Dark Seduction (Vampire Royals of New York #2) - Sarah Piper Page 0,32
It had drawn him in deep, calling to his own shadows.
Even now, looking into her beautiful copper eyes, Dorian saw the gathering storm. And rather than run from it, rather than take shelter, he wanted to utterly bathe in it.
“He runs our crew now,” she said. “He took over when my father died.”
“And which crew would that be?”
“We’re art thieves, Dorian.” Charlotte pressed her fingers to her temples and sighed, clearly exasperated, but Dorian needed to hear her say it aloud. “It’s the family business. I’ve been doing it professionally since I was Sasha’s age. That’s part of what I wanted to tell you today.”
“Your father was in the business too?”
“My father was the business. He built the entire empire from the ground up.”
“Sasha?”
“I’ve kept her out of it.” New fire blazed in Charlotte’s eyes at the mention of her sister. “She’s got a chance at normal. I’m doing my best to give it to her.”
Dorian’s heart softened a bit more. But then the bruises flashed through his mind again, and he reached for her collarbone, tracing his fingers across the sweater.
“And this man… your uncle.” He grit his teeth, keeping a tight rein on his anger. “He’s the one who put his hands on you?”
Charlotte took a step back and wrapped her arms around herself, barely holding back a shudder. “It’s the first time he’s gotten so violent with me. Usually he just threatens.”
“Excellent. So you won’t mind if I drain him of his blood and bury his body out back?”
Her eyes widened. “Dorian, no! You can’t kill him. You can’t even threaten him. He’s got too many fail-safes in place. If anything happens to Rudy…” She shook her head and lowered her gaze, but it was too late. Dorian had seen the sheer terror in her eyes.
Despite his earlier anger at her, despite his suspicion, despite every horrible thing he’d felt since last night, Dorian’s heart bloody ached. It was all he could do not to take her into his arms and repeat the promise he’d made that day in the mountains—that he’d keep her safe forever.
He still bloody loved her. Even the worst kind of betrayal couldn’t stamp out those feelings. And now, watching her tremble in the dining room that reminded him of his own hour of monumental helplessness, looking like she had nowhere else to run, Dorian could not turn his back on her.
He took a step closer, the space between them shrinking again. Their bodies had always been highly attuned to each other, reacting instantly to a touch, a breath, a caress, even a look. Standing before him in her bulky sweater, Charlotte tried to cover her chest with her arms, but Dorian had already noticed her nipples, firm and erect beneath the fabric.
His cock stiffened as he tried desperately to rid his mind of the memories, the taste of her soft skin as he’d sucked those rose-colored peaks into his mouth time and again, teasing and biting, moaning her name as he drove himself into her hot, willing flesh…
“I hate asking this, but I need your help,” she whispered, yanking him back to the moment. “It’s truly a matter of life and death.”
Against every warning in his heart, Dorian nodded. “I’m listening.”
“Sasha and I are in danger. I know I deserve it—I made this bed, and now I have to lie in it. But she doesn’t. If it was just me, I wouldn’t even be telling you this. But I can’t let him hurt her. I’ll tell you anything you want to know about the heist, about the art, my family, all of it. But I’m begging you, Dorian. Please don’t send me away.”
Tears gathered in her eyes again, the coppery color bright against the bloodshot whites, and Dorian’s breath caught. Since his discovery of her plans, he’d imagined all sorts of ways to punish her… but that didn’t mean he wanted her to suffer. And Sasha had nothing to do with this. Even now, Dorian could hear her laughing with Aiden in the pool outside, her tone light and carefree.
He remembered the picture he’d seen of her in Charlotte’s bedroom last night.
Who would want to hurt that sweet, charming girl?
Charlotte was losing her carefully controlled facade, breaking down before him in a way that couldn’t—despite all evidence to the contrary—be an act. She was clearly withholding information—as usual—but she wasn’t lying about Sasha being in danger. That much was obvious.
Dorian couldn’t help himself. He needed to touch her again, to feel her