Needing to show off the cluster of diamonds pinned to the sash over her shoulder, she scooped up her hair and dug through her purse for the small Ziploc of hair things she kept inside. She pinned and fastened the blonde strands in a messy knot that left tendrils framing her face. She applied a fresh coat of makeup next before stuffing her old clothes into the garment bag and leaving to find Frank.
She didn’t need to go far. He was waiting for her right outside the door.
He bowed his head once before taking the items from her.
“This way.”
She followed him outside in the frigid November evening. Her gaze swung up as they crossed the parking lot to the SUV. The heavens were clear, but she knew it was only a matter of time before they were buried beneath a thick layer of snow.
“Where are we going, Frank?” she asked as he opened the back door for her.
“It’s not far,” was his smooth response.
Knowing better than to push, she slipped into the seat and watched him close the door behind her. He circled around and got behind the wheel.
He hadn’t been lying about not going far. The drive couldn’t have been more than fifteen minutes. When they stopped, he left the car idling as a short, beaming man hurried to open the door for her.
“Miss Romero?”
Juliette nodded.
The man’s smile widened. “I’m Vince. Mr. McClary has asked me to take you inside.”
Her gaze swept past the man to the building. It wasn’t anything special, a squat, brick building in the middle of the warehouse district of town. But she let herself get helped out of the car.
“Frank, can I leave my purse with you?” she asked.
From behind the wheel, Frank inclined his head. “Yes ma’am.”
Thanking him, she followed Vince through a set of metal doors. They opened in a cramped little stairway stained with graffiti and grime. It was not the sort of place she would have chosen to wear such a lovely dress, but Killian must have had a reason.
“This way.”
Vince motioned her to follow him to the metal steps and up. There was three flights before the top. Juliette was breathless by the time they reached the green door at the top.
Vince beamed. Without a word, he jerked the door open and stepped aside for her to go in first.
Candles, dozens upon dozens of candles illuminated every square inch of loft space. Fairy lights twisted around wooden beams and ran rampant in loops from the rafters. In the center of it all, closed in from all sides by white, gauze drapes, sat an elegantly set table for two equipped by two long stemmed candles and delicate china.
Of all the things she’d expected, this was not it.
“You look gorgeous.”
Startled, Juliette turned. Behind her, breathtaking in a black suit, Killian offered her a crooked smile that made her heart trip. His thick, wavy locks were swept off his brow and combed back to leave his freshly shaven face open. The ends curled over the crisp collar of his blazer. Beneath it, his shirt was a blinding white, a sharp contrast to the slash of silky black running down his chest to the gold buckle holding up his trousers. He reminded her of a model straight off the glossy pages of GQ.
“You look pretty nice yourself,” she choked out, inexplicably breathless. She moistened her lips. “What is all this?”
He moved towards her in slow, even strides. His hands found their way into the depths of his trouser pockets. His dark eyes shimmered beneath the flickering candlelight.
“I thought we’d try something different tonight. If that’s all right with you?”
While she liked going home to him and letting him work the stress out of every muscle in her body, a girl could hardly say no to a secret candlelight dinner.
“Oh, I’m sure I can manage,” she said, offering him a teasing grin. Her smile softened and she reached for him. Her palm settled on the soft material of his blazer, just over his heart. “This is incredible. Thank you.”
His hand closed over hers, swallowing her fingers as he drew her closer. “I merely oversaw the process.”
She shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. You could have just as easily taken us to a restaurant. There are a hundred fancy ones all over the city. Instead you did this.” She looked over the room, still in absolute awe of its beauty. “I love it so much.”
His eyes darkened. His fingers tightened around hers.
“Good.”
He led her to the table and drew out her chair. He waited until she was properly seated before rounding to his side.
Juliette waited until he was facing her before blurting the question that had been plaguing her.
“Is this because of this morning?” His eyes lowered, the only sign she needed to confirm her theory. “I promise that won’t happen again. I am honestly so sorry for—”
“No,” he cut in softly. “Don’t be sorry. I haven’t been very fair to you and that’s my fault.”
Juliette blinked. “What do you mean?”
He raised his gaze and fixed them on her face. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t want to talk about anything upsetting this evening. I just want to enjoy you.”
A smile tugged on her heart. “I’m all for you enjoying me.” She propped her elbows on the table, threaded her fingers together and perched her chin on her knuckles. “Tell me about your day.”
Killian leaned back in his chair. “I did some work. Made some calls. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
Juliette narrowed her eyes. “And somewhere between the working and call making, you put this together and bought me an amazing dress, which I absolutely love.”
His lips quirked. “It’s an all right dress. You make it beautiful.”
Juliette laughed. “Are you trying to charm me into your bed, Mr. McClary? Because I have to warn you, I have a very long list of suitors vying for my affections.”
One dark eyebrow lifted in amusement. “Have you now?”
“Worried?” she teased.
His grin was slow and brutally arrogant. “Ah darling, not at all. Your body will always belong to me. No other man will ever make it come apart the way I do.”
Her body gave a shiver in agreement. All amusement becoming a hot, sticky rush of liquid soaking her panties. Her clit throbbed in longing.
He smirked with all the knowing grace of a man fully aware of his effect on his woman.
Juliette swallowed audibly. “You don’t play fair.”
He leaned forward and lowered his voice to that gravelly purr that drove her crazy. “You don’t like it when I play fair. You like it when I’m dirty and rough. You like it when I rip off your panties, bend you over and fuck you until you can’t walk for a week, or when I put my fingers deep inside your wet little pussy and make you scream. That’s how you like me.”
It was true. Fuck being fair. She lived for the nights when he tortured her mindless, when he had her so worked up she was certain she’d die if he didn’t end the suffering. There was nothing fair or loving about those nights. It was all a brutal battle of hot, sweaty bodies colliding with one goal in mind—to fuck each other into exhaustion.
“Well, that can go both ways,” she croaked out, willing her body to calm down before she upended the table to get to him. “I recall you begging a few times.”
“I won’t deny it, I am addicted to your pussy.”
A second ticked.
Juliette laughed. “God, we sound like a pair of sex maniacs.”
He drew in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. “Only with you, love. Only ever with you.”
Heart giving an undignified flip in her chest, Juliette started to open her mouth when a rumble filled the vast space around them. The sound tore her away from the deep yearning coiling deep inside her. Her head whipped around just in time to see the cargo elevator gate slide open and a stout little man hurry out pushing a silver cart. He bustled over, bowed low first to her, then to Killian. Without a word, he removed the dome off the tray, revealing two steaming plates, both holding the same sized slabs of filet mignon with a side order of asparagus. The dishes were set in front of them. The man bowed again and hurried away as quickly as he’d come.