Page 12 of Worth

“It looked tasty.” Aiden—I think that’s what he said his name was when he was driving like a maniac—groans when I glare at him, clutching at his chest. “I love it when you look at me like that,” he sighs.

I wrinkle my nose. “Like I want to murder you?”

“Fuck yes.”

I shake my head. “There is something really wrong with you.”

“Oh, definitely,” he chuckles. “Come on, my Kitten. Time to meet Zander.”

He opens the car door for me, offering a hand to help me out. I ignore it, pulling myself out as I tug the neckline of my dress up. I scan the house in front of me and my hackles instantly rise. The placelookslike a murder house with the boarded-up windows and three dilapidated stories.

“Yeah, I’ll pass,” I say brightly. “Thanks for the help escaping. I’ll just be on my—”

Aiden doesn’t bat an eye as he crouches down and slings my body over his shoulder so my head is hanging near his ass. My own bare ass is probably being displayed to the world.

“Put me down!” I demand, beating on his back with my fists and trying to kick at his face. It doesn’t seem to faze him, which only pisses me off more.

“Bad Kitten,” he scolds, smacking me on my right butt cheek while he ducks through the front door of the house.

I let out a sound I’ve never made in my life—like a mix between a cat squalling and a banshee.Dammit, did I just reference a cat? “You son of a—”

“What’s this?” a cold voice says and Aiden stops walking. I go still too, my words ending on a sharp inhale.

“Zander,” he says, tone nervous. “I accidentally caught a Skin.”

“Aiden,” the voice groans. “We talked about this. You can’t just go picking up Skins without a plan.”

“But I didn’t mean to!” Aiden protests. “She just ran right into my arms like a good Kitten.” He tosses me off his shoulder, letting me hit the wooden floor with a very unbecoming grunt. “Isn’t she a pretty little thing?” he adds, a tinge of hope in his voice.

I shift my limbs, untangling myself from the drop, and glower up at the two men looking down on me. Aiden winks, causing me to immediately flip him off, which only makes him laugh. The other man though—Zander—he looks down his nose at me like I’m gum on his shoe he can’t scrape off fast enough.

I steel my spine, curling my lip, as I take him in. Where Aiden is all lean muscle and fair features, Zander looks like a bronze god—definitely some sort of Mediterranean lineage. His dark brown, almost black, hair is longer than Aiden’s, neatly swept back and curling just below his ears. His jaw and upper lip aren’t just covered in stubble, but an actual beard and mustache that matches the dark color of his hair. I don’t see a trace of ink on his perfect skin—at least the skin I can see. He’s wearing a long-sleeved button-up shirt that looks like it’s straining to stay closed around his arms and chest, the definition under the cloth more than obvious.

“Where’d she come from?” Zander sighs while I continue my perusal, scrubbing a hand over his face.

Aiden’s voice brims with pride. “Ainsbury.”

Zander, however, doesn’t seem to share his satisfaction. “Fucking Ainsbury?” he bellows. “Goddammit, Aiden!”

Aiden’s face falls and I, for reasons unknown, bristle that Zander has wounded him. Maybe it’s just the way he yelled at him, or the look of crushing disappointment on Aiden’s face, but I don’t examine it too closely. Shooting to my feet, I shove at Zander’s chest with all my strength. Which doesn’t do a damn thing at all, except turn his attention to me.

“Hesavedme from Damien,” I snarl, shoving him again. He still doesn’t budge, staring at me with unfeeling eyes. “I don’t know who the fuck either of you are, or what I’ll have to endure here, but I’m grateful that I’m out of that monster’s hands until one of you proves you’re bigger monsters.”

I lunge at Zander one last time, and it’s like hitting a brick wall at full speed. I cringe a little as my teeth rattle together.

“Calm down, Kitten,” Aiden purrs behind me, sounding more like the cat than me. “Come here, sweet girl.” The idiot actually snaps his fingers like he’s calling an animal. “Here, Kitten. Here, girl.”

“And you,” I growl, whirling on him. He holds his hands up in surrender, still edging toward me like I’m a spooked animal. “Quit fucking calling me Kitten. My name is Blake.”

I feel the jolt from Zander behind me. “You?” he asks. “Youare the virgin stepdaughter Vetella sold?”

“I see my reputation proceeds me,” I grumble to cover the shame that tries to rear up in me.

“Fuck me, Aiden,” Zander groans. “Why do you always get us in these messes?”

Aiden wrinkles his nose. “We’ve covered this before. I don’t want to fuck you. I’m not gay.” His eyes widen. “Not that there’s a problem with being gay,” he adds, blinking at Zander. “I just don’t swing that way. But anyone else who does is fine by me. You know that, right bro?”

I cough to cover the laugh that escapes me. “Well, if that’s all,” I say, spinning on my heel and striding for the door. “I’ll just be—”

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