Are you lost?

MARK’S POV

I finish my Bourbon and set the glass back on the tray. 

I picked her up from the staircase and placed her on the bed and left. I have been avoiding her ever since. Holding her in my arms, brought back memories of the past that I have worked very hard to forget. 

Clive is right. Cole is going to fight to get to her and I will not be able to stop him. The worst part is that she is nothing what Cole would expect. The girl she resembles died many years ago. They only look alike. They are worlds apart from each other when it comes to personality. 

Luckily, Clive was able to see this in during the little encounter they had this morning. He could see that it is not the same girl they all use to know. I pour myself another Bourbon and down it quickly. 

Cole is ruthless. He does not ask questions. He will take her and when I find her again, she will be broken. How do I protect her against my own flesh and blood.  I have done my best to stay clear of redheads from the day June died. Cole fought for June until she could not stand it anymore. 

I close my eyes. The mere thought of June haunts me. This girl is the spitting image of June. 

I have made peace with the past. I will not let my past experiences taint this gorgeous girl. I take a deep breath. I leave the study to go to my room before I finish the bottle of Bourbon. Even when my mind is numb with Bourbon I cannot get this girl out of my head. She haunts me almost more than June ever did. 

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NINA’S POV

I wake early in the morning. The sun is not quite up yet but it is light enough to see what is around you. I get up and go to the bathroom to brush my teeth an tidy my hair. Not that it is easy to tidy the wild curls that is my hair. 

I walk silently out of the room and down the hallway. I have never gone past the door that leads to the room where I sleep. 

I tiptoe down the hallway towards the next door. It is slightly open. I know snooping around is bad manners but I am very curious. 

I look into the room and see that it is empty. I push the door open and walk in. 

The room is decorated in rich blues. The carpet is a deep cobalt blue and the curtains are a shade lighter. In the middle of the room is a very large four poster bed made from a dark solid wood. The bed is also very high. I walk towards the bed to gauge how difficult it would be to get onto it. The mattress is about level with my middle. I would need a step to get onto it. 

The bedding on the bed matches the deep blue of the curtains. The bed is unmade. Only then do I notice the sound of water running in the bathroom. I have hardly taken notice of the running water when it stopped. It takes my mind a second to realise that the person in the bathroom is going to come out any moment now. 

I turn to tiptoe out of the bedroom but the bathroom door opens before I could take my first step. 

Mark steps out of the bathroom. Completely naked. 

His piercing stare pins me to the spot. I cannot move. He takes a step closer to me. Why is this man not wrapped in a towel?

He takes the towel in his hand and rubs it over his hair before tossing it over the back of a chair. 

I cannot help but stare at him. His body is wet from his shower and he is even more beautiful than before. My eyes slide over his body, his chest, his stomach. I try not to look at all of his nakedness but my eyes and my mind betray me. 

My mouth slightly opens when my eyes fall on the specific part, I have been trying so hard to avoid looking at. He is very well endowed. 

As he walks up to me, I try to back away, but find myself with my back against the too high bed to climb over. 

“You should not be in here.” He tells me with a gruffness in his voice I have not heard before. 

I open my mouth to say something but nothing comes out. I look up into his piercing green eyes. He bends down slightly, placing his arms on either side of me on the bed. Caging me in. 

“Are you lost?” he asks again. His mouth is only a few inches away from mine. I cannot answer him, all I can think about is touching those lips with my fingertips. He moves closer to me, keeping his lips only an inch from mine. I take a deep breath; I can almost taste him. 

“You are making this very hard for me.” He tells me almost against my lips. “I am going to give you one chance to get away.” There is a warning in his voice I know I should rather listen to, but there is nowhere else in the world where I would rather be than right here in front of him. 

“Leave now.” He says as he closes his eyes. I look at his expression. It is almost as if he is in pain. I cannot leave. I gently press my lips against his. 

A deep groan escapes his throat.

His arms encircle me quickly, pulling me tight against his naked body. He opens his mouth and I automatically do the same. He kisses me deeply, drowning me in an all-consuming kiss. I can feel his arousal against my body and instinctively begin to rub against him. 

Mark slides his hand under my thighs and lifts me up. I wrap my arms around his neck still kissing him deeply. He carries me to the open door of his bedroom and steps into the hallway. He breaks the kiss and sets me down in the hallway, turns back into his room and closes the door. 

I look at the closed door. Stunned. 

What?

My legs feel shaky and I have to force air into my lungs. My entire body is screaming with need. It takes me a moment to realise that I cannot stand in the hallway like the idiot I am until someone comes along. 

I quickly walk back to the room where I slept and close the door behind me. 

MARK’S POV

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I press my fists against my eyes. So much for self-control. I have absolutely no control around this girl. I shake my head. She is not a girl. She feels like a woman. Rubbing against me, making it so difficult not to rip her clothes off her body. 

I pace in circles in my room. My body is burning with need for her. I have to restrain myself from going to her room and devouring her all together. I can think of a dozen of different ways to make her scream my name this very instant. I take deep breaths, trying to gain control of my mind and body. 

I have no idea what her experience level is. I cannot just lose control around her. But that is not really my biggest problem. Each of the four brothers has a gift. Mine is to be able to bend the will of others slightly. I want this woman so badly, that I am not sure if I made her want me.

I walk to the door and lean against it with my elbows. If I don’t look into her eyes, she has control over her own will. It will be difficult to not look at something so beautiful. My mind quickly shifts back to Cole. 

Fuck!

Cole has the gift of seduction. He can seduce any woman into his bed without much effort. The following day, these women will regret their encounter with him. I walk to my closet to get dressed. I will go to work at the office today. Anything to get out of this house. I will send extra security to keep an eye over her. 

I get dressed and walk out of my room. I practically run outside towards my sports car. For a long time, I have considered this little black number as the love of my life. She seems dull now. Compared to that very warm-blooded redhead I just dumped outside my bedroom door. 

Fucking idiot. Who does that? She practically gave herself to you on a silver platter. 

I pull away a little too fast and drive down the long driveway also a little too fast. I try to fill my mind with other thoughts but those big green eyes keep popping into my head.