I turn toward her. Fuck she’s close. So close, our lips almost brush, but I don’t pull away. I don’t want to. “Who’s Li Shang?”
She laughs. “Are you serious?” My puzzled look only makes her amusement grow. “Li Shang is the sexy captain fromMulan. He’s also a badass fighter who rarely wears a shirt and is a little on the bossy side, so…” She bats her lashes. “Yup. I would say the test nailed it.”
I like her sass. I like the way she isn’t afraid to give me shit or make fun of me. I like a lot of things about her, and seeing her in my space with her guard down, partially thanks to the vodka Red Bull we’ve been nursing, is addictive. Seeing her in my space, not the Red Bull, though I am curious if she tastes like the energy drink. My attention dips to her mouth before remembering what put the little crinkles around her eyes.
“So, he’s a good guy?” I challenge.
With another laugh, she asks, “What? You’re disappointed?”
“No, I’m surprised you”—I lift my hand and do air quotes—“called it. I thought Hardens were the bad guys.”
“You’re not all bad.” She closes my laptop, setting it onto the coffee table in front of us. “Confusing, yes. But bad?” She shakes her head, then rests her elbow on the edge of the couch, cradling her head in her hand, inspecting me like I’m the most fascinating thing in the world. “I don’t believe it.”
“You’d be surprised.”
“Hmm.” The woman doesn’t look convinced. “What time do your brothers usually get home on nights like this?”
I frown. “Two or three. Why?”
Pulling out her phone from her back pocket, she checks the time. “Just curious. I believe it was…four times, now?”
My brows wrinkle even more. “What are you talking about?”
“I owe you, remember?” She shifts closer, shocking the hell out of me. “Was it three times? Or four? Or…?” Tapping her finger against her chin, she moves to straddle me, then rests her forearms on my shoulders. The look in her eyes does me in. They’re glassy and filled with mirth.
“Aaaand, I think it’s time for bed,” I decide.
“You don’t want me?”
The woman has no clue. I take her in. Her tight little body. Her lazy smile. The heat of her pussy pressed against my half-mast cock through our clothes. The things I could do to her. Ifist my hands at my sides, fighting for logic and control while knowing how easy it would be to give in. To have her. Hell, she’s practically offering herself on a silver platter. But I’m not that guy.
Damn, maybe I do have some of my mom’s genes.
“Wanting you isn’t the problem, Violet. Taking advantage of you, on the other hand, isn’t an option. Not for me.”
“And you say you’re not the good guy.”
I wrap my arm around her waist to keep her from falling off me and bend toward the coffee table, reaching for the remote. With a click, the screen turns black, and her body freezes against me. Whatever anticipation was building between us dissipates into fear and discomfort, making my stomach plummet with the light.
“You okay?” I ask.
“I, uh,” she leans into me even more, curling against my chest and gripping my shirt with her hands. “I don’t like the dark.”
Right. I almost forgot. Part of me wants to ask where the fear came from. The other part already knows. Like everything else wrong in her life, there’s clearly a common denominator, and if Violet confirms it for me, it just might be the final push to put Virgil Reeves in the ground. “Alexa, lights,” I call out, forcing my tone to remain calm no matter how impossible it feels. Recognizing my voice, the house system turns on the movie room lights. Gold hues paint the room, highlighting Violet’s pinched expression. “Better?” I lift my hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, but she stops me.
With a gasp, Violet grabs my hand and turns it over, assessing my bruised knuckles, her concern swallowing her fear. “Is this from tonight?”
I take in the angry skin where my knuckles connected with Virgil’s face and shrug. “Apparently.”
“Are you okay?”
I chuckle softly. “Trust me, I’ve had worse.”
Her cute little forehead wrinkles. “Hmm.” She lifts my hand a little higher, then brushes her lips against my middle knuckle.
My cock twitches in my jeans, and I tilt my head, zeroing in on where her mouth touches my skin. Careful to keep the pressure as gentle as possible, she does it again, and fuck, I swear I can feel it everywhere. “What are you doing?” I ask.
“Kissing you better.” Her gaze flicks to mine. “It’s what you did for me, remember?”
