Page 25 of Dominion
She unwrapped her sandwich and took a huge bite. “Do you want me to open something for you?” she asked with her mouth full.
Despite all the tension between them, he couldn’t help but find her cute. He experienced a flash of longing. This is what it would be like if Ashley was his girlfriend. Talking with their mouths full, laughing, comfortable with each other. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed with anyone. Definitely not since Leon and his father’s death. Not since he’d betrayed his family and left them to die.
Ashley stuffed herself,eating too fast. She leaned back against the seat, suddenly exhausted. “Where are we going?”
“First to my sister-in-law’s, then to see a guy who might be able to help.”
“Like those guys back there?”
He gave her a dark look. “I made a mistake,” he said. “I shouldn’t have left you with them. I’m sorry.”
For some reason, his apology hit her with a pang. She hadn’t expected any concessions from him, and it was easier to steel herself against his dark allure when he was being a jerk. Still, she’d known he was sorry. He wouldn’t have attacked that other guy if not. And while the display of violence had been somewhat nauseating, it also left her feeling more than vindicated.
“Listen, Ashley… I should have warned you before we went in. Never get mouthy or disrespectful with a wolf. It’s taken as a challenge to the power structure, and swift, physical retaliation will always follow to re-establish order.”
“Is that why you spank me?”
“Yes.”
“You enjoy it, don’t you?”
His eyes slid sideways, the corners of his mouth turning up. “I might enjoy some of it, yeah.”
She flushed, two parts angry and one part something else. Something slithery and fluttery that moved in her belly. “Heathen,” she muttered, moving her attention out the window.
“Ashley,” he said, looking serious. “I mean it—don’t offend anyone else. I know Brian asked for it, but this is important. If one of them had left a serious mark on you, I might have killed him. And then I’d have the whole pack coming after me, and consequently you. So it’s a big deal.”
I might have killed him.That piece of information made her slightly lightheaded. He did have a thing for her. She knew it.
“Okay.”
“Yes, sir,” he corrected.
“Yes, sir,” she said, only slightly sarcastically.
“Thank you,” he said.
She considered how much their relationship had changed in less than twenty-four hours. If it didn’t go forward, could they go back? Working at Stone Tech seemed like a completely different world now.
“Ben?” She didn’t know when she’d started calling him that. But considering she’d seen him naked and in wolf form, and he’d spanked her with her panties down, Mr. Stone didn’t seem right anymore. “Do you mind when I call you that?”
She glanced at his chiseled face, the stubble growing on his jaw making him even sexier than when he was clean-shaven.
“No.”
Would the man ever give more than the monosyllabic answer? His little speech about being respectful to wolves might be the longest he’d uttered.
“Do you think we’ll ever return to work?”
“Yes.”
“I mean… will I still be your assistant?” She held her breath. She wouldn’t blame the man for firing her. After all, she had stolen from him and planted a bomb that could have killed him.
“Yeah,” he said, but his throat sounded tight, as if he might be lying. Did he plan to fire her? Or worse… kill her? He had told the pack members that he would ‘take care of’ the fact that she knew about them. Was he just keeping her alive to arrange the meetup with the men who wanted him dead? Did he plan to kill her when it was all over? From what she could tell, he was a dangerous man.
“Will you still spank me if I get out of line?” she asked, trying to lighten her own tension, if not his.
It worked. Ben’s shadow-smile appeared, that little hint of amusement that crinkled his eyes and touched the corners of his lips. “You like talking about getting spanked,” he said.