Page 38 of King of Temptation

“Now,” Brody said, his voice deadly calm as he killed the engine. “You learn a real goddamn lesson about doing as you’re told and keeping your nose out of my family’s business.”

Brody

* * *

He really was a fucking asshole.

What he had planned was more in line with some shit the twins might pull. When it came to the discipline of bratty submissives, he much preferred the application of his palm to their bare asses.

But Goldie wasn’t his submissive, as much as he might wish it could be otherwise. Another time, another life, maybe.

In this life, however, he was a dangerous man living a dangerous life. A life he had no intention of dragging her into. And if getting that point across to her meant pulling some really fucked up shit, well, that’s what he was going to do.

Steeling himself for what needed to be done, loathsome as it might be, he shoved open the car door. “Stay,” he growled at her before climbing out and slamming the door behind him.

Clearly, being dragged off to a warehouse by the docks had done nothing to dim his menace’s fire, because she was up out of the car before he even made it around to the passenger side. Hands on her hips, glaring at him like he was the one who’d completely ignored all common sense and put her directly in the line of fire.

“What the hell is wrong with—Brody!”

Bending at the waist, he scooped her up and over his shoulder, with a hard swat for her upturned ass. “If you have any sense of self-preservation at all, you will stop talking for five goddamned minutes.”

“Fuck you, Brody O’Rourke. You’re not the boss of me.”

“And you should thank god every day that I’m not, menace.”

“Why?”

The door to the warehouse was unlocked, as he’d requested, and he sent up a silent prayer of thanks that the twins had moved so quickly. “Because. If I was the boss of you, you’d never sit comfortably again.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time, O’Rourke.”

“Jesus fucking Christ.” Stopping beside the single metal chair that had been placed in the middle of the otherwise empty warehouse, he set her on her feet, meeting her glare with one of his own as they faced off. “You still think this is all a big fucking joke, even after I told you how much danger you’re in.”

“No.” To her credit, he could see the flicker of fear beneath the burning anger in her gaze. “But I know I’m not in any danger with you.”

Goddammit. She had to go and say something like that, didn’t she?

Swallowing the bile rising in his throat, he grabbed her arm and dragged her over to one of the giant windows overlooking the bay. “You see that, menace? That’s where my family’s problems go to disappear. Do you have any idea how many problems I’ve helped my cousin take care of over the years?”

Curiosity replaced the fear in her golden gaze as she peeked up at him. “How many?”

“Too many to count. And if you keep poking your nose in our business, you’re going to end up being one of those problems I have to disappear.”

The stubborn little brat shook her head. “I don’t believe you. That’s not who you are.”

God, he wished it was true. Wished with every fiber of his fucking being that he was the man she seemed to think he was.

“This isn’t one of your books, Goldie. I’m not the hero. I’m not going to burn the world down to save you when you inevitably get yourself in over your stubborn fucking head.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Yanking her arm out of his grasp, she paced away. And though he ached to hold her, to comfort her, to shake some goddamn sense into her, he let her go.

Spinning back around, she jabbed a finger in his direction. “You think I’m some dumb little girl who doesn’t know fact from fiction. But I’m not. I’m a grown-ass woman who can handle herself, even against the likes of the DeLucas.”

“I think you’re going to get yourself killed if you don’t start acting like you have some goddamn sense.”

It was a low blow and he knew it. And it killed him, god it killed him to stand there and watch the light leave her gorgeous golden eyes. “I want to go home.”

“Too late. You made your choices, now you face the consequences.”