Page 59 of His Deadly Lies

She cocks her head to the side. “Do you? I’m not sure you’re in a position to understand me.”

“You don’t think I’ve had to work hard?” I gentle my hold on her, every instinct in me rising in a desperate need to keep her protected, even at the expense of my body.

“I don’t know you well enough to make an assumption,” she retorts.

“I want you to understand that it’s not personal.”

She pushes against my chest, but I refuse to let her go. “It sure as shit feels personal, Carter. Especially after…” she trails off, tongue darting out to lick her lower lip.

“After what?” I can barely breathe.

“Nothing. Just fucking forget it and take your hands off me.”

We’re both breathing heavily. Staring at each other. Waiting for something to shift and change, and when it remains the same, the tension reaches deep inside me and threatens to pull out my heart.

“No one's saying you can’t do what you do. You have to act smarter. Not go off on a whim because you think you know best and you want to prove a point,” I remark.

“You are.” She sneers at me. “I know your kind, Carter. You see what you want to see, and you diminish any other ability I may or may not have based on my looks. Tell me it’s not true.”

I blink at her, leaning back to take her in. She’s…right. I did it to her too. Checked her off as a pretty face when she’s clearly keener at picking up small details than I ever gave her credit for in the past. And she’s not afraid to get dirty no matter what kind of designer labels are stitched into her clothes.

My cock twitches, pressing uncomfortably against the inside of my pants. I don’t need this; I don't need another complication in my life right now. Not until I’m in a better mental space to handle it. My body doesn’t give two shits about my resolve.

My cock is ready for action and heavy, wanting her. In my head, I see this afternoon going differently. Rather than stashing Mia with someone else and going home to fuck my hand and get a little sleep, I see her bent over. Me ripping off the jean shorts and thrusting right up into her virgin pussy until she moans my name like the word of God.

“If you stare at my lips again, I won’t be held responsible for what comes next, either,” she adds breathlessly.

With that, she pulls out of my hands and continues down the hallway like she hadn't just thrown my own words back at me with such lusty intent it gave me an immediate half chub.

Fuck it. She’s under my skin.

Badly.

Now the question remains: what am I able and willing to do about it?

17

MIA

Somewhere in the course of this cursed morning, insects have dug inside me and taken up residence in my veins. They’re crawling and biting and causing a hot flash to send sweat along my spine.

I’m starving for more than food.

He’s my enemy. If he’s not a Balestra, then he is my enemy, so why does my heart pound whenever I’m around him? Why do I come alive when I look at him and those deadly eyes?

There must be something wrong with me.

Although he’s behind me, my lips curl up in a sneer. There must be something wrong with him, too, because he’s always there to play with me. Gruff and threatening and never able to follow through with any of them. A little taunt is the least of what he deserves.

The doors at the end of the hallway lead to a curving staircase in cream-colored stone; the banister is smooth, polished by my hands, my father’s, and his men. Any and all who come down to the basement playroom to conduct business.

Now I’m showing Carter into those secret parts of our home, and it has me on edge in all the wrong ways.

I know Papa has to have a plan for what’s been going on with his business. He’s invested way more time and energy, and blood than anyone else.

But forcing me into an engagement while we’re struggling does not strike me as a sound decision. It’s less a matter of protection and more a reach, a tactic that may or may not blow up in our faces.

And since the marriage isn’t final yet, I have to wonder why Edward is so comfortable allowing Vittorio and Carter this close to our operation. Ricardo must have said something to Papa to put him at ease, something about Carter’s prowess when it comes to protection. There must be an impressive resume to back him up. That’s all I’m saying.

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