“But does he love you?”
Her eyes narrow, her pulse races, her body stills. “He loves me more than you will ever love anyone.”
“Maybe so, but I wouldn’t call that love. He’s just as controlling as I am. He announced your wedding without you. He made you sign a prenup. And you can’t even tell him about me. It doesn’t sound like true love to me.”
“The announcement wasn’t him—it was Nolan, his campaign manager. I had just as much money to lose as him. I don’t want a man to take care of me. I want to take care of my own damn self. And not telling Waylon about you is to protect him, not because I can’t.
“Waylon and I may not be head over heels in love, but our union will outlive the best marriages because we know what we are getting into. Our marriage doesn’t rely on falling in and out of love. Our marriage relies on mutual respect and understanding.”
I chuckle. “You don’t even know who Waylon is.”
Now it’s her turn to lean toward me.
I hold still and try not to breathe, so I don’t inhale her scent again. I can’t help myself anymore, though, so I take a deep, unsettling breath.
“I know exactly who Waylon is. Just like I know who you are. I’ll take my chances with Waylon.”
“You don’t have a clue who I am anymore. You haven’t cared about my life in years.”
“I know you. You’re a liar, just like me.”
I grin and feel her eyes on my dimples that drive her mad. “You don’t have any proof of my lies, do you? You have no idea if I’m married with kids or not.”
She smirks and moves her hand to mine, until she’s
stroking the inside of my wrist. Her eyes tilt down to my crotch.
“I don’t know if you are legally married or not. I don’t know if you’ve sired a string of bastards that are genetically related to you. What I do know is that you want me. One touch and your cock is as hard as steel. One kiss and I’m all you can think about. It doesn’t matter if you’re lying or not—you want me.”
I remove my hand from her grasp. “I want you dead.”
Her eyes dart back and forth. “I’m pretty sure that’s a lie too.”
“Pretty sure? That’s a weak statement to bet your life on.”
She stands. “My entire life has been a series of bets on my life. Somehow I’ve survived them all. I can survive you.”
“Maybe. But right now, you have a lot less money to fight me with unless you plan on asking Waylon for help.”
“I won’t be asking any man for help. I’ve built a small empire before. My only mistake was not ensuring it was better guarded. I won’t let that happen again.”
“Tomorrow, I want answers. Real answers, not lies, or I’ll steal more from you until you have nothing left.”
She whips her hair over her shoulder. “I guess I’ll just have to steal right back from you. I hope you aren’t lying. I hope you are really married with kids. Because I will destroy them all. If you have a heart to break, I’ll shatter it. This is war, killer.”
She pauses. “And unlike you, I won’t wait six months to kill you. The first chance I get, you’re a dead man.”
I smile. “You can’t kill me, and you don’t have any money to hire someone skilled enough to lay a finger on me.”
Her smile is bigger than mine, which scares me. “I’ll have more money than you can imagine soon enough.”
With those parting words, she leaves.
Not five seconds after she leaves, I see a man I didn’t expect to see here—Maxwell.
I frown; maybe he’s more skilled than I thought.
9