Her eyes rounded. “What? That’s insane.”
“It’s great, huh? Come on. If you want a cuddle, let’s do this.”
“You’re spoiling me. How will I ever return to normal life?”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her she didn’t have to. What is wrong with you? “Oh, I’m sure you’ll manage.”
She grinned. “Or I can just bring my normal life back to you, and therefore, I shall not be tempted by such extravagances.”
“Sweetheart, I have no idea what normal even is.”
“No, you wouldn’t, would you? Is it lonely? I mean you live in the hotel. Before I turned up, it looked as sterile as a hotel. You have no personal touches in the loft. Don’t you want that?”
I thought about East’s place with his photos and art and that lived-in quality. “I guess I don’t put the effort into that. I focus on other things. You don’t realize how lonely you are if you’re always doing something else.”
“Well, not to worry, I shall add warmth.”
I smiled down at her. She was so close, smelling sweet and inviting. Where had she come from? How had she found me? Why was she already changing the shape of how I thought, what I wanted, what I needed from my life?
“You’re staring at me.”
“I’m aware. I’m trying to remember that you’re my friend right now.”
“It shouldn’t be hard.”
All I had to do was forget that I knew exactly how she tasted. All I had to do was pretend that I wasn’t desperate to taste her again. Should have been easy, right?
Except it wasn’t. Because I wanted her. I wanted more from her. I wanted to kiss her, taste her, remind her how combustible we were together. I could do all of that. But she hadn’t finished dealing with the git she’d been involved with, and I could tell that she wasn’t ready.
But when I kissed her again, I wouldn’t stop myself. I wouldn’t stop until she was mine. And she wasn’t quite ready for that. “Watch the movie.”
“Yes sir, Mr. Covington, sir.”
“God, that sounds so sexy. Can you say that again?”
She threw popcorn at me. And just like that, the tension eased. The monster clawing at me from the inside, demanding me to take her, to mark her, to make her mine, receded just a little so I could focus on the movie. I wanted her to be comfortable around me, not forever running for the hills. After everything she’d been through, she needed time. So I could be patient.
Are you sure about that?
20
Ben
I saw him the moment I entered the hotel. Marcus Van Linsted. It wasn’t like he was subtle. There he was, at the bar in the lobby, sitting on the throne as if he owned the place.
No motherfucker. I do.
I took my time striding over to him. “Is there something you need?”
Around me, bartenders and waiters clamored to get to us, and I waved them off. I wasn’t having a drink with that fucker. And he wouldn’t be staying.
“Covington, is that any way to treat a guest? Remember, a gentleman above all.”
“Right. But power is king and it’s my hotel, so what do you want?”
“I know what you’ve been doing.”
“And what’s that?”
“I know you’ve been skulking about asking members to vote against my son.”
“Why would I do anything like that? To vote against him, they’d need someone else to vote for.”
“Like you’re not making a play for Director Prime.”
I frowned. “I’m not.”
To the average person, Marcus Van Linsted might have seemed affable. Friendly even. But I knew better. I knew that this was merely a showing of his teeth. “You won’t win this, Covington. My son will be the next Director Prime. And you and your friends will fall in line, or there shall be dire consequences.”
“That sounds like a threat. What happened to a gentleman above all?”
“Yes, well, as you said, power is king. And it’s good to be king.”
“Marcus, if you just came here to postulate about rumors and innuendos, I can’t help you.”
“How is your new operations director? What is her name again? God, it’s so hard to remember these things. It’s something foreign sounding. Ashong, is that right? I’ve heard that you two have gotten quite cozy.”
I lifted a brow. “You’re paying such close attention to me? Then you should know I’m not a threat to you or coming for your seat. The last thing I want is to be Director Prime. I just want to make sure your son doesn’t get it.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to turn your sights to making sure that your pretty little operations director doesn’t get hurt? She has a penchant for getting into trouble.”
My brow snapped down. “Gentlemen don’t go after civilians.”
“Who said I was going after her? Come on now. I would never do such a thing. I am, above all, a gentleman.”
He was nothing of the sort. “It sounded like you just threatened her.”
“Well, if we are breaking rules, then you should remember that secrets whispered are never to be revealed. How did you find out who the Five were?”
Fuck. He knew that we knew. They knew someone had access to the files we’d copied onto the drive.
I kept my face impassive. “I’m not one to share secrets, but I will tell you this; If you go after my operations director, I will forget that I’m a gentleman.”
He grinned. “You forget, my specialty was strategy and politics. I wouldn’t have to lift a finger. I could just as easily ruin her life from the background. Her boyfriend, the one you so conveniently forget she has, just the wrong word here or there would tip him into making different decisions, putting her just out of your grasp. Don’t play with me, Covington. I will win.”
“Who said anything about playing?”
“If you must do this, just remember, enemies and friends are of the same coin. Loyalty is a fickle bitch. You come for my family, and I’ll come for you. How much are you willing to lose?”
I met his gaze levelly. “Everything. I am willing to lose everything just to make sure Bram pays.”
He stood and gave me a nod, then he stalked out.
So much for the secret approach. He knew, and he was ready for a fight.
Ben
I rubbed the back of my neck as I started to plan. “So, the whole plan to get to Downs is in jeopardy now?”
Bridge nodded. “Van Linsted’s trying to get to Downs first. Downs isn’t usually close and is notoriously cagey. Bram can’t exactly go all the way to Australia to see him because there’s been bad blood in those two families for years. And Downs rarely makes an appearance, so while he’s in Paris, this is his chance… and ours, too.”
East nodded. “I found an elusive art piece by Pierre Bonnard. Downs is crazy about his work, so I arranged for a viewing and auction. He’s definitely coming.”
I rubbed my jaw and tried not to let the frustration get to me. “It’s like we take one step forward and then two steps back. So I have to get to Downs, but somehow not let Van Linsted get to him?”