Page 124 of Scatter the Bones

“No, thankyou. I liked the way you removed her hand from my arm.”

Fire simmers in her eyes. “She’s lucky I didn’t snap her wrist like a potato chip for touching you that way.”

“Easy, killer.” I run a finger under the top edge of her dress, grazing the swell of her breast with my knuckle. “Do you remember what I said I wanted to do the next time you wore one of your cute little dresses?”

She blinks up at me. “What?”

Is she fucking with me or does she really not remember?

I turn her and nudge her toward the bar, pressing her against the wood and trapping her there with my body. I gather the hem of her dress in my fists, lifting it a few inches, grazing her thighs with my fingertips. Fuck me, those heels she’s wearing put her at almost the right height. “Is this ringing a bell?”

She glances over her shoulder, eyes wide, fear and desire flickering over her expression. Her gaze strays to the crowded room. “Don’t you dare.”

I drop her dress and coil my arms around her waist. Leaning in, I brush a kiss against her neck. “Careful throwing out a challenge like that, little lady death.”

She braces her hands against the bar and pushes into me. I can’t tell if she’s trying to escape or grind her ass onto my dick. Either way, it feels too damn good to stop her.

Her gaze darts around the room, taking in all the filthy deeds happening around us—Tara grinding in Eazy’s lap over on the couch, Grip and Brew tag-teaming some woman over the pool table, couples slow dancing and practically fucking in the center of the room.

“Please don’t,” she whispers.

Escape.

Damn.

It’s for the best. If one of my brothers sees too much of Margot, I might gouge out his eye and ask her to seal it in resin for me, then wear it around my neck like a trophy.

I step back and gently turn her to face me. But her attention’s locked on the pool table. All my doubts about tonight return. For a woman like Margo, so many degenerate acts in one place might be more than she’s willing to tolerate.

“Unfortunately, that rarely gets used for its intended purpose,” I joke. “Doubt any of them even know how to play pool.”

Her eyes narrow. “Is that the awful woman who pestered me upstate.” A wicked grin lights up her face. “The one I pulled the knife on?”

I squint. The girl’s face is buried in Grip’s crotch, so... “Can’t tell.”

She peers up at me. “If we weren’t together, would you be partaking right now?”

“Uh…”

So this is what “deer in the headlights” feels like. Not a fan.

Her head tilts. Waiting for an answer.

Just say “no,” you stupid fucker!

“No.” I work a cocky smirk onto my lips. “Grip’s O-face would probably shrivel my dick.”

She curls her lip in disgust.

“There ya are!” Shelby shouts. “Been lookin’ all over for you two.”

Thank you, songbird. Perfect timing to get me the hell out of this conversation.

“And we’ve been wondering where you were,” I answer.

Margot’s tense expression relaxes into something happier as Shelby pulls her in for an enthusiastic hug. The steel band around my chest loosens. I really want them to get along. And maybe Shelby can ease Margot’s mind about all of this. Hell, all Shelby needs to do is tell Margot about our Virginia chapter’s pussy patch challenge, and everything Margot’s witnessed tonight will seem quaint in comparison.

No, that story probably won’t help my cause.

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