“I know.”
I hold her gaze. “If you want to run a criminal empire, you need to understand every aspect of it. Death is part of this world.”
“I’ve seen death.”
“You’ve witnessed it. You haven’t caused it.” I cup her face in my hands. “There’s a difference. And once you cross that line, you can’t come back.”
“I don’t want to come back.”
I study her face. Looking for hesitation. For fear.
I don’t find it.
“Okay.”
She reaches up and pulls my mouth down to hers.
The kiss is hungry. Desperate. She’s using me to forget everything else.
I let her. I’ll be whatever she needs me to be.
I lift her onto the desk, stepping between her thighs. Her legs wrap around my waist, pulling me closer. My hands slide up her sides, pushing her shirt up and over her head.
“Here?” she breathes.
“Here.” I make quick work of her bra. “Now. No one will bother us.”
She reaches for my belt. Her fingers fumble with the buckle. I cover her hands with mine, helping her.
“I need you,” she whispers.
“I know.”
“I want to do something,” she says on a moan. My tongue slashes across her ear.
“What do you want?”
She pushes me back.
It kills me, but I step back. One day I’ll be able to push, but not yet.
“Take off your pants,” she orders.
Not what I expected.
I strip off my belt and let it drop to the floor. My hands move to my pants, and I watch her eyes follow every movement. I unbutton them slowly, letting the anticipation build. When I push them down along with my boxers, her breath catches.
She’s on her knees before I can process what’s happening.
“Sofia—” My voice comes out like I’ve been gargling shards of glass.
“Shh.” She looks up at me and I recognize what's in her eyes. It’s not fear. Not even desire. It’s ambition.
Oh, clever girl.
She doesn’t want to be handled.
She wants my control in her hands.