Rowdy Boy

His words make me swallow. Hard.

What the hell is he planning?

“Look, I gave you my word,” I reiterate.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” he spits.

I jerk free from his grip. “What else do you want? I can’t give you anything else.”

A devilish smirk forms on his lips. “Yes … Yes, you can.” The carnal look he gives me makes goose bumps scatter on my skin.

I’ve seen that look before … when we were in the lake, and he was about to kiss me. Everything comes flooding back in; his lips on mine, his hands on my body, all over me, touching me in places I didn’t know I already wanted to be touched.

At that moment, I wanted nothing more than for him to take what he wanted.

And he threw it right back in my face.

“What do you want, Cole?” I ask. “If my word isn’t enough, then what is?”

He licks the roof of his mouth with a devilish grin on his face. “You know exactly what I want.”

I suck in a breath. “You want my body,” I say, my voice fluctuating in tone, “as insurance.”

He takes a step in my direction, and the weight of his power comes down on me. Not just the power of his presence or his popularity … but his physical prowess too. For a moment, his eyes taper off to an envelope lying on the small table in the corner, and his fists clench.

My heartbeat shoots through the roof.

For a second, I contemplate if I should run. Run from him … run from the inevitable clash.

But I’ve already tried that before, and it didn’t work.

This is what they all warned me about and why they told me to stay away.

Because if Cole Travis wants something, whether it’s now or later, he’s going to get it, no matter what.

Chapter 20

Cole

She thought she could spy on us.

That she could step in the wolf’s den and not be bitten.

She should’ve thought twice before coming to my domain. Now she gives me no choice.

“You shouldn’t have come here, Monica …” I growl, eyeing her down as I step closer and closer while she backs away until a wall hits her back.

“So what? You want me to get on my knees? Suck you off?” she hisses, her hands against the wall as if she’s afraid of what might happen if she touches me instead. “That’s what you want? You want to use me?”

Use her?

That’s an odd way to put having my dick in your mouth.

Any other girl would’ve been drooling at the thought, no matter the circumstance. If I flick my finger, any number of them would happily throw themselves at my feet, even if I threatened them with consequences.

But not her. Definitely not her …

Which is why I’ve gotten so obsessed with her.

I cock my head and plant a hand on the wall beside her head, the sound making her jolt up and down. “You have sensitive information on us, so now I’m going to need the same thing from you.”

My hand inches to her face, but she recoils, her head turned, her lips shuddering, and her body tensing up. She didn’t respond to my touch that way last time. What changed?

She looks at me from the corner of her eyes with fear.

Is she scared of me?

I lean in closer, trying to get a read on her, but it’s hard. For some reason, she’s shut me out, even though she was so open to me before. Back at the lake, I’m sure she would’ve been more than willing to get on her knees or let me fuck her until I came inside her.

But now … now all she exudes is disdain.

A single tear that forms in her eye confirms my suspicion.

As it rolls down her cheeks, I frown and pick up the tear with my thumb. Still, she stands tall and proud. I’ve never seen her this courageous. And it makes me smile. I can admire a girl who, despite all odds being stacked against her, still refuses to budge.

“If you tell me you’re not gonna get on your knees for me,” I murmur, sliding aside her hair with my fingers. “I’m going to need you to give me something else.”

Her chest rises and falls as she gasps.

She and I both know there’s no other way out of this.

If she runs off with what she knows, she could destroy us. Me.

And I won’t let that happen.

This band and its reputation are everything, and I cannot let anyone jeopardize that. Not even her.

My fingers slide down her chest, which rises and falls faster than before.

“Don’t be scared,” I whisper. “I won’t hurt you.”

She stares at me, her eyes seeping with hatred, hate for her own fear, hate for me … hate for what she feels when I touch her. I can tell from the way her body flinches every time my hand slides across her body, every time my lips come close to her skin.