Page 31 of Rogue

“I can see we’re going to have to have a lecture on obedience,” Sabrina says, calmly, though there’s no doubt she’s absolutely, positively livid.

I flash her my sweetest faux smile.

“Five-minute break,” she tells the group before gyrating her way across the great room and out a door.

I can’t help but smile. Let’s face it, there’s nothing worse than a woman scorned.

“I’m outta here. Finish this thing later.”

My attention shifts back to Jaxson but it’s too late. He’s moving at a fast clip as he crosses the room. I watch him throw an arm around Declan’s shoulder and almost laugh when Declan tries to pull away as they head out of the great room.

Abrupt? You bet, especially after that kiss. I bring my hand up to touch my lip, then freeze as my eyes lock with Hayden’s and a sense of unease sweeps over me.

I do my damnedest not to show it. Instead, I give him my best what’s-a-girl-to-do shrug, which only seems to annoy him more.

Turning away, I follow Jaxson’s lead, beating a fast exit out of Dodge and dodging our boss all together.

Thinking how no good can come from pissing Hayden off.

Thinking about how damn fast Jaxson is—not simply in his movements but in taking control of a situation. Manipulating Sabrina. Kissing me. Thumbing his nose at Hayden.

I pride myself on my smarts yet I’ve been nothing but foolish around the man. Going forward, I promise myself something.

After this morning’s showstopping event, no matter what Jaxson comes at me with, I’ll never underestimate him again.

9

Paris

They say Hemingway raised a glass or two in the cafes along the Boulevard du Montparnasse.

And me? All I’m planning on raising is hell.

Sweet lord, I can’t believe it. That misguided jerk shot at me. Twice. How could he? I bared my soul to him. Allowed him to slip inside my body and my heart. Believed in him . . .us. That we’d find a way to be together. Settle into a quaint little house with a white picket fence and daisies and butterflies and sex so damn hot there’d be no need for a furnace.

Wrong-a-mundo.

It’s war, baby. Payback’s going to be a sweet bitch.

I slow my pace, fairly certain I’ve lost him yet wisely on edge. Jaxson has a penchant for the unpredictable, his being alive being the best example of this.

How in the holy hell did he find me?

Despite the danger, I run the risk of sticking to the boulevard, hopeful that Novák’s men will show up for our surprised-I’m-not-surprised rendezvous. This time I’m walking away with some useful information.

Reaching out, I wipe the dust off a windowpane and stare at my reflection. Getting used to the new me, which looks very much like the old me, only with shorter hair. Skinnier despite my sweet tooth. And wiser—I hope. “It’s you and me, Kylie.” Unlike any normal person with her head on straight, I shoot myself a grin at my words, one that’d rival one of Jaxson’s smug let’s-play smirks . . . what I’d give to see once more . . .

My grin fades.

Damn him for being a clever, stupid man-of-oh-so-little-faith.

Without thinking, I draw the letterJon the dirty windowpane, marking it just like he’d marked my body. The exact moment I knew I was a goner, falling recklessly but madly in love with him.

What happened to us?

I blink, bringing myself back to my hard, cold reality. Quickly, I draw a perfect rectangle around theJ, then use the back of my hand to clear the letter along with the grime inside the shape away. My version of a peephole.

Once inside the cafe, I spy a few open tables with a clear view outside. Perfect.