Page 12 of Lethal Salvation

She didn’t deny it and she didn’t move or try to get away, she was as mesmerised by him as he was by her. It was a relief to know it wasn’t just him under this weird, fucked-up spell.

“You know I could find a much better use for that mouth than you cussing me.”

His head dipped to her neck, his lips a whisper away from her skin and her scent invaded his nostrils, drugging him even further. He wanted to suck the pulse he’d seen hammering there and mark her, claim her as his so every fucking man in this club knew who she belonged to.

“Never.”

He smiled against her skin, his lips brushing her throat and she shuddered. “Oh, yeah, this is happening, Duchess.”

“Gideon.”

His back snapped straight at the sound of his brother’s voice, and he closed his eyes to snap himself out of the lust fog so he could turn and deal with Carter. He kept his arm around Nadia’s back, his hand resting on her hip. Carter wasn’t getting his hooks into her. He didn’t care if she could take out the British Army alone with one arm tied behind her back, he wasn’t leaving her alone with Carter.

“Carter.”

His younger brother was handsome, with the same dark hair as he and Damon had inherited from their father, but he had his mother’s cool grey eyes and most definitely her calculation and manipulation tactics.

“I wasn’t aware you were coming to Inferno tonight.”

He was speaking to him, but his eyes kept moving over Nadia and Gideon wanted to rip his eyes out with a spoon for even looking at her like he was. “I wanted to show my girl Inferno.”

He felt Nadia tense in his arms, just the slightest movement, but enough to let him know she wasn’t happy about this new arrangement. Carter looked at Nadia again and then held out his hand.

“Nice to meet you….”

She took the hand and shook it. “Nadia.”

“Nadia?” He frowned as if searching for a memory and then grinned. “Your new personal assistant that you stole from poor Damon? I commend you, Gideon. She’s a real beauty.”

Gideon tried to force a smile past his lips but the urge to punch his brother was strong as he referred to Nadia like she was a piece of prime rib, not a living breathing woman who had more integrity, passion, and morals in her little finger than he could ever hope to have.

“She’s so much more than that.”

Gideon could feel her eyes on him, and he couldn’t look at her, not wanting to let his brother out of his sight for even a second.

Carter’s rich laughter rang out over the club, the beat of the music below drowning out the words he muttered.

His body tensed and he had the desire to punch him right between his eyes. He was so sick of dealing with the mess his spoiled, over-indulged brother made. So sick of cleaning up after him and tired of watching his father become a shell because he’d let things get so far before he’d seen what the woman he’d married and the man his youngest son had become.

“I didn’t catch that?”

“I said she must have one hell of a pussy to rein you in, brother. Perhaps when you’re done I might indulge myself.”

Gideon saw red, his vision tunnelling as he went to step up to Carter and teach his brother some fucking manners, but the small hand on his chest stopped him and he looked away from Carter finally to see Nadia looking at him with adoration before she turned to Carter.

“Why would I have a burger after having fillet steak?”

God, he wanted to kiss her, but then he saw the fury cross his brother’s face and tensed. Carter didn’t like being made to feel like a fool and could be petty and cruel if he thought someone had slighted him. At fourteen, he’d had one of the housekeeping staff fired because she hadn’t indulged his attention. Carter smiled, it didn’t reach his eyes and he knew Nadia had just made a powerful enemy, but he was letting it go for now.

“I like her, brother. You should bring her over to the house. Mother would find her delightful.”

Gideon just lifted his chin and ignored the invitation. Seeing Nadia and the wicked stepmother go toe to toe might be fun if the stepmother wasn’t likely to poison the food and have the woodsman take her in the back and kill her.

“It’s early days. Let’s see how it goes before we have a family get together, hey?”

He saw suspicion on his brother’s face and needed to get rid of any doubt. He was a leery bastard, thinking everyone was out to get him, and he’d be right on this occasion, but Gideon didn’t want him to know that. Leaning close to Carter’s ear, he spoke words that felt like a betrayal to Nadia. “Not sure the pussy is that good, brother.”

Carter laughed and he did too, all the while hating his brother more and more.