His brutal words rip a gasp of shock from my throat. His full lips quirk and satisfaction sparkles in his eyes. “Good. You’re finally getting it.”
And he sets me down on my feet, his hands steadying me even as my knees try to buckle.
With a nod at the auctioneer he walks out the door and I see a dark-tinted limo sitting outside. One of their men stands by the door and I see the little bump in his ear. He taps it and smiles. Aqua eyes sparkle.
“Got her, I see.”
“Yes, Henry. Can you make sure that nobody follows us? You and Vic. The other guys need to stay close to the car. But send Jack and Razor to the plane. Make sure we don’t have any surprises there either.”
He nods and tips his head to me.
Jackson thrusts me in the back seat and then crowds in after me. “Airport please,” he growls to the driver and then puts the fogged glass up so that he can’t see or hear us.
My heart pounds and I lick my lips, my mouth suddenly dry. “Not quite the pet you thought I was?” He leans back in the seat, spreading his legs and relaxing into the crisp-smelling, cool leather.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Jackson.” I know what he’s talking about. At least I think I do.
I’ve always thought of Jackson Price as a smooth-talking, good-natured friend. Someone I could count on, if need be. But someone that was about as dangerous as a kitten playing with a little piece of string.
This man is not that. My eyes roam up and down the tense body and flaring heat in his deep blue eyes. He’s like a tightly-coiled panther. A predator ready to strike out at its prey.
Under his glare I feel like a tiny baby bunny. Defenseless and frozen in place. Unwilling to risk him spotting me if I run.
“Cat got your tongue, baby girl?” The smirk on his lips has a cruel twist to it.
“N-no. I’m alright. Just tired.”
He darts forward quickly and his big hands land on either side of me on the plush seat. I throw myself backwards and gasp.
“What the hell, Jackson?” I whisper.
“Yes, Sasha. What the hell? What the hell were you thinking?” he growls. He leans even closer and I push my head into the cushions, desperate to move back out of the line of fire. “Because I had to take the time to make sure that we had enough cover in case something went sideways. But that slowed me down. What if I hadn’t managed to get there in time? What would have happened then? You could have been kidnapped by some raving lunatic. You could have been raped or worse. What if the man who won you killed you and I never found you again? What the hell do you think that would have done to me, Sasha? Did you even think about that? Did you think about how many fucking things could have gone wrong in this hare-brained scheme of yours?”
“But this is Alejandro’s family. I trust him.”
His hand darts out and wraps around my throat, tightening lightly, just enough pressure to make it sting. Make me aware of him. “His family is not Alejandro. He is trustworthy. He is good. Well, mostly. But he’s a loyal friend…he has a code. Those men back there…the only code they have is pleasure and business. They couldn’t care less if you get hurt. If you end up dead. As long as the buyer pays, they don’t give a shit about you. Not like I do,” he growls out. Then his lips slam down on mine, his hand tightening just a smidge more. Leaning over me he blocks out the light. Covers me with the strong muscles I’ve fantasized about every night for years.
But not like this. His body singes me. Flames lick at my nerve endings. His tongue darts out and pushes the seam of my lips apart. He doesn’t ask. He doesn’t beg. He takes. The man that I’ve trusted for years. The man I thought was so calm and controlled all the time pushes my thighs wide and pushes over top of my body.
His hand wraps in my hair and pulls my head back, his lips sliding down my throat, his tongue and teeth scraping and laving my skin until I feel that fire raging out of control. My belly clenches, my eyes close and I struggle to breathe, to calm the frantic beating of my pulse.
He draws back slowly, his lips skimming up my throat to slam down on my mouth, drawing my gasp into his lungs. Fast and hard. Then he backs off, his teeth closing on my bottom lip, dragging at it until the slight sting makes tears well in my eyes.
“I’m not a good man, Sasha. I’ve always taken care with you. I’ve always made sure that I kept everything under control with you. Because of your past. Because I wasn’t willing to risk our friendship. Wasn’t willing to risk you. But you managed to blow that all to hell with this one stunt. Don’t blame me if you regret it. Because we’re not going back now. The genie’s out of the bottle.”
My eyes widen and a weightless feeling creeps over me. I lift my hand to my mouth, running my finger along my bottom lip. There’s a drop of blood on my finger and my eyes dart to his.
Dark and dangerous, his blue eyes don’t flinch at all. His body coiled and stretched out, lean and muscular. My best friend is nowhere in sight. This man is someone I’ve never met.
But although he scares me, I kinda like it. What the hell is wrong with me?
CHAPTER4
Jackson
Iwatch her, fascinated by the emotions running across her beautiful face. A smirk tugs at my lips and she glances over, ducking her head when she sees me watching her.
I don’t think my little fawn thought she’d get the response she did when she came up with this stunt. My buddy, Alejandro set it up but he told me what the plan was when they finally let me know.