Absolute Trust - Jeana E. Mann Page 0,5
parked in the center of the living room, recovers, and moves forward.
The room falls silent as she descends the steps to the lower level. I swallow past the lump in my throat. My baby girl is so fine. Her hair cascades down her back in loose waves. She’s wearing sky high heels, a short white dress that clings to her tiny waist and leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination. Nothing. Gage coughs. Frog lets out a low whistle, and Tripp’s mouth hangs open like a caveman. Although their appreciation for my girl stirs my pride, I don’t care to share her with anyone.
My girl. I don’t know when she made the switch from adversary to mine. The change occurred so gradually, I didn’t realize it had happened. Nonetheless, it’s done. There’s no coming back from the way I feel. Once I’ve made up my mind, I seldom change it. I want her, and I’ll stop at nothing to get her. The harder she fights, the greater my desire.
“This is an unexpected pleasure. And here I thought it was going to be another boring Wednesday night.” I love the way her dark eyes narrow at my flippant statement.
“I’ve been calling and texting you for days.” She doesn’t break her stare, not for a minute. The intensity behind her long eyelashes stirs my dick to life.
“Yeah? Things have been hectic. My bad.” I stretch both arms along the back of the sofa. “What’s up?”
“I brought your car back.” She tosses the keys at my head. I catch them in mid-air. “I don’t want it.”
“It was a gift, darlin’. Don’t you know it’s rude to return a present?”
“Aw, are your feelings hurt?” In a pretend pout, she pushes out her lower lip—a lip so luscious, it begs to be sucked and bitten. “I had no idea you were so sensitive.”
“Oh, I am. For sure.” I throw the keys back at her. She sidesteps and lets them fall on the floor. God, she’s such a handful. I love her rebellious nature. “It’s done. The car is yours. End of story.” My pulse speeds up. Nothing heats my blood like a challenge. This is one contest I intend to win. “Is that all? My boys and I are busy.”
“No. That’s not all. Something happened. Something serious. We need to talk.” Her disapproving glare skates over my men. “A little privacy would be nice.”
“We could take it to the bedroom, if that’s what you want.” My cock twitches at the thought of her naked and willing beneath me.
“I have a busy schedule and not a lot of patience. Get your men out.”
Gage’s eyebrows rise at the authority in her tone. With one hand on her hip, she stares at the guys. They look to me. I nod. One by one, they stand and filter out of the room. I’m so proud of her, I could bust. A few months ago, she would’ve been at my mercy. Not tonight. Tonight, she’s claiming her power, and she wears it as well as that dress.
“All right. Room’s empty. Now, why don’t you sit down and tell me all about it.” I pat the cushion at my side.
She ignores the offer and sits in the chair across from me, tempting my self-control with a flash of thigh as she crosses one knee over the other. Her dark hair contrasts with the white upholstery. “Two FBI agents came to my house. They asked a lot of questions about you. They implicated me in Hubert Spillman’s death. One of them was at the hotel bar in Vegas.”
“The feds have been on my back for years. Don’t tell me you’re afraid of a little heat.”
“Duh—of course I am. I have a legitimate business to run. You might not care what people say, but I do.” She lifts her chin. “I need to know what you’re gonna do about it.”
“Nothing. Not my problem. You handle it.” I throw control back to her and wait to see how she deals with the pressure. “If you wanna be the boss, you gotta sharpen your problem solving skills.”
“The way I see it, this is your problem. They wouldn’t be on my doorstep if it wasn’t for you.” The calmness on her face is belied by the tap of her little finger on the chair arm. “I’m happy to solve the problems I created, but I won’t be responsible for cleaning up your messes.”
“Fair point. I’ll look into it.” My grin widens. As usual, she cuts to the