“So you’ve said,” I smirk before tugging her back further until I overcrowd her field of vision, and all she can see is me. “Let me infect you, Thorn.”
There’s trepidation in her gaze as she becomes entirely consumed by me. I think she’s going to back down; hell, anyone in their right mind would, but she surprises me as she loses every ounce of hesitancy. Her features harden into something unshakeable, and it makes my lips part in shock. “Game on,” She whispers.
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Carlos shouts, breaking up our moment. “Rose, darling, can I get you seated on the ground? I want to try something.”
Thorn’s brows crease before I release her and let her ease down to the floor. Carlos instructs her to perch on her left hip and fold her legs beside her. It causes her head to rest against the outer part of my thigh as her hands wrap around my leg.
“Yes!” Carlos praises. “It’s seductive and beautiful! Now, give me more of that dazzling chemistry!”
A conniving grin tugs at the corner of my lips as I snatch Thorn by her hair and pull her flush against my thigh. Her gaze cuts up to me, and her eyes narrow before she opens her mouth and sinks her teeth into my flesh. I hiss at the slight pain aspleasure bursts through me. My cock hardens against my leg, and Thorn gets an eyeful of it as she doesn’t let up.
“Oh, my…” Carlos laughs. Some of the crew chuckle as they fix the lighting. “That’s going to be a billboard hit.”
The camera begins to shutter again, but neither of us is paying attention to the crew. There’s the start of something electrifying in Thorn’s sight—a war being waged beyond those thick, perfect lashes of hers.
And I can’t fucking wait to win.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Rosalie
After my shoot, I’m headed back home for some much-needed space from the three men who are sticking to me like glue. It was enough when Kairo had to step in as a model. Carlos offered to give me prints of the photos, and I kindly turned him down before closing myself into the back of the SUV, turning towards the window, and drowning everything out on the trip back home.
While Kairo and Roman discuss security plans in the front, Maddox is seated beside me, his head slouched back against the headrest as he snoozes peacefully, unaware of the inner turmoil I’m facing at the moment.
I saw far more of Kairo than I ever imagined I would.
And I liked it.
Something is seriously wrong with me. Maybe I’m running a fever?
I press my fingers to my temple before shaking my head. Catching a cold isn’t going to change the fact that I was…impressedby what I beheld.
But the rush comes from knowing I did that to him. He was turned on because of me, and I don’t know how to feel about it.
“You haven’t eaten lunch,” Roman comments from the driver’s seat, his eyes shifting to me in the rear-view.
I place my elbow on the door, propping my chin on my palm as I stare out at the passing city. “An astute observation. You have amazing basic comprehension skills.”
His jaw grinds, and I’m drawn to the dangerous ink over his throat. “Your fucking mouth is going to get you into a lot oftrouble, Siren.”
The atmosphere in the vehicle shifts, becoming sweltering. The nickname makes me pause, mulling it over until I realize with a start that I like it. A small flicker of something ignites in my lower belly, and I shift my thighs together as I try to ignore it. “And what are you going to do about it?”
Fuck me.
Can’t I ever just shut up?
The old me would have tucked tail and cowered. The new me wants to annoy the absolute piss out of Roman Briggs until he regrets ever showing up on my doorstep.
Those haunting, pale eyes see straight through me, digging into my being like a needle in a vein. Roman’s gaze darkens. “What if I bend you over my fucking knee and spank your tight little ass until you’re begging for mercy? Keep playing with me, Rosalie.”
Heat paints over my cheeks and across the back of my neck as my mouth falls open. My eyes narrow on him. “Youwouldn’t.”
Kairo chuckles softly from the passenger seat. “Why don’t you test your luck, Thorn? He’ll make it impossible to sit comfortably for a week.”
They’re ganging up on me! These assholes!
I cross my arms, feeling cocky. “Are you forgetting who signs your paychecks now? Iownyou.”
