Page 50 of Heartless Game

Judah turned serious. “Nothing concerning.” He flashed Tovah a flirtatious smile. “No, she’s been a good girl. Haven’t you, Tovah? That’s what your name means, after all.”

Before I was aware of what I was doing, I’d backed the bigger man against a nearby car, my arm on his throat, blocking his air. The car’s alarm started going off.

“Isaac, stop!” Tovah cried.

She was trying to protect him? Absolutely the fuck not. It didn’t matter that Judah was one of my best friends, or that logically I knew he wasn’t interested in Tovah and was just fucking with me to get a rise out of me. It was like my brain had switched off and some sleeper agent had taken over, and all it thought was that Judah was the enemy and was trying to steal what wasmine.

Judah didn’t fight me, though. His hands were already lifted in surrender. Awareness returned, the car alarm screaming in the otherwise quiet evening. I backed away from my friend, feeling like an out-of-control asshole.

Once again, Tovah had brought out the beast in me, and I didn’t like it.

“Why the fuck?” I asked him.

He grinned. “Shit stirring.”

Levi came around the side, helping his brother stand.

“You need to accept your emotions around her, or they’re going to keep biting you in the ass,” Levi said quietly so only Judah and I could hear him.

Pulling my car key out of my pocket, I hit the unlock button, and my Aston Martin’s locks beeped from where I’d parked it out of the sun.

“We’re going home,” I told Tovah, turning back to grab her hand in mine and tug her toward my car, not bothering to respond to Levi’s warning.

“Youarejealous,” Tovah said, disbelief in her voice.

I didn’t respond, just opened the passenger door for her, waiting for her to slide in before reaching over her and securing her seatbelt, closing the door, going around to the driver’s side and locking the doors, finally satisfied that she was safely inside and couldn’t go anywhere unless I wanted her to.

Only then did I look at her.

“I am, little journalist. I’m fucking territorial and possessive, even though I shouldn’t be. There’s a part of me that wants to piss a circle around you, so no other man will come near you. I’m jealous as hell, and it doesn’t matter who flirts with you or touches you, so I suggest you be the good girl you were named for.”

Her beautiful brown eyes were wide. I wanted them wider, full of tears, with her mouth around my cock and her throat stuffed full. Maybe then this roaring in my ears would go away.

“I don’t even know what to say to that,” she said. “You’re crazy. You’ve completely snapped.”

I started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. “Seems that way.”

20

Tovah

When we got back to Isaac’s house, I undid the seatbelt. Isaac, for all of his anger at Judah earlier, had been gentle when he’d buckled me in, and the care for me and my safety—coupled with his confession of jealousy—had undid something inside me, something soft and vulnerable that petrified me. I couldn’t be feeling soft toward Isaac, not when he was my enemy and had threatened both my life and my mother’s, if the latter unknowingly.

Speaking of my mother, I needed my phone back from Isaac. Although he hadn’t said anything, and my phone was locked, I was worried she’d texted and hadn’t heard back and was freaking out by now. I needed to get a burner phone somehow so I could get in touch with her and let her know I was okay.

But was I?

When I went to get out of the car, my door was still locked, and I couldn’t unlock it. Could you even put child safety locks on the passenger side door?

Isaac got out and came around to my side, opening the door and helping me out by grabbing my hand and lacing our fingers together again. He didn’t release me as we walked up the sidewalk to the front porch. I couldn’t understand why he was holding my hand. The only audience we had were the trees from the forest that butted up against his property, so there was no need for him to pretend we were a couple who held hands. His big hand engulfed mine, making me feel safe and extending the cared-for feeling that had begun when he buckled me in, and I hated it, and the way it confused my brain—and my heart.

“Let go,” I said, tugging at my hand.

“No,” he said, typing the keycode into the door, disengaging the locks and opening it.

He still didn’t release me when we were inside, leading me down the hallway to the kitchen. Then, he finally let go of my hand, only to boost me onto the kitchen counter—the same spot where he’d spanked me and gotten me off the night before. My nipples went tight at the sordid memory.

Isaac, of course, noticed. His eyes went dark with lust, and a feral smile took over his face.

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