Chapter 0248

“What?” I ask innocently, trying to hide my smile.

“Fay,” Jerome growls, quickly pulling into a spot as far away from lvan’s car as possible. “What the hell are you playing at this

time?”

“Kent knows,” I say evenly with a little shrug, speaking the truth.

I told him this morning. He hadn’t been happy about it.

I had picked my moment quite carefully. “Um, Kent?” I had said, leaning casually against the open door to the closet as Kent got

dressed. And then, when he had turned and looked at me suspiciously — probably because I haven’t been so shy and hesitant

around him in weeks — I had stumbled out with my whole plan to meet Ivan at the stables today, just to check on things between

his organization and the Lippert family.

Kent walked slowly over to me, stopping only when he was so close that I had to tilt my chin all the way back to look up into his

face. Then, he had gone completely still.

“What are you doing, Fay,” Kent had growled. “What happened last night?”

“Nothing,” I said, willing honestly into my face as I looked up at him. “Ivan and I didn’t have a chance to talk — I promise, it's not —

it's not a romantic thing. Daniel and I were cornered all night by the Russians.”

And then I waited. If he told me not to go, I wouldn’t go.

But secretly? I kind of knew he'd say yes. I had told Kent weeks ago about what happened at my father’s house — about my

father offering to take Jerome from him, about my father laughing when I suggested that Kent could keep me safe. And I could

tell that the news had rattled him.

Kent had used the information, of course — had used my father’s confidence to rattle Natalia, to suggest to her that Alden had

something up his sleeve and that they needed to figure it out before breaking off the engagement with me. It had been clever,

that method of gaining more time.

But my father and Ivan have been slippery these past few weeks — haven’t given Kent much of anything, instead dancing around

him and Natalia. They would take meetings, but they didn’t commit to anything.

And I knew — I knew that Kent's frustration on this matter, his desire for more information, would beat out his jealousy.

“Fifteen minutes,” Kent snarled, wrapping a hand around my waist and pulling me tight against his stomach. “That's how long

you spend with him. And then Jerome escorts him off the property. Am I clear?”

Eagerly, I nodded. And then I wrapped my arms around Kent's neck, standing on my tiptoes and lifting my face closer to his,

asking for a kiss.

“He doesn’t put his hands on you, Fay,” Kent said next, refusing to kiss me and glaring at me darkly instead.

“I never got my condo in Milan —“ I said, smirking a little, trying to use a joke to lighten the mood.

But Kent just shook his head and wrapped his arms tighter around me, not biting. Slowly, the smile dropped from my face.

“Not a single touch,” he growled, and

then he waited for me to nod,

agreeing to his terms,betoredttitg I

mis fight avainSt im and sealing his

mouth on mine. I clung to Kent then,

overwhelmed a little by his order, his

intensity, his covetous need to keep

me all for himself — Please read the

original content at .

And then I let him carry me to the

bed, and lay me back down on the

sheets, and show me just how much

I belonged to him. \letKent wagal'

touching me again, ever. But even as

Kent smacked my ass and left me

panting against the sheets, heading

back to the closet after making me

cum so hard that I could barely

remember my own name... Please

read the original content at

.

I still knew that I was going to do it.

That I had to meet Ivan, and talk to him, and know what this thing had been between us - even if just to close the door on us.

But as I climb out of the car and look

over the roof to see Ivan leani

against t e doorway @\fe stables,

his heft lling casually into his face

as his eyes lock on mine? Please

read the original content at

.

Fuck.

Fuck, but it feels like that door is still standing wide open.