Page 102 of Hidden Agendas (Tempting SEALs 4)

“Nothing happened,” she snapped back. “He wanted it, I said no, end of story. And you shouldn’t worry so damned much about a past that is none of your business.”

Before she could predict movement, Kell pulled her between the tall flowering shrubs that bordered the walkway, then pushed her against the stone column that hid there.

His body flattened against hers, his hands grabbing both wrists and anchoring them over her head with one broad hand.

“Now. I would like to ask you again. What happened with Deuter Meyers?”

Twenty-five

“HAS IT EVER BEEN POINTED out to you that you are just a shade arrogant?” Emily asked conversationally as she melted against his body.

He was hard. Her body noticed that the instant he pressed against her. His cock pressed against her stomach insistently, reminding her that she hadn’t had her daily dose of Kell yet.

“You’ve mentioned it often,” he bit out. “Now tell me about Deuter.”

“Look, it was nothing. He was at a party and he freaked me out a little bit. Deuter likes to think he’s a ladies’ man, end of story.”

“How did he freak you out?”

He wasn’t buying it and he wasn’t bothering to hide it. Dammit, why did Tabby have to be such an interfering bitch? She had managed to keep Deuter alive by the simple fact that she had never allowed her father to know what had happened. His life would be extinguished even faster if Kell found out.

In one single, stupid moment, the other woman had ignored all Emily’s careful discretion. Not that she cared if Deuter died; she just cared if her father or Kell spent time in prison for his death.

Emily licked her lips nervously. She really didn’t want to lie to Kell. Besides, he always seemed to know when she was lying.

“He was a little rough.” She shrugged it away. “That’s all. He’d had a little too much to drink and—”

“Don’t excuse anything he fucking did,” Kell snarled. “Just tell me what the fuck happened.”

Deuter had happened. He had been determined to rape her and thought he could hold her still by nearly breaking her arms. If it hadn’t been for the training her father had given her when she was a teenager he would have managed it.

“He just scared me a little.” Her lips trembled. He had terrified her. “That’s all.”

Kell had suffered an attack on one woman who had been important to him already. A wife who had died—as well as their unborn child. If she told him what Deuter had done, he would kill the other man. His voice had been tortured, guttural with pain, when he described what he had done to Tansy’s killers that night.

“Are you going to make me ask him what happened, Emily?” he asked her softly. “I should warn you, I’m trained to get the answers I want. I know Deuter, it won’t take long to break him.”

Emily shuddered. No, breaking him would be easy, but Kell would make certain that killing him took a while. And it would be painful. Very painful.

“For God’s sake, Kell,” she snapped. “Let it go. Don’t you think I would have told you if I wanted you to know?”

“No, I don’t,” he snarled. “Because you know I’d probably kill the little son of a bitch.”

“And he’s not worth it,” she stated fiercely. “Now stop manhandling me before I get really pissed off. It’s sexy as hell when you use it for sex, but using it to make me give you answers that should be my choice to give you, it’s just wrong.”

He frowned at her statement, loosening his grip. “Is that what you think I’m doing?”

“What else could it be? You don’t control me so stop trying to convince me that you do.”

“I don’t want to control you.” His lips quirked. “Though I’m beginning to see the merits in it where you’re concerned. And don’t think for one minute that I won’t find out what you’re hiding.”

“Fine, why don’t I just go poking into your past?”

“It’s like sex, Emily. If you want to know, just ask. Anything from the day I met you, till now, I don’t care to answer. Just as anything that happened from the day I met you is definitely my business.”

“Which means most of my life.” She pouted as he released her hands, watching as she began to rub her arms.

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