King of Greed (Kings of Sin #3) by Ana Huang

I opened my mouth, but an icy voice sliced between us before I could respond.

“She’s not.” A hand rested on my lower back, followed by the brush of a soft wool suit and the scent of a familiar cologne. “My wife and I have plans.”

My entire body stiffened while Drew scrambled off his stool, his face red and his eyes starstruck. “Mr. Davenport! Wow, I am a huge fan. I’m Drew Ledgeholm. We learned about you in my finance class…”

I stifled a groan. Of course he recognized Dominic on sight. Everyone loved a rags-to-riches story, and Dominic was basically a legend to every bright-eyed Wall Street newcomer.

He seemed less than impressed by Drew’s fanboying. In fact, he looked like he was ready to tear the other man into pieces with his bare hands.

Drew must’ve realized it too because his voice eventually petered out. I pinpointed the moment Dominic’s revelation about me being his wife sank in. His face paled, and panic crept into his expression as his eyes darted between us.

“She’s your wife? I didn’t know…I mean, she’s not wearing…”

Three pairs of eyes honed in on my bare ring finger. Dominic’s expression darkened, and the temperature dropped another dozen degrees.

“Now you do.” If his voice had been cold before, it was positively arctic now. “I believe you have somewhere else to be. Don’t you, Drew?” The calm acknowledgment of his name came off more menacing than any direct thread could.

Drew didn’t bother answering. He fled, leaving me with one pissed-off husband and the embers of anger glowing in my stomach.

I shrugged off Dominic’s hand and spun to face him. “Seriously? What is wrong with you? You scared that poor boy half to death!”

“That poor boy was hitting on my wife.” Dominic’s eyes blazed. “What did you expect me to do? Pat him on the back?”

“He didn’t know I was married.” I shook my head. “What are you doing here anyway? Don’t tell me you’re stalking me.” I wouldn’t put it past him. He would go to any length to win.

A touch of visible amusement cooled his anger. “The bar is down the street from my office, amor. I had a client meeting here.”

“Oh.” Right. I’d picked the bar out of a list of “best happy hour spots in the city” and completely forgot it was so close to Dominic’s workplace.

His expression softened. “Ask me again on another day, and my answer might be different. I would stalk you if it meant you’d talk to me again.”

“How romantic.”

“I’m past romantic, Alessandra. I’m desperate.”

I ruthlessly tamped down the sympathy unfurling behind my ribs. So what if he sounded miserable? He brought it on himself.

Still, I diverted my attention to the exit sign above his shoulder so I didn’t have to meet his eyes.

I should leave. Every second I spent in his company was another opportunity for him to break down my walls, and I didn’t fully trust myself with him yet, especially not when I had so many drinks in my system.

“Did you get my flowers?” Dominic didn’t try to touch me again, but his gaze might as well have been a caress. It lingered on my face, tracing the lines of my jaw and cheekbones before kissing my mouth with its warmth.

“Yes.” I notched my chin up even as my skin tingled with awareness. I shouldn’t have had that martini. Alcohol always lowered my inhibitions, which was not a good thing when Dominic was in the vicinity. “I donated them to the nearest children’s hospital.”

If he was upset about me donating thousands of dollars’ worth of florals, he didn’t show it. “I’m sure they appreciated it.”

A smile ghosted his mouth when I sighed, and I caught the tiniest glimpse of the man he used to be—the one who carried me uphill in the pouring rain because my heel broke, who kissed me good night every night no matter how late he came home, and who attempted to bake one of the elaborate cakes I’d saved on Pinterest for my birthday. His cake had come out decidedly un-Pinterestlike, but I’d loved it anyway. It was the thought that counted.

A stab of sentimentality drained the fight out of me. I sighed again, already exhausted from keeping myself together in his presence.

“Sign the papers, Dom.”





CHAPTER 11



Dominic




I DIDN’T BELIEVE IN FATE AS A GENERAL RULE, BUT AS WITH all rules, there were exceptions. I’ve only had two: the day I met Alessandra in Thayer’s library and today.

Of all the bars and all the nights in the world, we were both here tonight. If that wasn’t a message from the universe, nothing was.

“If you don’t, I’ll get half of everything. We never signed a prenup,” Alessandra reminded me. The draft from a passing server blew wisps of hair into her eye. “We…” Her sentence trailed off when I brushed the strands back. My hand lingered next to her cheek, savoring her warmth.

“Do you want to be rid of me that desperately?” I murmured.

In any other situation, I would’ve balked at the thought of losing half my fortune, but all I could think about was how badly I wanted to kiss her. A real kiss, not like the perfunctory ones I usually gave her when I came home because I’d been too tired from work.