Page 78 of Sinister Intentions

Except, what if she wasn’t?

Gritting my teeth, I shoved the dangerous thoughts aside, forcing myself to focus on the scene before me: my brothers laughing and joking with the woman who was supposed to become one of us through her marriage to Matt. A woman who, despite all outward appearances, was far more than she seemed.

“You look like someone stole your candy. You’re really in a mood today.”

Matt’s voice startled me from my musings, and I turned to find him watching me with a knowing look in his eyes.

He looked over my shoulder, then back at me.

Shaking my head, I tried to deflect, but he saw right through me—as he always did.

“Just admit it’s Jemma.”

I tensed at the sound of her name, hating how it made my pulse quicken, how it conjured up images I had no business entertaining. “Why would Jemma have an impact on my mood?”

The look Matt leveled at me was one of pure disbelief, and he let out a derisive snort. “You’re hopeless, Brother. No wonder she calls you Vince, the Evil Prince.”

With that parting shot, he brushed past me and joined the others, leaving me to stew in my own frustration.

Jemma looked up when Matt entered, and her gaze found mine across the room, and I held it, willing her to look away first.

She met my stare head-on, those defiant eyes daring me to break the connection.

Her glance turned into a glare, one that told me to stay the fuck away from her or she would rip off my dick.

She was sending that message loud and clear—the kiss changed nothing between us.

Even if it felt like it had changed everything.

Clenching my fists, I forced myself not to look away.

When I told her not to mention the kiss, I did it because I wanted to talk to Matt alone. Though apparently, she didn’t understand it that way.

And given that I had the chance just now and didn’t tell Matt I’d kissed his future bride, maybe that was the smarter way going forward. I could just re-establish the boundaries that had become so dangerously blurred.

Mutual dislike and distrust—that was way safer. Anything else was a dangerous path I should not even entertain.

Not when she was the single biggest threat to my position in the family and the business. Not when my father would rejoice to know about that failure, that weakness.

Not when my siblings’ safety hinged on me staying in control.

Pushing off the doorframe, I stalked back toward my seat, holding her gaze.

But my mind had already shifted gears. I needed to move the investigation along—to find the source of the breach and plug the leaks in our system before any more damage could be done.

And then I needed to get her out of my life.

I narrowed my eyes, and she did the same.

The thought of her being behind the hack, of her being the one responsible for the chaos and interruption that had been unleashed, filled me with a potent mix of anger and grudging respect.

If it was her.

She was good—I’d give her that. But she was playing a dangerous game—one that had severe consequences if she wasn’t careful.

Consequences she was not equipped to handle. Consequences I might not be able or willing to protect her from.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

---