Page 77 of The Innovator

“Yeah, it’s throbbing to kill him. He hurt you.” His fingers touched the marks on my arm. “What did he say to you?”

“He wants me to go back home and marry him.”

“Fuck, no.”

The lethal look in his eyes would make most men cower, but there was something about it that attracted me. Something was wrong with me for finding that flash of heat—the danger—alluring. I wasn’t afraid of him.

I sensed his anger and placed my hand on his chest, rubbing gently. “He also told me my dad’s plane crash wasn’t an accident.”

“He could’ve been lying to lure you away from me. But I’ll look into it.”

Several emotions swam across his handsome face. A war between possession, lust, and fear battled within him. He was in pain because of me. Somehow, I could sense his pain, and I wanted to ease it for him.

He should know I had no intention of leaving him for Rafael. Grayson was the only man I wanted.

“I’ll replace the button for you.” I ran my finger over the spot where the button should have been. It probably flew off the tuxedo during the fight.

I had questions about my dad’s plane crash, but that could wait. This troubled man with the tense face needed my reassurance.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-EIGHT

GRAYSON

I clasped her hand. “I don’t care about the fucking button. I have other suits.”

Natalie had no idea what had transpired within me when I found her in that room with him. At first, I had thought they were being intimate, so I stood there watching them. That horrible mistake cut me to the core. If I had intervened sooner, I would’ve prevented him from hurting her. If I had trusted her, I wouldn’t have had to witness the fear on her face. It had been Rafael’s threats that snapped me out of my stupidity.

I cursed at myself for being an idiot.

Not everyone will betray you.

Rage boiled inside of me, seeing her helpless. The level of violence I wanted to enact on the fucking asshole was something new to me. I’d never felt it before. It was a high-voltage current that singed my blood. I became someone else—something else. The monster in me unleashed.

A protectiveness—a possessiveness—stormed through me like a typhoon. Violent, raw, and relentless.

Right now, I didn’t care about anything but her. I needed to touch her, taste her. She was the only one who could subdue this raging storm.

I cupped her face and devoured her mouth. She returned the kiss with the same urgency. Then I whirled her around so her back rested on my chest, allowing her to see herself in the mirror. I yanked up her dress, palmed her center, and slipped my fingers under her tiny thong, claiming her. My buttercup was already wet for me.

“You’re mine.” I shoved two fingers into her, pumping fast.

“I’m yours. Do as you please.” With her dress bunched on her back, she bent over the counter, taunting me with her gorgeous ass.

I dropped my pants and boxers, releasing my cock. “Fuck, I don’t have a condom.”

“It’s okay. I’m on the pill, and I trust you.”

I. Trust. You.

Those words were my salvation. I should have trusted her earlier.

Gripping her ass and yanking her thong aside, I plunged into her, letting out a loud groan as her muscles contracted to welcome me. The rawness of my cock in her core was the best thing I’d ever experienced. No more condoms from now on.

I drove into her fast and hard, watching her reflection in the mirror as I possessed her. With each thrust, she moaned my name. She met my gaze, and the lust in her eyes spurred me on. Natalie could make me want so damn much.

I could listen to her moans all day.

“Grayson!” She looked at me when she came, and it was the most beautiful sight.

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