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)
Jordan blusters a negative, and Rex says something back. He claps the chief on his shoulder, waving in the direction of the bar. He’s buying me a moment to get a hold of myself.
Or he’s carrying out his plan to get us alone. And can’t both be true? I hadn’t realized I was playing chess with a grandmaster. I’ve let myself blunder around, blindfolded, for too long.
That stops now. I’m going to get answers.
I can do this.
I can face him.
When he turns back, I’ve mastered my breathing and my expression, but not my reaction to him. The heat in my belly, the flush in my face.
“Well?” he murmurs, and the world narrows. We’re the only people in the room. “One dance?” His dark eyes twinkle like he knows how tempting he is. Surrounded by the scent of him, it’s easy to forget he’s anything but the dom who tied me up and let me fly so freely then held me afterward.
“Would you prefer I wear the gloves?” He reaches into his pocket. “I brought them.”
My heartbeat flutters frantically, pounding in my throat.
“No,” I rasp. “That’s okay.” He planned this. And he thought of the gloves. . . for me.
It’s so sweet and perfect I could cry.
“All right, little bird.” There’s a challenge in his smile.
I can’t cry. I can’t fall apart. I have to fight this, fight my reaction to him. “Don’t call me that.” I grab the fraying edges of my courage, take a smooth step forward, and put my hand in his.
It’s huge and warm, and I swear I feel his pulse under my palm. Or maybe that’s my own heart booming in my chest.
“As you wish.” And there’s nothing but fondness in his tone. He closes his fingers over my hand, and a shudder goes through me.
“Breathe,” he orders softly, and the command helps my lungs expand. “Just breathe. That’s it. Good girl.”
I shoot him a savage look even as I cling to his hand. His fingers are strong, with some rough callouses on the insides of his knuckles.
I haven’t touched anyone like this in so long. I’m actually holding his hand. I want to hold it forever. It’s so wrong, and yet, his touch is the only thing keeping me on my feet.
What the fuck is wrong with me? I can’t do this.
I have to.
I want to.
I stare at him, and he seems to understand my struggle. And like the dom he is, he takes over. He squeezes my hand lightly and places his free hand on my back. The music swells, and he sweeps me away.
Moving with him is as easy as breathing. I forget my steps and follow the slight pressure of his hands.
It helps that the other dancers make a wide circle around us. But then I realize most of the room is staring. Rex Roy is the main event, and I’m the stranger in his arms.
One tall, handsome man in a gray suit that matches his eyes watches us. There’s a tumbler of whiskey in his long, slim fingers, and he sips it, studying us like we’re animals on a safari. My eyes meet his, and I can’t look away from him, caught in his hawk-like stare.
Rex shrugs his shoulders, blocking the stranger’s gaze. “It’s all right, little bird,” he rumbles. His hand on my back is warm through the fabric of my dress. “I’ve got you.”
He eases me along, leading me into a turn so effortless it feels like floating. He holds me like I’m fragile. Like I’m precious. I’m the sole object of his intense focus, the dominance that saturates every muscle in his body. He planned this, and now he’s enjoying his victory.
And I relax. Gods help me; he makes it so easy to lose myself.
We end up in a corner of the ballroom by the orchestra. A signal from Rex and the conductor motions for the players to play more softly. Rex and I sway together.
“You look more beautiful in the dress than I imagined.”
“You shouldn’t have sent it.” I need to get a grip on this situation, of myself. I need to question him, break him down like the suspect I know he is.
He grins like he’s been caught stealing a cookie but that he can charm his way out of any trouble. The boyish look adds a dimension to his classically handsome face. It’s so mesmerizing I miss a step and almost trip.
He steadies me, the movement familiar from our scene at Club Empire. The consummate dom, caring for me. Planning ahead, unveiling his power slowly so I can lose myself in his control.
Gods, what am I doing? I need to focus.
Back at HQ, there are photos of the men he’s killed. He’s the dark shape caught by the security camera, the one in my visions. And my dreams.