Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
I stared at the amber liquid swirling in my glass, my mind racing as I tried to make sense of what had just happened. How could I have lost control like that? Kissing Jemma—was a line I should never have crossed.
Not that kidnapping her, undressing her, and her watching me jerk off was any better.
But this…this was another level.
She was a thorn in my side, the enemy. She’d hacked our servers and stolen my money, and the only reason I got entangled with her was to detain her and get her under control.
And as if that wasn’t enough, she was my goddamn future sister-in-law. Completely off-limits.
Gritting my teeth, I drained the glass, the burn of the whiskey a welcome distraction from the inferno raging within me. What the hell was wrong with me?
She was too young. Eleven years younger, to be precise. Twenty-one to my thirty-two. Absolutely off-limits.
Fuck.
I’d never had a thing for younger women. Too immature, too irresponsible, too high maintenance.
Jemma was all of those things and so much more.
She was both infuriating and a giant pain in the ass.
And yet, when she’d been pressed against me, every rational thought had fled my mind, replaced by an all-consuming hunger that rattled me with its intensity.
I could still taste her on my lips, still feel the softness of her body molded to mine. The way she’d looked up at me with those defiant eyes, her lips parted in a silent challenge—it would be enough to drive any man insane.
And I was a lot of things. But above all, I was a man. And I was already there, teetering on the edge of madness every time she was near.
Holy fuck. The memory of that kiss was seared into my mind, replaying on a maddening loop.
I slammed the glass down and ran a hand through my hair, tugging at the strands in frustration.
Get a grip, Salvini.
This was Jemma Donnelly, the girl who’d been a constant thorn in my side. She was a perpetual source of chaos and defiance—the one person who seemed immune to my charm, my aggressiveness, my moods, and my very presence.
There was nothing that had fazed her.
And that was part—a major part—of her allure.
No. I took a deep breath. I couldn’t allow myself to go down that path. To claim her. She was off-limits—forbidden fruit that I had no business even considering. The family business, the family’s legacy, my family’s safety—those were my priorities.
My personal desires had no place in the equation.
Especially not when those desires involved Jemma Donnelly. And especially not when they were rapidly spiraling out of control and burning through my self-restraint and resolve like a raging wildfire.
Fuck.
Every time I looked at her, I saw, not just the surface beauty, or the fierce, unbreakable spirit that lurked inside her, but there were also glimpses of her softer side, of hidden pain, and possibly trauma that lingered just beneath.
That softer side of her I needed to protect, while the fierce side I wanted to break. Jemma Donnelly was such an enigma.
I narrowed my brows. If the idea wasn’t so absurd, I could almost think Jemma Donnelly was a kindred spirit, forged in the fires of adversity, unafraid to challenge the world and all its expectations, who had become exceptional in hiding her wounds.
But that was complete bullshit. Jemma Donnelly was the youngest of three girls, and as far as my research told me, Craig Donnelly was a good dad—caring, protective, and the well-being of his girls was always his number one priority.
And she was the baby of the family.
Even though the way she kissed was all woman.
Damn it. I needed to get her out of my system before this obsession consumed me entirely.
Or better yet. I needed a definitive answer if she was behind the hack or not.
And then I would decide what to do with her. The sooner, the better.
For starters, keeping some distance from her was in order—a chance to clear my head and regain my senses.
Fuck.
Distance was essential because I felt like a hopeless addict craving his next fix of her intoxicating presence.
Which was unacceptable.
I pulled my phone out and dialed the number of our headquarters, including the extension I never thought I would need before I started working with Raptor Security—our server room.
“Yo.”
I was pretty sure this was Goofy’s voice though I hadn’t spent enough time with Hawk’s guys to really be able to discern their voices.
“This is Vince,” I said, then my gaze fell to the book on the floor. I crossed the room and picked it up. “You guys are working late.”
Goofy chuckled. “Hawk told us you need this done asap.”
I nodded. Pretty sure Gabe putting in a good word for me helped things along. Even though Hawk had warned me that the forensic investigation might take a while.
“Any news?”
The sound of footsteps approaching made me twist around, and I schooled my features into a mask of indifference just as Matt entered the room. One look at his face, and I knew he was not happy.
Fuck.
“Hey, I need to go; talk later.” I ended the call and fully turned to face my little brother.
His brows narrowed as he stared at me. Matt might be my youngest brother, but contrary to Hero and Dante, he’d always been able to see right through me—the little bastard.
“You look like hell, and Jemma looked upset when she came back,” he said, eyeing the empty glass in my hand. “So, are you hiding in here because you got into another altercation with her and she bloodied your nose this time?”
I touched my nose—which still hurt—then shot him a withering glare.
But he merely grinned, undeterred. “Don’t give me that look. I know you too well for it to work. You’re not really angry.”
Damn him, he was right. With a resigned sigh, I poured myself another drink, considering how much to reveal. In the end, honesty should win out—Matt deserved that much, at least.
“She accidentally hit me with a book,” I admitted the words sounded like a lie—even to me.
Matt’s eyebrows shot up, but to his credit, he didn’t look entirely surprised. “Are you sure it was accidentally, and she didn’t throw it at you?”
“Yes,” I said. The book part, yes. Everything else—I had no idea how they happened. “And then she fell from the ladder.”
He stared at me, gauging if I was telling the truth. “By now, I really think leaving the two of you alone is a potential threat to world peace.”
I cocked my head. “Very funny.”
He shook his head. “We should go back to our guests,” he said, took my drink, and downed it. “I never thought I’d see you hiding from a woman.”
“Hiding?” Ridiculous. I was not hiding… I needed a moment to process what’d happened between us and decide on the best path forward. I proceeded him out of the library.
Jemma’s laughter rang through the air even before I reached the dining room, and it felt like an invisible current shooting through me and making my heart race.
Fuck me. What kind of witchcraft did that punk use on me?
I cast a glance at Matt, who was hovering at the library’s door with his phone out and texting someone.
I turned back, leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over my chest, and observed the dining room.
Laughter and animated conversation filled the air, a stark contrast to the usual atmosphere in this house.
My gaze zeroed in on Jemma. Picca in her lap, she had her head thrown back in a carefree laugh.
My stomach tightened as Dante leaned over and whispered something that made her laugh even harder.
Dante had always been good with the ladies, had always been a flirt.
The jealousy that flared within me was as sudden as it was unexpected—a searing heat that licked at my insides like an uncontrolled blaze.
I clenched my jaw, struggling to maintain my composure as I watched her lean toward him as if the two of them were longtime friends or lovers.
They’d just met; how did they establish that easy familiarity in zero time?
And why was she so different with me?
She’d been a punk right from the start.
Zero respect, all sass.
The one person who seemed immune to my charm, my power, my very presence.
Except when she went all soft, like under the shower, when she stared at me with her big doe-like eyes.
Or just now, when I’d kissed her.
When my lips met hers, she became soft and pliant; in that moment, she’d surrendered to me completely. Even her body had melted into mine in a way that had me craving more, so much more.
I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the image away.
Fuck. How she’d sighed, and how perfectly she’d fit against me like she was made to be mine.
Damn it. This was Jemma Donnelly. The girl who defied me and gave me grief. The girl who’d quite possibly hacked my servers and stolen my money.
Except, what if she wasn’t?
Gritting my teeth, I shoved the dangerous thoughts aside, forcing myself to focus on the scene before me: my brothers laughing and joking with the woman who was supposed to become one of us through her marriage to Matt. A woman who, despite all outward appearances, was far more than she seemed.
“You look like someone stole your candy. You’re really in a mood today.”
Matt’s voice startled me from my musings, and I turned to find him watching me with a knowing look in his eyes.
He looked over my shoulder, then back at me.
Shaking my head, I tried to deflect, but he saw right through me—as he always did.
“Just admit it’s Jemma.”
I tensed at the sound of her name, hating how it made my pulse quicken, how it conjured up images I had no business entertaining. “Why would Jemma have an impact on my mood?”
The look Matt leveled at me was one of pure disbelief, and he let out a derisive snort. “You’re hopeless, Brother. No wonder she calls you Vince, the Evil Prince.”
With that parting shot, he brushed past me and joined the others, leaving me to stew in my own frustration.
Jemma looked up when Matt entered, and her gaze found mine across the room, and I held it, willing her to look away first.
She met my stare head-on, those defiant eyes daring me to break the connection.
Her glance turned into a glare, one that told me to stay the fuck away from her or she would rip off my dick.
She was sending that message loud and clear—the kiss changed nothing between us.
Even if it felt like it had changed everything.
Clenching my fists, I forced myself not to look away.
When I told her not to mention the kiss, I did it because I wanted to talk to Matt alone. Though apparently, she didn’t understand it that way.
And given that I had the chance just now and didn’t tell Matt I’d kissed his future bride, maybe that was the smarter way going forward. I could just re-establish the boundaries that had become so dangerously blurred.
Mutual dislike and distrust—that was way safer. Anything else was a dangerous path I should not even entertain.
Not when she was the single biggest threat to my position in the family and the business. Not when my father would rejoice to know about that failure, that weakness.
Not when my siblings’ safety hinged on me staying in control.
Pushing off the doorframe, I stalked back toward my seat, holding her gaze.
But my mind had already shifted gears. I needed to move the investigation along—to find the source of the breach and plug the leaks in our system before any more damage could be done.
And then I needed to get her out of my life.
I narrowed my eyes, and she did the same.
The thought of her being behind the hack, of her being the one responsible for the chaos and interruption that had been unleashed, filled me with a potent mix of anger and grudging respect.
If it was her.
She was good—I’d give her that. But she was playing a dangerous game—one that had severe consequences if she wasn’t careful.
Consequences she was not equipped to handle. Consequences I might not be able or willing to protect her from.