Page 14 of Prince of Wrath

“Then I guess we’re done here.” She looked over at her purse and her brow perked as if she were going to attempt to leave.

As though I would allow that.

“Sit.” The low command in my voice caused her to pause.

“Make me.”

“We both know I will.” I raised my brow and waited.

She eyed me, probably contemplating how far I would go to follow through on that threat in the middle of a human-infested coffee shop. Whatever she decided came with a huff, but she sat back down again like the good girl she was.

“What else do you have to say if it’s not about the asshole you let weasel his way back to life?” Her words held more intensity than before.

“Why did you run from me?”

We’d been more involved than we’d ever been before she left for Europe for two months. When I realized she’d disappeared from my bed and left the country, I’d been more than enraged. The whole left wing of the house had to be rebuilt from the blast. It had taken weeks to catch up to her, but by then, she’d already found the man who’d inked her skin to ward her from me.

“I needed space.” She lifted her chin.

“Cute.” The sarcasm earned me a raise of her shoulder and a flip of her hair. “Knock off the vague little brat act.”

“Make me⁠—”

“If you keep saying ‘Make me,’ we’re going to find out if I can make you the mother of my demon spawn. I’m sure if I fill that delicious cunt up with enough of my cum, something will grow.”

Her jaw dropped and her hand flew up to cover it, but I’d gotten the reaction I wanted from her. She looked around, likely to see if anyone was eavesdropping on our salacious conversation, before she fixed me with a hard stare.

“I must really be getting under your skin, Seere.” Her lips quirked. “It usually takes more than that to get you riled up.”

“Having to hunt you through Europe and then through LAX has put me on edge. But now that you’ve come back to where you belong, I would like to ensure it stays that way.”

She’d been back in L.A. for all of two weeks before I’d gotten wind of it. The party where I’d found her had been one of her first outings from what I could tell. What was bothering me the most was that she was acting as if nothing had happened.

“Answer me, Sloane.” I reached under the table and gripped her knee gently.

The small two top gave me just enough room to glide my hand up her thigh to the hem of her skirt.

She slapped her hand over on mine. “This is why I left.” The pressure of her hand lifted, and I snatched her fingers. “It was all too much.”

I pulled our linked fingers over the tabletop then guided her knuckles to my lips. She watched as if I were a snake, ready to strike.

“Don’t do that again, Sloane.” Our eyes locked. “Or the next time I find you, it’ll be more than a tiny boat that ends in wreckage.”

She didn’t agree. But she didn’t refuse either. For Sloane, that was enough.

I moved on to more pressing matters. “From what I hear, you need a date to an affair tomorrow night?”

I would keep her close to me if Ben was—as she’d said—sniffing around.

“How did—never mind. No. I don’t. I already have a date.” She cautiously pulled her hand out of mine. I allowed it.

“I’ll give you the rest of the day to change your mind.” I took my phone out of my pocket and sent a text without blocking the number. “Send me a photo of what you’re planning to wear. I would hate not to match.”

I got to my feet with my takeaway cup in hand. She bolted up to stop me from leaving.

“Seere—”

I cupped the back of her neck and gave her a swift kiss. Not long enough to make a scene, but just enough to feel her lips meld to mine.