James waited silently, giving me space to weave the narrative he needed to hear.
“He terrorized her…” I admitted with a rawness that felt like ripping off a scab. “The whips were just foreplay for him.”
Disgust painted James’ features dark as storm clouds gathering on the horizon.
“And?” His voice was steel wrapped in velvet—a dangerous combination.
“She was molested by him.” The words fell like leaden weights from my tongue. I held back the fact that when the abuse escalated, I’d always stepped in as his target instead. That information wasn’t necessary for James or Matt. Those shadows were mine alone, not yet prepared to see the light of day.
“Fuck!” James exploded with a venom that echoed off the walls.
Matt’s eyes had turned into twin coals—dark and burning with an intensity that felt like it could set fire to rain.
“She never mentioned this,” James muttered more to himself than anyone else.
Surprise flickered across my face at his visceral reaction. “Why would she broadcast her trauma? It’s not exactly a badge of honor.”
James looked like he’d swallowed acid, and Matt—well, his eyes were two black holes sucking in all the light.
I squared my shoulders, my heart hammering a frenzied rhythm against my ribs. “So, how about it?” I quipped, voice laced with faux innocence. “Will you let her go and take me instead? Pinky promise I’ll be a good pet.”
James rubbed his chin, deep in thought, while Matt looked like a volcano on the brink of eruption.
“Be a good pet?” Matt’s voice was as sharp as broken glass. “What the hell does that mean, Andy?”
I waved a dismissive hand, even as my heart hammered against my rib cage. “Matt, it’s just a business contract, alright? Your nose doesn’t belong in this mess.”
“What?” He sneered with enough sarcasm to drown an elephant. “Selling your skin for your sister’s shackles? Oh, how very noble.”
Before I could brace myself, his hand latched on to my arm like a vise and propelled me onto the sofa. I landed with an oomph, air puffing out of my lungs in surprise.
James loomed over me like an avenging angel minus the mercy. “Sorry to burst your bubble, Andy. As I said, no new contracts.” His gaze raked over me. “Especially not with pretty boys who stir up storms. I’m not Matt.” He looked at Matt. “Deal with him, will you?”
Matt’s grin unfurled slowly—predatory and filled with dark promise as he shed his suit jacket.
James exited with a decisive click of the door shutting behind him, leaving me to face the storm that was Matt—tie unraveling from around his neck like the coils of some exotic serpent that screamed danger. His eyes—dark and stormy—promised retribution.
“Shit!” The expletive tumbled from my lips as I scrambled back on the couch cushions, every instinct screaming at me to flee.
But Matt was quicker—more determined than any force I’d reckoned with before. He pinned me before I could make my escape, his weight a solid proclamation of intent. Then he descended on me—a hurricane made flesh—his lips crashing against mine in a ferocious kiss that obliterated thought and stole breath from my lungs.
It was a feral claiming, a brutal declaration—a storm that swept me up and left me gasping for air, my head spinning with a cocktail of fear and arousal. There was no escaping his savagery, no shelter from the onslaught of his indignant passion. I tried to push him off, to squirm out from under his weight, but he was immovable—a mountain anchoring me to the depths of the desire that simmered between us.
“Ngh…” The sound was torn from my throat, a futile protest against the tide of his dominance.
I fought against him, or at least, my pride told me I did. But my struggles were as effective as a leaf trying to stem the flow of a raging river. Matt pinned me to the couch, his body a solid mass of muscle and deliberation. When he finally released my throbbing lips, I lay there, dazed and breathless, staring up at the tempest that was Matt Caine.
His grin was feral, his eyes alight with a fiery possessiveness that both terrified and excited me. “You think you can betray me, pet, and run off to another man—my best friend, no less?” he growled, his breath hot against my skin. “It seems I’ve been too kind to you. Perhaps you need a lesson in loyalty.”
He was right, and I knew it. I had been dancing on the edge of a knife, flirting with danger, and now the blade had cut deep.
“Go fuck yourself,” I spat back, my voice dripping with all the sarcasm I could muster, even as my heart raced.
Matt’s eyes darkened to the color of a tempestuous sea, and before I could draw another breath, his lips were on mine once more. This kiss was even more brutal, his tongue a conquering force as it plundered my mouth. I was powerless to resist, my body betraying me as it responded to his touch, my own tongue meeting his with a fervor that matched his intensity.
“You’re already hard,” he murmured against my lips, a dark grin spreading across his face as he slipped his hand into my jeans, fingers curling around my length with a possessive grip that made me see stars. “What a little slut you are, pet. Your body’s so horny you can’t even hold out for one morning without me.”
I gritted my teeth, a groan escaping my lips despite my efforts to remain stoic. My body was a traitor, responding to his touch with a desperation that left me feeling both furious and helpless.
