Page 71 of Filthy Little Lies

She laughs. “You love it when he gets bossy. It’s okay, you can admit it to me, I won’t tell him.”

“It’s a business thing, Cassie. I don’t have anything to wear. I’ll stick out like a bruise on society.”

“You still have that credit card he gave you?” Her chair scrapes against the concrete when she gets up.

“Yeah?”

She lifts a shoulder then nods toward Damien still sitting in the SUV, the discarded ice cream cup sitting on the dash.

“Let’s go shopping.”

CHAPTER 21

Gabriel

It’s half past nine. Mrs. Neville went home hours ago. Roman isn’t answering my texts—probably balls deep in a woman he found at the club—and Savanah is still not home.

Aside from the half dozen men wandering the grounds and three stationed at the entrances downstairs, I’m alone.

“Gabriel!” Savvy’s voice calls out.

I quickly slam the book I’ve been skimming shut and hurry to put it back on the shelf but am caught two steps away from victory.

“Gabriel?” Savvy cocks her head. “Are you reading one of my books?”

For the first time in my life, my face heats. “Of course not.”

I shove the book back in its spot that I’ve marked by pulling out the book beside it. I spin to face her, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning against the bookcase.

She laughs. “Yes, you were.” She easily plucks the correct book from the shelf and grins up at me. “You have a thing for vampires?”

“I was just skimming.” I snag it back from her, flipping through the pages with my thumb. “It’s been a long time since I read a book with pictures.”

I stop in the middle where several pages of character art separate the chapters. A man grasping his woman by the throat, two puncture wounds in her neck where he licks the blood away.

“This one is my favorite.” She reaches over the top and turns the page.

This time the woman is tied down to a large boulder, the moon shining bright in the night sky as the vampire feasts on her pussy. More puncture wounds scar her breasts, though from the look of pure ecstasy on her face, she’s not afraid.

“So, when I threatened to tie you to my bed, you weren’t at all frightened? You pictured this in your mind?” Though instead of the thick chains, I’d use leather straps to bind her to my bed posts. And instead of bite marks on her beautiful soft breasts, there would be red stripes from the leather flogger I have tucked in my closet.

“What you would do to me tied to the bed is very different than what that fictional vampire was doing,” she says as her cheeks redden.

She takes the book back and re-shelves it.

“What are you doing in here anyway?” She gives the room a once over to see if I’ve moved anything or taken anything from her.

That’s something I’ve noticed about her. When she enters the spaces I’ve given to her, she does an immediate inventory check.

“I was looking for you, then I realized you weren’t home yet.” I make a point of looking at my watch. “I thought you were just going to hang out with Cassie while she packed.”

“I did. But then you sent that text about going out tomorrow night, so she decided we should go shopping.” Her smile falters. “I got a dress and some shoes.”

“Did you use the card I gave you?”

The event I’m taking her to will be filled with Chicago’s political and business elite. Anyone fishing for campaign donations will be casting their hooks out for businesses looking for loopholes, tax cuts, or backdoor deals.

And in order to keep up the appearance of being a legitimate business family, we’ll be attending. I’ve held a man’s still-warm heart in my hands, and it was less repulsive than these dinners.