Page 28 of Violent Hearts

I take a sip from my drink before I turn back to her. Her attitude agitates me, and she knows that very well.

"Neither of those has happened so far," I say. "All you have done is to get off on my fingers like a bitch in heat, little girl."

"Stop calling me that."

She glares at me as I step closer to her, taking another sip of Scotch before handing it over to her.

"I don't like whiskey," she announces.

"You'll try this one."

My voice doesn't allow for backtalk, and sometimes, even Ann Porter knows when to shut up and simply follow an order. Her eyes never leave mine when she reaches for the glass and then takes a way too big sip from it. The way her face contorts after she's tasted the smoky drink is priceless.

"Disgusting."

"Cretin."

She gives the almost empty glass back to me, and I'm surprised to see the hint of a smile appear on her pretty face.

"Why haven't you fucked me yet?"

Her question catches me off guard, but I don't let it show. I finish the Scotch and place the glass on the counter between us, before deigning her with an answer.

"I am going to fuck you," I promise.

"But why haven't you… yet?"

Because I don't trust you.

That would be the honest reply to her question. I don't understand how I could find myself in this dilemma so quickly. My cock had been hard the entire afternoon when she visited my penthouse for the first time, and it's twitching with need again right now, ever since I first caught sight of her walking up to me with those damn legs that won't stop. She's been in my house for more than twenty-four hours and I haven't laid a single finger on her. On the contrary, I was happy to keep my distance. I wanted to be careful.

Until now.

I close in on her, relishing the moment my hands find her perky ass. She releases a soft moan when I grab her and pull her close to me. I squeeze her firm cheeks and deliberately press her against my growing hardness.

"It's not because I didn't want to," I tell her.

She smirks up at me. "I can tell."

Our eyes meet, and I can't help but see it again.

Danger. A potential threat to me.

Despite the nondisclosure agreement, the contract, the long conversations we've had - I still don't trust Ann Porter, because I still see the potential risk with her, the reporter, the woman who could expose my darkest secrets to the world, if I don't watch out. I was looking for a woman who wouldn't fall for me like the silly girls before her, but a rational and callous woman like her could pose a different kind of problem.

She's different than the ones before her, not only because she's just as cunning and cold-hearted as I am, but because she has the potential to unmask and denounce me.

She could be that kind of person. The same kind that has betrayed me before.

And still, I don't want to stay away from her.

I can’t stay away from her.

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