“Remove. Your. Hand.” I say through gritted teeth.
Quinn wears a smug smile, pressing her fingers in deeper. The pressure surges higher, up my throat, into my jaw, into my skull. My vision sharpens to a single point, her fingers on me.
If I could breathe fire, this table would already be ash.
I am on my feet before I consciously decide to move. The chair scrapes violently against the floor. I grab her wrist and my fingers wrap tight enough that her smirk fractures. I feel her bone so clearly that it takes effort not to crush it.
The disgust isn’t quiet anymore. It roars in my bloodstream, flooding every nerve ending. My skin feels infected where she touched me, like I need to tear the fabric away and start again.
She squeaks, startled.
Dad rises halfway from his seat. “Roman.”
But I don’t look at him. I’m staring at her.
“You will never,” I continue, my voice low and lethal, “speak about Fae again. And you will never touch me without permission.”
Quinn’s eyes fill with tears. Dad looks unsure what to do as Mum sits there, staring daggers between him and Quinn.
“ANSWER ME!” I shout slamming my hand down in her chocolate cake.
The cutlery clatters as she whimpers, nodding erratically. The room is so silent that even the staff have frozen. If I could set something on fire it would be her confidence and I am very, very close.
“Roman, that’s enough,” my dad barks and I whip my head up to sneer at him.
“This is your fucking fault, old man. Fix it.” I let go of Quinn’s wrist, but not before I squeeze it harder, not caring if it bruises tomorrow.
The scream she lets out doesn’t satisfy my bloodlust either as I finally let go and storm out of the dining room and into the hallway.
Quinn thought tonight would prove she belonged beside me, but all it did was hand me a rope to hang her with.
CHAPTER 34
FAE
Iwake slowly. The sheets are tangled around my legs and the weight of Roman is pressed against my back. He came home in a rage last night and my body aches from the way he fucked it out of his system. His arm is hooked around my waist like it was built for it. The room is quiet as pale morning light slips through the curtains, painting everything in a soft, almost forgiving glow. I let myself sit in it for a moment. In him.
Then reality creeps in, as it always does.
Robyn’s face flashes behind my eyes. The warehouse lists. Leads that keep dissolving into nothing. The gaping hole she left in my life that no amount of blood has managed to fill. We’re closer, I can feel it, but closer still means more searching. More lies. More dark corners.
Roman’s breath ghosts across the back of my neck, it is warm and steady, as he nuzzles in and pulls me out of my spiral. I shiver as he presses a lazy kiss beneath my ear and I feel him, hard and unapologetic, nudging against me as he groans low in his chest. I huff out a quiet laugh.
“You’re insatiable,” I murmur.
“Mmm.” His hand slides higher on my waist, as his fingers flex like he’s testing his claim. “Morning, Tinkerbell,” his voice is rough with sleep.
I try to roll away, but he only tightens his hold, pulling me back until I’m flush against him. The mattress dips as he shifts and suddenly I’m flipped onto my back. A squeak slips from my lips as my hair fans across the pillow. His hard body braces above mine, his overly large cock pressing into my heat. Roman’s eyes settle on mine as he blinks away sleep. His hand comes up, pushing a strand of hair from my face as his thumb strokes my cheek. I smile, teasing him as my hips rock against his cock, but he doesn’t move. He just watches me, his weight pinning me in place. The heat of him seeps into my skin, into my bones, until I can feel it humming beneath the surface. My pulse flutters low in my stomach. I rock my hips again, testing him, teasing until the friction sends a sharp spark up my spine and I bite back a moan. My body reacts before my pride does, heat pooling in my pussy as my nerves wake.
“You think that’s all this is?” he murmurs, his voice still thick with sleep but steadier now.
“All what is?” I say, a small smile pulling at my lips as I try to reach him, but he pulls away.
I frown.
“It’s not just sex,” he says quietly, lowering his forehead to mine.
Roman’s jaw tightens slightly as his thumb drifts from my cheek to my lower lip, tracing the curve and my breath catches at the look in his eye. My teasing fades. His hand slides to the side of my face, holding me there.