“Stone,” I snap, suddenly even more irritated that Ian had witnessed Stone approaching me and hadn’t done a damn thing about it. I cross my arms over my chest and glower at him as confusion knits his brow together. “That’s the big motherfucker’s name. Xander Stone.”
Ian’s frown deepens. “He told you that?”
“Yes, he mentioned it. In between the dates where he tried to seduce me.” And succeeded. God, how Stone had suc
ceeded. I blow out my cheeks then release a harsh breath. “I guess I have you to thank for introducing us.”
“Oh my god.” The color drains from his face. “The night you stood me up for the movies, the date…?”
“Yep. That was him.” I set my jaw hard. “Three guesses why he picked me. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t for my lithe, sexy body, my fabulous personality, or my cushy bank account.”
Ian blinks a few times then he shakes his head as he squeezes the bridge of his nose between two fingers. “Skye, I had no idea Rich would stoop so low.”
Rich. I’ve heard that name before. Just a few nights ago, in fact. “Like that casino CEO guy Rich? The one you claim isn’t a casino owner at all?” I stand up and walk closer to Ian, shoving my hands into the back pockets of my jeans so I won’t reach out and choke him for playing this game. I want to know exactly what brand of fire I’m being thrown into here. “Who is he really?” I ask.
“It’s complicated.”
“Then uncomplicate it.” I swallow hard past a sudden lump in my throat. I do not want to share details of just how badly I’ve been duped, not with my brother. Think fast, Skye. “I went out with this guy, okay? I had him in my house. He knows where I work. If he’s working for this Rich person, I deserve to know what’s his deal.”
When I take another step closer to him, Ian sinks onto my kitchen counter stool and drops his head into his hands. “A little bit of everything, really. Blackmail, extortion. Off-book loans, under-the-table deals. Probably drugs too, but who the fuck knows. Rich is bad news, though—that’s all you need to know. And that guy, Stone? He does Rich’s dirty work.”
“Including seducing the sister of a client who owes him big?” I ask dryly.
Ian massages his temples. “I’ll fix this. I’ll tell him to stay away from you.”
Right, just like he called out Stone tonight when he had no idea why the guy was following me. “No worries on that score,” I mutter. “I made my position on ever seeing his face again pretty clear this evening.”
“If he ever bothers you again, though, you’ll tell me?” Ian manages to meet my eye now, and I’m surprised at the amount of fury in his gaze. “I mean it, Skye.”
“Yeah, sure.” Realizing that I’m getting nowhere else with my brother, I quietly cross the room and open the door. Throwing him out is becoming a habit, and honestly, it’s exhausting. “Thanks for the heads up.”
“Skye, this is serious, these people are dangerous criminals who—”
“Just … leave.” Because I’m getting tired of being on this merry-go-round when all I want is the truth. I glare down at a bare spot in my carpet for a moment then meet Ian’s blue gaze. “Go home, okay?”
For a minute, he looks like he wants to argue with me. He opens and closes his mouth several times like he wants to tell me everything. Finally, he raises his hands in surrender and shoves to his feet. “I’m going to fix this,” he says as he passes me. “No matter what it takes, Skye, I promise you. I’m going to make sure these people never hurt us.”
Too late, I think.
Then I close the door and lock it, using my deadbolt for the first time in years.
19
Stone
Two days. Two days since the night in the parking lot, when she drove away from me. Two days of drinking myself to sleep and waking up to the live-stream of her apartment every morning.
Watching her hurt isn’t doing me any favors. It’s clear exactly how much she’s aching. She tossed and turned all night after the confrontation with her brother. I notice he didn’t tell her everything, but gave her enough details that she knows by now exactly how bad an idea it is to hang around me.
I can’t blame him. If it were my sister, I’d have done the same thing. I am bad news, after all. All kinds of bad news. She deserves so much better than me.
That’s the only reason I’ve been able to make myself stay away. I know exactly how dangerous my line of work is, and Ian is right, even if he’s the asshole who landed her in Rich’s crosshairs in the first place. This situation is no place for a woman like Skye, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.
Even if it means never seeing her again. Never seeing her, kissing her, wrapping her voluptuous body in my arms and licking every inch of her pale, perfect skin. Never fucking her senseless, or listening to her moans as I thrust into her or hearing her scream my name as I tongue her into oblivion.
I’m hard again just remembering her. Fuck, I’ve been hard since the moment I first met her.
But it doesn’t matter how right it feels to hold her against me. It doesn’t matter how she makes me feel. All that matters now is Skye and her safety.