The Proposal - Kitty Thomas Page 0,62

hadn't expected her to remember these rules, not when she's scared and it's all so new. From the way she's grinding on me it's impossible to tell if she's begging me to keep touching her or if she still wants me to rescue her from this situation.

I know I can't take Soren in a fair fight, but if I wanted to save her, Dayne would burst in here and back me up. I look back to the door to find his shrewd gaze observing this entire scene. Oh yeah, he's up for playing hero if need be. That's the beauty of this little power triangle. Soren may be the strongest, but Dayne and I tend to form alliances when he goes too far.

I bend to whisper in Livia's ear, “I'll make sure the footage gets deleted.” I hope this small protective gesture keeps her looking at me the way she's been looking at me since that night. I thought I'd lost her after my lewd outburst at the attorneys' offices the day the contracts were signed. But lust had too quickly overpowered her distress, and by the next day it was forgotten and I went back to pretending I wasn't the type of man who'd say something like that in front of strangers just to humiliate her—that I wasn't the type of man who deliberately did things like that because I got off on it.

She looks up at me, unshed tears in her eyes. “How will you make sure?”

I arch a brow as if to ask how do you think? But I answer the question anyway. “Money, of course. People will do anything for the right price.”

I immediately regret these words because I know she thinks I'm putting her in that category as someone we bought, but I've known for months now that she wasn't quite what we first assumed. Even so, it was threats, not promises, that sealed her to us. With the way this was handled, she shouldn't care what we think of her at all. But I know she does.

I continue to stroke her hair as she leans against me.

“Please,” she whispers. And I know she does want a rescue. I can't pretend I don't know what she's asking for. She doesn't want to perform for the cameras.

I want to lie to her and say there's nobody in the security room—no one will see this at all—but the one thing I won't do is lie to her. I tilt her chin up to mine and capture her mouth in a kiss that steals her breath.

“That's it,” I growl into her mouth. “Be a good girl for us.”

She gives up the fight and melts into me. She doesn't resist when I pull her cover up off. Then Soren is behind her, unhooking her bikini top.

She pulls away and looks in my eyes again, a silent plea.

“You're safe. I promise,” I say. I don't know what she needs to feel safe from. Is it safety from exposure to other leering gazes? Does she worry that we'll judge her? For something we set up?

I'm not fully sure what I'm promising her, and I'm not sure she does either, but she lets Soren take her top off. Then he pushes the bikini bottoms down over her hips.

She jumps when he smacks her ass.

“Get in the pool,” he says.

She's still clinging to me. She only lets go so I can pull the T-shirt over my head.

“You're loving this shit, aren't you?” Soren asks, giving me a derisive glare.

“What shit?”

“The way she clings to you like you're the good guy.”

“Maybe I am the good guy.”

He laughs at this. “Sure, Griff. You're on the short list for new saints.”

I ignore his barb. He's jealous that Livia responds to a bit of softness, something he isn't as equipped to give. He knows it puts him at a disadvantage, and so he plays raw power instead.

I take her hand and guide her into the pool with me. Soren raises a brow at this.

“Okay, fine. You can help.” He doesn't have to tell me what to do. I've been jerking off thinking about this for weeks. Except in the original plan he'd simply order her to do it. Somehow it's hotter if I hold her in place.

I move her to the wall near Soren, positioning her right in front of the jets. You can't tell me pool manufacturers don't know what they're doing when they place these jets where they do. They're at the perfect height for