Page 44 of Don't Lie To Me

He moves in closer and places a kiss on my lips. “Sorry, Sloane. We both know this was a slip-up that can never happen again. I need to get out of here before I make it worse.”

Hurt washes over me like a tidal wave, his sudden rejection too much to take in my fragile state. Keeping my brothers happy is more important than me. I get it, I should have known better. I roll over away from him and wait till I hear the slight click of the door before I get out of bed. I knew what that was, but I’m still crushed.

Eventually I drag my sorry body to the shower, washing away what we just did, feeling a hollowness inside of me I never expected. Ithought getting what I wanted would leave me on a high, but I’m emptier than ever before. How can I go from such euphoria to the lowest of lows in a matter of minutes?

When I’m all washed off, I go to the cabinet and take out my sleeping pills. Popping two in my mouth, I swallow them down with a handful of water from the tap.

Catching sight of my frightful reflection in the mirror, I see the evidence of Onyx everywhere. From my tangled hair to the bite marks on my shoulders and neck. All I have left to remind me of how fucking awesome the two of us are together. Tomorrow is going to sting like a bitch. Having him was everything I ever wanted, but maybe not knowing how good it could be was better than one night of heaven, to now live a lifetime without him.

Chapter 17

Fuckmylife.Afteran uncomfortably silent drive into the club, tension so damn thick I could cut it, I arrive to find Romeo already here. I can’t deal with him today. The sleeping pills I took last night to knock me out have left me drowsy and out of it. Not how I want to be when I have to verbally spar with the asshole trying to take over my life. I also woke up to a text message from Reef saying he wants to see me again. Today for lunch if possible. I haven’t texted back, I couldn’t. Even I don’t know how on earth to navigate this situation. The cop, the bodyguard, and the mafia boss. How the hell did I get all messed up with the three of them?

Ignoring Romeo’s amused greeting of good morning, I stalk past him and straight into my office, slamming the door behind me just because I can. I pick up my phone and call the only person I know who can help me right now. “Harley, sis, I need your help.”

“Everything alright, Sloane? You sound strange,” her sweet voice comes down the line, making me feel slightly better already.

“I feel strange,” I admit. The tension in my jaw makes me feel like I’m about to break a tooth.

“Do you need me to call Ricky? He’s setting up the clinic today, but I’m sure he could drop in and check on you.”

I sigh heavily, feeling the weight of my decisions of the last week bearing down on me. “No, this isn’t a medical kind of strange. I can’t tell you over the phone. Can you do lunch today?”

“For you girl, anything. It’s about time you filled me in on all your shenanigans.” I hear her smirk through the phone.

“Thank you, I’ll see you here at noon.”

“Perfect, see you then.” She disconnects the call.

I breathe a sigh of relief. If anyone will get what I’m going through, it’ll be her.

The sudden click of my office door opening makes me jump in surprise. Quickly I spin around to see Romeo’s suited silhouette in the entrance. With a cocky grin, he saunters in, the click of the lock sealing the two of us in here together. “My access card has arrived,” he tells me, a cheeky-as-fuck grin on his face.

A rush of heat comes over me, and I glare in his direction. “So, you thought you would just let yourself into my office when I clearly want to be left alone this morning?”

“We have business to discuss, doll face. And since you spent the night out playing with the new detective, we have a lot to catch up on, don’t we.” He moves toward me, his presence filling my personal space with an overwhelming sense of closeness. He smells like expensive cologne and sin, an intoxicating combination for my senses. His expression tells me he’s not just talking about business. He wants to know what I got up to last night. Wasn’t he spying on me anyway?

I straighten my shoulders and tilt my gaze up at him. I might be a hell of a lot shorter, but I won’t let his size intimidate me. “This is still my office. If you want your own space to work from, I’m sure I can find you a janitor’s closet or something down at the other end of the building.”

He chuckles lightheartedly. “You’re funny today, Sloane.” His hand finds my arm, trailing up it delicately. “Here I was thinking we could just share.” He moves in closer, sending my heart into overdrive. “Since I know how much you like my body close to yours.” He roughly grabs my ponytail, the sudden jerk making my head snap back, then wraps it around his fist, forcing my gaze upward.

“Get your fucking hands off me,” I snap, not sure why his brutal hold on me has my panties damp and my stomach clenching with anticipation at the same time. I don’t know why he makes me so nervous, but there is just something in his dark gaze that slightly terrifies and excites me.

His lips twist up at the sides, and he tilts his head, looking over every little detail of my face. “A little hot for a high neckline today, isn’t it, doll face?” With his free hand, he reefs the turtleneck of my top down my neck, revealing the bite marks Onyx left on me last night. His eyes flare and his jaw grows tight. “Did the cop do this to you?” he seethes, his grip tightening on me.

I’ve had enough of this shit, so I clench my fist and bring it into his gut, grinning to myself when he releases me with a pained groan. I move away from him quickly, getting my desk in between us. I desperately need space, a second to think and breathe.

He glares back at me, and I can see he is jealous as hell, but he has no right to be. He ruined whatever we started when he tried to take over my business.

“Just because we have a business arrangement doesn’t mean you own me.” I reach for my purse, pulling the images free and throwing them across my desk in his direction. “You pull a fucking stunt like that again and I will make sure you regret it. Don’t mess with me, Moretti. This is your only warning.”

He stares at me like a raging bull with his nostrils flaring. I half expect to see steam coming from his ears, but that really is a little dramatic, even for him. “You are the most infuriating woman I have ever met,” he spits, collecting up the images, studying them more closely. “What the fuck is this?”

I narrow my eyes on him. “Don’t bullshit me, I know you sent them last night while I was having dinner with Detective Wilder.”

“Mia ragazza,” he says the words scribbled in Italian, sounding confused. Then his eyes meet mine, a look of fear flashing in them. “I didn’t do this. Ask Myriah, I was here until we closed last night working.”

I cross my arms across my chest, not ready to back down just yet. I don’t trust this man as far as I could throw him. “Well, you had some goon who works for you do it then. I know it was you.”

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