Page 41 of Seduced By the Billionaire
“You don’t have to?—”
“Standing around like a goon instead of dancing would be a hell of a lot more suspicious.” She rotated her hips just above his knees, tossing her blonde hair back over her shoulder. “You said we could talk. Now talk.”
“Fair enough,” he said, and the croak in his voice was enough to make her heart beat faster.
“I wasn’t anticipating that anyone would show up at the hospital,” he said, voice huskier than normal. “And I can’t prove it was bugged, just a strong… a strong… suspicion.” The last word came out as a whisper. “I want him to think he still has the upper hand. You’re safer if he doesn’t know you’re working with me.”
He closed his eyes a beat longer than a blink, and she hiked her skirt and lowered herself fully into his lap. Her breath caught. He was hard as fuck, his dick pressing against her through their clothes. He could be lying about a lot of things, but a man’s cock always told the truth.
This isn’t about him making you feel pretty, Juliette. This is about survival.
Ronan’s fingernails dug into the armrests. Part of her wanted to push him away, to fight, to slap him for the way he’d treated her, but his nearness was unraveling her defenses. And a bugged hospital room was a pretty good explanation.
You’re weak, Juliette. He’s making you weak.
“Tell about the man in the motel parking lot.”
Juliette shifted her hips side to side, dragging her panties across his groin, relishing the way his dick twitched at her attention. And it wasn’t weakness to tell him what she’d tried to earlier, was it?
“The guy in the lot had a tattoo on his wrist,” she said. “A compass with shapes where the directions should be. He said he was there to score drugs, but no dealer ever showed up.”
“Hopefully, there’s a vein of truth to that—if he’s engaged in illegal activities, he’ll have more motivation to help us.” He tilted his head slightly, his piercing blue gaze unreadable.
Was that regret on his face—or calculation? Ronan closed his eyes again, a sharp inhale hissing through his nose when she thrust her pelvis against him.
He’s faking. It’s an act.
But it didn’t feel fake. It felt like they were the only ones in the room. And the steady, delirious throb at the apex of her thighs was as real as it got.
“Whoever is after you knows where I live,” he rasped. “He gained access to my security cameras. Is he a tech guy? A hacker?”
She continued to move as seductively as she could manage, her eyes locked on his, memories clawing their way to the surface: Ronan’s hands cupping her face, his voice low and steady as he promised to protect her. But she needed to protect him, too. If she told him who Daniel was, he’d kill them and her mother. Daniel wouldn’t put his game of cat and mouse above his need to get rid of witnesses.
Juliette swallowed hard, channeling her anxiety into her movements. It didn’t make sense for her to feel anything except panic, but the raw desire in his gaze was electrifying her blood, her heart racing at a breakneck pace.
Maybe I really am crazy. Maybe Daniel finally broke me. And why is Ronan staring at me like that?
It was all too much. She stood and turned, bending at the waist, still swaying to the beat. But it didn’t ease the pressure in her chest. She could imagine Ronan behind her, his hungry gaze on her skin, wanting her with such intensity that it made her feel like the most powerful person in the world—for once, more powerful than Daniel. For once, in control.
Her eyes burned, but then she felt his fingertips on her ass, a gentle but possessive squeeze that sent a bolt of lightning surging through her veins, igniting every nerve ending. Her legs went weak, the ache in her core insistent and desperate, her lungs too small.
“No touching!” Waylon practically screamed, and Ronan yanked his hand back to the armrest.
“Sorry,” he gasped out—for her benefit, not for Waylon’s. “I couldn’t… help it.”
Because I’m in charge. Juliette righted herself and sank into his lap.
“You have no reason to trust me,” he said, voice shaking. “I don’t know who this guy is. I don’t know where to find him. But I know he has something on you, or you wouldn’t have kept his name a secret.”
Shit. Why couldn’t he have been terrible at his job?
“What did you do?” he went on. “Try to kill him? Hurt someone else, even accidentally? It has to be something worth jail time.”
She swallowed hard—she was supposed to be dancing, but her muscles had stalled. Juliette forced herself to unfreeze and leaned against him, the back of her head on his good shoulder. His dick was still hard on her ass, twitching every time she shifted her weight, but just being wrapped in his warmth almost felt like a hug.
She really needed a hug.
“I… just wanted to escape,” she whispered.
