Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 94076 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94076 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
It is him. And from the way he’s looking at me, heat in his dark eyes and a satisfied twist to his lips, he knows I know, too.
12
Inara
I finally found him. My mystery dom. He holds my gaze, a touch of humor in his smile, waiting to see how I react.
Like me, he’s a guest at this ridiculous ball. And for some reason, the Chief of Police is eager to introduce me to him.
Now I have to remember to play a part. I force my feet to carry me over to him. With each step, I can hear him murmuring—
Little bird. . .
“Yes, here you are,” Jordan is babbling. “Mr. Roy—”
“Chief Jordan, please. How long have we known each other? Mr. Roy was my father. Call me Rex.”
Jordan’s mustache twitches up. “Rex, then. May I present NRPD’s newest detective?” Jordan motions for me to come closer. “Inara Ramos.”
I stop short of where Jordan wants me, unable to stand and allow myself to be presented to this man on a silver platter. Fortunately, Jordan doesn’t seem to notice.
“Rex is our biggest supporter and donor. This whole event is sponsored by the Roy Family Foundation.” Jordan drones on and on about the great philanthropy of the Roys while I glare up at the man I was intending to hunt. Rex Roy doesn’t miss my reluctance to come closer or my glare, but he isn’t bothered. In fact, the corner of his mouth quirks up.
“He specifically mentioned wanting to meet you,” Jordan says to me like it’s a great honor. “He was intrigued by your job description.”
The room spins again, the floor tilting under my feet.
It was him. He orchestrated all of this.
Rex raises his drink to take a sip, and his cufflink flashes in the light. The gold is fashioned into the head of a lion. I recognize it instantly. It’s the same design as the gold charms decorating the chains on my dress.
He sent the dress.
He got Jordan to make me come here.
Why?
I’m gripping my clutch like it’s a lifeline to safety. My skin feels too tight. Heat floods me, pooling in my lower belly.
Rex Roy is everything I’ve imagined and more. He’s younger than I envisioned, a smirking playboy. But that’s a facade, a part he plays to hide the monster he really is.
I can’t stop staring at him, noting the little details like his blunt fingernails and the thickness of his glossy hair. The way he stands like a gladiator in the arena, ready for a fight. Assessing everyone around him and dismissing them as weaker. Confident in his own dominance. He’s tall and rich and important, and his mere presence has a weight, a gravity of its own. I feel it pulling me toward him now. A response to his power, with an undercurrent of need.
I want his hands on me again. I want him to hold me, control me, command me. I want his hands to stroke me while I rub against him like a cat.
And he knows it. His eyes crinkle as he finishes his drink and sets it on a passing waiter’s empty tray. Is he laughing at me?
“Detective Ramos,” he murmurs in the same velvet tone that he crooned Inara the first time I scened with him.
He knows me. He’s always known me. He must know everything about me, yet I know barely anything about him.
I want to run away. I want to throw my clutch in his face.
Is this what he gets off on? Keeping me off balance, a weaker partner in our kinky dance?
“A pleasure to meet you,” he says.
I say nothing. I can feel Jordan staring at me, wondering why I’m being so rude, but I can’t bring myself to care.
Rex Roy. Even I’ve heard that name mentioned in the news. Heir to the Roy fortune. He’s mentioned in every business magazine’s list of the world’s richest people, sometimes gracing the cover. He’s not even thirty.
Billionaire. Philanthropist. My mystery dom.
Murderer.
I have no proof, but I know it’s him. . . and I think he knows I know.
What game is he playing? What is going on?
In the front of the room, the conductor strikes up the band. Violins sing with a sweeping melody. The lights around the room dim, leaving only the chandeliers overhead to bathe everyone in a halcyon glow. Everything’s lovely and muted except for the man towering over me. Every detail of him stands out in stark relief against the blurring background.
I watch his perfect lips shape the words before I hear them. “Dance with me.”
Even knowing he’s killed people, I ache for him. My whole body shudders with the desire to go to him. I want it more than anything in the world.
He extends his hand.
Then I realize what he’s asking. He must read the shock on my face because he pivots to Jordan. “You don’t mind if I steal your detective away for a dance.”