Page 36 of The Players

When she struggled for words, he kissed her delicious lips, giving her his tongue until she started moaning again.

“There’s a lot more where that came from.” He pushed his middle finger inside her heat, adjusting her to his thick finger. She was so damn tight. He gave her another finger, and a third one to stretch her. If he dove in the way he wanted to, he would hurt her.

“Please…”

He pulled out his fingers. Let it never be said that he denied a woman begging for his cock.

Then the bedroom door burst open. A seething Vince was standing in the doorway.

Carmen stiffened against him. Sy rolled over and leaned back against the headboard, grinning. Yeah, he got cock-blocked bigtime, but at least—with Vince finally in the game—things were getting interesting.

CHAPTER 13

VINCE

Seeing Carmen lying flushed, in Sy’s bed, made him instantly go rock hard. Knowing that Sy was responsible for those pink-colored cheeks made it even better. Wasn’t this what he’d been planning all along?

If only the image of her mangled, beaten body at the hands of Viking would disappear from his vision. It was all he could think of. He could protect her against obvious threats such as men gunning for her, but he couldn’t protect her when she stepped in front of a raging bull. He’d been up for hours, running around town, putting out fires. To think, all of that could have been for nothing, just because she didn’t hesitate to protect everyone around her. Even someone who was considered an enemy, and even if it meant she put herself in danger. It made him see red.

“You stepped in between fucking Elena Morelli and Viking?” he roared. “Are you insane? Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?”

“I was perfectly safe,” she snubbed, pulling the comforter over her luscious body, as if protecting it from his sight. “And I don’t appreciate you yelling at me,” she added.

Vince felt his left eye twitch. “Don’t you now?” He was going to give her a fucking reason to yell. Twenty of them, to be exact.

Sy lazily rested against the headboard, sporting a grin. The bastard knew exactly what he was thinking and looking forward to it too. Of course, he wouldn’t have to be the one doling out punishment this time. He’d just had his fill tasting her, enjoying her body, making her come. After he’d saved her life, effectively positioning himself as her hero.

But that was Sy. He never expected anything to last, so he only showed the world the ice-cold killer or the sex-loving maniac that lived for today only. If it were any other woman they were dealing with, Vince could handle it. But not with Carmen. He couldn’t fail her twice.

She must have seen something in his face because she backtracked quickly. “Sy was with me the whole time.”

It was as he’d figured—she had no idea of the peril she’d been in. She could’ve easily gotten trampled between the hooves of a very pissed-off Viking. The man had two buttons only: relaxed and crazy or deranged and crazy. There was no fucking in between.

Vince kept staring at her. “Say what now?”

She waved a hand toward Sy. “Ask him. I was perfectly safe.”

Sy hummed. “I wouldn’t say perfectly.”

“What?”

Vince couldn’t help but smile at her squeak. She had yet to learn she couldn’t pit them against each other.

“I had to yank you away from my brother’s path of destruction,” Sy clarified. “Who knows what might have happened if I had been too slow.”

“I can’t believe you’re agreeing with him,” Carmen said, sending him a deadly glare.

“I’d say that calls for at least ten.” Sy exchanged a gaze with him.

Vince loosened his collar. “Way ahead of you.”

Carmen’s eyes flew between them. “What calls for what exactly?”

He didn’t deign that with an answer. Some things couldn’t be said with words, and some lessons were meant to be doled out the hard way.

Her mutinous look was speckled with worry now. She put her negligee and robe back on, tightening the belt around her waist. Like that was gonna do her any good. He could see the exact moment her body went into flight mode.

“Um… it’s been a long night. I mean, with me nearly being used as a human shield, dodging bullets and all, I’m really tired.” She yawned for good measure. “I’ve noticed my bedroom door doesn’t have a lock, by the way, which I find strange. What guest room doesn’t have a lock?”

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