Page 19 of Pretty Little Psycho

I wedge myself in between her and Villette and lean over the bar to order a drink. Villette rolls her eyes and moves back as if I have some contagious disease. But Maureen freezes, the vein in her neck pulsing. She smells of whiskey and vanilla, and I want to drink her like that fucking cocktail she’s holding.

I lean in close and invade her space, blocking Villette from her view. Her breath hitches as she follows my gaze traveling slowly down the length of her body. “Not that girl anymore, aye?”

“Fuck off, Atlas.” Even as she tilts her chin up, her lower lip quivers. She’s trying so hard to play it cool, but I see right through the act.

“Oh, I’m not complaining. Far from it.” I thread a finger through an opening in her fishnets. “I think you look good enough to eat.”

Her throat bobs as she swats my hand away. “I’m not on the menu.”

“Well, you should be.” I don’t need to touch her wrist to know her pulse is racing. I can see it in her dilated eyes. In the way her chest rises and falls in little bursts.

“I thought I told you to fuck off,” she snaps.

“But I’m so hungry,” I whisper in her ear. A tremor shoots through my cock as I hear her suck in another sharp breath.

“Hey, psycho Ken, my friend told you to leave her alone. Twice. Now back it up and give her some room. Fuck.” Villette elbow-shoves me to the side, and I let her. Satisfied that our little firecracker is riled up and sweating from every crevice.

I grab my drink off the bar. “Relax, little Crane. Just having some fun with the new freshman.”

When I turn back to Maureen, the look on her face is murderous. Her jaw ticks as she fixates on me, refusing to break eye contact. The longer she stares, the angrier she looks. And it excites the fucking hell out of me.

“What’s wrong, Firecracker? Not used to only having one man’s attention on you? Hmm?” She stiffens and sits up straighter. I laugh and take a sip of my drink before prodding her some more. “Don’t worry. Riot and Val are on their way. Then we can all order a piece of you.”

Villette opens her mouth to retort but is cut off by Maureen flying off the bar stool. In one swift move, she pulls a knife from her skirt and presses it to my throat.

Fuck.

I’m so turned on now I can barely breathe. “Don’t threaten me with a good time, baby girl.”

“Then don’t make me slit your fucking throat,” she growls.

If I was capable of love, then this would be it. “Fuck, you really are a firecracker,” I murmur.

Her gaze darts from my lips to my eyes. “That’s the thing about firecrackers… we explode.”

Maureen

I knew I shouldn’t have let Libra talk me into dressing in her fucking clothes again. But that bitch doesn’t take no for an answer. If I didn’t have to live with her, I would have blown her off. Now I’m wearing fishnets and a skirt so short I can barely sit down without letting the whole bar know what color panties I’m wearing. I guess the saying is right about history repeating itself.

Because here I am on only my second night at Tenebrose Academy with a knife pressed to her cousin’s throat. But he’s not just anyone. No. This act will have consequences. But right now, I don’t care. I’m fucking fuming.

“I know you consider yourself a big deal around here, but I’m not like everyone else,” I snap. “You have no idea who I am so don’t fuck with me.”

Atlas doesn’t look the slightest bit fazed by the blade at his neck. In fact, the sick bastard looks turned on. I want to slice the shit grin off his face. But I make the mistake of looking into his eyes and almost get lost in them again.

Fuck.

Why does he have to be so fucking hot?

“It’s cute that you think you’re actually going to do something with that knife, pretty girl. Did your daddy give you that before you left? Hmm? You should put it away before you hurt yourself.”

The fucking audacity.

Heat rushes to my cheeks, and I’m so close to blurting out what happened the last time I held a knife to someone’s throat. But I don’t. Instead, I withdraw the blade, step back, and look around. Other than Villette, no one has noticed our exchange.

“You have no idea who I’ve hurt,” I mutter.

“Oh, look,” Villette interjects, “one of your psycho friends is here. Go hang out with him and leave us alone.”

---