Free Falling into Black by Carrie Kelly Page A

on the silk nightgown that fell to my thighs. When I
bought it, I thought Dorian might like the pale lavender against my skin. Now I
wanted to crawl back to my apartment and cry. Whatever show he put on tonight,
I knew the truth.
    The game we played
wasn’t for keeps; Dorian Black wouldn’t marry me.
    By the time he made it
upstairs, I was already in bed with the covers pulled up. While I didn’t want
to talk to him about his promise to the board, it was impossible to avoid it.
    “Asleep already?” he
asked as he stripped off his suit jacket and unbuttoned his shirt. The hint of
his chest, chiseled and hard, peeked out.
    “Long flight,” I said
and waited for him to explain the ruse to me.
    Instead, he threw his
shirt onto a chair and kicked off his pants. Even as a billionaire he still
didn’t know what to do with his clothes when he wasn’t wearing them.
    After washing up, he
climbed into the bed next to me, his green eyes boring holes into my skull.
Long fingers brushed the hair from my face, and I frowned.
    “Why did you lie? We
aren’t engaged.”
    He squeezed his eyes
shut, the long black lashes brushing his cheek. “Wait until tomorrow. We can
discuss it then.”
    Fire pumped through my
veins and blood rushed to my ears. “Tomorrow? After that you want me to
wait until tomorrow? No. I – I deserve an explanation!”
    Dorian sighed. “You
really want to do this now?”
    Biting my bottom lip, I
nodded. “No time like the present.”
    “Fine,” he said and
threw the covers back. He only wore boxers and his muscular back shifted as he
walked across the room and opened his suitcase. A moment later he stalked back
to the bed and grabbed my hand.
    The heat from his
fingers burned my flesh. His eyes narrowed. “Alicia Jones, you’re going to
marry me. I’m not asking, I’m telling. Got it?”
    I tried to pull my hand
away, but Dorian was too strong. “What? Who says I’ll marry you?”
    His lips split into a
dangerous smile. “ I do. You already agreed to be mine, did you not? Now
you’ll agree to be my wife. You want to keep your job, don’t you?”
    It was my turn to glare.
“Wait, you’ll fire me if I don’t marry you? Will you dump me too?”
    His fingers clamped on
my wrist and squeezed it tightly. “I love you and you love me. Marriage is the
next logical step. Do you deny it?”
    “No! But--”
    “But what, Ms. Jones?
We’ve only been dating for a short time? Does it really matter?”
    My mind swam, and I
fought to catch a proper breath. The huge pink diamond sparkled as he slipped
it on my finger – the band fit perfectly.
    Where did he get a ring
on such short notice?
    “Marry me,” he growled
and pulled my body into his.
    “I thought you weren’t
giving me a choice in the matter,” I said and tried to push him away. How could
he think I’d be okay waltzing into a marriage of convenience so he could keep
his job?
    “I’m not. You’ll marry
me, but I want you to like it,” he groaned and kissed me deeply.
    I clamped my lips shut,
but his tongue forced them open. His powerful body persuading mine with each
gentle brush and grasp.
    “Marry me, Alicia. Take
my name,” he whispered in my ear and suckled my delicate lobe. “I want you to
be Alicia Black.”
    I gasped and put my
hands on his chest, pushing with all my might, but I met a solid wall of
muscle. “Please, Dorian,” I begged, although I’m not sure what I was asking.
    His lips trailed down my
neck, nipping and lapping at my tender skin, as his palms ran over my
shoulders. The straps of my nightgown slid down with them, revealing my eager
breasts. Below, my sex flooded with need.
    How could I say no to
this? To him?
    “No one else makes you
feel like I can,” he said and rubbed my nipples between his full lips. “No one
else will worship you like I do – love you like I do.”
    My heart slammed against
my chest. Every caress brought me closer to uttering the words he wanted to
hear, but I couldn’t.
    He