Chapter 10
Stash
“You’re taking me home.”
My companion’s words no longer held the same defiance. They were soft and full of concern. Perhaps the adrenaline had finally washed away, leaving only exhaustion in its place.
Saige was certainly enticing the wolf more than she likely wanted.
With a slight tip of my head, I noticed the way her right hand was gripping the dashboard and she was leaning forward, scanning the road.
Was she expecting the boogeyman jumping from the shadows?
I’d become convinced my appearance at the club had nothing to do with the attack, other than I’d successfully stopped one of two people from being killed.
Hopefully, Sean was intelligent enough to check his security cameras and cross reference his guest list to weed out any potential snitches. If there’d been more involved with the assassination party, they’d leave the premises telling stories that neither Sean nor I wanted anyone to hear.
The reason the fight nights worked with me eliminating mostly his low-level enemies was all about my anonymity. Once the veil was broken, all bets were off.
“Where would you prefer I take you?”
“How do you know where I live?” Her chest rose and fell. Not from fear. From anger.
“I make it a habit of learning everything I can about someone in a position close to me, which you are. You know things about both me and my family that no one else is privy to.”
“What do I know about you? Nothing that means anything. Nothing. You like expensive clothes and watches. You never eat lunch. You don’t drink coffee.
You keep a bottle of scotch in your bottom drawer, the expensive kind even though you have a big fancy bar in your office.
You can’t stand our clients, and I know that because you have a facial tic when you hate someone.
That’s the only time I can see the scar bisecting your right eyebrow.
Which also allowed me to realize you don’t want anyone daring to look at or my God, point out the jagged but faded scar running down from the corner of the same eye.
However you received the injury, it profoundly affected you.
In case you haven’t been told, which my guess is you haven’t since you don’t like anyone getting close to you, the scars make you sexy as hell. ”
Her words did something I never would have expected. I touched my eye, remembering the reason for the scars. She could be a very valuable asset. The fact she thought the scars sexy created a stronger, darker wave of desire. I’d need to be very careful in learning to deal with her.
While her shoulders rose and fell with her labored breathing, I took a few seconds to calm my raging libido.
“I assure you there’s nothing of interest for you to learn about. Answer the question. Were you expecting that I’d take you to my place?” I asked, curious as to her answer.
Even in the dark, I sensed she was befuddled by my question. “I don’t… know what I was expecting. You are kidnapping me.”
Chuckling, I checked the rearview mirror one more time before finding a spot to park on the street. As soon as I pulled next to the curb, she tensed more than before. She studied the area, even looking over her shoulder before removing her seatbelt.
“Who are you expecting will be here, Saige?”
“Who do you think? The bad guys.”
Finally, some honest fear. “I had my men ensure you wouldn’t come home to a surprise.
” I yanked the keys from the engine and snapped off the belt, noticing how ragged her breathing was.
“There’s no need to kidnap you. Unless of course that’s what you would like to happen. I can certainly arrange to do so.”
While a part of me considered taking her to my house, doing so presented an entire list of complications. Her disguise had been enough to almost fool me, meaning it would for anyone in the audience, which should be the only people to cause any concern.
My ridiculous statement drew her ire and another venomous look. Finally, she yanked herself free of the haze of fear. “I don’t think so. This will be just fine.”
Once on the sidewalk, she remained near the cover of the car, glancing down both sides of the street. I didn’t like seeing her terrified. Her shift in emotions had a profound effect on me. My hands were fisted, every muscle tense.
Pain needed to be provided to someone, or the wolf would break free of his chains.
“Come on. Let’s get you inside.” She lived on the third floor of a battered building. While the area was decent enough, I didn’t like the easy access to the building or the fact there was no real security. I’d need to do something about that.
When we were at the door, her body stiffened as mine had done earlier. “I don’t know what to say.” She shoved her key into the lock and before she turned the handle, I wrapped my hand around hers.
The instant shot of current was followed by a strange hint of satisfaction in being able to touch her. My hunger arose as it had done around her a thousand times.
Only this go-around, she could feel the energy pulsing between us, the chemistry that could easily drown us both if I wasn’t careful in how I handled her.
Her breathing hitched and the way her body trembled yanked on the limited protective nature buried somewhere deep inside me. The one I had for my mother and no one else.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
“Checking your apartment.”
“Didn’t your goons already do that?”
“My goons swept your home, yes, but a lot can happen in an hour.”
“They really invaded my space?” Had she honestly thought otherwise? When she lifted her chin in another wave of defiance, her body was pressed against mine. Her voice held a cringe. Hmmm… What was the little lady hiding inside her apartment?
This could be a very difficult remainder of the evening if I didn’t leave quickly. “Yes, Saige. That’s what my goons do. They protect the innocent. Even wolves are choosy with their food. But don’t worry. Whatever secret you hope to keep will stay just between us.”
“Oh, you’re hilarious. I never knew you were so funny.”
“Just stay right here.”
“Wait!” she snapped, her nose wrinkling as soon as she made the exclamation. “Do you really need to go inside yourself? You already told me your goons are thorough.”
Now I was eager to see what was being kept in Pandora’s Box. “A rule of thumb, my chastnaya tantsovshchitsa, check and recheck.” I was halfway in the door when her hand was placed on my arm, surprising as fuck, every muscle tensing.
“What did you call me?” Immediately, she pulled her arm away, curling her fingers, but as I’d seen before, the look in her eyes was not only stunning but let slip her dark cravings.
“My private dancer, because as of now, that’s all the dancing you’ll be doing.”
I moved inside her apartment, immediately absorbing the atmosphere.
Upon an initial scan of her surroundings, I could more easily read her like one of the classics she had on her bookshelf.
She was a homebody, preferring time curled up on her couch under her cozy throw blanket.
With artistic yet plush pillows on both ends of her couch, I had a feeling she spent a good portion of her off time right here.
What also struck me was that while her furniture was either purchased at IKEA or perhaps snagged from Goodwill, she’d artfully decorated everything. There was no light needed other than the shimmer provided by the moon through the blinds to gather a sense of her.
A noise caught my attention and I swung around, the weapon in both hands.
The next sound was a hiss coming from ankle level. Very slowly, I peered down, snorting as soon as I did. “Hello, kitty.”
“If you touch my cat, I will hurt you,” she called from the hallway, which prompted the huge feline to meow incessantly.
When the cat raced by me toward the door, I almost tripped. There was a reason I didn’t like pets. With a sigh, I secured my weapon.
I moved through the few rooms quickly, turning on the light in her bedroom, spare room, and bathroom, even checking the closets. There was nothing amiss.
Still, I had an instinctual gift regarding attacks. Even if she hadn’t been the subject of the invasion, if her true identity was discovered, she could be labeled as collateral damage that wouldn’t be allowed to survive. What she had going for her was that no one knew who she was.
Sean protected the girls who worked for him, one additional reason I’d agreed to fighting at the club. Anything else and I would have buried the man myself.
For right now, the lovely Saige was safe.
Just before I turned off the light in her bedroom, I noticed what was perhaps the reason she’d been so nervous about my invasion of her privacy.
It was impossible not to smile as I walked to the corner of her bed.
With a single finger, I twirled it around the stiff metal of the pink fuzzy handcuffs artfully placed on the post of her headboard.
The sight stirred something within me that should be controlled, a darkening desire to defile someone who didn’t deserve to endure my burning passion.
I fingered the cuffs, drinking in the same perfume she wore that lightly blanketed the most intimate parts of her life. The fact they were left dangling in plain sight was an invitation in my mind. Dropping my hand, I ran my fingertips across her nightstand, taking in everything around me.
The erotic romance mere inches from her bed, which had been left partially made, as if she had been eager to crawl under the covers, returning to her fantasy. I opened the nightstand drawer to find a treasure trove of scandalous items.
In response, my cock twitched. I’d be damned. No wonder the frisky feline had allowed the night on the terrace to occur. She’d hungered for a dangerous tryst.
A flogger in purple was positioned next to an incredible array of vibrators in various shapes, sizes, and colors.
There was even a selection of anal plugs, some with smaller vibrators as well.
My naughty private dancer had a pristine collection of sex toys.
I selected the first battery-operated dildo that captured my attention.
Also purple in color, as I held it into the light, my finger managed to find the on switch.
To high.
One of a half dozen I longed to sample, every one of them on her voluptuous body.
A sudden presence behind me caused my usual trained reaction. Without thinking, I spun around and pulled my weapon once again.