Page 194 of Auctioned

Her words make the throbbing in my pants intolerable. Her determination. The fire in her.

She’s humiliating him.

I’m not about to sit this one out, to leave her alone with him.

I push down the handle and find the door locked.

He locked it.

I don’t think. Don’t breathe.

“Ophelia.” One hand slams on the door. “Let me in, or I’m breaking down the door.”

The only reason I’m not actually doing it is our location.

Damn you, Topher.

Twenty-one years ago, I watched him take his first breath. I meant to keep him. I meant to be the man my father never could be.

But I’ve failed him. He’s failed me as well.

Maybe he’ll have better luck joining his grandfather in hell.

“Ophelia, so help me, I will not ask you twice.”

The door flies open. My woman, my everything, is standing there. Tall and proud.

With red finger marks on her chin.

“I’m here. I’m fine.”

“The hell you are.” I grab her by the arm, shoving her behind me. Topher could be carrying a gun. Hiding a knife.

He saw the lock of her hair yesterday. He might’ve been planning to kill me.

I don’t care.

I’ll destroy him for this.

“Let’s get out of here.” She sounds confident, unharmed. Fuck that.

The motherfucking finger marks on her chin.

I step into the restroom, my free hand flipping the lock blindly.

“James, I mean it.” Her touch on my back doesn’t have its usual calming effect on me. The opposite. “You have a meeting in ten minutes.”

They can wait. The whole world can go up in flames. Ophelia was hurt. By my son. Who’s standing there, returning my furious gaze.

As if he has the right.

“Her chin.” I keep her close behind me, squeezing her hand as I move in on him. “You did this to her.”

“I’ll do much worse once you’re dead,” he spits out.

His empty threat is laughable. More so when he takes a cowardly step back toward the wall. Meaning he isn’t carrying anything that could do actual damage.

He had no intention of attacking me here.

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