Beautiful Seduction

“Detective Josh Worthington.”

Exhaling, my grip on the phone tightened as the realization slid into the back of my mind. She’d fucking been lying to me about everything. Every. Fucking. Thing. “What the hell does he want?” The change in my tone of voice was malevolent, the rage almost consuming me, so much so a wave of red formed a haze in front of my eyes.

“I don’t know, but I had the distinct feeling he didn’t arrive in the middle of my office asking about you and the club because he’d been assigned to the case. Not his precinct. It would seem your little reporter has a hidden agenda.”

There’d been far too many oddities, coincidences that I could no longer ignore. What the fuck was wrong with me even believing for one minute that she was a woman of virtue? There was no one left who was without a hidden agenda as my brother had said.

“Yes, it would seem.” She would need to be broken, confessing her sins. Whether she’d intended or not, she was playing a significant role of unraveling my world.

Laughter floated from behind me, my body instantly tensing. As I turned, the sight of Cassidy in a flowing dress, her long hair billowing in the breeze, brought out the savage from deep inside. “I will call you in a day or so after handling the business at the winery.”

“I just hope to hell you know what you’re doing.”

I ended the call, shoving the phone into my pocket. “So do I.” I studied her for a few seconds, keeping my distance. She appeared relaxed, as if she didn’t have a care in the world, a glass of champagne in her hand. As she walked beside Bella, the young woman pointing out areas of landscaping, I was struck by how peaceful the moment seemed, the trickling water of the fountain adding to the serenity.

But it was all fake.

There was a darkness inside of me that I’d managed to avoid once in my life, shoving it aside so that I’d been allowed to experience the true pain of giving a damn about someone. No. Fuck, no. That was never going to happen again. Perhaps something had broken in me from hearing she’d dragged her brother into the situation. What the hell had been her real intent by coming to La Travitorria? Had she intended on expanding her territory, finally able to grab the brass ring of New York? Was there a connection to the Adamos family, her actions nothing more than a vendetta?

Whatever the case, I would learn the absolute truth.

Then I would dispose of her.

But not before enjoying another round of our game of cat and mouse. That’s all this was. Nothing more.

I remained where I was, studying her, watching her.

Hungering for her.

My need was as strong as that of breathing air, yet the intensity of the desire had changed, becoming more intolerable to force back in the cage.

If she wanted a taste of my world, why not the hell not give it to her? As far as breaking her, that would be easy to do. I was damn good at it. Hell, I was nearly perfect at destroying anything good in this world.

Suddenly, it was as if my dolce angelo sensed my presence. She stopped, brushing hair from her face then tipping her head in my direction. There wasn’t enough distance between us to deny the attraction, the caustic explosion of heat enough to singe the earth. I took several deep breaths, the hard thudding of my heart as painful as it had ever been.

She said something to Bella then walked in my direction, a pensive look on her face.

I wanted to rip the beautiful dress away, to destroy what goodness she had left. The monster in me wanted to break her into little pieces, shattering her world and destroying her mind until the only salvation she’d find was in my arms.

And in my bed.

Yet as she walked closer, I looked away. It was as if I had the capability for forgetting about her sins, ignoring the possibility of betrayal. Why? Why the hell was I risking my life and that of my family because of this woman? It was intolerable, yet the electricity that soared was unstoppable. With Cassidy, everything was different, the emotions stronger, the longing breathtaking.

“What’s wrong?” Cassidy asked, still remaining a full yard away from me. Perhaps she’d sensed my continued discord.

She was beautiful in the dress, the pastel flowers against the light background creating the illusion of romance. Even the sandals she’d been forced to borrow were feminine and perfect for her, thin leather straps wrapping around her small ankles. She appeared more fragile than I knew her to be, but there was no doubting the strong resolve in her eyes, or the glint of her emotion.

Passion.

Unbridled hunger.

The same fucking need that I had.

After taking another series of deep breaths, I snapped my head in her direction. “Come here.”

“What are you doing? What’s wrong?” she asked, another hint of raw fear rushing into her system.

“I said. Come here. Do not make me ask you again.” I kept my gaze locked on her, her scent more intoxicating than before, so intoxicating my balls tightened.