Her chocolate brown eyes snapped liquid fire at him, turning his dick to stone right there in the fucking restaurant. He wanted to reach across the table, yank her to the floor, tear open his zipper and shove his cock into that sassy little mouth. No one had ever spoken to him the way Riley Bancroft was speaking to him. Just the thought would mean death.
Yet, he wanted more. He wanted her to keep talking, so he would have an excuse to take her home, strip her bare, beat her ass and then fuck her raw. She was everything he never knew he wanted in a woman. Damned if he hadn’t been waiting thirty-nine years for her to come along. His cock was nearly bursting his seams to take a piece of her, but he knew he needed just a little more patience. She was still too scared of him. And while the bastard in him thrived on fear, the man that wanted to keep her was willing to bide his time and create the correct balance between fear and intrigue.
She would have to learn her place. In order to do that he would have to teach her to respect him. He would also show her all the things he could give her, starting with the incredible chemistry he felt sizzling between them each time he was near her. The sparks that ignited in the air between them the very first time he stepped foot in her garage and saw those delicate white Sketchers with the Sharpie doodles drawn on them sticking out from underneath the car she was working on.
She was still too frightened to recognize the incredible potential of their attraction for what it was. He would show her. Even if he had to break apart her world and force her to see it. He wasn't a subtle man. There was a reason he owned this city. He would own this woman too.
When she continued to ignore the food in front of her, he copied her action and placed his own napkin on the table. Very well, if she was ready to leave, then so was he. Besides, he had an appetite for something other than the Mexican fare they were currently presented with. He stood, tossing a hundred-dollar bill on the table. She looked up sharply. Clearly, she had been expecting him to react negatively to her rude comment.
“Let’s go,” he said, pulling her from her chair with a hand on her arm. She stumbled on her incredibly high boots and reached for her purse. Fuck, she had the most beautiful legs he’d ever seen. All sexy, smooth curves.
She had no choice but to follow him when he took her hand and began pulling her around the tables toward the exit. She dragged her feet in a clear show of reluctance, but ended up outside in the warm summer evening air. He walked her quickly toward the far end of the lot where his S7 was parked. Roman had the back door open for them.
Riley dug her hand into her purse, which was awkward considering Soloman had her other hand in his warm, solid clasp. She dug her heels in and tried to force him to stop walking.
“I’m not going with you!”
He stopped and pulled her around so she was facing him. He gave her a pointed look. “Your date gave you a ride here. Get in the car. I’m giving you a ride home.”
She twisted her hand out of his grip, yanked something out of her purse and held it up to his face. He saw right away it was a can of pepper spray. “I said,” she growled at him, cocking her hip to the side and staring at him coldly, “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Lust sizzled through his veins, screaming at him to show her exactly how he’d made it as one of the evilest bastards in town. He could have that can out of her hand and her on her knees with her hair twisted around his fist in seconds. But the sight of her standing there, facing off against him, beautiful and fearless, convinced him that he wanted to keep Riley Bancroft. Long term. Beating her in a parking lot in front of potential witnesses didn’t work with this plan. He needed her whole and unbroken if he planned on taking her as his wife.
He nodded toward Roman who stepped up behind her. When she felt the body heat against her back she glanced over her shoulder, her eyes lighting up with worry. Now she was sandwiched between two men who were both half a foot taller than her, even with the heels, and outweighed her by a lot. The tiny can of pepper spray would be absolutely no help. Soloman put his hand out and waited. After a moment, she gave him the can.
“Good girl. Now get in the car.” He tried to make his deep voice sound soothing. She shook her head.
He sighed. He really hadn’t wanted to go after the people she cared about if at all possible. He should have known she wouldn’t give him a choice. Truth be told, he was enjoying the hunt too much anyway. He wanted her resistance. He took her chin in his hand to make sure she was listening.
“Your friend, Katie Pullman? The fake name your buddy Wendell gave when he was pretending to be you.” He paused and waited for her to nod in acknowledgment. Fear lit her beautiful eyes. “Little Katie’s been on our radar for a while. My guy Roman here has had a thing for your girl for years. He backed off when she married her artist and moved up the coast. Now it seems she’s divorced and coming home. Guess how we know all this?”
“No,” Riley whispered, shaking her head. “Please leave Katie out of this.”
“Yes, Riley,” he said in a hard voice. “You brought her to our attention with your little stunt at the shop. Now get in the car.”
***
Fuck. She didn’t have a choice. Now they were threatening Katie. If she didn’t go with Soloman, Roman would go after Katie and do to her what they were doing to Riley. Katie was tough, but the divorce had been hard on her. She was fragile, she wouldn’t be able to handle the pursuit of someone like Roman. Riley turned on her heels and glared up at the big, muscular bodyguard, throwing every ounce of hatred she felt for the man into her look. He stared back at her coldly before stepping aside so she could slide into the open vehicle.
Riley buckled her seatbelt and pointedly ignored Soloman who took the seat beside her. Roman got into the driver’s seat. She stared hard at the back of his head and finally said in an accusing voice, “I didn’t know you knew Katie. And she’s my best friend.”
He didn’t speak for a moment as he pulled the Audi onto the road. She was forced to take a moment and appreciate the gorgeous black leather interior of the $120,000 vehicle. Finally, Roman spoke. “Knew her brother.”
“Wendell?” Riley asked, confused. She was pretty sure she would have heard from Wendell himself if he’d ever hung out with Soloman’s terrifying right-hand man.
“Dexter,” Roman grunted.
Riley fell silent. Dexter had been Katie and Wendell’s older brother, the one that’d been killed in a gang shooting. Now she understood. Roman had been part of the same gang as Dexter. The one that’d been taken out by the Red Brotherhood in a gang war that lasted a week. Rumour had it that a single guy had taken out half the Brotherhood in bloody revenge for the death of his best friend, Dexter Pullman. Then he’d quietly disappeared. Everyone thought he’d been killed too. Now Riley suspected he had just gone to work for Soloman Hart.
Soloman picked up her hand and laced his fingers through hers. She tried to draw away from him, but he tightened his hand to the point of pain. She subsided, deciding that hand-holding was not the hill she wanted to die on. She turned fiery eyes on him and dug her nails into his hand. He gave her a feral smile and jerked her toward him until her face was inches away from him.
She gasped and brought her hand up to brace herself against him. Her hand landed on his hard chest, sliding against the fine fabric of his suit jacket. She felt his pectoral muscles clench under her fingertips and jerked back in response. He brought his hand up to catch the ponytail at the back of her head and hold her still, forcing her to stay within the circle of his body instead of subsiding into her own seat.
“Just let me go,” she begged him quietly, searching his eyes out in the darkness. What she saw there made her heart sink. Gleaming possession combined with ruthless intent ensured that he would not let her go. “This won’t work, Soloman. We’re from different worlds. I like fast cars and video games. You like… I don’t know, expensive suits and… and breaking people’s kneecaps and stuff. Stomach turning shit like that.”
He chuckled coldly, releasing her just enough that she could relax back into her seat. He continued to keep his hand in her hair though, running his fingers through the chestnut waves, smoothing them out along the back of the seat. “We’ll work, Riley, don’t worry about that.”
“I don’t want to work with you,” she snapped, shrugging her shoulder in an attempt to push his hand away from her hair. He merely dropped his long fingers onto her shoulder and began teasing the bare skin. She shivered as sensations cascaded down her arm, tingling throughout her body. She bit her lip to keep the gasp of pleasure from escaping. She did not need him to know that he affected her.
Roman’s deep voice startled her from the front seat. “Katie in town this weekend?”
Riley’s body tensed and she glared at the back of Roman’s head. “That is none of your damn business,” she hissed.
Soloman’s hand tightened on her shoulder in warning, wrapping around the delicate bones and holding her still. “Tell him,” he said quietly.
She turned angry eyes on the dark man sitting next to her. “I came with you! You said you wouldn’t…”
“Roman will pursue Ms. Pullman or not, regardless of your feelings on the matter.” When she opened her mouth to protest he brought his hand down on her thigh, wrapped his long fingers around the smooth, bare skin and slid her skirt up a few inches until his fingers were close to her panty-covered crotch. She gasped into the darkness and clenched her legs tightly together. He responded by flexing his fingers, biting them deep into the muscle of her leg until she wondered if there would be bruises in the morning. Moisture flooded her pussy, while fear and adrenaline sizzled through her veins.
Soloman leaned in until his hot breath tickled the long hair escaping her ponytail. “Answer him,” he growled.
For one long, frozen moment Riley couldn’t remember what he was talking about. Her entire focus was centred between her legs and the pounding question of whether he would close his hand and crush her leg or slide his fingers further up. She licked her lips, but refused to answer, staring at him stubbornly, daring him to do his worst. She was an adrenaline junkie, she could handle the likes of him.
Eyes locked on hers, he slid his hand up further until his small finger was a hair’s breadth away from her aching pussy. She tried to clench her thighs together, but he jerked her leg open and gave her a look of such heated warning that she knew if she dared disobey he would do something much worse. She bit back a whimper as he pressed his fingers full against the soaked crotch of her lace thong.
She couldn't hold back the moan of half fear, half arousal that passed through her parted lips. She thought he might retreat now that he’d successfully intimidated her, but he didn’t. His eyes still held hers. Still dared her to refuse Roman’s request as he pushed her panties aside and very lightly brushed his knuckle against the soft folds of her labia.
He leaned over and growled for ears alone, “Bare.”
Finally, chickening out, she gasped, “Yes, she’s in town this weekend.”
He moved her panties back into place, slid his hand back and gently smoothed her skirt down. Her muscles refused to relax though. He ran the back of his knuckles over her thigh, then across her arm before settling back into his own seat. He continued to watch her with speculative, gleaming eyes. Fuck. These assholes were pissing her off. They just caused her to throw her best friend under the bus. She would have to warn Katie that Roman was targeting her, and he was a giant, scary fucking bad guy. Then she’d encourage Katie to take another job out of town for a while.
The car pulled up outside of Riley’s apartment building. She sighed in relief, never happier to see her home. She'd been half afraid that Soloman was taking her back to his place. She reached for the door, but he captured her hand in a hard grip and pulled her out his side of the car, forcing her to stand too close to him while he leaned down to speak quietly to Roman. She thought she heard something along the lines of twenty minutes. Well that was good, right? He couldn’t do much to her in twenty minutes?
Turning back to her, he placed a hand at her back, allowing his fingers to linger inside the edge of her red top, and guided her toward the building. She was reminded sharply of the difference between him and the man who had picked her up for the evening. Scott was about the same height as her when she wore heels, had sandy blond hair, enjoyed sports, and liked to smile and joke a lot. Soloman carried shadows with him everywhere he went. A sinister intensity followed him, warning others to stay away or suffer the consequences. Riley badly wanted to stay away.
When they reached her apartment, she pulled away from the hand that was stretched across her bare back and turned to face him. “Well that was interesting,” she said, bitterness creeping into her voice. She dug her apartment keys out of her purse, but made no move to go inside while he was still standing there. “Thanks for the kidnappy ride home.”
The edge of his lip quirked at her sassiness. “I’m coming inside, Riley. We have a few things to discuss.”
She gasped. “Fuck that! You are so not coming inside my home. I’ve had enough of you, Mr. Hart!”
“Soloman,” he growled, stepping into her space and forcing her to step back until her back hit the door. He reached out swiftly, took her wrist and twisted until she dropped the keys into his other hand. She cried out, but he hadn’t really hurt her. He knew exactly how much pressure to apply without harming a beautiful hair on her head. He took her arm, unlocked and opened the door and pushed her inside. She stood gaping at him as he punched in the alarm code.
Her eyes were wide and luminous in the glow of the single lamp she had left on in anticipation of coming home late. She was caught between anger and fear. Her hand came up to cover her mouth for a moment as she decided which was going to win. He rolled his broad shoulders and cracked his neck, waiting for her to decide.
She backed away from him. He slowly stalked her as she walked backward on her heels toward the desk her lamp was on. Her ass hit the edge at the same time as she jerked the drawer open. He could have stopped her, but he just watched as she pulled a taser gun out and pointed it at him.
“You creepy, stalkery son-of-a-bitch!” she snarled, spreading her legs and bringing both of her hands up to hold the weapon steadily on him. “Why the fuck are you doing this to me? I can have your ass for this shit! Lay one more finger on me, asshole, and I will fucking cross the line with you. You think you’re badass? You think you’re untouchable? Well, I know people in this world, too, and I can have you dealt with, fucker. I’m Riley Bancroft, I’ll have your ass before you can have mine!”
Her heart thundered as she waited for his response. As the rush of anger began to recede, she started to silently berate herself. Her options were pretty slim. She was probably going to die just for threatening Soloman Hart. People died for looking at this guy funny and she was pointing a weapon at him.
He didn’t threaten her though. He did something she’d never seen him do. Probably no one ever saw him do. He started laughing. It was a quiet, sinister laugh, that shook his large frame. His eyes shone with pride as he took her in from her ankle boots to the long curls cascading from her high ponytail.
“You just solidified your fate, little girl. No fucking way I’m letting you go now,” his deep voice shivered through her until she was gasping with dismay.
He moved so fast she didn’t have time to blink. He grabbed her wrist in one hand and her neck in the other, cutting off a startled scream. He lifted her off her feet with an easy strength that terrified her. He could crush her throat under those long fingers with just a little more pressure. She tried to kick out at him, but he shook her once, twice, then walked backwards with her until she hit the edge of the desk. He smashed her arm against the wood until she was forced to drop the taser. It clattered to the floor.
She looked up at him with wide, tear-drenched eyes, expecting to die. He forced his hips between her legs until her skirt rode up her thighs, nearly to her hips. He let go of her wrist and wrapped both huge hands around her fragile neck. He didn’t choke her, but the threat was definitely there. She brought her hands up to clutch his forearms over his smooth, expensive suit jacket. He jerked her upright until she was sitting up on the desk. She was nearly eye to eye with him now.
“Now, you will listen to me, Riley Bancroft,” he growled, the smile leaving his lips as darkness leaked back into his eyes. She was so close to him she could feel the heat rolling off his big body and enveloping her like a cage. She could smell the subtle spice of his cologne and see every nuance of the scar that slashed through his lip, causing it to droop a little. She opened her mouth to tell him to go fuck himself, but his fingers tensed, cutting off her air supply for a few precious seconds. When he allowed her to breathe, she gasped and choked, glaring at him.
“No more talking,” he snarled, his flat eyes taking in every tiny expression she made as though memorizing and keeping them. “It’s my turn.”
He stepped closer, pressing himself into the cradle of her thighs. She felt the bulge of his erection straining against his pants and struggled to tilt her hips away from him, but his hold was unbreakable. She was forced to feel every solid inch of him pressed intimately against her.
When he spoke, his breath fanned across her lips. “You will become mine, Riley Bancroft.” Her eyes flared wide in anger, but she didn’t speak, aware that the hands on her throat could and would tighten. “I’m not talking about fucking that delicious body, although I will definitely be doing that too. I plan on keeping you, which is why I haven’t just taken you to my bed and scratched this itch. You need to get used to the idea of being in my life. So, we’re going to get to know each other. Go out a little, until you’re more comfortable in my world. Understand?”
Her eyes narrowed. He relaxed his hold on her throat.
“I asked you a question, Riley,” he said impatiently. “When I ask a question, I expect an immediate response.”
She raised an eyebrow and licked her lips, drawing his dark gaze to her full lips. “Oh, am I allowed to speak now? I didn’t want to risk strangulation.”
He stiffened and brought his hand to her ponytail, clenched his fingers in the soft, smooth strands and jerked her head back. She cried out and arched back to relieve the pressure. Her breasts shot forward into his chest, drawing an involuntary groan from him. He flexed his other hand into her shoulder blade and leaned against her, biting into the flesh between her neck and shoulder. She yelled, her hips jerking up against him as pleasure and pain flooded her body.
“You want to play games with me, little girl?” he growled in her ear, his hot breath sending tingles racing through her. “I don’t have to give you the time I just promised. I could throw my cards down now, chain you naked to the bottom of my bed, bring in a priest that doesn’t care if the bride is reluctant and then fuck you into submission for as long as it takes to break you to my way of thinking. That what you want?”
She whimpered. Bride? Did he say fucking bride?
“I understand!” she gasped, clutching him like she was drowning and he was her lifeline. “I want more time… please.”
He moved back a little and took both of her hands in one of his. He looked down into her desperate face, taking in the shock. He nodded in satisfaction. Gently, he leaned forward and kissed her shaking lips, taking her gorgeous, lush mouth for the first time. He ended the chaste kiss quickly and stepped away from her, leaving her sprawled half on the desk. She had to bring her hands down to clutch at the wood on either side of her hips so she wouldn’t fall. Her skirt was pushed up nearly to her hips, exposing her black, lace thong to his hungry gaze. His eyes were drawn to her open legs.
Feeling exposed, she tried to close them, but he growled, “Don’t move.”
She froze.
“If I don’t get to fuck you tonight, I will at least look at what is soon to be mine.” His dark tones slithered all down her spine and into every part of her body. She wanted to protest, but she was too happy that he was finally making a move to leave.
“I want to see you tomorrow,” he said, his eyes never leaving her body.
“No,” she answered immediately.
“Riley,” his eyes snapped to hers and his voice held a hint of steel warning. “Do not make me repeat myself.”
She sighed and, despite his threats, slid off the desk and tugged her skirt down. He allowed her to adjust her clothes without further comment. “I already have plans with friends tomorrow, Soloman.”
She hoped using his given name would help sooth him. He made a displeased sound and she was afraid he would demand she break her plans, but he only asked, “Another date?”
She laughed bitterly. “No, I learned that lesson. I’m seeing Katie and a few other people for gaming. You know what that is, right? Where people get together and play video games, like first-person shooter or racing. You know, like Need for Speed or Battlefield. Or sometimes we go old school and play Legend of Zelda.” She made it sound like he was so old and out of touch he couldn’t possibly understand what she was talking about.
He gave her a cold look and then slowly nodded his head. “Fine, I’ll call you then. We’ll go out another night. Make sure you answer my call, Riley.”
She narrowed her eyes at him but didn’t say anything. She really didn’t like his tone. He reached for the door and then looked back at her one more time. His face was in shadows, but she could see the glint of his dark eyes. She shivered.
“One more thing,” he said, his deep voice stern. “No more racing, Riley. It’s too dangerous.”
Her jaw dropped and fury shot through her, stiffening her limbs before she hid her reaction. He took in every part of her and nodded slowly. He knew she was angry and he knew she wasn’t about to listen to his arrogant demand.
“You will not like the consequences if you disobey me in this,” he growled at her, his voice wrapping around her from across the room. “It’s one thing to talk back to me, to ignore my summons, but it will be something else entirely to put yourself – to put my woman – in danger. Stay away from Sparrow Hawk.”
She desperately wanted to tell him to go fuck himself. In fact, she had to bite her lip to stop herself from screaming at him so loud the neighbours would probably call the cops. She vibrated with fury as he turned and walked out the door, closing it softly behind him. She ran toward it on shaking legs and slammed the bolt shut, knowing in her heart that he could easily get in any time he wanted. She turned around and leaned against it, closing her eyes while she calmed down.
Finally, when she felt her legs would hold her, she strode down the hall toward her bedroom, shoes clicking with purpose. She slammed the light switch on with the heel of her hand. Going to her knees on the plush carpet next to the bed, she reached underneath. Shoving shoeboxes and junk aside, she reached for the thing she wanted, a steel lockbox.
“Okay, you scary motherfucker,” she whispered into the empty room, pulling the lockbox out and sitting up. She flicked the correct numbers into place and opened the lid. Flipping through forged passports, money and a gun, she pulled out a burner phone. She plugged it in and leaned against the wall, waiting for it to charge enough for a call. “You want to play rough, I can play rough. This is some next level shit.”
Heart beating with adrenaline and anger, she dialled a number she had hoped never to use. A crazy as fuck car buddy that she usually avoided. The guy was a psychopath that had a thing for Riley. He liked to bring her the occasional high-end stolen car as a ‘gift.’She usually tried to fly under his radar, which worked fairly well since he was a gangbanger from another county and kept busy with guns and drugs. She didn’t like the idea of bringing his focus back to her, but she was reaching the point of having to decide which evil was worse. And Soloman Hart was definitely worse.
“Nobody puts hands on me without permission,” she breathed angrily as she waited for Shank to answer.