Page 63 of Property of the Hellfire Riders

She looks up at me, her eyes earnest, and I can’t help but notice how the dim light catches in her hair, making it shimmer like spun gold. I take in the sight of her, the way her curves fill out her jeans, the slight rise and fall of her chest as she breathes. How she chews on her lips, full and soft. She’s being strong, keeping it together when so many others would falter and it makes me want to protect her even more.

There’s more to the meaning of her words, but I don’t have time to pry, doubting she’d give me the full truth at a time like this.

“Stay safe, Izzy.”

I close the door behind me, and Vance and I head out into the night air, the cool breeze hitting my sweat-dampened skin like a thousand tiny pinpricks. The scent of pine mixes with the remnants of smoke. Vance walks beside me; his eyes are hard, but not unkind.

“You okay, brother?” I ask.

“I’m fine.”

“Really?”

He tilts his head back and his gray eyes flash.

“You can’t help yourself, can you?”

“The hell are you talking about?”

“You know damn well what I’m talking about. I saw you with her.”

I shrug, sporting a cocky grin on my face. “She needed comforting.”

“Bullshit!” Vance spits. “You had to make a move, couldn’t resist.”

“You’re acting like you caught me with my cock buried in her.”

“We don’t know what the hell’s going on with Izzy, so it might be for best if you stop thinking with that cock for a fucking second!”

“I know! I know that!” I run a hand down my face, frustration and lust coursing through me. “She just—you don’t actually think she meant any harm, do you? Do you really think she worked with the feds to fuck us over?”

Vance hesitates, and I can tell he’s weighing his words carefully. “No, but?—”

“But what?”

“I don't know, Tank. Something's off. You know it too.”

“Yeah, well, I’ll find out. Sooner or later.” I walk ahead of him. “Envy doesn’t look so good on you, bro,” I say as I shoulder past him.

He grabs my arm then, stopping me dead in my tracks.

“The hell did you just say to me?”

“Come the fuck on, Vance. Don’t act like you mean all business right now. Because at the end of the day, once we figure out what the hell’s going on and prove Izzy didn’t set us up, well, she’s going to pick one of us.”

“Look, we both care about her. That much is obvious. And she cares about us. Maybe we should talk to her. See what she wants. If she wants all of us… then maybe we can make it work.”

I blink, taken aback.

“The hell are you talking about?”

“We can share her.”

Vance has a point. The bond we all have is complicated, and if it means keeping her in our lives, maybe it’s worth considering.

“Like she’d want that.”

He shakes his head, cracking a smile. “You think the any of us are going to be okay, watching one of us have her all to yourself?”

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