Page 24 of Protected By the Sinner

Fuck. She’s impossible to read.

Less than five minutes ago, I would’ve sworn that if I’d pulled down her panties and made her come on my tongue, she’d be begging for more. Now, she’s playing the part of some Victorian lady.

And the most fucked up part? The idea of breaking her defenses, of winning that game, makes my blood boil with anticipation.

“You don’t need to worry about your bags. Someone will grab them. Now, if you’re done with the speeches, let’s go, Amber Martin.”

“I thought we were going to a hotel,” she says as we step into my Dallas penthouse.

“I don’t stay in hotels.”

“Why not?”

“I keep properties in every city where I do business.”

“And you have a lot of them?”

“You don’t know?”

She stops walking and looks back at me. “How would I?”

“You didn’t end up at theHazardopening by accident,” I accuse, watching her closely.

“I didn’t come to find you. I was there to have fun.”

I ignore the lie. My security team ran a metal detector through her bags. No weapons, no knives. So for now, she can keep playing her little game. “And did you find what you were looking for?”

“Fun?” she asks, and I catch the nervous swallow in her throat.

“Yep.”

“Not quite. But I’ve got a feeling you might help with that.”

I move closer. I can practically feel her nerves vibrating off her skin. “I’ll repeat the question I asked at the club, Amber:do you have any idea what it means to catch the attention of a man like me?” My mouth is near her neck now. I let my lips brush lightly against her skin.

“No, but I’m not turning down your invitation. I want to play in your world a little, Beau.”

I can tell from the way her body leans toward mine that she’s dying for my touch.

Which is exactly why I pull away. “The guest rooms are on the middle floor. Pick whichever one you want. If you want a shower, you’ve got ten minutes.”

Before she can object, I leave her in the living room and head into the library. There, I walk straight to the window and stare out over the city.

I’m breaking every rule by keeping her here, especially since we still don’t know much about her. But I want to see how this plays out.

My gut tells me Amber has no clue where she’s landed—or who she’s dealing with.

Chapter 10

I should be texting the monsters to let them know I’m here—but I can’t.

Not yet, at least.

I keep reminding myself I can’t leave. Doing so would mean death for both of us.

At the same time, I want to scream about what I’m doing. I’ve never been this torn in my entire life.

I don’t care what Beau did to those men. This is his house—one of them, anyway—and he brought me here to stay. And I’m going to betray him.