Page 49 of Heart and Soul
“Elle, he’s twice your age.”
“Which is why I want to bring him an apple and ask for private tutoring after class.”
“Well, I’m sorry to tell you, but your professor only has eyes for another student, and she’s right over there.”
In a dark corner of the club, Agent Hillerman, with her black shades on, holds up the wall. As we watch, she raises her palm in the face of a stylish gnome trying to hit on her. He turns away with slumped shoulders.
“No! Special Agent Stick-in-the-Mud?”
“Trust me, Russo’s the one stuck in that mud, big time.”
Elle sticks out her bottom lip. “Poor silver fox!”
“I don’t see Russo.” Jay looks around impatiently. “Is he here yet?”
She clasps her hands with a tinkling laugh. “Oh, believe me, if he were here, you’d know it. You asked me for help creating a grand entrance. Do you think he’s just going to slip in unannounced?”
The devilish gleam in her eye scares me. “Okay, but Elle, we’re talking about something that will turn some heads, right?”
“Right.”
“Turn some heads,” I clarify. “Not melt faces off.”
She unleashes the tinkling laugh again. “Oh, you guys, it’s scary how well you know me.”
“I agree, it’s scary.”
“Relax! Shall we go out front to see for ourselves?”
Jay cocks his head at me. “Yeah, babe,relax.”
Before I can slap that smirk off his red face, I spy a trio of hulking men headed straight for us. Their hungry eyes are pinned on me. Wolves. I don’t recognize them—likely rogues—but I do recognize the predatory threat making the hairs on my arms stand up. I grab two fistfuls of Jay’s shirt and pull him to me. “Okay,Peter, you’re up. We talked about this.”
“What? Now?”
“Right now. I need you to be a little more demanding of my attention. Don’t look. Just keep your eyes on me like you mean it. I’m yours, right?”
“You’re mine.”
“Nobody else’s?”
“You know it.”
“I know it. Now make sure everybody else knows it.” I kiss him, guiding his hands to wrap around my waist.
Suddenly, Jay breaks our embrace and clamps a strong hand on my jaw. With surprising force he makes me look into his eyes, which are crackling with adrenaline. I’m startled by his intensity. By pure instinct I resist, but his grip is too strong. “Really?” he says with challenge in his tone. “Maybe you should take notes from Elle on how I like to be kissed.”
There’s just enough time for me to actually hear Elle’s knees go weak before Jay and I devour each other’s lips. My fingers are lost in his hair. He bends forward, forcing me to lean back in his steeled arms. I feel that every ounce of him—even his soft lips—are a force to be reckoned with. Resistance is absolutely pointless. I’d be annoyed with such a show of dominance, if I weren’t so damn flattered by the realization that he’s had this in him all this time but has never used it on me.
A gravelly voice kills the moment. “Would you look at these two? The underworld traitor and her human cop. They really need to start being more strict about who they let into this place.”
The wolf is middle-aged and scrawny, but his goons are young and massive. They crack their knuckles, taking up positions behind Elle and me. We’re surrounded.
So yeah, after that somewhat cheesy and very unimaginative insult, there follows a one-sided conversation which lasts exactly eight seconds. Jay looks the guy directly in the eyes and says, “I’m going to give you guys the option. You can take your best shots at me, after which I’ll buy us all a round, or you can put your eyes on my girl again.” So then, naturally, the wolf leers at me, and, just as naturally, Jay rockets a fist through his teeth.
All three wolves rush Jay at once. Shrieking, Elle raises a hand to blast the nearest wolf, but I bat her hand away. “No! No help!”
“It’s three against one!”
