A Matter Of Justice (Grey Justice #4)(69)

She smiled as she remembered some of his mutterings. Grey was the most articulate person she knew, but when it came to their lovemaking, he could make a caveman sound literate. And she loved every single utterance. The most controlled man in the world lost his head when she was in his arms. How could she not love that?

“Are you still breathing?” he asked in a gruff voice.

“Barely. How about you?”

“I’m considering it. Guess it’s been a while for both of us.”

Rolling over, she propped her chin on his chest. “You know what they say, abstinence makes everything harder.”

“I think you mean absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

She took him in her hand, caressed him till she felt that hardness begin to return. “I like my version better.”

He hissed a soft sigh and arched his back. “Yeah, I see what you mean.”

“I’m glad you missed me.”

“You’ll never know how much.”

“Try me.”

“I slept with one of your nightgowns beside me.”

A wave of tenderness swept through her at his admission. Grey could often be romantic, but rarely was he sentimental. To have him admit something so mushy was so out of character.

“Did it help?”

“Hell no. I woke up craving you even more.”

Her hand continued its caresses up and down his length. “How can I make it up to you?”

“You’ve made a good start.”

“Let me see if I can help things along.” She went to her knees and peppered kisses on his chest, whirling her tongue around a hard, male nipple. With each lick of her tongue or touch of her hand, his body went stiller, stiffer. Smiling at the effect she was having on him, she continued kissing down his body, stopping on occasion to lick at a spot, nibble another. By the time she reached the hard, male part of him, he was whispering curses, along with her name, and, if she wasn’t mistaken, a few hallelujahs, too.

Having set the course and knowing torturing him would only mean torture for her, too, she delayed her play no longer. Leaning over him, she took him deep into her mouth, sucking hard.

With a harsh curse, Grey arched up, but Irelyn held him down and gave him her full attention. She loved his taste, his scent. She loved that this very male part of him had been inside her, had given her the most glorious pleasure imaginable. She loved that she could reduce this strong, beautiful man to mutters, grunts, and growls.

When she knew neither of them could handle another minute apart, she released him. Straddling his hips, she took his length into her hand and slid him inside her. Though darkness surrounded them, the lamp in the hallway gave enough light to see his beautiful face, the glittering of those cobalt-blue eyes, gleaming with heat, need.

She gasped when he grabbed her hips and held her like that. They stared at each other, connected, their bond both physical and spiritual. He was her Grey, she was his Irelyn. Everything they were, all that they were, was in their touch, their locked gazes, his body within hers.

And then everything accumulated into a massive rolling wave of ecstasy. Irelyn closed her eyes as she plunged into the deepest ocean and then was flung heavenward into the stars.





Chapter Twenty-Eight





Hill House

England





Sebastian checked his email once more and fought an almost overwhelming urge to scream when zero messages were displayed. The day after his exhibition, he had sent queries to twenty-five of the more notable and up-and-coming assassins. He wanted a mix of experience in his stable of killers. They should have been beating at the door to be a Hill House member. And yet, not one of them had indicated the slightest interest in working for him. Some had answered with an outright no, a few had given vague excuses, and several had not even bothered to respond.

His event had backfired. He had thought he needed to show his expertise in killing to gain the respect of the community. Should he have explained things better? He hadn’t considered his audience wanting to know why the guards were being punished. The men were simply props to display his talents, but perhaps his performance would have been better received if he had done a more thorough introduction.

Or perhaps it was something else altogether. Maybe killing wayward employees interested no one. Though the men had deserved the punishment, maybe he should have taken care of them in private. Had he, in effect, aired his dirty laundry?

He blamed his poor judgment on Irelyn Raine. If he had not been so focused on her, he would have realized his mistake sooner. She had taken his attention away from the more important matters of being the leader of Hill House. Like so many of her other sins, she would pay for this one, too.

He now had a new plan. One that would show his leadership abilities. Yes, he had impressed them with his skill as a bullwhip master, but they already knew he could kill. What they didn’t know, what they needed to know, was that he could be a great leader, too. Just as great as Hill Reed.

And that was why he had ordered the killing of Grey Justice. It was actually a concession on his part, as he had wanted to go about that in another way, but no one but Sebastian knew this. This would work out just as well, though, as it would give his reputation the cache it needed. He would send some of his best men to take down the famous billionaire. The news would travel all over the world. The ordinary citizen would never know who was responsible, but the ones who mattered would know that Sebastian Dark had planned and instigated the bastard’s death. They would be suitably impressed and realize he was the right leader for Hill House. Instead of him having to send out invitations, they would call him and beg to work for him.