opened his eyes a bit more, he could see them sitting in a pair of armchairs in the corner of the room opposite him. She’d put her hand on the arm of Raphael’s chair and was leaning in to talk, her hair trailing over his knees.
It pissed him off.
He’d been trying to get himself into a calmer state before he approached Victoria but that calm seemed to escape his grasp whenever he saw them. And he really couldn’t understand why.
He’d never been possessive. Victoria had never been his property, she was a smart woman with her own choices to make and he didn’t own her. In fact, he prided himself on the fact he’d never felt possessive or jealous. And since they’d split up, well, he didn’t expect her to remain faithful to him in the slightest.
So he couldn’t think of a single reason for feeling so damn angry every time she put her hand on Raphael’s thigh or leaned in close to speak to him. So damn furious when Raphael laid a hand over hers or put his mouth near her ear to talk. It shouldn’t matter to Connor at all. And yet somehow, it did.
Connor wanted to tell Kahu to call his asshole friend off, but that would give away far too much and he wasn’t prepared for that. It was one thing to admit he was angry to himself, to realize he was jealous, quite another to admit it to another person. Especially when he wasn’t supposed to care.
Anyway, Kahu had his hands full. His dancer, in full tutu and pointe shoes ensemble, was sitting in his lap, whispering something into his ear.
It was all-in-all quite revolting.
Connor shifted his attention back to the couple across the room again, inexplicably drawn once more. He didn’t want to look, but he couldn’t seem to help himself.
Victoria’s back was toward the room as she faced Raphael, bracing herself with one hand on the arm of his chair. He had his hand on her outstretched forearm and was slowly stroking it up and down in a slow, sensual motion.
The fury inside Connor turned over, a dragon rousing from sleep.
He should go over there right now. Pull her away. Take her somewhere quiet and private where they could talk without that bastard hanging around.
Put her down on her knees. Teach her a goddamned lesson…
He blinked, both disturbed and aroused by the sudden thought. No. No, that wasn’t part of it. He couldn’t think like that, couldn’t afford to. He had to remain in control at all times, it was the bedrock of his existence and had been since he was eighteen.
Across the room, Victoria shifted her position and turned her head to glance over her shoulder. Briefly meeting his gaze. As she did so, Raphael’s arm slid around her waist, his hand settling in the small of her back.
Fucking prick.
Connor tried to moderate his language when he could but sometimes… Christ, his anger was going to choke him if he wasn’t careful. If he couldn’t get a handle on it.
He had to do something. He had to stop this somehow.
“Not here,” Lily was saying. “Are you fucking crazy?”
“I’d be here,” Kahu murmured. “And you know I’d kill anyone who tried to touch you.”
“That’s very reassuring.”
“I want to show you off. I want everyone to know how beautiful you are. They’ll want you and yet they’ll never be able to have you. Because you’re mine.”
There was a flicker in Victoria’s dark eyes as she looked away from him, and Connor could have sworn it was satisfaction.
The woman wanted to make him angry. Wanted to push him. Insanity. Did she really understand what kind of monster she was baiting? No, of course, she didn’t. She had no idea. He’d never told her.
“I don’t know how you make it sound so bloody romantic,” Lily went on quietly. “But you do.”
“It’s a gift,” Kahu replied, a smug note in his voice. “For me, ballerina? I’d get off on it. And I think you might too.”
“Pervert.”
“Of course. I’m a pervert from way back.”
Bright laughter in the air. “Okay. Maybe you’re
It pissed him off.
He’d been trying to get himself into a calmer state before he approached Victoria but that calm seemed to escape his grasp whenever he saw them. And he really couldn’t understand why.
He’d never been possessive. Victoria had never been his property, she was a smart woman with her own choices to make and he didn’t own her. In fact, he prided himself on the fact he’d never felt possessive or jealous. And since they’d split up, well, he didn’t expect her to remain faithful to him in the slightest.
So he couldn’t think of a single reason for feeling so damn angry every time she put her hand on Raphael’s thigh or leaned in close to speak to him. So damn furious when Raphael laid a hand over hers or put his mouth near her ear to talk. It shouldn’t matter to Connor at all. And yet somehow, it did.
Connor wanted to tell Kahu to call his asshole friend off, but that would give away far too much and he wasn’t prepared for that. It was one thing to admit he was angry to himself, to realize he was jealous, quite another to admit it to another person. Especially when he wasn’t supposed to care.
Anyway, Kahu had his hands full. His dancer, in full tutu and pointe shoes ensemble, was sitting in his lap, whispering something into his ear.
It was all-in-all quite revolting.
Connor shifted his attention back to the couple across the room again, inexplicably drawn once more. He didn’t want to look, but he couldn’t seem to help himself.
Victoria’s back was toward the room as she faced Raphael, bracing herself with one hand on the arm of his chair. He had his hand on her outstretched forearm and was slowly stroking it up and down in a slow, sensual motion.
The fury inside Connor turned over, a dragon rousing from sleep.
He should go over there right now. Pull her away. Take her somewhere quiet and private where they could talk without that bastard hanging around.
Put her down on her knees. Teach her a goddamned lesson…
He blinked, both disturbed and aroused by the sudden thought. No. No, that wasn’t part of it. He couldn’t think like that, couldn’t afford to. He had to remain in control at all times, it was the bedrock of his existence and had been since he was eighteen.
Across the room, Victoria shifted her position and turned her head to glance over her shoulder. Briefly meeting his gaze. As she did so, Raphael’s arm slid around her waist, his hand settling in the small of her back.
Fucking prick.
Connor tried to moderate his language when he could but sometimes… Christ, his anger was going to choke him if he wasn’t careful. If he couldn’t get a handle on it.
He had to do something. He had to stop this somehow.
“Not here,” Lily was saying. “Are you fucking crazy?”
“I’d be here,” Kahu murmured. “And you know I’d kill anyone who tried to touch you.”
“That’s very reassuring.”
“I want to show you off. I want everyone to know how beautiful you are. They’ll want you and yet they’ll never be able to have you. Because you’re mine.”
There was a flicker in Victoria’s dark eyes as she looked away from him, and Connor could have sworn it was satisfaction.
The woman wanted to make him angry. Wanted to push him. Insanity. Did she really understand what kind of monster she was baiting? No, of course, she didn’t. She had no idea. He’d never told her.
“I don’t know how you make it sound so bloody romantic,” Lily went on quietly. “But you do.”
“It’s a gift,” Kahu replied, a smug note in his voice. “For me, ballerina? I’d get off on it. And I think you might too.”
“Pervert.”
“Of course. I’m a pervert from way back.”
Bright laughter in the air. “Okay. Maybe you’re
Similar Books
