BONES
I GLARE AT Mia as she stands in the hallway, dressed in the same clothes she stormed into the hospital wearing. It reminds me that I still need to get her belongings from my beach house. “What the fuck are you doing?” I snap at her.
She takes a step back but lifts her chin. “How did you know I was here?” Her eyes go to Jasmine, who shakes her head.
“I asked you a question.” I avoid answering hers. “I told you to go straight back to my house after breakfast.”
“Don’t talk to her like that,” Jasmine snaps at me from behind. I turn to face her, and she continues, “She’s a grown-ass woman, and she can do whatever the fuck she wants.”
Ignoring her, I turn to face Mia once again.
“I’m sorry,” Mia says in a small voice, looking down at her hands.
“Don’t apologize to him, Mia. You owe him nothing.” Jasmine growls.
I spin around to face Jasmine again. Grabbing her upper arm, I drag her back into her office and slam the door shut behind us.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Jasmine shouts at me.
“Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” I get in her face. “You’re putting her in danger.”
“Danger from what?” She scoffs. “The only danger I see for her is you.”
I step back and run a hand through my hair. Cross had spoken to Alexa, who had informed him that Jasmine and Mia had gone to the club, and I was livid. On top of everything else going on, I had to chase them down. “You don’t understand, Jasmine.” I sigh. “Just leaving my house puts her at risk.”
“Then explain it to me.” She places her hands on her hips.
I fall into the chair in front of her desk and look up at her. “We think it was one of the Bianchi brothers who shot Luca.” Her eyes widen. “In an attempt to lure Mia back here.”
“I—”
“She passed out at the hospital because the Bianchi boys had assaulted her a few days before Luca was shot. She needs to stay hidden for now. No one can know of her. Not yet. Not until we have a lead on who the fuck shot Luca and how I can protect her. Do you understand that?”
She falls into her seat and nods. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know …”
“Now you do. So instead of giving me the ‘she doesn’t answer to me’ speech, please stay out of it.” With that, I get up and exit her office in search of Mia. I find her in the last room to the right.
She stands in front of an iron railing, running her fingers along it.
I lean back against the padded wall and cross my arms over my chest, watching her. Her breathing picks up, and I would give anything to hear what she’s thinking.
Looking up, she meets my eyes, and her cheeks turn red. Licking her lips, she asks, “You own part of Kink?”
So she’s been talking to Jasmine. “Just on paper.” When Jasmine came to me with her idea, I told her that I would help her in any way that I could. I believe in what she and Alexa are doing. I have no doubt that they can run this place and make it very profitable. But as always, someone was in their way, and they needed someone with a dick.
“Have you-are you into this kind of stuff?” Her eyes roam over the bench that sits in front of her.
“I’ve been a member for a while now,” I answer honestly. I joined the New York location after Tristan and Avery Decker took us there while we were trying to find a lead for Titan and Emilee.
She swallows, her eyes dropping to the floor.
I step into her, and they snap up to mine. Reaching out, I tuck her hair behind her ear, letting my fingertips run down her neck, feeling her pulse race.
My eyes search hers while my dick hardens in my slacks. I’d love to tie her down in one of these rooms, put a do not disturb sign on it, and keep her here. Make it her new prison. Her own hell. That would ensure her safety. No one would ever think to look for her here, and I’d get to use her however and whenever I want. It’s a win-win for me.
“Dillan.” She breathes my name, licking her lips nervously.
My hand slides to the back of her neck, tangling in her hair, while the other wraps around her waist, pulling her into me. Her eyes grow heavy when she feels my cock pressed into her lower abdomen. I’m not going to pretend I don’t want her. That’s idiotic. “Has anyone ever kissed you other than me, Mia?” I ask, licking my lips.
“No,” she answers breathlessly.
So innocent. So pure. Wish I knew why that turned me on even more. “Have you ever come for a man before?” Obviously, if she’s never been kissed, I doubt one has ever gotten her off.