Page 21 of Heartless Game

With a gasp, she did, and I took advantage of her temporary surrender to taste her, licking her cheeks, her teeth, tangling with her tongue. I could taste the lemon and sugar on her. She tasted like shocking sweetness and sharp danger. Because this womanwasdangerous. To me, in unfamiliar ways I’d be wise to stay away from.

But in this moment, I wasn’t wise. I was too captivated by her taste, her scent, the feel of her in my arms, the little gasps and whimpers she made into my mouth as she gave in, chasing my tongue with hers, just as lost as I was. At that moment, nothing mattered—not that I hated her for who she was turning me into, or that she was trying to destroybothmy family and my team, or that everything about her including that goddamned pink hair drove me crazy. Nothing and no one could’ve separated me from her. I’d like to see someonetry.

Tovah was the one who tried. She bit down on my lip—hard. The taste of copper exploded in my mouth. She’d broken skin.

Too bad for her I liked that kind of shit.

Ripping her mouth away from mine, she gasped two words:

“Game. On.”

Trying to regain my equilibrium, aware of that bouncer still watching us, I smiled at her indulgently, licking the blood off my lip.

“That the best you’ve got?” I taunted under my breath.

“You haven’t seen my best, IsaacJones,” she taunted back.

I rose with her on my lap. She had no choice but to wrap her legs around my waist and grab onto my shoulders or she would’ve crashed to the floor.

“Isaac, put me down. You can’t carry me anyway, I’m too heavy—” she started to argue.

I snorted. “I could bench press five of you. But if you want me to pretend otherwise and drop you, I will.”

“Tovah, you sure you’re okay?” The big bouncer’s voice betrayed his uncertainty.

He glanced down at his phone, then back up to us. I could read it in his eyes and the tightness in his body: she’d likely texted him that she needed his help, or something along those lines, and he couldn’t reconcile her need for backup with who she needed backup from.

But I was smiling easily at him, like I didn’t have a care in the world, like there was no monster inside me rattling his cage. Channeling the message that I was a decent guy who wanted time alone with his girl.

Needing to send that message loud and clear, I pinched the dimple between Tovah’s hip and waist—and immediately wanted to bite and suck the skin there. Leave my mark on her.

“All good,” she craned her neck around and assured him.

The tightness in Alex/Alec’s shoulders loosened. “Y’all are cute,” he said. He’d bought it.

Tovah growled.

Reaching into my pocket, I withdrew my wallet, pulling out a hundred-dollar bill and dropping it on the table.

“Have a good night,” I said as I passed by him. He let us through. As Tovah, clearly not trusting me, tried to jump down, I caught her with my free arm, wrapping it tight so she couldn’t escape.

“Let’s go home,baby,” I said. “Do some moretalking.”

As I exited the bar with her reluctantly wrapped around me, satisfaction filled me. Finally, I had what I wanted, even if I wasn’t supposed to want it.

Game on, indeed.

8

Tovah

What the hell was I doing?

This wasn’t like me. I didn’t get turned on by assholes, didn’t make out with guys I hated. Even though I could still feel Isaac’s lips on mine. Once upon a time, Isaac Silver kissing me was all I’d ever wanted, ever dreamed of. Now, it represented a nightmare I couldn’t seem to wake up from.

Or an opportunity, my mind supplied.

Right, an opportunity.

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