by Sienna Snow
He grabbed my hand and pressed it against his chest. The heat from his body was distracting.
"You can’t be serious. Those women you have with you are as tiny as you. What the hell are they going to do? Stab them with their nail files and clock them with their designer handbags?"
"Um, Hagen." Adrian looked between him and me, releasing a sigh. "For your own good and at the risk of pissing my sister off further, I'd shut up."
"No, let him keep talking." I tried to jerk free of Hagen's hold, but he wouldn't budge. "Don't save this overgrown, chauvinist ass. Those women are members of some of the most elite agencies in the world. Their size means nothing. Every one of them could kick all your asses before you knew what hit you."
Then without warning, I used one of the moves I'd learned from Ameera, an agent in an underground human rights organization. I dropped, turned slightly, and threw Hagen away from me and onto the floor.
Utter silence filled the room.
"Want to tell me again that tiny women can't defend themselves?" I adjusted my disheveled shirt.
Hagen lay on the floor, staring at me as if I'd reared an ugly head. His face was flushed, and if I wasn't mistaken, he was aroused.
What the fuck? I'd just knocked him on his ass, and he was aroused?
I was never going to figure this man out.
The anger throbbing in my head was getting worse, and I knew if I didn't get myself under control, I'd get a migraine.
Zack leaned forward in his chair, smirking as Hagen pushed himself to sitting. "Hagen, I'd stop while I was ahead. You're the one who said Penny isn't as naive as everyone believes. Maybe you should start listening to your own advice. Or I'm sure she'd be happy to drop-kick your ass into the next century."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Hagen
* * *
I WATCHED Starlight stomp out of the living room and onto the wraparound balcony. Never in my life had I been turned on by someone knocking me on my ass.
She wasn't weak, and I was an ass to believe she was, but that didn't mean I would go against my gut and let her handle it. We'd have to come to some comprise where both of us were comfortable.
"I suggest you fix this. The three of us are going to go downstairs to take care of some business," Zack said, gesturing to Adrian and Pierce.
With a frown, Adrian stood and then opened his mouth to say something but stopped when Pierce spoke first.
"Let's go, kid. This isn't a conversation you need to be here for."
Releasing a frustrated breath, Adrian stalked toward the elevator.
I pushed up from the floor, hoping no one noticed the hard-on I was sporting, and waited for the elevator doors to close before following Starlight outside.
She leaned in the corner against the railing with her head resting on her arms as she gazed at the view.
"Starlight," I said cautiously.
She lifted her head and body. The anger radiating in her eyes almost had me stepping back.
"I'm not an idiot, Hagen."
"I know this."
"If that were true, then you wouldn't have believed I'd endanger myself without thinking twice about it."
"Wanting to protect you is a gut reaction. If I told you how long I've been trying to do that, you'd think I was stalking you."
Why the fuck did I confess that shit?
I walked up behind her. She stiffened for a second before relaxing as I slid my hand over her stomach and then gently pulled her against my front.
Her plump ass pressed against the hard ridge of my cock, making me want to fuck her so hard that she'd agree to anything I asked in order to come. But that wasn’t how I wanted her compliance.
I followed the direction she stared at and watched the bustle of the Strip below us. The daylight hours did nothing to dim the constant chaos of Vegas. But here with her, even with her anger, I felt I belonged.
"I already knew you were keeping an eye on me. The only way you would know about Firewater is if you had me followed. I figured this out after our almost-lunch."
"Almost-lunch?"
"We never got to lunch, remember?" Her cheeks flushed, and an image of her body bent over the railing while I fucked into her made my already straining cock ache for her as I'd never desired any other woman.
"I remember. We went straight to dessert."
"How does what happened constitute dessert?" She tilted her head and glanced at me over her shoulder.
"I had the pleasure of tasting your sweet lips and hearing the sound of your release. I've now gotten addicted to it. In fact, dessert should be the first thing on the menu whenever we’re together."
She leaned into me, bringing with it a sense of relief. I buried my face in the delicate scent of her shampoo.
"Too many sweets are bad for you, Mr. Lykaios."
"I'm all about sinful pleasure."
The sound of sirens on Las Vegas Boulevard brought us back to reality, and the mood shifted.
"So what now?" She stared into the distance. "I won't go from one gilded cage to another. The fact you want to protect me doesn't make it any less stifling."
The last thing I wanted to do was keep her prisoner. Although, the fantasy of tying her to my bed in order to keep her safe was more than appealing.
"Dara is dangerous, and if she gets desperate enough, she will find other means to hurt you. I won't lose another woman I care about."
Mentioning my mother hit me like an arrow through the heart. I hadn't been there when Mama had gotten sick and barely had made it to her bedside to say goodbye before she passed away.
Outside of Mama, I'd never had any feelings for another woman. How was I going to convince Starlight to let my men watch over her when I couldn’t? It wasn't as if I wanted any man but me near her at all.
"Look, I understand you're worried. If she had Papa killed, then she wouldn't hesitate to get rid of me. But I don't want to be smothered. I may not be part of Kipos, but I have a business to run."
"My goal isn't to smother you. My goal is to protect you."
If it were any other woman, I'd just order her to do what I said.
That was a lie. If it were any other woman, I'd have walked the second she became difficult.
Hell, it seemed like I was the one continually chasing her, wanting her to keep me like some lost fucking puppy.
"So what are you suggesting? I become your twenty-four-seven sidekick?"
"Or vice versa. I think I'd make a great lab assistant."
"Sure. I can see the great Hagen Lykaios taking instructions from me. I saw how you felt sorry for my plant manager when I laid into him for being late with his reports."
I turned her to face me and crowded her between my body and the railing. "No, I was turned on."
I pressed the length of my erection against the apex of her sex. She gripped my forearms, and a light flush crept into her skin, the first sign she was aroused.
"Make a decision. It's either me with you twenty-four-seven or one of my people."
She frowned. "How about one of my people? They've gone with me on every one of my international trips. Would that work?"
"Only if I've vetted them first." I wasn’t going to let anyone watch Starlight's back without thoroughly checking their backgrounds.
"It's probably going to be more like they’re going to have to vet you."
It was my turn to frown. "Meaning?"
"You're my first relationship. They’ll want to make sure you’re worthy of little old me."
I was definitely not, but I wasn't letting her go.
"So, you're saying they’re like a group of overprotective sisters?"
"Something like that. On second thought, I'm almost positive they have every piece of information on you by now. They’re very thorough when it comes to the people they protect."
"Who do they work for when not following you around the world?"
“Let me think.” She tapped her chin. "Two are Masood, five of them work for British and Amer
ican intelligence organizations, and two work for secret groups no one is supposed to know about."
"How the fuck did you find them? You don't just randomly meet a group of female intelligence agents looking to freelance as personal security."
"My best friend, Amelia. Her deceased husband had helped a few of them on a case, and they ended up friends. Now they watch out for her, her son, anyone Amelia wants them to protect."
"That doesn't explain how you met them."
"I was visiting her in Greece, and she'd been on my case about safety since I was planning to go to Indonesia to meet with a supplier of elderflowers."
I stared down at her. How long had she been gallivanting around the world? I'd only discovered her tendency to visit remote tropical places a few years ago. And what was this about a best friend in Greece? None of my investigations mentioned her. They said Starlight had a friend named Cara Thanos, a the widow of Stavros Thanos, a Greek entertainment mogul.
Then it hit me.
Why the fuck hadn't I thought about it? Amelia was Pierce's Amelia. She’d broken Pierce’s heart and hadn’t looked back. And when she’d married that Greek playboy, she started to go by Cara.
I’d interacted with Amelia on various occasions throughout my childhood. As the daughter of one of Collin’s former gaming managers, she would attend parties and events put on by Collin. She and Starlight had gone to the same private school my brothers and I had attended. It had been years since I’d seen Amelia. Until now I hadn’t realized she and Starlight had stayed in touch.
I reined in all the new questions I had for her, and instead, I said, "Go on."
"Amelia said she had a few friends who would keep me safe, and to ease her worry, I agreed to meet them.” She shifted and then continued. “When I finally met the group, it turned out we all got along. After a while, whenever I traveled, I'd send them a message, and those who weren't on assignment would meet me for my trips. Most of the time when we go anywhere it isn't for my work, but just for a girl’s trip."
"So in other words, you have an entourage of international agents to watch your back and to go on vacation with."
"You could say that."
"Now to another question that's plaguing me. How the hell have you been able to travel so much with Dara always keeping an eye on you?"
She beamed up at me. "I have a decoy."
"You have a what?"
"A decoy. My cousin, Mina, who lives in India, looks almost identical to me. Well, with the exception of the eyes. As far as Dara knows, I like to spend every vacation with my Mom's family in Greece. Mina is all for the cloak-and-dagger stuff. She actually loves it. For her, it’s a break from her matchmaking family and tech job, and for me it’s freedom."
It was like I had no idea who this woman was. Decoys, Mossad agents. What the fuck?
A headache began to brew.
Starlight cupped my face. "Am I freaking you out?"
"No."
"Liar."
I refused to admit that I wasn't sure what to make of her.
"As I told you, I'm not as innocent as you think. Yes, I'm not experienced in everything, but I have my own little secrets."
"Woman, you have more secrets than I do. I guess it means you trust me if you’re telling me all this."
A crease formed between her brows. "Of course, I trust you. Did you think otherwise?"
Instead of answering her I asked, "Does Adrian know?"
"Yes. He’s part of my cover with Dara."
"Last question, why didn't you use one of your ladies to help you find the answers to your father’s death?"
"There are two reasons. One, they aren't allowed to do anything on US soil in an official capacity unless on assignment. And if I want anything to stick to Dara, it has to all be on the up-and-up. They can work as private security as long as they mobilize when their higher-ups call."
"And?"
"And two—" she hesitated for a second and then spoke, "—I needed an excuse to see you."
"But you wouldn't have seen me unless Adrian had arranged it."
"I was planning to get your help once Adrian gained his shares. He had other plans and moved up my timeline."
Her hand moved from my arms to the hem of my T-shirt and then under. The slightest touch was more arousing than having any other woman I'd ever fucked.
"So you planned to seduce me all along?"
She scored her nails up and down my back, making goosebumps prickle my flesh.
"Honestly I'd hoped it would be the other way around. Besides, I wouldn't know how to seduce you if I tried."
"You're doing an excellent job at this moment." Lifting her up by her legs, I wrapped her thighs around my waist, sliding her against my aching cock.
"Hagen," she gasped, digging her nails deep. "We aren’t having sex on the balcony of your brother's house."
She arched against the friction I was creating between our bodies.
"Are you sure? We could always move it inside. There’s a bedroom upstairs that belongs to me."
"We can't." Her hips gripped me tighter as she dropped her head to my shoulder. "I promised Adrian. I don't want to chance him coming up here."
"Fair point, Ms. Kipos. Adrian's a good kid, but I don't want to piss him off more than I already have."
I released her legs, letting them slide down my body until she was settled on her feet.
A moan escaped her lips, and I couldn't help but smile. "You’re the one who said no sex."
"I know." She turned and braced her hands on the railing. "You're very potent, Mr. Lykaios."
"Feeling’s mutual. Now that you've put a stop to the fun, let's get back to what started this discussion."
She released a sigh. "How about this? Until my friends get here, I'll let either you or one of your guys shadow me."
I smiled, feeling a sense of victory.
"But the second you become overbearing it ends."
"I'm never overbearing."
"Tell that to Pierce and Zack. They told me that you had Draco's men watching them all through college so they wouldn’t get in trouble. Zack said you were a cock block."
"My brothers need to shut their mouths during your poker games."
"Hey, getting them to chat is the best distraction. How do you think I win?"
"From what Zack says, you can read people, and then you let them double or triple the pot before you nail their heads to the table with whatever you were hiding."
"I'll never admit to anything."
"Want to try your hand at the tables of Ida? I hear the owner has a thing for secret chemists with emerald eyes."
"Why not? I've taken more than enough money from Zack over the years. Let's see if my luck holds."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Penny
* * *
"WOW. Hagen is going to go nuts when he sees you," were the first words Pierce said as I came out of Hagen's private elevator.
I glanced down at the one-shoulder sequined minidress Henna had sent over and made a mental note to thank her. If there was one thing she knew as well as the hotel business, it was fashion.
The style flattered my petite frame, and with my hair and makeup done just right, I felt sexy.
The last time I'd dressed up like this was when Amelia had taken me to Ibiza for a night out on the Spanish island. It had been for her birthday a few months before her husband passed away.
"Thank you." I slid my arm through Pierce's elbow. "You don't look too shabby yourself."
The Lykaios brothers were definitely blessed with devastating good looks. Pierce was the most athletically built of the three with a physique that was a cross between a lean swimmer and a prizefighter.
"Why, thank you. I thought it was fitting to dress up for the owner of everyone's favorite spirit."
From a distance, I noticed two men with earpieces watching us.
"Where’s Hagen?"
"He had to handle an issue. He told me to take you to the private poker play
ers’ lounge."
"Should I be honored that I'm about to take on some of Vegas's biggest whales?"
Pierce smirked. "You're the whale in that room."
"We'll see."
As we walked through the main casino, I couldn't help but want to join the enthusiasm of the various people crowded around the tables.
"No."
I glanced at Pierce. "What?"
"I have strict orders to take you upstairs."
I gave him my version of puppy-dog eyes that would get me my way when I was younger. "Please."
He groaned and shook his head. "Hagen is going to kill me."
I squeezed, leaned up, and kissed him on the cheek. I grabbed his hand and dragged him toward a blackjack table.
Just as I was about to reach into my purse to pull out my card to buy in, Pierce handed me a card. "At least this way, when you win, it nets even. We can't lose money if it already belongs to the casino."
Pulling the card from his fingers, I inserted it at the table and bought five thousand in chips.
"That's a hefty advance."
"I know the owners. They won't mind."
For the next twenty minutes, we played various games around the casino. I won a lot more than I lost and was about ten thousand ahead.
"Pierce, can I ask you something?"
"The way you phrased that, I feel like I'm in trouble."
"No. It's nothing like that. It's just a question I've wondered about for years."
"Go ahead."
"Are you still in love with Amelia?"
His expression darkened. "That was over years ago. She married another man."
"I know. I just wonder sometimes. You never date anyone seriously."
"Don't try to play matchmaker. I know you two are thick as thieves, but she's my past."
"Fine. I'll drop it. Just know not everything was as it seemed at the time."
Pierce sighed and kissed my forehead. "Thanks for not picking sides when everything went down."
"You're both my family." I glanced to another area of the room and found a way to change the subject. "Roulette, come on."