Page 123 of Captive Audience

Her soft palm brought my face back to hers. “It’s done. Let’s never mention him again, okay?”

I nodded, although there was no way I’d strike his crimes from my memory. But if pretending like he’d never existed was what Asha needed, I’d do it for her.

“Will Torin be mad we left the party early?”

“No.” I reached for the shampoo and lathered it between mypalms before working it into her scalp. “Once he finds out someone laid their hands on you, he won’t be surprised how Aidan and I dealt with it.”

“Do you think he likes me?”

“Tor? Of course. What’s not to like?”

“He seemed concerned I might use the podcast to expose Mob secrets.”

“Don’t pay that any mind. Tor can tell if people are lying, even those with the best poker faces. He was just prodding a sensitive area to see what you’d do.”

She closed her eyes and tilted her head under the stream. “He said something about defeating monsters. I got the impression he wasn’t only talking about the Soul Collector. What did he mean?”

I rinsed the suds from her hair and kept my tone casual. “Just the usual arseholes I have to deal with. Nothing you need to worry about.”

When I was ready, I’d tell her about Sierra and that the trafficking ring was a bigger problem than we’d initially thought. But not before the Beasts had it under control.

And we were close. So close I could taste it.

The burner phone Aidan and I had swiped from the docks contained all sorts of intel. My tech guy had even extracted deleted files, including shipment details, dates, locations, and the code names of the players involved. It was only a matter of time before we figured out who the Soul Collector was.

Until then, I’d keep Asha out of it. Keep her safe.

Yes, I was withholding information critical to her investigation.

No, I didn’t care.

“Are you sure?” she asked. “It sounded serious.”

“Just focus on the investigation and let me worry about those things, okay?” I nudged her chin up and kissed her wet forehead. “Besides, I owe you something.”

Her brows drew together. “What?”

“Another orgasm. I only gave you one.” I threw her over my shoulder, carried her to the bed, and tossed her onto the duvet.

“Rook!” She giggled. “I’m all wet.”

“You’re only going to get wetter, love.”

I dropped to my knees and hauled her ass to the edge of the bed.

She rose up to her elbows. “For a man who wants to be in control all the time, you sure get on your knees a lot.”

I pushed her thighs apart and stared at her pussy like it was the Holy Grail. “Only for you.”

“Such a good boy.” She lifted her chin and gave me a haughty smile. “Knowing where you belong.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You think it’s wise to tease me, pet?”

She shrugged one shoulder. “I think your bark is bigger than your bite.”

Well, well. My little podcaster had a brat in her. If she wanted to play, we could absolutely do that.

“I assure you. It’s not.” I stood calmly. “You’re right. I think it’s time you yielded to me.” Quickly, I clasped the nape of her neck and sat her upright.