Page 30 of Falling Fast

Street smart. She’d avoided his touch a few times before, but it didn’t bother Dean. It simply made him hungrier for the chase.

Her big, dark eyes lifted to his, the sharp intelligence there yet another turn-on. Intelligent women were hard to come by. “Thanks for the contact info on your weapons expert. Next time I go home I’ll get the serial number on the Enfield and get in touch with him.”

He could do better than that, and he wanted to see her again anyway, as soon as possible. “Are you free this weekend?” He didn’t even know where James was right now, and didn’t care. As far as Dean was concerned, the man didn’t exist.

She paused in the act of pushing a lock of shiny brown hair over her shoulder. “Maybe. Why?”

Such a cautious little thing. They had more in common than she realized. “I have a house out in The Hamptons.” But he was sure she already knew that. There was no way she hadn’t looked him up well before she’d arrived at his office yesterday morning.

Another reason why it surprised him that she wasn’t more open to his so far subtle advances. Most other women would have jumped at the chance to sleep with him if they thought there was some kind of financial benefit in it for them. If she was playing hard to get, it was not only working, she was also a better actress than he’d ever come across.

“Sagaponack, to be exact,” he continued. “I’m having an exclusive get-together tomorrow night, and I’ve already invited my weapons expert friend. You could talk to him there, and then I’d also have the chance to show you my collection in private.”

He only extended the invitation because his people had already checked her and James out. Tim had found exactly what Dean had already been told—Charlie was a website designer and James a personal trainer. They lived next door to one another in an older apartment building in Brooklyn, and had for the past several months. Neither one of them made much money, so evidently Charlie didn’t use her hacking skills to further herself financially.

Dean found that interesting. And intriguing. The amount he had paid her yesterday was likely as much as she made in an entire year after taxes with her website business, maybe more.

Giving Charlie a glimpse of life in The Hamptons would show her the finer things in life, might warm her up to the idea of having sex with him. He’d prefer to have her willing and not have to resort to drugging her.

So far she’d been polite yet distant with him, but he wasn’t worried. Everyone had a price. He’d seen firsthand how knowledgeable she was at her work. If necessary he could recruit her to do some personal jobs for him or his clients, if he dangled the right offer in front of her. Or maybe she had no further use to him, in terms of business. He hadn’t decided yet.

What he did know was that he wanted her more than he’d wanted any other woman in a long time, and he was enjoying the hunt. There was something about her that tested him at the same time as it piqued his interest.

She was strong, a little cocky, and he liked that. He was tired of women submitting to his sexual whims simply because he had money, or because he paid them.

Or because they were afraid not to.

Something told him Charlie would never do any of those things. No, she wouldn’t give in easily. She might even fight him if he forced her.

Lust shot through him like a cannon blast, swelling his cock even more. What would it take to make her give in? What was her breaking point?

With a few drinks in her he might be able to seduce her outright. If not, he could resort to other measures. He’d wait and see how things went first. “Well?” he prompted.

She glanced over at James and Dean barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. “Yes, he can come too if you want.” But if he did, Dean would make sure he kept Charlie all to himself. His security agents were well paid for their loyalty and discretion. They would keep James occupied if necessary and deal with whatever happened to Charlie, no questions asked.

At James’s annoyed and bored half-shrug, Charlie turned back to Dean. “What time tomorrow?”

He hid a smile, already anticipating how tomorrow night would go if he could get her alone for a while. “Five. Do you have a cocktail dress?”

“No, but it just so happens that I can afford to buy one now.” Her little half-smile made him impatient for tomorrow afternoon to arrive.

“I’ll buy one for you, and have it delivered tomorrow afternoon.”

“Thank you, but no. You’re technically buying it anyway, since I’ll be spending some of yesterday’s earnings on it. Besides, it’s been a while since I had a girls’ day with my bestie. She loves to shop.”

He wanted to push to at least send a car for her and her friend, but held back. Being too forceful right now might scare her off. He could send Tim to follow her and her friend tomorrow. “All right.”

After writing down his address for her, he walked her out the front door and to the curb, James somewhere behind them. He flagged down a cab for her and opened her door, admiring the length of bare thigh she flashed him as she slipped into the backseat.

Those legs would feel so good wrapped around his hips while he plunged in and out of her.

“See you tomorrow,” he murmured, then shut the door before she could answer.

When he straightened, his gaze collided with James’s, who stood on the other side of the cab, watching him. Almost in warning, but not quite. Dean held his stare, not the least bit intimidated. “I look forward to seeing you both tomorrow.”

James climbed into the cab without a word.

Dean’s phone rang as the cab pulled away. A delighted smile spread across his face and warmth filled him when he saw who the caller was. “Madeline. How’s my best girl doing?” His eleven-year-old niece was the light of his life, so pure and innocent. He would continue to protect her with every resource available to him as long as he lived. And if any man dared defile or hurt her, they would pay. Dearly.

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