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But I wasn’t.
I washere.
Watching her.
As long as the fucking Rossis stayed away, I was happy. Those bastards I didn’t have time for, not when I had Anna to watch.
My phone lit up, the brightness reflected in the dark, bulletproof glass. I gave a sigh and strode forward, grabbing it from the plush leather seat.
Max: She’s leaving now.
Leaving…to go to the damn party, striding in amongst all those hungry stares and carnal thoughts. I knew what she was walking into. I knew because if this had been anyone else, I’d be watching her, waiting to make my damn move. Her dad was a goddamn genius, layering out money into cryptocurrency in a way that made it virtually impossible to detect. It also took time to retrieve, time we'd had before we'd gotten word that someone wanted our launderer for themselves.
That someone was here, hiding on the island…waiting for a chance to take what was mine.
With a frustrated sigh, I unbuttoned my shirt and strode to the bedroom. It looked like I had a party to attend.
10
Anna
“This is stunning.” I tugged the hemline of the dress.
“Youare stunning in it,” Kat murmured, and took a step back, surveying her masterpiece.
I swallowed hard and lifted my gaze to the mirror. But the woman I looked at wasn’t me.
She was…beautiful. Her hair shimmered with the kind of deep chocolate shine I was envious of. But the dress. Black, sleek, the skirt flaring just a little, but still too short for my liking. But this wasn’t just about what I liked, was it? It was about becoming someone I wasn’t. Someone like all the other women here, and this dress was something they’d wear with pride.
The makeup was flawless, even my eyes were vibrant against my blood-red lips.
“You’re a fucking knockout, Anna.”
My pulse sped with the words. I swallowed hard, tearing my gaze from my bare thighs to the swell of my breasts. The push-up bra Kat let me borrow had done wonders. “Okay,” I admitted, “I love it.”
“Really?” Kat grinned.
I gave a slow nod, unable to tear my gaze away from the mirror. Now I knew how it felt to be one of those people who stared at their own reflection all the time. I smiled. “Really. I don’t even know what to say. I feel incredible.”
“Fuck, yes!” Kat nodded.
“Give me a minute to get ready.” She rushed forward, planting a kiss on my cheek. She rushed from the room, leaving me to tear my gaze from the mirror and busy myself with a drink instead. I grabbed my jacket and slipped it on. The wind from the water could be icy.
“So, if you and Finley aren’t…together, does that mean you’re interested in anyone else?” Kat called out from her room.
I grabbed the bottle of champagne and poured. Interested in someone else? “You mean here?” I asked in surprise.
“Of course here, what do you think this place is for?” she replied. A flurry of fabric followed, then the slick sound of a zipper…a verylongzipper.
Kat strode into the doorway looking drop-dead gorgeous, all shimmering silver and fiery red hair flaring around her face. She looked like royalty…if royalty was supermodel material.
“This place is more than classes and training, Anna.” She strode forward. “How else do you make alliances other than in bed?”
Heat moved through me. Finley’s face followed. I'd known it’d come down to that. I'd known it’d take more than a sworn blood oath. But was I ready for that? For…giving myself to someone dangerous? I met her gaze and saw the same hunger in Kat’s eyes that welled in Finley’s. “I don’t know,” I answered truthfully. “I guess I’m going to have to find out, aren’t I?”
At twenty years old, it was time. I took a gulp of champagne as my body came alive, buzzing and warming with anticipation.
She eyed me up and down. “Now just make sure you take off the dress before the rough stuff, okay?”
