“Yours?” She murmured, her eyes catching his as he held the door open for her.
He dipped his head in silent agreement. “Hop in, Azeri. Your hour is wasting.”
She nodded jerkily, sliding into the front passenger seat. The car was the last word in luxury. She had a second to absorb the leather seats, wood panelling, electronics that looked like they’d be at home in a spaceship, before he took the drivers’ seat and drove all thought from her mind.
He was so powerful; so incredibly in control. He looked utterly at home behind the wheel of this luxury car.
“Where are we going?” She asked.
He purred the engine, revving it teasingly and slid her a grin. “Not far.”
“You’re being deliberately vague,” she said with an answering smile.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I want you to come with me.”
“Come with you where?”
He winked, taking the car down the narrow lane before turning onto the main road. He was not a reckless driver, but he did drive fast. Faster than she’d known it was possible to go in central London. It took less than ten minutes for him to reach what she presumed to be their destination, a high rise on the banks of the Thames, that overlooked tower bridge.
He opened her door before the concierge could do it, putting a hand in the small of her back. He guided her through the lobby. Again, she had only seconds to comprehend the level of wealth and comfort that surrounded her. Plush sofas, enormous marble tiles, white pillars, windows that stretched floor to ceiling and showcased a view over the river. He guided her through the lobby, to the elevator, and pressed the button several times. It pinged open almost instantly and, once inside, he pressed the button for the top floor and swiped a card over the panel. He dropped his hand from her back and took her fingers in his instead, squeezing them once.
Her heart squeezed in response.
The doors opened directly into what she thought, at first, was a hotel room. But only two steps into the space, she realised it was much more than that. This was some kind of incredible penthouse. More windows, a whole wall of them in fact, framed the river in one direction and embankment in the other.
She stood on the spot, revolving slowly, shaking her head until she was facing Ra’if.
“Who are you?”
Something darkened his expression for the briefest moment and then he was kissing her, kissing her hard, pushing her body backwards until they connected with the wall. She groaned, questions dropping from her mind as desire flooded her system. Her body craved his touch. She was pushing at his coat, trying to find skin. Her fingertips were tingling with their need to explore. She groaned when they succeeded, letting them roam his chest freely, running over the hair-roughened skin.
“You’re so warm,” she murmured.
“That’s not warm, that’s my blood boiling my body.” He stepped back and stared at her, his breath ragged, his face held tight. “You are temptation personified.”
Her mouth formed a perfect ‘o’ of surprise.
“I meant it. I did not bring you here for that. Yet I look at you and want to take you to my bed for a week.”
“Just a week, huh?” She arched a brow, hiding the way her heart was jumping all over the place with a teasing smile.
A muscle jerked in his cheek. He held a hand out to her, and she put hers in it, but her body was mush. Heat had spread through her, pooling between her legs in an indisputable sign of need.
“We could start with an hour,” she prompted quietly, and he flashed her a smile.
“You might change your mind when you see why I brought you here.”
“I doubt it.” She sighed, her eyes coasting over the view, her brain slowly blinking back to life. “Ra’if?”
He looked at her encouragingly.
“What do you actually do?”
His face flicked for a second. Did she imagine that tiny pause before he answered? “I manage my family’s business interests,” he said with a shrug.