I’d won my favourite race and gotten a solid lead on my traitor problem after months of scratching my balls like a schmuck while the Mancinellis and Ivanovski laughed.
I should have been celebrating.
Instead here I was, searching Maddelena’s face for clues as to why she’d tried to bail. And yeah, the signs of carefully controlled distress weren’t filling me with warm fuzzies.
‘What happened to you?’ she asked, eyes widening.
I followed her gaze to my bruised hand. A couple of knuckles were busted open and in the hour since my little skirmish, they’d swelled some.
‘Nothing a little ice won’t fix,’ I said, dismissing her concern. ‘Answer me, Maddelena.’
She ignored me, crossing the room to the liquor cabinet on four-inch heels that made her legs look miles long and started rummaging around.
My irritation with her didn’t mean I couldn’t appreciate the view, and when she bent over to scoop ice from an ice bucket, that was exactly what I did. She was wearing the same skirt as before with the slit that showed her creamy thighs, and I was no fucking saint.
The fact that she’d meant to keep that ass from me tonight riled me all over. Still, I waited, curious despite myself, as she finished whatever the fuck she was doing and returned to where I stood. Waiting like a horny, doe-eyed moron.
‘Hand.’
I raised a brow at her sass.
She flushed but didn’t back down. Fuck, I loved her little bursts of spirit as much as I hated the signs of her distress.
I held out my hand, then snatched it back when she stepped forward to take it. ‘You think playing nursemaid gets you off the hook, baby?’
‘No, but I’m assuming you intend to fuck me. And I’d rather you didn’t touch me with literal blood on your hands.’
Fair enough. Eyes narrowed, I gave her my hand.
She cupped it in her smaller one, and fuck, in one short night, I’d missed the feel of her soft skin against mine. Was damn thirsty for more. ‘Are you going to congratulate me on winning or is that something else I have to drag out of you?’
She flicked me a look from beneath her eyelashes and just like that, my dick, which had half-masted when she knocked on the door, jerked to painful life.
I wanted that look when she was on her knees, deep-throating me. Did she even know how? Would I have to teach her? The possibility thrilled me no end.
For now, I let her clean my cracked skin with a wet towel before she pressed the ice-filled napkin over it. When she started to look around, I caught her wrist to stop further delays.
She protested half-heartedly as I walked her to the dining table.
Seeing her startle at the laid-out table threatened to annoy me all over again.
‘You ordered dinner even after…?’
‘I did. So you better not have gone against my wishes and eaten.’
Her belly gurgled right on cue and, my mood altering with whiplash speed, I laughed at her blushing scowl. ‘I’ll take that as a no.’ I pulled out her chair. ‘Sit down, Maddelena.’
She resisted for the briefest moment. Then sat. ‘You had almost a quarter million people screaming for you. Wasn’t that enough?’
I caught her chin in my hand. ‘Nice as that was, one more wouldn’t hurt.’ Yeah, I was being a bastard, and I could reduce this to petty ‘you-started-it’ with her trying to cancel on me bullshit, but hell, I couldn’t deny I wanted her accolade.
She licked her bottom lip, and I stifled a groan. ‘Congratulations.’
I kept hold of her for a little longer. The feel of her skin was intoxicating and I didn’t drink nearly enough champagne after the race. ‘You watched the race?’
Her nostrils fluttered and she tried to look away, but I loved that she couldn’t. ‘Yeah.’
I couldn’t resist brushing my thumb over her bottom lip. ‘Good.’ I jerked my chin at her plate. ‘Eat. I don’t want you getting dizzy again.’
