Page 69 of Queen of Spades

“Okay, so, say what you need to say.” She spins to face me as steam billows around her shoulders. The way she looks up at me from under her dark lashes seems to steal all thoughts from my mind.

My instincts don’t like that Ward and Grady have claimed her, even if I have no right to be annoyed. Her thick lips push together, like she’s waiting for something.

Christ.

She’s going to hate me—to completely blame me for her brother’s actions.

No matter how hard I try to force the words out, they won’t come.

Maybe I’ve been spoiled in life. She hasn’t even offered me a hint of the hot water cascading around her lithe shoulders.

“Might I rinse off? You did offer to share.” I quirk an eyebrow.

“Yeah.” She laughs awkwardly. Her bare skin presses against mine as we slide by each other in the tiny shower. My head tilts back into the warm spray. “Okay, so speak. It always puts me on edge when someone says we need to talk.”

Well, that’s a completely reasonable feeling. “I spoke to your brother shortly before coming to save you from the spider.”

She nibbles at her lower lip, where Ward put his fucking bondmark. “Okay, and?”

“And he said something that I can’t confirm, but I think it would be a mistake to keep it to myself.” I frown as she grabs the provided bar of soap, ripping it from its packaging and making a lather in her hands.

“I feel like I’m going to get gray hair before you elaborate on what that is,” she says, putting the soap down before planting her hands on my pecs.

“The night my home was attacked, I spoke to Ranger. He stated that my marker had not been paid in full and wouldn’t be until I delivered you.” My eyes widen as her soap-covered hands work down my abs.

“Okay, that’s logical. What part can’t you verify?” Her fingertips tease over my hip bones, and my cock jolts.

“He said a minister would be arriving the next morning to officiate our wedding.” My face twists into a grimace. “Only, we were attacked and left in a hurry.”

“Why would he want me to marry you in the first place?” she asks, squinting up at me.

“He believes my last name will provide you with additional protection from your enemies.”

“Okay, huh.” She swipes her hand over my pelvis as her forehead wrinkles. I’m convinced she’s too distracted by what I said to notice she’s dangerously close to touching my cock. “What did my brother do for you that you owe him such a substantial favor?”

I’m supposed to be staring at her face. This is an important conversation, and we haven’t even gotten to the biggest part yet. So, why are my eyes glued to her tight nipples? Even the curve of her hips seems burned into my peripheral vision.

Her head tilts even farther as she pats my lower stomach. “Cas?”

Jesus Christ.

Hearing her call me Cas does something strange to my chest. The overpowering urge to grab her shoulders and push her to her knees hits me out of nowhere. It’s such an inappropriate thought, but that doesn’t stop my cock from throbbing with a painful ache.

“Cassian, what did my brother do for you to make you owe him such a huge favor?” She repeats her question, looking slightly annoyed.

That look only succeeds in making her more attractive, even with her wet hair plastered to her face. I’ve always dated very agreeable women. I thought I liked that they allowed me to take the lead and rarely pushed back.

So, why do my thoughts fly to the way she yanked me down in my kitchen? I was shocked but impressed by the way she handled herself.

I don’t even think I’d mind if she wanted to shove me to my knees to eat her delectable pussy.

“Cassian?” she prompts again.

I sigh, spinning around to rinse off.

“When I first branched out on my own, I wanted nothing to do with my father.” It might have been hypocritical because I took the first half of my inheritance, which was technically dirty money, but after that, I built my empire on mostly legal business ventures. “My father’s enemies didn’t care that I wasn’t him, or that I wanted no part of any of their grievances. Your brother helped me remove one particular threat.” I turn back to face her, grabbing her hips and reversing our positions once more.

She groans, tilting her head into the spray of still-hot water. “That’s not exactly confidence inspiring, considering you just said he thinks your last name will give me a certain level of safety.”

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