Page 23 of Knot Going Down
“He’s not mafia.” I pause, considering. “Well, I don’t think so. He’s a pretty fucked up dude. But don’t mafia bosses have to have, like, a whole family vibe thing? Glenn’s kind of a loner, apart from his daughter, and?—”
“Do you ever stop talking?” Declan pinches the bridge of his nose. “It doesn’t matter what you call him, Glenn deserves to be behind bars. Help me do that, and I’ll get you immunity. But you don’t have that yet, so for now, consider yourself in jail.”
“What does that mean? I’ve got to stay in the room the whole fucking time?” I crowd his space, anger pumping through my veins. I should have known my one chance at going on a cruise would be ruined by this fucker.
“No.” He shoves closer, pushing me back against the wall. “It means you don’t leave my side.”
“It’s a fucking boat surrounded by water? What do you think’s gonna happen? It’s not like there’s anywhere I can run!” He’s already got my phone, all my personal belongings, what does he think I’m gonna do? Take off swimming across the damn Atlantic?
“You aren’t going anywhere,” he growls, hand fisting my shirt, minty fresh breath right in my face.
I suddenly realize how close we’re standing, how fast we’re both breathing. I smile, feeling like I’ve got the upper hand at last. “I get it. You want me. That’s it, isn’t it?”
He shoves back so suddenly my head slams into the wall. Shit, that hurts.
“It’s procedure.” He rubs his mouth like he’s wiping something away. “You stay with me until we get Glenn.”
I nod and start to walk down the stairs. “Right, keep telling yourself that.”
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Declan stomps after me. “Did you listen to a word I said?”
“Yep. Better keep up,” I say over my shoulder. “We’re supposed to stay together.”
“You’resupposed to stay withme. Not the other way around.”
Grumpy fucker needs to get laid. I smile at that thought. It gives me the tiniest hope that he and Emily aren’t as close as they seem.
Stopping four steps down, I look back up at him. “So where doyouwant to go right now, tightass?”
“The room,” he admits, pinching his lips together. It’s clear he knows that’s exactly where I was headed, and by admitting it’s where he’d go anyway, it’s clear he’s just being an ass for wanting to be the one to lead the way.
Fuck, I love messing with him. “Personally, I want to go wherever Emily is, but since I know she’s probably in the room by now, I’ll let your answer slide.”
Declan moves down until there’s only one step between us and grabs my shoulder with a death grip. “Stay away from Emily.”
I move back up a step to put us on a level playing field. “Try to make me.”
“Emily’s mine,” Declan growls.
“Emily’s a grown woman who doesn’t belong to anyone.” I shove Declan’s chest, but he’s a brick wall and doesn’t move.
“Yeah, and she’s chosen me.” The tightass actually smiles. Shocking.
My hands are still on his chest, but he’s not backing away.Neither am I, asshole. I lean closer, so close our noses are almost touching, so close I can taste his pine forest scent. “I don’t care if she chooses you, as long as she chooses me, too.”
The words are out faster than my brain can catch up with them. What am I saying? I’m not supposed to go after Emily. She’s too good for me. She deserves better than me. But now that she’s back in my life, can I really let her go again? I should. But I’ve always been a selfish bastard.
“I don’t share.” The words are a rumble down in his chest.
Guess Mr. DEA is a selfish bastard, too. “Oh, someone never graduated kindergarten.”
He snarls, showing his sharp incisors. A shiver has goosebumps breaking out over my skin. My heart is racing so fast I swear he can probably hear it. I lick my lips.
“What’s going on in here?” Emily’s sweet voice interrupts my stare down with Declan.
He jumps back so quickly I almost slump against the wall, not realizing how much of my weight I’d been balancing on his chest.
“I thought you were going to the room,” Declan says, turning to face Emily.
