Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

ROMAN

S he was soaked to the bone. The fabric of her T-shirt was practically translucent, doing nothing to conceal her full breasts. I could see each delicate swirl of lace on her bra. Even the dusky pink of her pert nipples was visible through the wet material, leaving nothing to the imagination.

And every member of my executive team was ogling her charms, staring at what was mine and mine alone. My blood boiled at the thought.

Without taking my eyes off her, I shrugged out of my suit jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, shielding her from their gazes. I then shouted, "Get out!"

Her eyes widened. Like a frightened rabbit, she turned and tried to run.

My arm snaked out and snatched her by the back of her head, fisting her wet hair. I turned her around so violently she crashed against my chest. I stared down at her pale and trembling form. Through a clenched jaw, I growled, "Not you. Them."

Chaos reigned behind me. The room was filled with the sound of shuffling papers, chair legs being dragged across the floor, and muttered apologies. I acknowledged none of it. My entire focus was on her. One by one, my staff squeezed past where I stood on the threshold with Aurora clasped in my arms. When they had all filed out, I kicked the doors shut.

It was several moments before I trusted myself to speak.

I had no idea what had sent her, unprotected, out into the rain at night but I knew someone was going to die for it.

That was when I noticed the scrape on her cheek. Beads of dried blood dotted the three small lines over the top of her cheekbone, ending near her right eye. I raised my arm. Aurora winced. I could feel my teeth crack as I tightened my jaw even further. While it was true I took a great deal of sexual satisfaction from dominating her and causing erotic pain, that didn't mean I would ever strike her on the face. There was a huge difference between a man who would hit a woman with violence and one who enjoyed punishing her for their mutual gratification.

Narrowing my eyes, I tightened my grip on her hair to keep her head still. I lightly touched the scrape on her cheek. "Who did this?"

She lowered her eyes. "It doesn't matter."

"That's not what I asked. Who fucking hit you?"

"No one."

"Don't fucking lie to me, Aurora."

"No one hit me. Not really. A drunk man in your lobby bumped into me. I hit the wall outside. It wasn't his fault."

The man must be Malcom Wright. I had a message from security that he was causing a scene downstairs. While I had planned to stop at taking his company, now it looked like I was going to take everything else dear to him as well.

I loosened my grip on her hair. Stroking the wet locks, I studied her face. "What are you doing here?"

I lived an extremely disciplined and orderly life. There was no room for surprises or unexpected events. While I was pleased to see her, I didn't appreciate the fact that she had endangered her own safety by coming into my building. I had a great many enemies, all of whom monitored who came and went out of this office. I didn't need anyone asking questions about her. Having people know I was acquainted with her was not part of my plan.

She broke away and circled around the conference table.

With her back momentarily turned, I flipped the electronic lock on the door; only my fingerprint would open it now.

Her hands nervously gripped the top edge of one of the high-backed, black leather chairs that surrounded my conference table. My suit jacket swallowed up her small frame, making her look younger than her eighteen years. "You need to stop."

I walked over to the bar and selected a brandy glass. As I pulled off the stopper on the crystal decanter, I said, "No."

Her pretty blue eyes clouded over. "No? Just, no? You don't even know what I'm asking you to stop."

I leaned against the bar and took a long leisurely sip of brandy. The burn of the liquid provided a small distraction against my primal impulse to shut her mouth up with my cock. "I presume you mean my intentions toward you."

Her voice trembled. "Yes. No. I mean yes. I need you to stop all of it. I need you to leave my parents alone."

My poor little kitten. She looked at me with such fear and hope. It was amusing to think she actually thought I would even consider letting her go. I looked down at my brandy glass as I swirled the amber liquid, heating it with the palm of my hand. "My answer remains the same."

In her desperation, she lurched forward before catching herself. The movement caused my jacket to fall off her shoulders. I once again had an enticing view of her breasts through her wet T-shirt. I ran my tongue over my front teeth, already savoring the taste of her nipples.

She swiped at the tears falling over her cheeks. "You don't understand. It's getting so much worse. It was always bad but now… it's really, really bad. My stepfather?—"

I stood upright and slammed the glass down onto the bar. I had at least three reports from several investigators who warned me that Alfred most certainly did not regard Aurora as anything close to a daughter. The man was a lecherous swine. "What about your stepfather?"

She backed away. "N-nothing."

I prowled toward her, backing her up until the heat of the fire licked against the backs of her thighs. "Answer me."

She raised her arms, holding her hands out palms up, as if the feeble gesture would hold me at bay. "It's nothing I couldn't handle."

I lifted her chin up with my left forefinger. "I'll be the judge of that, now tell me."

She stared at a spot over my left shoulder. All emotion had left her voice. It was as if she was closing herself off from whatever she needed to tell me. Shutting down. That was unacceptable. I didn't want her hiding anything from me.

"He's mad about the embezzlement. Both he and my mother are drinking way more than usual. Tonight he… tonight he?—"

I tightened my abdominal muscles as my stomach clenched. I inhaled a deep breath through my nose, keeping my features calm. "He what?"

Her shoulders hunched forward. She rushed through what she said next, like pulling a plaster off a wound. "He got drunk and called me a whore and said I had to spread my legs for him just like I did for you."

My right hand clenched into a fist. "Did he touch you?"

She nodded. "But I hit him on the head with a glass before he could really do anything."

I stroked her hair. "Did you kill him?"

If she'd killed him that would change all my plans. I held my breath waiting for her response.

She shook her head. "I don't think so. I got a text message from my mother telling me how angry he was."

I crossed back to the bar and picked up my glass. I then handed it to her as I gestured for her to take a seat before the fire. She stared down at the brandy as she sat down. "I don't want this."

"Drink it."

She took a sip and coughed. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "It burns. I don't like it."

Using the tips of two fingers, I pushed up on the bottom of the glass, guiding it back to her mouth. "Do as you're told."

She swallowed another gulp of brandy and coughed. Soon the liquor would warm her insides and lull her into a more malleable state.

I headed over to my desk. Keeping an eye on her, I unlocked and opened the middle drawer. I reached for the Beretta 92 I had hidden there. I flicked off the safety before returning to her side.

Taking the brandy glass from her hand, I held out the gun. "Take this."

As I had hoped, she grabbed the gun without thinking. The moment she realized what she held, she almost dropped it. I lifted her forearm, careful not to touch the gun more than necessary. "Careful, it's loaded."

"What the fuck! I don't want this!"

"You need it."

"Why?"

I placed my hands on my hips and stared down at her before calmly stating, "Because you need to kill your stepfather."

She stood. Holding the gun out to me, she shook her head. "Oh, my God! I can't do that!"

I refused to touch it. "You can and you will. It's the only way you will be safe. He's tried to fuck you once, he'll try again."

She winced at my crude use of the word fuck. "I've always kept him at a distance."

"You said yourself he's been drinking more than usual. He's stressed. Anxious. Dangerous. There is no telling what he will do. You need to protect yourself."

She leaned down and attempted to place the gun next to the chessboard. I stepped toward her, blocking the move, forcing her to hold on to it. "Not like this! I can't believe you'd even suggest something like that."

I stayed silent.

I witnessed the moment her demeanor changed. Her sapphire eyes narrowed as her lips thinned. She backed up, placing the upholstered chair in front of the fire between us. Her arm slowly rose as she pointed the gun at my chest. "This is a trick."

I still refused to speak.

She lifted her left arm and gripped the gun with both hands. "Say something!"

I studied her closely. God damn, she was beautiful. She was the perfect combination of innocence and intelligence. Even standing before me in a wet and sagging T-shirt and leggings, she outshone all other women. I couldn't wait to have her under my protection and in my bed. It would take time, but soon she would learn to submit to my demands. I looked forward to training her, breaking her, making her completely mine. When I was done with her, nothing would exist beyond me. I would make sure I was her entire world.

I crossed my arms over my chest as I leaned a hip against the nearest chair. "Why do you think this is a trick?"

She licked her lips before speaking. "Because you hate my stepfather. You're just trying to get me to do your dirty work." She shook the gun at me. "I was there today. I heard you threaten Trevor about his father. I know what you are capable of."

I chuckled. "Oh, baby girl, you haven't begun to learn what I'm capable of."

She swallowed. Her gaze then skittered around the room. "I'm leaving. Don't you dare try to stop me."

Lowering the gun, she ran toward the double doors. She pulled on the handle but it didn't budge. She swung back to face me. "Unlock the door."

I reached for her glass of brandy. Turning the glass so my lips touched where hers had been, I took a sip, then said, "No."

"I'm not playing a game here, Roman. Open the fucking door."

I smiled. "Well, that is a shame. I do so enjoy a good… game."

She rattled the door handle a second time. "Open this door!"

"No."

She raised her arms and pointed the gun at me. "Open the door, or I'll shoot you."

I kept my gaze on her as I rubbed my jaw, pretending to consider my options. "Shoot me."

Her eyes widened as her pink mouth dropped open. "What?"

Once again, I crossed my arms over my chest as I leaned against the back of the chair. "I'll be damned if I'm opening that door, so I guess you'll just have to shoot me."

Her arms shook. "I'm serious, Roman."

"So am I."

"This is your last chance. I will shoot you."

"I have no doubt… you'll try." I reached for our glass and took another sip of brandy.

She sighed as her shoulders drooped. The hand holding the gun dropped to her side. She shook her head. "You bastard, it's probably not even loaded. All your talk about me killing my stepfather for my own protection. This was just some twisted game of yours. You were just playing with me like you play with everyone. We're all just pawns for your amusement. Goddammit, I hate you!"

In her anger she raised the gun and fired.

The bullet passed a few inches by my head. It shattered a small Tagliapietra glass sculpture on the bookcase that flanked the fireplace, before lodging in a thick leather-bound volume.

Aurora screamed.