Page 115 of Her Beast

You’d better have a believable lie ready.

Julia stared at his back as he poured their drinks, unable to look away from him even though she’d seen him dressed in the same clothing only hours earlier. What was it about him that she found so intriguing?

Was it merely the attraction of wealth and power?

Or perhaps just the sheer mystery surrounding him. What was he hiding behind his mask? Beneath his clothing? He never even showed himself to the women he did such wicked, intimate things with. Did anyone ever see him?

Norris, surely? A man could hardly remained fully covered in front of his valet. Could he?

Thinking of him taking off his clothing had her pulse racing.

Malcolm turned to her, and all her thoughts fled.

He handed her a glass, his expression grim as he stared down at her.

The pulse fluttered at the base of her throat and she was grateful for the high neck of the dressing gown she wore.

He sat down in the chair next to hers rather than behind his desk. “How long?”

She opened her mouth to ask him what he meant—to buy herself a little more time—but found herself saying, “I found out about the doorway four nights ago.”

A muscle jumped just below his eye. “Did you enjoy watching?”

“Wh-what?”

“You came back a second, third, and fourth time so I suppose you must have.” A small smile curved his lips and humor glinted in his eye.

He wasn’t angry… he wasamused!

“I thought you’d be furious,” she said.

“Why?”

Julia sputtered. “Because—well, you’re so private.”

“In general, that is true. But I like the thought of you watching me fuck another woman.”

The squeaking noise she made was mortifying.

He chuckled and sipped his drink.

“But...why?” she finally managed.

“Because it makes me hard.”

Julia’s jaw dropped open, thankfully without the noise this time.

His gaze lowered to her throat, and then back up to her lips, which she’d parted to get more air—air that was suddenly hot and crackling as his pupil flared.

He wants me.

The thought was like a spark to a powder keg. The emotion that roared through her was so rare that it took her a moment to identify it. It was power that his look ignited.

For once in her life, Julia felt powerful.

“Do you want to do those things to me, Malcolm?” she asked, her voice low but firm.

He answered without hesitation. “Yes.”

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