Page 74 of Dance of Ruin

He dodges the first punch I throw his way. But the second one lands with a satisfying crack across his cheekbone and the side of his eye. He stumbles back, hissing a curse. But he barely needs half a second to shake it off before he’s charging right at me.

Fuck.

He slams into my midsection like a fucking linebacker, and we hit the ground hard. My back slams against concrete, the wind leaving my lungs with a whoosh.

Yeah, he’s a lot stronger than I expected.

But I can guarantee I’m a lot meaner.

He snarls when I slam a forearm up into his mouth, splitting his lip. But I barely have time to savor the sweet feeling of marring his pretty face before he cracks a brutal punch to my jaw. We roll once—twice—before I pin him, my forearm pressed to his throat again, knuckles ready to break something else.

“Nico!” Naomi’s voice cuts through the blood rushing in my ears. “Stop it! What the hell are you doing?!”

The sound of her voice distracts me and I lose my focus.

Shit.

The guy uses the moment to crack another fist across my jaw. Then he throws me off him, shoving me backward before he scrambles to his feet, panting, his face flushed, his right eye already swelling.

I’m ready to go again. Iwantto go again, so I can fuck up the rest of his face.

But Naomi shoves herself between us, slamming both palms against my chest and forcing me back.

Her eyes are glinting with fury.

“Are you fuckingserious right now?!”

I’m breathing hard, my jaw clenched, eyes still locked on the guy behind her. He groans, wiping the back of his tattooed hand across his bleeding lip before he sinks back against the wall behind him.

Then he smirks.

“Guess I know now who you’ve been banging, baby girl,” he mutters dryly.

My entire body clenches, my voice dropping low. “Call her that one more time…”

He shrugs, grinning like a lunatic, blood painting his teeth before he turns and spits it onto the ground. His eyes lift to mine, a pure “fuck you” look on his face.

“Baby. Girl,” he says slowly. “Do something about it, fucker.”

I lurch forward again, but Naomi puts a hand to my chest again and glares hard enough to make me pause.

“Stop it,” she snaps. “MyGod. This is one of my best friends. And—newsflash—hefucks men,idiot.”

There’s a pause.

The guy clears his throat. “I mean, I fuck alotof girls, too?—”

Naomi whirls on him. “You arenothelping.”

The guy holds up his hands in mock surrender before he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pack of cigarettes, slipping one between his bloodied lips. He paws around in his pockets before he grumbles and sticks out a hand.

“Vaughn Bancroft.”

I glare murder at it. Then take it.

Hard.

“Nico Ba?—”

---