Page 102 of Guarded King

But I’ve been distracted, in a way I never have been before. Instead of finding relief from my obsession with Chloe, I’m just as tangled up in it as I’ve been for weeks. Maybe more so. Because now I know what she tastes like, what she feels like beneath me, and how she looks when she comes. And rather than getting it out of my system and moving on so I can focus on what I need to focus on, all I can think about is experiencing all of those things again.

And again.

Every time she enters my office, my fingers itch to touch her. When she stands near my desk, I can’t stop fantasizing about bending her over it—leaving her hair mussed from my hands, her lipstick smudged from my cock, and with that pleasure-drunk expression on her face I still see every time I close my eyes.

And I won’t do any of it.

I’ve crossed almost every line I swore I wouldn’t. I can’t cross that last one. I won’t fuck her in my office. Fuck if I’ll lead her on just so I can have her whenever I want.

I can at least cling to that.

“Incoming,” Tate hisses.

Startled by the venom in his tone, I look up, glass halfway to my mouth. Twenty feet away, Katherine is slinking toward me wearing a skin-tight black dress. I lean to one side, looking behind her for Roger, but don’t find him.

“Roman.” She hits me with the same doe-eyed smile she used to give me when she worked for Dad. The one that’s a blatant lie.

I take my time sipping my drink.

“To what do we owe this… pleasure?” Tate’s tone makes it clear it’s anything but.

It’s not often I have to fight a smile, but in this moment, it’s a challenge. Even though my brothers don’t know why I divorced her, they obviously have my back.

Their support washes over me, steady and grounding. I don’t deserve it, but I appreciate it anyway.

Katherine’s smile thins briefly, but when she returns her attention to me, she dials the wattage back up. “I was hoping I’d have the chance to talk to you in Nice.”

“Really? You didn’t try very hard. Unless you mistook my assistant for me, of course.”

Her shoulders stiffen and her expression turns brittle. “Oh yes, your lovely assistant. She reminds me of myself at that age. So young and innocent.”

Her brown eyes pierce into me, but I don’t give anything away. Katherine was never innocent, and Chloe’s nothing like her.

“What are you after, Kat?” The old nickname rolls off my tongue unbidden. I suppress a wince. It’s impatience, not affection, that made it slip out.

She smiles at the sound of it, making my hackles rise, and scans the table. “I was hoping we could talk in private.”

“Why would I want to do that?” We’ve barely spoken in years.

She lowers her voice. “Because I’ve got some information you might be interested in.”

Despite myself, my curiosity is piqued. Her current boyfriend is interested in EcoTech, and I wouldn’t put it past her to backstab Roger if she thought there was something in it for her. I just can’t imagine what that might be. And the last thing I want is to be alone with my ex-wife. It wouldn’t take more than that to ignite rumors I have no interest in igniting.

As if reading my mind, Cole straightens and looks from me to Tate. “Maybe we should get a drink at the bar.”

I nod my thanks as my brothers and their women leave the two of us alone.

Katherine eases into the empty chair next to me, turning so her knee knocks mine.

I shift away. “What’s this information you think I may want?”

She slides my glass from my hand and sips from it, leaving the stain of her lipstick behind.

Tension grips the back of my neck. “I hope you’re not wasting my time.”

She sighs, placing her hands on her crossed legs. “I thought you might like to know that Roger is planning to preempt your acquisition. He’s got an inside track at EcoTech, and he thinks if he goes in hard, he can beat you to the punch.”

Straightening, I splay a hand on the table. “Who’s his inside track?” I can’t imagine it would be Ellis, but if a board member is manipulating things behind the scenes, then I’d like to know.

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