Page 50 of Altered By Lead (Undercover Sinners 2)
"Dinner's just about ready, honey. Have a seat and I'll get you a martini." Arsen gives his boss a dark look as Hawke moves over to the table and pulls out a chair. He doesn't look at me, but I know he's laser-focused on my presence.
"Did you have fun, fucking away your troubles?" I ask. I know I shouldn't. I know I'm revealing my hand, but I can't seem to help myself. I meet Hawke's gray eyes as Colt whistles under his breath and sits up straight, folding his arms on the tabletop. "Or did you lose your nerve and end up spending the day alone? You're clearly off your game. I'll be the first to admit that I'm pretty easy, and yet you couldn't manage to get me into bed the other day."
"That's enough of that, recruit," Hawke snaps, gritting his teeth. I can see his hands balling into fists on the surface of the table. "Keep pushing me, and you'll regret it during our next training session."
"I'm not afraid of you," I snap, and I realize then that the statement is true. I'm not afraid of Hawke, or any of these mercenary assholes. The only thing I'm scared of now is being confined. I just want to be ... free. "Do your worst, Hawke. If that makes you feel better, then fine."
He slams his fist down on the table, and then leans in close to me, so close that our mouths might touch if I were to take a breath.
"I fucked a pretty little blonde today. Is that what you wanted to hear? Tell me, are you jealous, Natalia?"
I stare right back at him, but I don't believe it. He's lying. The question is: why? Does he want me to be jealous? Am I?
The burning anger pooling in my belly tells me the answer to that question. Yes. Fuck yes, I am.
“Why would I be jealous of some random townie, Hawke? I could have you any time I wanted, and we both know it. Difference is, I turned you down.” I keep my face carefully neutral, a trick I’ve been working on for weeks after studying each of them. It's one thing to admit my jealousy to myself, but Hawke’s ego does not need the boost.
He scoffs at me, but anger and frustration are causing cracks in his mask. Shit yeah, I’m definitely holding the upper hand now.
Hawke clears his throat, and right when I'm feeling all too smug, his expression shifts.
Oh shit.
Crap.
Ugh, how do I keep underestimating him?
"Oh, pet," he damn near purrs in a tone dripping with sex and authority. My favourite kind of voice from him. "You don't really think you turned me down, do you?"
Wait. What?
I frown, blinking at him in confusion. "That’s exactly what happened. I was there, remember? It was my cunt that you had your dick halfway inside when I told you to screw off."
A cruel smile crosses his lips and fuck if my panties aren't soaked. "Miss Petrova, you're not actually that naive, are you? I let you tell me no, for your own inflated sense of self-worth. I think we both know if I bent you over this table right now and bared your cunt, you'd be gushing for me."
He's right. But fuck him and his arrogant fucking man-attitude.
I want to be his sub again. I want to, and yet it feels like I’d die if I admitted it aloud.
Narrowing my eyes, I lift my chin in stubborn defiance because seriously ... screw that.
"Don't flatter yourself, Hawke," I sneer back at him, folding my arms under my breasts in a way that, yeah, it draws attention there. I'm petty as shit, and I own that. "Suddenly I've lost my appetite." I shoot a quick glance over at Arsen and Mace. "Thanks for a fun day, boys."
I start heading out of the kitchen only to have Colt grab my arm, halting me.
"Wait," he says, his face full of mischief. "You want some company? I hate venison anyway."
My lips twitch with a smile, because he's so fucking obvious. From the corner of my eye, I can see Hawke fuming. His fist is clenched tight around his napkin and his eyes are hard as granite as he stares, waiting to hear my answer.
Damn I'm tempted.
How could I not be? Colt’s boyish good looks, those spring green eyes, the way his mouth twists up in a shit-eating grin, it’s enough to soak my panties straight through.
"Nice try," I murmur, giving Colt a small smile so he knows I appreciate his deliberate attempt to piss Hawke off further, "but when I said you all need to do better, I meant it. You all need to work harder or not at all. Until I see some serious effort"—I indicate to the general region of my vagina—"all of this is closed for business."
