Page 9 of Hostile Cravings (Wicked Cravings #3)

That shut her up, and she pursed her lips invitingly. My reaction to the look unnerved me and I focused my eyes ahead, seeing the resort manager waiting just inside for us.

I nodded to her, saying, “Send the resort doctor up to our room.”

“Yes, Mr. Raines,” she replied, pushing her dark hair back as her green eyes looked seductively at me.

Angie’s hand on my chest curled into a fist that was pulling my shirt so tight my collar was choking me.

I continued walking, following my men to our room.

When we were inside, I tossed her on the bed, but her grip on my shirt didn’t loosen and I tipped over her, stopping myself with my hands around her head.

“What the fuck, Angie?”

“Did you have sex with that woman?” she hissed, and I wondered at the possessiveness in that sound.

“Does it matter?” I asked, creasing my eyes .

“Maybe. I’m supposed to be your wife. How am I supposed to play that part when that woman is flirting with you?”

“Are you jealous?” The thought lit a strange fire in me.

“No, idiot,” she snapped, letting my shirt go finally.

Only then did I realize my body was against hers, the feel of it oddly comfortable.

Not liking it, I lifted myself, straightening my arms so I was still above her.

Glancing down, I noticed how far her dress had bunched up when we’d fallen, the curve of her hip fully exposed, the thin lacey strap of her pink panties too visible.

I’d seen plenty of her body. She walked around in tiny bikinis, her normal outfits barely covering her tits and ass, but something about seeing her like this caused my pants to tent uncomfortably.

I met her eyes again.

“Did you sleep with her?” she asked almost breathlessly.

“What if I did?”

Her lips thinned, jealousy clear in her eyes this time. What was happening to us?

“No, I didn’t sleep with her. I’ve only been here once, a few years ago with Mason when he brought Riley here. He has a strict rule which I usually disregard about touching the staff. Since Riley was with us, I was a good boy.”

She relaxed, the darkness in her eyes lifting.

“But that doesn’t mean I didn’t play.”

“Get off me, asshole. And you can keep that hard-on away from me and her.”

I laughed and as I rose, my hand brushed her thigh inadvertently.

“Someone needs to satisfy it, and her mouth looked damned inviting.” I removed my jacket, rolling my neck and turning to glare at her when a pillow hit my back.

A knock at the door saved her from my retaliation. Finch peeked his head in.

“She’s still alive. That’s impressive, boss,” he joked, inciting a fury of swearing from Angie .

She stood, and I stormed over to her, pushing her back on the bed and pulling her skirt down further, some abnormal need to keep that skin from anyone’s eyes driving me.

“You’re an…”

The doctor walked in, followed by the resort manager, and Angie’s entire demeanor changed. She pulled herself up, propping a pillow behind her. “What’s she doing in here?”

“I’m sure she’s just ensuring the doctor gives you the best care,” I answered, not sure why she was so jealous of the woman who didn’t hold a candle to her.

There weren’t many who did. I wiped my hand down my face, cursing myself for the thought as the doctor unwrapped her ankle and started looking at it.

I stood back, the manager stepping closer to me.

Her hand touched my arm, and I looked down at it, giving her a questioning look.

She’d been flirty the last time I’d been here, a bit too desperate, and I’d read her attempts as a way to advance her position or her pay.

I rarely gave a damn about Mason’s rule of not touching the help, but I’d heeded it with this one, only returning her flirting, a few touches here, a drunken kiss where my hands may have slid down to her firm tits.

But I’d stopped the action when she’d reached for my pants.

That halt had been painful, and I’d worked out the tension with a few women when I’d returned home.

“He’ll be a few minutes,” she said, licking her lips. “Maybe we can go work out the details of your stay.”

Shit, she was bold and if Angie had been her regular self, I would have taken her up on it just to piss Angie off. Angie’s head shot up.

“Ty,” Angie said in a seductive voice that reached in and jerked my body the way this woman’s invitation hadn’t. Angie had done something to me that I couldn’t shake. It was like she’d damaged me, and I didn’t like it.

I turned to her as the doctor stood. She drew her other leg up, her skirt slipping further up her thigh, the doctor’s eyes falling to it.

I clenched my fist and jerked away from the manager, stalking over to Angie and yanking her dress over her leg, as far as the insufficient material would allow.

Angie grabbed my shirt and pulled me to her lips, kissing me possessively and stirring a fire in me.

Threading my fingers through her hair, I pushed her mouth further into mine.

She was putting on a show, but the way she was kissing me was more than simply a way of staking her claim in front of another woman.

It was a claim of ownership that seeped its way through my body.

I needed to get a grip and so did she. We were enemies, two people who couldn’t stand being close to each other, who had hated each other for years.

Since the moment I’d met her as a snotty eighteen-year-old and through the years as she’d become a woman, a sexy, confident, demanding thing who grated on my every nerve.

Her lips parted from mine and we stared at each other for seconds that seemed to last an eternity because that kiss had differed from the others.

“Keep your hands off my husband,” she said, her eyes never leaving mine, that claim clear.

Pulling myself together, I removed her hands from my shirt and smoothed down the material.

The next move was mine. I could take us back to where we’d been, the comfortable hatred that sat between us, and leave the room with the other woman.

Fuck my confusion out on her willing body and drive the wedge back between me and Angie.

Hurt her like I normally would have. Or I could send the woman away, play the game that had turned dangerous. And not hurt her.

Her brown eyes were on mine, and in them I saw the plea.

The need for me to let her win this battle, to not hurt her.

Turning from her, I walked to the resort manager, bypassing the doctor who I’d deal with momentarily.

Expectation sat in the woman’s eyes, and I heard the disappointed sigh from Angie as I reached my hand into the woman’s hair and pulled her closer to me.

Her lips parted, and the emotion rolling from Angie in waves added to the silence that had encompassed the room .

“You heard my wife,” I said, tugging harder. “I’m off limits and I suggest you keep your hands and that tempting mouth to yourself, or you’ll need to find another job.”

Her eyes grew wide, and I released her hair, turning back to the doctor. “Tell me what’s wrong with her ankle and if I catch your eyes on any part of her body but her ankle, I’ll break every one of your fingers.” Without taking my eyes from him, I said, “Finch, see her out while we talk.”

I heard the manager grumble as Finch escorted her out. The doctor cleared his throat uncomfortably before apologizing and telling me it was only a minor twist, and she needed to rest it for a week.

“An entire week?” she asked.

“Yes,” he answered. “If you don’t, you’ll injure it worse and then you’ll be down for a month.”

“Looks like I’ll be carrying you everywhere, baby. Either that or we won’t be leaving this room.” I disliked how that thought caused a jolt in my system.

She pouted her lip out, crossing her arms and emphasizing her cleavage. Cleavage I’d purposely avoided looking at in the past, but that my eyes now sank to.

“Let me wrap it again and I’ll get you some pain reliever. That should help with the swelling and the discomfort.”

“Discomfort?” she said. “It hurts like a beast!”

“That’s because you’re wimpy, little viper. Your bark is better than your bite.”

“Don’t make me bite you, Tyson,” she retorted.

“I invite that, baby. Anytime you want.” And I wasn’t sure I didn’t mean it.

I walked away, squeezing the bridge of my nose as the doctor wrapped her ankle, giving her instructions to keep it iced and elevated.

The balcony door was open, and I stood outside, taking in the warm air and the island view.

Mason had ensured we had the best view, the beach below, the ocean stirring and never- ending beyond it.

The room was large enough but there was only one bed and since Angie was stuck resting her ankle, that meant I was on the couch.

“Great,” I grumbled.

“She’s all set, Mr. Raines. I’ll have pain reliever sent to the room. Make sure she takes it twice a day. I gave her the first dose to ease the swelling. She’ll be up and about in no time. Just keep her off her feet for now.”

“Thank you,” I said, not bothering to look at him. I heard him leave but continued to take in the view, not wanting to deal with the one that was sitting in the bed behind me.

“Boss, we brought the luggage up. We’ll be outside and next door if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Finch.”

He left just as my phone rang.

“Mace,” I answered.

“How’s life with the viper?” he teased.

“Just peachy,” I said, turning to look at her. She was trying to scoot down the bed to reach the suitcases that were on the floor. Shaking my head, I continued, “The bitch twisted her ankle and now I’ve gotta deal with her whiny demands.”

She looked sharply at me. “Fuck you, Raines.”

“That and she’s put a restraint on my cock. Remember that sexy resort manager?”

“Damn it, Ty. No touching the help,” Mason groused.

“Simmer down. I didn’t touch her. The viper put me on lockdown.”

His laugh came through the phone, irritating me.

“What do you want, Mace?”

I walked over to the bed and jerked Angie back.

“Donelli called me. Tirenti’s not letting up. He wants proof that you’re on a honeymoon and not playing games. His son is adamant that Angie is his, and that you stole her just to piss him off.”

“He’s a slimy loser. He wants pictures? Probably of her tits, so he can jerk off to them,” I grumbled as I tossed two of her bags on the bed. Why she needed so much luggage was beyond my comprehension.

“I’m not sending him a titty shot!” she complained, moving back down the bed. I threw her a look that stopped her in her tracks.

“Get your ass against the headboard and lift that leg.”

“Did I interrupt something?” Mason asked. “I was worried I’d interrupt you murdering her, not having sex with her.”

“Shut up, Mace. I’m not fucking her. I’m trying to keep her from screwing her ankle up more. She’s like a damned toddler.”

She started bitching again, but I ignored her, opening a suitcase and rummaging through her clothes. I picked up a tiny pink thong and held it up, raising my brow.

“Do you own anything but pink?” I asked with a shake of my head.

She crawled down the bed, a sight that gripped my balls uncomfortably, the move offering me a view straight down her dress.

“This isn’t the best time, Mason. What do you need from us?

” I dropped the panties and moved to the side of the bed, grabbing a handful of her hair and throwing her back down.

She landed with an exhale that did nothing but make me harder, and I knew I needed to get away from her.

The mix of fury and lust that was mingling in that hostility within me was dangerous.

She reached up, trying to disentangle my fingers from her hair while Mason talked, my ears not hearing anything but the annoyed cursing coming from Angie’s mouth.

“I’ll call you back.” Hanging up, I threw the phone aside and pinned her with my other hand.

“You’re a prick, Tyson.”

“I am, baby, and you’re the pinch to my nerves that turns me into that prick.” I released her hair and grabbed her wrists, pinning them over her head as I leaned over her. “Sit still and prop that damn ankle up, or I’ll tie you to the damned bed.”

She hissed, and I had the urge to do it just to see what she’d look like that way.

“Shit,” I muttered, releasing her and rising. She was driving me mad, and I needed to walk away. “Stay here,” I said, snatching my phone from the floor and walking to the door.

“And if I don’t?” she asked, her voice the snotty one I knew well.

“I’ll spank you so hard you won’t be able to sit comfortably for the rest of the trip.” I stormed out, slamming the door behind me and ignoring Finch’s grin as I dialed Mason back.

“That bad, huh?” he asked when he answered.

“She’s driving me crazy. If I have to hear her whine one more time, I’m going to hurt her, Mace.

” I made my way to the lobby, avoiding the stare from the manager who was talking with some fancy, dolled-up woman with a poodle in her purse.

Rolling my eyes, I walked outside, finding a private spot and noting that Finch had assigned one of my men to follow me.

“Well, you’ll have to deal with her. I’m flying out to talk to Tirenti.”

“But I’ve got the plane,” I complained.

“You did. I’m stealing it from you.”

“What the hell, Mason? That means I’m stuck here with her.”

“You were already stuck there with her. You’ve got a week, and this will only take me a few days. He’s hot and his son is riling him up even more. The asshole. I don’t blame Donelli for wanting Angie away from him.”

“At this point, I’d happily hand her over to him.” The words came out oddly hollow and, as if he picked up on it, Mason stayed quiet. “Call me when you calm him down and let me know the outcome,” I said to cover up.

“Will do. And Ty, don’t kill her. I don’t need to explain to Donelli why my best friend murdered his daughter on their honeymoon.”

“Fake honeymoon.”

“Whatever, just don’t kill her. And keep your hands off the staff.”

“I can’t make any promises.” But he’d already disconnected.

With a sigh, I pocketed my phone and headed back in.

The chances of surviving this were slim.

Angie was like a spoiled brat who needed to be put in time-out.

Everything she did grated on my nerves, but I wasn’t certain what worried me more, killing her in a heated rage or fucking her in a desperate need.