Page 192 of Lawless Sinners

I place my hand in his. “You sure know how to build tension.”

He leads me along the corridors and brings me to the big windows overlooking the city.

Cranes rise above the docks in the distance. Traffic moves along the streets in quiet streams, and the sun is slowly rising.

Fionn comes up behind me, and his arm closes around my waist, drawing my back against his chest. His mouth brushes the damp hair near my ear while his fingers find the knot in my towel.

The fabric drops to my feet.

Cool glass stands inches from my skin with the sprawling city beyond it, while his palm spreads flat across my stomach.

"Every warehouse along the eastern bank," he says.

His hand moves further north.

"The logistics park beyond the bridge."

His finger shifts again, tracing the line of the river.

"The industrial estate."

I follow the path he's drawing across the city. At first, they seem scattered until the shape begins to emerge.

They aren’t separate purchases. Rather, they form a perimeter. Or a noose.

"They're mine." His raspy voice sends a shiver through me.

I take in the scale of what he’s built. Roads join around properties I’ve passed all my life without ever knowing they were for sale.

“The docks belong to the Tallons.”

“And you and I will own the rest, Sera.”

I study his reflection in the glass. His mouth holds tight while his eyes search mine, as if he needs me to believe in the you and I he’s offering.

“The Harringtons have always wanted ownership of the docks. It’s something your da’s been after for years. Do you think being with me gives ya something he could never achieve?”

His breath warms my cheek, the rich cotton of his shirt snug against my spine. "The docks aren't what I want."

"Then what do ya want?"

"You."

I turn within the circle of his arm.

His gaze drops to my mouth before he reaches for the folder on the armchair beside us, but instead of handing it over, his fingers close around my throat, my pulse thrumming against his palm.

"Turn back to the city."

I hesitate.

His fingers settle lightly beneath my jaw.

"Kneel for me."

I do a one-eighty turn and lower to my knees, keeping my back against his body. He swathes my throat and tips my head with his thumb beneath my jaw, so his face is upside down, towering over mine.

The angle leaves me exposed to the windows and held entirely by him.