Page 39 of Callous Shot

“I know.” His hand curled around my throat, his voice a low, taunting rasp. “You think it’s an endearment or something? It’s not. I fucking hate you.”

“Fucking mutual,” I ground out, meaning it more than I’d ever meant anything in my life. He swore under his breath, tipping his head forwards, and somehow, my hands slid around his back, pulling him even closer. His hard dick was pressed up against mine, and I held my breath, because if I even accidentally inhaled him, I’d become overwhelmed again.

Why did the worst things for you have to feel so good?

“I thought about unblocking you.” His words were muffled against my collarbone. “Then you were here, infiltrating my sanctuary.” Drawing back, his eyes met mine, and my heart stuttered at the intensity in his gaze. “My fucking family, Hoyton. What the hell were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t thinking,” I mumbled, and then whatever else I was about to say was lost when his mouth came down on mine.

19

LINCOLN

“No,” I snarled, wrenching my mouth away from Daniel’s almost as soon as we’d connected.

He nodded fervently. “Fuck no. Never, ever, ev⁠—”

Oh, shit. We were kissing again, my tongue sliding against his, and it felt so good. He was all hard lines, but his lips were so soft, and I couldn’t seem to stop kissing them. This was a terrible idea, and I knew we were both in agreement about that, but…his fucking mouth. We weren’t so riled up this time, pumped up with the adrenaline of a fight, and it allowed me to appreciate every touch. The way his palms flattened on my back, his fingers flexing on my skin before he slid them lower, onto the waistband of my joggers. The press of his chest against mine, without a millimetre of space between our bodies. His heart pounding as hard as mine was. His erection rubbing up against mine…and in that moment, although I knew I’d hate myself after this, I could admit that it felt good. So fucking good.

A floorboard creaked above our heads, and he gasped, shoving me away from him.

“Shit,” I cursed, taking in his flushed cheeks and swollen lips, not to mention the prominent bulge in his jeans. If I looked as obvious as he did, Mike was going to take one look at us and know exactly what we’d been doing.

Stepping back, I dragged my hand through my hair, closing my eyes as I took deep breaths. The next second, I gasped, my eyes flying open as a torrent of water drenched my front.

“What the hell, Hoyton?”

“You had a thing! I panicked!”

“Keep your fucking voice down. A thing? What thing?” Out of necessity, I stepped closer to him, tugging my wet T-shirt away from my skin. Asshole. My crotch was soaked too. On the plus side, my erection was no longer an issue.

Daniel’s cheeks flushed even further, the pink spreading down his neck. “A wet bit. Where you, y’know. Your dick. It was really obvious.”

Oh, bloody hell. I could feel my own face heating, and I immediately went on the defensive. “So your bright idea was to throw the contents of your glass at me? I could’ve covered it with my hoodie, dickhead.” I gestured at myself. “How am I supposed to explain this to my uncle?”

“Explain what?”

My gaze shot to the door to find Mike eyeing us with raised brows. Shit.

“He was pissing me off, so I threw my water at him.” Daniel shrugged. “It’ll dry.” His face was still flushed, but his words were so easy and casual, I almost believed them.

My uncle pinched his brow. “My ten-year-old is more mature than the two of you.”

Grabbing my hoodie, I quickly threw it on, covering the damp area. “It was him. I didn’t throw water.”

He gave me a look that warned me to shut my mouth. “Enough. Both of you, at the table. Now.” He strode over to the kitchen table and pulled out one of the wooden chairs, the legs scraping across the flagstones. “Mr. Hoyton. Take a seat.”

Daniel climbed off the stool, knocking me with his shoulder as he passed. I growled under my breath, wanting nothing more than to punch him. It would have to wait until we were alone, though.

Alone. No. I couldn’t allow myself to be alone with Daniel Hoyton again. In fact, I needed to wash my hands of this entire mess, and that meant turning everything over to my uncle.

“Mike. Can I have a quick word?” I jerked my head towards the door, and he nodded. Daniel glared at me silently as we stepped out of the kitchen, so I turned my back on him. I grimaced at the damp fabric clinging to my body.

“What is it?” Mike asked in a low voice.

“I wanted to know if you’re investigating the Hoyton Firm as part of Operation Foxglove.”

“I told you, I can’t talk about active investigations.”