Page 108 of Beguiled

The woman was pushy as hell. I snatched a kitchen towel from the drawer, placing my drink down so I could accommodate her needs. With the water on, I barely paid any attention to what I was doing in wetting the cloth.

Her eyes were shining brightly even after another attempt on her life. Her defiance was noble and a trait I wanted to discipline out of her. I almost laughed at the thought. I held more respect for her than for almost anyone I’d come across.

“Thank you.” Her voice wavered, the light tremble giving away her anxiety.

I gently rubbed the towel under my eye, but I could instantly tell my attempt wasn’t good enough.

“Come here.” I didn’t budge just to see what she would do. “Now, you listen to me. Come here.”

As I leaned over, I was rewarded with a deeper infusion of her sensual scent, night-blooming jasmine that had yet to fade. She took the towel from my hand with a hard jerk, but as soon as she pressed the cloth against my eye, everything about her softened.

Her expression.

Her actions.

Even her eyes.

“You’re very lucky the cut didn’t reach your eye. You could have lost your vision. You really should have stitches.”

And her voice. So soft. So inviting. My cock twitched in appreciation even though now wasn’t the time. “Nothing a butterfly bandage won’t cure.”

There were some curse words said under her breath as she moved from my eye to my lip. Every time she blotted the blood, she darted her tongue across her bottom lip.

I had the strong urge to capture her lips, dragging her across the island.

Another desire that couldn’t be fulfilled.

Finally, I pulled her hand away, bringing her hand to my lips. As I rolled them across her knuckles, she held her breath.

“That isn’t going to work,” she whispered.

“What?”

“Trying to seduce me.”

With a light chuckle, I freed her hand and tossed the towel into the sink. “Then I guess there’s nothing left but for you to tell me what in the hell happened.”

Her entire demeanor changed, her nose wrinkling as she tried to look away. I cupped her jaw in response, refusing to allow her to slide out of telling me the truth.

Which she was famous for doing.

“Start at the beginning.”

“I don’t where that is exactly.”

“Then who died tonight?” I asked with full bluntness.

“What?”

“You said she was killed. Who was she and how do you know?”

“Tawny, my best friend, who also works for you.”

That I hadn’t expected. “What did you say?” I wasn’t going to suggest that I could remember every employee on my floor. However, I was damn good with names. Plus, I’d never seen Saige spend time with anyone who worked around her.

And I’d been paying attention.

“Well, not directly for you, but for your company. She’s in marketing. Was in marketing. Oh, God.” A single tear slipped past her lashes. An indication the two were close. How had I not known? “Why did he kill her?”