Her lashes flickered. “Um…” He hated that she glanced at Ant. “Are we done?”
The bastard winked at her. Winked. Bile surged in Sterling’s stomach. “Yeah. I think so. For today at least. We can keep digging tomorrow. You need some sleep.” He tucked a curl behind her ear in a gesture that made Sterling’s blood boil. It was far too gentle. Far too intimate. He set his teeth.
Roni nodded and ripped her gaze from Ant’s face. “Right. Well, we got a lot done.”
“We did, darlin’.” Ant nodded. “And this gives me a lot to work with.” He stood with a scrape of his chair and picked up his laptop. “I’m…looking forward to tomorrow,” he said in a far too seductive tone. Although Sterling was pretty sure the smarm was for his benefit, based on Ant’s smug glance.
Sterling’s hands closed to fists. He struggled for control. He didn’t know why he felt such roiling possessiveness. Why suddenly he wanted to rip out Ant’s throat for touching her, smiling at her, looking at her. The voice in his head screamed, mine.
He hadn’t had feelings like this since…
His chest tightened. Since Dancer.
He’d never thought he’d feel like this again.
Sworn never to feel this way again. It was far too painful.
But it was too late. Roni had crept into his soul, into his veins, into his heart. He had to acknowledge that he wanted her. Not just in his bed—tied to his bed, preferably. He simply wanted her. That Ant might want her too, despite his devotion to Beth, made his throat clog.
There was only one course of action.
He had to win her, show her, possess her. Make her realize he was the only man who could touch her. Who should touch her.
His resolve firmed. Tonight. Tonight he would take her. All out. Tonight he would give her everything. He hoped that once she knew the full force of his passion, she’d be so boneless, so replete, she’d never look at another man again.
Especially Ant.
It would be a damn shame if he had to kill his friend.
* * *
Sterling was silent as he led Roni to the elevator. She shot glances at him beneath her lashes, but his expression was not forthcoming. Well, she could tell one thing. He was definitely pissed. But she had no idea why.
She’d agreed to help them. Indeed, she had. She’d spent the entire day raking through Marcus’ hard drive, pulling up interesting tidbits for Ant. Admittedly, part of her motivation was the opportunity to fuck Marcus over, though she was secretly hoping for some evidence to prove he’d had something to do with the attack that had killed her mother. She hadn’t found it, to her chagrin. Aside from that, helping these guys was the only way out of this mess. But something else had spurred her on as well.
She’d wanted to do it…for him. This glorious man who made her feel like she’d never felt before. Alive. Awake. Revitalized.
The past few years, her life had been a dark and dismal place. But when he touched her, her soul sang. When Chrome had suggested Sterling keep her at his place, her gut had lurched. Excitement screamed through her. The two of them? Alone? It would be an opportunity for them to revisit the passion that had flared between them the night before. It was a chance for one more night of bliss.
She’d been certain he was as eager as she.
But now…
Shit. Now he didn’t look eager in the slightest.
Dour was a better word.
He continued his bristling silence as they rode up in the elevator. Roni wanted to shatter it—to ask him something, to talk—but she had no idea what to say. She hated the thought that he might take her to his place and lock her in a room and ignore her until morning. Judging from his expression, he might. She resolved not to let that happen.
He led her from the hangar and across a field, past a large building and to a series of small cottages on an incongruously domesticated street. The bungalows could have been situated in any small-town neighborhood. Some even had the proverbial white picket fence.
He headed for one of these, held open the gate and ushered her in.
“I…ah… Is this where you live?” she asked, her voice echoing in the silence of the night.
“For now,” he grunted, and then he pushed open the door. She had no idea what that meant, or the gruff, disgruntled tone in which