Stealing His Heart(8)

“Being alone helps me sleep at night.” He pulled back without tasting her. It was a hell of a lot harder than he’d thought it would be. “It’s safer that way for everyone.”

When he started to pull away, she wrapped her leg around his, opening herself to him. “Wait. Why do you think you need to be alone?”

He could feel her heat begging for his cock. He rolled his hips, making sure to rub against her clit through her jeans. It felt good. Too good.

Time to end these games.

“I didn’t tell you to move,” he said, his voice harder than necessary. He needed to show her how he rolled in bed. Needed to scare her off so she’d stop pushing him. If she pushed too hard, he might snap. “Don’t move without asking me first. Understood?”

“Wh-What?” She shot him a wary look, her brow furrowed. Had he scared her with his warning? If so, then his plan had worked. “I don’t wait for orders from anyone. Especially not you.”

“That’s why I walked away from you that night.” He nipped at the spot where her shoulder and neck met, hard enough to reprimand her for her insolence. He hadn’t meant to get so proprietary so fast, but with her? He didn’t have a choice. “When I fuck a woman, she needs to play by my rules. She needs to obey me. You’re not that woman.”

She moistened her plump pink lips. “O-Obey you? That’s…that’s…archaic.”

He adjusted his grip on her wrists so he could hold her with one hand. Then, he grabbed her thigh and wrapped it around his waist. His cock nestled perfectly against her, and he thrust his hips as best as he could with their damn clothes in the way. “Yes, obey me. Don’t worry. You’d love every second of it.”

Something fell off the table next to them, probably from his movement, and she startled. It was enough to snap him out of the hazy fog of desire that had clouded his judgment. She deserved better than this. Better than him. He sighed and forced his mind back to business, where it should have been all along.

“Will you behave if I stop holding you still?”

“What if I don’t? Will you spank me?” she asked, laughter in her tone.

His dick hardened even more at the taunt, because he’d love nothing more than to bend her over and smack her until she wore his handprint on her ass like some sort of stamp. She obviously thought she laughed off his warning, but when she caught sight of his face, she froze. He didn’t say anything to indicate how much her comment had turned him on. Just stared back at her silently.

She hesitated, seeming unsure of herself. “Fine. Yes. Just get me out of here.”

Letting go of her thigh, he stepped back. He forced a calm expression to his face. “You heard the name of the case. Does it ring a bell?”

The recognition was in her stare, but she apparently decided to play dumb. She should’ve known better, because he knew her too well to fall for it. “I don’t remember it.”

“Soltese,” he repeated. She averted her face at the name. Bingo. Guilty. “He was robbed last week. A priceless vase.”

“Oh, trust me. It wasn’t priceless,” she muttered.

He clamped his jaw. She had always been far too smart-assed for her own good, and it had finally caught up with her. “The culprit was never apprehended.”

“I’m sure he wasn’t.”

“She escaped through a high-level security system that should have kept her in.”

“That baby crap?” Tara snorted, giving up the pretense that she hadn’t been involved in the crime. “Please.”

He stiffened. “That baby crap was done by me.”

“Really?” Her gaze flew to his. “Wow. You’ve lost your touch.”

His fingers flexed. “I haven’t lost a damn thing.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“Tara.”

“Okay, okay.” She blew out a breath that ruffled her mahogany bangs. “What about it? Let me guess. You want the vase back?”

“I’m sure it’s too late for that. Where did it go?”

She smirked. “Returned to its rightful owner, of course. That is what I was hired to do. It’s my job.”

“Damn it, Tara,” he said, tugging on his hair. “You have no idea what you’ve started with your actions.”

She canted her head. “You seem tense.”

He frowned at her. “That’s because I am tense.”

Because of her.

“I can see that.” She reached out to touch his face, but he jerked away. “When’s the last time you—”

“Stop it. Stop acting like you care about when I last laughed or went to a movie,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “I’m fine.”