Page 55 of The Villain

“Should I start walking now? According to your timing it’ll take an hour,” I tease with a feral grin.

He scowls at me, suddenly giving me emotion. His body has gone tense in his statue pose. “That was a low blow, but I deserve it.”

I tilt my head in surprise my smile dropping to nothing. “I was joking. Did I do it wrong? Why would that upset you?”

He stares for a second and then shakes his head, rubbing a hand over his face. “Wait for me. I’ll be quick.”

“You can take your time.” I look at my watch. “You’re not scheduled to leave for another fifteen minutes.”

He starts chuckling as his head tilts, mimicking my motion. “Come inside.”

“I need to be out here. I want to know what they’re doing.”

He gives me a flat look and walks inside.

I keep a subtle eye on Ira. He hasn’t moved yet but he will.

That gets shot to hell when Shade starts stripping. In front of the open window. While watching me.

My breath shortens when he takes his top off and tosses it onto what I assume is a couch. He’s lean muscle with no give. I know because I’ve felt him against me already. He doesn’t have tan lines. A smooth expanse of warm color that doesn’t have a break. His chest is hairless. I wonder if the skin there is soft or rough.

He leans down and slowly takes his pants off. The window isn’t low enough to expose him, sadly. He holds the pants up with a smirk. It makes me smile in return. I appreciate the show.

He’s such a damn tease.

I don’t know what game this is but I want to play. Badly. The thought makes my chest do a painful squeeze that’s pleasurable.

He leans forward to brace a hand on the furniture in front of the window and slowly lowers the blinds. Keeping eye contact the entire way down.

I wasn’t ready for the show to be over. I take a step towards the walkway.

A voice behind me makes my smile drop.

“He’s been exercising since we left. More muscle looks good on him, doesn’t it? Shit, you haven’t seen him from before though. I have pictures if you want to see.”

It wasn’t a show for me, then. A show for them. And they have pictures of him. I haven’t allowed myself to take any. I want to gut this fucker.

I turn my head to see one of the twins. Blaze I think. Not that it matters. They’re identical dipshits, so their names are interchangeable.

He has an erection. It pisses me off because he saw what’s mine. He has pictures of Shade that he doesn’t fucking deserve to see.

Not mine. No. He focused on me but the show was for them. He really is meeting them today. He was pissed about the phone but he asked them to come.

“You’re a hard person to pin down,” he continues casually. “Nobody seems to be willing to answer any questions about you, either.”

Have these fuckers been harassing Tera?

I turn to face him fully, my expression going flat. If he keeps it up I’m going to break bans.

“Get used to seeing us hanging around, Van,” he suggests with a false smile. “We’re going to be everywhere you are.”

I hope they are. It’s more of an alibi when I claim self-defense for killing them.

A door slams but I don’t take my eyes off Blaze.

“Hey, Shade,” Blaze says with a comradery that rakes across my skin, washing away the last traces of my arousal effectively.

“What do you want, Blaze,” Shade says in a cold voice.

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