“Goddamn it, put up some kind of fight,” he growled quietly. “You’re supposed to hate and fear me. Not f**k me with your eyes.”
Common sense slammed into me. My teeth ground together, and my gaze narrowed. I slapped him with so much force his head whipped to the side. The people around us gasped. Lucius didn’t remove his arms from me. No, he tightened his hold. Slowly he turned and faced me again.
“Better,” he said, his eyes now glowing with amusement.
Just for fun, I slapped him again.
He lost his amused glow. “I think people get the message.”
“You sure?” My tone was dark with suppressed animosity…and desire.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I’m sure.” He jerked me deeper into his arms. “Miss me?” he asked, his voice dropping an octave.
Maybe his kiss had weakened my resolve to dislike him, maybe his praise had, or his confession about his childhood, because I suddenly wanted to give him an honest answer—the one thing I hadn’t given him in all our sexual sparrings. But I had to stay in character from this point on, and we both knew it.
“Take your hands off me,” I demanded and tried to pull away from him.
His hold tightened even further. “You like to play hard-to-get, Eden, but we both know how easy you’ll be,” he said, and there was a ring of truth in his tone. He wasn’t speaking to my character, but to me. “You like where you are.”
“Take your hands off me, damn it!”
“First, admit that you like when I hold you. I want to hear you say it.”
I pursed my lips. I’d admit nothing, not for our audience and certainly not for him. “I’ll scream.”
“Do it. Scream.”
“Bastard. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“I won’t wait forever, you know. Iwill have you.” He leaned toward me, placing his lips near my ear, as if he meant to kiss me and whisper sweet words of love. Softly, so softly, he said, “You’re the most erotic thing I’ve ever seen. Your ni**les are hard and your sheer dress does nothing to hide them.”
I slapped him again, harder than before. It was either that, or sink into him. He stumbled backward.
“Stay away from me.” I projected my words loudly, loud enough that the people around us heard. “I don’t want you. I’venever wanted you.”
I swirled around and finally found Claudia. Her eyes widened when she spotted me, and her features became pinched with shock and concern. Jonathan’s darkened with anger. Claudia said something to him, and he motioned to one of the Ell-Rollises, who immediately raced toward him.
I reached them, and Jonathan’s attention veered to me. He forgot the guard as he took my hand, turned it, and kissed my wrist. “I’m sorry if my friend frightened you.”
I pointedly withdrew from his hold and glared at him. “He dragged me to the dance floor and wouldn’t let me go. He could have hurt me.” I stomped my foot, the perfect pampered child.
“I wouldn’t have let him, I assure you.” His brown eyes were already so dark they appeared black, but they darkened further. “Claudia explained what happened between you and Hunter. Believe me, I won’t let anything like this happen again. I’ll talk to him.”
“Thank you.” But I remained stiff.
There, I thought with satisfaction. I’d done my job. I’d effectively established my dislike of “Hunter.” I’d proven I wanted him nowhere near me, which would validate his growing desperation for me. I gave my attention to Claudia. “I’m feeling poorly. Are you ready to leave?”
She nodded, her color high with anger. She truly was concerned for me. “Yes, of course,” she said. “Let’s get you home. You’re shaking.” Like a mother hen, she wrapped her arm around my waist and led me through the crowd and to the front door.
“See that they make it to their car safely,” Jonathan commanded the Ell-Rollis. I felt his gaze boring into my spine—and ass.
I couldn’t help myself. I tossed a glance over my shoulder, past the Ell-Rollis now shadowing us, and watched as Lucius approached Jonathan. The two men began arguing. People inched away from them, but not far enough that they couldn’t listen. Unfortunately, I was too far away to hear.
Jonathan pushed him.
Lucius balled his hand into a fist, and it appeared like he was going to pound the stupid man into a bloody, lifeless heap. But then Jonathan pointed a finger in his face, said a few words, and Lucius nodded stiffly.
Both men glanced to me.
I didn’t pretend to misunderstand what they’d been talking about, and didn’t pretend I hadn’t watched with interest. Lucius abruptly swung around and stalked toward the back door, widening the distance between us.
Still glowering with anger, Jonathan stared at me, silently commanding me to appreciate his efforts on my behalf. I merely offered him a half smile and turned away. Though I desperately wanted to race after Lucius and find out what had been said, I forced myself to keep pace beside Claudia. What kind of power did Lucius wield over me that he made me forget my job, my surroundings, my…everything? If I knew, perhaps I could fight against it. Fight againsthim.
The return drive to the ambassador’s residence was filled with chatter—all of it Claudia’s. She lamented on the plague that was man, promised to speak with Jonathan again, and asked me over a thousand times if I was all right.
“Not a good first day on the job, was it?” she said.
“I’ll be fine,” I told her. “I handled Hunter once, and I’ll handle him again.”
Unfortunately, I was lying on both counts.
Chapter 15
Why the hell aren’t you in your apartment?” a rough, infuriated voice growled.
I came awake instantly. I lay in bed—my new, wheelbarrow-shaped bed at Claudia’s home. I wore a thin tank and equally thin sleep pants. A soft yellow cover draped my lower half. Agent Luc slept peacefully on the floor at the end of the bed.
And Lucius was crouched at my feet.
When he realized I was awake, he sprang on top of me. I had my knife at his throat before he could take his next breath. He didn’t flinch, didn’t seem to care that I held his life in my hands. Frankly, I was amazed. Not only had he bypassed the ambassador’s security; he’d bypassed mine. I’d rigged the windows and door locks before I allowed myself to fall into sleep.
Lucius’s weight pushed me deep into the mattress, making me all the more aware of the cool material underneath me, and the pure male heat on top of me.