Page 320 of Phobia

“Tommy.”

“Boss?”

I let go of the table and stand tall. “Did he hurt her?”

“No, but she was hurt.” He smiles, “What I said hurt.”

Jaw grinding, I step closer to him. “And you’re smiling because?”

Tommy shrugs as if I’m missing the obvious. “Must mean she likes you.”

***

I open the front door, and Billy walks straight over. “She said anything?” I ask.

“Nope. Just went straight upstairs.”

Patting his shoulder, I head for the kitchen, grab a glass, and add a splash of whiskey. “Thanks, Billy. Go check in with Frank.”I’ll take it from here.

The door closes, and I sip my drink. I’ve faced the worst of men, looked in the eyes of the animals that took the only father I ever knew from me and never felt an ounce of fear. Yet, the thought of facing Naomi has me spooked.

Could she like me?

I’ve been making it my mission to get under her skin—showing her warmth and pushing her to see who she really is. There’ve been moments when I’ve caught her looking when she thinks I’m not paying attention. At night, her body finds mine, unconsciously moving closer, and when her nightmares claim her, it’s my words, whispered in her ear, that soothe her.

Surely, that means something.

Throwing the rest of the whiskey down my neck, I climb the stairs, forcing the questions over Connor away. I trust my men to make some headway with that problem while I attempt to make peace with the woman who has me by the balls—even if she doesn’t know it.

Opening the door, I stand frozen, captivated by my queen sitting naked on the bed. A man of lesser intelligence would take this as an open invitation, but one look in her eyes tells me all I need to know.

I’m back to square one.

“What’s this?” I ask, moving to stand in front of her.

“Payment,” she deadpans. “Just making sure you get your money’s worth.”

Tommy may have saved Naomi’s arse by getting her off Connor’s radar—like I ordered—buthismay still need a slight kicking.

“Really?” I kneel before her, elbows on either side of her legs. “Seems like you’re angry to me.”

“I’ve been angry since this started.”

Humming, I run a finger lazily along her smooth thigh. “I’ve made you smile once or twice.”

She glares at me, her green eyes flickering with light before burning with rage. “All you’ve done is bend me to your will and take any sense of control I thought I had over my life away.”

Ignoring her anger, I continue stroking her leg. “And what do you want to do about that?”

“I want it back!”

That, I can help with.Rising, I strip off my clothes and climb onto the bed behind her. Leaning against the headboard—Naomi’s eyes on mine the entire time—I spit on my hand and start working my already hard cock.

“Then take it back,” I urge, and her gaze slowly moves to my groin.

Her eyes widen, and she struggles to swallow, her fear and anger at war, but if I’ve got my girl sussed, she won’t back away from this challenge.

“I want to hurt you. Not fuck you!”