“Don’t make me say it.”
“Your wish is my command,” Tristan said, wrapping his fingers around Ansley’s and pulling her to the door. “Have a good time tonight, sister-in-law.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Ansley sang, swinging the door wide.
“I’d be fucked every which way this side of raunchy if those were the only boundaries I had,” she called out, never bothering to look around the corner.
“Well there’s an idea.” Wyatt’s voice filled the room.
Kimberly ducked out of sight. She threw her arms over her head before raking her fingers across her forehead, listening to the greetings exchanged in her living room. Not one to put off facing the music, she cursed under her breath and peered around the bedroom wall. “I thought we were meeting downstairs.”
“Bye, guys!” Ansley exclaimed, laughter in her voice.
“Have a good time tonight,” Tristan said, shaking hands with Wyatt.
As soon as the room cleared, Kimberly fell under his scrutiny. Those chocolate eyes seemed to melt as they wandered over her, appraising her, summing up her attire. She stood with her hands clasped in front of her. Her gaze dropped to the floor as he walked around her, circling her like a predator.
“What were you and Ansley discussing when I walked in?”
“I think you heard enough.”
He stopped behind her. She could feel, literally feel, his hot gaze glued to her ass. He took a couple of steps forward, the creaks in the floor verifying how closely he stood.
Lifting her hair with one hand, he ran his fingers over the top of her zipped dress. “I didn’t hear the entire conversation.”
Her breath caught in her chest. Without thinking, she turned to face him. “What are you doing?”
“Turn around, Kimberly.”
“No.”
“I’m unzipping you.”
“Just because you walked in on sibling bickering, don’t think—”
He placed three fingers over her lips. “Why don’t we take one step at a time? Okay?”
Her mouth dried with his fingertips against her lips. Stunned silent, she longed to tease him as she’d taunted him earlier. She wanted to nick the pads of his fingers, bite playfully at the tips, but she knew better than to tempt the devil living inside this man.
The longing in his eyes made her a believer. Too much play before their date could result in a delay of game, a date night inside her loft apartment that would likely leave her bound to her bed with a man she shouldn’t seduce, a Dom she wasn’t even sure she could handle.
“Now, take a deep breath.”
She inhaled and slowly exhaled.
“Again,” he said, his expression raw and masculine as he focused on the rise and fall of her chest.
“Now, I’m unzipping your dress for a specific reason,” he assured her, moving behind her.
She stilled under his touch. Toying with the oblong zipper, he moved to her ear. “I recall Mr. Neely telling you to wear something he found particularly appealing. Do you remember?”
“Yes,” she replied. “But it’s too revealing for a first date.”
“Have you worn it in public before?” he asked, slowly releasing her zipper.
“To appropriate venues,” she replied.
His lips remained at her ear, curving in a smile. “We’re attending a party, Kimberly. I believe the stockings and everything you’d wear to complement those stockings will be appropriate for the evening I have planned for us.”
He slowly unzipped the dress. She held her breath, unable to move an inch as his fingers wandered over her exposed back. She trembled under his touch as her arousal peaked.
How often had she casually bumped into this man and thought about those large hands, that guttural voice? How many times had she asked Patience to call her if he made an appearance at the club on one of her off nights? How many times had she cased the club, using Clink’s surveillance equipment to her advantage so she could find out his precise location before entering the throng of patrons?
Now, his
Learning to Kill: Stories