“I’ve started a new initiative,” I say finally. “Something that I think could help take down the Cartel.”
Gabriel sits straighter, his mouth tightening. “What have you done?”
“Nothing yet,” I reply. “I only just started today. I’m going to hire a team of reporters to expose them. Like I did in my article but on a grander scale.”
Gabriel rises from his chair and leans against the front of his desk, scowling. “You should have talked to me,” he says, irritation threading through his words. “You can’t just start making plays on your own. That’s not how it works. You might have interfered with a plan I already had in motion, or one I intended to set into motion soon. You could have really screwed things up.”
“If you were putting a plan into motion, shouldn’t you tell me? I thought we were going to be partners in this,” I say haughtily.
“No.” He stops to face me, dark eyes boring into mine. “I am still the boss. Do not mistake my indulgences for testaments of your autonomy.”
I bristle a little at this, but what did I expect? There is a reason he is in charge. Did I think that just because we have a child together, he was going to hand me the mantle and tell me to do as I please?
That being said…
“I get that, but I still think I deserve a little leeway,” I reply. With a sigh, I add, “I’m trying, Gabriel.”
“I know.” He shakes his head. “Take Harry to bed. I have work to do.”
And with that, I’m dismissed. I’m feeling chastened enough not to argue further with him, so I go to the door and hope Harry doesn’t complain about not finishing his book once we get to the nursery.
“Alexis?” Gabriel says as I pull on the handle.
I pause and look over my shoulder at him.
“It’s a good idea,” he says, folding his arms over his chest. “But make sure you ask me next time.”
I nod and leave, heart skipping with victorious joy.
I awake slowly in the middle of the night. At first I’m not sure why I’m awake, as I’m still wrapped cozily in my comforter, darkness lying heavily over me. I smell sandalwood and earth. And then I feel something silken tighten on my wrist.
I blink my eyes open just as Gabriel leans over me and pulls my bound wrist toward my other wrist, where, in a moment, he will bind them together, and I will be completely at his mercy.
My heart kicks up into overdrive, and before I even have a chance to think, I wrap one leg around his waist and heave all my weight onto my side. Gabriel is not expecting this, and the benefit of surprise allows me to roll him onto his back.
He reaches up to grab me, and I slam my hands over his wrists, pinning him to the bed. I doubt I could keep him there if he really wanted to escape, so I’m surprised that he doesn’t shake me off.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“What do you think I’m doing, Tiger?” Gabriel asks in a thick voice.
I sit up, straddling his waist, and loosen the cord on my wrist. “I think that you’re trying to feel like a big man again after being forced to concede that I know what I’m doing earlier.”
Before he can reply, I lash the cord around one of his wrists and start to tie it.
Gabriel laughs, a deep, throaty sound that makes my stomach flutter. “Do you think my ego is so fragile?”
I am amazed that I’ve managed to tie the cord around his wrist, and I quickly lean over to secure it to the headboard. His free hand cups my ass, squeezing indulgently.
“Maybe,” I say breathlessly. “Why else would you try to tie me to the bed while I’m asleep? You clearly had it in your head to teach me a lesson.”
I finish, and one of his arms is now lifted over his head, bicep bulging. He’s shirtless, and the sight of his muscles rippling with every breath is nearly enough to distract me from the task at hand. I feel around on the bed for another cord to do the other wrist, and my fingers close on it.
“Oh, Alexis,” he says. “When will you learn?”
Gabriel jerks his bound arm, and the headboard splinters where he was tied to it. Before I know what is happening, Gabriel has swept me onto my back, with one hand holding my wrists in a tight grip above my head while the other snakes under my shirt to find my bare breasts.
“I don’t need to tie you up to teach you a lesson,” he says in a gravelly voice. “And I certainly don’t need to do so to prove that I’m the one in charge.”
His hand slides over my rib cage, toward the waistband of my pajama shorts. I don’t know why, but while my body is absolutely thrilled with the turn my night has taken, my mind is furious. Whether he says so or not, Gabriel’s ego feels threatened.
Without warning, I twist my hips and jam my knees into his solar plexus. Gabriel wheezes and loosens the hold on my wrists, giving me the opportunity to slip out of his grasp and roll toward the edge of the bed.
“Get back here,” he growls, grabbing my shoulder, and goddammit if I don’t nearly listen. But he’s not the only one with something to prove.
I kick back at him and then tumble forward onto the carpet, landing on my stomach with an oof. Before I have a chance to get onto my feet, however, Gabriel swings over the side of the bed and straddles me. He wrenches my arms behind my back and holds them there, leaning over to whisper into my ear.
“Where are you going, Tiger?”
I struggle, but he’s got me well and truly beat in this position. My heart races. My blood sings as lust and frustration mingle together in a heady mixture. All I want to do is give into my animal side, gnash my teeth at him and roar.
“Anywhere but here!” I hiss.
He laughs, and his breath tickles my ear. “We’ve been over this, Alexis. You’re mine. And that means you’re not going anywhere.”
I feel him, hard and wanting, against my ass. My sex throbs with the need of him. I’m just like all those purple heroin addicts who shake between doses of their deadly medicine, except my fix is the sweet surrender of giving myself to Gabriel.
Gabriel slides down until he is resting on my thighs instead. He snakes his free hand between my legs and rubs his fingers against my mound. I let out a whimper without meaning to.
“That’s a good girl,” he says huskily. The sound of his voice is like a feather down my spine. “I bet you’re wet already, aren’t you?”
I am, but I’m not giving in that easy. Maybe it’s time for me to teach Gabriel a lesson.
“Why don’t you roll me over and find out?” I ask in a sultry voice.
Gabriel flips me on my back without hesitation, grinding his knee between my legs and letting his mouth hover over mine. I can feel his breath on my lips, and I long to kiss him. My hands come to rest against his hard chest. The grooves of his muscles are smooth under my fingertips.
I trace lazy circles into his skin with my fingers, lightly scraping against him with my nails. He lets out a low moan and closes the gap between us. He kisses me softly, his hand gliding slowly over my belly, as though he has already forgotten the game.
I guess it’s time for a reminder.
I dig my nails into his chest and claw down. Gabriel roars with pain, and I slam my hands against his ribs, pushing him off me, then roll onto my knees and start a mad dash for the door. I am just staggering to my feet when I feel his fingers close on my ankle. He yanks me back, and I fall on my face, fingers digging into the carpet as he drags me back.