"You're terrible," I say, but I'm smiling now despite myself. "This is serious, Scar."
"I know, I know." Her voice sobers slightly. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
"No, he didn't hurt me. He just... I don't know. It was intense." I hesitate, not wanting to admit how my body reacted to him. "He thinks he owns me."
"Well, legally speaking..."
"Scarlett!"
"Sorry! Bad joke." She sighs. "Look, I'm still worried about this whole situation. The man clearly has serious boundary issues."
I slam my bedroom door behind me, my knuckles white around the doorknob. Every muscle in my body is wound tight, ready to snap.
The image of Zoe standing there in nothing but black lace burns through my mind like wildfire. The smooth curve of her waist. The swell of her breasts barely contained by that flimsy bra.
"Fuck," I mutter, pacing across my bedroom like a caged animal.
Her body had responded to me—I wasn't imagining it. That sharp intake of breath when I touched her. The way her pulse hammered beneath my fingers. The heat of her skin.
My cock throbs painfully against myzipper, demanding attention I refuse to give. I won't jerk off thinking about her.
I fucking won't.
I strip off my clothes.
I need a shower. A cold one.
The bathroom tile is cool beneath my feet as I turn the shower to its coldest setting. I step under the spray, hissing as the icy water hits my overheated skin. It does nothing to erase the memory of Zoe's defiant green eyes, the way they'd darkened when I touched her.
"Never,"she'd said, but her body told a different story.
I brace my hands against the shower wall, letting the freezing water rush down my back, willing it to wash away this unwanted desire. The water pounds against my neck and shoulders, but I can still feel the ghost of her fingers around my wrist—not pushing me away, just holding me there.
She wanted me. Her body wanted me, even as her mouth spat venom.
And for fuck sake.
I want her too.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The morning light streams through the curtains as my phone buzzes on the nightstand. Byron's name flashes across the screen, sending a jolt of tension through my body. I take a deep breath before answering.
"Hello?"
"Zoe." Byron's voice comes through crisp and expectant. "How are things progressing in the Feretti household?"
I sit up against the headboard, pulling the sheets around me. "I'm still working on it. Thesethings take time."
"Time?" His tone sharpens. "It's been weeks now. You should have something useful for me."
"I'm trying to gain his trust," I say, keeping my voice steady despite the knot forming in my stomach. "Damiano doesn't exactly open up easily."
"As a woman, you have certain advantages at your disposal." Byron's words drip with suggestion. "Ways to make a man trust you, share his secrets."
My fingers tighten around the phone. "I'm not sleeping with him."
"Don't be dramatic, Zoe. I raised you to be practical."
