Page 24 of Claim

Not sure whether my words or the determination on my face penetrated her thoughts, she nodded.

“Fine. I won’t see you again.”

* * *

“Where are you?” Lucian demanded the second I answered my cell on Monday morning.

Turning my chair to look out at the streets below the high-rise window of my office, I responded with, “Working. Most people do that at the beginning of the week at nine AM. Don’t Morellis work? Or wait, you’re Lucian Morelli. So you do whatever the fuck you want.”

“Funny, asshole. I’m coming up. We need to have a chat.”

I stood and leaned an arm against the floor-to-ceiling windows. “By all means, let me rearrange my meetings for you.”

“I’m sure you can fit me in for this discussion.” He hung up, leaving me to shake my head.

I’d expected this conversation to come sooner. More along the lines of some time between one in the morning when I left Violent Delights on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. For him to have waited this long meant he had other things on his mind besides ordering me to stay away from his sister.

He’d have to get in line. I’d given myself plenty of warnings since I watched Sophia’s voluptuous round ass disappear down the dimly lit corridor exiting the club.

Even now, I was half-hard thinking of her.

This spell she’d cast upon me made absolutely no sense, and the fact she had no clue that she’d done it added to her fucking appeal.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you?” Lucian asked as he strode into my office and then shut the door behind him.

“For one, I’m in charge of designing four of your latest projects.” Annoyance flared in Lucian’s dark gaze, but he kept quiet as I continued, “And the decisions of two consenting adults are none of your business.”

“She’s my baby sister. Of course, she’s my fucking business.” He took the chair on the other side of my desk, continuing to stare daggers at me.

I remained standing just to fuck with him. We were both assholes. However, in my office, I got to play the bigger one.

“Why did you give her access to your club if you weren’t going to allow her to participate?”

A crease formed between Lucian’s brows, and if I wasn’t mistaken, the vein on his forehead began to pulse.

Yeah, annoying him for the hell of it was childish, but he fucked with my morning. I’d already made my decision about Sophia. His coming here seemed to have rubbed salt in the wound.

“Will you sit the fuck down?”

“No. Answer my question.”

“It’s safer for her to explore in my place than anywhere else.” He followed my movements as I paced back and forth along the windows, his irritation growing by the second.

“She did exactly that. I kept her safe, and she had the chance to explore. What is your problem?”

I already knew the answer and just needed him to admit it.

“She’s off-limits.”

There it was.

“Why?” I moved to my desk, bracing my hands on it.

“You know fucking why?”

“So she’s good enough for Ventana and the other Doms but not me?”

Lucian shifted forward. “I don’t want Ventana touching her either.”

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