Page 20 of I Am Lioness

“My point exactly. If that's where things were headed, I would never have wanted it to happen here. You're too good for that.”

Rather than respond, she tipped up onto her heel-clad toes and pressed her lips to mine. This kiss was vastly different from the hungered frenzy that took place not twenty minutes ago. Gentle and sweet, it was so much...more.

When she pulled away, I saw a dozen different emotions flash across her face.

“Call me tomorrow?” She asked, uncertainty laced in her tone.

I nodded and pecked her lips again. “Without a doubt. Good night, sweetness.”

Hazel held my stare, a small smile tilting up the corners of her mouth. “Good night, stud.”

And then she was gone.

I don’t know how long I stood there after she left. All the anger that dissipated in her presence began to resurface with each breath I took. The more I thought about how the night had ended, the more I wanted to find that self-righteous bastard and properly introduce myself. With my fist. In his face.

Sure, Jason had technically done us a favor, but the way he went about it and the way in which he spoke to her,like an errant child, drove me to the brink of madness.

He was a man under her employment, yet he acted as thoughshewas the one he employed, ordering her around and expecting her to do what he said at the drop of hat. Yes, protecting her was part of his job description, but the stunt he pulled tonight was unnecessary in more ways than one.

I couldn't wrap my head around why a woman like Hazel, so fierce and strong, would choose put up with that on a daily basis.

One thing was for sure though. If Jason thought breaking us apart was his way of warning me off, he was in for a rude awakening. There was not one thing he could say or do that would keep me away from Hazel Perry.

For as long as she wanted me, I was intent on being a part of her life, no matter what I had to do or who I had to face. I dared him to try and stop me...

Fucker was officially shitlisted.

Slammingthe door to my suite, I shoved Jason through the room and into the nearest chair. I was fuming.

“What was that about?” I asked, pointing to the door.

He sighed and loosened the tie around his neck. “He was all over you, Hazel. I was doing my job.”

The nonchalance of his tone surged my already boiling blood through my veins with such alarming speed, I could feel it searing me from the inside out. Doing his job? What in the actual fuck?

“Did it occur to you,” I started quietly, inching toward him with tentative steps.Three… Two… One.I exploded. “THAT I MAY HAVE WANTED HIM ALL OVER ME?!”

Jason’s head jerked back, a look of disgust washing over his face. Whether it was directed at my sudden outburst or my admission, I wasn't sure, though I assumed it was probably a mix of both.

“You can’t be serious.” He said, incredulously.

“Does it look like I’m joking? You ruined a perfectly good evening!”

“Ruined a good evening?” He scoffed. “Are you hearing yourself right now? You’ve known this man, what, two, three weeks, and you were going to let him take you up against the wall in a darkened corner of the club like a common whore? C’mon now, Hazel, you’re way too good for a degenerate like that.”

Everything came to a screeching halt.

What. The. Fuck.

My eyes bugged out of their sockets. The world around me was suddenly blanketed in a vivid shade of red. I was shaking, barely containing myself from throttling him straight onto his ass. My nails dug into my palms as I sucked in a deep breath through my nose and blew it out between my lips.

Once I was calmenough, I held up a finger. “First things first. Knox is not a degenerate in any way, shape, or form, so I’d greatly appreciate it if you would refrain to referring him as such again. Second”—I lifted another finger—“he wasn’t doing anything to me thatI didn’t want him to.The entire exchange was both consensual and desired, and most importantly, none of your damn business.”

“So, the hoodlum has a name…” He muttered, completely disregarding the bulk of what I’d just said to him.

“He’s not a hoodlum either!” I seethed. “Jesus Christ, Jason, just because he’s covered in tattoos and has a few piercings here and there doesn’t automatically make him a criminal. Are you really judging who he is based on his exterior?”

He shrugged and leaned forward, elbows on knees, clasping his hands together. “If the shoe fits.”

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