Page 44 of The Retaliation You Deliver

He laps at me, bites me, teases me until the elevator dings alerting us to our arrival.

Taking a huge step back, he runs his eyes down the length of my body, heat burning in his eyes, his cock trying to break out of his pants.

I should feel ashamed of the state of me, but staring at his reaction gives me confidence, it shows me just how much power I’ve still got over him even when he doesn’t want me to have any.

Covering myself up, I push from the elevator wall and walk out ahead of him.

I have no clue where I’m going but I’m sure he’ll soon point me in the right direction if I take the wrong turn.

His stare burns into my back as he follows me down the hall.

“Stop,” he booms when I’m beside the door.

Stepping up behind me, the heat from his body damn near scalds my bare back as he taps the pad beside the door with the card.

With his arm clamped around my waist, he swings the door open and walks me inside. The feel of his hard length pressing against my ass makes my thighs clench with desire.

I shouldn’t want him as fiercely as I do. Especially when he’s this angry. When all he can see is his need to hurt me.

“So this is where you bring all your expensive whores to impress them?” I ask as the hallway opens up to an impressive suite with floor to ceiling windows that showcase all of Maddison County in the distance.

“I don’t need to impress anyone, Macie,” he says, immediately walking over to the kitchenette and pulling out a bottle of whisky from behind a glass door.

He pours himself a generous amount before knocking it back in one go.

“This is my father’s place. He’s the one who feels the need to impress. I, on the other hand, don’t really give a fuck what people—what women—think of me.”

“I guess that’s good seeing as you treat them like shit.”

“What do you know about how I treat women?”

“Other than from experience?” I quip.

His brow lifts and I take a step toward him, needing to show him that I’m not scared of him, no matter how much he threatens me.

Now I know the truth, I see more of him than I think he’s even aware of. He’s angry, sure. Who wouldn’t be given the situation? But under all that pain and anger is a lost little boy who desperately needs to be told that it’s going to be okay.

He might think that my uncle was the one to ruin his life, to plant the seed of darkness inside him. But he’s the one who’s watered it and let it grow. Allowing it to fester inside of him until it begins to seep out.

He’s held on to his need for revenge for so long now that he can’t see anything else.

I should know. I’ve lived with the guilt for as long as he’s lived with the pain.

“I know you’ve only fucked redheads for years. And I think we’re more than aware as to why, aren’t we?” Reaching out, I swipe the bottle from his hand and lift it to my lips.

I regret it the second the strong alcohol hits my lips but I refuse to back down, to show an ounce of weakness in front of Leon.

He needs this. He needs me to fight. So that’s what he’s going to get.

I’m done letting him take the lead and following him down a track full of lies and deceit.

He’s played his cards now. I know the truth. And one way or another, I’m going to make him face it.

Because if he doesn’t… well, I don’t think either of us really need to go there.

“I’m fucked up, what can I say?” he says with a shrug, not even bothering to deny it, which makes me weirdly happy. “None of them mattered until I found the one I wanted.”

“Oh yeah? How good was I?” I force out through my burning throat.