I laughed. “Such a feisty gatita. You’re not terrified. Not like you should be. Then again, I suppose I haven’t shown you what I’m fully capable of yet.” My grin sharpened, and she shrank back a little. My arrogant laugh boomed through the room, filling the space in a shock of sound. The strangeness of it sobered me. “I promised to feed you, and it’s getting cold.”
My arms bracketed her body as I reached for the knife and fork. I cut the steak into several bite-sized pieces before shifting the utensils into one fist. I didn’t think Samantha would go for the knife, but I’d err on the side of caution. She’d proven to be unpredictable, which I found delightful. Although I didn’t believe she was capable of doing any real damage after the razorblade incident, it wouldn’t hurt to silently communicate that she had no chance of resisting me.
With my free hand, I picked up a piece of steak and lifted it to her lips. She turned her face away, her eyes lifting to mine.
“What are you doing?”
“Feeding my pet. Aren’t you hungry, gatita?”
She blew out an exasperated sigh. “Fine. But only because I’m hungry, not because I’m your pet.”
“Can’t you be both?”
“No.”
I chuckled. She really was adorable, and it wasn’t worth arguing with her when she’d already lost. “Eat.”
She didn’t defy me this time. Her lush lips parted, and I placed the steak on her tongue. Her eyes practically rolled back in her head, and her low moan went straight to my cock. Her lips closed around my fingertips, sucking them clean. I’d come less than half an hour ago, and already she stirred my lust for her.
“You like carne asada?” I asked, my voice rougher than I intended.
She pulled back, flicking her tongue over my fingertips before releasing them.“I like meat,” she replied, seeming oblivious to the obvious innuendo. “All kinds of meat. If it used to moo, I’ll definitely eat it. This is so good. I want more.”
“Greedy and savage,” I remarked with amusement. “You can have as much as you want.”
“I’m not savage,” she mumbled. “I couldn’t even kill you properly.”
“No, you couldn’t.” The small scratch on my chest from her pathetic attack with the razorblade was evidence of that. “I don’t think you have it in you. That doesn’t mean I’ll give you access to a knife anytime soon, though.”
“I’m a trained field agent,” she said, defensive.
“Not a very good one.” It was a simple observation, not an insult. I was pleased with her sweet nature, and I wouldn’t mock her for her tender heart.
“I shouldn’t have transferred from tech analyst,” she lamented instead of taking offense.
“Probably not,” I agreed. “My brother has his own tech team. They looked into you. By all accounts, they were very impressed. It’s why Cristian let you live.” My levity melted at the thought of my brother. I didn’t like mentioning him around her. I didn’t want her thinking about him at all.
“Because he wants me to protect him from the FBI,” she said glumly. “He wants me to save his miserable life.”
“He does,” I responded in a monotone. “And you will. It’s my job to make sure you do. You won’t do it for Cristian, but for me. I want you to stop thinking about my brother and start thinking about pleasing me.” I needed to shift her focus back to me, or my possessive ire would break through my controlled façade. She belonged to me, not Cristian.
“And you can start by finishing your meal,” I directed.
“You’re the one who insists on feeding me one tiny piece at a time,” she complained.
“If you’d stop sassing me, this would go faster,” I drawled, her fiery streak distracting me from my mounting anger.
She narrowed her eyes at me in an attempt to communicate displeasure, but the annoyance was wiped from her features as soon as I resumed feeding her. It seemed she couldn’t hold on to her indignation when succumbing to the simple satisfaction of a good meal, especially when she hadn’t eaten all day.
When she finally turned her face away to indicate that she was full, I tucked into what was left of the steak. She’d devoured more than half of it, but I didn’t begrudge my savage little pet’s appetite. I’d enjoyed feeding her from my hand as much as she’d enjoyed the meal.
I finished the steak and set down the utensils before shifting her off my lap. “Stay.” I squeezed her hips to reinforce the command.
She didn’t budge as I wheeled the cart out of the bedroom and into the sitting room. No need to tempt her by leaving the knife right beside the bed.
I returned to the bedroom and shut the door behind me. She’d stretched out on the mattress, and she blinked at me slowly as I approached. She appeared relaxed. Exhaustion from her tumultuous day seemed to be dulling her desire to resist me.
As much as I liked seeing her sleepy and sated in my bed, she needed to take care of the few essential needs I’d allow her to handle on her own.