Page 12 of Possessive Mr. Pen

I also miss sparring with Mr.Carter afterward.Even though I know he’s always been careful with me, he’s the only person who has ever been willing to teach me how to protect myself so I can protect others.

I swing open the glass door and step into the upscale building.

Brook, Audrey’s maid of honor and the leader of the self-defense class, greets me with a side hug and ushers me into the dining room to wait for everyone else.

I stiffen as I recognize a pair of familiar shoulders at the table.

Connor Pen.

Fucking hell, I can’t get away from this jerk at all, can I?After the way he treated me yesterday and his bold proclamation, I need a much longer break before I interact with him again.Even the sight of him sends chills down my spine and heat through my veins.Need pulses low in my belly as I recall the way he picked me up and manhandled me with ease.

I hide my frustration as I realize my folly.

Of course he’s here.Audrey is marrying Brennan Diamond, a mogul in in the financial and business realm.Rumors say everything he touches turns to gold, and since his specialty lies in acquisitions, I believe them.Audrey was always beautiful with her bright smile and freckles, but now she positively glows.They’re having a large wedding—I shudder at the thought—so of course all the groomsmen will be super-successful, business-savvy men.

I may have never seen an invitation for Connor in any of his inboxes, but it was stupid of me to expect him not to be here.

I sigh and shift my purse higher on my shoulder.Having these parts of my world collide is not what I had on my bingo card today, but there’s no way in hell I’m letting him scare me away from being a bridesmaid in my friend’s wedding.

I vow to avoid him as much as possible.In fact, I’ll pretend like I don’t know him at all.

As my friends envelop me in their group, I relax and catch up on the latest updates but can’t shake the feeling of his eyes on me.

His declaration rings in my ears.Fear and fury simmer behind my breastbone.My sister’s treatment is expensive, and so is providing for Momo and Aisha.I can’t give in to Connor Pen and risk losing my job.

I will never be his.Ever.No matter how much my body craves his touch.

Chapter 4

Connor Pen

The tease pretends not to know meeven as she steals glances at me.Exasperation and exhilaration pulse in my balls at the challenge in her eyes.

I spoke the truth whether she agrees or not.Hilary Winthrop is mine.She has been for a long, long time, since even before our regrettable one-night stand, and she will continue to be mine and mine alone forever.

As she calls Penelope Miles, a short, skittish woman with dozens of piercings, to join her, I watch in growing envy.Her heartfelt hug, easy smile, and genuine concern belong to me.She’s mine.I don’t share.

With promises of retribution shining in my glare, I lift my glass of water to my lips and smirk when she steals a glance and accidentally meets my eyes over the rim.

She masks her reaction well, but I’ve spent my entire life studying her, so she can’t hide the slight tensing of her shoulders and the fluttering of her pulse in her jugular.

She wants me.I’ll have her as soon as she quits being stubborn.Although her stubbornness is one of the things I adore about her, I will have her in my arms and by my side for eternity.

I didn’t become successful overnight; I did so by working hard and being patient.Hilary deserves no less.

Brennan Diamond, the groom for today’s wedding rehearsal, strides down the hall with his fiancée cradled to his chest.My senses sharpen, but when Brook Simons—no, Brook Ricco now that she married Matteo Ricco—pops her head in and announces a reschedule for tomorrow, I force myself to downshift into my normal vigilance.

It may not be public knowledge—in fact, only those directly involved are aware—but Brook’s father, the previous mayor of New York City, fell from grace because of the information and proof I provided of his illegal dealings.

Well, not me directly, although as founder and CEO of the most trusted private-sector intelligence company in the United States, I played a major role behind the scenes.

I attended Matteo and Brook’s wedding not long ago.The tabloids called it the most lavish wedding of the decade.

Mine and Hilary’s will be bigger, better, and much more expensive.

Hilary stalks across the room.Her long legs mesmerize me.I long to feel her thighs squeezing my head as I feast on her pussy.

The aggression in her countenance shoves my lust onto the back burner.She stops in front of Sebastian Sterling—the founder of America’s top sports equipment company—and scolds him.