Page 58 of Venomous Games

“That’s confidential.”

“Tell me, Dynamite. I need someone besides you to blame for this. Do you not understand? And it’s not like I can turn you in.”

“Why can’t you? Are you afraid of how it will make you look?”

“That, and they’ll kill you.”

“They could try.” I raise a brow.

“No, Dynamite, they will. The Forsaken is made up of some of the most powerful people in the world, and you, my little dynamite, have managed to kill three of them.”

“The first two had it coming, and the third…” I bite my lip. “I got paid to do.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“You said wives are protected.”

“Well, they are, unless it’s one of them who killed a member,” he says. “New rule, thanks to Edgar. If you’d have killed him a little earlier, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry my timing was off,” I say sarcastically. “Plus, aren’t you their little pet detective? I’m sure you can hide the fact that it was me.”

“I can, if you give me the name of the person who ordered the hit.”

“As I said, no can do. Not only do I not know, even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. Discretion is important in my line of work. Do you think I could charge so much if I couldn’t be trusted to maintain the anonymity of my clients? I have a reputation to uphold that predates this marriage. Just because you flash me your pretty smile or try to use your good looks to get to me, it doesn’t mean I will hand over confidential information.”

“You think I’m good-looking?” He raises a brow. “And you like my smile?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I tolerate you because you blackmailed me into marrying you.” I go to move, but his hips pin me against the counter, locking me in place.

“I can’t protect you if they find out it was you,” he says.

“I don’t need your protection. I’m a big girl,” I reply with a smile.

His lips press into a thin line. “You don’t know what you are dealing with here.”

“I do. It’s a bunch of men who like to think they run the world and are above the law.”

“They do and they are, Dynamite,” he whispers.

“I can handle them.”

“You can’t. Not if they…” He pauses. “Soren isn’t above finding the best people in the world to do his dirty work. He’s smart and has stayed clean for this long. Not just with my help or that of others. It’s because he’s that fucking good.”

“You talk about him as if he were a god.”

“He may as well fucking be,” he says, shaking his head.

“If you can’t protect me, why are we still married?”

“Selfish reasons,” he admits, and I feel his hardness against my stomach.

He lifts me and places me on the counter. His hands find my bare thighs that have been exposed even more with the bunching of my short skirt, and he pushes them apart. He leans down and slowly starts kissing his way up my leg, dragging his tongue along my skin as he does, until he reaches the edge of my skirt. I lift my ass so he can push it up farther, and he swears.

“Do you ever wear panties?” he growls.

“Not if I can help it. I hate them,” I reply, and spread my legs a little wider. “Are you complaining?”

“Never.”