Page 17 of Ignite

Chapter 6

HALLIE

Conan helps me out of the driver’s seat, towering over me beneath a streetlamp.

“You good?” he asks.

What the hell are we doing? But adrenaline’s already in my bloodstream, hot and alive. I love Conan’s plan. Mine would’ve been dumping Ben over text and sending him his own live sex tape.

But this? This makes me feel powerful.

Conan’s right. Fuck Ben. For humiliating me. For playing me. For screwing some cheap ho on my couch. That’s my home. My sanctuary.

And with a guy like Conan? Ben’s going to wish he never met me.

“I’m good.”

Goosebumps scatter across my skin as Conan presses his palm against my lower back and guides me down the street.

“Left or right?” he asks as we approach the end of the road.

“Second on the right.”

I inhale deeply as we reach the stairs. Are they still fucking?

I glance back at Conan. He holds a finger to his lips and follows me silently up the steps. I slip the key in and turn it without a sound. As soon as the door clicks open, his hands grip my hips, spinning me around to face him.

I gasp, our noses brushing. I can’t fucking breathe. All I hear is the blood pounding in my ears, everything else fading—even the stars.

All I can see are those green eyes.

“Kiss me, trouble.”

I loop my arms around his neck and drag him down. My mouth crashes against his.

His tongue slips in, brushing mine, slow and deliberate. Holy shit. I feel everything I’ve been missing.

Pure, raw electricity. His hand slides up my side, wrapping around my throat as he deepens the kiss.

I moan into his mouth and jerk back. No. This isn’t real.

Except... it is. No kiss has ever felt like this. Not even close.

My lips are swollen. My face flushed. That didn’t feel fake. Not even a little.

“What happened to our ‘performance’? He can’t see us here,” I whisper.

Conan’s hands frame my face, warm and wide. “That, darlin’, was our practice kiss. Just for us.”

I’m supposed to hate the male species. But Conan? He’s doing a damn good job redeeming the entire population. He’s sweet. Dangerous. And so fucking hot I can’t think straight.

“Let’s do this?”

A slow smile creeps across my lips. Despite everything—being humiliated and fucked over—what I feel right now is power. And… yeah. I’m turned the hell on.

“Careful with your leg. But come on, beastie. Let’s go.”

A growl rumbles in his chest as he scoops me into his arms. “Revenge is beautiful,” he whispers against my lips.

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