Page 87 of Bitter Heat

He leaned in. She balled her fists in her lap as she resisted the urge to scoot back.

“I spent five years without you and then you gave me the green light in Colorado. You’re better than I remember. One taste and I’m addicted, worse than before.”

His hand landed on her breast with unerring accuracy. She fell back to get away from him, and he followed, pinning her against the door. His dark eyes were burning and hungry.

“Been jacking off to the thought of you for three weeks.” His hand clenched painfully around her breast. “You want to know why marriage? I want legal rights over you. I want you at my mercy. I want everyone to know I’m fucking the Hennessy princess. I want those frat boys to know they’ll never be where I am. I want Maximus to turn in his grave.”

“Get off me!”

“You want me too. You admitted it. You have wet dreams about me.”

“Shut up!”

“You like how I give it to you. You like when I take over, when I force you to bend. You were made for me. No one fits me like you.”

His head dipped down, and when she turned her face away, he forced her still for his kiss. His tongue demanded entry and lapped against hers. When he pulled back to survey her with heavy-lidded eyes, she panted for breath.

He dropped his forehead on hers and inhaled. “A year of you. That’s my price to stop me from claiming my vengeance. Your father made me a slave for seven years. You’ll be mine for one.” He pressed a chaste kiss against her throbbing lips. “Surely, that’s fair?”

“It isn’t.”

He clucked his tongue. “Life isn’t fair, princess. You should know that by now.”

“Let me up,” she whispered.

His weight disappeared. She stayed in place, trying to find the strength to move her heavy limbs.

“I’m not your enemy,” he said as he adjusted her in her seat and belted her in. “I’m the only thing standing between your sisters and the rest of the wolves who would like a chance to knock them off their throne.”

As she tried to think of something to say, he reached into his pocket for his phone and answered it even though she hadn’t heard it ring.

“Roth,” he said and paused. “You have the figures for me?”

She stared out the window without seeing a damn thing. He could switch from sex to business in a heartbeat. Why couldn’t she be like that? Her heartbeat wasn’t back to normal, and he was spitting out numbers as if he had a sheet of them in front of him.

She heard her father mention Roth once in passing before she met him. Roth made his first million before he graduated from college. He was a whiz with money and had a knack for choosing the right companies to invest in. He was a mathematical genius with a photographic memory. Being raised around her father, who had a similar set of skills, she knew what to expect. Their minds were always turning over some problem, always researching and analyzing. Frequent calls, endless meetings, not mentally present. The more they worked, the more energy they had. Her father had a hard time in relationships, evidenced by his two failed marriages and three baby mamas. Men like them didn’t know how to slow down and tired of things quickly. Roth was no different. She suspected part of her appeal still stemmed from a need to get one up on her father by reclaiming the daughter of his enemy. Maybe once they had been married for a few months, the novelty of having her back would wear off, and she’d be free.

Chapter 15

When they reached the estate, she left Roth in the car. She lost count of how many calls he’d taken. How he managed to retain all that information without jotting down a single thing was a mystery.

Her hands trembled as she packed a suitcase.This isn’t the end of the world, she told herself. This was temporary, not a big deal. After she lugged her suitcase downstairs, she entered the library. She averted her face as she passed her father’s desk. She could imagine his fury if he knew she was breaking her promise to him. Not only had she laid eyes on Roth, but she had also fucked him, and now she was legally binding herself to him once more. Roth was right. Her father was probably turning in his grave, but what choice did she have?

She was at her desk when Roth entered the library. Seeing him cross the threshold into the sanctuary she’d shared with her father felt as if he was desecrating holy ground.

“I’m almost finished,” she said curtly.

He ignored her and looked around. The way he was sizing up the place got her back up. She could imagine him tallying up what he could get for the estate. There was no way in hell he would ever get his hands on her castle. She would make sure the prenuptial agreement protected her assets.

He walked toward the massive windows and stared at Tuxedo Lake. She finished packing the last of her notebooks and favorite pens.

“I’m ready.”

When he didn’t move, she checked the end tables to see if she had left anything there. Thea had obviously been by to clean since the used tissues and water bottles were gone.

“This isn’t what I expected,” he said.

She wasn’t sure what he meant by that. “It’s home,” she said simply.

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