Share

Chapter 9

Author: Nikita Slater

His dark eyes studied her intently as she spoke. Then he ignored her question and reached to touch her face. She jerked in her seat, but he just leaned forward, persisting. He brushed the hair off her forehead and tapped two fingers against the edge of her eyebrow. "How'd you get this?" he asked with a slight frown.

He dropped his hand to her shoulder, cupping her as though he had every right to touch her so casually. Her heart thumped in both anticipation and trepidation at his touch and she had to take several calming breaths. She wasn't used to being touched so much. If he kept this up she was likely to pass out at his feet from all the gasping and heart stuttering. She had to force her brain to keep up with his words. He wanted to know about her face? Ah… right, the scar.

"A car accident," she told him. "I have other scars."

He reached for her lap, picked up her hand and curved it so they could both clearly see the shiny scarred "H" on the back. She shuddered and shook her head. "Not that one, of course."

He nodded and let her hand drop. "How bad was the accident? When was it?" he demanded. He leaned back in his seat as their drinks were served. She immediately reached for hers, grateful for the respite.

Then she rolled her eyes, careful to conceal the movement under her lashes when she realized her companion had ordered her a straight up orange juice. Twenty-eight years old and she was being treated like a child. She wanted to storm at him and tell him with all of the haughty sophistication of her Tuesday "friends" that she wasn't an alcoholic as he'd no doubt assumed from their encounter by the pool. She rarely drank unless she was forced to go out to clubs with Ignacio or when she had a bad headache.

"You answer when I talk to you, nena," he prompted when she took too long.

She turned to look at him, staring at him, showing him some of the loathing she felt for men like him. She felt safer with Alonzo nearby. Surely, despite Ignacio's orders to keep this man happy, Alonzo wouldn't allow the Bolivian to harm her in public. Especially in this particular club surrounded by men loyal to her husband. "I don't like the way you talk to me, nino," she hissed back at him, insulting him in his own language.

A short bark of laughter burst from between his lips. Then he abruptly cut the laugh off as though he hadn't meant the sound to escape. He raised an eyebrow and stared at her as though she were insane. Well, she was. The faster he learned it, the faster he might leave her alone. He reached out, too quickly, and brushed the pale blond hair back from her face again. She flinched a little, but held steady when his touch barely registered against her skin. His dark eyes caressed her, warmth searing right through her, piercing the sleepy fog within her body.

She knew he wanted her to see things in his eyes. Knew it, because men like Reyes only let a person see what they wanted a person to see. They might let a man register the lick of anger right before death. Or a woman feel that warm rush of passion before they made love to her body. The rest of the time, their eyes were dead. Reyes wanted her to know the sizzling heat of lust as his eyes touched every part of her that he could see and every part he couldn't.

"There is the fire I saw that first time you turned those strange eyes on me, cari?o," he murmured, lightly running his fingers across her cheek, over her shoulder and down her arm. "I thought I had imagined the burst of hatred that had so intrigued me." His hand landed on her thigh and his fingers tightened. Not painful, but almost threatening. "But you will have to learn to answer immediately when I speak to you."

She looked down at his hand, eyes wide, mouth open in bewilderment. Then she lifted her face to search out her protection. Alonzo stood about ten or so feet back from the table, his own gaze burning holes in the booth and the couple. He was still as a statue, his bulging arms crossed in front of him, his chin down and his eyes narrowed in rage. He was definitely angry enough to tear Casey from the booth and walk her forcibly out of the club, but he didn't so much as twitch in their direction. He wasn't going to help her. Once more she was at the mercy of a powerful man, surrounded by people that wouldn't lift a finger to help.

Reyes tightened his grip on her thigh, forcing her attention back to him. Her eyes jumped to his. He didn't look angry as she thought he might. As Ignacio would be if he had to teach her how to behave. Instead, Reyes looked as though he truly wanted her to understand. "If I ask you a question, you answer me. When I tell you to do something, you do it. This will keep you safe in my world, understand? Repeat the words, Casey."

She frowned at him, her brow wrinkling, but she nodded slowly. "You tell me to do something, I do it… for safety. T-to keep me safe," she whispered her eyes widening and meeting his as the full impact hit her. She felt herself slip past the usual bullshit as she spoke, as he absorbed her words and slowly nodded as if to praise her. What did he mean by that exactly? Was he trying to keep her safe from him or safe in their terrifying mafia world of false friends and sinister business associates.

He moved his hand from her thigh up to her arm, wrapped it around her and then pulled her toward him. She brought her hand up to brace herself against his chest, but she was practically sitting in his lap now, his face almost touching hers when he spoke. She hardly dared to breath, though a tiny whimper escaped her throat when she felt the impossible steel of muscle threading his body. The promise of a human cage if she was ever unlucky enough to be captured by this man so intent on treating her as his prey. He brought his other hand up between them and took hold of her chin, tilting her face until her eyes met his once more.

"And Casey?" he said huskily against her lips.

"Yes?" she whispered.

"Never call me 'boy' again. In any language. I don't care when or where we are, I will bare that beautiful bottom and beat it until you can't sit down. Understand?" His deep, accented voice vibrated through her entire body, taking her breath away. The dark promise of erotic violence did something to her it shouldn't have, something she never would have expected.

Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App

Latest chapter

  • The Queens: Scarred Queen   Chapter 73 – One Year Ago

    Alejandro resented being put on babysitting duty. The woman had been on her own for years. There was no reason she couldn't board an airplane and make her own way to the meeting point with her cousin. But Casey hadn't wanted Angelina to fly alone. She'd wanted her cousin to feel taken care of, special. So, as the most trusted person on Reyes' payroll he'd been appointed her official escort.He stepped off the airplane and into the cool, sunny day. He brought a hand up to shade his eyes, looking around. He saw a car and assumed it must be her ride since it was the only one on the tarmac. He strode toward the vehicle just as the back door opened and a long, curvy leg slid out, then the rest of her. She gripped the edge of the door and stood, looking around uncertainly.If he hadn't had years of combat and military training he might have stumbled. Angelina Giancarro was perfection. From the top of her flyaway blond hair to the bottom of her heeled sandals. She clung to the car door as i

  • The Queens: Scarred Queen   Chapter 72

    Alejandro flung her into another room. She'd been marched through the sterile halls of the prison building in such a hurry that she couldn't tell at all where she was until she got a good look around. His office. There was a large desk, impeccably tidy with an ashtray for his cigars. She smiled fondly, tilting her head so her hair covered her expression. He didn't need to see the peace on her face while he was in such a towering rage. Actually, worry was probably a more accurate emotion to describe her love. Only he didn't know how to do worry, so anger was the next best thing, as evidenced by his next words and actions. First, he used his hand to wipe her all around her mouth, though she knew there was nothing there. Then he gripped her arms in a hard hold and snarled, "The poison, Gina. What kind?""Cyanide," she told him right away and cringed when he slammed his fist into the desk next to her hip. She placed a shaking hand against his chest and said quietly, "I'll be fine. He di

  • The Queens: Scarred Queen   Chapter 71

    "No," Alejandro said coldly. "Get back in the jeep, turn around and wait for me at home."Gina stared up at her formidable husband in dismay. He was wearing his military-style fatigues and his face looked as though it was carved from stone, there was no softness for his wife. She hadn't anticipated this barrier to see the prisoner once she had permission from his boss. Of course, the prisoner and prison fell under Alejandro's jurisdiction, so he could stop her from having this visit if he wanted."Please, Alejandro," she begged him. "I need to see him.""No," Alejandro said coldly, steel threading his voice, "you don't. I've been back for two days and you haven't come to see me.""That isn't fair!" she cried. "I thought you were avoiding me. I didn't want to push myself on you if you didn't want to see me. I was trying to be…""What?" he demanded, pushing himself against her and backing her into a concrete wall. She clutched the muffin tin against her chest and lifted her chin.

  • The Queens: Scarred Queen   Chapter 70

    "Drop it!" Gina yelped.She heaved a sigh of relief as the muffin hit the floor and bent over to scoop it up, tossing it in the trash. She placed a new chocolate chip raspberry muffin in Casey's palm and whirled around the side of her kitchen island to check on the batch still in the oven. They were rising beautifully, the tops baking to a lovely golden brown."You want to tell me what that was about?" Casey asked suspiciously, peeling the paper away from the base of her still warm muffin. She took a big bite, closing her eyes in what looked like ecstasy."Uh, nope," Gina mumbled, mixing another batch in a big metal bowl."My god," Casey moaned, licking her lips. "You suck at hand-to-hand combat, weapons and pretty much anything else self-defence related, but damn girl, you can bake! Can I take some up to the main house for Reyes and the housekeeping staff?" Gina laughed, covered her hand in an oven mitt and took the trays out of the oven, making room for her next batch. She chew

  • The Queens: Scarred Queen   Chapter 69

    "Do you have arsenic?" Gina asked, leafing absently through a cookbook."What on Earth for?" Casey asked, stacking supplies on the counter. "What else do you need?"Gina leaned over and checked the muffin recipe. "Creamed butter and milk."Casey opened the stainless-steel door of her refrigerator and stuck her head inside. "Don't have creamed butter, just the regular kind, but here's the milk."Gina laughed and reached around her cousin for the butter. "The regular kind will work just fine. I can cream it myself. You really need to learn how to cook."Casey backed out of the fridge with a key lime pie held in her arms like a prize of war. She looked around for her housekeeper and danced toward the drawer for forks, handing one to Gina. "Haven't needed to cook for myself since… well, since I've been alive. Why learn now?"Gina frowned. Casey had a point. She tilted her head to the side and ate a bite of pie. "Well do you at least know how to use a can opener in case of a zombie ap

  • The Queens: Scarred Queen   Chapter 68

    Gina moaned and tried to roll onto her side, but something stopped her. She reached out, sliding her hand across the silky bamboo sheets. Where had the fluffy blankets gone? Then something intensely pleasurable shifted her thoughts away from any other musings. She tried to sit up so she could see what was happening, but a huge hand reached out and palmed between her breasts, shoving her back down. She hit the pillows behind her while the sensation of a tongue working magic directly between her legs increased until she was moaning helplessly and reaching over her head to grasp hold of something, anything, as an orgasm built.Just as she thought she would shatter into a thousand pieces he shifted, changing his attack tempo and forcing her budding orgasm to calm. She whimpered in misery and reached out to grasp his hair, "No!" she yelled, tugging at the strands. "Almost there, don't stop!"He chuckled against her, vibrating her clitoris with his deep voice. He took her wrists in his han

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status