Page 63 of Torched Spades
“I wasn’t aware they only served those with credentials at the end of their name.”
My flippant response only hardens her already furious stare. Clenching her fists, she tightens her grip on the armrests as if attempting to anchor herself. “You know what the hell I mean. Spying on me? That’s crossing the line, Johnny.”
No, the line was crossed long before that. The moment I installed cameras in her house, it looped around and turned into just another vicious circle. But she’s not ready to hear that, and she’s certainly not ready to hear my contradictory response to every bullshit line Jack Ledger fed her in that diner.
I let out a bitter laugh. “That’s quite a twisted moral compass you have there, Doc.” When she glares at me, I let one corner of my mouth curve and add, “Considering last week at this time you were spread eagle on that desk riding my hand like a fucking Harley.”
“I told…” Her voice catches in her throat as I lick my fingers in remembrance. A dick maneuver? Absolutely. But worth every second of the raw, exposed expression darkening her face. “I told you that was a mistake.”
“Just like chasing me down at the docks, huh?”
“That was purely—”
“Intentional,” I finish for her.Screw this distance.I’m done playing this continual “ignore and deny” game. Rising to my feet, I round the coffee table until I’m standing right beside her. Still, she refuses to look at me, her eyes fixated across the room on those damn paintings. So, I brace my hand on the back of her chair and lean closer. “Which makes me wonder… What would’ve happened if Henry hadn’t interrupted us, Doc?”
“Not what you’re thinking.”
“These lies are getting tiresome, Becca.”
“So is this chauvinisticcock show,Johnny.”
My half-smirk spreads into a wide, vicious smile. “Such a dirty word for such a proper woman. Tell me, Doc, how often do you think about my cock? Must be often to have such top-of-mind awareness.”
Her face blanches. “Stop trying to change the subject,” she hisses, folding her arms across her chest.“As I was saying, my visit to the warehouse was purely professional. I was doing you a favor by following up on a missed appointment. You, however, were conducting a gross invasion of my privacy.”
My patience snaps.Fuck her privacy.After six weeks of being hunted by every minion and affiliate of George Reese, it’s time for his daughter to show her hand.
My hand tightens around the back of the chair. “Who is he?” I demand.
He, of course, is Jack Ledger. I know enough to rip off that halo she’s hung above his head and strangle him with it, but that’s not enough for me. I want to hear her confession. I haven’t forgotten what she did at that diner. Even when pressured by Ledger, she chose my secrets over his trust.
Now I want her to choose me over him.
“He?” She smirks. “You’re acting a little paranoid, Johnny. Areyougetting enough sleep?”
The lid on my temper rattles its final warning. Clamping my other hand onto the opposite side of the chair, I cage her in, ignoring her shocked squeal as I shove her and the chair against the wall. “Don’t make me repeat myself, Becca,” I warn.
She swallows hard, not only because she knows she’s pushed me too far, but because she’s still coming to terms with her reaction to it. Confusion as to why antagonizing me turns her on so much is written all over her face. There’s a war raging behind those stormy blue eyes. The independent woman in her wants to fight back, but as expected, it’s her natural submissive side that wins the battle.
Her shoulders sag in defeat. “We’re just friends, all right? Jack is a real stand-up guy. We grew up together, and I trust him. Sometimes he does stupid shit in the name of honor, but he’s always had my back.”
“Is that all he’s had?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Come on, Becca…” I scoff. “I was there, remember? I saw how he looked at you. We both know he wants in your pants…” I let her digest that for a moment, then take a second swing. “What do you want, Doc? Candlelight dinners and rose petals? A lifetime of sweet nothings and missionary fucking?”
Her lips part, and she peers up at me through those long eyelashes, a flustered stain burning her cheeks.Interesting.It seems I’ve broken through another well-guarded corner in that pretty little head.
I smirk. “Or maybe the good doctor’s tastes have a little more bite these days. They’ve turned a bit hotter…Blazing,if you will…”
That last one may have taken it a step too far—an assumption verified when Becca lifts her chin, those bright blue doe eyes turning hard as fuck. It’s just as well. As much as I dislike ending our time together on a sour note, it’s better this way. The more anger she has toward me, the less likely she is to fight what I came here to do.
Pushing away from the chair, I rise to my full height. Tension sizzles between us, as I draw a playing card from my pocket, dousing the burning desire I have for her with cold detachment. “Unfortunately, Jackson Ledger is going to have to step up his game because this will be our last appointment.”
“What? Why?”
Trapping the card mid-flip, I arch an eyebrow. “I believe it was you who, just last week, demanded I be referred out to one of your esteemed colleagues.”
