Page 8 of Dark Love

Women say those two words to men they love, not to a random stranger in a bar.

Her eyes are anything but sweet. They move around wildly, but she doesn’t seem to actually see anything, or she’d be running in the opposite direction. Her hands shake to a beat completely unrelated to the music. But her pupils aren’t pinpoints like a junkie’s. And her breath doesn’t smell like booze.

The woman in front of me should be sitting on a floral couch with a cup of tea in one hand and a book in another. What she shouldn’t be doing is sitting in my club shaking like a leaf, making me want to wrap my arms around her and carry her back to my library.

I don’t do librarians.

She leans forward and waves of caramel silk brush against my fingers.

“Please help me.”

She doesn’t need to say anymore because the explanation foolishly walks right up to my table.

“Come back here, you little—”

Dumb, drunk, and soon to be dead.

“Mr…Vex…Um. I didn’t…I thought…She didn’t—”

“Go now.” If he doesn’t get out of my sight now, I’m going to kill him in the middle of my dance floor.

My eyes go to Axe. There’s no need to explain what needs to be done.

There’s a room waiting for the walking dead. He’s going to regret being born before I’m done with him. And the only thing I’m going to regret is never getting to touch silk while drowning in her eyes.

Look up. Let me see them one more time.

“Thank you so much. I didn’t know what to do. I can’t believe it worked. Things on television shows never really work. It worked. I can’t believe you saved me. You saved me.”

As if she heard my thoughts, she lifts her eyes to mine.

Death is too kind for the animal that caused her this much fear.

Never have I seen such sweetness… such innocence in a woman. A man would sell his soul and burn down the world to possess a woman with those eyes.

A monster like me… shouldn’t even be in the same room as her.

She should leave.

But I can’t let her go. Not until her breathing goes back to normal and the wild fear leaves her eyes.

Those eyes will haunt me in my sleep and shatter me while I’m awake. The longer I stare into them, the more they enthrall me.

“Thank you.”

Again, two little words are a gift I don’t deserve. Courtly nonsense tries to make it out of my own lips. Only fools say, ‘It was an honor to protect a woman such as you’ or that ‘I would kill a million men to keep you safe’.

“What kind of cookies do you like?”

What? “Are you crazy?” You don’t offer a monster like me cookies. You run.

“Sometimes. But I think I’m the good kind of crazy.”

“You shouldn’t be here.” You shouldn’t be anywhere near me. The longer you’re here, the less control I have.

“I have your drinks.” Drey walks up and sets down three drinks on the table. “Two white gummy bear shots. And one glass of champagne.”

Why did she just wink at my librarian?

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