Page 17 of Pretty Dark Vows

“Golden.” I grin at him, my body still humming as proof of how true that is.

I’m halfway tempted to give him my number, although I have a rule about doing that too. But I’ve already broken the rule about not hooking up with anyone else here at the club, and even though I wouldn’t mind a repeat of what happened tonight, I know it’s probably better if this stays a one-time thing.

Still, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t consider it.

“I’d tell you to be good,” he drawls with a wink, “but I have a feeling that’s not really your style.”

I laugh, because even though neither of us knows more about the other than our names, he’s not wrong. “Guess you figured me out.”

His eyes roam over me appreciatively, his eyelids dropping to half-mast as he runs his fingers over my cheek. “I’d say so.”

He tucks a purple strand of my hair behind my ear, then lets his fingers drift down, tracing designs on my neck. Trailing them over all the spots where he sucked… bit… marked me.

He presses on one, and I drag in a sharp breath.

His eyes whip up to meet mine, his fingers hovering over my skin, and I can’t look away. Something hovers between us, and when I swallow hard, I know he can feel the movement beneath his fingertips.

After a long moment, he gives me a languid smile and drops his hand.

“Looks good on you,” he says. “Thanks for making my night, princess.”

And then, saving me from my own stupidity, he leaves.

The breath I didn’t even realize I was still holding whooshes out of me, and I turn away from the door and do a slow scan of the room. It’s good that he’s gone. That was… intense.

I stash my bottle of Crown Royal out of sight again and straighten up a few things that fell over while he rocked my world. Then I quit, because I’m not a fucking housekeeper and I really need to get out of here. The sex was…

I mean, yeah, it was insanely good, but also too much.Toointense, based on the way I got a little too caught up in it.

I’m just glad Dante’s not a regular like Rob. It means I’ll probably never see him again, so now I can check off my bad decision for the night and get on with my life.

I close my eyes for a second, inhaling the scent of sex and musk and his distinctive, spicy aftershave. Then I snap them open, force him out of my head, and slip out of the supply room.

Thankfully, I don’t run into anyone else as I leave the club. Musclehead is nowhere to be seen as I head to my car and slip inside, and I take a second to smooth down my sex-tangled hair before I turn the key in the ignition and peel out.

As usual, Chloe is still awake when I get home, curled up in her favorite spot on the couch. She glances up at me as I open the door, and her eyes immediately zero in on the hickeys on my neck.

Her jaw falls open slightly before she snaps it shut with a smirk. “Guess it worked, huh?”

“What worked?” I ask, closing the door behind me and locking it.

“Your mood ring,” she clarifies, coming up behind me and turning me around to face her. Her eyes skip from one mark to the next, darting over my throat, my collarbone, and the spot where he bit my shoulder. Then she arches an eyebrow. “Good night, sis?”

I roll my eyes. “It was a Tuesday. Slow as shit.”

The look she gives me almost makes me laugh. “It doesn’t look like it was a slow one,” she says pointedly.

I smirk, unable to stop myself. “I guess you could say it ended well.”

“Yesss! Tell me everything,” she exclaims gleefully. Then she frowns. “Unless you ended the night with Rob, because—”

“Oh, hell no.” I cut her off, making a gagging noise. “But I’ll have to tell you tomorrow. I need to shower and get some sleep.”

“Oh, come on…” Chloe puts on the pouty face that’s served her well since we were little kids, blinking hopefully at me.

I chuckle, but it turns into a yawn. Tuesdays really are slow, and it’s no later than I’m used to getting home, but Dante wore me the fuck out.

I ruffle Chloe’s hair and brush past her, stifling another laugh when I hear her mutter something about what a party pooper I am.

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