“No one’s dead.” I step into the spacious stall, my boots squeaking on damp blue tile. “I’m not a monster who’s into murder for murder’s sake.”
She eyes me with pursed lips.
“Your guard’s in the closet by the entryway. The key to the lock is here.” I pull the little gold key from my pocket and toss it on the tile behind us. “He’s fine in the meantime.”
“You’re a little overdressed for the type of cardio this facility offers.” She acts as if she’s fully dressed and we’re chatting while in line for lattes. “What are you doing here?”
If I hadn’t already experienced her in bed, her current appearance would surprise me. By day, she’s just so buttoned-up and professional. She’s the pretty green plant—the Money Tree—in the corner of your office that you never even notice.
This side of her, though—unabashedly unashamed—scintillates me. I wonder if it’ll ever get old.
Still, I’m the one in control here. Although, given how she shakes out her hair and plants her hands on her hips, maybe Cat didn’t receive that memo.
She holds her ground without a single hint of shyness, and all that newfound confidence makes me feel like I’m studying another species. Fascinating, because most men aren’t like that.
The majority of people substitute false bravado for true belief in themselves. They lead with their fragile egos.
Maeve wasn’t quite like this either. She’s more self-assured now, with Kellin—another Irish King—by her side. For most of our lives, though, she always deferred to our father, even when she didn’t want to. She never could stand up to him, and while she acted the part of a Boss Bitch, she always shook a little while trying to balance on that pedestal.
Cat’s a background player in her own life, but she rules within her domain. For someone who lives a life of solitude and navigates a man’s world from the cheap seats, she’s awfully secure in herself.
I like the way she never backs down even when she knows she’s outmatched. It only heightens my eagerness to conquer her. Show her what a real man—not one of these Italian pretty boys—can do.
I prowl closer.
She presses her back against the wall to keep the distance between us and jerks from the coldness of the tile.
That’s okay. I’ll heat her up.
I cup her breasts with both hands, circling those pretty nipples that were already hardened into points. She gasps, and I briefly wonder if she plans to scream. Surely she realizes the pointlessness of crying out.
I’m not leaving until I get what I want.
“Listen.” I lean in, licking a drop of water from her neck. “Nino sucks.”
She snorts. “You came here to corner me in my naked state to talk about my brother?” She rolls her eyes and pushes my hands away.
“Nino sucks, and you know it. No good is going to come with him at the reins.” When I put my hands back on her chest, she inhales audibly, her pupils wide and black. “He doesn’t know his head from his big toe.”
Cat’s shoulders relax as I knead her breasts and twist her nipples, her back arching off the tile wall. Electricity jolts between us, forcing me to exert extra effort just to talk. I want to drop my pants, pull out my cock, and rail her right here in this shower.
Control.
“So, Nino doesn’t know his head from his toe or his ass, and the Roguilins are going to chew the Riccis up and spit you out in pieces. You’ll be baby bird fodder for the rest of us, if there’s anything left of you at all.” I slip one of my hands down to her waist and over her hip, where I massage her ass a little. “I know you know this.”
Her tits graze my chest as she inhales while her lips remain pressed into a thin line.
That’s fine. I can do the talking.
“If you think your brother’s going to see things your way, you’re wasting your time. And pretending you’re not the only brain left in that house is a waste of your energy.”
“You don’t know a damn thing?—”
“I know you.” I slide my hand between her legs where it belongs. Except now, no swath of polyester will separate my fingers from my goal.
Cat tenses but doesn’t shift away or move my hand. I lick my lips, heat curling in my gut as my thumb circles her clit. She exhales shakily, her eyelids fluttering.
I can’t wait to make this gorgeous woman come undone.
