Gio slams his large fist on the bar, his full lips twisting into a grimace. “That fucking bastard,” he mutters. “What else?”
I balk. “That’s not enough?”
He shakes his head. “I’m just trying to figure out if he hurt you. In other ways,” he says vaguely, motioning for me to continue my story.
“If you’re trying to find out if he raped me, the answer is no,” I say. “I guess you could say I was one of the lucky ones who escaped that fate.”
“Lucky how?” Jameson asks.
I furrow my brow. “Someone killed him before he could do anything else. You saw his body when you pulled me out of there. The man with the gun left the room, and not a minute afterward, someone came in with a knife and plunged it into his throat while I watched from that corner.”
“But the killer left you alone,” Gio says.
“Yes. Like I said, I was lucky. I could be dead right now. And before you ask, he was completely covered so I have no idea what he looked like.” I quirk an eyebrow at the guys. “Okay, so I gave you a lot of information right there. Now tell me why you were looking for Vigo. Do you work with him? For him?”
“Fuck, no!” Jameson grumbles. “We’d never get involved with that piece of shit!”
“Okay,” I reply, taking another sip of the vodka. “So why were you there? With guns?”
“Let’s just say Vigo did some business with a friend of ours,” Gio says in a low, gravelly voice. Cone to think of it, I should have named him Mr. Dark, Dangerous, and Delicious. It totally fits him. “And he didn’t pay a debt. So we were there to collect.”
I nod. “Explains the guns. Sorry you didn’t get your money.”
Gio shrugs. “We didn’t exactly walk outta there empty-handed.”
“Yeah, but you’re walking out of here empty-handed. I can assure you of that,” I snap, allowing the scathing words to slip out before I have the chance to bite them back.
“Another blow to my self-esteem,” he says with a playful grin. A shiver runs through me as he shifts away from the bar, his muscular bicep brushing against my side.
Jameson grabs his phone from his pocket and peers at the flashing screen. He holds it up and looks at his friend. “I’m gonna take this outside.” He disappears through the front door, leaving me with he who shall remain nameless.
Gio has a hint of an Italian accent, so I know he’s not American. And my God, I’ve never seen eyes like his. They pop against his deep olive skin, so mesmerizing, I find it hard to drag my own gaze away from his. They root me to the spot, so piercing, so penetrating, sizzling every inch of skin as they travel the length of my body.
In another life, one where I have a normal existence and backstory, I would melt under his fiery sapphire stare.
But in my current state, I can’t give in to the temptation, no matter how strong it is.
My job is too important, and it doesn’t make accommodations for low-level thugs who carry out petty revenge plots.
I don’t know why they were really looking for Vigo.
And since Vigo is dead, I guess it really doesn’t matter.
I accomplished my objective, and that’s the most important takeaway.
He leans toward me, close enough that his spicy cologne wafts in the air between us, intoxicating me to the point where if he asked me my name, I’d have to force myself to recall my alias.
“So, I saved your life tonight,” he murmurs.
“It would appear so,” I rasp as he trails a finger down the side of my arm.
“It’s interesting that the killer didn’t slit your throat, too,” he whispers against my ear, sending tiny chills shuttling down my spine.
“I begged him not to,” I say. “And I guess he wanted to get out of there fast.”
“Still.” His fingers scorch a path down the back of my dress, stopping right at the small of my back. “Even a complete amateur wouldn’t have left the murder weapon behind, especially with an eyewitness.”
I recoil, my eyes popping open wide. “What the hell are you implying?” I gasp.
Gio shrugs, looping his fingers into the shoulder straps of my dress. My nipples peak under the fabric from the chills induced by his persistent and deliciously invasive touch. “It just seems odd that he didn’t kill you, too.” He stares at me, those blue eyes darkening with suspicion. “But who knows? The guy could have been a complete fucking moron who’d never done a job like that before. There are plenty of sloppy hit men. They don’t last too long in the field, you know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I’ve seen a lot of—” And then I snap my mouth closed, realizing I just took his fucking bait. Sonofabitch! Two sips of vodka plus a goddamn lusty haze and I’m rendered a complete airhead?
“I bet you have,” he growls, pressing himself up against me. I swallow a yelp as he backs me against the bar, something thick and hard pressed against me. Is that…?
Oh, yes, it fucking is.
I bite down hard on my lower lip, locking my legs together. Holy Christ, what is happening to me right now? Inexplicable desire for this stranger floods my body, heat swirling in my belly and exploding out to every extremity under his hungry stare.
“What are you doing?” I gasp, making sure that my words are thickly laced with my accent. I may be overcompensating a bit, but I have to keep up this ruse if I have any shot of getting out of here.
His hands attach themselves to my hips and I flash my eyes in defiance. “You already know what’s underneath this dress,” I hiss, unable to control my temper this time. “Remember?”
“Maybe I wanted to do a second check, just to make sure,” he grunts in reply, his fingertips digging into my flesh.
“Do you second guess yourself often?” I ask, his lips hovering over mine.
“Never.”
Oh, no…
I take in a sharp breath, drinking in his masculine scent and letting it infuse me, one cell at a time. Goosebumps shoot up my arms and down my legs, and my hands suddenly find their way around his waist, then around his back…
Shit, this has to stop!
But I am rendered utterly powerless under his hungry gaze because my body’s appetite is equally voracious.
“Tell me who you really are.” His voice rumbles through me like a wave gathering force as it barrels toward the shore.
“I never told you who I wasn’t.”
Oohh, that was a dangerous move right there. Why can’t I stop myself from speaking?!
This salacious cat and mouse thing we’ve got going on has every nerve on high alert. I’m not above using my body to get what I want from the slimy bastards I deal with on behalf of the Volkov organization.
But this is me using my body to get what I want…period.
I haven’t ever felt a connection like this, the kind of touch that ignites my insides. It’s electric, explosive, and all-consuming.
It has the power to sizzle my brain waves and turn me into some kind of lusty vegetable.
Argh! No!
Not tonight.
Not ever!
I swallow hard, running my fingers over the gun tucked into the back of his pants. I quickly debate my next move, and judging by the way he’s looking at me, he’s questioning the same things I am.
But there’s a reason why I didn’t take the knife with me.
If I want to make a clean escape, I won’t be able to stash a weapon.
Besides, he clearly doesn’t trust me right now, so he’s fully expecting me to try and pull his gun on him.