Page 119 of The Contract

Every time those sharp green eyes and criminally full lips invade my mind without permission, I shove her away. Slam the door. Deadbolt it. Wrap the whole sick fantasy in chains.

My dick pulses, angry and impatient.

Okay, maybe picturing her chained beneath me, begging, isn’t exactly helping.

Though upping my twice-daily penance to three times might do the trick.

I sip my scotch, letting icy logic chill the fire racing through my veins, reminding myself exactly why I’m poison for her.

She’s young.

Too innocent.

Too…

Forbidden fruit.

Except my brain—sadistic fucker that it is—drags up an image of her in my bed. That goddamn t-shirt. Softly molded to every curve from her perfect tits down to her criminally tempting ass. Thick waves of hair I’d kill to wrap around my fist…

And just like that—fuck me—I’m painfully hard.

Not ideal, considering two crime lords sit directly across from me, droning on in a monotonous hum of blah, blah, fucking blah.

Deals. Blood money. The usual territorial dick-measuring contests.

I shift, uncomfortable as fuck.

Focus.

Nothing they say sticks.

Apparently, my brain prefers torturing itself with visions of Riley rather than defusing the live grenade ticking right in front of me.

Hey, asshole… Priorities.

Blondie’s skinny fingers trail down my arm, brushing a little too close to my tattoo.

I swat her away.

Seriously—when the fuck did I become the guy who rejects no-names and no-commitments?

Pathetic.

Disgusted, I shake my head. The fuck is wrong with me?

“You hate that idea?” Roman cuts in, his voice hard-edged and impatient.

Huh? Shit. What?

I school my features, forcing neutrality into my tone. “No. We just… need privacy.”

Turning sharply to Blondie—who’s now softly humming, oblivious to the fact she’s swimming in shark-infested waters—I snap, “Leave us.”

She shrugs like this is just another Tuesday, then saunters out, hips swaying like she’s auditioning for a role in someone else’s wet dream.

Every man at the table eye-fucks her on her way to the door.

All the men except me.

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