Alec’s tongue slipped deeper into my mouth as his hands began to inch down my neck. I shivered with anticipation. I was Goldilocks. Jon had been too rough, and Erik too timid. Would Alec’s touch be just right?

“This won’t,” he said between rasps, “get me to change my mind. Just so we’re clear.”

He moved so his knees were between my legs and pressed against me from chest to groin. His hardening erection pushed against my belly, and it sent a shockwave of lust to my center. This man held sway over my art, my career, and my life. I felt powerless beneath him, but it was a small death. I was high on desire, which dulled my capacity to think or care about anything else.

His fingertips traced the neckline of my blouse, following the vee down between my cleavage, even as my chest was heaving. I was confident in my abilities, yet still nervous. His gentle, almost teasing touch and the hot mouth locked on my neck forced me to tremble.

I choked on a moan when he pushed the gauzy fabric to the side and dipped inside the cup of my bra, his fingers twitching. The pulse between my thighs roared, building into an ache.

“Okay,” I gasped. “What do I have to do to change your mind?” For added effect, I eased my hand down along the front of his shirt, creeping over the bulge beneath the zipper of his jeans.

He jerked back from me so abruptly I almost fell over, and his expression was cryptic. “Get on your knees.”

A lump grew in my throat, making it hard to swallow. I’d chosen to go down this path, hadn’t I? I lowered slowly to my knees. The wood floor was gorgeous, but not soft. I kept my gaze on Alec’s back as he went to the large patio doors and shut them with a dull thud.

It was getting dark outside, cloaking the studio in shadows, and as he stalked toward me, I trembled so hard my knees squeaked against the floor. His long, artistic fingers moved to the button of his jeans, undoing it with a tug. Then, his zipper rang out.

It was really happening.

My gaze crept steadily up from the fly of his jeans, over his tight, white t-shirt that covered taut abs and developed muscle, until I reached his eyes. One step, then another, until his toes were against my knees. His expression was carnal. I wanted to capture it in my next piece . . . if I ever got the chance to create another piece.

Alec said nothing, not that he needed to. I understood what was expected of me. He’d undone his jeans, but they stayed in place, hugging his hips. He reached for me, skimming the tip of his index finger across my forehead, tracing it along my hairline, down until he cupped my cheek in his palm, his thumb pressed to my parted lips.

His finger slid inside my mouth. Just to the first boney knuckle, and then it retreated so he could drag the wet pad of his thumb across my lips. It pressed inside my mouth once more, this time all the way in, and I felt him flat against my tongue. Our gazes were locked on each other.

The man I kneeled before held so much power over me, I was grateful not to be standing. Alec had me bound and restrained far more than the few times I’d allowed my ex-husband to do it physically. Alec’s invisible bindings were stronger than steel.

He seemed to have difficulty focusing when I closed my lips around his thumb and sucked. His eyes hooded and his chest rose in a deep breath.

“I’m going to paint this,” he whispered. “The feeling of this moment.”

I pulled back off of his thumb, startled. “I had the same thought.”

The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile, but it grew serious as I took his thumb in my mouth again. This time I simulated exactly what I’d do if he let me. The throb between my thighs grew out of control. I felt foolish and ashamed, but not enough to stop.

My hands, resting on my thighs, tensed into fists as he dug his free hand inside his underwear and began to stroke himself. If I was going to stop him, I had to do it now. Once he was in my mouth, I couldn’t backtrack. It couldn’t be undone.

It was quiet from him. “I’m not going to destroy your sculpture.”

It was as if he’d injected relief into my bloodstream. Everything in me relaxed, and when the tension was gone, something dark and hungry took over. I fisted the sides of his jeans and underwear, and tugged down, releasing his erection. It jutted out from his body, hard and reaching for me.

Did he notice my hand shook when I grabbed him at the base? I was a mixture of nerves and something which felt oddly like excitement. It was strange. I didn’t usually enjoy pleasuring a man orally. It felt dirty, and . . . too intimate. Much more so then letting him in my body, because at least that act had purpose. Taking him in my mouth was only for pleasure, and only for
his
pleasure.

However, I’d emerged from prison a changed woman. Perhaps this new version was more sexually confident. Maybe I could peel at the corner of the “vanilla” label my ex-husband had slapped on me.

Alec’s hand retreated from my mouth and snaked to the back of my head, urging me forward. I claimed the tip of his length between my lips, squeezing my eyes shut tight. He sighed as I slid further along, widening my mouth to accommodate. He was long and thick, and tasted faintly of salty sweat.

He shuddered as I drew back off of him, and the hand behind my head nudged forward. It wasn’t something I particularly liked, but I wasn’t going to voice dissention. I was on my knees, begging and groveling in a way I hadn’t done before. I’d expected to be disgusted, yet . . . I felt only the ache in my center and the dampness which clung between my legs.

“Fuck.”
His voice was as dark as the room had become.

I shivered.

His fingers twisted in my hair, tugging at the roots, speeding me along. My brow wrinkled in frustration. I wanted him to be easier, more gentle, but I also didn’t want him to stop. Alec’s soft moan punctured the quiet, and I could feel the vocalization on my skin. It reverberated down my spine.

I struggled to rasp air in through my nose as I kept up with the pace he demanded. He had his grip tangled in my hair, and moved his other hand to hold himself steady as he thrust into my mouth. Behind my closed eyelids, my eyes began to water. His dick surged deep into the back of my throat, causing me to clench tighter on the sides of his undone jeans.

Just as the words began to bubble up from my throat for him to stop, he slowed. His languid strokes were more manageable, and not all that unpleasant. He was hard and pulsing on my tongue, mirroring the heartbeat racing in my own chest.

“I want you topless,” he whispered. It wasn’t an order. It came as a desperate plea, which threw me further off balance. I’d had demanding, and I’d had silent, when it came to partners. The in-between was new and welcomed. Could I give in to his request?

I sat back on my heels and stared up at him as he fell out of my mouth, his dick shiny with my saliva. I crossed my arms, curled my trembling hands on the hem of my top and drew the fabric up, stretching upward until I was free of it and cast it aside.

But that was as far as I could go. Nerves locked me up until my muscles refused to respond. I was already so exposed. It didn’t seem to matter to Alec. His gaze traced the curves of my breasts encased in a simple white bra, and his lips parted to gulp down a huge breath. He stared at me as a man who’d been thirsty for days and only I could quench his thirst.

He gripped the sides of his jeans and hiked them back up on his waist, but left them unzipped.

It was stunning when he sank to his knees before me and repeated the action I’d just done. His arms crossed and yanked at the white cotton, freeing his body from his t-shirt and tossing it away with force. He was all tanned, smooth skin, like he spent more of his time surfing than creating his art.

I inhaled sharply when his warm arms wrapped around me and located the clasp of my bra. His mouth locked onto mine urgently. This was supposed to be a simple transaction. I took him in my mouth to completion, and then we renegotiated what to do regarding my sculpture. But now he was on his knees as I was, equal, and he seemed just as much of a slave as I was to the unexpected pull between us.

I moaned against his crushing mouth and sank into his arms like a woman possessed. He was a stranger who could end my career and send me back to hell. Why was I consenting to this? Why on earth was I enjoying this?

My bra went slack and the straps fell from my shoulders. I let him fist the center of it and tug it free from my arms, but I was a panting disaster. It was embarrassing the sounds coming from me and how my sex-starved body arched into his touch, willing him to fill his greedy palms with my naked flesh.

His hands roved from one side to the other as if painting lust on my body. I fought to quiet the yelp as he tweaked a nipple, pulling it with a tug of discomfort, but it doused me with heat. I was spinning out of control, drunk off the sensation as he pressed his bare chest to mine.

Alec’s kiss shifted from sweet to commanding in a single breath. He sucked my bottom lip into his mouth and bit down, nipping at me. It wasn’t hard, but there was a faint edge of pain and my mind wasn’t sure how to react.

I wanted pain and pleasure to stay separate. In fact, pain had no place in my bedroom. I’d never understood Jonathan when he’d changed. The sweet, loving man I’d married left me long before I left him. He’d gone from making love to wanting to pin me down, to force me . . . He’d wanted to hurt me.

I’d tried it his way. Not all that much, but at least I’d made an effort. It only ended in disappointment for both of us. Yet, this soft pain now was . . . interesting. A tease, not a promise of more to come.

Alec released my lip and his mouth carved a line down my chin, over my neck, and to the base of my throat. The coarse skin of his palms smoothed up and down my naked back, his fingertips tracing the hollow of my spine.

His kisses descended over my collarbone. I was on fire. Every inch of my skin was sensitive and aware of him.

“Oh,” I said softly, when he gripped one of my breasts in a sure hand and closed his mouth on me. My nipple tightened into a point beneath his swirling tongue. His other hand pressed into the small of my back, supporting me as he encouraged my back to arch and give him better access. I followed his silent direction, lifting my chest up to meet his hungry mouth.

But his action had more purpose. He eased me back further, abandoning my breast so he could brace a hand on the floor beside me. I was lowered until the hardwood was cold on my back and the hot man was over me. His hands fumbled at my knees, pushing up my skirt so I could part my legs and he could kneel between them.

I curled my trembling fingers in his thick hair as his mouth worshiped my skin, and his thigh pressed against the scrap of silk that covered my most intimate spot. A shock of pleasure thundered up my body and I unleashed a moan. I had to close my eyes against the onslaught.

“What are we doing?” He mumbled it in the spot where my neck met my body, but the tempo of his kisses didn’t change. “Do you want me to keep going?”

I gasped, drowning. I had barely enough air to speak. “I don’t know. I . . .” He shifted, once more pressing his thigh against me and delivering that sharp jolt of pleasure, only this one was better. It made me crave nothing else but for him to do it again. “Yes.”