Captivated by you- Wybór Crossa. ...

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//-->Sylvia Day CAPTIVATED BY YOU1ICY NEEDLES OF water bombarded my overheated skin, the sting chasing away theclinging shadows of a nightmare I couldn t fully remember. Closing my eyes, I steppeddeeper into the spray, willing the lingering fear and nausea to circle the drain at my feet. Ashiver racked me, and my thoughts shifted to my wife. My angel who slept peacefully in theapartment next door. I wanted her urgently, wanted to lose myself in her, and hated that Icouldn t. Couldn t hold her close. Couldn t pull her lush body under mine and sink into it,letting her touch chase the memories away. Fuck. I placed my palms flat against the cooltile and absorbed the chill of the punishing deluge into my bones. I was a selfish asshole. If Id been a better man, I would ve walked away from Eva Cross the moment I saw her. Instead,I d made her my wife. And I wanted the news of our marriage broadcast via every mediumknown to man, rather than hidden away as a secret between less than a handful ofpeople.Worse, since I had no intention of letting her go, I would have to find a way to makeup for the fact that I was such a fucking mess we couldn t even sleep in the same roomtogether. I lathered, quickly washing away the sticky sweat I d woken up in. Within minutes Iwas heading out to the bedroom, where I pulled on a pair of sweats before heading to myhome office. It was just barely seven in the morning. I d left the apartment Eva shared withher best friend, Cary Taylor, only a couple of hours earlier, wanting to give her time to catcha few hours of sleep before she headed into work. We had been at each other all night, both ofus too needy and greedy. But there d been something else, too. An urgency on Eva s part thatgnawed at me and left me uneasy. Something was bothering my wife. My gaze drifted to thewindow and its view of Manhattan beyond it, then settled on the empty wall where photos ofher and us hung in the same space in my penthouse office in our home on Fifth Avenue. Icould imagine the collage clearly, having spent countless hours studying it over the last fewmonths. Looking out at the city had once been the way I encapsulated my world. Now, Iaccomplished that by looking at Eva. I sat at my desk and woke my computer with a shake ofthe mouse, taking a deep slow breath as my wife s face filled my monitor. She wore nomakeup in the photo that was my desktop wallpaper, and a smattering of light freckles on hernosemade her appear younger than her twenty-four years. My gaze slid over her featuresthe curve of her brows, the brightness of her gray eyes, the fullness of her lips. In themoments when I let myself think of it, I could almost feel those lips against my skin. Herkisses were benedictions, promises from my angel that made my life worth living. With adetermined exhalation, I picked up the phone and speed-dialed Raúl Huerta. Despite theearliness of the hour, he answered swiftly and alertly. Mrs. Cross and Cary Taylor areheading to San Diego today, I said, my hand curling into a fist at the thought. I didn t have tosay more. Got it.I want a recent photo of Anne Lucas and a detailed rundown of whereshe was last night on my desk by noon. At the latest, he affirmed. I hung up and stared atEva s captivatingly beautiful face. I d caught her in a happy, unguarded moment, a state ofbeing I was determined to keep her in for the rest of her life. But last night she d beendistressed by a possible run-in with a woman I d once used. It had been a while since I dcrossed paths with Anne, but if she was responsible for aggravating my wife, she d be seeingme again. Soon. Opening my inbox, I started sifting through my e-mails, drafting quickanswers when required and working my way toward the subject line that had caught my eyethe moment my e-mail opened.I felt Eva before I saw her. I lifted my head and my keystrokesslowed. A sudden rush of desire soothed the agitation I felt whenever I wasn t with her. Ileaned back to better appreciate the view. You re up early, angel. Eva stood in the doorwaywith her keys in hand, her blond hair in a sexy tangle around her shoulders, her cheeks andlips flushed from sleep, her curvy body clad in a tank top and shorts. She was braless, herlush tits swelling softly beneath the ribbed cotton. Petite and built to take a man to his knees,she often pointed out how different she was from the women I d been photographed withbefore her. I woke up missing you, she replied, with the throaty voice that never failed tomake me hard. How long have you been up? Not long. I pushed the keyboard drawer into make room for her on my desk. She padded over on bare feet, effortlessly seducing me.The moment I first saw her I d known she would wreck me. The promise was there in hereyes and the way she moved. Everywhere she went, men stared at her. Coveted her. Just like Idid. I caught her by the waist when she came close enough, choosing to pull her onto my lapinstead. Bending my head, I caught her nipple in my mouth, drawing on her with long, deepsucks. I heard her gasp, felt her body jolt at the sensation, and smiled inwardly. I could dowhatever I wanted to her. She d given me that right. It was the greatest gift I had ever beengiven. Gideon. Her hands went to my hair, sifting through it. I felt infinitely better already.Lifting my head, I kissed her, tasting the cinnamon of her toothpaste and the underlyingflavor that was uniquely her. Hmm? She touched my face, her gaze searching. Did youhave another nightmare? I exhaled in a rush. She d always been able to see right through me.I wasn t sure I would ever get used to it. I stroked the pad of my thumb over the damp cottonclinging to her nipple. I d rather talk about the wet dreams you re inspiring right now.What was it about? My lips thinned at her persistence. I don t remember. GideonDrop it, angel. Eva stiffened. I just want to help you. You know how to do that. Shesnorted. Sex fiend. I cuddled her closer. I couldn t find the words to tell her how she felt inmy arms, so I nuzzled her neck, breathing in the well-loved scent of her skin. Ace.Something in the tone of her voice set me on edge. I pulled back slowly, my gaze gliding overher face. Talk to me. About San Diego & Her eyes dropped and she caught her lower lipbetween her teeth. I stilled, waiting to see where the conversation would go. Six-Ninths isgoing to be there, she said finally. She hadn t tried to hide what I d already known, whichwas a relief. But a different kind of tension flooded me instead. You re telling me that s aproblem. My voice remained steady, but I was anything but calm. No, it s not a problem,she said softly. But her fingers were tangling restlessly in my hair. Don t lie to me. I m not.She took a deep breath and then held my gaze. Something s not right. I m confused.About what, exactly? Don t be like that, she said quietly. Don t get all icy and freeze meout. You ll have to forgive me. Listening to my wife tell me she s confused over anotherman doesn t put me in a good mood. She squirmed out of my lap and I let her, so I couldwatch her gauge her with some distance between us. I don t know how to explain it. Ideliberately ignored the cold knot in my gut. Try. It s justLooking down, she chewedon her lower lip. There s something & not finished. My chest grew tight and hot. Does heturn you on, Eva? She stiffened. It s not like that. Is it the voice? The tattoos? His magicdick? Stop it. It s not easy talking about this. Don t make it harder. It s damned hard forme, too, I snapped, pushing to my feet. I raked her from head to toe, wanting to fuck her andpunish her at the same time. I wanted to tie her up, lock her up, safe from anyone who couldthreaten my grip on her. He treated you like shit, Eva. Did seeing the Golden video makeyou forget that? Is there something you need that I m not giving you? Don t be an ass. Herarms crossed, a defensive pose that angered me further. I needed her open and soft. I neededher completely. And there were times when I was maddened by how much she meant to me.She was the one thing I couldn t imagine losing. And she was saying the one thing I couldn tbear hearing. Please don t be ugly about this, she whispered. I m being remarkablycivilized, considering how violent I feel at the moment. Gideon. Guilt darkened her grayeyes, and then tears glistened. I looked away. Don t! But she saw into me the way shealways did. I didn t mean to hurt you. The diamond on her ring finger my claim to hercaught the light and shot sparks of multihued fire against the wall. I hate that you re upsetand pissed off at me. It hurts me, too, Gideon. I don t want him. I swear I don t. Restless, Iwent to the window, trying to find the calm I needed to deal with the danger Brett Klinepresented. I d done everything I could. I had said the vows, slid the ring on her finger. Boundher to me in every way. Yet it still wasn t enough. The city spread out before me, the viewobstructed by taller buildings. From the penthouse, I could see for miles. But from the UpperWest Side apartment I d taken next door to Eva s, the vista was limited. I couldn t see theendless ribbons of streets clogged with yellow taxis or sunlight glinting off the manyskyscraper windows. I could give Eva New York. I could give her the world. I couldn t loveher more than I did; it consumed me. And still, an asshole from her past was making strideson edging me out. I remembered her in Kline s arms, kissing him with a desperation sheshould feel only for me. The possibility that lust for him might still affect her made me wantto tear something apart. My knuckles popped as my hands fisted. Do we need to take a breakalready? Take some time for Kline to clear up your confusion? Maybe I should do the sameand help Corinne deal with hers. She sucked in a shaky breath at the mention of my formerfiancée. Are you serious? There was a terrible stretch of silence. Then, Congratulations,dickhead. You just hurt me worse than he ever did. I turned in time to see her stalking out ofthe room, her back rigid and tense. The keys she d used to let herself in were left on my desk,and the sight of them abandoned triggered something desperate. Stop. I caught her and shestruggled, the dynamic between us so familiar Eva running, me chasing. Let me go! Myeyes closed and I pressed my face against her. I won t let him have you. I m so mad at youright now, I could hit you. I wanted her to. Wanted the pain. Do it. She clawed at myforearms. Put me down, Gideon. I turned her around and pinned her to the hallway wall.What am I supposed to do when you tell me you re confused about Brett Kline? I feel like Im hanging on the edge of a cliff and my grip is slipping.So you re going to tear at me tohold on? Why don t you get that I m not going anywhere? I stared down at her, scramblingfor something to say that would make things right between us. Her lower lip began to quiverand I & I unraveled. Tell me how to handle this, I said hoarsely, circling her wrists andexerting gentle pressure. Tell me what to do. Handle me, you mean? Her shoulders wentback. Because I m what s wrong here. I knew Brett during a time in my life when I hatedmyself but wanted other people to love me. And now he s acting the way I wanted him toback then and it s giving me a head trip. Christ, Eva. I pressed harder, flattening my bodyagainst her. How am I not supposed to feel threatened by that? You re supposed to trustme. I told you because I didn t want you to get weird vibes and jump to conclusions. I wantedto be honest about it so you wouldn t feel threatened. I know I ve got some stuff to work outin my head. I m going to see Dr. Travis this weekend andShrinks aren t a cure-all!Don t yell at me. I fought the urge to slam my fist into the plaster behind her. My wife sblind faith in the healing properties of therapy frustrated the hell out of me. We re notrunning to a damned doctor every time we ve got a problem. It s you and me in this marriage.Not the goddamned psychiatric community! Her chin lifted, her jaw taking on thedetermined slant that drove me crazy. She never gave me an inch unless my cock was insideher. Then she gave me everything. You may think you don t need help, ace, but I know I do.What I need is you. I cupped her head in my heads. I need my wife. And I need herthinking about me and not some other guy! You re making me wish I hadn t said anything.My lip curled in a sneer. I knew how you felt. I ve seen it. God. You jealous, crazy &She moaned softly. Why don t you understand how much I love you? Brett s got nothing onyou. Nothing. But honestly, I don t want to be around you right now. I felt her resistance, thepushback of her trying to get away. I clutched her like a lifeline. Can t you see what you redoing to me? Eva softened in my arms. I don t get you, Gideon. How can you just flip aswitch and turn your feelings off? Knowing how I feel about Corinne, how could you throwher in my face like that? You re the reason I breathe, I can t turn it off. I slid my mouth [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]