Page 34 of Sweet Deception

Because, damn, I sound dumb.

He pushes himself off the wall and strides toward me, somehow sucking up all the power in the room. Internally, it’s like I’m losing my footing, my edge…

I’ve got to flip the tables on him. Otherwise, my only hope of thwarting him will be to return to abject silence.

“It’s your own fault, you know.” My words make Darren stop.Yes.“For thinking that any woman who comes up to you at a wedding wants to screw you.”

Something sparks and crackles in his glowing eyes.

Finally, I’ve surprised him right out of his cool reserve.

And then, his eyelids lower, and he becomes all languid and seductive. His rigid posture eases, not like he’s relaxing, but more like he’s settling into the power he knows he wields over me.

“I underestimated you. I can admit that.” He steps closer, and on instinct, I rear back, breaking character.Shit.“But I’m willing to bet you wanted to fuck me regardless.”

He stalks closer, invading my personal space. I refuse to let him intimidate me, so I hold my ground even when my pulse stutters.

The tension grows as we stare at each other. Despite my best attempts to stamp out the attraction, my entire body throbs in anticipation of his touch.

Even after everything that’s happened in the last several hours, this man’s sensuality still holds me in its grip. Which is horrifying on every level.

Darren could be one of the people who kidnapped Lucy, and my body wants to go for another ride on his dick?Get it together, Veronika.

His eyes stir through mine, visceral and commanding. Those blue laser beams are hot on my face. I can hardly stand the intensity, the intimacy of us standing so near each other but not touching.

I want to sprint away from him, but I’m unable to move.

“Are you hungry?” Those three words slip past his lips, and my heart nearly gives out. I heard what he said, but my brain is on a different channel altogether.

The best I can do is shake my head.

Darren shrugs and disappears from my bubble. He’s across the room in seconds. “Well, there’s no need to starve Napalm.”

He ducks out of the living room, giving me a second to breathe.

Bozhe moy. For a second, I almost thought he was about to nail me here. The honest and horrifying truth is that the idea didn’t disgust me as much as it should have.

A moment later, Darren returns with something—wait, is that a cat treat?—between his long, lithe fingers.

He kneels, and I’m astonished when Piro abandons me to go eat from Darren’s palm like they’re old friends.

Irritation burns through my veins. “His name is Piro, not Napalm.”

He doesn’t reply. Just scoops upmy kitty, strides over to the couch, drops into it, and sits in silence while Piro continues to snack from his hand. I must look stupid standing over here by myself, so I glide to the couch opposite his and sit.

I can’t help but be mesmerized by the sight of him with Piro.

My precious little feline companion, somehow happy in the arms of this deadly, dangerous man…

He blows things up and NASCAR-drives expensive sports cars, but he’s also a cat dad at heart? And possibly part of a human trafficking operation?

I can’t square it. I can do a lot of math, but Darren is the kind of equation I want to tap out on. Truthfully, I don’t want to figure him out. I just want to get away from him. The more I know, the more drawn to him I may find myself. And that’s a worst-case scenario I don’t have time for.

Not when Lucy needs me.

I may be her last resort.

Piro finishes the treat and climbs out of Darren’s lap. He explores the living room for a while before climbing up my pant leg with his little claws and curling up next to me on the couch.