Page 21 of Dirty Little Sins

"What are you doing? She tried to take a step back, but had nowhere to go. She'd already backed herself into a corner so to say before I came in. She was mine and I wasn't going to let her forget it.

"I'm doing what I should have done months ago instead of letting you walk away."

Chapter Nine

ZIA

I stood staring dumbfounded at Vincent as he laid his jacket over the back of the stool standing next to me and began unfastening the buttons at his cuffs.

Why the hell was I still here?

After the last of the prepared dishes had left my makeshift kitchen In Vincent's suite, I'd heaved a sigh of relief that I'd finally made it through this event. Not that it hadn't gone well. The new dishes had been well received by the guests, with several sending compliments in to the chef. And the staff I'd brought with me had handled everything flawlessly. Actually, it had gone better than even I could have expected. All things considered.

The problem was me—and him.

If I'd been smart I would have left with the last of the staff. I could have slipped from the suite unseen while he was busy with his guests and avoided this confrontation all together. But my feet had ached almost as much as my head and—my heart. So I'd decided a moment of rest and reflection wouldn't kill me.

I might have been able to avoid Vincent for a while, but I'd known instinctively that nothing about our situation would be that easy. I still felt an energy between us that pulled me toward him that I'd never felt before or since our time together.

His energy.

It was addictive and corruptive all at the same time and I wasn't sure I could resist it for much longer. Not when he stalked the suite like a wild animal that would not be contained and not now with the hunger clearly etched on his face and lasered in on me.

"You said it yourself. We were in your villa. Someone you know had to have taken those pictures. Either way, the whole thing was a huge mistake."

"We were both set up and I have every intention of finding out who did it. And when I do, you can rest assured they will suffer for it. You don't really believe I had anything to do with that, do you?"

I didn't answer right away. Not because I didn't believe him, but because I kind of did. Not that I was ready to concede to him on that point yet. The pain that had robbed my breath and struck fear into my heart at the first blackmail note still lingered. My life had nearly been destroyed in a matter of seconds and I couldn't let that go.

I didn't know how to let that go.

"Because if you did, I don't believe your heart would be ready to beat out of your chest right now. Nor would the addictive scent of your arousal perfume this room as it does right now."

My mouth dropped open as he rolled the sleeves of his shirt and revealed the thick, corded muscles of his forearms and the tattoos that covered them. Immediately my fingers itched to touch them again. It had been months since I'd discovered he was nearly covered in them. And like then, I wanted to trace my way across every curve, valley and scar that made up the map of his carved from perfection body.

But my head wasn't quite ready to give in... And he hadn't answered my question.

"This is my life, Vincent. Not some game for you to play. Nor am I some toy you must have. Proving that we have chemistry means nothing if I can't trust you. You know that, right?"

"At some point you have to listen to your instincts, Zia. While it's smart to use your head most of the time. Sometimes it just gets in the way. This is one of those times."

My throat thickened. "My head is usually right," I managed to grit out. "My instincts tell me I need to stay far away from you." However, it was my body that wanted control right now. A little fact I wasn't prepared to divulge.

"Is that right?"

I wanted to answer him and end this once and for all, but my throat had thickened to the point the words couldn't come out.

When I didn't respond, Vincent wrapped a strong hand around the back of my bare neck and pulled me close to him. The heat from his touch alone felt like an imprint on my skin. Like he wanted to brand me or something.

I nearly groaned at the image. My mind didn't want to listen to reason and it was headed down a deep, dark path I'd promised myself I wouldn't travel again.

"If you want to get away from me then why are you still here?"

I tried to swallow and couldn't. His fingers curved around my fragile neck were tight and slightly punishing. I might have marks from them tomorrow. And that thought alone made the pulsing between my legs almost unbearable.

"That's what I thought." The rumble of his voice next to my ear made my legs a little weak. "Put your hands on the counter and bend over."

My body jerked at the dark demand whispered into my ear. Before I could move, his hand snaked underneath my skirt and slid up the inside of my leg. I tried not to moan, I really did, but the desire for this—for him was too strong.

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