Chapter 7 7

Armond didn't say a word. He gripped Kate's wrist and pulled her away from the crowd, marching her toward the private stables at the edge of the club.

"Armond, you're hurting me!" Kate gasped, stumbling in the grass.

He dragged her into the cool, hay-scented shadows of the stable and spun her around, pinning her against a wooden stall door.

"What were you talking about?" Armond demanded. "Are you two reminiscing? Planning a reunion?"

"He was threatening me!" Kate rubbed her wrist. "You know he hates me."

"I saw the way he looked at you," Armond snarled. "Like he owns you."

"He doesn't own anything," Kate snapped.

"Good." Armond turned and grabbed the bridle of a massive black stallion. "Since you seem to have a problem with boundaries, let me teach you how to handle beasts."

"What are you doing?" Kate backed away.

"Get on." It wasn't a request.

Armond led the horse out. He lifted Kate by the waist, his hands strong and unyielding, depositing her onto the saddle. Before she could protest, he swung himself up behind her.

His chest pressed against her back. His legs framed hers. The intimacy was suffocating and electric.

"Hold the reins," he ordered, his breath hot on her neck. He covered her hands with his. "If you don't control him, he'll throw you. Just like men like Lucas."

He kicked the horse into a gallop.

They surged forward, tearing across the open field away from the club. The wind whipped Kate's hair. She screamed, leaning back instinctively into Armond's solid warmth.

"Open your eyes!" Armond yelled over the wind. "Don't hide. steer him!"

They rode hard, the physical exertion mirroring the tension between them. Armond was asserting control, claiming her space, marking her.

He slowed the horse near a line of trees. Kate was panting, her heart racing from the adrenaline and the proximity.

"Lucas Sterling is a bully," Armond said, his voice lower now, right in her ear. "You don't negotiate with bullies. You break them."

Kate turned her head slightly. His face was inches from hers. "And you? How do I handle you?"

Armond paused. His gaze dropped to her lips. "You submit. It's your only option."

He crushed his mouth to hers. It was a punishing kiss, full of frustration and desire. Kate tried to push him away, but her hands curled into his shirt instead. She opened to him, the chemistry between them undeniable and dangerous.

Armond's phone rang.

He broke the kiss, breathing hard. He cursed and pulled the phone from his pocket.

"What?" he barked.

It was the investigator. "Mr. Emerson. We found a discrepancy in the Swiss records. The clinic Ms. Silva visited... it specializes in obstetrics."

Armond went still. The heat in his veins turned to ice.

"Keep digging," he said softly. "Find out everything."

He hung up. He looked at the back of Kate's head, at the woman he had just kissed.

"Get down," Armond said, his voice devoid of emotion. "The lesson is over."