Page 41 of Scarred Ruin

I waited. In being only a few inches away, my pull to take what I wanted was more intense than before. “However? I’m going to be very direct and honest with you, which I prefer being. Did someone pay you to become the heroine? To earn a position of trust and of become closer to me and potentially my organization?”

She glared at me with an icy stare that I’d almost consider threatening. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“No, I do not kid about something that involves my daughter’s life.”

Now she was interested in slapping me, but she chose otherwise, grabbing her purse and taking a few steps to the door. “If you honestly believe I would ever hurt a child or be involved in something that could cause harm, you are fucking out of your mind. I am leaving and trust me, I will find a ride on my own.”

“You’re not going anywhere, Isabel.” I slammed my drink on the table, fighting fury as much as desire. She truly believed she could walk away from me.

She spun around to face me, laughing when she did. “I can do what I want. You don’t own me and this is a free country. Get that through your thick skull.” The drink remained in her hand. Perhaps considered a weapon.

With my long strides, I was within inches of her in seconds.

Everything changed between us. Perhaps at that very moment or maybe the second the full understanding of how intricately entwined her life had become with mine. Whatever the case, a switch had flipped that couldn’t be undone.

In anticipation she’d eventually decide to toss her drink in my face, I wrapped my hand around the dense crystal and her fingers, holding eye contact for merely a few seconds before yanking it from her fingers and tossing it against the wall.

While the glass was too thick to shatter, the violent thud and sound as a crack was formed was a dead giveaway of my intent.

As I’d done with her before, she didn’t allow herself an opportunity to blink. In my case, I hadn’t wanted to miss a second of her beauty. With her, I had a feeling she was weighing the odds of my intentions.

Even as she continued the mental debate, her other hand flinched and I knew instinctively her intentions. As soon as she lifted her arm, my fingers snapped around her wrist.

To my shock and delight, she was far more creative than I’d given her credit for. The slap came from her less dominant hand, sharp and hard enough my ears rang.

She used that moment of my hesitation to slip away, managing to open the cabin’s door and attempting to flee.

Only she’d underestimated my abilities or my speed. Just as she made it to the ladder, I wrapped my arm around her waist, yanking her both off her feet and against me.

“Let go of me, you monster.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” I noticed Sergei had walked closer and I shook my head.

“I will scream loudly enough someone will hear me. While your goons might not be inclined to provide you with assistance, I’m certain someone within this marina will.”

“No, you won’t scream. Because that’s not what you want. Now, is it?”

“You’re pretty certain of yourself.” She almost managed to slip from my grasp.

“Yes, I am.”

A slight gasp was followed by a clipped laugh. But both sounds quickly faded as I dragged her back into the main salon, closing and locking the door behind me. She struggled in my hold, kicking while her arms flailed. If she thought she could hurt or injure me, she was sorely wrong.

Yet I could sense that hadn’t been her intention. I was aware of both what she was capable of and risks she was willing to take.

The craving I’d had for her all along exploded, the need transcending all rational thought. I couldn’t care less if touching her could be considered reckless.

She would be mine.

There was no stumble after I let her go. She backed away while keeping her eyes locked on mine. The woman had an attitude that surpassed anything I could toss out. That only created an additional level of craving.

One that was entirely possessive.

“You can’t keep me.”

Her insistence was true foreplay. “I can do anything I want. Including ensuring you realize just how powerful I am.”

After cocking my head while we held our stance, I enjoyed watching the way her lower lip twisted once again seconds before I dragged her against me for a second time. Only this time there was no gentleness to my actions or my intentions. She’d soon learn that tempting a man with no conscience was more than just dangerous, it was like driving a morsel of succulent food into a starving man’s face.