Page 7 of All In

I twist just in time to see Locke’s fist fly at Mike’s face as his other arm wraps around my lower back.

“You do understand that consent can be revoked at any time, right, dickface?” Locke growls. He lifts me in the air and pulls me several feet away before dropping me back to the ground.

Before I can blink, his forearm is against Mike’s throat as he pins him to the wall.

“His name is Mike,” I say, frowning.

I have no idea why I just said that.

Locke gets very close to Mike’s ear and growls something I can’t make out.

My heart races, catching sight of his jacket hanging open as he spins to face me. He’s wearing a harness with two guns—one under each arm.

The look on his face is a little intimidating.

I stumble backward without meaning to.

Mike chooses that moment to take a swing at Locke.

Locke raises a forearm, blocking the shot and spinning. His right fist slams into Mike’s jaw in a vicious hit that seems to knock him out.

Mike slumps to the floor as I continue backing away.

I’m unsure why it feels like I did something wrong.

Locke curses under his breath. He swipes his shoulder-length dark hair back from his face with his thumbs as he approaches. And all I can focus on is the black tattoos lining the tops of his hands and even his fingers. “You’re a menace. Omegas aren’t supposed to be out and about so close to their heat.”

My forehead wrinkles. “I’m on suppressants, and I’m not supposed to start a new pack for close to a month.”

“Your suppressants royally fucking suck,” he growls. His fingers wrap in mine, and I’m a little transfixed by how his veins stick out on the top of his hand.

Now I can’t stop wondering if he has veiny forearms too. A dozen sexy flashes of dirty snippets from my dreams play on repeat in my mind.

My vision gets hazy, and I suck in a sharp breath. My gaze flies up to meet his as my pheromones flood the air.

“Uh-oh.”

“Yeah,” he agrees, tugging me toward the door. “Fucking uh-oh. You’re a goddamn mess.” His words might hurt my feelings if the look on his face wasn’t pure sexual heat.

“I swear to fuck, if you don’t stop wiggling all over my lap, I’m going to spank your ass,” Locke growls, tightening his arm around my middle as the cab drives us toward my apartment.

“Just because Mike was a terrible kisser, and a generally awful human being, doesn’t mean there weren’t other options somewhere in Darkside,” I huff, trying to pry his fingers free of my hip.

“You’re a fucking disaster.” He tightens his hold, getting very close to my ear. “Careful, kitten. I don’t say things I don’t mean. Keep trying my patience.”

There’s no reason why his words should feel like a challenge, but my body sure takes them that way. Goose bumps break down my arms as his fingers flex on my middle.

The scent of my arousal gets even stronger, and my cheeks heat. “I could have gotten home just fine on my own.”

“With a line of half-feral alphas following behind you? Yeah, sure,” he growls. The warm heat of his breath fans over my neck, and it makes my nipples tighten. “You could have gotten home maybe. That’s being generous, but you wouldn’t have been safe.”

What the hell is wrong with me?

Why am I not recognizing the obvious threat?

“Well, it’s a good thing for both of us that you aren’t affected by scent.”

“Not a bit,” he lies, flattening his hand on my thigh. The movement pushes my panties down over his jeans and, eventually, his hard shaft. I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from moaning.

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