Page 51 of Whispered Desire

Mathias rolls so his large body flanks my side, one leg hooking around mine to spread me wider for his handiwork between my thighs. As far as distractions go, being touched by Mathias tops the list, but the slew of concerns weighing on my mind refuses to be thwarted so easily.

“Do you have to meet your father in person? Can’t you let Interpol arrest him without first rubbing it in his face that you’ve won?”

His movements stutter for a second then resume—determination vibrates from his firm caresses and the steeliness in his eyes. “I’m not rubbing anything in his face. I’m proving to him and myself that I never needed him. That I became asuccessful force to be reckoned with in the business and criminal realm despite his abandonment.”

That sounds like another version of what I said, but I don’t call him on it. Mathias made up his mind long before I ever entered his life. All of the Blackchapel Bastards require some sort of closure with their dads.

I just hope closure doesn’t cost them.

Permanently.

I don’t think any of them could survive losing a brother.The thought of losing Mathias…My breath hitches in my lungs, and I quickly slam my eyes shut to avoid him seeing my sudden tears. He’s the first person to truly care about my well-being, even more than I do sometimes.

“Enough talk about my father. I want you to come for me, Angel, and then we’re taking a town car—with our café crèmes and almond croissants fresh from theboulangerie—shopping. You need a gown for this evening.”

“But—Mathias!” I gasp and arch my back when he replaces his fingers with his thick cock, the velvety steel plunging deep in one hard thrust.

His lips trace mine before claiming them in a not-so-subtle command to let my fears go. To give them to him.

He's always protecting me, even from myself.

But who will protect him?

***

The Eiffel Tower shines in the distance and sparkling lights decorate the tables and railings. It should be romantic, a dream, yet I'm falling into a nightmare as a prickle of awareness runs beneath my skin.

The first warning sign of an anxiety attack.

Please, not here. Not now.

We’re at the company party I tried so hard to get out of, celebrating the new ownership of Petit Enterprises. But this is too much.

Too much pressure.

My hand wraps around the steel railing as I sway forward. My eyes fixate on the long drop below.

Falling would feel like flying.

Flying is freedom.

No!I shake the thought off and clasp the back of Mathias's jacket. It wrinkles under my sweaty palm, but it's my lifeline.

“Mathias,” I whisper, urgency infiltrating the one word.

He glances down and must read the distress on my face because he immediately cups the back of my neck, drawing me nearer as a soothing massage begins.

No one else would notice a difference in him because his conversation continues like normal, but I recognize the awareness in his body, the slight protective shift to position himself partially in front of me.

A moment later, Dmitri sidles up to us and easily steers the conversation to a different topic, freeing Mathias to exit the group with me in tow.

The connection the brothers have is unmatched. They don’t even have to speak for one to understand they’re needed like Dmitri just did. I’m almost jealous of their closeness because I’ve never felt that with anyone. Least of all, my own brother.

“What's wrong?” Mathias ushers me into an empty hall. “What do you need?”

“Nothing’s really wrong,” I say, embarrassed by my body’s unpredictable reactions. “Tonight is just starting to get to me. I’m so far out of my element here.”

And I'm worried about the confrontation planned for tomorrow.

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