Here With Me (Adair Family 1)

To my growing disquiet, he took another step toward me, forcing me to retreat.

Shit.

“Really?” He contemplated me, a hard edge in his eyes. “You have the energy for acting. You’ve got something about you. I’ve seen you around the estate but didn’t know quite who you belonged to.”

“I belong to me.” Asshole.

“Right. All women say that, but the truth is, you want to belong to a man. It turns you on to be owned.”

“You did not just say that.”

He grinned like a shark. “Protest. They all do. But I know the truth.” He studied me with hot eyes. “You’re very sexy in a Lara Croft, Black Widow kinda way. Great mouth. Eyes. Tits are good too. Your nose is a little long but a nose job can fix that.” The urge to smash his face in grew as he leaned in to whisper in my ear, “I have a lot of influence in the world, and I’m very happy to help out my friends.” That’s when I felt his tongue touch my neck.

I pushed him off, but he was solid and barely moved. “Back off,” I warned.

His eyes flashed in disbelief, and suddenly I was pressed to the gym wall and had an angry, petulant, miscreant of an actor flush against me, caging me in. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

“Someone who is about to do permanent damage to your dick if you don’t get the hell away from me.”

Stone laughed, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You don’t get it.” He was almost whispering. “In my world, if I see something I like, I take it. And there’s not a lot you can do about it.”

Fury rose in my gut. How many women had this slime cornered? How many had he assaulted?

Just because he could get away with it.

He reached for my breast and squeezed it hard.

I snapped.

Grabbing his wrist with both hands, I kneed him in the balls. Satisfied with his roar of pain, I took advantage as his legs gave way with the agony. Moving away from the wall, I took hold of his arm at the shoulder and wrist, straightened it, and twisted until it was close to dislocating.

Knees on the floor, Sebastian let out another yell of pain and glared up at me with absolute hatred in his eyes.

Something cold moved through me as we stared at each other. This guy cared about power. He got off on having it. To say he was displeased to be beaten by a woman was an understatement.

“Let me go, you fucking bitch!” he yelled, spittle flying.

I put pressure on his shoulder, twisting just enough to make him flinch with fear. “Oh, you don’t want to be friends anymore?”

His eyes flew over my shoulder and his face reddened even further. “Adair, get this bitch off me!”

Glancing behind me, I found Lachlan striding toward us, his face a thundercloud. “What is going on?” he demanded.

Suddenly, I was aware of my racing heart.

I pushed Stone toward the floor, releasing him with force so his face nearly hit the ground. “Just teaching Mr. Stone here a lesson about how being a famous person doesn’t entitle him to sexually assault any woman who strikes his fancy.”

Lachlan was helping Stone to his feet but now gripped him by the jaw, bringing his face to his. Emotion swelled out of Lachlan, so palpable, it caused my stomach to roil.

He was angrier than I’d ever seen him, yet his words came out deceptively soft. “Did you accost a woman in my home, Stone?”

“She’s fucking lying!” Stone flailed in Lachlan’s grip, trying, and failing, to push away. “Get off me. The bitch is a whack job, and I’m suing you for letting her loose on your members!”

Adair pushed him away with such strength, Stone stumbled, tried to right himself, but still landed on his ass. As he struggled to his feet, vibrating with his rage, Lachlan took a menacing step toward him. “I have cameras in this gym, Sebastian. All I have to do is check them to verify Ms. Penhaligon’s claim.”

Stone’s chest heaved, but the rest of his body tensed.

Adair didn’t miss a beat. “That’s what I thought … you dirty piece of scum. Pack your bags and get the fuck off my estate. Consider your membership terminated.”

My would-be attacker’s face slackened with disbelief. He looked like a teenager whose parents had finally backed up threats with some consequences. “You can’t do that.”

“You signed a contract, and in that contract it clearly states that any untoward behavior in or outside the estate will lead to the immediate termination of your membership.”

“For that nobody cunt?” Stone gestured to me.

An almost animalistic growl rumbled in the back of Adair’s throat, and he lunged toward Stone before drawing himself up short. His hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Ms. Penhaligon, would you like me to call the police so you can press charges against Mr. Stone?”