She nods. “Absolutely.”
I give her arm a squeeze, then lead Jayce and Alex out of the restroom.
“Text if you need help,” I tell Jayce, then look at Alex. “Don’t distract him too much.”
The latter rolls his eyes. “As if.”
The three of us nod at each other, and I watch as Alex all but drags Jayce towards the empty dining room.
I chuckle and turn around, and am about to take a step forward, but stop when I see a flash of silver before me.
I look up, and see a familiar head of pink hair. Her back is to me, and it seems as though she’s searching for something. Even in the slightly dim hallway, her well-fitted dress glimmers against her enticing body, resulting in my cock to twitch.
“Where the fuck are you?” she mutters, and continues to look around.
I smirk, intrigued by her evident frustration, and start erasing the distance between us by making my way over to her.
28.
My heels press into the plush grey carpet as I take a left and enter another part of the hallway – this one a little more subdued than the previous.
Uncle Chase had told me recently that all this empty space was soon going to turn into a set of dining rooms to match the one that’s already on this floor, but until that happens, I’m going to have to endure the dizziness that comes with going around in circles in this godforsaken place.
I rub a hand over my arm at the chill around me. It feels so different to everything else inImperia– like this part of the hallway is an entirely separate entity of sorts.
I let go of a breath, and am about to take a step forward, but stumble a little when a calloused hand wraps around my wrist and turns me around with sudden force.
I gasp, and my clutch falls to the floor with a densethump. I find myself pushed against the ice-cold, wallpapered wall, with my arms risen above my head, and twinkling, all-encompassing eyes looking down at me.
“LittleSwan,” he all but sings those words – recites them with agonizing desire. “You’re so goddamnbeautiful.”
His compliment makes me blush, but I can’t focus on anything buthim, becausemyGod, he looks even more breathtaking in a suit than he does in his usual vest and jeans. The angle of his sharp jaw is accentuated under the lights in here, and the smirk he has on those full lips of his – it’s making me hot with need.
His smooth chest heaves, and his smirk broadens when he sees me checking him out.
“Like what you see, I presume?” he says. “I have to say, though: I’m impressed you found me so early. I mean, I knew you were going to eventually, but this level of swiftness is worth admiring.”
“What the fuck are you doing here?” It’s plausible how I still hold a shred of commonsense in me to ask him about his presence here tonight, and not completely give into him. I deserve a fucking medal.
Dorran brings a knee forward and parts my legs, then steps closer to me still, lets go of my hands, and cages me in with his arms. “I’m here on contract,” he says matter-of-factly, but there’s absolutelynothingcasual about it because…
“You’re here – on myuncle’sproperty –to kill someone?” I question. My voice may have sounded a bit squeaky, but it goes without saying how understandable that is.
Dorran gives me a slightly unhinged smile. “Scared, are you, Little Swan?” He leans in, and our noses touch. “I love it – the smell of fear on you. It’s considered a hot commodity in my line of work, and to have you wearing it like this…” He hikes his knee up and brushes it against my underwear. “It’s so fucking titillating.”
“Just because you’ve got a suit on, doesn’t mean you have to be formal with your words,” I tell him.
He chuckles. “And here I thought I could woo you with my extensive vocabulary.”
I let go of a breath and swallow. “Dorran…” I place my hands on his chest. “Just…” I sigh. “Who are you here to kill?”
“Not your mother or uncle, that’s for sure,” he muses.
I grit my teeth and fist his shirt. “Don’t fucking mess with me.” I shove him a little. “Tell me.”
“Rizwana Hafeez, Tomas Aetos, and Andres Salazar,” he says. “We’ve already dealt with Andres, though, so we’ve only got the other two left.”
Up until this moment, I’d onlyimaginedDorran doing his job, but now – in this very moment – shit’s gotten way too real, and although I’m worried about his safety, I can’t help but be fascinated by what he does. He’s in work mode, and I’m so intrigued by the mere idea of him being here to endactuallivestonight, that it should be questionable. But it isn’t.
