Page 94 of The Penalty

She melted into my embrace. I stroked her back, inhaling her warm, sensual scent. “What did he do?”

Her fingers slid into my hair, tugging gently. The sensation tightened my groin.

“A package was delivered to my hotel suite after I arrived. It was a mistake since that fu— since Bennet changed our reservations without asking.”

I nuzzled into her neck, kissing the soft skin. “He changed your reservations? I take it that’s offense number one.”

“The package was meant for Hannah. But that’s not what annoyed me.”

“What else happened?”

“He overheard Hannah and I talking about the guy from the restaurant. I hadn’t told her about what I saw with the valet.”

Typical.

I caressed down her arm. “Is there more?”

“I just…one thing I always prided myself on was the ability to take care of my own shit. I don’t ask for help unless I’ve reached the end of my rope.” Victoria’s eyes met mine. “It’s always been a struggle for me to let anyone in. Meeting you changed some of that but…I’m not willing to surrender my independence.”

“Marcus.” Fucking Bennet. “Offense number two?”

“I really don’t want someone shadowing me.”

I started to respond and paused.

Gently. I had to approach this topic gently.

“Maybe you and I can figure something out regarding Marcus.” Another soft sweep of my fingers grazed her arm. “After what’s happened with your car and that—” I scowled “—guy touching you, I’d feel better knowing someone had your back when I’m not there.”

Discerning eyes flicked over my placid expression. “You and I can work on this. Not your friend. I know you guys are like brothers but I don’t want him sticking his nose in our business.”

“For what it’s worth, Bennet doesn’t always tell me what he has going on. And if he suspected any of this has to do with Jordan, he wouldn’t tell me because he knows I’ll lose my shit and do something stupid.”

Fuck. Meant to keep that last part on the inside.

“If he is behind this,” she bit out, “I’ll join you in doing something stupid. That asshole still has to pay for what he did to my sister.”

Despite her fiery energy, a note of nervousness ran beneath her declaration. The fierce need to protect her consumed me.

“He will. I promise you that.”

Although my tone remained comforting, I was a ticking time bomb.

Targeted texts and a bottom-feeder who put his hands on her.

The thought of that fucking guy touching Victoria, let alone breathing in her presence, turned my blood to acid.

This whole scenario reeked of Jordan’s influence but I couldn’t prove it.

At least not yet.

“I wanted tonight to be about us.” She frowned. “I wish we could go back to Lake George.”

The air thickened with an electric charge so powerful it dissolved some of the tension between us.

“Me too, love.”

Our eyes locked, filled with memories of our secluded weekend together. The welcome change in atmosphere dragged us away from our unpleasant situation.

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