Jamie flinched, as though she hadn’t expected him to agree. I certainly hadn’t.
“Not exactly,” she admitted. “But I trust you.” Her eyes softened and her tongue slid out over her bottom lip.
He seemed to consider that, then his eyes slid to me. “I need to talk to Cav.”
“Me?” Oh, just fucking lovely. “Why me?” I knew this wasn’t going to be a conversation I enjoyed.
“Look around,” Edge instructed, nodding toward the room. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Will you—”
“No more questions.” His voice was low, dark. “When I make a decision, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Understood.” The breathless quality of her voice had my dick hardening.
I hoped like hell Edge decided to include me in whatever plans he had.
Edge marched toward the door, and just when he was about to pass, he grabbed my arm and steered me clear before pulling the door shut behind us. I could feel his tension, knew he was pissed. At least he had the decency to release my arm rather than manhandle me all the way to his office. He was giving me the respect I’d earned in this club, although I knew he wasn’t feeling it right now.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“We’re going to have a conversation.”
“Hmm. Talking. Just what this night needs more of.”
Edge growled but didn’t respond as he marched up to the third floor.
Once inside his office, he shut the door behind us with a little more force than necessary, then spun to face me. The move surprised me, which was the only reason he ended up with his hand around my throat, pinning me back against the door.
The tension escalated, but I didn’t look away from him. This was out of character for Edge. He didn’t put hands on people out of anger, so I knew this was serious.
“Why the fuck would you make a suggestion like that?” Edge growled.
My eyes narrowed, the Dominant in me standing tall. I would only tolerate so much, and he knew it. My hand slowly wrapped around his wrist, forcing his away from my neck. Our eyes remained locked, even as I dropped his wrist and glared back at him.
“You realize this isn’t a game, right?” he asked, his words laced with gravel.
“Isn’t it, though?” I smirked, knowing it would piss him of.
Realizing I’d pushed too far, I decided to retreat. Considering how easily Jamie had pushed his buttons, I knew the man wasn’t completely in control right now. Which said a lot about the woman currently waiting for us.
I needed to keep a level head, to help him work through this situation, to decide the best way to handle Jamie’s request.
But more importantly, I had to ignore the flames that licked at me, fanned by Edge’s fierce response. Jamie had ignited those embers, but it was Edge who would turn them into a conflagration.
If I let him.
THREE
EDGE
FOR SOME FUCKED-UP REASON, THAT TONE of voice, that gleam in Cav’s eye brought out my inherent need to dominate. While it had been many years since I’d even entertained the idea of a male submissive, there was something about Cav that threatened the very edges of my control.
The only problem, of course, being the fact that Cav wasn’t a submissive. Not by a long shot. Which meant the beast pacing inside me needed to take a seat.
“You might want to take a step back, remember who you’re talkin’ to,” Cav snapped, his eyes hot, but there was a rasp to his tone, as though he was turned on by this exchange.
I slid my hand back up to Cav’s neck, cupping his jaw as I held his gaze. Sure, I was testing the waters. “Then show me a little respect. Last I recall, you walked in on my scene for the night.”
A scene? Where was the naked submissive, huh? Oh, right. She’s waiting for you in the other room.
I groaned, trying to ignore that stupid voice.
In an effort to get us back on track, I narrowed my eyes, held his stare. “Why are you here, Cav?”
“You asked me to come back to Chicago, remember?” Cav retorted, his eyes glittering, his face serious.
“You’re right,” I confirmed, a bite in my tone. “But I’m talking about now. Why are you here tonight, Cav?”
Gone was the laid-back guy who sauntered in here without a care in the world.
Cav frowned, but he didn’t move away, didn’t try to get out of my hold. “I didn’t realize I needed a reason.”
“Did you know she was here?”
This time Cav did break away, gritting his teeth and grumbling softly. “How the fuck would I know that?”
“Hell if I know. But I find it a bit coincidental.”
“What? That you asked me to come back to Chicago, and I’m here?”
He kinda has a point. You did ask him to come back.
I took a deep breath, released it. “This can’t happen,” I told him when I managed to gather my thoughts. “Jamie Lautner is not a submissive. She has no business here.”
