Page 58 of Kissing Danger

I was reminded of a dog my family had when I was a child. One time the poor thing got sick, and it was too smart to be tricked by medicine inside treats. So, we’d been forced to shove the pill down the dog’s throat each day until it got better.

Nathan handled Caprice in almost the same way, but there were no whispered words of “good girl,” and no treat as a reward at the end. Once he was certain she had swallowed the pill, he shoved her away as if touching her skin burned him.

Still kneeling on the floor, Caprice coughed and sputtered until spit dripped down her chin, stained pink from her lipstick. Her hands were held behind her back so she couldn’t shove a finger down her throat to try and make herself throw up.

“Bastard,” she managed to choke out.

Nathan’s arm returned to its place around my shoulders. “Now, unlike my brother, you do have the right to use that insult for me. Although, it’s still inaccurate. My parents were married.”

Another coughing fit hit Caprice so hard, she doubled over until her forehead touched the floor. Once she managed to regain control of herself, her eyes were watering so badly it smudged her mascara, making her look like she was crying black tears.

“So, what? Now I have to submit myself to you every month for the antidote?”

One of Nathan’s hands idly ran through my hair, and I pressed closer to him.

“Oh, no. I’m handing you over to the Bianchi family. You can go to D’Angelo for the antidote, and he’ll decide what he wants to do with you.”

Caprice gaped up at us, clearly even more horrified by this new information than she had been by her initial poisoning.

I could almost understand. There was some honor in submitting to someone who had bested you. But to be outdone by someone only to be immediately tossed aside was an insult on top of injury.

“Hey, Nathan.” I wrapped my arms around him and angled myself against his body so he could feel how hard I was inside my too-tight pants. “Are we done here? I’m... bored.”

He laughed with a dark, wicked tone. Yet, the kiss he pressed to my lips was as sweet and light as spun sugar.

“Forgive me. We’ll have to take care of your...boredomright away.”

He led me out of the room, but just before we reached the door that led to the hotel’s hallway, a strange sound came from behind us. It sounded like the wail of a dying animal. Looking back, I saw Caprice collapse into a heap on the floor, trembling so bad that she seemed to be vibrating.

“Oh, did I forget to explain,” Nathan said as he watched her with a dispassionate gaze. “The initial dose can be rather unpleasant when it takes root. But don’t worry. It won’t kill you.”

With her hair fallen in disarray over her face, only one eye was visible as Caprice glared up at Nathan from the floor. Fire burned in the depths of her contracted pupil, and her breathing was ragged as she screamed.

No words escaped her. Just incoherent sounds of rage and pain. Her screams followed us as we left the hotel room behind and faded from our ears the moment the door closed.

The elevator ride back down to the first floor passed in a blur as Nathan and I locked in a heated kiss with our hands groping under each other’s clothes.

“You know,” I gasped as he palmed one globe of my ass and squeezed. “This is a hotel. There’s plenty of beds we could use.”

I was proud of myself when Nathan grabbed my ass with his other hand and I didn’t flinch. Our efforts in bed had been paying off. Maybe I could finally give Nathan the only piece of my virginity that remained.

Nathan never stopped kissing me and spoke in the brief pauses we needed to breathe. “No. Not here. I’ve got better plans for you.”

Unfortunately, we had to part when we reached the ground floor of the hotel. Stepping off the elevator, I was stunned to hear the sounds of the party still taking place in the ballroom. People were laughing, drinking, and even dancing with no idea of what had just taken place above their heads.

And they would probably never know. Based on the efficiency I’d seen from Nathan before, not a word of what had happened in the penthouse would ever reach public ears. Even most law enforcement would probably be left in the dark.

Although my pants technically had pockets, they were too small and tight to actually carry anything, so I’d stashed my phone in Kiki’s purse. This was usually fine, except in situations where she was the one I needed to call. Instead, I asked Nathan for his phone and punched in Kiki’s number, which I thankfully remembered. I shot her a quick text to explain where I’d gone.

A censored version, of course. I still hadn’t told her the truth about Nathan. That was something to tackle later. Now wasn’t the time. I would let her enjoy the party in peace and then worry about how to explain everything.

Only seconds after I sent the text, I got a thumbs up emoji in response, letting me know she’d seen my message. Then I returned Nathan’s phone and wrapped my arms around his neck.

“All right. Take me away. I want to know what these plans of yours are.”

CHAPTER 19

Deacon

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