Page 15 of Scandalous Kingpin

As if he could read my thoughts, he took a step toward me and I took one back, hitting the wall behind me. His hand appeared above my head and the pressure of his chest against mine sent a tremor through me. He had me pinned in more ways than one.

The walls felt as if they were closing in, like there wasn’t enough oxygen for the two of us.

I couldn’t think with him so close to me, the idea that he might touch me sending every nerve ending in my back tingling with brutal desire.

One I intended to resist at all costs.

Chapter Seven

The Murphy mafia might not operate in the States, but their name carried weight in the underworld. Anyone with an agenda knew to turn up at Ivy Murphy’s birthday tonight—from the Callahans and the Brennans to the Corsican mafia. However, I was here to get to the bottom of the Murphys’ negotiations with the Callahan mafia.

At least, that was what I kept telling myself.

Ishouldhave been out there collecting intel at this very moment, not stalking this redheaded angel.

“Why are you here?” she asked, fighting the spark igniting her eyes. “To ruin my birthday?”

“I’m here for business.”

The confusion on her face flickered, but she swiftly masked it. “My brothers would never do business with you.”

The scent of strawberries filled my nostrils and I took a step back, needing some space for my own sanity. I watched her inhale slowly and then release it.

“Never say never, angel.”

“Don’t,” she snapped, fixing her best scowl on me.

“Why? Don’t you like your name, angel?”

She held my stare and crossed her arms over her chest, eyes narrowing as her body trembled from either fury or arousal; she was impossible to read.

“I do, very much. But you seem to constantly forget it. It’s Ivy. Get a tattoo or something.”

My cock stirred in my suit pants and the beast within me stretched awake. This impact she had on me floored me every time. These last few hours in her proximity were the most I’d felt alive since I last saw her. Hell, since the first time I’d dropped to my knees before her.

“Maybe I will. I know someone who’d happily brand it on me. Maybe I’ll even have them carve it into my skin with a rusty blade—make it so when I take you, you’ll see exactly who you belong to.”

I shook my head once the words had left my mouth. What was wrong with me? Years of therapy, of learning how to control my impulses, down the drain. I blamed her for that. She looked like a fucking goddess, wearing a dress that fell down her body in silky lines, accentuating her curves. A slit up one side to mid-thigh giving me a glimpse of her long, toned legs.

“What—” She couldn’t get her words out, her cheeks flushing deep crimson to match that wild mane of hers. “Something’s wrong with you.”

I leaned forward, a merciless smile curving my lips. “You have no idea, angel. If you only knew the thoughts I’ve been having…”

Maybe if I gave her a glimpse of my darkness, she’d keep her distance.

“I hate you, Priest.”

“And I hate you.”For making me feel.“But I still want to press your face against the wall and fuck your pussy until you can’t take it anymore.”

The delicate veins in her neck thrummed and her mouth gaped, no doubt shell-shocked at my bluntness. I scraped my hand over the stubble on my chin, fighting to rein in my desire.

But then, to my surprise, she took a step closer, her eyes narrowing to slits.

“It’s you who wouldn’t be able to handle it, ChristianPriestDiLustro.” The way she hissed my real name had my cock twitching. I quite liked her when she was angry. “You had your chance and you blew it. Now get out of my fucking way and stop cockblocking me.”

She sidestepped me, leaving me staring after her.

“You like her.”