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I’d also grown careful of who I chose to eliminate. Now, the fact she’d overheard my plan could derail the next several months of business. I couldn’t allow that to happen.
I chuckled thinking about it as I noticed the look of terror in the girl’s large eyes that were the color of emeralds on a sunny day, completely mesmerizing. She was petite, several inches shorter than me, but I’d gathered immediately upon realizing she was hiding in the closet that she was a force to be reckoned with. And with her long ebony hair falling halfway down her back in soft curls, she was the kind of woman that could take a man’s breath away.
No matter her stunning beauty, I couldn’t ignore the elephant in the room. She’d overheard me discussing an assassination of a man who’d made the mistake of crossing me. I rarely discussed business in any other location than what my brother had affectionately termed as the war room, a location I’d designed to be soundproof and impenetrable, swept daily to ensure no one had managed to breach my security, planting listening devices. That had happened to my father, his two-year prison term for racketeering a result.
At least that had provided me with a taste of leadership in my twenties, a lifetime ago.
I allowed my heated gaze to fall to the floor, deciphering what I had to deal with. Given her young age, maybe twenty-one if that, she wasn’t law enforcement. Although I certainly knew looks could be deceiving. I certainly didn’t suspect she was a hired assassin. But it was entirely possible she’d been sent by one of my many enemies to gather information by an act of seduction.
However, if that was the case, the dazzling creature would be wearing couture clothing instead of a lovely, form-fitting dress purchased off the rack of a chain department store. Still, my mouth watered at the thought of peering underneath the crimson attire, her hourglass figure accentuated by the silky material.
Then I noticed the watch she wore on her small wrist. My watch to be exact. Was it possible she was nothing more than a common thief? If so, she’d picked the wrong house to steal from. Growing amused, I headed to my bedroom bar, pouring a generous measure of whiskey. I was surprised she hadn’t tried to bolt, instead staring at me with ferocious intensity.
That intrigued me even more. After downing the liquid in a single swallow and returning the glass to the wooden surface, I shoved my hands in my pockets and walked toward her. I was an observant man, which had kept me out of harm’s way more than once. With every step I took, her emotions ratcheted, both anger and terror mixing to create an explosion waiting to happen.
While I preferred my life uncomplicated, it would appear the gods had other things in mind. Even as I closed the distance, she held her ground, lifting her chin in defiance. My cock stirred, which it hadn’t done in weeks.
“Now, do you mind telling me who you are?” I asked, curious as to what her answer would be.
“One of your guests. I apologize but the bathroom downstairs continually had a line. I stumbled in here by accident.”
The lie wasn’t bad and if I wasn’t certain I’d locked my door to keep the riffraff from picking through my things, or the fact she’d been in my closet in the dark, I might have believed her. “A wonderful story, princess, but we both know it’s a lie.”
“I’m not in the habit of lying.”
She’d very carefully eased one arm behind her, attempting to hide her theft. I moved closer, taking my time studying her shining irises, almost mesmerized by her lush lips. For a few delicious seconds, I sensed her burning desire as it ebbed and flowed. That allowed me to slip my arm around her waist, caressing the small of her back with gentle strokes.
When I wrapped my fingers around her wrist, yanking her arm up by several inches, she squealed as if I’d caused her pain, but the fire in her eyes forced my balls to tighten.
“Let go of me!” she demanded.
“You might not consider yourself a liar, princess, but you are in the habit of stealing.”
The raven-haired beauty had a look of fury on her face, matching the spitfire image of her rolling through my mind. But the evidence was clear. As I removed the single piece of my past I’d kept, a flash of anger rushed through me. No one had dared touch the piece, not once. Even my family knew better. They comprehended my wrath would not be denied had they done something so egregious.
However, with the young woman, I felt admiration for her technique and her balls. I slipped the watch into my pocket, a moment of sadness almost shoving the agitation aside. My mysterious visitor jerked her arm free, rubbing her wrist, giving me an indecent onceover.
When she turned and raced toward the door, I couldn’t help but grin. She must truly believe she could get away from me.
“Tsk. Tsk, bad girl. You’re not getting away that easily.” I sprinted toward the door before she had a chance to wrap her hand around the handle.
She backed away, her chest rising and falling as she pointed her index finger in my direction. “Just stay away from me.”
I locked the door, allowing her to see my action. Then I took a single long stride toward her, and she bolted for the French doors leading to the balcony, throwing them open easily and rushing outside.
I trailed behind her, noticing her hesitation from climbing over the iron railing. Then I leaned against the doorjamb, the amusement continuing. “While you won’t jump to your death, princess, given the tall foundation and the fact we’re on the third floor, it’s likely you’ll break a bone or two. I would hate for that to happen.”
After taking several scattered breaths, she turned around to face me, her anger more tangible. “Let me go. I did no harm to you.”
I rubbed my jaw, amused her tone was demanding. “I would be happy to do so except we have two issues to deal with. One is the theft of my favorite watch.”
“Which you have back in your possession. No harm, no foul.”
“Yes, however, that doesn’t mean I can ignore the act itself. For every action there is a consequence. Certainly, you were taught that as a child.”
The mysterious beauty glared at me incredulously. “You must be kidding me? You’re obviously a very bad man and you’re challenging me on my behavior?”
I folded my arms, studying her just as intently. “And what makes you think I’m such a bad man?” Her statement confirmed she not only knew who I was but had overheard the conversation.
