Venice Nights by Ava Claire Read Free Book Online

“Generally, when someone says all clear, that means all is clear.”
    I knew I should have apologized for second guessing him, especially considering he’d opened up to me, sharing a painful memory involving the paparazzi in an effort to let me know he understood where I was coming from. But he did not understand. Not really.
    I bristled at his otherwise calm demeanor. He was completely unfazed...while I was quickly losing my mind.
    I put a hand on my hip, glaring right back. “Maybe being stalked is business as usual for Jacob Whitmore, but I assure you it is maddening for a normal person.”
    “Normal?” He arched an eyebrow, not saying a word for a long moment.
    He snapped his fingers and I gasped at the unexpected sound, my heart skipping a beat.
    “If you think it’s normal to be so on edge that you jump out of your skin when I snap my fingers, you are mistaken.”
    I flipped my hair over my shoulder, masking my nervousness with a scoff. “You’ve been living with this your whole life. This is a whole new world for me.”
    I turned in a circle, remembering the first time I walked through the door of the villa, doing the exact same spin. I had been in awe of the beauty of this place. The exposed wooden beams. The priceless vases and paintings. The effortless style that came easily to someone that had no budget.
    Jacob’s villa was just as beautiful and breathtaking as before, but I was not wide eyed and innocent nor oblivious to what it all meant. Jacob and I were from totally different worlds.
    “Tell me what’s going on in your head.” His deep voice roped me in, drawing me from my thoughts. Out of the clutches of fear. Face to face with the eyes I could not hide from.
    “I’m just tired,” I said, walking past him toward the stairs. “I think I need a nap.”
    “Do not mistake my tone for weakness.”
    When I faced him, I knew I was in trouble.
    His tie was balled in his fist, his kissable lips a brutal line of disapproval. He tilted his chin downward and dark hair swept across his forehead. His icy eyes held me in place.
    “I asked you a question. I expect an answer.”
    Indignation flared in my cheeks. Were we really doing this now? “Is this some BDSM thing? Because I can tell you right now—”
    “You forget your place, Miss Montgomery,” he said coolly. “Don’t worry—that’s why I ‘m here. I know what you want. What you need.”
    “What I need is...”
    He released the hold on his tie, blood red silk dripping to the floor as he advanced. The look in his eye was one of carnal hunger. A look that rendered me unable to say anything but a single word.
    “I...”
    The smell of cloves, mint and his natural musk filled my nostrils. His eyes stripped me down and I quivered for him, brought alive and he had not even touched me. Oh, but he would—and he would make me regret crossing him...in the most delicious way.
    “Turn around.”
    His deep command went unchallenged, my heart quickening in my chest as I turned my back to him. The heat, the unbridled need he stoked in me, was enough to bring the fireplace before me cackling to life. He had an uncanny ability to make me moist with desire with a single look. To make me melt completely with the slightest touch.
    Touch...I held my breath, waiting anxiously for him to touch me. To rake his fingers over my hot flesh. To spank me until the embers were flames that consumed me in equal parts pleasure and pain.
    I knew he was close. My body hummed with the nearness of him. Yearned for him. But he denied me.
    “Jacob?” I murmured, my eyes fluttering closed. Saying his name like a prayer.
    “Tell me what’s going on in your head.”
    “I want you,” I said instantly, words flowing out of my mouth. “I want you so badly that I...it’s physically painful to stand here and not see you. Not touch you.”
    A moment passed, my revelation hanging in the air.
    “Put your arms behind your back,” he ordered, his voice low and enticing.
    I tensed,