“Profiles. Patterning. Reconstruction.” His gaze didn’t waver.
“So you can keep an eye on me?” she asked, echoing Dev.
“Exactly.” He closed his folder. “Meeting adjourned.”
Gaby shoved back her chair and walked out before she said something she couldn’t take back.
The door clicked shut behind her. The sound hit her like a blow. So did their argument, his hand on her arm, the quiet steadiness in his eyes—disciplined and too familiar.
She pressed a hand against the wall to steady herself, but it failed. Memory overtook her with ruthless force.
The cool mist on her overheated skin, his breath warm against her lips, and his hands sure on her body. Then Rhys uttered that low, unyielding command that resonated all the way to her bones.
Without hesitation, she parted her thighs, and his fingers found the damp, aching place between them, stroking the swollen bud of her clit with unerring precision. She gripped the ropes and whimpered, wanting more, wantinghim, knowing he set the pace, the edge, the fall.
His mouth claimed hers, searching, hungry, while his fingers worked slowly, ceaselessly. He murmured against her lips, his accent a soft, dangerous purr, “You’re warm and wet, Gaby. But hold on tight. You’re about to get wetter.”
With a firm push, he sent the swing arcing beneath the falls. The cascade exploded over her burning skin. If steam had risen from her body, she wouldn’t have been surprised.
When she swung back, he caught her, claimed another kiss as he stripped off his fitted black shirt.
The urge to rake her hands over the smooth planes of muscle he’d revealed burned through her, but that wasn’t her choice to make. Not with her wrists bound and his control wrapped so tightly around her.
He moved between her thighs, pushing them wider as his hard length pressed against her heat. His mouth claimed hers. Instantly, she arched into him, dragging her nipples over hisbare chest. She could have stayed there all night, lost in the kiss and the sensation, but he had other plans.
His palm flattened against her belly, sending her swinging again. This time, he followed, catching her and twisting the ropes until her back fit flush to his chest, his hands roaming over slick, sensitive skin.
The brush of his lips along her neck made her tilt her head in silent offering. The thick ridge in his trousers pressed into the cleft of her ass.
“You’re mine tonight, lovely Gaby.” His fingers returned to her clit as his other hand rolled her nipple, his body pressing closer. “All of you.”
Outside of him, she’d never considered herself submissive. This was a role. A part of her cover. But she was prepared to yield to his dominance—to surrender whatever he chose to take.
Gaby took a deep breath, pushing the past to the back of her mind where it belonged. Now wasn’t the time or place.
She straightened, wiped her palms on her thighs, and continued toward the front desk.
Greta looked up from behind the reception desk, sympathy softening her features. “Rough going, huh?”
Gaby managed a tight nod. “I need air. I’m taking an early lunch.”
Greta studied her a moment, the look in her eyes more understanding than surprise. “Working with Devlin men takes patience. Choose your battles. At the club, they expect you to submit. Here, they admire it when you don’t—especially when you’re right.”
“I’m not submissive,” Gaby muttered.
Greta’s brows lifted, her smile warm and knowing. “We all deny it at first, hon. The smart ones learn to accept who they are and embrace it. Within limits, of course.”
She left feeling unsettled, more thoughtful than angry. And, as dozens of possibilities of where Natalie could be crowded her thoughts, more terrified than ever.
Chapter 2
Devil’s Pointe welcomed him as it always did, familiar, contained, comfortable.
Shadows pooled where the flickering amber sconces didn’t reach. The air held the bite of leather and the heat of spent desire. Music pulsed beneath the playroom’s soundtrack: the crack of a whip, the slap of skin, and the low, guttural sound of someone finally giving in.
This was Rhys’s element. Nothing pulled at his focus. Nothing tested his patience. Here, he had space to breathe.
Unlike working inches from Gaby Flores and pretending she didn’t affect him.
