Page 31 of Tangled Roses
“It’s eleven o’clock at night.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Then yes. I am a little.”
He veers off the road into a small clearing and I notice a small catering truck parked in the lot.
“I can recommend the burgers.”
“You eat here?” I’m astonished.
“Come. My treat.”
It makes me laugh. “You know, Arman, you are a shit date.”
He raises his eyes and I shake my head. “You take me to an orgy where I’m required to prostitute myself, and then you reward me with a greasy burger on the roadside. So, for future reference, if you ask me again, I’m washing my hair that night.”
He surprises me by leaning in and grasping my face between his hands and whispers against my lips, “The night is just beginning, malysh. Your mind may be of a different opinion in the morning.”
I swear every nerve ending inside me is on alert right now as his breath dusts against my lips, and I am regretting the absence of my underwear as my body reacts to his touch. I can’t focus on anything other than his dark eyes glittering and I can’t breathe as his lips flutter against mine.
I lean forward instinctively, desperate for something I’ve never wanted before. This is different. He is different and I am curious what being with a man like him would be like. Would he be the same as my past disappointing encounters, or would it be different? Would I finally discover what the fuss is all about?
I hate how bereft I feel as he pulls away and says lightly, “Come. First, we eat.”
I am so flustered. He has scrambled my mind and I’m thankful it’s dark outside because my face is on fire, along with my libido. When Arman stepped in to save me earlier, I saw him differently and now when his breath touches my face and I stare at the hunger in his eyes, there is only one thing on my mind. Him.
CHAPTER 18
ARMAN
We order enough food for my small army and as we sit on plastic chairs at plastic tables, we must be a strange sight. This place is usually visited by truckers. Not men in suits driving supercars.
It amuses me to picture my brother’s faces right now. They expect the best at all times and this would be their worst nightmare. I say they’ve never lived because I wasn’t kidding. This is the best food when you’re hungry and there is something so simplistic about grabbing a bite to eat in the open air. No fuss, no restrictions, just food.
Gabrielle must be on edge because she is surrounded by menace. I haven’t forgotten that she is dealing with a lot right now and what happened back at the house must be etched on her soul for eternity. I am used to this world. She is not and as we sit with Luka and Valerin at one of the tables, she falls silent as she eats, looking terrified if any of them even glance in her direction.
We speak of the food, the surroundings and crack a few jokes that only hold meaning for us. She does not take part and yet I’m aware of her attention focused completely on me. What happened in the car was necessary to make my intentions clear. She is coming home with me because I want to fuck her out of my system. I am not a gentleman. Far from it, in fact. She is a woman of considerable interest to me, which means she is fucked one way or another. I know it. Luka knows it and my men know it. I get what I want and right now I want her.
We finish up and as we head back to our cars she is quiet as we move away from the roadside.
After a while, she says tentatively, “What happens back at your penthouse, Arman?”
“We go to bed.” I am flippant because she will be terrified when she realizes the true nature of my interest in her and her voice shakes as she whispers, “I’ll have my own room, right?”
“No.”
“What do you mean?’
“You will sleep with me so I can protect you.”
For some reason, that makes her laugh out loud. “Do you think I’m stupid?”
“No.” I shrug. “If you were, you wouldn’t interest me.”
“I interest you. How?”
“Because I like what I see. I like the mystery surrounding you and I like to fuck. What other reason would there be?”