Page 59 of Unlawful Seduction

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“I should punish you for breaking into my office. Hmmm…” He rolled the reed over my shoulder, brushing it down my arm. Then he snapped his wrist. I heard the whooshing sound cutting through the air just before he swatted me across the center of my bottom.

“What the…” I jumped, the flash of pain instantaneous. “That hurt.”

“Good. I’m glad. You should know better than to interfere with a man’s things.” He ripped the game from my hand, giving me a stern look before taking it to the table as I’d been planning on doing. He was telling me in no uncertain terms not to move.

There was such a strong sense of the man, his presence and aura powerful in so many ways, including the amount of control he’d obviously honed over the years of his life.

He was a few years older than I was, somewhere in his thirties, but I sensed the life he’d chosen had taken a significant toll on several fronts.

I’d wondered about the responsibility he’d mentioned. If he’d left a wife and children somewhere along the way, I wouldn’t know it. He didn’t seem like the fatherly type in the least. Although he was so good with Jax, the two seemed bonded just the way dogs did with each other.

As much as I’d told myself this had to be platonic and that I couldn’t indulge in the cravings I’d felt from before, watching him as he stroked Jax’s neck before taking his time walking back in my direction gave me pause. More than that, I felt something stirring inside of me that I’d promised I’d never feel again. It was too painful caring about anyone.

He was studying me as he approached, gauging my mood against his.

My hunger against his.

And how complicated our desires and needs would become as soon as the last snowflake fell across the terrain.

Maybe there was something to be said for coincidences. Although I was like him; I wasn’t certain I believed in them. He closed the distance, all the while tapping the cane against his palm. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes were full of darkness.

I could swear the man was laying his claim or perhaps seeing what I was made of when he walked around me, standing several inches away from my back. He tugged my hair aside and I glanced over my shoulder, trying to capture what he was doing. The smug smile he wore was endearing, the glint in his eyes a foretelling of what he had planned.

It was strange to be locked away in a cabin in the middle of acres and acres of land. There was no one around, no possible chance of interference. While here, I could be anything and anyone I wanted to be. Reality would hit home soon enough, the fear of the unknown definite, but I wasn’t going to allow my mind to fuck itself with worry. Doing so would lead to an anxiety attack and refusing to acknowledge what I needed.

The truth as to what that was?

His touch.

His kisses.

And the moment when I could, for once in as long as I could remember, feel completely free.

Was there even such a thing?

CHAPTER 15

Beckett

This wasn’t a good idea. Not by a long shot.

However, since when had I considered the risk to my safety, life, or health? Twenty years ago? Twenty-five?

Some would say I’d been born and bred to be a killer. I would typically beg to disagree. Then again…

It was something I was very good at.

A deep, penetrating chuckle formed in my gut. Just watching Mallory, seeing the way she reacted to my observation of her, the looks I’d given her, was delicious. I knew had it not been for the storm, the chance of me allowing this to happen would be slim to nil.

Spending time with her was a necessity, but not this way. I’d done my best to stay away from her, to keep my distance but the moment I’d walked into the living room, I’d known I couldn’t keep my hands to myself.

No one had ever been in this house since I’d closed on it. Not one person.

Mallory had arrived fearful, but had quickly shifted into utter curiosity and determination to learn more about me. Now I hungered to do the same with her. She was nervous, jittery, but I could also smell her excitement. She wanted to experience something that she’d never done before.

My mind was spinning with filthy thoughts as I ran my fingers down her spine. The fact she wasn’t walking away from me was telling. She had some trust in the man protecting her.

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