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“Gregor is technically my uncle. On my ma’s side. Though, like I said, I don’t claim him. He’s the dangerous orc that has been hunting me . . . and now you,” Ansel said, breaking the silence. Though he didn’t look me in the eye, I could see the pained expression on his face. I resisted the urge to reach out and touch him.
“Why is he hunting you?”
“It’s a long story I don’t feel like getting into tonight.” Ansel scrubbed his face with his hand. "Or ever," he added. I felt a prick of irritation. He couldn’t choose to open up one moment and close down the next—it wasn’t fair. I was too involved now, I deserved to know. As if reading the thought from my expression, he sighed, adding, “For right now, let’s just say Gregor is trying to run a business, and I’m making it really hard for him to do that.”
Black rock and . . . sex trafficking.My entire body shivered at the thought. Ansel had told me that my date’s intention was to kidnap me for the purpose of selling my body, but the reality of it didn’t hit me until now. And being in that club surrounded by all those disgusting orcs who worked for Gregor . . . Fuck Liam. He deserved more than a black eye.
“So, that’s what you do all day, huh? Take out drug dealers and sex traffickers? Like some kind of muscly ex-mafia vigilante?” Though Ansel hadn't explicitly said it out loud, I put the pieces together myself. He and his ragtag crew here were part of the mafia.
He nodded slowly; the corner of his mouth quirked into the slightest smile. But that slight smile had the power to warm my entire body. It was so easy to forget the severity of the situation when I was sitting so close to him. Despite myself, I couldn’t stop thinking about that life-changing orgasm. My first orgasm without the assistance of a toy. Did they give out awards for that sort of thing? Because Ansel definitely deserved a gold medal.
Goddess, if he can work that kind of magic with his fingers, just think what he can do with that tongue. Or cock.
My pussy pulsed as the warmth in my chest quickly moved south, pooling between my legs.Down girl. Not now,I mentally told my vagina. But this time I couldn’t blame her.
“Ansel,” I started, “I know I don’t have a lot of common sense—”
“Skye. I’m sorry I said that; I wasn’t in the right state of mind—” He looked at me with apologetic eyes, but I waved away his words before he could continue.
“I know, I had to sneak that in. I couldn’t resist. But I do have a point I’m trying to make.” My scalp felt hot, and I suddenly realized I was still wearing that stupid wig. I ripped it off, tossing it on the floor. “I know I don’t know much about your world, but I have a lot of experience in corporate. I’ve spent a lot of time on team projects, and I’ve had a lot of good and a lot of bad managers. And in my opinion, the biggest mistake a leader could make is refusing to communicate properly to the other team members and not listening to them when they have a complaint.” When this was all over, I would look back on this moment and laugh my ass off at the fact that I was giving managerial advice to an orc mafia boss. Either I was still riding the high from that orgasm, or after thirty-three years, I had finally grown a backbone.
“Thanks Skye,” he said dryly, “but this isn’t corporate America. And I don’t really feel like receiving leadership advice right now. No offense.”
I shrugged, turning my attention to my nails. I wouldn’t lie . . . his words did burn a little. “Demie and Liam are here, and they want to help you. Why won’t you let them?”
Suddenly, his hands were on my waist, and he was dragging me into his lap. He flipped me around in his lap, so I was straddling his waist, just like I had been at the club. My pussy pulsed at the memory. He held my chin firmly between his fingers so I couldn’t look anywhere but into his steely eyes. He stared down at me over his broad nose, his tusks looking so dangerous and sharp.
He licked his thick lips. “Since we’re playing twenty questions, are you finally going to tell me why you were in the alley that night?”
“I told you, I had a date,” I replied. I didn’t mean to, but it came out as a whimper. I couldn’t help it—feeling the press of his cock between my legs, the heat mingling between our bodies—it was too overpowering. I couldn’t stop thinking about how good it felt to have his fingers inside me. It was the only thing I could focus on, aside from those kissable lips framed by two white tusks.
“Fine,” he said, looking a little irritated. “Then at least answer me this—who is Carter?”
Chapter thirteen
Iautomaticallystiffenedinhis arms. “What did you say?” I whispered. “Put me down,” I quickly added, my voice growing louder.
Ansel obeyed, gently setting me on the ground. “Skye . . . what’s wrong?” he asked once I started to slowly pace the floor in front of him. But I barely registered his words; it was hard to hear him over the million questions running through my mind. The corners of the room began to narrow as panic seized my chest.
How did he know Carter? Has Ansel been stalking him? He killed people for a living, so I wouldn’t put it past him to dig into my background and . . .Oh my goddess, did Ansel hurt Carter? Oh no. Oh no, no, no—
“Skye.” Ansel caught me by the waist and pulled me into his chest. The warmth of our skin did nothing to comfort me this time. All I felt was cold. “Can you talk to me, please? You’re breathing really heavy. Are you okay?”
I closed my eyes and nodded my head quickly. “I just need a minute. I’m just spiraling. I just need one minute. Please.” Ansel held me between his knees, his hands barely touching my hips, as I ran through every coping mechanism my therapist had armed me with. I stood there for a few minutes as I slowly breathed in and out through my nose. I tapped my finger on my chest to a slow beat and repeated the mantra over and over again in my head until it became a stream of consciousness:This will pass. You’re just having a panic attack. Carter is okay. Thiswillpass. You’rejusthavingapanicattack. Carterisokay.
I took a deep breath and opened my eyes once I knew I was out of the woods and in the clear. I found Ansel staring back at me, his brows pushed together.
“Are you okay? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you—”
“I’m fine,” I said, swallowing thickly, my mouth dry. “It was just the start of a panic attack. I just get them sometimes.” I hesitated. “How do you know Carter? You . . . you . . . haven’t hurt him, have you?”
“Of course not. I may be a criminal, but I’m not a monster.”
Oh thank goodness. Carter is unharmed.My knees buckled underneath me, and I probably would have slumped to the ground with relief if Ansel hadn’t been holding me up.
“You didn’t answer my question, how do you know Carter?” I asked.
His grip tightened around my waist as he gave me a playful smile. “Technically, it’s your turn to answer, but I’ll give you a pass this one time. He keeps calling your phone. Is he someone you want me to take care of? Because if he’s bothering you—”
