My adrenaline spiked as I watched her slide towards me with all the grace of an attacking lioness. Silent in her approach, had I not been watching her, I wouldn't have been able to track her movements at all. She was fucking fantastic. I slapped her first attack away. Felt my belly tighten with heat as the rage was quickly controlled on her pixie face. She spun with the deflection, went for my legs. From standing tall over her almost delicate frame to being flat on my back and wrapped up in her thighs, staring at the ceiling, in the space of a heartbeat. Once I could breathe again, I was going to -She rose up on one knee...that was planted in my crotch. She leaned down into my face, her strawberry scented wet hair trailed cold fingers over my cheek. "If you want to get out of here without permanent damage, stop trying to start shit you can't finish." She sneered at me. "On any level. You don't want me? Fine. But you will treat me with respect." She emphasized her point with so
I stared at the door for long moments as the sound of the slam finally stopped ringing in my ears. Had that really just happened? I...I was at a loss. I didn't need a vibrator. Hell, I could use about a gallon of ice cream, really. But neither would be happening. I hadn't been lying. I did have to work in the morning. Prowling Chaos every night for a hookup was getting exhausting. And none of them were any good anyways. Tonight wasn't any better. No, tonight had just been the cherry on the top of my particular shit cake. Cake. Now, I wanted some of Willow's cupcakes. I set the alarm on my security system. Reset all of my deadbolts. Setting the anti-burglar bar under the doorknob, I made sure it was secure before heading back to my bedroom. I was tempted to just grab a blanket and sleep on the couch.But that felt like failure. And I didn't do failure. Ever. I stomped into the hallway, ripped open the linen closet doors. Getting down a set of flannel sheets, I decided I was g
I gritted my teeth as I watched the man across my desk. He knew the rules and he had still decided to break them. Now I would have to teach him a lesson. Getting up from my chair, I moved around my desk as my first lieutenant eased over to cover the door. He hit the switch that would turn this office into a soundproof room. I sat on the front edge of my desk. "Martin, you disappoint me."The arrogant idiot just smirked at me. I sighed. "How long have you been in the family, Martin? Three years? Four?"He snarled. "Five, Arturo."My lieutenant growled low in his chest at the lowly soldier using my first name. I waved him off. We had bigger fish to fry than his utter lack of intelligence."And yet you still think being glib, disrespectful, and going against my wishes is the way to survive?" I curled my fingers into the desk. This stupid fuck. He was going to make me maim him. This level of insubordination wouldn't be tolerated.He slouched back in his chair. "I should be
I glared at my primary screen. How the hell had Chad found me? I'd swept through my records with a fine-toothed comb years ago. There was nothing there for anyone to find. And certainly not any information I didn't want people to find. Added to the fact that Chad was nothing but a bully with barely two brain cells to rub together, he shouldn't have been able to find me. Ever. But not only had he found me, he'd found my freaking home address. Only PennCorp and Ryker had my physical address. And I'd made Ryker promise not to let anyone besides HR and Payroll have it.I did a bot sweep on the cache sites on the server farms. Nothing. I gritted my teeth. I was the same secure ghost I'd always been. How the hell had he found me?A heavy hand thudded against my door, making me squeak like a little girl. Fuck. "What?" I snarled. The door knob turned, and one of my colleagues stuck his head in. "Nik, we've got some guy at the front desk asking for you."Shit. I licked my lips
I hung up with the bank. Rubbed a hand down over my face a couple times. A knock sounded at the door. I groaned at the cessation of my brief reprieve. "Come."Edi opened the door. His face was thunderous. "I've got news from Jimmy and Fran."The bottom of my stomach dropped out. "Bring them in here." Shit. He stepped back and let two of his soldiers come in. Jimmy and Fran were brothers who looked nothing alike. They were the same height, and that was where the familial resemblance ended. Jimmy was a lanky guy with long dark hair and piercing blue eyes. Fran Never call me Francis,' on the other hand, was stocky, built like a fucking train, and had a shaved head with light brown eyes. They were also my best tail team. Jimmy nudged his brother. Fran rolled his eyes. "Where do you want me to start in the timeline?" he asked me, his voice low and raspy. "Wherever you think is relevant."He nodded. "Jimmy was on last night. But I think you know what went down then."
"Fucking men," I muttered as I hiked my gym bag strap higher on my shoulder, shoving the phone in my gear bag. Who the crap did he think he was? You have something you need to tell me? His sexy, husky voice rolled through my mind again. Asshole. I'd been willing to get all hot and sweaty with him, hadn't I? What more could a man want?I pushed it all from my mind as I turned the final corner on my way to the gym. I started my deep breathing as my happy place came into view. Here, I was the master of my world. Here, I was able to pummel and pound my enemies into dust and tears. Here, I was strong and brave and kickass and awesome. Such a difference from my years growing up. Living out of a trash bag until I finally ran away the last time. Then it had been my choice to live out of a holey duffle. My choice to sleep in abandoned buildings instead of a warm bed with a foster dad who had wandering hands. Every single choice had been mine. I would do almost anything to keep from h
I knew I shouldn't be here. I did have other things to do. Important things. Family things. But just like a moth to the flame, I was helpless to stay away. And I had officially passed into creeper territory as I watched Nik walk down the street. In the heated warmth of my black car that I had hidden in the shadows, I stalked her. But the woman herself wouldn't talk to me. How the hell else was I supposed to get valuable information about her? So, really, it was her fault that I had stooped to being nothing more than a Peeping Tom. The only difference I could see was that I wasn't currently getting my jollies from watching her. Eyeing the movement of her tight ass in those leggings made a liar of me. Hell, everything about her made a liar of me. And for that reason alone, I hated her just a little. I was honest with myself. Always. One thing I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, was that I wanted to drown myself in her. But I also wanted to fuck with her head a little bit. Just l
Smiling like the Cheshire Cat, I heard him drive away from the curb. The man was scared of me. Like, quaking in his boots, scared of me. I laughed. Big mafia man himself was afraid of little ol' me. I started stripping as I made my way to my bedroom. He'd been watching me from the shadows. It should freak me out. Make me give him a piece of my mind. And I would. But it would be more fun to tweak his tail than to berate him. I was going on a manfast, but I wasn't above a good game of teasing. Make him desperate for me. Make him sorry he passed on my offer. Then, when he was ready to rock and roll, I'd break my fast...with a different partner. Shove his face in it. Yes, I might still be a little bitter about the whole thing. My body felt loose and heavy at the thought of Arturo Amatucci caught in my web. I was going to torture that man in the most delicious ways possible, and he'd have no one but himself to blame. Curls of heat licked through my core. By the time I got