Page 110 of King of Temptation

Eyebrows flying toward her hairline, Zoe turned to Goldie. “Is this guy for real?”

“Yes, and he’s a pain in my ass.” Rolling her eyes, Goldie waved toward the door, ignoring the dark look Brody was casting in her direction. “There’s only one way in and out of this room, Brody. Go guard the door while I talk to Zoe.”

“All right.” But he didn’t move toward the door. Instead, he once more leaned down, putting his lips directly next to Goldie’s ear, and she nearly whimpered at the twin flashes of arousal and fear shooting through her veins. “But when we get home, you’re going to find out just how much of a pain in your ass I can be, menace. You aren’t going to sit right for a week by the time I’m done with you.”

Okay, she might have pushed him a little too far. But with Zoe watching them with such keen interest, she couldn’t back down. “Don’t threaten me with a good time, O’Rourke.”

“One of us is certainly going to have a good time tonight, brat.”

With that cryptic shot, he gripped her chin, pressed a brutal kiss to her lips, and turned to leave the room. Leaving Goldie staring after him in dazed shock, her entire nervous system suddenly alight.

Closing the door sharply behind them, Zoe crossed her arms and pinned Goldie with a determined stare. “All right, bitch. Start talking.”

Desperately trying to settle her jumping nerves, Goldie shrugged and reached for her soda. Clearly she’d dug herself into a hole, so there was no point in pissing Brody off even more by letting herself get dehydrated. “Manatees don’t really swim, they just sort of move through the water by farting.”

In all the years they’d known each other, Goldie had never once seen Zoe speechless. But for several long seconds, she only stared at Goldie before finding her voice again. “Okay, that’s really fucking weird and not at all what I meant and you know it. Did you pimp me out to the mob?”

“Not really.” At Zoe’s incredulous stare, Goldie sighed. “I mean, yes, technically I pimped you out to Killian O’Rourke. Which I did mean to tell you about, things have just been kind of crazy around here. But I promise it’s all above-board.”

“Above-board? They’re the mafia, Goldie! You are dating a guy in the mob. How has your dad not lost his fucking mind over this?”

Goldie winced at the mention of her father. “He did. We’re… on very shaky ground at the moment. I haven’t really talked to him.”

Because the few times she had after her kidnapping, he’d only made her feel worse about her choices. And even though she knew he was just being protective, she didn’t have the energy to fight with him on top of everything else she had going on. At some point it had simply become easier not to reach out, and clearly her father agreed because she hadn’t gotten a single text or call from him in days.

“Gee, I wonder why,” Zoe said dryly. “I can’t imagine why a police officer would have a problem with his daughter sleeping with a mobster.”

“It’s not like that, Zoe. They’re not like that.”

Lifting her hands to her face, Zoe closed her eyes, pressing her fingers to either side of her nose as if in prayer. “Goldie. You cannot be this gullible.”

Hurt and indignation welled in her chest, but she tamped them down, reminding herself that if the tables were turned she’d likely be having a very similar reaction. “I’m not, I promise. They’re good people who were dealt a really shitty fucking hand, Zoe. And they’re trying to go legit.”

Sighing, Zoe shook her head and crossed the room to drop down into a chair beside Goldie. In yet another “first” of their long-time friendship, there was no playful glint in her eye when she laid a hand on Goldie’s knee and squeezed. “Look me in the eye and swear to me you’re being careful and you know what you’re doing.”

“I promise I’m being careful and I know what I’m doing.” Or at least as careful as she could be under the circumstances. “And you know I wouldn’t have offered your services if I didn’t trust them with my whole being. I would never risk you.”

“Just yourself,” Zoe shot back dryly.

“Well, yeah.” Goldie grinned. “Anything for the plot.”

As she’d hoped, the quip pulled a laugh from her friend. “Fair enough. But if you get yourself killed, I’m going to hunt down the best mad scientist I can find, dig up your body, and have them reanimate you so I can kill you myself. Got it?”

Love, different from what she felt for Brody but no less intense, filled her up as she held her pinky out for Zoe to hook onto. “Got it.”

Chapter 39

Goldie

Three hours after the doors had opened, the line was finally starting to dwindle. Even Dom and Noelle had shown up to support her, which had actually been rather hilarious since Dom seemed equal parts annoyed and confused by Brody’s presence. As grateful as she was for her success and the support, she was also completely and utterly exhausted.

“We’re almost done.” Zoe flashed her a sympathetic smile. “You’re a fucking rockstar, babe, and you absolutely killed it today.”

“Thanks. And thanks for handling everything for this one. Life has been… a lot.”

Dimples flashing, Zoe widened her smile to a toothy grin. “You can thank me by taking me to dinner and telling me all about it like you promised.”

“Deal.”