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“But what?”
“You’re the one playing games, Jed. Please don’t. Not about this. Can I see her?”
“When you’re my wife, you can see her as much as you’d like.” Jed released her chin and held out his hand in a grand gesture like the world was at her fingertips. “This is our new home. Your mom, Archer, and your favorite two guards, Killian and Mateo, will all live here with us, and of course, there will be a whole brigade of other security to keep you in and others out. A maximum-security contemporary paradise.”
“A prison,” she spat. “You’ve lost it, Jed. This is crazy.”
“I love it when you call me Jed. It’s the only thing you’ve done right since you’ve returned to Reno. Makes me crazy to hear my name roll off your lips, but I’ve always been crazy. You just forced me to show you what that means.”
He bent down and traced her cracked lips with the tip of his finger, continuing to eye their fullness with hunger. “Now, let’s discuss your new rules. When you’re not with me, you’re with Archer. You never get to be alone, except in our master suite, and you’ll only leave this house with me or Archer. The quicker you embrace your life here, the happier you’ll be. If there’s any hope in that conniving mind of yours that lover boy’s court cases are gonna work out, you can lose hope.” He leaned in so their mouths brushed, his smokey gray eyes smoldering. “I always win.”
Her stomach rolled as she forced herself not to pull away from him. “Your drug dealings will never be a secret. Brendan will expose them and you.”
“Never say his first name again. You’ll regret it if you do.”
“Whatever you say, Jed,” she purred. “You’re the boss.”
“Placating me, huh? Why, dove? Not that I mind.” He rubbed his nose against hers, and she prayed it was only a matter of time before she could use the skills Pansy had taught her. “You know it only makes me more dominant when you resist? Especially right now when you need to be taught a lesson.”
“I’m only placating you because I don’t think you can win.”
Jed threaded his strong fingers through her silky mass of golden-brown hair, tugging until a pained gasp escaped her throat. “I always win. You’ll submit.”
“We’ll see.” Genevieve reached up and gripped his angular jaw, leveling their eyes. She dug her red-coated fingernails into his charcoal-black stubble.
Jed let out a groan of pleasure, and a rock formed in the pit of her stomach. End this, Gen. Don’t back down.
She cut her voice low, enticing him with a throaty whisper. “How do you plan to hide your drug warehouses and my forced signature for them, babe? How do you plan to get away with it? If I’m to be your wife, I might as well hear your brilliant plan. The FBI will call me in for questioning, won’t they? Since my signature is on your storage space.” She pushed through the pain as he purposely tightened his grip on her lengthy strands. “Or perhaps you’re all talk? Perhaps Mr. King can beat you?”
“Enough.” Jed enveloped her hand, forcing her fingers from his jaw to his lips, and kissed each one as he slowly drawled out, “There’s not a person on my team who will ever expose me. Everyone knows to keep your name safe as well. Once we’re married, I’ll have the properties transferred to partners who I don’t care if take the fall should the FBI get involved. We’ll pin the drug dealings on others and expand our casino network if need be. There’s no way out for you, dove. I don’t ever want to hear another word about it.”
Genevieve traced the scar along his jaw. “What is this from? I always wanted to ask but didn’t have the guts to bring it up.”
He clamped down on her fingers. “If I wanted to explain, I would have.”
“I’m not afraid of you, babe,” she whispered. “Not anymore. If you wanted to hurt me, you already would have. It’s the only thing you’ve done right so far since I’ve returned to Reno.”
After a brief pause, he released her fingers and rumbled out a chuckle. “Touché, dove. I’ve always loved your witty side.”
Genevieve brought her mouth to Jed’s, kissing him with contrived passion while running her tongue along his bottom teeth. She slicked her fingers through his coarse black hair, enticing him by digging her fingernails into his scalp. The sick knot in her stomach twisted, hollowing out. Brendan, I love you. I hope you can hear me. I love you so much.
A heated groan ripped out of Jed’s throat. He slid his hand around the back of her neck, hungrily taking over the kiss. “I want all of you.”
Genevieve pasted on a smile, trying not to gag. “Tonight,” she whispered, “I promise.”
That gives me—what?—like six hours to escape? She erased the dire thought from her mind. Don’t panic, Gen. Not now.
Jed rubbed her now glistening lips with the pad of his thumb as if still savoring their kiss. “I’ll hold you to that promise. I’ve lost my patience with your games. You’re mine, and this is not a game. Understood?”
“Yes, Jed, believe me, I understand.” Resuming her whisper-soft caresses along his scar, she challenged him with a glare. “If you truly want me to fall back in love with you, then be vulnerable with me, and I’ll be vulnerable with you.”
“I don’t do vulnerable. It’s a woman’s way of bringing up crap that doesn’t matter.”
“Please, babe.” Genevieve pouted. “It matters to me. I want no secrets between us. You want the truth? Do you really think I had any interest in Mr. King?” Smirking, she rolled her eyes. “Of course not. He was merely a meal ticket. All I want is to be free. Don’t trap me at this complex, and I’m yours again.”
Jed chuckled as if she were amusing entertainment. “Oh, come on now. We both know you’re feeding me lines. I’ve told you over and over that you are free to do anything you want so long as you’re mine, but that hasn’t been good enough for you. I offered you the fucking world, and you still ran from me. Take the world, dove. It doesn’t get any better than me.”
Brendan is a thousand worlds better than you. And without Brendan, I’d rather be dead than with you!
