Chapter 19
Braden couldn’t remember the last time he felt this furious with another person. He folded his arms over his chest and stared at her. Did she have no sense at all? This was the type of party that could end up with her raped.
“What am I doing here?” Tia shouted. “What are you doing here? This doesn’t look like a men’s club to me.”
“Where I go is no one’s business.”
“And where I go is no one’s business either,” she retorted. Her brown eyes flashed as her chest rose and fell, quickly displaying her anger.
He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off those full white globes. Dammit, he felt like an adolescent around her. Already his cock was thickening. And why the bloody hell not? That red silk gown was made for one thing only.
“Where you go is my business,” he finally said. He grabbed her arm and pulled her up against his chest. “As long as you are in my house, you are under my care. Do you understand?”
“Then perhaps I should leave,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders.
He walked her back against the door, blocking her exit with his body. Her words from earlier rang in his ears. She had all but begged him to take her against the wall. Well, she was about to have her fantasy fulfilled.
“You are going nowhere,” he whispered harshly in her ear. “You are mine.” Before she could argue, he kissed her roughly. Part of him wanted to punish her for putting herself at risk. Another part just wanted her. He pushed up her skirts with his hand and split her drawers. Already her folds were moist.
She struggled slightly beneath him, her movements only urging him on. He knew she wanted this as badly as he wanted it. He moved his hand away from her addicting heat, only to unbutton his breeches. He slid his breeches down his hips just enough to free his shaft. Her hand reached for him, but he slapped it away. Nothing was going stop him now.
He picked her up and brought her warmth down on him. She moved her legs to straddle his hips.
“Oh, God,” she said as he lowered her completely.
“You are mine,” he whispered, sliding in and out of her sweetness. “No one will ever do this to you. No one.”
“Yes,” she cried. “I don’t want anyone else—only you.”
Braden was losing his mind with desire for her. Everything about her made him insane, from her freckles to her sweet warmth. He couldn’t imagine spending a day without her. He bent his head to kiss her hard, reminding her that she would always be his. Oh, God, he would always be hers.
“Braden, yes,” she whispered. “Yes.”
He felt her inner muscles clenching down on him as her orgasm tore through her. She clutched his shoulders as if unable to stand the overwhelming sensations.
“Braden!”
God, he couldn’t take any more. He thrust into her once more and let go to the driving passion. Spilling his seed into her, he could only whisper, “Tia, my Tia.”
Neither moved for a few moments as spent passion had exhausted them both. Braden nuzzled her neck, inhaling the sweet aroma of her lavender soap. “Do you have an idea how I felt when I saw you here being propositioned by that lech downstairs?”
“I think I have an idea now,” she whispered back.
“Never go out without me. You don’t know these people as I do. Most of them are the most degenerate people you will ever meet. They don’t care who they f—make love to, whether married or not, innocent or as wanton as they are. Some don’t even care if you are willing or not.”
He felt a tear drop from her face to his.
“I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
“I know,” he whispered. “I don’t want to see you hurt. It would kill me if something happened to you.”
“Emily told me she’d heard that Jonathon was supposed to be here tonight. You had only told me you were going to a men’s club. You never told me which one. I had no way of getting a message to you.”
“It’s not your fault. I lied to you.”
She pulled back until her head hit the door. “Why did you lie to me?”
With aching arms, he helped her off him. After putting himself back to together, he looked at her watery eyes. “I always intended to come here. I knew it wasn’t the type of party you should attend. So I lied and told you I was going to a club.”