Tuesday (The Days of the Week #2)

Chapter Twelve

W illiam's kiss was hard and demanding, his lips moving against mine with an urgency that stole my breath. For a moment, I was too shocked to react. Then, as if my body had a will of its own, I found myself kissing him back, my hands fisting in the lapels of his suit jacket to pull him closer.

A low growl rumbled in William's chest as he deepened the kiss, his tongue sweeping into my mouth to tangle with mine. His hands gripped my waist, his fingers digging into my flesh through the thin fabric of my blouse. I gasped into his mouth as he walked me backward until my back hit the bookshelf.

William broke the kiss to trail his lips down my throat, his teeth grazing my skin and sending shocks of pleasure-pain through my body. My head fell back against the books as I tried to catch my breath, my mind reeling. This was insane.

“We can’t do this,” I panted, making no move to push him away.

His hands gripped the back of my thighs, lifting me off the floor and pressing me between the shelf and his hard body. The solid line of his cock pressed against me through my pants. Searingly hot even through several layers of fabric.

“Why?” he growled, rolling his hips against mine.

I shook my head, trying to clear the fog of lust. “Because what you’re doing is dangerous.”

A particularly hard jerk of his hips made me moan. I could already feel my clit throbbing, my inner muscles beginning to ache. One of William’s hands fisted in my hair and I gasped.

“You’re right,” he murmured against my lips. “I am dangerous.”

His grip on my hair tightened, holding me in place as his other hand slipped into my pants. The first graze of his calloused fingers between my slick folds made my thighs tense. The friction was almost too much, rasping over my sensitive clit with unbearable intensity.

My hips jerked into and away from the sensation, but his hand followed. Never letting up. Forcing me to take it. I moaned into William’s mouth as the pleasure rose, my thighs beginning to tremble. He slipped a long finger inside me and I cried out, clenching hard.

“That’s it, sweetheart,” he murmured, pulling back enough to scan my face. “Let me have it.”

He slipped in a second thick finger and curled them, his thumb ruthlessly tormenting my throbbing clit. It was so intense I could barely breathe, every exhalation a sob as my body wound tighter and tighter. I clawed at his shoulders through his suit jacket, holding tight to keep from flying apart.

“Do you want to come?” William purred in my ear, nuzzling the side of my head.

“Please!” I gasped.

My back arched as his fingers thrust and curled inside my clenching heat, pushing me to the edge. I was so wet the fabric of my pants stuck to my thighs and ass. William's thumb circled my clit, faster and harder.

“Look at me,” he demanded.

My gaze met his just as the tension snapped. I arched hard as the orgasm ripped through me, my inner muscles clamping down on his fingers. I could see nothing but the darkness of his eyes, the pupil blown so wide it swallowed everything else. He looked ravenous.

Just as the last aftershocks faded, he pulled his hand away. I watched through heavy-lidded eyes as he brought his glistening fingers to his lips and sucked them clean, his gaze locked on mine. He hummed his pleasure.

“I knew you would be sweet,” he murmured.

I could not look away from his mouth, watching the way his tongue searched for every bit of my flavor. The sound of a zipper jerked me out of my daze.

“Tell me to stop,” he said.

I stared into William's dark eyes, my heart pounding. Part of me wanted to tell him to stop, that this was a mistake.

“Don't stop,” I whispered.

William's lips curved into a feral smile. I felt a sharp jerk and then cool air on my heated skin. He rolled his hips, his cock head nudging my oversensitive clit before settling at my entrance. I cried out as he thrust into me, stretching and filling me completely. He was big, almost too big.

He set a punishing pace, his hips snapping against mine as he drove into me over and over. Wet, filthy sounds filled the study. He buried himself completely on every stroke, his cock hitting that spot deep inside that made me sob.

I was not sure what I was feeling. His cock stretched me open, making a place for himself no one else could ever fill. I ached, but I never wanted it to stop. Already, I could feel the pleasure rising again. When his fingers stroked my clit, I tried to squirm away.

“Too much!” I gasped.

William's grip on my hip tightened, holding me in place as his fingers continued their merciless assault on my sensitive flesh.

“You can take it,” he growled. “Give me everything.”

His words pushed me over the edge. My back bowed as another orgasm ripped through me, even more intense than the first. I cried out, my nails clawing at his back as my inner muscles clenched and fluttered.

William's thrusts turned erratic, his breathing harsh against my neck. With a final snap of his hips, he buried himself deep and stilled, a low groan rumbling in his chest as he pulsed inside me.

For a long moment, we stayed like that, both of us panting as we came down from the high. Then William leaned in and gently nuzzled my throat. He whispered something under his breath, before he looked into my eyes, giving me a searching look. Whatever he was looking for, he seemed to find it.

William eased out of me and set me back on my feet, his hands steadying me as I wobbled. My legs felt like jelly, my mind still reeling from the intensity of what had just happened between us. I leaned back against the bookshelf, trying to catch my breath and gather my scattered thoughts.

William tucked himself back into his pants and zipped up, his dark eyes never leaving my face. He reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair off my flushed cheek.

“Christina...” he murmured, his deep voice sending a shiver down my spine despite my confusion and lingering unease.

I shook my head, pushing off the bookshelf and putting some distance between us. I reached down to feel the ripped seam of my pants. My body still hummed with aftershocks of pleasure, but reality was starting to creep back in.

“What you’re doing is dangerous,” I said, my voice shakier than I would have liked. “You know you can’t keep that thing.”

Something flickered in his dark eyes, an emotion I could not quite decipher. He took a step toward me but stopped when I held up a hand. His jaw clenched and he looked away, seeming to struggle with himself for a long moment. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and rough.

“It's not what you think, Christina. The creature, the experiments... It’s me.”

I frowned. “What’s you?”

He dragged his gaze back to mine, his eyes tormented. “I am the creature.”

I stared at William, sure I must have misheard him. “What do you mean, you are the creature? That's not possible.”

William sighed heavily, running a hand through his dark hair. He looked exhausted, the lines of strain around his eyes and mouth more pronounced than ever.

“It's a curse that has plagued my family for generations,” he said quietly. “Passed down from father to son. We don't know how it started, only that it can’t be broken.”

I shook my head, trying to wrap my mind around what he was saying. “A curse? William, that's—”

“Insane?” he finished for me, a humorless smile twisting his lips. “Believe me, I am well aware. But it is the truth, Christina. Every night, I change into that...thing you saw in the maze.”

Of course, the first man who made me feel this way would be delusional. I sighed.

“Have you spoken to anyone about this?” I asked gently.

He raised his eyebrows. “You don’t believe me,” he said flatly.

I hesitated, searching for the right words. “William, what you're saying...”

A knock interrupted me. William and I stared at each other until someone knocked again. His jaw clenched.

“Enter,” he snapped.

Holloway entered the study, his expression carefully neutral as he took in my disheveled state and William's tense posture.

“Forgive the intrusion, sir,” he said to William, “but there is an urgent matter that requires your attention.”

William's eyes flashed with annoyance. “Can it wait, Holloway? Dr. Blackwood and I are in the middle of an important discussion.”

Holloway hesitated, his gaze flicking to me briefly before returning to William. “I'm afraid not, sir. It concerns the...situation we discussed earlier.”

Something shifted in William's expression. “The phones are working.”

Holloway nodded. “Dr. Blackwood’s receptionist called with a message for Dr. Blackwood.”

I stared at Holloway, my heart leaping into my throat. “What message?” I demanded, taking a step toward the butler. “Is it about Aiden?”

Holloway glanced at William, who gave a curt nod. The butler turned back to me. “According to your assistant, they have been trying to reach you for days. The child was found safe in a treehouse across town from his home.”

I stared at Holloway uncomprehending. Aiden was fine? The message I had been waiting for, praying for, had finally come and instead of elation, I felt only confusion. My gaze darted to William, who was watching me with an inscrutable expression.

“When?” I asked, my voice sounding distant to my own ears. “When was he found?”

“The same night you arrived at the estate, Dr. Blackwood,” Holloway replied. “Your receptionist said they left several messages but were unable to reach you.”

I shook my head slowly, trying to process this new information. All this time, Aiden had been safe. While I had been traipsing around the estate, growing more entangled with William and his secrets.

“Why am I just hearing about this now?” I demanded, anger starting to cut through my shock.

I turned to William, my eyes narrowing. “You knew, didn't you?” I accused. “You knew Aiden had been found and you didn't tell me. You let me believe he was still missing, that he could be in danger!”

William's jaw clenched. “I never said the boy was on my property. In fact, I told you repeatedly he was not here.”

His words rang hollow in my ears. The pieces were starting to fall into place - the evasiveness of the staff, the way William had kept me occupied and away from town. Had it all been a ruse to keep me here, isolated and in the dark?

I shook my head in disbelief, anger and hurt warring inside me. “But you knew how worried I was. And you said nothing!”

“Would you have believed me if I had?” William asked quietly. “You were determined to search every inch of the estate, no matter what I said.”

I opened my mouth to argue, then snapped it shut. As much as I hated to admit it, William had a point. From the moment I arrived, I had been single-minded in my determination to find Aiden, convinced the estate held the answers. Would I have believed him if he told me the boy was found safe? Or would I have thought it was another attempt to dissuade me from searching?

My anger deflated, replaced by a bone-deep weariness. I suddenly felt foolish, standing there in William's study with my clothes in disarray, the evidence of our tryst still wet on my thighs. What had I been thinking, letting myself get swept up in the moment like that? In him?

I straightened my spine, trying to gather the tattered shreds of my dignity. “I should go,” I said stiffly. “I need to get back to town. I’ve been gone too long already.”

William took a step toward me, his expression pained. “Christina, please. Let me explain—”

I held up a hand, stopping him. I turned to Holloway who still stood stiffly by the door. “I need my things brought down, please.”

“Of course, Dr. Blackwood,” Holloway murmured with a slight bow. He slipped out of the room, leaving William and me alone once more.

The silence stretched between us, heavy with things unsaid. I could feel William's gaze on me but I refused to meet his eyes, afraid of what I might see there. Or what he might see in mine.

“How hard did you try to fix the phones?” I whispered.

“Christina...” William began, his deep voice soft, almost pleading.

I shook my head. This was a mistake. I had let my emotions muddle my thinking. At the end of the day, William was a rich eccentric who believed he could transform into a beast. Nothing more, nothing less.

“I’m going to wait in the foyer,” I muttered. I walked out of the study and did not look back.