Page 150 of The Spare

I lower my brows, but he just stands there seemingly unaffected. Holding his stare, I gesture with a hand to the kitchen where there's a small breakfast table, wondering at his lack of security.

"Where are your people?"

"Out in the foyer," he says lightly. "May I have a coffee?"

My face hardens. "Do you plan on being here for a while?" I ask in a bored tone in an attempt to let him know he's not welcome.

"However long it takes." He gives me a charming smile, and I bristle at how open and at ease he is, because deep inside I want to break his face open for having had Donna first. He's part of the reason she won't trust again.

He and the world he's connected to.

Striding over to the counter I pour him a cup of coffee, leaving it black, and then set it in front of him with a clank against the glass table top. He picks it up, takes a sip, and sighs appreciatively. "Perfect."

I'm sure it is, dick.

"Can you get to the point? I have an entire day waiting for me, and I don't want to waste it looking at you." I sit across from him and cross my arms, informing him with my body language that I'm over it. Whateveritis.

"I spoke with Donna-"

I scoff, shaking my head. The audacity.

"And she told me that she was seeing you. I wanted to ask you if that was the truth."

"It is not, no," I say simply. "Now, if that will be all?"

"No, that willnotbe all." He gives me another one of those smiles, and I take a deep breath, searching for calm. "She said she was seeingyou, and I had every intention of informing you that I wanted to get you out of the picture."

I laugh, glancing at him in amusement. "So, you're here to kill me?"

He takes another sip and sits back, eyeing me. "No. She wants you, William. So I wouldn't dream of it."

"Thats interesting, because she has rejected every attempt for me to get close to her. The furthest she has let me in is a coffee date."

He nods thoughtfully, rubbing the rim of his cup with a forefinger. "Not only is she scared to move on, she's also fearful of the mafia." He eyes me for a second, seeing too much. "And there's the little matter of you being Richard King'sbrother.Of course she's not letting you in. I haven't had any luck either, if that makes you feel better."

I tilt my head. "So you came here to ask for my help? How bold of you."

He shakes his. "No, I came here to see if you'd be willing to indulge me in something."

Staring at him for a minute, I fight feelings of uncertainty. Thanks to my brother's verbal lashing, and emotional and physical ostracism, I often find it hard to be in men's company. And I don't trust his patience or how careful he's being with his words. I feel the walls I've spent years keeping erect begin to shudder slightly with the way Maximus is so calmly regarding me.

No yelling… no evil looks, even though it's so very plain we want the same woman. Is this to be my fucking life?

Am I cursed?

Raising my brows, I take a sip of my coffee, regarding him quietly. "Go on."

"I can tell you from experience that Donna's a brat."

My inner dominant stretches and then stands to attention. Heat crawls up my neck, and a shiver flows down my spine at his words.Because brats are my absolutefavoriteto play with. My pleasure is slightly dampened at the reminder that he's had her first. Had a child with her.

"That's what's wrong with her," he continues. "I think she's had too much leeway. A woman like her craves a firm hand and sure guidance."

My cock thickens, and I almost purr with desire, imagining Donna undermyhand, because if only this man knew what I was like in the bedroom. My tastes. I could get that woman to scream, to sing out her pleasure. Scream it.

I've imagined the woman under me more times than I care to admit. To the point I feel insane with the need.

Fucking feral with it.