Page 55
“Where the hell is the closet?” I ask myself, walking down the hallway. The whole wall is lined with closets. I open the first one; there’s a row of guns and knives greeting me. I roll my eyes and go for the next, all bedding and white and black T-shirts. “OCD much.” I grab the first white one I see and shrug it over my head and drop the towel in a nearby hamper. I try another one to look for underwear but it’s a whole wall filled with climbing gear. What the hell does the man do in his free time?
“Can you find it?” I hear him call from downstairs.
“Yes,” I yell back, stepping into some oversize sweats. Whatever, nothing is going to happen, so screw underwear. I walk down the stairs and regret my decision immediately. He’s looking at me, slowly swiping his thumb back and forth over his bottom lip, his eyes running up and down my legs and stop at my ankles.
“I got you tea instead,” he says, motioning to the steaming cup standing on the table in front of him.
“Hmmmm.” I smile; I’m part Chinese so I like my drinks hot. I flip him off and run a hand through my long hair.
“I like your natural color.”
“I didn’t die it black again for you, asshole.”
He drinks the last of his whiskey, and I look at the bottle which is already half empty. “I missed you.”
I growl at him. He blows a kiss back and starts to frown.
“What?” I bite out and take a sip from the tea; it’s one of the best I’ve tasted in a long while.
He shakes his head and grabs a cigarette from one of the three packs lying on the table, pushing it between his lips. His eyes move down to my chest and linger there.
“Eyes up here, Tian.”
He doesn’t comply and keeps staring until I press my thighs together. Smirking, he wipes a hand over his mouth, the clean-shaven jaw doing things to my stomach. His black hair is a little shorter and there’s a new scar above his eye I didn’t notice before.
“Can we cut the shit and set down some ground rules.”
He holds up a hand. “Ground rules?”
“Yes, you guys can’t keep abducting us whenever you feel like it.”
He shrugs. “That’s the way this country works, remember? And the Triad with it, for the people by the people,” he explains and starts to laugh.
I roll my eyes at my husband. “That’s a load of crap, you know that right? Money’s the only thing that talks here, and your name.”
“Good for you, and you have my last name, so you won’t have a problem,” he says, his voice smug. “Now I want something else. Give me what I want, wife,” he orders, but his voice is also playful. I hate to admit to myself I like this side of him. It feels like I’m the only one he’s showing it to. He acts like a deranged puppy. Fuck, what the hell should I do?
His eyes are hungry as he stands and takes a step toward me.
I back away, fear taking hold of me mixed with something else I’ve only ever felt with him. Desire maybe? Fuck, I don’t know. My breath catches, I want him.
I stumble back and his hand shoots out, catching me before I fall against the marble steps.
“I want to fuck you. And I want you to fuck me,” he tells me, his voice so serious.
“You’re delusional,” I seethe, pushing him away from me as he guides me up the stairs. I don’t have a choice; I feel like he’s leading me to the slaughter as he takes his clothes off as he walks.
“Who cares if I am?” he asks, pulling his shirt over his head. I gasp as I take in his defined chest filled with scars and Triad tattoos.
“I do,” I throw over my shoulder as I run up the stairs to the opposite side of the balustrade. I start to smile when he stumbles a little and needs to grab the railing before he faceplants.
“Can’t we just talk about this?” he asks, making a right while I go left. We’re on opposite sides now with a chandelier between us. I look down at the open floorplan; this place is huge.
“What do you want to talk about?” I ask, cocking my head.
“About us finally taking both our virginity,” he deadpans, “I’ve got matching shirts we can wear after we’re done.”
“You think I still have it?” I taunt, ignoring the T-shirt part. The smile pulling at the corner of his mouth tells me he knows I’m lying.
