Page 61 of Vicious Seduction

“Fuck, woman. Have you heard nothing I’ve said?” My frustration broke free. I yanked her to me and slammed my lips on hers, stealing the breath from her lungs in a brief but savage kiss. “I’m telling you that you belong with me.I’myour home, and all the other bullshit doesn’t matter. Now, can we get out of the cold, or do I have to throw you over my goddamn shoulder?”

She sniffled and nodded. I thought she might have even smiled a little, but she was too overcome to know for sure. Once I had her in the car, I buckled her seat belt and turned on her seat heater before going around to the driver’s side. She was more shaken than I’d ever seen her, and my protective instincts were screaming. I didn’t like being the source of her tears.

The three of us rode back to the apartment—Lina and me and enough uncertainty to make the car feel suffocatingly small. I wanted to assure her everything would be fine, but how could I when I didn’t know her half of the equation? I’d done everything I could. The ball was in her court now.

We stepped inside my apartment, both ambling slowly as though unsure what to say or do. When Lina reached the living room, she stopped, her gaze sweeping down the hallway to the spare bedrooms, then in the opposite direction toward the primary suite.

The room spun the tiniest bit, making me realize I’d been holding my fucking breath.

“Doesn’t matter which room you choose,” I told her. “The only place I’m sleeping tonight is next to you.”

Her huff of a laugh and resigned shake of her head blanketed me with relief.

Thank Christ, she isn’t going to fight me.

“Let me just grab a few things.”

A primal part of me didn’t even want to let her out of my sight. I used what little rational judgment I had left to force myself back to my bedroom. Minutes later, Lina joined me, setting her toiletries at the spare vanity. The one that used to be Caitlin’s.

I really needed to say something about my ex, but the timing always sucked.

Lina was just starting to open up and trust me. Telling herhow I’d framed my ex for murder seemed like a conversation that needed to wait.

We brushed our teeth and changed for bed. I wanted to rip the T-shirt and shorts off her and demand she sleep naked, but that didn’t seem to bolster my whole I’m-the-good-guy campaign. I was trying to prove that I wasn’t a threat, so showing a little self-control might be a plus.

Unfortunately, no one got that message to my dick.

I tried to picture something that would be a turn-off—my nana, my ex, Lawrence Wellington. Even combined, they weren’t enough to completely overcome my desire for the woman standing next to me.

Lina’s blush indicated she hadn’t missed the bulge in my briefs. “I hope you don’t mind. I need to set an early alarm for a design meeting in the morning.”

“That’s no problem. I can give you a ride on my way into the office. I need to get some work done.”

“Where’s your office?”

“We own the building that Moxy is in and have offices on the second floor.”

“Moxy?”

I turned when I heard the strange catch in her voice. “Yeah, it’s a strip club.”

“Your family owns it?” She made an effort to sound casual, but the color highlighting her cheeks moments before faded in a way that set me on edge. Did she have an issue with strip clubs?

“Yeah, we own Bastion, Moxy, and one other club in town. Moxy is the only one that has dancers. That a problem?” I asked warily.

She shook her head quickly. “No, no. It just caught me by surprise, that’s all. I guess I don’t really know much about your family.”

I snagged the hem of her shirt and tugged her close. “You already knew I wasn’t a Boy Scout,” I murmured, my gaze trailing over her parted lips. “My family’s no different.”

Lina nodded with a smile. “I get it. The family I’ve met have been great. It’s really not a big deal.”

She was holding something back. I could feel it in every bone in my body, but I wasn’t sure if it was best to push for an explanation or let it slide. We’d had an eventful evening. Something like that might be better to discuss once her emotions weren’t so close to the surface.

I brought her forehead to my lips for a lingering kiss. “Let’s get to bed. We can talk more tomorrow.”

I assured myself that so long as she was here with me, everything else could be sorted out later and that the unease knotting in my gut was simply paranoia.

I should have known better than to ignore my intuition.

---