The Dom Who Loved Me (Masters and Mercenaries #1)(98)

Rome is overwhelmed by his need for Maria. He has never had a sub respond to him the way she does and no matter what he does, he feels himself slipping off that cliff into love. As their relationship starts to unfold, he realizes that he will do anything to win her heart, to convince her to become his sub for a lifetime. But before he can do anything, the killer turns his attention on Rome and the one thing he holds dear: Maria.



WARNING: The following book contains: A Dom who thinks he can do no wrong, a new sub who is about to teach him he can, palm trees, a trip or two to Rough ‘n Ready, a flirty Aussie Dom with questionable motives, old friends, and a new enemy. Yeah, it might be called Harmless, but you Addicts know it’s anything but.



When they arrived at her hotel, she expected him to drop her off at the front, but instead, he parked the car. After tossing his keys to the valet and grabbing the ticket he took her by the elbow and headed to the Tapa Tower. Amazingly, they found themselves on the elevator alone.

“I don’t care for your methods.” She inwardly winced at her tone. She sounded like a prude.

He slanted her a look. “Yeah?”

“I understand you might not like it, but being a petulant child pouting over losing an argument doesn’t make you look good. I won’t take the silent treatment.”

Before she knew what he was about, he grabbed her wrist slipped in front of her then released her arm to cage her into the corner of the elevator.

“If you’re going to play the submissive, you’re going to have to be a little better at taking orders.”

She couldn’t speak. Her heart was beating so hard she’d bet he could hear it. She raised her gaze from his chest to his face, and eventually made eye contact. Good God. Her whole body went on alert at the heat she saw flaming in the depths of his hazel eyes. She wasn’t afraid of him, but of the arousal that now slid through her veins at an alarming rate.

“You don’t tell me what to do at the club. That will tell people right off the bat you aren’t serious about it. And, if you want to play sub to my Dom, you better get used to doing exactly what I tell you.”

He leaned forward nuzzling her neck. His breath feathered out over her flesh and she couldn’t stop the shiver. This kind of behavior shouldn’t be turning her on. Her nipples hardened, her breath tangled in her throat. She thought she felt his mouth on her skin but the door dinged open and he pulled back. It took her a second to yank herself out of the sea of lust he’d tossed her in. He stood by the door, keeping it open as if nothing strange had happened.

She drew in a deep breath, gathered up her senses and some of her pride and stepped into the hallway. He walked behind her, a silent companion but now her nerves were frazzled. What was it about this man? It wasn’t that she felt she had to prove herself to him.

She stopped at her door and glanced back over her shoulder at him. “You didn’t have to do that. I understand what’s expected of me.”

“Really?”

She fought back the irritation. “I’ve researched it. I would never suggest this if I didn’t know what I to do.”

He nodded but still looked skeptical.

“I can play the role. You didn’t have to pull that stunt.”

He studied her for a moment, no expression on his face. Then, he placed his hand on the wall next to her head, then leaned closer as he did in the elevator. Gawd, he smelled good. Earthy and sensual and all wrapped up in a dominant package of a man. She shouldn’t want to attract him, but everything in her being was telling her to do anything to get him in her bed.

“What stunt are you talking about?”

For a moment, all she could do was look at his lips as he spoke. His were full, sensual, and utterly irresistible,

“Callahan.”

She shook herself and tried to remember what they had been talking about. Great, now she had to embarrass herself with an explanation. She didn’t want to do this. She understood she wasn’t attractive to men like Rome. That she could live with. Having to admit it to him out loud was more than a little awkward.

“I understand that a woman like me would never attract you—“

“What do you mean by that?”

She glanced up and realized he looked genuinely surprised.

“Nothing. Just understand I can play a role and I won’t get all sappy on you. I want this guy as much as I do.”

Again, he was silent. She hated that, hated the way he looked at her. It was if he was completely perplexed by her. “Play a role?”

She rolled her eyes and pulled her key card out not able to look at him anymore. She was damned tired and ready to collapse. Add this embarrassment to the mix and she just wanted to crawl under the covers and forget most of the day.

“When we’re out of the public eye, I understand. You don’t have to play the role of my lover behind the scenes. It is easy if have parameters.”

“Callahan.” His voice was quiet but commanding.

“What?”

“Look at me.” The order was soft, but definitely not to be ignored. She couldn’t if she wanted to. His deep, resonate voice wrapped around her senses and forced her to do his bidding.

When she finally made eye contact, her whole body went hot again. The intense look had her trying to swallow, but she found her mouth dry. He slipped his free hand up to cup her jaw. Without saying a word, he bent his head down and brushed his mouth against hers. She could feel the heat of him through their layers of clothing.