Page 21 of Built for Mercy

“Perfect. You’re coming to my place. I’ll make you dinner, and whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you. But this dinner is onmyterms, got it?” I released her and waited for an answer.

Fucking Christ, what am I doing?

She stilled, her breath catching as she took me in, her chest rising and falling in sharp, uneven beats. Her hair was a mess, her lips kiss-swollen, her skin still flushed from everything that had just happened. And I was barely holding it together. I should win a fucking award for my willpower.

“Okay.”

My brain came to a screeching halt. “Okay?” No argument, nothing? Justokay?

“Yeah, okay. I’m not passing up an opportunity to get answers.”

I quirked a brow at her. “I could say the same. Just how did you know where I would be tonight?”

A shy grin tugged on her lips. “You’re not the only person who has resources at their disposal.”

I blinked. “What—”

Coming to her senses, Sophie smoothed her hands over her dress, then flashed me a knowing look before sashaying to the mouth of the alley. I darted after her, placing my hand on the small of her back to guide her to my car, weaving around pedestrians who were none the wiser to the fact that I’d almost thrown caution to the wind and fucked this woman in an alleyway.

“What are you doing?”

I gave her a full-fledged grin that made her swallow. I fucking loved that I had that effect on her. “Bring an overnight bag. You’re insane if you think I’m letting you leave without being properly fucked.”

Even in the dark, I could see her face and ears redden. For a woman who was so confident and comfortable in her sexuality, she certainly became very demure the second I started talking dirty.

“It’s a date, then,” she whispered, examining my face as she gauged my reaction.

My first instinct was to bristle at the words—dating wasn’t my thing—but the idea of her being mine and mine only, and giving no one else my attention except her was the most heady feeling I’d ever experienced. “Damn right, it is.”

I grabbed her hand and reached for the door to the backseat of my car. “Where are you going?”

“Home.”

I ducked my head into the car. “Halls, please take Detective Reyes back to her apartment in Newark.”

“Oh, so it’s back toDetectivenow, is it?”

“Baby, I’ll call you whatever you want.” Leaning close, I murmured, “And I better not find out you’re going panty-less for someone else. You’remylittle whore now.”

Her brazenness returned as she flashed me a devilish smile. “If I break your rules, I guess you’ll just have to punish me how you see fit.Sir.” She kissed my cheek as I blinked in surprise—no one had ever been so open and accepting of this side of me unless it was an arrangement made clear up front. Her words made my heart beat a little faster.

As the car disappeared into the distance, I knew I had crossed the point of no return. No longer could I hide from the intense connection we shared. Would revealing my true self to her be the final nail in the coffin? I couldn’t let her walk away withoutknowing the whole truth. Even if it meant losing her forever. She held the power to either accept me or reject me.

This woman had turned my life upside down, shattering all that I once knew.

12

Sophie

My body trembled as I sat alone in the backseat of Maverick’s black town car. I watched his figure fade, as I attempted to comprehend the last hour.

From confronting his date to the sharp turn our night took, then the kiss and his filthy words… an involuntary moan escaped my lips, something I was beginning to realize only happened when Maverick was involved. I couldn’t stop it from happening the entire time he devoured my mouth and nearly brought me to an orgasm ten feet from the bustling New York City streets.

I made sure the partition was up before I rubbed my slick thighs together, grateful for the privacy as the friction relieved some of the throbbing between my legs. Reaching under my dress, I pressed my fingertips to my clit, imagining it was Maverick thrusting into me while simultaneously playing with the sensitive bundle of nerves. My head fell against the headrest,no shame as I masturbated in the backseat of his car, which smelled like him and added to my fantasy.

Lord only knew how many times I’d gotten off to thoughts of him in the past few weeks.

I grabbed my phone from my purse, clicking on the contact information Marcus had given me when I was searching for Mav’s location. I saved the number, then texted him.