Dangerous Pleasure by Lora Leigh Read Free Book Online Page A

hadn’t stayed away from her, ensured they were never alone together over the past years for no reason.
    “A regrettable one,” he answered. “I apologize to you as well, Paige…”
    “Save it.” Flipping her hand out to him dismissively she turned on her heel and headed for the door.
    Once reaching the exit she turned back, her gaze meeting Khalid’s as anger burned bright and hot inside her. “If I don’t see you in the morning, then you better tell your hired goons to watch their damned backs because I won’t stay here any longer. And you damned well better have an alternative method of protection because I’m not a child to be locked away. Nor am I too damned stupid to understand what the hell is going on when the situation is eventually explained to me.”
    She didn’t give him time to speak. She didn’t want to hear his damned explanations at the moment and she sure as hell didn’t want to see the pity in his and Marty’s eyes. She wanted to get the hell away from all of them.
    She was a mistake. A regrettable one.
    Her teeth clenched furiously as humiliation washed through her.
    He could excuse himself until hell froze over but it wouldn’t change the fact that he wanted her. He had wanted her with almost the same destructive hunger that burned inside her whenever he was around.
    He didn’t want to admit it? He wanted to ignore it?
    That was just damned fine, because it wasn’t over. She’d seen his gaze. She’d seen what he’d wanted to hide behind that deceptively calm, unemotional mask.
    She’d seen the hunger burning so hot, so deep that it possibly went even deeper than her own did. She’d felt it. She’d tasted it in his kiss. He wanted to devour her.
    She knew herself that denying it simply didn’t work. When he was done with the denials, when he was finished pretending he didn’t want her to keep Khalid’s little protective instincts calmed, then he’d better be damned careful.
    She just might show him exactly how rejection felt.
    *   *   *
     
    As the door closed quietly behind her, Abram almost flinched. The near silence of the action spoke volumes. Had she slammed the door, it wouldn’t have been nearly as effective.
    It had been the pain he’d seen in her eyes though, that sense of betrayal that had driven home to him exactly how deeply he had hurt her.
    She didn’t understand.
    Touching her had been the worst mistake he could have made, because it showed her to be a weakness he could ill afford.
    And responding to him eight years before, when his lips had buried between her thighs, had been the worst mistake she could have made.
    Even now, Abram couldn’t get the taste of her out of his mind. He couldn’t get her pure, uninhibited response to him out of his system.
    Her eyes had been filled with such hunger. The long swath of pretty fire-reddened hair cascading around her. Her pale flesh flushed with her need, and those perfect breasts. Those sweet, firm mounds had risen to him, the pale innocently pinkened nipples tight and hard, and responsive to his touch.
    Taking her would be like immersing himself in fire. He could see it, feel it.
    Iron hard and throbbing in fury at his refusal to take her, his cock had swelled to painful readiness, his balls drawn tight and painful. He couldn’t remember ever having ached with such desperation for a woman’s touch, or needing to touch one as he needed to touch Paige.
    “Have you fucking lost your mind, Abram?” Khalid rasped behind him, his voice hoarse with fury.
    “Evidently.” Abram turned to him, careful to keep his expression composed, without emotion. “I won’t be berated like a child, Khalid. You’ve known for years the desire that burns between us. You should have only been surprised it took this long to risk my control.”
    He inhaled slowly, evenly. Paige hadn’t just risked his control, she had fucking destroyed it.
    Yet, he couldn’t blame his brother for his anger either. Paige was Khalid’s little