Page 9 of Throttle

“I beg your fucking pardon?”

“You heard me,” she hisses.

“The fuck I did, so I’m gonna need you to repeat yourself.” I hold her gaze as shock washes over me. Where the fuck is this coming from? “What are you implying, girl?”

“I’m implying that I saw the way you were staring at me in there. Like I’ll owe you something in exchange for your help. Well, kiss my ass because that’s not happening.”

This woman has lost her fucking mind. She must be in shock or something. That’s the only explanation for her batshit behavior right now.

“Listen, doll?—“

“I’ll let you know now, sir. There is no way in hell.” She points her index finger at me with her swollen lips pinched in a tight line. Fuck, she’s cute when she’s mad, like an angry teddy bear. “I was forced to defend men like you throughout my career because of who my father was, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be forced into letting you fuck me.”

Wow, what a fucking mouth on this one.

I clench my jaw as my hands ball into fists at my sides. How did she completely shift from the strong yet fearful woman inside Venom’s office to this snotty bitch who couldn’t be more wrong about me?

I glare at her, pissed but still struck by her beauty. “Baby, my dick wouldn’t touch you if yours was the last pussy on earth, and you dropped to your knees begging for my cock.” I lean down, my face close enough to brush her nose with mine. “So don’t fucking flatter yourself.”

She gasps as flames flicker in her eyes, and I pull back to walk away from her, not giving one fuck if she’s behind me or not. I should’ve kept my fucking ass in bed.

6

SIENNA

Ugh, who the hell is this guy?

I can’t believe he has the nerve to talk to me like that after he practically undressed me with his eyes. So what if my body grew hot under the weight of his stare? That’s irrelevant. Has he never seen a woman before? As gorgeous as he is, I’d seriously doubt that. He probably flaunts that tight ass of his in order to get women to sleep with him. Though it kills me to admit it, the man is sexy.

Judging from his appearance, I’d say he climbed out of bed when we arrived, yet he managed to make himself presentable enough to meet us. His fitted black jeans and tight white t-shirt that’s sculpted over his corded arms showcase his muscular physique. And his inky black hair looks as though he ran his fingers through it a few times before coming out here.

But what truly caught my attention were his eyes. He has the most captivating, sable-brown eyes I’ve ever seen. When I first felt his gaze on me, I couldn’t look away. I was trapped, as if he were stripping me bare, seeing the most vulnerable pieces of me. It was unnerving and exhilarating all at the same time.

And this is the person who’s going to protect me until the situation with Tony Bertelli is resolved? A man named Throttle. Great. Forgive me for not having more confidence in my new bodyguard.

He stalks off, not caring if I keep up with him or not. I’m exhausted and hurt and hungry, but I’ll be damned if I let him see me sweat any more than he already has. I don’t know this man, and I’m not sure if I can trust him yet.

He leads me through the building, pointing out things while we walk. But he’s moving too fast, and I can barely hear him when he speaks. Or maybe it’s the ringing in my ears from the crash that has my head still fuzzy. It doesn’t matter. I just want to get to a bed and sleep for the next three days.

This place is nothing like I expected… with its clean, modern, sports bar feel. But the crowd filling the space is not what you’d find on a Friday night in downtown Carnage. These dangerous men are intimidating and massive with huge muscles and miles of tattoos. The wolfish bikers standing by the bar have no concerns as they stare at me with blatant interest, causing me to clutch at a set of imaginary pearls. I want to run as far away as possible, but I know the minute I try to leave, Tony’s men will find me and that’s not a scenario I’m interested in entertaining.

Suppose I’ll have to get used to the lion’s den then.

Our brief tour concludes at a door at the end of a long hallway. When Throttle pushes inside and starts milling about, I realize this must be his bedroom. He gestures for me to join him but I don’t move from my spot, remaining frozen in the hall. Surely, he doesn’t think we’re sharing a room. With as large as this building is, there has to be an empty bedroom around here somewhere, right?

I can only assume the answer is no because he forces the air from his lungs, obviously annoyed as he rolls his eyes. Charging toward me, Throttle gently but firmly grabs my wrist to pull me inside, then closes the door behind us as he nudges me on the ass to scoot me farther into the room.

You big jerk!

He toes off his boots, kicking them to the side while I wait a few feet beyond the door. Though I’m not sure what I’m waiting for. Surveying his space, I’m surprised it fits a king-sized bed, along with its matching dresser and nightstand, which currently holds a new-model laptop and interesting lamp that I’m curious if he picked out himself. Maybe some floozy did it for him.

The closet is decent-sized, according to the amount of clothes I see hanging up, and he has his own bathroom with a full bathtub too. The cherry on the sundae is the tall window overlooking the firepit I see flickering in the back courtyard of the clubhouse and the trees just beyond that. I never would’ve guessed the living accommodations were anything like this. And I’m a bit ashamed to admit that, as I’ve never thought of myself as being this judgmental.

I glance at the rumpled sheets of the unmade bed that sits in the middle of the room. Yep, he was definitely asleep when Venom called him into his office.

Venom… I make a mental reminder to ask Lucien how he became friends with a man named Venom.

Deep in thought, I bite my lower lip and flinch in pain, forgetting that my mouth is still busted. I bring my fingers to the wound, gently grazing it before wincing again.

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