She’d transferred in halfway through the term, always wearing that damn ribbon in her hair. It was black silk, perfectly tied. Every boy wanted her attention. Every girl wanted her gone. And me? I wanted her silent.
She never was.
I remembered the first time I cornered her in the west hall, between classes. She’d made some remark in front of the others, a joke at my expense that had actually been clever. Too clever. I’d caught up to her as she was turning the corner, grabbed her wrist, pressed her back against the cold stone wall.
“You think you were funny back there, princess?” I’d hissed.
Her chin lifted, that prissy little smirk tugging at her lips. “I’m funny all the time.”
I’d leaned closer, meaning to scare her, to make her apologize, but she hadn’t flinched. Not even when my hand traced the ribbon in her hair, or when I whispered, “Careful. You don’t know who you’re playing with.”
“I do,” she’d said, eyes bright and fearless. “The boy who’s terrified someone might find out he’s lonely.”
Then she’d kissed me.
Just once. Quick, shocking, and more of a challenge than affection. When she’d pulled away, her smile was infuriating.
“See? You’re not as dangerous as you pretend to be.”
And then she’d walked away, leaving me standing there, breathless, furious, andachinglyhard.
Now, years later, I looked down at her face again. She was a different woman now, but she carried herself in the same way. Sure, she was older, more refined, but it was still her.
“Shit,” I muttered.
Dmitri noticed. “I know that face, brother. You recognize her, don’t you?”
I nodded once, jaw tight. “We went to school together.”
Roman looked delighted. “You and the mystery woman? Now that’s more than a little interesting.”
“Don’t,” I warned sharply.
He raised a brow. “What, I can’t enjoy the irony? The one who used to mock me for falling into bed with trouble is now neck-deep in it himself.”
Dmitri’s voice cut through the banter. “What was she like?”
“Cocky. Smart mouthed,” I responded. “Too clever for her own good; probably brilliant, actually. She used to call me a tyrant. I called her a brat.”
Roman smirked. “Sounds like foreplay.”
I shot him a look. “If it was, it ended badly.”
“Everything ends badly with you,” he teased.
“Keep talking and it’ll end badly for you too.”
Dmitri held up a hand before the exchange could ignite. “Focus. If this woman is the same person, then she’s not random. She’s someone with a reason to get close to us. She had to have chosen Roman for a reason.”
Roman lifted his glass. “I bet it was my devastatingly handsome face and charming personality.”
I ignored him, staring out the window at the Dubai skyline. The faint scent of jasmine still hung in the air, mocking me.
I’d find her and when I did, I would finally handle her the way she needed to be handled.
Bent over with her legs spread, impaled on my cock.
CHAPTER 6
