Chapter 18 Seduction And Suspicion

• Stefan tasted her sweetness. Briefly, he was tempted to push her beyond the limits she had already set out, but he could sense the tension radiating from her body. He made do with a question instead. “Alone, cara?” He almost smiled as she gave him a filthy look out of those beautiful, extremely expressive eyes. Then she turned and stalked off. “Damn,” he muttered as the door slammed closed behind her. He ran a hand through his hair. He was in big trouble. Sighing, he sank down onto the cream leather sofa and tried not to think about the fact that he was so hot and hard it was painful. Or the fact that it was turning into a regular occurrence. That was not what worried him. He knew he could seduce her, but he was starting to realize that as far as Aria Morgan was concerned, mere seduction was not enough. He wanted her to come to him freely. And that bothered him. A lot. He still did not trust her, was not sure he could ever trust Richard. He had told himself Aria was business, purely a way of reaching her father and getting the revenge he craved. Told himself that the sex had been an added bonus, unimportant. He had been lying. He wanted her again, had since that night, quite desperately, beyond reason. Richard Morgan had gone, no doubt, done his disappearing act because he knew Stefan was after him, believed that Stefan would not rest until he had made him pay. He was wrong. The choice had been a hard one, but in the end, Stefan had been happy to forget Richard. Now he wanted nothing more than the opportunity to forget him again. At least for the foreseeable future, until he had sated himself with Richard’s delectable daughter. He closed his eyes and imagined sinking once again into her silky depths. With a groan, he rested his head against the back of the sofa. He needed a cold shower, or maybe a hot steamy one, where he could indulge in one of those fantasies. But he knew if he stayed here with Aria only a few feet away, no doubt curled up all warm and sweet in his spare room, then he might go seriously insane. He had to get out of there. In some ways, he had been running from his past life. Maybe it was time to embrace it, blow off some steam, and he knew just the person to help him. He reached across and picked up his cell phone. “Gary?” “What the hell, it is nearly midnight.” Stefan grinned. “Yeah, the night is still young. You want a drink?” Gary was silent for a second. “I will be outside in fifteen minutes.” “Take a cab,” Stefan advised. “You will not be wanting to drive.” He showered quickly, dressed in jeans, a black T shirt, and a black leather jacket, a remnant from his misspent youth, and headed out of the building. Gary raised an eyebrow when he saw him, then grinned. Gary was tall and sandy haired, and looked mean enough to scare anything that might be wandering the streets of London after midnight. He had also been Stefan’s best friend while they were growing up. They had terrorized the streets together, gone after the same girls, watched each other’s backs, and managed to keep one step ahead of the law. Gary had joined the army when he was seventeen. Stefan had very nearly joined with him, but his father had not been long dead, and Stefan had still been determined to make those responsible pay. Now, he could not help but wonder what his life would have been like if he had enlisted with his friend. It was amazing how a single decision could affect your whole life and the lives of those around you. Would his mother have gone back to her family if he had not gotten into trouble? She had always sworn she would not. Gary had left the army six years ago after a bomb blast in Afghanistan had left him with a permanent limp. He had been unable to find a job, and Stefan had offered him the position of head of security for his company. Now, he was in charge of hiring and firing the security force, but also headed up any investigative work Stefan needed doing. He was good at his job. “I kept the cab,” Gary said. “You want to go west or east?” “East,” Stefan said. “I have an urge to visit our old haunts tonight.” “I know of a few places that might still be open. I will take you on a pub crawl.” They were silent as they drove through the quiet streets, but as they settled down in the darkened booth of the first pub, Gary sat back, one arm along the seat, and studied him. “So what has brought on this bout of nostalgia? Or need I ask?” Stefan took a long pull of his beer while he considered what to say. Gary was the only one he had talked to about Aria. Stefan had asked him to do a standard background check on her, before he had left for the States. “Aria is staying at the apartment until this is sorted out.” “You know you are making a mistake not letting me handle this,” Gary said. “Yeah, and you know how I know, because you have told me a hundred times.” “You are too close, and it is my job. You should listen to me. She is obviously a treacherous bitch, and you are a fool to go anywhere near her, let alone let her into your apartment.” “Probably.” Gary considered him for a moment. “Do not take this wrong, but Julian reckons you are thinking with your dick and not your head.” Anger flashed through him, but he pushed it down. Gary was genuinely concerned. He might not have been around, but he knew the havoc Richard Morgan had caused in his life. “You have spoken to Julian?” “When I was preparing the report.” “But you came up with nothing to suggest that she is in contact with Richard?” “Maybe not. All I am saying is, do not lose sight of who she is, and who her father is. Do not trust her.” Stefan swallowed the last of his drink. Was not he here to forget about Aria? And her father. He held up his empty glass. “Are not we supposed to be drinking?” Gary grinned. “Hell, yeah. As you said, the night is still young.”
• Stupid machine!” Aria snarled, staring at the coffee machine in disgust. She could not even work out how to turn it on. It had taken her ages to fall asleep last night. She had lain with the feel of Stefan’s lips on her own, the taste of him filling her mouth, despite the fact that she had scrubbed her teeth for five minutes. When she had finally dropped off it was to her usual dreams, and she had tossed and turned all night. Something had awoken her in the early hours of the morning, and she had lain in the extremely comfortable bed wondering what to do. She could not go back to sleep and eventually, at six thirty, the need for coffee had driven her from her room. Coffee was an absolute necessity for her first thing in the morning. Not an option. She stared at the machine disconsolately, then left the kitchen and wandered back into the huge living area. There was no sign of Stefan, but a sound from above made her glance up. The door to the rooftop conservatory was open, and she tiptoed up the spiral staircase and peered out. For a moment, all seemed quiet, then the splash of water broke the silence. Aria froze. She edged through the doorway. Stefan’s long body sliced through the water, his movements swift and economical. He moved easily, fluid and graceful, and Aria was filled with the same awe she had always felt in the past when watching a beautiful horse move. Well, she acknowledged honestly, not quite the same feeling. Stefan came to a halt at the end closest to where she hovered, shuffling from foot to foot. Aria knew she should go but was quite unable to make herself do it. She told herself it was cowardly to run, that she had to get used to Stefan if she was going to have any peace over the next few days or however long it took before he realized her father was a no show. Mind you, she did not think she would ever get used to Stefan looking like this, the water gleaming on the golden skin of his shoulders and chest. He wiped the water from his eyes. “Join me.” Aria shook her head. “I do not have a suit.” “Neither do I,” he drawled. Definitely time to walk away, but again, she could not bring herself to move. She stood glued to the spot as he pulled himself out of the water in one smooth motion, the muscles rippling under his honey gold flesh. Her breath caught in her throat, and she stood there mesmerized, unable to glance away. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. And he was naked. Absolutely, unashamedly naked. He stood, almost seeming to pose for her, stretching his long, lean body sinuously, running his hands across his chest then through his dark, wet hair. She risked a glance at his face to find him watching her from deceptively sleepy eyes, a small smile playing across his lips.