Page 178 of Traitor

"I'M THROWING THE CUPCAKE NOW, ASSHOLE! WAS THAT DECISION ALREADY MADE FOR ME?!" she yells after him.

"YES!" he calls back, laughing his ass off as he disappears into the crowd. "I'll see you later, Temperance! It was great talking to you again!"

She turns to me, eyes wide, utterly baffled.

"I forgot how fucking infuriating that guy is."

I just nod, laughing.

Before I can say anything, Tank materializes out of nowhere like some dessert-seeking missile. His focus is locked on the last few cupcakes on the table.

"Hey, T, can I have some of those?" he asks, pointing at the plate like a starving man. "There aren't any left anymore, just these ones."

Temper sighs, lifts an eyebrow, and eyes him like he's an absolute idiot. "Sure. Right after you tell me why the hell you've been calling me just one letter."

Tank crosses his arms, raises an eyebrow right back. "Because your full name is a mouthful, woman. Couldn't you have picked something shorter? You went from Ely — simple, three letters, easy flow — to fucking Temperance — the whole damn alphabet!" He throws his hands in the air, exasperated.

Temper laughs, shaking her head, and hands over the plate.

Temper

I'm halfway through a chicken wing, minding my own damn business, when I feel it.

Heat. Intense. Scorching.

Like a fire crawling up my spine, licking at my skin.

I turn my head slowly, thumb still in my mouth, sucking the sauce from it, and my eyes find him.

Bones.

Looking at me like a starving man. Like a wolf ready to pounce. To own.

What the hell! I expect him to turn full werewolf and lick his fucking chops any second now.

My eyes go wide, then immediately narrow in suspicion. "Get your dirty fucking mind out of the gutter," I hiss.

He doesn't even pretend to feel bad about it.

"I can't, baby." His voice is rough, like sandpaper and sin. "I don't control it anymore."

I burst out laughing, body shaking with it. The sheer absurdity of him.

"You're impossible, Bones. I swear!"

He just grins, completely unapologetic. "Don't pretend you don't like teasing me, baby. Or at least your brain does. It made the decision for you to suck on that thumb just to torture me, without you even knowing it. Isn't that what Mindfuck said?"

I'm wheezing. Dying.

I can't even breathe properly, I'm laughing so hard.

Damn.

I haven't laughed like this in years. Carefree. Wild. With no weight on my chest. No thoughts of revenge. No anger looming over me like a storm cloud.

And, of course, it had to be Bones to make it happen.

The bane of my fucking existence.

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