Page 46 of Vicious Seduction
Shut the fuck up, that was what.
I zipped around a car in frustration and tried not to think the rest of the way home. Lina must have been lost in her own thoughts because she didn’t notice we hadn’t gone to her place until we pulled into the parking garage at my building.
“Where are we?” she asked dazedly, looking around.
“Home.”
Her eyes followed me as I turned off the car and unclicked my seat belt. The argument I half expected never came. The fight in her seemingly all spent, she let me help her from the car. Our silence continued in the elevator, though the buzz of unsaid words grew louder in the air around us. The confined space seemed to amplify the chatter. Maybe it was just me.
My gaze lifted to hers, and I found she was already watching me.
“Why am I here, Oran?” she asked quietly. After everything that had happened tonight, she still looked stunning in the red dress peeking out from beneath her black coat. Her hair was a bit mussed but in a sexy way. And the elevator lighting highlighted the multifaceted shades of blue in her eyes.
“Because this is where you need to be tonight.”
This is whereIneed you to be.
That was the truth of the matter, but I could hardly say it. I’d had the woman arrested for drug possession, then blackmailed her into ditching the guy she was dating. She was probably scared of me already. She'd think I was unhinged if she knew how obsessed I’d become.
I sighed heavily, then held open the elevator doors for her.
Mine was the only apartment on the floor. Lina looked around the landing before realizing there was only one door. Her lips thinned.
Was that resignation? Frustration? Why did it matter to her if I had a floor all to myself? Most women welcomed signs of wealth, but I got the sense it made her uncomfortable. Just another mystery to add to the pile.
I let us inside, flipping on the lights as I went. I watched her as she took it in and tried to intuit what she might be thinking. It was pointless, though. Everything about her was a mystery to me.
I gave her a minute to look around while I grabbed one of my undershirts and a pair of lounge pants that would probably fall off her, but they were the best I had on hand.
“Here’s something to change into. There are several guest rooms down the hall to your left. You can take your pick. Bathrooms should have everything you need for the night.” I took off my jacket and draped it over the back of the sofa. “I don’t want you going back to the club again. I don’t know what happened with your family, but those people are toxic. There’s no reason to ever speak to them again.” Yes, it was high-handed, but I didn’t care. If she couldn’t cut ties with them, then I’d do it for her. Someone needed to do it before they hurt her beyond repair.
“But you’re a member, and we’re engaged.”
“Fakeengaged, remember?”
“Still, won’t it look odd if you don’t bring me?” Her voice rose with a hint of panic. “You can’t just go alone.”
“I can, and I will.”
I thought she might argue even though it was absurd for her to want to go back there. Why the hell would she want to continue putting herself through that?
Lina’s eyes darted around the room, her fists curled into tight little balls. “You can’t do this.”
“Do what? It’s just a damn club, Lina. Unless you want to enlighten me and tell me what’s with all the secrecy.”
She lifted a shaky hand and wiped angrily at her eyes. “There’s nothing to tell.”
I shook my head with a bitter chuckle. “Right. And you’re crying for nothing, then.”
“No!” she yelled. “I’m crying because I don’t like self-righteousassholesthinking they can order me around. Take me home. This wasn’t part of our deal, and I want to go home.”
“No, you’re stayinghere.” Each furious word was growled through clenched teeth.
We stood across from one another, a mere ten feet and a lifetime of secrets between us.
“What, am I your prisoner now? What about my things? I have a life, you know.”
“I’ll go get whatever you need. You were fucking held at knifepoint today, Lina. Give me a goddamn break, and let me have this.” My voice bellowed off the high ceilings by the end of my rant.