Page 286 of A Vicious Love

“That’s a lie.” I smiled against her temple before I kissed her.

“It is not.”

“It is. A pretty one, but still a lie.”

“You are imagining things.” She made a soft sound of protest and shifted as if she meant to step away.

My arm tightened.

Enough to remind her I had no interest in losing the warmth of her body just because she wanted to pretend outrage while doing exactly what I told her.

She settled again.

Exactly where I wanted her.

Excellent.

“You’re very bossy,” she muttered.

“You’re very responsive.”

Her head turned sharply. “Jamison.”

“Yes, baby?”

Her mouth opened, then closed. She looked toward Adrian, who was pretending with the discipline of a trained diplomat that he could not hear us. He failed because his shoulders moved once with a silent laugh.

Sienna’s blush deepened. “This is bad for my reputation.”

“Your reputation survived missing twenty clay discs.”

“I missed three.”

“You would have missed twenty if I let your father keep coaching you.”

She elbowed me again, lightly this time. “You are meant to be comforting.”

“I am. I said your ass was nice.” I kissed her temple again because I liked the way her laughter moved through her body when she tried to hold it in. “I’m not used to you without heels.”

She looked down at her flat sandals, then back at me. “What does that mean?”

“It means you’re very short.”

Her gasp was quiet but offended. “I am not very short.”

“You are currently beneath my chin.”

“That is because you are too tall.”

“No, this is a you problem.”

She tipped her head back to glare up at me, which only proved my point. “I wore ballet flats because it is a field.”

“And now I’m suffering.”

“Poor Daddy,” she mumbled. “How does he cope?”

The words were muttered into her lemonade glass, barely loud enough to reach me. Everything in me went still, then pleased in a dark, slow way.