Page 216 of The Villain We Tempt

Lochlan looks amused as he leans against the doorframe. “To the more pressing subject…”

I roll my eyes. “No,I don’t have the pepper spray on me.”

“The pepper spray that definitely exists.”

I glare at him. “Wanna find out the fun way?”

He chuckles. “Not really.”

My throat bobs as I let my eyes drag over him.

God, it’s so fucking unfair. As pissed as I am at him, just being in his presence melts all that away.

“What do you want,” I growl.

Lochlan’s charming grin fades. “To tell you that you’re mistaken. I never slept with Julia.Dragodid. She was just fucking with you because of your dad tearing her a new asshole for hitting on your Papa.”

I blink rapidly as I stare at him. “Which…you know about because you were stalking me?”

He nods and I huff.

“Great.”

“Galina—”

“I don’t want to hear it!” I hiss. “I mean, when that fucking woman?—”

“I never touched her!”

“Well, you touched plenty ofother?—!”

My words choke off in a strangled gasp as he grabs me, presses me against the sink counter, and wraps a big hand around my throat. I shiver as he looms over me, his raw dark energy radiating over my skin and making my knees weak as he pins me against the marble at my back.

“You know why I’ve been with so many women?!” he snaps.

I grit my teeth and look away. “Jesus?—”

“Look at me,Galina.”

“I don’t want to?—”

I fight him when he cups my jaw with his other hand, but he finally forces my gaze back to his.

“Do you not want to look at me because you’re angry, or because you’re jealous?”

“I’m angrybecauseI’m jealous!” I spit in a hushed voice. “And believe me, I donotneed to know why you’ve been with so many fucking?—”

“I was telling the truth before!” he mutters through grit teeth. “As Ghost, when you asked me why I did the mask thing.”

I roll my eyes. “Let me guess. To get more girls? To acquire more groupies who would fawn all over you and tell you howsexyyou are, and how much they want to fuck?—”

“I had a fuckingdeficiency!” he rasps as he lowers his face right into mine. “I had a black fucking hole inside me that only got filled up with attention and praise and fawning and fandom!”

“Great!” I hiss. “Go deal with that?—”

“You didn't hear me, Galina.”

My brows furrow. “What?”