Page 65 of Vicious Seduction

Oran’s hands went up at his sides, his eyes widening. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. What society?”

“Don’t fucking lie!”I screamed.

He charged forward, pressing his chest to the barrel of the gun. “I’m not lying, Lina. I don’t know anything about a society,but if you don’t believe me, then shoot me.Just pull the goddamn trigger.” He spoke with absolute certainty. No fear. No illusion. Oran was ready to die on this hill, so I did the only thing I could do.

I pulled the trigger.

CHAPTER 33

LINA

The clickof the empty pistol discharging sliced through the air and severed the final threads holding me upright. My trembling body collapsed back to the floor, sobs bubbling up from deep in my chest like aftershocks from an earthquake.

“Jesus, Lina, baby. Come here.” Oran lifted me into his arms and walked to the chair behind his desk where he sat and cradled me against his chest. He didn’t say anything for long minutes, just letting my emotions take their course until I could breathe again and my body calmed.

My thoughts slowly returned as the emotional thundercloud dissipated, for better or worse. Now, I had to process what I’d learned and all I’d done. I’d almost been in a trance. That was the way the memories felt—as though I were seeingthrough someone else’s eyes. But it hadn’t been anyone else. I’d been the one with the gun, and Oran had told me the truth. He didn’t know about the Society.

How could that be? It didn’t make any sense. There were too many coincidences. I was missing some key piece of information, but if it didn’t concern the Society, what then?

And where did that leave us?

I wiggled my hand down into my pocket, then handed him the five bullets I’d taken from the gun before he’d arrived.

“I knew I’d left that thing loaded.” His rumbling voice vibrated from his body to mine, warming me from the inside out.

“You shouldn’t have. Guns are dangerous,” I said absently.

Oran choked on a laugh, hugging me closer and rocking us backward. “Woman, what am I going to do with you?”

“Be honest?” I suggested quietly. “Tell me the truth?”

He stilled contemplatively, then stood and eased me to my feet. “Okay. How about we start here.” He walked to the bookcase and pulled it away from the wall, revealing a heavy metal door with a keypad. “If you’re looking for something, this is where you’ll want to start your search.”

I stared in shock as he entered a code and opened the door to a smaller secondary office. It was more of a closet than an office, but the far wall had a built-in desk with a computer, and papers were haphazardly piled on either side of the keyboard. Above the desk were several shelves holding all sorts of foreign electronics with red and green lights. It looked like one of those safe rooms I’d seen in the movies.

This was his inner sanctum.

He was exposing his jugular in a show of trust, and I was so damn relieved I almost ended up back on the floor. Maybemy trust came too easily. His reveal wasn’t an absolute guarantee, but somehow, I knew he wouldn’t have shown me this if he wanted to keep me in the dark.

“You really are telling the truth. This isn’t about the Society.”

He cupped my face, his thumbs wiping away the remnants of my tears. “Having you here—everything I’ve done—it’s all about you. I want you so fucking bad it hurts.” He hadn’t known I would tear his place apart. He hadn’t prepped his little room first or planned to reveal his secret hideaway as a ploy to trick me into trusting him. Not only had he proved himself yet again, but he’d continued to be patient and forgiving despite all I’d put him through.

I let all my reservations about Oran fall to the floor. My doubts and worries. Everything.

And without their leaden burden, I practically floated up to kiss him. Or maybe he kissed me. I wasn’t even sure. Suddenly, I was in his arms, my legs around his waist, and our tongues intertwined.

One minute, I was Lina, desperate and alone. The next, I was his.

Oran seared his name across the surface of my heart with the demanding press of his lips. He patched up my soul with pieces of his own—a unique custom weave that blended the two fabrics together in a way that could never be fully undone. No matter where we went from here, this man would always be a part of me.

He placed me on top of the executive desk in his main office, leaning against the side so his legs remained between mine. “You want honesty? What I want isyou. I want you to give yourself to me in every way possible. Your body. Your trust. Your fuckingsoul. I want all of it, but I know some parts will take more convincing than others. So for now, what Iwant is for you to strip because you love having my eyes on your naked body. I want you to spread yourself wide because you can’t wait to feel me inside you. I want you to scream my name as you come all over my cock because you know I’m the only man who has ever … orwillever …own you.”

Yes. Yesyesyesyes.

The word echoed in my mind, resounding in every fiber of my being.

I wanted all of it. Everything he said. But I didn’t know how to make it happen. How to make myself a normal girl without a mountain of baggage.

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