Page 71 of Twisted Collide

I continue to pretend she’s not speaking.

“Oh, so you’re ignoring me? That’s not very nice, Mr. Grumpy. Don’t you want to know what your little hellfire has to say?” Her voice drips with innuendo, and I’m hyperaware that I shouldn’t engage.

What is she doing?

I shouldn’t look at her or speak to her, but like a moth to a flame, I can’t help it.

I pivot in my seat and meet her stare.

Her mouth opens, and her tongue slowly peeks out from behind her red lips before she runs it seductively over her plump skin.

Something is really off here. I know we have chemistry, andI have no doubt she does want another round, but the way she’s acting right now . . . there’s more to it.

“I want you.”

Fuck.

My dick hardens in my pants, and I grit my teeth. Not the time.Not the fucking time.

“That won’t happen, Hellfire. And if I were you, I’d keep your voice down.”

“But wouldn’t it be fun if it did?”

God would it ever.

What I would do for just one more taste. Why are the forbidden ones that much sweeter?

After the longest dinner of my life, it’s finally over. I managed to keep my eyes off Josephine throughout the rest of the meal by some miracle.

“Come on, Dane, let’s go outside by the pool and have a glass of whiskey,” Coach says, entering the room now that Josephine is nowhere to be seen.

“I should probably be going home,” I say, glancing down at my phone.

“Don’t be ridiculous. One drink. We need to talk shop.”

We have more to talk about than shop, but I’m not about to say that out loud.

“Lead the way,” I say.

He turns back around. “Meet me by the pool. I’ll grab fresh glasses.”

Since I’ve been here more times than I can count, I head toward the glass doors leading to the patio.

When I step outside, I see I’m not alone. A few steps ahead of me, Josephine is walking toward the guesthouse.

So that’s where she’s staying.

I assumed she was staying in the main house, but I guess, given her age and relationship with her dad, this makes more sense.

She keeps walking, and I take a seat at the table.

If she noticed me trailing her, she didn’t acknowledge it.

The cool night air feels good right now. I inhale deeply, allowing my shoulders to uncoil. It’s not that I’m always uptight, but it’s hard to let my guard down.

Here, under a canopy of stars, it’s easy to forget my troubles for a minute, even if one of them has just walked out of sight.

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