Starlet: A Dark Retelling - Cora Kenborn Page 0,40

into every crack and crevice, making everything feel cramped even though Angel and I are the only two people inside.

I steal a quick glance at her out of the corner of my eye. The black skirt and white blouse I had Milly drop off this morning fit her like a glove. Paired with her sleek dark hair and classy black heels, she certainly looks like Hollywood royalty.

Until you get to her face.

Dark circles line her eyes as she stares up at the illuminated numbers, watching the floors slowly tick away as we rise. She has her arms folded tightly across her chest and her lips pressed in a thin line. The same way they’ve been since I returned late this morning after visiting Luciano.

She said nothing as we fought another swarm of paparazzi waiting on my front lawn, and she gave me the silent treatment the whole drive from West Hollywood to Pasadena. Even when we arrived at the offices of Arroyo, Tate, and Wrenn, I barely parked the car before she hopped out and tore across the parking lot like her ass was on fire.

By the time we reach the tenth floor, I can’t take it anymore, and the rubber band snaps. “Okay, what the hell is wrong with you?”

“Excuse me?”

“This,” I motion a hand down the length of her body. “Angel, you’re so uptight, if I shoved a lump of coal up your ass, I’d get a diamond.”

“I’m sorry.” She flashes a brittle smile. “I’m not a pathological liar like some people. Forgive me if I don’t do cartwheels into the lawyer’s office where I’m about to commit a fucking felony!”

In two steps, I have her pinned against the wall with my hand across her mouth. She blinks up at me, her eyes wide with shock. “News flash, voices carry, and my ass is on the line just as much as yours. Now, either you tell me what’s gotten into you and we solve it right now, or you can wipe that look off your face and walk in that office like you just found the pot of gold at the end of a goddamn rainbow. Which is it going to be?”

Her eyes narrow as she snatches my hand off her face. “You want to know why I’m so pissed? Where did you go this morning?”

I look away. “Out.”

Her sharp laugh echoes in the tiny metal box. “You are such a hypocrite.”

My eyes snap back to hers. “Watch it.”

But she doesn’t. She pushes her palms against the wall and lifts her chin. Arching her back, she brushes her breasts against my chest, sending my head spinning. “You command me to speak, and I’m supposed to bark, is that it? Well, it doesn’t work that way. This is a two-way street, Dominic. So, either you start barking, or—”

“Or what?” I press both hands on either side of her.

“Or I start biting.”

Whatever self-control held me back last night goes up in flames. Wrapping a hand around her throat, I slam her against the wall so hard she lets out a rattled wheeze. It causes her mouth to fall open, which is exactly what I want. It’s at the perfect angle for me to claim it.

So, I do.

My hand tightens. My tongue delves. My body presses. I free fall into sensory overload as I take from this woman. This stranger. This unholy temptation. The floors tick away as I taste her lips, indulging in everything I know is forbidden.

“Dominic,” she breathes, breaking away and gasping for air.

“Bark or bite,” I challenge, pressing my hips against her while tightening my thumb under her jaw. “You have one floor to decide.”

Something feral flashes in her eyes and another rubber band snaps. Diving both hands into my hair, she drags me toward her, capturing my bottom lip between her teeth.

And then she bites down.

Hard.

“Wrong choice, rook.” Crushing her against the wall, I take her mouth again in a bruising kiss. I come undone, grabbing the back of her thigh and shifting it higher while pushing her skirt up. When the tips of my fingers graze the crease where her thigh meets her ass, my cock jerks against my zipper.

Forget the meeting and the lawyers. The only thing I care about is getting under that skirt and fucking the attitude out of her.

“Angel,” I groan, dipping my fingers inward. “I want—”

Ding.

As the elevator doors open, we spring apart as if we’ve touched fire. I busy myself running a hand through my hair as Angel becomes