Page 29 of Old Flame

Jerking my gaze off his portrait, I turned the corner and stepped into the living room. Tyler had been speaking to Vanna and stopped, it seemed, mid-sentence as his eyes met mine. The awed expression as his gaze slowly drifted over the rest of memade me wish I could get Rome to see me like that.

Freaking Rome. Always on my mind.

“You are stunning,” he said.

“She is, isn’t she?” Vanna agreed with pride in her tone. “Now, I need pictures. Go on over to the fireplace. I’ll do photos in front of the mantel, then outside. That limo you have is something else. I want pictures in front of it too.”

He hadn’t told me he was bringing a limo. Did that mean sex?

Nervously, I tried to hold my smile as he approached me. His hand rested against my waist, and he tilted his head down to stare at me.

“You’re fucking breathtaking,” he whispered.

“Thank you,” I replied, wishing I could feel something for him.

“Oh, that is a good one!” Vanna said, and I realized she had begun taking photos with her phone. “Now, both of you, look at me. No, wait. Salem, you look at me. Tyler, you can keep looking at her like you were.”

“Not a problem,” he replied, causing her to chuckle.

I knew I should feel like Cinderella tonight, but no matter how fixed up I was, without my prince, this was just a ball.

12

Tex

Present Day

The shit I did for Micah. Scowling, I shook my head as I walked into the back entrance of Paradise Brew.

I had gotten in from Ocala with Liam after midnight last night. Then church, our weekly club meeting, was at eleven this morning, and that was too fucking early, but Liam didn’t want to be gone long. His son was teething and not sleeping well. Once he was back on the road, I planned on going back to bed. Maybe get Nixie to suck my cock first to take the edge off. But Micah had called, wanting me to go help Pepper with security tonight.

Seemed Pepper’s security was needing to be amped up due to some strange shit on the cameras the past two nights. Someone was messing with them, but that was all we’d been able to tell so far. Micah had already sent shit to the tech guy who worked for the Southern Mafia. He’d be able to find out what was going on with it, but until then, there would be a Judgment at each entrance to the bar. I was in charge of the back since that was where the tampering had happened.

By the time Liam had left, I’d had to get showered and leave for Pepper’s. I’d skipped Thursday night the last time I was in town. Still trying to shake Salem from my head. Hell, it had been two fucking months, and she was still starring in my dreams. To make matters worse, I had called Nixie Angel Face the lasttime she sucked me off. Which had her thinking she was special. Telling her I’d had my eyes closed, imagining another pair of lips wrapped around my cock, seemed like a bad idea. She’d have likely gotten dramatic and shit.

I nodded at the two cooks already prepping in the kitchen, and I kept stalking toward the swinging door leading into the main room. I needed something to drink before shit got busy.

Nixie had been strutting down the hallway in nothing but a thong and heels when I was leaving the club. Her eyes lit up at the sight of me. That would have worried me that she was going to get clingy if her lipstick hadn’t been smeared and her hair mussed. She had clearly had a brother’s cock in her mouth moments before. The sight of her ass and bare tits, however, had stirred my interest, but there had been no time to do anything about it.

Since shooting my load wasn’t happening, then I needed some whiskey.

Stepping through the door, I headed directly to the bar. I could hear Pepper’s laughter already and figured she must not be pissed about Micah’s extra security. He’d said she might give me lip, but to tell her to call him. It wasn’t like I fucking wanted to be here tonight. The last thing I needed to deal with was Pepper Abe getting all pissy.

Prepared to deal with her bossy ass, I walked up in her line of sight and then stopped. I fucking froze. A slender, smooth, delicate neck was arched as long black hair hung over one shoulder. Tits, pressing against a white shirt, almost bounced as she laughed loudly. I didn’t see her face, but I knew that laugh, and I’d licked, kissed, and sucked that neck enough to recognize it. My body remained rigid as she straightened from having her head thrown back. Then she turned and I saw her profile. That fucking beauty mark.

How many times had I kissed that spot?

Pepper was saying something but instead of looking back at her she turned in my direction, her eyes caught mine, and she stilled. The cornflower-blue pools swirled with so many emotions before she blinked and stiffened. Her smile was gone, as if I had walked in and sucked the air from the room, along with the joy.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Pepper snapped, and Salem jerked, startled. “What the hell are you doing here!”

Tearing my eyes from Salem, I met Pepper’s furious glare.

“Security,” I replied coldly, trying not to swing my eyes back to soak in the sight of Salem.

“Security?” Pepper asked, confused, but it seemed to click with her. “Micah fucking Abe.”

I watched as she pulled her phone from her pocket and punched a button angrily before putting it to her ear.

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