Page 34 of Kortlek

“Are you upset with me, bunny?”

I wish I could control my reaction. His voice sends chills down my body, and I’m forced to close my eyes for a minute, trying to calm my inner whore down. It’s too easy for him to make me forget about everything, and I hate it.

“Upset? No. Why’d I be upset, Cove?” Sarcasm drips from my tongue, and I give him a pointed look.

Cove smirks, but it’s barely there. He takes a step forward, noticing my not-so-subtle glance at the bar. The girl he came with is there, sipping on her drink and watching us with mild amusement on her face. That just pisses me off more.

“I’m not sure,’’ he murmurs. “But don’t worry, bunny. She’s just a friend, and not that it matters because we aren’t exclusive.’’

I clench my jaw and get on my tiptoes, inching closer to him. My lips barely touch his ear as I whisper.

“Oh, sweetheart. Not exclusive? The moment you decided to shove your cock in my mouth, we became exclusive. Unless you want to attend the pretty girl’s funeral, I’d suggest you tell her to fuck off. Because if I tell her, who knows what might happen? My finger might slip, and I might accidentally pull the trigger.’’

Cove’s entire body tenses.

“You wouldn’t kill her, would you?”

I make distance between us and give him a soft, sweet smile. “Oh, I would. You want to know why? Simply because I fucking can. Don’t test me, Cove. I’m not the one to play games.’’

I straighten up his shirt a little, patting his chest. My hand tingles as I touch him, but I shove the feeling to the back of my head, trying to ignore it.

“Now, go and have fun with your friend. But just remember what I said, alright?”

I don’t give him a chance to respond as I turn around and walk back to Blair and Rose, feeling his eyes burn a hole at the back of my head.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Fuck me, that was hot as fuck.

My eyes follow Aria as she goes to sit back with Blair and Rose, and I can’t look away. Her hips swaying, those fucking stockings that I just want to rip apart with my teeth, and the way the bralette pushes her tits up makes my mouth water almost.

She’s drinking a gin and tonic, and as she sits, the short skirt rises up even more. I’m not sure if she’s being coy or if she’s drunk already so she’s not noticing it, but there’s not a single person here who hasn’t at least glanced at her table.

Was it a dick move not to call her after she gave me one of the best blow jobs I’ve ever received? Yes.

But it wasn’t by choice, exactly. Arlo visited me that same morning, knocked a tooth out of my mouth, and I had to get an implantation. That’s still not why I didn’t contact her, though. Arlo warned me, and not because it’s his sister.

Because the motherfucker who stabbed me in the ring apparently works for someone else. Hudson and Arlo are still trying to locate him, given the circumstance that he’s disappeared, and thus far they have been unable to find anything.

So, I decided to call up an old friend.

Reluctantly, I tear my gaze off Aria. If I continue to look at those fucking thighs for a moment longer, I’ll be tempted to gouge everyone’s eyes here. My jaw is clenched as I approach the bar, sitting down next to Eva.

“She seems nice,’’ Eva comments, sarcasm lacing her tongue. I flip her off in response, and she laughs. She orders a bourbon for me and another glass of wine for herself. Given that the club belongs to the De Santis siblings, I’ve spent quite some time here.

I motion with my head to the bartender, Wren, and she immediately nods. Within a couple of minutes, the people around the bar are relocated somewhere else in the club, leaving Eva and me alone to chat for a while.

“Tell me everything you know.’’

Eva swirls the liquid in her glass, eyes flickering from the crowd, then back to me. Her chair inches closer, and she leans in, whispering. “Jackson Stone is dead.’’

She distances herself from me, then carefully observes my reaction. I don’t give her any. I don’t show her the inner turmoil that’s bubbling in my chest. He’s dead? How the fuck is he dead? He was getting better at the hospital, but if he didn’t receive proper care post his disappearance, it shouldn’t be a surprise that he succumbed to his wounds.

“How?”

Eva takes a big gulp from her glass, eyes not leaving mine. The two of us met when we were seven, as we were sent to the same foster home. Our life there was anything but great. When I was fifteen, I started working out and got into fighting to escape. Eva got into drugs.

It took me years to finally help her, but as of right now, she’s been sober for two years, and I’m so fucking happy that she’s not dead. She overdosed four times. Each time I thought I would never get to see her again.

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