Page 18 of The Eleventh Hour

“You want to see these places?”

“I want to see it all.”

She shakes her head, stands up, and steps into my space. Her fingers spread across my chest, making me inhale hard. She stands up on her tiptoes and leans in, brushing her lips across mine. Tingles go down my spine, and in this very instant, I know something life-altering has just happened to me. “You are the weirdest tourist,” she whispers when she pulls back.

My mind is still reeling, trying to recover from that soul-altering kiss. I lick my lips, trying to steal the lingering taste of her.

“Is there any point seeing something brand new? It’s the places rich with history that give you shivers, those that change our views,” I say back, floundering under her direct gaze. The world has narrowed down to this one woman, standing so close I can see every single eyelash. She smells like flowers and is so soft and right in my arms.

She blinks at me. “Curious. All right. I’ll show you and your brother around.”

“Tomorrow? I want to see you again.”

She laughs, her cheeks tinging pink. “Tomorrow afternoon. I’ll meet you at the Cinders Park.”

I grin at her, and she smiles back, and then looks away and brushes her hair behind her ear. She glances over my shoulder and swears.

I watch in amazement as she sits on the balustrade, swings her other leg up, and drops over the other side, easily a seven foot drop, and disappearing from view.

I turn just in time to see a blonde woman in a tight white cocktail dress walk up to me, beaming. On one side, she’s flanked by a stunning redhead with exotic eyes that contain a rage bubbling inside. On the other, a woman who can only be the blonde’s mother.

“Welcome to my party. I’m so glad you could come.”

“Thanks,” I murmur, but my tongue feels thick. I don’t do well lying and being deceitful. That’s Dane’s forte.

“We haven’t met before, so I’m going to guess your friends of Dads, or Richard’s, or my Philip’s.”

“Richard,” I say quickly and wish I could jump the balustrade, too.

“Ah, well then, welcome, enjoy yourself.”

I nervously reach up for my glasses that I’m not wearing. “Thanks. I will, and, uh, congratulations.”

The blondes swan off, but the red head remains. She narrows her eyes at me.

“I saw you with Jax. Tell her that Mama is on a warpath, and she best steer clear.”

“I don’t understand-”

“You don’t need to understand, sugar, just do as you're told.”

The tone and words rub me the wrong way, and I bite my tongue to send back a scathing come back that would see me getting kicked out.

She smiles and taps her chest with long green nails. “Sister of the bride, sugar. I’m untouchable.”

With that, she turns and saunters off.

“Please, don’t hold the evil female side of my family against us all. We aren’t all that bad.”

I whirl and find a guy not much younger than myself staring over the balustrade and into the thick vegetation.

“Uh.”

“River. I’m the eldest and only vastly outnumbered. They are evil. Just keep your dick in your pants, and it won’t be used for satanic rituals.”

“Jesus.”

“Pray to him all you want, but if those three get you nekkid, you’re fucked, brother.”

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