Chapter 13

"There's something about watching you..." he murmured and then caught himself as though he hadn't realized he was speaking out loud.

She didn't respond. Didn't know how to respond. If he wanted to be a creepy voyeur, that was his thing, she couldn't stop him. She ate as much as she could and then pushed the tray away and sat back in her seat feeling more relaxed and less anxious. So far, this whole kidnapping thing wasn't so bad. It included a private luxury jet and food. She'd even bet his place in Miami had a pool.

Nic reached for her plate and, picking up her fork, ate the rest of her eggs. She watched him, slightly embarrassed by the intimacy of sharing food and utensils with a virtual stranger. That fork that was entering his mouth had also been in hers. Yet she wasn't grossed out, not by a long shot. Heat shot through her veins and she felt the need to fan herself.

He dropped the fork and picked up the toast taking a generous bite and then washing it down with her leftover coffee. He made a face and dropped the coffee cup with a clatter. "Too sweet."

Maria smiled. "My mama told me I use too much sugar in my drinks."

"You do," he agreed.

As he settled back into work, leaving their strangely domestic scene behind, Maria tried to relax into another magazine. The flight attendant returned for the tray and gave them each a wet towel to wipe their hands. Maria lifted a brow and then followed Nic's actions since he was familiar with this kind of excessive luxury. No paper napkins for him apparently.

"We'll be landing in about three hours," he told her, still looking at his laptop. "You might want to get some sleep."

Maria wanted to ask him why she might need sleep. Did he want her rested for a little tickle and torture later? Or maybe so she could follow through on her new sex slave duties. She was naive but not stupid. She was well aware of what a man like Nic would want with someone like her. She just wondered how much of his interest was mixed up with thoughts of revenge. After all, she'd been a willing, if coerced, partner in his entrapment.

She didn't ask though. Instead she settled back into her seat and kept reading until her eyes grew heavy. Soon she was asleep, curled on her side in the plush chair, the magazine having slipped from her fingers onto the floor. When she woke, she felt groggy, as though she'd slept hard. Her hand was curled under her chin and a blanket was tucked around her body.

She straightened and pushed the blanket to the side. As she was in the process of stretching, her chest out and her arms up, she remembered Nic. Her gaze flew to him and her heart nearly stopped. He was watching her, but something in his gaze had shifted from coolly assessing to intensely heated. Maybe she'd been making sexy sounds in her sleep, although she doubted it. She was far more likely to drool all over herself.

"It's rude to stare," she said huskily, swallowing to wet her suddenly parched throat.

Instead of responding to her criticism, he said, "I'm ready for my kiss now."

"Oh," she gasped, dropping her hands to the arms of her seat and gripping them tightly. "I-I have morning breath."

His lip quirked and he lifted a brow. "Come here."

Her heart pounded at that simple command. She debated ignoring him, but he could easily force her into compliance. She'd rather maintain some measure of control. Plus, she was curious. Was kissing him today going to be different from kissing him last night? Their emotions had been high, he'd been angry, and she'd been terrified, making their kisses electric and intense.

Now, she was feeling sleepy and slightly disoriented while he had the look of a predator about him. As though he would devour her, but first he wanted her to crawl willingly into his cave and give him what he wanted.

A fanciful thought maybe, but then, her thoughts were flying so fast, hanging onto a single one took effort.

She stood and crossed the few steps between them. She started to bend over him awkwardly, but he stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"Straddle me," he demanded, his own voice dropping in volume and depth, the tone capturing her, enshrining them in a bubble. She had a brief thought of the other staff on board but decided they didn't matter. This was Nic's airplane and Nic was the boss, they would be discreet.

A mixture of curiosity and fear drove her to climb onto his lap, her knees on either side of his thighs, sinking into the plush leather of the chair. Her arms rested at her sides. She was too afraid, too out of her element to know where to put them or to dare touch without permission. Though she was normally fiery and self-confident, something about this deadly man demanded all-encompassing obedience. And since she didn't know where his boundaries lay, she wasn't willing to push him. At least not physically. Not yet.

He seemed to understand. "Put your arms around my neck."

Again, she did as she was told. It was an odd sensation, willingly touching him, but being commanded to do so. It had been so different last evening when he'd grabbed her forcibly and kissed her. Now, she was moving fluidly, sensually, she was experiencing everything in slow motion, instead of a rush of sensations.

She touched the hair at the back of his neck, curling just above the collar of his shirt. It was thick but also soft and smooth against her fingers, sliding easily in between as she slid her hands around his neck and settled more deeply into his lap.

"Now kiss me, Maria," he said, his mouth inches from hers.

The pounding of her heart sent blood rushing through her veins, her pulse points throbbed and her sense of sound disappeared since all she could hear was the beating of her own heart. As she lowered her mouth to his, she watched his lips. They were thin, hard, controlled, and unforgiving. Yet they parted slightly just before her lips settled against them.

She closed her eyes, sank into the moment and kissed the Italian mobster sitting patiently beneath her.

It was so intense, so intimate, that it captured her, body and soul. They were the only two that existed in that moment, sitting on an airplane, on a seat designed for luxury, next to a window, which was bright with the light of the day.

Her lips moved across his in a gentle exploration before moving deeper, seeking and attempting to give pleasure. When he first demanded a kiss in return for her brother's things, she'd agreed, thinking she would just stick her tongue in his mouth and get it over with. But that wasn't what this kiss was about. She didn't want it to end, and he made no moves to break it off.

After a moment, his hands crept up her back, anchoring her against him as the kiss grew more passionate. Her mouth slanted across his and she demanded more, taking more of the heated pleasure she was finding within. Perhaps, it was the dangerous aura surrounding the man, or perhaps it was the danger itself that she found herself in, or maybe it was an honest connection between them, but the kiss was by far the best she'd ever experienced.

She didn't want it to end. Actually clung to him and held him with a desperation she couldn't have imagined feeling in this kind of situation with this kind of man.

Finally, after god only knows how long, she surfaced, lurching back on his lap in shock. If he hadn't been holding onto her, she might've fallen off his lap and onto the floor. Instead he held her on his knees, his hands clenched on her hips. She felt the unmistakable push of his erection directly against her crotch. The feeling made her light-headed.

She lifted a hand to her lips and sucked air into her starved lungs. She was in very big trouble. If she'd had any doubts before, they were now gone. She was about to become the mistress of one of the most dangerous men in the world.