Page 55 of Tainted Sinners

My face falls into a flat look when Ava tips the cup back and downs the entire thing.

What a brat.

“You’re making me another one of those,” I tell her.

She waves me off.

“Wait,” Antonella’s voice cuts in. “Aren’t you…?”

I look over to her, seeing her pointing at my cousin.

Ava grins. “Yeah, I did your makeup earlier.”

There is a long pause of silence while Antonella’s brain starts running again. It makes me feel bad for her. Her confusion is visible on her face as she tries to figure out just what is going on.

I open my mouth, ready to introduce her and Ava, but am cut off by Antonella pulling her skirts up around herself.

“Please, please let me go.” Her voice shakes as she speaks. “Please, I don’t know anything. I’m of no use to you at all.”

I chuckle and lift myself to my feet. What a ridiculous thing to say.

She knew much more than she thought she did. And even if that weren’t the case, like hell I was letting her go now that I had her. “I’m sure that’s not true,” I tell her. “Besides, you should be thanking me for getting you out of marrying that asshole.”

Under her breath, Antonella lets out a low curse, whispering something to herself.

She glances up at me through her long lashes.

“What do you want with me?”

I lift my shoulder, wanting to tease her more. I hate seeing her so serious.

“Maybe I’m in love with you,” I say with a shrug, and her eyes go wide. I laugh at her expression. “I couldn’t help myself,” I continue, loving those doe-eyes focused on me. “I’ve been watching you for weeks. Last night at the club was the final straw. Seeing you in that little black dress all sad and drunk made me want to take you home with me. So, I did.”

While it’s a little far-fetched, it isn’texactlya lie.

“Killian…”

I almost groan at the sound of my name on her lips.

“Please let me go.”

I can’t help but reach forward and sink my fingers through those thick curls. My hand cups the back of her head, my fingers tightening around her hair at the base of her scalp. I tilt her head up to force her to meet my eyes.

“Why should I?”

“Whatever this… feud is that you have with my father, it’s between you and him. I swear I don't know anything.”

Her lashes flutter and my body immediately answers her call. I feel myself growing hard in my pants. Fuck. She doesn’t know what she’sdoingto me, looking at me like that. Like she’s begging me to fuck her mouth while she looks up at me with those wide, innocent eyes of hers.

Then I remember Ava.

“If my father finds out that I’m with you, he’ll think I had something to do with Ben’s death. You need to let me go. He already thinks I had something to do with it. I need to go back to him and explain. Please…”

Immediately, my desire is replaced with anger.

“Begging for him is beneath you, Antonella.” I tighten my grip on her hair, making her wince slightly. “You will be staying here with me for as long as I please.”

She opens her mouth to argue with me, but I silence her by letting go of her hair and gathering her skirts up in my hands. I pull her up from the couch by her hands, making sure that she wasn’t going to trip over her dress, and then lead her out of my office.

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