Page 17 of Bloody Knuckles

For a heartbeat, I consider denying it further. But the game shifts in my mind—knowledge is power, and his private notes have given me plenty.

I bring the leather-bound book forward, holding it up between us like a prize. "Your strategizing needs work, Donovan."

His demeanor darkens instantly. One large hand snatches the book from my grasp. "Going through my things. Not very good manners."

"Kidnapping isn't very good manners either." I maintain my ground as he looms over me. "Murphy's your inside man, isn't he? Feeding you information about our security and busness?"

A muscle ticks in his jaw—confirmation enough.

"Did you really think my father would trade territory for me?" I continue, pressing my advantage. "Patrick Gallagher doesn't negotiate with his heart, only his ledger. And your assessment of Liam is laughably wrong."

"Is it?" Cormac tosses the book onto the coffee table, his attention entirely on me now. "Enlighten me."

"You wrote he's impulsive. Susceptible to provocation." I smile, sharp as a blade. "Liam orchestrated the bombing of the O'Reilly warehouse last year. Planned it for six months before acting. Made it look like the Cassidys' work. Started a war between them while we claimed their territories during the chaos."

Something shifts in Cormac's stance—reassessment. Good.

"You think you understand the Gallaghers," I continue. "You don't know us at all."

"I know you, Aoife." His voice drops lower, intimate. "Better than you think."

"You know nothing about me."

He steps closer, eliminating the space between us. "I know how you taste. How your body responds when I touch you. How you fought yourself more than me in that alley."

Heat crawls up my neck. "Seeing a physical reaction isn't knowing me.”

"No?" His hand rises to my throat, thumb brushing where his mark still lingers on my skin. "Then tell me something I don't know, princess. Prove you're more than just a pawn in this game."

The challenge ignites something in me—anger mixed with spite. His touch burns against my pulse point, thumb gently pressing where my heartbeat betrays my calm façade.

"You've underestimated what I'm capable of," I whisper. "That's your biggest mistake."

His lips curve. "Show me."

The invitation hangs between us, charged with electricity. Time suspends. Five days of captivity. Five days of powerlessness. Five days of unwanted desire building beneath my skin.

I grab his tie, yanking him down to my level. His momentary surprise gives me the advantage as I press my lips against his.

Unlike our alley encounter, I control this kiss. Demanding. Claiming. His shock lasts only seconds before he responds, mouth opening under mine. But I refuse to yield control, biting his lower lip hard enough to draw blood and a grunt of surprise.

His hands move to my waist, attempting to take back control. I break the kiss, shoving him backward until his legs hit the sofa. Another push sends him sitting down, confusion warring with hunger in his eyes.

"What are you doing?" he asks, voice rough.

"Showing you what you don't know." I stand between his spread knees, dominance shifting deliciously in my favor. "You think you own me because you locked me in a cage? Because my body responds to you?"

I lean down, bringing my lips to his ear. "You've never met a Gallagher woman before me, have you, Cormac? Never learned what we're capable of when cornered."

His breathing quickens as I trail my fingers down his chest, feeling hard muscle beneath expensive fabric. I straddle him in one fluid movement, settling onto his lap. His erection presses against me through our clothes, thick and insistent. “We bite.”

"Aoife—" His warning tone has a thread of uncertainty to it.

I silence him with another kiss, rolling my hips against his hardness. His groan vibrates against my lips, hands gripping my thighs with bruising intensity. I thread my fingers through his hair, tugging sharply to expose his throat.

"You marked me," I murmur against his skin. "Maybe I should return the favor."

My teeth graze his pulse point before biting down, sucking hard enough to leave evidence. His hips buck upward involuntarily, the friction sending shivers down my spine.

---