Page 93 of Princes of Carnage

I keep my gaze on them both, not quite sure why I’m torturing myself by watching. She stiffens for a second, as if surprised by the gesture, then leans into the kiss briefly, her body arching toward his as if she can’t quite help herself before they finally break apart.

He grins at her, heat flaring in his eyes. “Sembri una dea, mia cara. Potresti tentare anche un monaco a peccare.”

The words roll off his tongue in Italian, and even though I’ve picked up a few words over the years from being around him, I have no idea what he said.

Quinn rolls her eyes, but she doesn’t pull away from his touch, and I feel the itch of jealousy under my skin. Even if this marriage is a sham for convenience and the alliance, it still means that Nico can do shit like that. He can pull her into his arms and kiss her, and as much as Quinn claims to dislike him, her body language tells a completely different story.

Finally, she steps back and turns to me, and I stride away, not meeting her eyes.

“Let’s go, vicious,” I mutter, yanking the door open so we can leave.

We drive instead of taking the bikes, but I almost wish we hadn’t. We take Quinn’s car, although I insist on driving, and the ride to the club is tense, my hands clenched tightly around the steering wheel.

Quinn sits in the front passenger seat, not talking, not even looking at me. She stares out the window, probably lost in thought about the mission we’re about to take on.

My head is full of conflicting feelings. About her. About the way she looks. The way she smells. The way she bites her lip absently, tugging the soft flesh between her teeth. The last time we were alone together, I told her she needed to go or I’d fuck her over her own motorcycle. We’ve barely spoken since then, and the tension of having that hanging over us is thick.

I shouldn’t have said anything, and I fucking know that.

But the booze and the heightened emotions, having her so goddamn close to me… it all fucked with my head until every thought I’ve ever had about her came pouring out.

On top of the awkward tension between us, there’s the anxiety about this mission. It’s dangerous, and so much rides on us playing this perfectly. For as much work as I’ve been doing to try to find clues about who could be attacking us, this is our best lead. Our best chance at finding out information that could end this shit. And with people dying now, we definitely need that information.

But if something goes wrong, not only could we lose this chance, but we could both be in real danger. I know Quinn can handle herself, but still, the drive to protect her is like a beast roaring inside me.

No matter what else is going on in my head, I have to stay alert.

The silence starts to feel too stifling, so I reach out and turn on the radio, changing the station to some sort of metal band. A few songs play before we reach our destination, and I slow the car as we near our destination.

Eros doesn’t look like much from the outside.

Maybe a nondescript bar or lounge, with no signage and a parking lot that’s hidden around the back. It’s all dark wood and stone, and Quinn frowns as she checks the place out before we get out of the car.

“You’re sure this is it?” she asks, leaning forward to peer at the back of the building. The dim ambient light catches the fullness of her cleavage, and I wrench my eyes away.

“Yes, I’m sure. Let’s go.”

She slides a glance my way as if she’s about to call me out for my nearly monosyllabic answer, then shrugs and gets out of the car.

“Listen,” I tell her as we walk toward a door manned by two intimidating looking guys in black suits. “Stick close, okay? We have some idea of what to expect in there, but anything could happen.”

Instead of arguing, Quinn just nods. “Right.”

She’s focused, clearly wanting to get in and get the info we need over anything else. Which makes sense. Seeing her people laid out like that, dead from a threat that we still haven’t identified, must have been hard. She’s in leader mode now, focusing on getting this done so that no one else in her crew gets hurt.

I respect the hell out of that—which makes it even harder to ignore my attraction to her.

Because it’s not just her body or her gorgeous face that draws me in. It’s who she is. Everything about her.

The two men at the door subtly adjust their postures as we approach, and I know they’re more than just run-of-the-mill bouncers. They’re guards, posted by the only entrance to the building to make sure that no one without the proper permission gets in… or out.

They’re likely armed to the teeth, and I make sure to keep my hands in full view as we near them, making it clear I’m not a threat.

One of them gives Quinn an assessing once-over that makes me immediately rethink my ‘not a threat’ stance. I have to work hard to keep my hands from curling into fists as he gazes at her lasciviously. Then he turns away from her, addressing me as if she no longer exists. As if she’s not worth speaking to.

“She’s yours?” he asks.

I can feel Quinn stiffen at my side, reacting to his choice of words. But I just nod, hoping she’ll have the good sense not to argue or dispute what I say.

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