Page 29 of Virtue & Vengeance

“Why?” I asked, swallowing the emotion clogging my throat.

“Why what?”

“Why would you do anything to help me?”

“You’re Kennedy’s niece and my responsibility while she’s out of town.”

His words stung.

“Is that the only reason?” I asked, seeking a different reason.

A sweeter reason.

“What other reason could there be?”

Going to the counter, I grabbed my wine glass and took a sip of the red liquid.

“You’re drinking?”

I sighed, setting my glass down. “Yes, Zander, is that okay with you, sir?”

He chuckled. “Keep it up, angel. You’re begging for a spanking.”

I shook my head. “And you’d probably do it, too, wouldn’t you?”

“You bet your sweet ass I would. With pleasure.”

I rolled my eyes, and before I knew what was happening, he captured my chin in his fingers and forced me to look up at him.

“Roll your eyes again. I dare you.”

The smell of his cologne swarmed all around me, and the heat of his body, which was so was close to me we were practically touching, made the front of my body tingle.

“Why are you here, Zander? What do you want from me?”

His eyes moved across my face before they clashed with mine.

“I’m just checking on you, and I can’t decide what I want from you. When I figure it out, you’ll be the first to know.”

With that, he turned and walked away. He locked the door before stepping into the hallway and shutting it behind him. He did all of this without even looking back at me.

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