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Hearing her say my name in that sultry voice of hers nearly undoes me. But hearing her beg me whilst saying my name? Fuck. Me.
I told myself to stay in control of my attraction to her, to stifle it while getting the information I needed, both about her past and the reason why I’m drawn to her. Now, I believe I was a fool. How could I ever think I’d be able to keep my lust for Calista from overriding my original goal?
“Listen, if you answer one question, you’ll never have to see me again,” I lie.
Her arched brows snap together. “What is it?”
“That picture in your file, the one of you bruised. What really happened that night?”
I keep my gaze locked on her face, which is why I catch it paling, becoming like the moon just outside. Calista’s lips part, and she sucks in a breath. It causes her breasts to rise, nearly spilling over the neckline of her shirt. Although it steals my attention, whets my appetite, I don’t look away from her crestfallen expression.
“There’s something to that,” I say. She startles at the sound of my voice, her eyes widening more than they already were, the hazel all but disappearing. “That event is significant. Tell me why.”
She ducks her head and brings a trembling hand to the button to release her seatbelt. Her fingers are shaking so badly she’s unsuccessful. I lean over and place my hand on top of hers, stilling her movements. She jerks up her head to look at me, and the emotion in her gaze has my chest tightening.
If I thought I knew what fear looked like, this is something worse. Something disturbing.
I’m half a second from grabbing her and… what? Comforting her? The idea repels me but also calls to me. I suppress the conflicting urges.
“Callie, tell me what happened.”
“I—I can’t. Please let me go.”
There’s something in her voice that stabs me, going past my defenses and straight into my soul. It bleeds black. An oil spill that stains everything it comes into contact with. She’ll be no different, ruined like me, but that won’t stop me.
“I’m not going to do that,” I say.
Calista must see the determination in my gaze and hear the ironclad will behind it because she stiffens. “You might think you can use your money and influence to get what you want, but you can’t buy my secrets any more than you can force them from me.”
“Is that a challenge?”
I run my gaze over her face, letting it trail along the slope of her cheek, across her full lips, and down her slender neck. She doesn’t move, but her pulse ratchets up, flickering wildly underneath her delicate skin. I reach out and drag a finger over the spot, enjoying her heart’s uneven cadence.
“I really hope so.”
“Goodnight, Mr. Bennett.”
Calista clicks the button to release her seatbelt and pushes my arm away. After lifting her chin, she begins to remove my coat.
“Keep it,” I say. “There’s no need to draw attention to yourself when you walk inside. You’ve done enough of that for one evening.”
She opens her mouth, most likely to argue, but snaps it shut when I raise a brow in warning. Then she gives me a curt nod and opens her door. I keep my gaze locked on her as she walks to her apartment building and disappears inside. Then I wait until I see her silhouette through her bedroom window.
Except tonight, it’s not enough.
Chapter12
Calista
Hayden Bennett is gorgeous,domineering, and an asshole.
I stand in the middle of my apartment while my thoughts careen within my mind. Every one is centered around the attorney and his actions. Not just those from tonight, but all of them, since the day I first saw him. How can I describe Hayden with mere words? They’re nothing but a combination of letters and sounds, unable to convey the depth and meaning that goes with a man like him.
Calculating.
Cruel.
Cold.
