7 Chapter 7

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."