Across the bar, a handsome and heavily tattooed man was rising out of his chair, his furious gaze locked on my hand around Sabine’s wrist.
“Yes,” she quickly responded. “Understood. Now let me go before this ends up in bloodshed.” She tugged her wrist free, and I let her go, watching as the man near the stage slowly sank back into his seat.
Sabine took two steps away from my table, then paused and turned back to me with a scowl. “So we’re clear, Leon, the same goes for you. If you hurt her, I’ll personally see you killed.”
I couldn’t help myself, I laughed. She wasn’t fazed, though, just giving me one last hard glare before strutting away to continue her work for the night. Still chuckling, I tossed some cash on the table to pay for my drink and the dance, and a healthy tip for Sabine just for that parting comment. I could see why she and Danny were friends.
Ignoring the curious, vaguely threatening looks I was garnering from various patrons around the room, I headed out into the night. I’d seen enough to get my answers, not necessarily from what Sabine said but from what she didn’t say. For now, she was cleared of my immediate suspicion, but nothing was definite.
To cover my bases, I made a call to one of my personal mercenaries to keep an eye on her. When it came to protecting mon cœur, nothing was overkill.
My flight back to Edinburgh was booked for midnight, and I still had the body of a would-be assassin in the trunk of my car to get rid of. But I could take a quick detour via Benny’s Pig Farm on my way to the airstrip, which would give me plenty of time to call DeLuna back.
The temptation to GPS track her was nearly overwhelming, but my own sense of paranoia won out. For her own safety, it was better I didn’t know where she was hiding. Just in case hell froze over and someone managed to effectively torture me.
It was highly unlikely, but better to be safe than sorry.
Humming a tune, I slid back into my car and dialed her number when the phone connected to Bluetooth. I was so damn excited to hear her voice I could barely sit still.
Fuck, I missed her.
21
Unlocking the safe house with the various door codes and alarm deactivations dampened the mood somewhat, but I’d be lying if I said I’d found my better judgment by the time we made it to the master bedroom.
Kai wasn’t giving me a second longer to change my mind, either. He peeled my high-neck top off with a speed that saw it tear along the seams, but that only appealed to my sense of urgency. I yanked his T-shirt off, and my hands traveled over his bare chest. My fingers flexed with excitement as his head dipped back to mine, his lips capturing my mouth in a searing hot kiss that promised all kinds of reconciliations tonight.
It was just sex. That’s what I needed to remember. Sex was simply a physical need, a scratch that needed to be itched. It didn’t have to mean anything more. It didn’t need to rekindle that tender emotion that’d been stirring in me for that week on the island when I spent every waking moment in his embrace.
“Siren,” he groaned as I unzipped his pants and pushed them down over his muscular ass. “God, I’ve missed this.”
I licked my lips, my fingers circling his thick shaft. “This?” I stroked him firmly, then smirked and dropped to my knees. “Or this?” I took him into my mouth, my tongue swirling around his hot tip like he was made of the most decadent chocolate.
He sucked a shuddering breath, his hand immediately going to the back of my head to grasp my ponytail. “All of this.” He rocked his hips, pushing his dick further into my mouth as he stared down at me, mesmerized. “You’re so fucking stunning like this, with those perfect lips wrapped around my cock.”
Keeping my gaze up, locked on his, I sucked him deeper, then relaxed my throat to let him take control. His lips parted, his breathing rough as he thrust in and made me gag slightly. He loved to see my eyes water when he fucked my throat.
The shrill tone of his phone ringing startled us both a moment later, and he froze. I raised my brows in question, my tongue stroking the underside of his shaft, but he whispered a curse and withdrew.
“They know not to call unless it’s urgent,” he explained in a frustrated voice as he looked around for the ringing phone. “Hold that fucking thought, Siren.”
He turned away to answer the call with a scowl, and I immediately got back to my feet. If he thought I would wait patiently on my knees with my mouth open, he’d really missed the whole point I’d been making. That was the kind of submissive, pliant shit Danielle would do. Me? Hell no. It was fine in the heat of the moment when I held all the power… but that was it.
“Sam,” Kai snapped, grabbing my waist as I tried to get past him. “This better be an emergency.”
Where are you going? he mouthed at me, but I just shook my head and wriggled free, making my way over to the bathroom.
First, I needed to pee. Then I spent a good minute dousing my face in cold water while talking some fucking sense into myself.
“Really, Danny?” I whispered to my reflection, “Just sex, huh? No emotions? Bullshit.”
My mascara-streaked face just stared back at me, judging, and I gave a frustrated sigh. The worst part was that I still wanted to go through with it. I wanted to keep lying to myself a little longer. Just until I let Kai wreck my bed and my pussy for one blissful night.
But I wasn’t that much of a fool. There would be no turning back from that, no pushing him away once I’d let him in. And then where would that leave me with Leon?
Shit. Just thinking about how murderous Leon would be if he’d walked in on me with Kai had my panties soaking and my pussy all clenched up, desperate for an orgasm. Maybe I just needed to get myself off so I could go back out there with a clear head.
Kai’s low rumble as he spoke to Sam reminded me he was right outside the bathroom, so there was no way I could get away with it. I wasn’t quiet enough when I came.
Gritting my teeth, I wet a washcloth and cleaned up the mess I’d made of my own makeup. Then I checked over my injuries. The bruising on my throat was vibrant, but the wound had scabbed over and lost a lot of its puffiness already. Thank fuck for being a quick healer.
My hand was bleeding a little from where the cut left by the wire had opened slightly, but it wasn’t bad enough to warrant anything more than a big Band-Aid.
All in all, I took long enough in the bathroom that Kai ended up knocking on the door.
“Siren?” He sounded resigned. Angry, frustrated, and resigned.
I summoned up my metaphorical big girl panties and tugged the door open to meet his questioning gaze. “What was the emergency?”
His arm was propped against the doorframe, his chest still bare, but his pants were done up and the twist of his lips was full of regret. “Business dispute,” he muttered. “Something that needs me to deal with it.”
Tilting my head back to better hold his gaze, I wet my lips. “Have fun. I’ll call Mo when I work out how you can assist in my problem.”
His scowl was darker than a thunderstorm. “I’m not going without you.”
I laughed, pushing past him into the bedroom. “Well, I’m not going with you—because I’ll fucking kill Sam if I see him—and they’re sure as fuck not coming here. So unless you’ve worked out how to be in two places at once… No? Hmm, well then. Have fun.”
Kai seemed at a loss for words, standing there staring at me as I scooped up his shirt and tossed it over to him. Then I grabbed a T-shirt of my own and pulled it on to cover up my bra that I’d been walking around in.
“None of those options work for me,” he snapped, seeming torn with what to do. Then his phone rang again, and I gave a smirk.
“You better decide quick; it must be a very urgent issue.” I was a little bit mocking, but also kind of hoping he wouldn’t go. Logically, though, I knew it was better that he did. I needed some serious alone time… preferably with the Purple Pussy Eater.
He glanced down at his phone, then rejected the call with a muttered curse. Then pulled his top on. “This isn’t over, Siren. Just postponed.”
“Mm-hmm,” I hummed, shrugging. “Sure it is.”
Anger and determination flashed across his face, and he crossed the space between us with two long strides. His hold on my waist hauled me against his hard body, and his gentle touch on my face tipped my head back to meet his kiss.
“Will you even be here when I get back?” His question was rough and whispered right against my lips, full of vulnerability.
I swallowed past the simpering promises that wanted to fall from my tongue. Kai brought out the damsel in me, but she wasn’t real. “I guess you’ll soon find out, won’t you?” I forced my tone hard and cold, everything I didn’t feel in his arms.