Kill?
Although the thought had crossed her mind more than once since the elevator doors opened that she'd like to kill Kensington herself, Marina sucked in a hard breath at the conviction in Zack's words.
"Those are terrible threats to make in front of another person, Mr. Keene."
"Formality, Marina? After all we've shared?"
"Fine. Zack, then." She forced back the frustrated sigh. Two could play at casual. "Can you really sit there and calmly tell me you're going to take justice into your own hands?"
"Isn't that what you and your employer do?"
"Absolutely not. The House of Steele is an honorable firm run by an honorable family. We do not go out meting justice to others."
"Even when it's deserved?"
"Even then."
Or so she hoped.
Marina knew the Steele siblings weren't purveyors of vigilante justice, but she also knew their work often veered into shadowy areas.
She accepted that and knew she had it in her to live and work in those shadows, too. Abandonment by a parent in childhood had a way of educating one quickly on the less desirable parts of life. Ignoring the snap of memory, she focused on Zack.
Zachary Keene, with those dark, sultry eyes and thick black hair the devil would likely envy. The man haunted her and she'd fought for nearly a year to keep vivid, erotic memories of their weekend together from her thoughts.
Voice brusque, she pressed on, seeking the upper hand. "Enough with the riddles. What is it you've hired the House of Steele and, by extension, me, to do?"
"I need an escort."
The dreams that had carried her from New York to Dallas faded. Somehow he'd found her and thought to have a spot of fun. That was the only possible explanation.
With a disdainful glance at her surroundings, Marina kept her voice low and dry. "Surely a man with your view could have secured a companion with an address considerably more local than mine."
"I want you."
He'd uttered something similar just before wrapping her up in his arms and carrying her to his bed. The sting of the long-buried memory had her up and out of her chair and headed for the door.
She wasn't some damn puppet.
Fury carried her along but it was need, pure and simple, that had her hesitating at the door when a hand reached for hers, effectively stopping her exit. Sparks of electricity hummed up her arm and desire crowded out all the reasons she needed to keep her wits about her.
Damn the man.
Heat from his body covered her back, spreading warmth throughout her until something desperate and needy settled in her core.
"Please, Marina. Don't go."
YOU ARE READING
THE DALLAS CONTRACT
RomanceMarina Hathaway has one goal: to work for the House of Steele, an infamous security firm. She has one chance, and one chance only, to prove that she has what it takes. Except when she meets with her client, his true identity is revealed—he's the man...
