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“Riss,” Cash’s voice made her jump, “we need to discuss some things.” He had risen to stand beside her chair.
She glanced up at him, but other than a pulse jumping in his jaw, his face was blank. Was he pissed at her? Well tough. Why shouldn’t she flirt with Derek Davenport? He was sexy and smart and a great catch, not that she wanted to catch him. The prospect of getting laid was motivating, but that itch needed to be scratched by the right man.
Trying not to grind her teeth, she responded to Cash. “Fine.” Turning back to Davenport, she said, “I have to deal with a few things but perhaps another time?” She offered him a wicked smile.
“I look forward to it,” he said and squeezed her wrist.
The little pressure on her skin skeeved her out as much as Cash’s touch on her leg had excited her.
She stood and moved away as Cash pushed her chair in. Then she followed him out of the room. The more she thought about it, the more getting laid appealed to her. She wasn’t usually one to throw caution to the wind like that and hop into some guy’s bed, but someone shot at her today and now she was stuck here. Some wild sex, with a man as exciting and deadly as Cash, might be what she needed to feel normal again. Or feel anything at all other than abject terror.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
It took everything Cash had to not storm through the house slamming doors as he went. What the fuck was Riss doing flirting like that with Derek Davenport? The last thing she needed was to be involved with the likes of him. Davenport was a man with particular tastes and there was no way he wanted Riss exposed to them.
He opened the door to her room and ushered her in and then slammed it after them. “Stay the hell away from Davenport,” he snarled.
“Why should I?” she demanded as she crossed the room. “He’s attractive and seems fun. Why not flirt with him? Hell, why not sleep with him? Or is there a rule against that? I’m a member, just like everyone else at that table. If I’m stuck here, why shouldn’t I find a way to amuse myself?”
Cash stalked across the room until he was inches from her. “You’re bored? Being shot at isn’t enough to entertain you? Maybe you’re more like your sister than I thought. She went looking for trouble and look how that turned out.”
Riss narrowed her eyes at him. “What does that mean? Are you implying she asked to get murdered?”
“No. I’m saying don’t do anything stupid and fucking Davenport would be stupid.”
“Why?” she demanded. “Because you don’t like him?”
Cash leaned over so his lips were inches from hers. “No, because you won’t like what he does to you. He’s got unique tastes and I doubt you’re ready for that.”
“What the hell do you know about what I’m ready for? You don’t know me,” she fired back. “Maybe I’d like his tastes. You ever think of that?”
“Davenport likes to dominate. He’ll bind you and use whips and all kinds of devices.” They would bite into Riss’s tender flesh and leave marks. There was no way in hell he was going to let another man do that to Riss. She was his. If anyone was going to do it to her it would be him. The thought of Riss tied naked to a bed… “You think you’re ready, Riss? Then let’s play. I’ll keep you amused far better than Davenport can. I’ll make you scream my name when you come and beg me to fuck you harder. Is that what you want? Say it, Riss. Tell me that’s what you want.”
She’d gone pale and then her cheeks had flushed. Her mouth opened but she closed it again. But he detected a tiny bit of eagerness in her eyes.
He needed to drive home his point. “Stay the hell away from Davenport. He’s trouble you don’t need. You have enough as it is.”
She glared at him. “What are you doing about finding my sister’s killer?”
Her question was as effective as a sucker punch, bringing him back to reality. He’d been so incensed listening to Davenport flirt with Riss that he’d lost sight of his priorities.
“I’ve hit a wall where Alicia is concerned,” he admitted. He stepped away from the temptation of Riss’s body and ran a hand through his hair. “I have no idea where she was going when she went out that day and I can’t understand why she didn’t tell me. She knew someone wanted her dead. Why take the risk?”
Riss sat down hard on the bed. “I have no idea.” She put her head in her hands. “This whole thing is such a mess. All I wanted was to find out about my family and now I’ve lost a sister I never met, and someone wants me dead. I just want to go home but I can’t even do that.”
She rubbed her face and then looked up at Cash. “When will you let me out of here? When can I go back to my life?”
Her eyes were sad and dark smudges had formed underneath them. Her mouth was turned down in the corners and her shoulders sagged.
“Riss,” he said in a quiet voice, “I’ll take you home as soon as I can but…” He didn’t want to finish the sentence. If they didn’t sort this bible thing out then chances were good, she would need permanent protection, a costly enterprise. If she couldn’t pay for round-the-clock security, she wouldn’t last long. He couldn’t ignore the rising panic in his gut as that thought crossed his mind. He had to figure something out. Anything. She’d have to live permanently at one of the Society locations. It wasn’t done often but there had been others that had done so until they couldn’t take it anymore and had gone outside. None of them had lasted more than a couple of days. He pushed that thought from his mind.
But first, he needed to get through the meeting between Davenport and Li without one of them, or him, dying.
He addressed her. “If you’re bored, I can arrange for things to be brought in. Do you want to read? Or do you have a hobby?”
She stared at him. “No. I don’t have a hobby and reading isn’t at the top of my list of things to do at the moment,” she snarled. “I want to go home.”
He got it. She was pissed. Her life was not her own anymore. If she’d just listened to him and hadn’t pushed to meet with Umberti then all this might be different. But she did, and now here they were. Nothing to be gained by pointing this out to her though especially not in this mood. She looked ready to lose it.
