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“Killian.” She’s clearly not in the mood to be messed with. Well, neither am I.
“We need to talk,” I say, mimicking her stance.
Her eyebrow shoots up. “If you’re here to apologize….”
My bark of laughter stops her cold. “Apologize? For what?” I hold up a hand before she can answer that. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. I’m not here to apologize.”
“Then why are you here?” she snaps.
“Because you’ve been keeping something from me.” I prowl closer, closing the space between us. “And I don’t like being played for a fool.”
“I haven’t kept anything from you,” she says coldly. Her eyes dart nervously back to the foyer, but the butler is nowhere to be seen.
“Then why do the Russians have an interest in you?” I don’t know if they’re technically interested in her, but I know they’ve brought her up on more than one occasion, and that can’t be a coincidence.
“What?” Her breath hitches, but it’s not out of fear of being caught. She genuinely looks concerned. And confused. “What are you talking about? I have nothing to do with the Russians.”
“Right. So they just happen to mention you more than once for the hell of it?” I sneer.
“Killian, I have no idea what happened or what’s been said about me, but I can assure you—I have nothing to do with them.” The way she says it makes me want to believe her. But women have lied to me before.
“Are you sure?” I take another step closer. Cara falls back a step, pressing against the wall.
Irritation sparks in her eyes as her chin jerks up. “I’m sure. I’m not lying to you. I don’t know why the Russians would mention me at all.”
I can’t tell if she’s telling the truth or just a really good actress. Either way, I can see she’s not going to give me anything. I’m not sure why I bothered coming all the way out here to try and bully it out of her when I knew it wouldn’t have worked. But after yesterday, I just couldn’t stop thinking about her. Toying with her like that…it had been a terrible idea. Because if I hadn’t been able to get her out of my head before, now I have the memory of her body pressed against mine to make it all worse.
I hadn’t come here with the expectation of Cara giving up the truth. She’s too smart for that and too stubborn. But I knew my little visit would irritate her, maybe piss her off enough to start widening those cracks I’ve been seeing. Like when she didn’t say no in my apartment. I knew then that she was going to break, just like any other woman. No one could withstand my pressure for very long, and I’d make sure Cara knew that.
“I’m leaving one of my men here to be your bodyguard,” I say finally, turning my back on her. I count down in my head, just waiting for the reaction I knew was coming.
“What?” I hear her scrambling behind me. “No, the hell you aren’t.”
Whipping around, I glare back at her, feigning irritation. “This isn’t negotiable. The Russians are closing in, and if they’ve taken even an ounce of interest in you, I’d feel a lot better if one of my men were with you.”
“I don’t need your men. I have my own,” she shoots back, right on cue. Never in a million years would she allow me to have my men watch her. She knows they’ll report back to me. Which they most definitely would.
“So you don’t trust me?” I ask, moving in closer. This time, she doesn’t back up. Instead, her feet plant on the carpet, spine straightening to look me in the eye. I can see the challenge there, her daring me to try the little stunt I’d pulled back in my own house.
“Why the hell would I trust you?” she snaps. There’s a dark look in her eyes, and I’m sure she’s remembering yesterday just as clearly as I am. “I can vet my own guys to watch over me.”
I’m moving before I even realize it. Pinning her to the wall, my fingers grip her wrists tightly, my knee between her thighs. Cara hisses in protest, but she doesn’t fight back. Her eyes are filled with loathing, promising I’ll regret every single time I’ve touched her.
“You need to start trusting me. And my men. Especially if you’ll be my wife soon,” I murmur. She wriggles against me uncomfortably, shifting from one foot to the other. The feeling of her against me sends all the blood straight between my legs.
“Well, tough shit.” She glares up at me, jaw clenched. “Because that will never happen.”
My fingers tighten, forcing her arms above her head. Her back is forced to arch, breasts brushing against my chest. It sends off a current of electricity up and down my spine. I try to ignore the feelings she’s causing me to have, instead focusing on the hate in her eyes. It anchors me, forcing me to think more clearly. I came here to get under her skin, not the other way around.
I let her go, taking a step back and a sharp breath. “Why do you have to be so goddamn stubborn?”
She hurriedly pulled down the tank top that had ridden up, shooting me another hate-filled glare. “And why do you have to be such a damn bully?”
“I’m trying to protect this alliance,” I say, gritting my teeth. “Something you don’t seem to care too much about. It’s almost as if you want to sabotage this.”
“Don’t you dare accuse me of that. I care more than you. I’m the one who tried to call a truce between us and get to know you. You’re the one who keeps throwing my efforts back in my face.”
“And now you’re doing the same.” I can’t help but taunt her. It’s too easy to get her riled up. Pink bursts along her cheeks.
