Page 60 of Nemesis

And yet?—

Stop it.

One of his hands slides from my hip to the small of my back. Then higher. His fingers tangle with my hair, and hetugs.

Jesus.

New kink unlocked.

He tilts my head farther and bites my neck, and a moan slips out of me. He shouldn’t be able to hear it, but his ear is practically even with my mouth.

So when he draws back and smirks at me, I just stare at him.

He still has my hair in his fist, his leg wedged between mine. We’re still dancing, somehow, so slow while the rest of the room seems to be double time.

Even the music isn’t loud anymore.

And I’m fucking sober.

Any minute now, Kade will ruin it. He’ll ask about Reese, he’ll bring up my brother. He’ll talk about Olympus, or fighting again.

And when he doesn’t, when he just smirks and continues to dance against me like he’s got all the time in the world, dread edges closer. The longer this game goes, the worse it’ll be.

“Kade—”

“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve had the pleasure of dancing with,” he says in my ear. No,rumblesit.

I never understood that. Or growling men. But I have a feeling Kade could do both and win awards while doing it.

My expression closes off in preparation for thebut.

It doesn’t come, and that’s worse.

“I’ve got to go,” I say, using my palm on his chest to put some distance between us. Any sort of distance, so I can breathe and not think about what my brain and heart are arguing over.

“Artemis—”

“Stop,” I interrupt.

He releases my hair.

My hip.

And that abrupt loss is all I need to break the last hold he had on me. I spin around, find a slim opening in the crowd, and use the dancing bodies to disappear.

16ARTEMIS

Saint textsthat he’s staying at Starlight tonight, which suits me perfectly fine. That cot in his shop must be uncomfortable and small, but I can’t imagine going home tohisenergy. Especially when I check my neck in the rearview mirror in my car and find red hickeys. They’re just the beginning, and I’m sure Kade did it on purpose.

Bastard.

I drive home slowly, mindful of the sheriff’s deputies staked out along the way. He’s upped patrol since the informant’s body made an appearance. I haven’t inquired about his investigation.

Honestly? Not my problem.

There’s no evidence that it was a pointed threat in my direction. It could’ve just been a nice blank wall for whoever murdered him. Jace, Wolfe, and Apollo are on it anyway.

Besides, there’s one more missing informant.

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