“You go home,” he grumbled, grabbing my hand. “Get yourself together.”
I didn't look at anyone as I walked out. I made it to the foyer before Alastair caught me. He grabbed my arm, spinning me around. “You happy now? You got the old man’s fortune?”
I wrenched free. “I didn’t ask for shit. And I didn't ask your mistress to walk in. But I appreciate that she did—I don't have to play along anymore.”
“There won't be a divorce,” he hissed, crowding me against the wall. “You're mine.”
I reached into my bag for my taser. “We’ll see.”
I pushed past him into the night. I took off my heels and walked barefoot toward the highway.
Julian had sent me a message earlier…
JULIAN:Back in the states. I’m restless. Don’t stay at that dinner too long.
I hadn’t responded then but I sent my location. Ten minutes later, his SUV slowed beside me.
Julian leaned across the console. “How much for the night, lady?” he drawled, his eyes checking me for injuries.
I smirked, leaning on the window. “Depends. What kind of money you got to spend?”
“For you? You can have all I've got.”
I hooked a finger under his chin. “Then open the door, pretty boy. I don’t work curbs.”
I slid in, the car smelling of cedar and rain.
“What happened?” he asked, his jaw ticking when I told him about the "Ashworth bullshit." “Did he touch you?”
“No,” I said. “Just stupidity.”
“I’m not taking you home,” Julian murmured. “I just bought a night with you. I’m going to fuck you like I paid to use you.”
My thighs pressed together. “Okay.”
Chapter 15 ½
Julian
The second the hotel room door clicked shut behind us, I grabbed her. No hesitation. No patience. My hands were already in her hair, her lips already parting for me like we’d been holding our breath all damn day. She tasted like heat and revenge and the kind of power I had never felt outside of her. I lifted her easily, her legs wrapping around my waist as I strode across the suite like a man possessed, not stopping until I threw her onto the bed.
Her body hit the silk comforter with a bounce, legs still dangling off the edge. She looked up at me, eyes wide, lips parted, breathing fast. Fuck, she was already gone—already in the headspace I needed her to be. Not thinking about what happened. I could see the rapid rise and fall of her chest, the desperate tension in her posture.
She was exactly where I wanted her.
“Take a breath,” I said, undoing my shirt one button at a time. “Because once I start, I’m not stopping. I’m in control tonight.”
I usually liked it when she ran the show—fucking me, controlling me, using me. The euphoria I got from it was as dangerous as broken glass. But tonight, she needed to be unmade.
“You give everything to everyone else,” I murmured, sliding the shirt off and letting it drop. “Tonight, you just feel.”
She nodded, slow and shaky. I stepped between her thighs, dragging my knuckles along the inside of one. Her skin was hot. The fabric of her panties was soaked—clinging to her like a second skin. I pressed my fingers against the lace, right over her slit. She flinched, a low gasp escaping her.
“Fuck,” I muttered. “You’re already dripping through these. You that turned on, sweetheart?”
Her breath caught. “Yes…”
I leaned in and kissed her—deep and dirty, tongue sliding past her lips like I owned her mouth. I caught her wrists and slammed them into the mattress above her head.
