Page 53 of The Reluctant Siren
The fucker was right. She’d come looking to start a fightshe kind of hoped would end like this.
Of course she had to wonder if this wasn’t where they’d beenheading since the second she walked into his office.
“If you’re coming, Niall, do it now. Once I close this door,it’s her and me,” Jensen announced.
“Yeah, stay out if you’re too fucking afraid, Niall. Ormaybe if you would rather spend the night reading or massaging your own feet.”She couldn’t help it. She was filled with bile, and it just came out.
The whole night, her whole life the last few years… It wastoo much. Far too much.
They lied to her. Niall had pretended to be this good guywho could heal her flipping heart or something, and he’d turned out to be onemore asshole.
Her business was likely in ruins, and she was proving to thewhole damn world—including her best friend and partner—that she was nothing butone more trust fund baby who couldn’t do anything without parental supervision.
Check that. She could fuck things up. She was good at that.
“Set her on her feet.”
She was surprised that deep, dark command hadn’t come fromJensen. Niall shut the door to the big bedroom. It was illuminated by a singlelamp on the side table. The whole room was dominated by a king-sized bed thattook up most of the space. Jensen had changed the sheets and put a cleancomforter on. It was obvious he’d cleaned up in here. The rest of the house hada coating of dust on it, but the primary bedroom had someone who cared aboutit.
Or his military training kicked in. Either way, she wasn’tgoing to complain. Not about that. She had so many other things to criticize asher feet found the floor. She wished they were at the club. She would run fromthem and force them to chase her down and they could do this whole thing withher kicking and scratching and getting all the poison out of her system. In aclub she wouldn’t worry about Niall being upset. He would know it was play in aclub. Jensen was an asshole who would take whatever she gave him.
She turned and stared at the man she thought might be herfirst real Dom. “I’m surprised you didn’t go back to your room and play withyourself. It’s what you seem to do around me.”
Jensen whistled. “I told you she wants it. If we were in aclub, or honestly in any place where she felt safe, she would already berunning. She would make me chase her down and tie her up and drag her to bed.”
“I want to say that I find that thought distasteful andbarbaric,” Niall said slowly. “But right now, I might drag her back by herhair.”
Oh, he wanted to play? The other thing that would feel goodright now was a fight. A nasty, no holds barred fight, but again she wasn’t atthe club where they had a sparring ring for just such an occasion. “I’d love tosee you try.”
“Jensen, do you have a kit?” Niall enunciated every word.
“Back in my truck, which should be parked in Taggart’sgarage by now,” Jensen pointed out and then sighed. “I’ll grab yours. I’mafraid I didn’t keep a bunch of rope and sex toys hanging around when I livedhere. Not that my momma didn’t, but I got rid of those real fast. And then Ineeded therapy.”
He needed therapy for so many things, but she wasn’t goingto point that out right now. She was facing off with Niall, and they were at avery important part of this fight they were in. “You don’t have to stay. You’refree to go.”
“Why would I go when there’s a gorgeous woman begging me tofuck her?” Niall replied.
“Oh, is that what you need? My enthusiastic compliancewasn’t good enough for you. You need it to be nasty?” If any of her friendsheard her, she would get pulled into one of the board sessions where theytalked about kink shaming, but she didn’t care if she wasn’t being fair in thismoment. He hadn’t been fair to her. He’d spent months pretending he cared abouther, days pretending he wanted her.
She needed him to show it. In the worst, nastiest way.
And then she could reject him and walk away with no regrets.Walk away from both of them.
“What I needed was a clean conscience, but I’m not going toget that.” The words rumbled out of Niall’s throat, a deep, husky sound. “I’mstarting to believe that Jensen was right and all you’ve shown me so far iswhat you want me to see. You’ve been polite around me, princess.”
He understood nothing. “I’ve been nice to the man I thoughtwas going to be my boyfriend. I treated you the way I would treat a Dom whotook care of me, but you aren’t that man.”
Niall didn’t back down. “Oh, I’m that man and I’ll prove itto you, but first I’m going to have to clear up some misconceptions. Take offyour clothes or I’ll rip them off you and I won’t care that you don’t havemore. I’ll arrange for someone to shop for you and until they can safely bringthem here, you’ll be naked or you can wear something of mine. I keep a bag inthe Jeep.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” He was supposed to be the reasonableone.
He reached out and took her shirt in both hands and sureenough, it ripped in two. “Do you want to save your jeans? I’ve got a knife inthe kit.”
Anger bubbled up. “You asshole.”
“No. If I’m your Dom, then I’m going to be in charge,” Niallinsisted.
“You are not now and you won’t ever be my Dom. You might topme because I need it and you’re the only one around, but that’s all this willever be. The minute we leave this place, I won’t see you again.”
