Page 51 of Wretched Soul
I blow air out of my puffed cheeks although it might as well be steam because the fire Shade has stoked is all-consuming. He tracked me down to this remote town and fought for me. But how the hell did he find me? How did he know about Connor? I know it’s pointless asking. I won’t get answers. I’ll just get vaporized by that heated look he’s giving me. Damn this man. Violence is wrong, and I shouldn’t make this so easy for him. My gaze snags on my laptop.
“I have work to do, Shade,” I say. “And thanks to you, it’s going to take twice as long without Connor.”
Shade lifts a foot up to my center and applies pressure to my clit. I have to stop myself from grinding against his boot.
“The matter has been resolved,” he says, opening my laptop without breaking eye contact.
For some reason it’s facing him, and he turns it so I can unlock the screen. My inbox flashes up with unread emails.
“You have an email from the IRS rescinding their request for an inspection, and thanking you personally for providing all the information they needed,” Shade explains. “Felix Sanderson and Walter Royston have been copied in.”
“You’ve been looking at my emails?” I ask. I know I should shout at him for opening my laptop, but I feel such relief that the emergency is over.
Shade gives me a look, like I’m missing something. I tap my keyboard and open the IRS email. The inspection has been cancelled.
“I wouldn’t reply to it if I were you,” Shade says. “The IRS might get confused about who scheduled an inspection of Sanderson’s accounts in the first place.”
I hold myself still. Is he saying…? Did he…? And suddenly it all fits into place. Shade’s been meddling with more than just my laptop.
I knock his foot away from my throbbing pussy. “You hacked into the IRS?” I ask in disbelief. It’s a rhetorical question. Of course he did. Of course he could. “And what about Felix Sanderson’s accounts? Did you corrupt his files too?”
“They’ve all been fully restored. Crisis averted,” Shade replies, sounding too smug for his own good.
Is he for real? Does Shade expect me to be impressed? My heated emotions aren’t being fueled by lust anymore.
“Felix has sent Walter an email,” Shade continues. “He regrets ever letting you go as his accounts manager, and is asking if he can have you back.” The fucker smirks. “If he wasn’t gay, I might have reservations, but I’d say the outcome works out for everyone.”
“Except the guy in hospital with two broken arms,” I remind him. “Did you set this up to lure Connor out here?”
Shade’s expression doesn’t change, but the temperature in his gaze drops by several degrees. “Do you still have feelings for him?”
“No, I never had feelings for him. But I do have feelings for you, Shade. And right now, they aren’t pleasant. I could inflict violence of my own,” I hiss. “You’ve hacked into my employer’s network, accessed private files and correspondence, not to mention going through all my emails. You didn’t just drag Connor out here. I’ve been panicking all day, trying to fix a problem that didn’t exist, and worrying about what you might think of me being alone out here with my ex.”
Shade’s eyes close briefly. “I am sorry about that,” he says. “I didn’t think you’d be sent here so soon. My plan was to deal with Connor, and then wait for Walter to bring you in as the cavalry to save the day. I thought we could have a nice weekend together.”
I barely hear his last comment as I slam down the lid on my laptop. “This is madness,” I say, scooping up my files and putting everything away in my work bag. “Whatever this is between us, Shade, there are still boundaries.” I stand up and point a finger at him. “And you’ve just crossed a whole bunch of them. I can’t speak to you right now.”
Shade shoots his arm out to stop me as I try to sweep past. He’s looking straight ahead rather than at me, his brow creased in thought. He wasn’t expecting this reaction. “Are you saying no to me, Slayer?”
“Yes, Shade, I’m saying no,” I reply before I can react to the touch of his hand across my lurching stomach. “Don’t follow me. I’m declaring this particular chase null and void. Try harder. Do better.”
As I leave the diner, it finally registers what he’d said about spending the weekend together. My steps falter, but I can’t let this go unpunished. I want Shade to dwell on what he’s done. Ineed him to do better. And I just have to hope it’s only the chase I’ve cancelled, and not the entire game.
Chapter 16
Mace
Ishove another fry into my mouth as I watch the taillights of Lily’s Audi disappear down the highway. Well, this just got interesting. I should feel bad. I know I overstepped, but who am I kidding? I was already way beyond that point. And now Lily knows exactly how far I’d go for her.
Was it worth it? Fuck, yes.
I’ll admit there was a moment where I seriously doubted my sanity. Her ex might be a creep, but he wasn’t the one who planted trackers on her phone and car, he hadn’t listened in on her private conversations, or private thoughts. What if Lily decided it was better the devil she knew than the one she still couldn’t put a name to?
I might have reconsidered my life choices if the microphone on Lily’s cell hadn’t given me a glimpse of the way Connor behaved around her. When the bastard touched her, his fate was sealed. He was getting more than a verbal warning.
I’d been lying in wait when Connor reached the diner, and guided him at gun point around the side of the building. I know Lily was horrified when she found out I’d broken his arms, but seriously, I thought I’d gone easy on him.
Her parting words come back to me as I finish off the fries. She might not realize it yet, but this is me doing better. I have a mountain lodge waiting for us, and we’re spending the weekend together, whether she likes it or not.
