“You had a lot to say in there. Say it now,” he challenged quietly.
My irritation flared immediately because he started this!
“You not finna drag me around this house because you mad I danced with somebody after your little girlfriend tried me.”
He frowned. “What girlfriend?”
“Ekaterina.”
I spat the name out, like it tasted nasty in my mouth.
“Ekaterina is not my girlfriend.”
“She walked up on you like y’all had history.”
“Wedohave history.”
That may have been true, but that didn't make it the right answer. Anger spread through me at his words.
“Oh,” I said with a short laugh. “Good to know.”
“Ekaterina was never my woman.”
“But she wanted to be.”
His eyes narrowed.
“A lot of women wanted to be.”
How was he fucking this up so spectacularly? I wondered. I should’ve left it alone, really should've walked away. But jealousy had me bolder than usual, and that was saying something.
“Then maybe you should’ve picked one of them.”
The second the words left my mouth, his hand grabbed my jaw, then his mouth crashed against mine. The kiss was hot and hard and possessive enough to make my body start aching in all the wrong places.
I made a soft sound against his lips and pushed once at his chest. It was almost a reflex, but it wasn’t fear snaking through me. It was heat, desire, a dangerous little thrill because my husband had stopped pretending to be patient.
My back hit the wall beside the entry table. I kissed him back before I remembered how mad I was. It was all frustration and jealousy and lust that I’d been trying to hold in since that ballroom.
His hand slid around my throat—not squeezing or hurting—just holding me there, making sure I stayed right where he wanted me. My entire body reacted to the thought of his dominance. I had to stop this, I convinced myself, pulling away.
“Targen—”
“You like running your mouth till I put mine on you.”
I scoffed. “Whatever. I'm going to bed.”
The smile that curved his mouth was vicious. I should've been scared. I didn't have that much common sense, though.
“Yeah, you are. You tried embarrassing me tonight,” he said.
I blinked. “I tried embarrassing you?” My voice was incredulous.
“You danced with that Sokolov nigga to get a reaction from me. Here it is.”
“You hugged that blonde bitch like y’all used to share bath water,” I hissed at him.
His mouth twitched despite himself.
