“You might be surprised.” She leaned in, giving him the faintest hint of the perfume she wore. The scent made his cock tighten. “Maybe Maddie has some secrets of her own.”
“She better not or I’ll have to kill her like I did the others,” he admitted. “I’ll be happy when the damn thing launches and I don’t have to worry about getting found out.”
She moved in closer, so close he could feel her breath on his lips. “I’ll be happy when it’s over, too.”
He started to lean in and she stood, the prize taken from him once more.
Frustration welled like a snake ready to strike, but he shoved it all down. He could be patient.
She stared down at him, an earnest look on her face. “It means the world to me that you’re willing to do this. I need…boundaries and rules. The last man I loved, well, to say he broke my heart would be the least of what he did to me. Having a contract between us, knowing how we’re going to proceed, it means everything to me, Nolan.”
This was why he didn’t walk away from her. When he saw the barest glimpse of her vulnerability, his whole being sparked. He stood but didn’t move too close to her. “Of course. I want to show you not all men are like your ex.”
“Oh, there’s no one like him. No one on earth,” she said and then shook her head. “Thank god. I don’t think the world could handle another him. I know I couldn’t. It’s time for me to find some joy, and that starts with beginning our journey.”
“She’ll be back on Monday. I’ll speak with her and perhaps we can have dinner sometime that week.” He hated how eager he was, how she could lead him around by his dick. “Do you think we’ll talk to the board and tell them of our plans?”
She dangled more than her body in front of him. She dangled all the possibilities of his world, the rare land left to conquer.
Another smile curled up her lips, a secretive one that always made him think about wrapping his hand around her throat and proving he was man enough for her. “I think it’s almost time to reveal all the plans. It’s almost time to come out of the shadows and see what happens.”
She walked away, her heels not making a single sound though he knew they should. It unnerved him how quiet she could be.
Nolan sat back as the sun started to go down, lighting the world in a spectacular show.
He would have her. She was fit to be his queen, and she would take her place.
If she didn’t, he would destroy her and find another one. After all, women were mostly interchangeable.
When his butler came to let him know his guests for the evening were here, he put on his shiniest face, the one he showed to the whole world.
Just a few more weeks and everyone would meet the real Nolan Byrne.
He couldn’t wait.
Chapter Four
“How much do you know about Byrne?” Adam sat down on the bench beside Deke’s locker. Adam’s own was at the front of the locker room beside Jake’s, where the original Sanctum members kept a whole row.
Deke’s was located in the back with the “riffraff,” as Big Tag called them. In true Tag fashion, though, the riffraff lockers were just as spiffy.
He wondered if Maddie was impressed with the women’s locker room. It was far more plush than the men’s, but they didn’t have a massive TV so they could watch football or play video games when the night wasn’t going the way they’d hoped. More than once a couple of the guys would find themselves without play partners and end up virtually shooting some dude in Minnesota on the big screen.
The women had their choice of partners. Almost always. Sanctum had too many dudes.
“I know he pissed off Big Tag. I know Hutch and MaeBe think he’s some tech god.” He still wasn’t sure how Maddie saw the man. She was obviously willing to entertain the idea that he could be a bad guy, but he wasn’t certain she was sure.
“Oh, he is. He’s a complete rock star in the tech world. His history is fairly common for that type. Byrne came from a solid middle-class upbringing. His parents were both white collar, but they divorced when he was in his teens. That was around the time he sold his first app, a game that made him some money, and he started a company with a friend of his,” Adam explained.
Adam knew a lot. “You sound like a fan.”
“Oh, I think the man is brilliant. I also think he’s one of the most dangerous men on the planet,” Adam corrected.
Deke hung his shirt up and reached for his vest. He’d already changed into his leathers and boots. He’d meant to spend this time planning some lessons for Maddie, but when Adam talked like this, he tended to listen. Adam could be a jokester, but he knew his stuff when it came to technology and men like Byrne. “Because of the tech he’s creating?”