Her aura invaded my senses.

She smelled like a vineyard of honeysuckle.

A sweet fucking moonflower.

I was almost used to disregarding the urge I had to tuck her all the way into me. Press my nose into the thick black locks of her hair. Breathe her sweetness right down into my lungs. Drown myself on her intoxicating floral scent.

Would never do that, though.

Raven was pure. Good right down to the marrow.

This world might have made me a vile beast, but I at least had the conscience to be sure of that. Had almost made that mistake once, and it’d proven to me exactly why I could never deserve someone like her.

How I only failed the ones I loved most.

Besides, River would straight-up gut me if I even considered pushing past those barriers with his sister. Hell, he’d do it now if he had half the inclination of the fantasies she conjured in me every time I looked at her. If he knew how I’d felt that time when he’d confronted me about it, and I’d lied through my teeth.

So, I shoved it down into the deepest parts of me and pretended like it didn’t exist, ignored that ravenous desire, and guided her over to the booth.

Theo pushed into the middle, and Raven slipped in with me right behind her.

I slung my arm right back over her shoulder.

Our server immediately showed, balancing a bunch of drinks on a tray. “Here we are. Another round for my favorite table.”

“Ahh, Tiff, you are always two steps ahead of the game,” Kane told her. Dude was rocked back in the plush, high-backed booth likehe was some kind of king, but I guessed around here, he was. The owner of his namesake, which we used to cover all the funds that we had rolling through.

“Gotta keep the boss happy,” she said, her tone light.

Didn’t miss the way she looked at me when she set my whiskey in front of me.

A candid invitation.

Had gone back to her place a couple times. The woman was crazy hot and more than a good time, but I got the sense that maybe her thoughts had started slanting in a direction they shouldn’t.

Thinking she might rein me, when I’d promised her from the get-go that was not gonna happen.

“Thank you,” I told her, jutting my chin at her before she reluctantly walked away.

I felt the force of Raven’s scowl.

“What?” I asked her, my stomach unsettled but my voice full of a tease.

“I don’t know how you get away with it.”

“And what’s that?”

“Come on, Otto, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You’re such a player.”

“Well, of course, I am, darlin’. And you know exactly how I do it.” I jostled her a little.

“Ugh,” Raven groaned. “So arrogant.”

“Like you don’t know you’re the fuckin’ hottest thing in this club,” I tossed back.

Shit.

Maybe I was pushing it too far because Theo arched a speculative brow as he took a sip of his scotch, clearly thinking he should deliver me a warning.