Dauntless Desires

8

A young waiter arrived to the table with their order of food and the four of them at the table paused in their conversation. Tris noted the way the young, handsome waiter could hardly take his eyes off her and she smiled sweetly at him. His cheeks reddened as she thanked him aloud before he nodded and walked away. Tris was very aware of Eric's dark looks after the exchange but she ignored him.

Finally, the meeting was over with Jeanine and Caleb. She stood and thanked them for breakfast and how much a pleasure it had been. She commented on having to run the ideas past the other board members, about taking Marcus Eaton out of power.

They bid them farewell and the moment they were gone, Tris stood to return to her room. She could feel Eric's eyes burning holes into her back as he followed her closely but she chose to disregard the fact. She ignored him until they stood in the empty elevator and he grasped her arm in that hard grip of his.

"Would you mind explaining what all that was about at breakfast? Flirting with the waiter, I mean, come on Tris, not while we're discussing business." She hid a smirk at his obvious annoyance, but her eyes glittered with hatred when he added, "After all, I'm sure your boyfriend would frown at your behavior."

Now Tris rounded on him with a cruel smile. "Well, thanks to your manipulative tendencies, Four – my ex boyfriend – left me last night, in case you've already forgotten. On another note Its funny to me, to see that you're jealous that some waiter happens to like me."

He started to say something but closed his mouth. Seeing Eric at a loss was somewhat satisfying to her, but it was nothing compared to what she really wanted to do to him, to make him suffer as she had done. He seemed to have collected himself once they reached their floor and he all but dragged her towards their rooms which had interconnected doors for convenience.

He led her inside and slammed the door, finally facing her with his face, a mask of anger. "Tris, I understand you are pissed off about your relationship issues with Four but your behavior this morning was uncalled for. You openly flaunted yourself in flirting with that waiter and in front of Jeanine! That was highly unprofessional and..."

"Oh please," Tris sneered. "Like you'd understand the meaning of being professional, Eric."

Tris had finally reached her breaking point and she didn't care what happened after this but she had to speak her mind. Hands on hips, she glared at him. "For over six months I let you treat me like your slave. You seem to get a kick out of fucking up my life. I never have a weekend off. You call me up at all times of night with ridiculous requests. You make it seem like you have the total right to walk all over me and run my life because I'm your 'assistant'. I am a leader just like you," she said jabbing a finger into his chest.

"Tris..."

She shrugged off the warning in his tone, the sound of her name gruff and raspy in his throat. She couldn't see straight because of the anger inside her as she continued.
"I begged you to change your mind and let me have this week but you refused, not for any valid reason but just because you could, because you knew about Four dating Lauren behind my back. You said you did it on purpose to help me realize. And you know what? I hate you. This is all your fault and you don't even care that you've destroyed the one thing that matters to me." She turned away sharply, hand over her mouth as she forced back a sob. Taking in a ragged breath, she continued through gritted teeth, "Four and I had been together since I came to Dauntless. And now he's gone. I have nothing thanks to you. I'll do my damn job but I want you to stay as far from me as possible."

"That is not an option." Eric said taking a step toward her.

His deeply growled words had her spinning around again in anger, only to realize he was standing so close they were chest to chest. Before she could react, Eric grabbed her by the waist and pounced, his lips closing over hers.

At first she fought and resisted. The last thing she wanted was his mouth on hers. It didn't matter how good he tasted, how firm and giving his lips were. She gasped in outrage, but he merely slid his tongue deep into her mouth, looking to play with hers. In the next second, she quit struggling and gave in to the sensation.

She reacted purely on emotion, her needs taking on a mind of its own as her lips and her body melted into his. But not for long. Common sense returned and she punched at his chest, tearing her mouth away. "Let me go asshole, damn you! How dare you kiss me? As if I'd ever want..."

A second, more overpowering kiss silenced her protests. Against her fury, Tris could not deny the way her nerve endings came to life from the dominant sweep of Eric's hungry lips against hers. His hands molded over her curves and she shivered, especially when he covered her breasts and massaged them through her dress. She didn't want to give into him this way. She hated him, she really did. So why did his kiss feel like fire? Why did she have this coil tightening in her stomach as his touch swept over her aching breasts?

She felt shamed by her raging hormones, and made one last attempt to shove him away. "No. This is not going to happen," she gasped. "I hate you. You cost me Four. You..."

"Relax, Tris," Eric said on a low rumble, hands lifting to cup her face. She squirmed angrily, and his eyes darkened. "Don't you move."

Oh, how she longed to disobey him, but she couldn't. His body was a mass of muscle pressed against hers, making her aware of him as a man, a sexual being with the power to make her senses come to life like she had t experienced before.

His gaze pierced into her eyes like lasers. "I know you don't want to hear this right now, but I'll say it anyway. I may be sorry you got hurt, but I'm not sorry Four left you. I'm glad because he never once deserved you."

"Oh my God!" Tris cried. "You have some nerve buddy. Can you really believe what you just said?" Even as she glared up at him, the sexual tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. Swearing beneath her breath, she finally managed to break away and made to exit the room.
Eric caught her fast by her wrist. That portion where his fingers touched seemed to burn. Sparks set off all through her being. Her heart began to race and her breath was heavy as his clearly dominant Dauntless display had her body humming in secret places. He tugged her hard against him and her nostrils flared from inhaling his stimulating, masculine scent. A tingle started up right at the apex of her thighs as that unique fragrance he possessed called to all the Dauntless she possessed within her.

Tris knew now that she wanted him, but it was wrong. How could she desire him with such intensity after what he put her through?

His arms wrapped her in a warm embrace and for a few moments she felt warm in her state of arousal. She really, really didn't want to want him. He was the opposite of everything she thought a man should be made of. Compassion, a sense of human feeling, and a true aspiration to make a woman happy in herself.

Eric was all hard edges, unapologetic, cave-man and...downright too sexy for her peace of mind.

But she'd never give in to this...this madness. She couldn't.