Resentment.
Hurt.
A new obsession that twisted my guts in a tangle of greed.
It was a volatile, dangerous combination.
I felt the impact of it tremble down her spine as she reluctantly stepped inside. She edged deeper into the living area of the hotel room as I let the door drift shut behind us.
My eyes caressed her shape as a fresh round of those memories surged.
The way she used to be a picture of joy.
The way my heart used to beat out of my chest every time she came into a room.
What a fucking injustice that it still did.
Aster was harder than she’d been then, though. Her once soft, round cheeks were now angled and harsh. Her eyes sharpened and telling. She remained petite, small tits and slim waist and full thighs I could get lost in for days.
She lifted her hands out to the sides. “So, what now, Logan? Have you had your fun? Are you finished playing games?”
Distrust burned from her being. I almost wanted to laugh. Who was she kidding?
“Who said I was playing games?”
A scoff ripped from her lungs, though it shook with agony. “That’s all it’s ever been, hasn’t it? A game to you? To see how fast you can make it to the top? Just how powerful you could be? Obviously, you won, Logan. I think you’ve proven your point. Where are the stones, anyway?”
The last was a fiery accusation. One that pierced me like a flaming arrow.
I had her spun and pressed against the closest wall before she could process the movement. My hands rested on either side of her head.
Caging her in.
She trembled, her body hot and lush and too goddamn tempting.
Savage seductress.
She gulped, her pulse pounding so hard I could feel it beating through my blood.
“Is that why you’re here, Aster? You want to know about the stones?”
Those fucking twin stones that had ruined everything. A treasure that could never compensate for the grief they’d caused.
“It looks like they’ve afforded you a wonderful life.” Bitterness flooded out with her words.
She obviously still didn’t have a clue what’d gone down that night since she thought I might possess both.
What bullshit.
“Where are they?” she demanded.
“You think I wanted a bauble? A shiny thing to waste away in a safe? You’re right. Because of you, I’ve been living like a king for all these years. I guess I should thank you.”
The lie slipped so easily from my tongue.
“You sold them. You bastard.”
A smirk cracked my face. “Bastard? You can do better than that, can’t you, Aster?”