Page 21 of All’s Fair In Love & War (The Bulgari Cartel #2)

Her nails were sharp, glossy, painted blood red, and the rings on her fingers looked expensive enough to pay off someone’s mortgage.

Her heels were Louboutins, matte black, six inches high, and silent on marble until she wanted to be heard.

Every piece of her outfit screamed money and menace.

This was my kind of bitch. I didn’t know whether I wanted to fuck her or be her friend. Now that I think about it, Tandy, too.

The thought wasn’t lost on me that Khalil was surrounded by pretty women.

“Pleasure,” I replied, keeping my voice soft, polite, and controlled. I wasn’t stupid enough to start a fire I wasn’t ready to finish.

Mrs. Deleon sucked her teeth. “Don’t y’all start no foolishness. This ain’t Real Housewives of Nowhere. She new, Sophia, and you need to be polite. And Felicity, stop tryin’ to be cute. You ain’t slick.”

Sophia chuckled. “Don’t worry, Mama D. I’m just introducing myself.”

She was sizing me up, taking in every detail with scrutiny that felt more personal than casual.

She noted the way I flicked my hair, my features, my attire, and the way I sat with my legs crossed, as if I owned the room.

Her stare wasn’t friendly or curious. It was probing and distant enough to make it clear she didn’t care for me already.

I recognized the look. It was one that women gave when they knew they were dangerous and wanted to see if the other woman knew it, too.

“Well,” Sophia said, scanning the room, “looks like Khalil's got you settled in real nice. Are you comfortable? It sure looks like you are.”

Was that shade? Maybe. Maybe not, but it sounded like it.

I gave her a smile, saccharine and hollow. “As comfortable as someone can be.”

She nodded slowly, like she could respect that answer. “Fair enough.”

Mrs. Deleon huffed. “Lord, y’all both need Jesus and a nap. I’m goin’ to finish supper. Sophia, don’t be in here long, and Felicity,” she added, eyes narrowing, “I better not hear about no foolishness after I leave this room.”

“Yes, ma’am,” we both replied simultaneously.

As soon as she walked away, Sophia's lips curled into a small, almost patronizing smile. “Well, you’re prettier than I expected.”

I tilted my head, letting my gaze trail slowly from her face to her shoes and back up again. “I get that a lot. Usually from men.”

“I see you got a mouth on you.” She giggled, shaking her head. “You giving him hell?”

“I try to keep things interesting.” I shifted my pose, crossing one leg over the other in the opposite direction so she wouldn’t be standing over me. “Wouldn’t want to bore the Bulgari household.”

“Funny. Khalil hates mess. I can see now you won’t last long.”

There was a pause, a small beat where neither of us said anything, as I studied her. She was too polished to be careless, too confident to be oblivious, and too nosey to just be visiting. This had to be a test to see if I could act right in front of company.

“Did Khalil send you to tell me that?” I asked, voice light but laced with suspicion.

Sophia blinked, clearly caught off guard. “Excuse me?”

“Let me rephrase that. Did Khalil send you to see if I’m housebroken yet?”

She laughed genuinely this time. “Girl, if he did, I definitely wouldn’t tell you. I’m loyal to my brother—that’s it,” she replied honestly, and I smiled, but still considered her someone to watch.

If Khalil thought sending in his sister would shake me, he underestimated just how well I played the game.

We continued our little standoff, her standing by the window with a flute of sparkling water Mrs. Deleon had all but shoved into her hand, and me, still perched on the velvet settee like a girl raised in money and taught never to flinch.

When the front door opened and shut, I stayed seated, but my eyes slid toward the door. Khalil was home, just as I knew he would be after this morning’s display.

Sophia glanced over her shoulder, one brow raised. “Well, speak of the devil.”

I didn’t have to look long to put my eyes on him. He walked in seconds later with his suit jacket draped over one arm and his white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar. His eyes cut straight to me, and I stood slowly, smoothing down my robe, letting enough thigh show to make a statement.

“Baby, you’re home,” I said softly, walking toward him like we were lovers.

His expression didn’t change, but his eyes tracked every step I took, narrowing the closer I got.

I stopped just short of him, tilted my chin, and placed a gentle kiss on his lips—a lingering, deliberate kiss, one meant to catch him off guard and make him question the version of me he’d walked in on.

He didn’t move, and he didn’t touch me, but his posture shifted.

His hand twitched, like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to grab me or shove me away.

Behind us, Sophia cleared her throat, the sound sharp enough to slice through the air. “Guess I’ll leave y’all to it.”

“That’s not necessary. I was just about to head upstairs,” I said before Khalil could get a word in.

He pulled me into him, one hand sliding around to rest on my lower back, his fingers pressing in firm and possessive, like he needed to remind me who held the leash.

I smiled up at him, my hand resting lightly against his chest. Not to push him away, yet, but to anchor him for what I was about to do.

Rising onto my toes, I kissed him, soft but deep and long enough to give him a taste of what I had to offer.

Khalil didn’t flinch and didn’t seem thrown off by my actions.

Instead, he wrapped his arm tighter around me and shoved his tongue down my throat, full of confidence in his skill.

I was the one who had been thrown off kilter.

What I hadn’t expected was for stars to burst behind my lids the moment our mouths touched.

His lips were warm and unhurried, molding to mine with a kind of authority that made my toes curl despite myself.

The kiss started with me in control, but quickly unraveled into something molten and magnetic.

His hand tightened on my waist, and the silent tug-of-war for dominance and surrender ensued.

His tongue swept against mine with maddening precision, not greedy, but deliberate, like he was savoring me, studying me, taking inventory of every gasp and flutter I tried not to give him. My body betrayed me, and I leaned in as if it needed more, and I let it, for just a second.

I pulled back before it could go further, my breath slightly uneven, though I masked it with a smirk. “Spend time with your sister, baby,” I whispered loudly enough for Sophia to hear, my voice dripping with endearment. “And when you’re done… meet me in the shower.”

His hand stayed planted on my back, thumb brushing the fabric of my dress. “You sure you’re ready to play this kind of game?” he whispered, voice low, and with warning. “’Cause if I meet you in that shower, I’m not leaving till you can’t walk.

I gasped, unsure of what to say, but I didn’t step back. That would’ve looked like I was retreating, and I’d be damned if I gave him that.

Khalil didn’t wait for a comeback. He let me go with a maddeningly calm smile and turned toward Sophia like he hadn’t just stripped me bare with a sentence. His hand slowly slid from my waist like he wanted me to feel the absence of it, and I did.

When I looked over, Sophia raised a brow, but said nothing as she leaned against the counter like she hadn’t just witnessed a live-fire power exchange.

With my head held high, I forced my legs to move, pivoting on my heel with the grace of someone who hadn’t just been mentally clotheslined.

My heart was hammering in my chest, but I kept my expression cool and unbothered.

Each step up the stairs felt heavier than it should have. What I’d started with Khalil was chasing me. However, I didn’t dare look back, though I felt his eyes follow me until I disappeared from view.

Once inside the guest room that had become my prison and my palace, I shut the door behind me and fell into it.

I stood there longer than I meant to, pressed against the door so it could hold me up.

My fingers hovered near my lips, and for a second, I hated how shaken I felt.

I’d kissed him to throw him off, to make him sweat, and I couldn’t believe my plan backfired on me.

That kiss had shifted me in ways I hadn’t prepared for. It gave me a high that I hadn’t felt in weeks. It was supposed to be just part of my strategy, but that didn’t stop my thighs from clenching or stop my skin from feeling too tight.

Dragging in a deep, grounding breath, I finally pushed away from the door and walked across the room. I had to force myself to move with the same grace I’d faked downstairs because my body was buzzing.

Clothes. I needed clothes.

I opened the wardrobe Khalil had stocked for me and quickly picked out fresh clothes.

After lying them on the bed, I grabbed a towel, tossed my sexy undergarments over my arm, and made my way into the en-suite.

I needed to clean up the mess Khalil had made.

My panties were soaked, and I needed a shower so I wouldn’t have blue pussy.

A few minutes later, the water was hot, and steam curled against the mirror.

I let it fog over my reflection before peeling off my dress and sliding the shower door back.

The moment I stepped inside and the water touched my skin, I sighed with relief, closed my eyes, and let the heat soak into my bones.

I knew I was playing with fire, but I doubted Khalil would actually join me for a shower.

When he first kidnapped me, he said he wouldn’t touch me unless I begged for it, and said it with conviction.

However, after that kiss, I couldn’t tell if he meant to keep that promise or break it just to prove a point.

On the chance that he called my bluff, I was ready. He might not fuck me tonight, but he wasn’t walking away untouched, and neither was I.

“Relax, Cookie,” I said, giving my pussy a light tap to calm down. “Stop letting him get under your skin. He's not coming up here to do anything to you.”