Page 21 of Run From Me

Get drunk? Not anymore. I had to watch my back.

Sleep soundly? Maybe that was part of my insanity. I never slept at night. One too many Vipers had come knocking, and sometimes they got in.

And here I went, just skipping my ass into a summoning circle of my darkest desires and then telling the devil himself he couldn’t get it up.

It was time to skip for real, out of the dark corner.

I placed a quick kiss on his cheek, hoping to catch him off guard so I could slip away.

“Let’s go get that cake.”

I pushed past his massive body and swore I saw him adjust his junk. Bastard’s own fault. I’d just thrown myself at him and he put the brakes on. Fuck him.

He should have been on the do-not-touch list, anyway. Maybe my attitude should be in check more. Then again, that would imply I had something to lose, and we’d already established I didn’t.

The DJ’s voice echoed, and I turned to listen. At least it cut off any more argument from Xander.

Or so I thought. I felt the heat of him as he pressed against my backside. I knew it was him even though I shouldn’t be this aware of him. But, hell, I was.

I fought to keep myself from leaning my head back into him the moment I sidled into the warm breath against my neck. His fingers sent a shiver down my spine as he swept a few strands of hair aside.

“Sparky, do not taunt me. You have no idea. When I take you, I will own you.”

My breath caught. Maybe I shouldn’t go around poking sharks.

He didn’t say anything else, but he didn’t back away from me either. Instead, all the bodies in the room turned toward a table with a cake and Rylee and Cas standing there. It all seemed so normal in here.

The DJ commanded the room as he brought our attention to the reason for being here. His Spector tattoo was obvious on his neck as he talked into the mic. One more reminder Rylee’s world couldn’t ever be mine.

“Alright, family, it’s time for the boss and the new lady boss to cut the cake. Head over to the cake table to cut into one of Miss Winnie’s creations.”

Family. My eyes burned. The Vipers weren’t like this, not even a little bit. Maybe that was the issue. We’d walked into the gallery and there was no tension. Danger? I mean, the tattoos reminded me that this wasn’t home. Plenty of the guys and some girls had jackets on with the Spector emblem, and plenty moredidn’t bother concealing weapons, but with the danger there was laughter, and that might have been what I was drunk on without even having thought much of it.

Everyone was heading away from the dance floor, and I couldn’t follow. I should follow. Rylee had invited me. I was supposed to be here. Except I shouldn’t be.

I took a step back, but Xander’s warm body stopped me.

“You scared of cake now, Sparky?” Xander teased.

I tipped my head back to look up at him.

“I’m not hungry. I’ll catch a ride share and text you about the mayor.”

I tried to roll out of his way by sidestepping, but his hand gripped my upper arm.

“You’ll go back to the morgue over my dead body. Not tonight. I’m sure Rylee will be looking for you.”

Try as I might, he wasn’t letting go, and the second I cast my gaze elsewhere, his fingers were on my chin, pulling my attention back to him.

“You might hate me, but I assure you you’d hate me more tomorrow. I need information you can get me. I am not using you like that. Not when you would never know if I’d fucked you for the Spector’s or for myself.”

What? Using me?

“Aren’t you all using me, anyway? Might as well fuck me so I can at least walk away with some kind of satisfaction. Now I don’t even have that. Gee thanks.”

Hide behind the sarcasm. I could do that.

“You just called me flaccid, but I have a feeling if you thought I wasn’t interested?—”

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