“You’ve been staring at the wall for ten minutes. I need your head in the game. Go through your contacts, find out who’s close to Octavius. I want his allies, I want his enemies, I want a list of people who work for him and how we can use them.”
“Sure.” I pull out my phone, taking notes. “No problem.”
“Good. The sooner we have it, the sooner Ryder can start digging and bugging.”
I crack my neck, forcing my ears to concentrate on the conversation happening around me. I should listen. I know I should, but it’s damn near impossible while my mind keeps drifting back to Leilani.
She didn’t tell me anything more about Anton. She cut the conversation short withhe did far worseand not long later, she turned in for the night.
I barely slept, my brain circling her last words—he did far worse—like vultures over a carcass. When the alarm finally went off at the crack of dawn, I dragged myself out of bed, going through the morning motions like a zombie. The moment I stepped into the kitchen and found Leilani already up, my world fucking stopped.
Small bare feet on the tiles. Smooth legs, pale against the hem of a top so short it barely brushed her thighs. No bra. Her nipples pressing against the thin fabric like they had a personal vendetta against my self-control.
She stood, hair in a messy halo, with her back to me, humming softly while the coffee machine sputtered to life.
I loved the sleepy look when she caught me watching her. I loved the little curve of her mouth when she tried not to smile. And I loved how soft and unguarded she looked.
No wonder I can’t focus on anything. My head’s full of possibilities, full of inappropriate questions, too, because I swear she dropped her spoon on fucking purpose.
I leaned in the doorway, starving, greedy, wanting to devour the sight of her. The spoon clinked against the floor, bouncing once before skidding under the counter, and when she bent over, pink cotton stretched tight across the perfect curve of her ass.
Plain, simple, and yet so fucking obscene.
My throat went dry. My cock twitched, hardening against the seam of my sweats. I should’ve looked away. Instead, I imagined dragging her back by the hips and pinning her against the counter. I imagined my hands framing that ass, squeezing until my fingerprints branded her.
Fuck, I’ll never be the same.
“Koby.”
I blink, Carter’s office coming into focus. He’s staring. They’reallstaring. My boss with that pissed-off older-brother look, Ryder like he’s about to throw his pen at my head, andBroadway with a hyena-style grin. Even the fucking potted Ficus in the corner is judging me.
“Fuck, sorry. I’m trying.”
“You’re failing,” Carter deadpans. “I guess Leilani’s why your head’s not in this meeting?”
“Leilani in a teeny-tiny top and no bra is the reason my head’s not anywhere right now.” I groan, pinching the bridge of my nose. “She made me coffee and I got hard.”
“You poor thing,” Broadway drawls. “If only there was a simple way to fix blue balls...”
“I’ll shoot you in the knee.”
He chuckles, accidentally-on-purpose patting the sore spot Leilani’s fist left on my cheek. “One hit and she owns your ass.”
“It wasn’t one hit. She clocked memultipletimes. And kneed my blue balls. And clawed my face. Pretty sure she tried to take a bite out of me, too.”
“Was it the kneeing part, or the scratching part that made you fall for her?”
“Yes, both, neither.Fuck.” I squeeze the back of my neck. “She told me about Anton last night. Not much, just enough to drive me fucking crazy, and now I can’t stop turning it over in my head.”
Broadway’s smirk falters, his expression hardening. He’s serious now. Fucking murderous. “Did he—”
“No.” I cut him off before he says the word neither of us wants spoken aloud. Since Violet,rapesticks in his throat anyway. “No, he didn’t... but she said he did far worse, and I can’t figure out what the hell that means.”
Ryder leans back, face tight. “Maybe he has some disturbing preferences. I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Thanks. I wanted to wait for her to open up and tell me the rest, but then she said—” I shudder, recalling the cold handsthat gripped my throat at her confession. “She said she regretted choosing life when Anton forced her to pick that or death.”
That shuts them up. For a beat, the only sound is the low hum of Ryder’s laptop. Broadway’s face darkens and Carter looks ready to smash something.
