Bastards and Scapegoats (Twisted Legacy Duet #1) - CoraLee June Page 0,39
personal space.
I glanced over my shoulder at my mother. I was expecting her to be giggling over something Joseph said, but no, she was glaring at me. Her posture was stiff, and the angry rise and fall of her chest made me duck in shame. Beside her, Joseph kept his expression void of emotion, but he was aggressively adjusting his cufflinks. “Please leave me alone,” I whispered. I didn’t want any trouble. I didn’t want to make things more difficult for my mother.
“I can’t even talk to you? That’s not fair. I have a job for you that I wanted to discuss,” Hamilton pouted.
“What?” A job?
“I’m leaving for the rig tomorrow. They called me back early. Jess officially moved in with Infinity, and I need someone to watch Little Mama while I’m gone. I was wondering—”
No way. I was going to get to dog sit! “Yes. Absolutely yes. Can I come get her tonight? Do you need anything for her? I should get her a bed for my apartment. A kennel? Dog treats. Toys. A leash.”
Hamilton grinned. “Whoa. Hold up. I have all of those things. I can bring it over tomorrow, but you’re going to have to unblock me. I need to be able to FaceTime Little Mama at least once a day.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “This feels like a trick.”
“I’m just using every advantage I have. Blame it on my Beauregard blood,” Hamilton replied before reaching out and running his index finger down my arm. I shivered at his touch. I knew if I looked down that my chest would be flushed. Fuck, this was not the time or the place.
“Fine. I’ll watch her. But this”—I gestured between us to emphasize my point—“can’t happen.”
“Sure, it can,” Hamilton whispered. “What are you afraid of?” I looked back at my mother. She was whispering to Joseph, her eyes locked on me.
“Why does Joseph hate you so much?” I asked.
A bit of the playfulness in Hamilton’s expression faded. “I’ve given Joseph plenty of reasons to hate me over the years. Hating someone doesn’t make you right and them wrong, it’s just an outlet for hurt. There’s a lot of hurt in our family, Vera. I’m sure you’ll learn all about it soon enough. Does that scare you?”
“A little,” I admitted. Hamilton wrapped his large hand around my wrist. The push and pull between us was exhausting.
“Come with me,” he whispered before pulling me through the crowd and away from the interrogative eyes of my mother, though I could feel her hard stare on my back.
We exited the ballroom through a side door, then started traveling down a long dark hallway toward another part of the venue. Towering glass windows lined the walls we walked past, and I could see lush gardens outside. It really was a beautiful place. If Joseph wasn’t determined to get married at his family home to feel closer to his mother, I bet Mom would have loved to tie the knot here.
“Come on,” Hamilton whispered before pulling me into a small storage room.
“What are we doing?” I asked as he slammed the door shut.
“This,” Hamilton groaned before cupping my cheeks and slamming his lips to mine.
We collided so beautifully. It was an intense embrace between my body and his. His tongue searched my mouth with white-hot fever. I moaned against his lips, clawing at his back like this wasn’t wrong. Like we weren’t forbidden. Like this didn’t have the power to ruin everything.
Heat traveled up my spine, and my nipples hardened into tight peaks, pressing against the thin fabric of my black dress. My body felt like a carton of fireworks, his fingers like the strike of a match against my skin. He found the helpful slit in my dress, and he roamed his hands over my heated thighs, teasing me, pleasing me, making me pant with need. “Are you going to let me taste you, Petal?” he asked. He ran his thumb along my panties, and I moaned before sinking my teeth into his bottom lip. I felt wild and wanton.
I reached for the zipper at my ribcage and slid the barrier between us down. Hamilton shoved the straps of my dress off my rounded shoulders and shoved the expensive material to the ground. My free breasts pressed against his chest, and he palmed my peaks with his warm hand. I arched my back, pushing him closer. Harder.
“If I wasn’t so fucking desperate for you to ride my face, I’d make you drop to