Page 76 of Sinister Intentions

No. I took a deep breath. I couldn’t allow myself to go down that path. To claim her. She was off-limits—forbidden fruit that I had no business even considering. The family business, the family’s legacy, my family’s safety—those were my priorities.

My personal desires had no place in the equation.

Especially not when those desires involved Jemma Donnelly. And especially not when they were rapidly spiraling out of control and burning through my self-restraint and resolve like a raging wildfire.

Fuck.

Every time I looked at her, I saw, not just the surface beauty, or the fierce, unbreakable spirit that lurked inside her, but there were also glimpses of her softer side, of hidden pain, and possibly trauma that lingered just beneath.

That softer side of her I needed to protect, while the fierce side I wanted to break. Jemma Donnelly was such an enigma.

I narrowed my brows. If the idea wasn’t so absurd, I could almost think Jemma Donnelly was a kindred spirit, forged in the fires of adversity, unafraid to challenge the world and all its expectations, who had become exceptional in hiding her wounds.

But that was complete bullshit. Jemma Donnelly was the youngest of three girls, and as far as my research told me, Craig Donnelly was a good dad—caring, protective, and the well-being of his girls was always his number one priority.

And she was the baby of the family.

Even though the way she kissed was all woman.

Damn it. I needed to get her out of my system before this obsession consumed me entirely.

Or better yet. I needed a definitive answer if she was behind the hack or not.

And then I would decide what to do with her. The sooner, the better.

For starters, keeping some distance from her was in order—a chance to clear my head and regain my senses.

Fuck.

Distance was essential because I felt like a hopeless addict craving his next fix of her intoxicating presence.

Which was unacceptable.

I pulled my phone out and dialed the number of our headquarters, including the extension I never thought I would need before I started working with Raptor Security—our server room.

“Yo.”

I was pretty sure this was Goofy’s voice though I hadn’t spent enough time with Hawk’s guys to really be able to discern their voices.

“This is Vince,” I said, then my gaze fell to the book on the floor. I crossed the room and picked it up. “You guys are working late.”

Goofy chuckled. “Hawk told us you need this done asap.”

I nodded. Pretty sure Gabe putting in a good word for me helped things along. Even though Hawk had warned me that the forensic investigation might take a while.

“Any news?”

The sound of footsteps approaching made me twist around, and I schooled my features into a mask of indifference just as Matt entered the room. One look at his face, and I knew he was not happy.

Fuck.

“Hey, I need to go; talk later.” I ended the call and fully turned to face my little brother.

His brows narrowed as he stared at me. Matt might be my youngest brother, but contrary to Hero and Dante, he’d always been able to see right through me—the little bastard.

“You look like hell, and Jemma looked upset when she came back,” he said, eyeing the empty glass in my hand. “So, are you hiding in here because you got into another altercation with her and she bloodied your nose this time?”

I touched my nose—which still hurt—then shot him a withering glare.

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