She was testing him. Again. Ali saw through it immediately. The slow, deliberate way she leaned into the man’s touch, the careless smirk playing at her lips—it was all designed to provoke a reaction. His reaction. He should have ignored it. Should have let her bask in the illusion of control she was so desperately clinging to. But Ali had never been a man with an endless well of patience, and Kiraz had a way of pressing on wounds that hadn’t even finished scarring over. His gaze swept over her, taking in every detail. The tilt of her chin, the mischief in her eyes, the way her fingers played with the hem of her dress as if daring him to cross a line. He had faced warlords, assassins, men who killed without hesitation, and yet nothing tested his discipline like this woman. "The only toys you’ll be playing with tonight are the ones in your drawer," he murmured, his voice edged with quiet authority. "And they’ll do a better job than any sorry sod you try to pick up." Before she could throw another challenge his way, he turned, his fingers closing around her wrist, pulling her along with him. He knew her games, understood them better than she probably wanted him to. She wanted to test him, push him, see where his patience cracked. But Ali wasn’t some rich boy desperate for her attention. He was her security, and right now, she was coming with him, whether she liked it or not.