Page 117 of Bitter Heat

“Your father told you the same thing, but you did it anyway.”

“That was different.”

“How so?” He forced her to look at him, fingers digging into her skin. His eyes were black holes that led into the abyss. “I’m the same man.”

No, the fuck he wasn’t. “You’re hurting me.”

Instantly, his touched gentled as if he didn’t recognize his own strength.

“Don’t believe her,” he said.

She couldn’t look at him, not with Kaia’s warning ringing in her ears. “I need…” She tried to think of an excuse, anything to get away from him. “I need to…”

“You’re safe with me.”

She closed her eyes to block him out. “Roth, please.”

He was standing so close, she couldn’t breathe. There was activity in his eyes, lots of it. More than she had ever seen. She felt as if she was standing on the edge of the cliff, and he was trying to coax her off the ledge. She wasn’t convinced he was the safer option.

“My mother and I have never seen eye to eye.”

“You need to let me go.”

His expression hardened. “There’s no going back.”

There was a cursory knock before the library door opened. That quickly, he was beside her, hand clasped in hers as Ariana came into the library with Kye on her hip.

“There you are! I have the makeup and hairstylist with me!” she said gaily.

When she started toward her sister, Roth pulled her to a halt.

“Give us a minute, will you?” he asked so courteously that Ariana nodded and moved toward the door without a murmur of protest. Clearly, Ariana didn’t realize she was leaving her sister with a psycho. Jasmine was encouraged by the fact that Ariana had left the door open.

“Whatever my mom said, forget it,” Roth said.

She nodded instantly but couldn’t meet his gaze. Her mind was racing as she tried to think of all the ways he could screw her over.

“Jasmine.”

“Mm-hmm?”

“Look at me.”

She mentally braced as she obeyed. His face was calm, but something vicious lurked in the inky depths of his eyes.

“You know me,” he said in a low voice vibrating with some emotion she couldn’t define.

“What the hell are you two doing?” Lyle asked brusquely, breaking their staring contest.

She stepped away from Roth, and this time, he let her go. She walked up to her brother-in-law who gave her a hug. When he held her at arm’s length and examined her face, he frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

She might have just made the second biggest mistake of her life with the same man.

“You sure about this?” Lyle asked as his gaze flicked over her shoulder.

She sensed Roth draw near a second before he said, “Of course she is.”

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