I feel Broderick standing in the doorway before he speaks. “That’s enough. Let’s get this over with.” His voice has gone hoarse.
I turn slowly to face him and open my eyes. Gods, the way he looks at me. Like he wants to fight and fuck and then run as far and fast from me as he can. He’s got a shit poker face; another fact I file away. Those blue eyes are practically an inferno as his gaze follows the path of the water down my body, tracing over my lips, my breasts, my stomach, my pussy, my legs.
“See something you like?”
He shakes his head slowly, but he can’t seem to raise his gaze from my breasts. The sheer intensity on his face has goose bumps rising over my skin. I don’t know what changed in the last few minutes, but any hesitation is gone. He flicks his fingers at me. “Get over here.”
I wring out my hair slowly, letting the tension between us become thicker and thicker. It feels like the moment before a storm breaks, the air thick and heavy with promised violence. I lick my lips. “Make me.”
“Monroe.”
Gods, the way he says my name. A warning I have no intention of heeding. When’s the last time I danced on the edge of true danger? I can’t remember. No matter how brutal life can be in Sabine Valley, I’m at the top of the hierarchy. Aside from clashes with the other factions from time to time, no one fucks with me. No one even dares to try.
I suddenly very much want Broderick to do more than try.
I flick my hair over my shoulder. “Make me,” I repeat. His eyes flare in response, but he doesn’t move. That’s okay. I have more than enough ammunition to provoke him at this point. Still, Broderick seems to have an honorable streak—to his eventual detriment—so I throw him the smallest of bones. “Play with me, Broderick Paine. If you want to be the conquering warlord, you can’t just ride in on your big brother’s coattails and let him do all the work. You want the Amazon heir?” I motion to my body, my nipples going tight when he follows the movement. “Earn it.”
He tenses, obviously fighting himself. “I have no desire to hurt you by accident.”
He really is too easy. I laugh. “Please. As if you could.” I weave my wet hair into a quick braid to keep it out of my face. “Do you know what I think?”
“I’m sure you’re about to tell me.”
“I think you’re weak.” I tilt my head to the side, pretending to think. “Or is it because of the pretty little girl-next-door brunette that we met on the way in here? What was her name…” I snap my fingers. “Shiloh.”
“Keep her name out of your mouth.” He takes a step forward.
I weigh the distance between us. Close but not close enough. He just needs one last little push to send him hurtling over the edge. I lower my voice and lean forward a bit. “You can call me by her name if you want. Since you’re obviously too much a coward to have closed the deal with her.”
“Monroe.” On his tongue, my name sounds like a curse. I kind of like it.
“Actually, I have a better idea.” I give him a slow, predatory smile. “Maybe I’ll say her name instead. I bet her pussy tastes as sweet and innocent as she looks.”
Broderick moves, faster than I would have given him credit for. If I weren’t waiting for it, he would have caught me flat-footed. As it is, I sucker punch him and slip past. He careens into the wall with a muffled curse, but he’s recovered by the time I reach the bathroom door. Tough bastard.
“You bitch.”
“Don’t think you’ll turn my head with pretty compliments.” I twist around and back toward the bed.
Broderick looks like he wants to wring my neck. He rushes me, and even though I try to dodge, he hooks an arm around my waist and takes us both to the bed. I’m fighting as soon as my back hits the mattress, but he’s ready for me this time. He grabs my wrists and forces them over my head, dodges my attempt to knee him in the balls, and wedges himself between my thighs. All in the span of three seconds.
Impressive.
He growls. “It didn’t have to be like this.”
“On the contrary.” I shiver, my desire making me forget myself for a moment. Broderick really is a worthy opponent, though I’d cut out my own tongue before I admitted as much. “It most definitely had to be like this.”
He looks like he wants to argue, but I stop the words by arching up and kissing him. He tenses against me. For a moment, I think he might keep fighting this, but he makes a low sound against my mouth, and then he’s kissing me back. It’s just as much a battle as everything has been up to this point. We fight for dominance even as he shifts my wrists to one hand and reaches between our bodies to shove two fingers into me.