Page 24 of Deranged (American Street Kings 3)

I continued to clap as I walked over to her. Her eyes were gleaming with unshed tears. “I’m so proud of you right now.”

“Thanks.” She blushed.

“It’s good to see you haven’t lost that fire in you, Neon.” I reached out to pull her in for a hug but stopped before I touched her. Uncertainty made me hesitate, not sure if she would want to be touched. But she smiled and nodded.

“It’s okay.”

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in for a hug, careful not to hurt her back, which was still healing from third-degree burns. “It’s good to see you on your feet again.”

“Dude,” Ink chimed in, “give the girl some space, would you? Jesus.”

I chuckled and shot him the widest grin I could muster. “Jealous much?”

“Not jealous. Simply…concerned.”

“Whatever, man.” I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Go grab the woman a seat.”

As Ink led her to the table, the door to the bar opened, and a figure caught my attention. Her eyes instantly found mine, and I let out a breath.

“Wraith,” I whispered. She came back.

I made my way through the crowd, never taking my eyes off her. She stood motionless by the door, her gaze reaching for me across the sea of people between us. I wasn’t sure whether it was the buzz of the atmosphere around us or the magic I saw swirling in her irises, but as I broke through the crowd, I rushed to her. And without thinking twice, I grabbed her face between my palms, forcing her back and crashing my lips against hers.

It was insane. I didn’t even know her. I didn’t know who she was other than she called herself Wraith. I didn’t know where she was from. How old she was. Did she have family around here? I knew nothing about her. All I knew was I wanted to kiss her. So, I did.

I felt her hesitate, pulling back slightly. But I held her face between my hands, refusing to let go, and I forced my tongue through the barrier of her lips while fusing my mouth to hers, desperate to taste her. It felt like I was on a high I had never been on before, this kiss of a stranger forcing a kind of rush through my body I couldn’t explain.

I continued to push her back, into a corner cast in shadows, hiding us from the rest of the bar.

She didn’t touch me, but she kissed me back. Her tongue lapped against mine as if she was searching for my taste like I was hunting for hers. She tasted sweet, like oranges, with a subtle trace of mint and heat all swept together in one mind-blowing kiss. The thrill, the thirst, and the urge to never stop was overwhelming. It had my insides tangled up in a vise of desire and hunger, a need to explore and push the limit with this woman who simply walked into my life uninvited.

Her gentle moans might as well have been a wrecking ball, slamming against my chest, breaking my self-control into nothing but shattered pieces of lust. It was driving me mad, and I had to tear my lips from hers in order to catch my breath. Leaning my head against hers, I didn’t open my eyes. “Who. Are you?”

“I’m not sure anymore.” Her breathing was as labored as mine, hot and heady.

“I’ve never seen you before, yet now I see you everywhere I go. Why is that?” My hips flexed, wanting to feel the welcome pressure of her body against mine. Her only response was a soft whimper that rolled over her tempting, plump lips.

“Why did you come back?”

“I don’t know. It just felt like I had to see you again.”

“Why?”

“I’m reckless.”

I moved my hand to her neck, my thumb gently stroking the hollow at the base of her throat. “Reckless is what I do, baby girl.”

Leaning down, I kissed her again, covering her lips with mine. This time, I executed an insane amount of restraint, kissing her slowly and softly. But she met my gentle kiss with a nip of her teeth, biting my bottom lip, sending an electric jolt down my spine, crashing against my goddamn balls.

I reached up and yanked the back of her head as I gripped her hair in my fist. “You’re playing dirty.”

“And you’re teasing me.”

I licked my lip, tasting my own blood, my cock twitching and aching. “Not teasing. Taming…right before I break you.”

She lifted her chin, those exquisite sapphire eyes shining with a dare. “I’d like to see you try.”

“To tame you…or to break you?”

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