Page 68 of Claim

“I threatened your agent for touching you a few minutes ago in front of a whole ballroom of people. That is sure to have some repercussions.” I closed my fingers around hers, bringing her body in close. “Well, in that case. I guess we make a great pair.”

“I should warn you.”

She lifted a well-defined brow. “Oh, another warning. Let me hear it.”

I resisted kissing her, knowing I’d caused enough chatter for the evening.

“I plan to fuck you as soon as I punish you for pulling that stunt at that asshole’s penthouse.”

“Not happening.” Then she quickly amended. “To the punishment part.”

“Why is that?”

“You administer punishment at the time of the offense, not whenever you feel like it. Rules are rules.”

I couldn’t help but smile at her. “You most definitely are a brat.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She glanced to her side and then up at me. “Want to get out of here and give everyone more gossip?”

“About that. We will need to discuss—”

“How dare you.” An angry voice boomed behind me, making me stiffen.

Sophia and I stopped dancing and turned. There before us stood Harold Williams, Maria’s brother. I couldn’t blame him for the hate he directed toward me.

He’d aged in the last year and a half, looking closer to forty than his actual age of thirty. Maybe the grief of losing Maria or the years of drinking had taken its toll on him. But whatever it was, all I saw facing me right now was pure unadulterated hate.

I’d face it. I deserved it. I’d failed Maria. I hadn’t seen the signs of her depression, her obsession with making me love her, and in the end, it cost her everything.

“Williams,” I inclined my head, knowing the last thing he planned to do was keep up social graces.

“I cannot believe you would flaunt your next victim in front of all of New York society. And I doubt anyone will say a fucking word when she dies, just like no one gave a damn about my sister.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Sophia

I stared in complete dismay at the man before me.

So this was Damon’s deceased submissive’s brother. And he actually believed Damon killed her, even though all evidence showed otherwise.

Harold looked around him and then said in a louder voice. “This man is responsible for my sister Maria’s death, and no one cared. Will you care when she dies?”

From the periphery, I noticed my family moving in our direction, which meant I’d better get this situation under control.

“Who’s Maria?” I asked, even though I knew. “Perhaps if you explained things, I’d understand your anger better.”

I wanted to see what he’d say. How far he’d push it. He’d already created the scene. Maybe if I drew his attention to me, I could calm the situation down.

“My sister.” Harold’s manic blue eyes bore into mine, and then he pointed at Damon. “And this man killed her.”

Gasps came from around us, and the bleakness shadowing Damon’s face crushed me. An incident like this was the last thing he’d want to happen in public, a scene where emotions skewed the truth.

My heart ached for Harold too.

He’d lost his sister, and I could only imagine how he felt.

No matter how strained things became with my family, I couldn’t bear to think of how I’d handle losing a single one of them.

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