Forbidden (Blood Ties #7)

“Look at me.”

There was a shake of her head.

I tightened my grip.“I said look at me.”

She did, meeting my stare. Her dark eyes were so fucking empty it made me ache. I lowered my head, my lips parting, swallowing her breath as I almost—

“Don’t,” she whispered. “Don’t.”

I pulled away, searching for that longing.

It wasn’t just me she battled now, was it? It was her own need…her own infernal goddamn monster. The one she felt like a slow, possessive lick between her thighs.

I released my hold and slowly rose, standing over her. She looked good down there, almost on her knees. “Hands,” I croaked.

This time, she lifted them without so much as a whimper.

“Good girl.” I held her stare, plucking the knot in the cord I’d used to bind her.

The cord she’d used to almost end me.

There was something about that which didn’t sit right. But I didn’t linger, just tugged the cord free and replaced it with the handcuffs, ones I made sure weren’t too tight.

“Now stay,” I murmured.

My cell was already vibrating as I strode back to the dresser and pulled out a black t-shirt. My guest needed clothes and a shower in case there were more shards, but that would have to wait.

“Yeah,” I answered my brother’s call.

“What the fuck happened?”

I tugged on my shirt and strode from the bedroom. “I crashed the car.”

“You crashed the car?” he repeated inthattone. “Are you okay?”

I headed into the kitchen and pulled a glass from the overhead cupboard. “I’m fine. I…”

“Are you having problems? You know you can talk to me.”

I stilled, my hand hanging in the air as anger moved through me. “You going to fucking diagnose me now, brother?”

“No, you know this isn’t like that.”

“No?” I placed the glass on the counter. “Then what is it like?”

His voice was steady, cool. The same distant fucking tone he took with his clients. I yanked open the refrigerator and grabbed cheese and tomatoes, then pulled two steaks from the freezer.

“This isn’t you,” he said carefully, finally remembering who he was damn well talking to. “The killing, the crash. Maybe all this is too much. I warned you of this when we started. I said getting this close to Hale would influence us, that it’dchange us.”

I threw the steaks into the microwave and hit defrost. “Yeah, well, we didn’t really have a choice then, did we? Just like we don’t have a choice now.”

“Wealwayshave a choice, brother.”

I shook my head and lowered it, clenching the edge of the counter. “No. We don’t. Not unless you’re prepared to throw away years of planning, years of…terror…and of degradation.Christ, the things I’ve done, the things we’vealldone.”

“We don’t even know if she’s still alive.”

I snapped my head upwards, rage searing the back of my throat, until in an instant the choking avalanche of emotion just died away.