inhaled. “Why? Are you planning on seeing me again?”
I turned my attention to the ocean. “I also travel quite a bit, Savannah. As a matter of fact, I’m going away for at least two weeks, maybe longer, immediately after the show tomorrow night.” The last thing I wanted her to do was consider coming to the café for any reason. I hadn’t saved her life only to have her caught in any crossfire that might occur.
I would have one chance at taking Alviro. If the shit went down badly, there would be casualties.
“Oh, yes, of course. As a great musician.”
Somehow, I knew her words were meant to taunt me. She didn’t entirely buy the cover story. A red flag was raised. Was it possible she was playing some kind of game? Perhaps a plant of some sort? I was angry at my thought. Her near abduction hadn’t been staged. No one had known I was in town, at least none of my enemies.
“Well, I can see you don’t appreciate my music. That makes me sad,” I answered.
“I don’t see you as the kind of man who needs my approval.”
“You might be surprised, lovely Savannah, what kind of man I truly am.”
“Dangerous. Exciting. Relentless. Your scar gives you away.”
Damn, the woman was driving me insane. I was shocked by her boldness and for the first time in years, I was self-conscious about the old wound. “Perhaps you’re right.”
“How did it happen?”
I absently rubbed my thumb across the bottom edge, remembering the attack as if it had happened yesterday. “Let’s just say I have my share of enemies.”
“Hmmm... I guess something else I need to keep in mind.”
I inched closer, studying the way the wind flowed through her long strands, my mind shifting into desirable situations that could never happen in my life. “Who are you, Savannah? What are you hiding from?”
“I could ask you the same question.”
The desire roared to the surface once again, a longing I refused to avoid.
I took her hand into mine, pulling her fingers to my lips. “Simply your master for the night.”
She shuddered visibly, her lower lip quivering.
I pulled her behind me as I took long strides down the hallway. The only light in the house was over the stove, the bright white of the LED illuminating our passage. There was no fanfare, no additional softness as I pushed her into the room. “Undress,” I commanded as I reached for a single light on the dresser, the slight glow doing little more than allowing my vision to focus.
Yet I could see her eyes flashing a mixture of uncertainty as well as eagerness.
I carefully removed my watch, placing it gingerly on the dresser as I studied her, indulging in those very intense fantasies she’d accused me of. My weapon was next, making certain the safety remained on before easing it beside the Rolex. Everything had a certain place, an order that needed to be maintained.
Which is exactly what I wanted Savannah to understand.
After staring at the gun, her eyes darted all the way to the floor, her nostrils flaring from her defiance. While I did enjoy her rebellious nature, my patience was running thin, my cock begging for relief.
“As I told you once before, if I have to ask you twice for anything, your punishment will be much worse.” The taste of her sweet mouth lingered in mine, the scent of her covering every inch of my body. My muscles were already tense from anticipation of being inside of her, stripping away at the vulnerability I sensed within her.
“And as I told you, I don’t deserve punishment.” She took a decided step backwards, a coy smile crossing her face.
Exhaling, I reached inside one of the drawers, removing a section of coiled rope that I’d had no intention of using in this manner. The entire drawer was full of items I used often when requiring interrogation of an enemy. The fact they hadn’t been used in months weighed on my mind. Perhaps I’d gotten too soft, allowing the door to open with the Los Charlines clan. Perhaps the great honor I’d cherished my entire life had been the very reason the pigs were feasting on our turf.
Even Dartanian had warned me of what he called my generous ways, my own brother preferring the old methods of brutal discipline. However, leaving collateral damage along with bodies and streams of blood had its share of concerns. “Be careful what you wish for, Savannah.”