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I took another gulp, draining the glass then swirling it back and forth in my hand. I’d left within minutes of our second round of passion, saying very little to her. No one would ever confuse me with being romantic. She’d tried to get too close, or maybe that was my jaded thinking. In truth, she’d just wanted to get to know more about me. What I was forced to realize was that I could easily break her.
Shifting forward, the ugly voice inside of me refused to release its claws.
Fuck her. Own her. Use her.
“Stop. Just stop.” The frustration and sadness rose up like the ugly beast it was. I tossed the glass against the fireplace, gasping for air. I was forced to press my hand against my chest, pain almost blinding.
No. No. No!
Huffing, I jerked to my feet, taking long strides toward the small but fully stocked bar. My hand was shaking from an extreme hit of adrenaline as I grabbed another glass, finally able to shove aside my sadistic desires. Business. I had to think about business.
I took several deep breaths, hating my body’s reaction. I’d prided myself in my control for my entire adult life. I’d failed on that level as well as with everything else.
I’d been angry with Aspen’s analysis of the financial situation, but she was accurate on every count. Damn it. She was good at what she did. A bead of perspiration trickled down the side of my face. I wiped it away furiously, cursing under my breath. After adding another ice cube and filling the glass, I moved to the set of French doors, staring out at the blackened night.
There were freaking stars in the sky like there were almost every night. And I hated it. I had one of the most exquisite views on the entire estate, but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d bothered to look.
Nothing had mattered to me for so damn long.
Except for Aspen.
Her face.
Her stunning eyes.
The lilt of her voice.
Use her. Take her. Possess her.
Damn it. What the fuck did I think I was doing? Her scent lingered on my skin, the taste of her adding to the richness of the scotch. And my cock ached all over again just thinking about her. She’d surrendered to my needs, yet she’d had no idea the kind of man she’d just fucked.
She would soon learn.
I was the kind of monster nightmares were made of.
In order to get the hell out of this mess, I had to force myself to stay away from her. Somehow. That wasn’t going to be easy, but I refused to drag her into the middle of a fight that had started so long ago. No one was going to hurt her.
My heart racing, I took another gulp, grimacing when I heard my phone. It was freaking late. Not only did I not expect any business calls at this hour, I was pissed that someone would bother my private time. After grabbing it from the coffee table, I was furious to see my brother’s number on the screen. What the hell did the man want now? I’d made it pretty damn clear he needed to find another patsy. I stared at the screen for a few seconds before forcing the call into voicemail then tossing my phone.
No way I was getting into the same old argument again.
I left the phone where it was, making plans for the day ahead. Maybe it was time to pay a visit to Prescott. He needed to know exactly what would happen if he continued pushing me.
Then there was a meeting of the board of directors. I would need to curtail my defensiveness, able to show them a new plan was in place. If what I suspected about Prescott was true, and if the FBI was really looking into his business activities, I had a feeling that things might be looking up in the future.
I turned around one last time, studying the licking flames. I could almost feel Carmine looking down, disgusted with the man I’d become.
That was it.
Time for the old Montgomery Wolfe to return, only this time I’d sharpen my claws.
* * *
The morning dawned with the same crystal blue skies that I’d grown accustomed to. I stood outside my vehicle, staring at the mountains in the distance, inhaling the crisp, clean air. I was in a surprisingly good mood for a change, maybe because I’d had some kind of breakthrough overnight.
Was it because of the luscious woman I’d fucked for hours? Perhaps. Or maybe my determination to finally exact the revenge I’d hungered for was the driving factor. Either way, I was prepared for whatever the damn day had to offer.
Including a difficult meeting with the board.
