Page 21 of Forbidden Pawn

“Afraid?” he asks, as if that word was foreign to him. “Of what?”

His eyes lock onto mine for a long, charged moment. The room seems to close in around us, leaving just the two of us in our own little world.

“Of being seen,” I dare to say. I whisper the words, as if I was afraid to say them. And a part of me is. I’m closing in on him, and he appears to be receptive to it. But where will this lead?

He answers my unspoken question by placing his hand at the back of my neck, before he leans over the table and pulls me close enough for a kiss. I didn’t expect this, but I let it happen without a fight.

I hate him. I should fight him off and tell him to get away from me. But I have a goal here.

And he kisses like a god.

I can’t stop myself from closing my eyes and sigh with relish as his warm lips cover mine, and his eager tongue invades my mouth. I can taste the wine on him, and am enveloped by his intoxicating scent, resembling fir and moss, as if he was a creature of the woods. The grip of his hand tightens at the back of my neck, and he pulls me in with such force that I have to support myself on the table between us.

This feels good. Too good. I can’t believe I’m kissing the man who killed my father—and I’m enjoying it. I want to end it. I want to push him away and tell him the truth about everything.

But before I can do any such thing, we’re interrupted by the doorbell ringing—and Ryker lets go of me in an instant, a shocked expression on his face as he jumps away from me.

Chapter 14

Ryker

“Stay here, don’t move,” I say, keeping my voice low but firm. I don’t wait for her response before heading toward the hallway. Just as I reach the door, I add, “And don’t make a noise!”

I rush to the front door and yank it open. Dominic, my lawyer, practically falls inside, looking like he’s been running for his life. His normally composed demeanor is gone—his tie is askew, his face flushed with stress.

“What the hell is going on?” I snap, closing the door behind him. “What are you doing here in the middle of the night?”

“Trust me, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important,” Dominic huffs, trying to catch his breath. “There’s an audit incoming. They’re going to audit our entire operation.”

My heart skips a beat. An audit? That’s the last thing we need. My entire business operates in the shadows for a reason, and any kind of official scrutiny could expose things better left buried. If we’re not prepared, everything could fall apart.

“What?” I demand, shock and anger battling for dominance in my voice. “How the hell did this happen?”

“One of my contacts tipped me off,” Dominic says, his voice dropping to a hurried whisper. “Apparently, Mr. Stern, the landowner of our upcoming deal, has gotten suspicious. He thinks something’s off with us, and now he’s threatening to pull out. He’s talking to people, Ryker. Important people.”

Fuck. I noticed that this was a cautious and thorough man, someone who doesn’t buy bullshit as easily as others, but I never expected him to go this far. If he pulls out, the entire deal could collapse—and worse, it could draw attention to everything else we’ve been doing.

“We need to get ahead of this,” Dominic continues, his voice a little too loud for comfort. “We need to—”

I cut him off with a sharp gesture, bringing a finger to my lips. Dominic frowns, but quiets down immediately. I can’t risk Grace hearing any of this. I don’t want her to know too much—if anything—about my operation, because I can’t trust her.

Dominic casts a quizzical look my way, then glances down the hallway behind me. His brow furrows in confusion.

“We’re not alone,” I explain in a low voice, trying to keep the frustration from creeping in. The last thing I need is Grace overhearing any of this. I can’t trust her, not with something this sensitive.

But apparently, I trust her enough to kiss her. The memory of her soft lips still lingers, taunting me. That kiss was not what I expected, not at all. I wanted to taste her so badly, but I didn’t expect to be blown away by it, not like this. I want nothing more than to go back to that moment, but I know it’s gone. Possibly forever.

Dominic’s eyebrow arches higher. “Who?”

Before I can answer, Grace appears in the open archway at the end of the hallway. She stands there quietly, observing, her dark eyes flicking between us.

I curse under my breath—so much for keeping her in the dark. She startles when I turn to glare at her, an unspoken reprimand written across my face.

“Evening, miss,” Dominic says smoothly, his gaze shifting past me to her. Then, with a smirk, he turns his amused expression back to me, clearly entertained by the situation.

Damn it. I scramble for an explanation, but before I can speak, Dominic lifts a hand, stopping me.

“We’ll talk tomorrow,” he says, fixating me with a determined look. “But really need to—“

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