Page 38 of Dark OZ

I reached up and cupped her cheek. Her brow furrowed at my unexpected tenderness. I didn’t care. I was too busy marveling. It was like this girl had been brought to me by fate. I hadn’t seen it before, but I was seeing it now.

Dorothy was my mirror. Standing here, with her stormy eyes boring into mine, I knew that this girl had been brought into my life for a reason. In the end, what we wanted was the same thing. I would make her wish come true, and Ozma willing, she’d help mine come true too, and if not— at least we would make Emily Rosen pay. Together. That was a spectacular thing to imagine.

I leaned forward, brushing my lips to hers.

She pushed off my shoulders, slapping me with unexpected strength. Shock, peppered by desire, ignited along the burn from her hand. I wasn’t really thinking, and kissing her in that moment had been instinctual. I wanted to kiss her again, to show her that I understood. To meet the fire in her gaze with the fury that always burned low in my gut.

“What the hell, Danny?”

Before I could answer, something clicked in her expression.

“Fuck it.” She grabbed my shirt and pulled me back to her. We collided, her mouth seeking and demanding against mine. Dorothy held my body to her bare chest. My hands sank into her dark auburn waves. Palming the back of her head and holding her mouth to mine as if we were each holding each other hostage, neither one wanting to submit first.

A loud rattling started next to us. I ignored it, focusing instead on the feel of Dorothy’s tongue running along my teeth, dueling with my own. I used my free hand to palm her breast, my thumb teasing at her nipple. She arched into me, and I pushed back, pinning her hips to the counter.

It buzzed again, this time longer and louder than the first.

“Fucking hell,” I cursed. I had every intention of throwing my phone at the wall. Then I saw the message and released her completely.

“What’s 3853?” Dorothy said, looking at the screen.

“Fucked.” I quickly typed out a response, “669.”

The phone immediately buzzed again, a map pinging their location. They hadn’t made it far. They should have been all the way over the border by now, but instead, they were barely an hour from here. Which meant they were intercepted en route, but by who?

I looked back at Dorothy, stealing one more long kiss from her lips. Because Oz damn she tasted sweet. Of course, I wouldn’t be able to indulge in it all night like I should. Fate couldn’t just hand me the answer to everything and then let me enjoy it. No, instead it had to send me a literal message reminding me just how bad my impulse control was.

“Turn around. We need to get you bandaged back up, then I need to get to the guys.”

“Why? Danny, Stop.” She grabbed my hand from where it was reaching for the sealed packages of gauze.

“Turn around, Dorothy. I’ll explain while I tape.”

She did as I asked. Grumbling about being called Dorothy again.

“3853 is code for FUKD. It means the guys are locked down somewhere with no out. They need an exit, and I’m going to give it to them.”

“That’s what 669 means?”

“Yes. It means I’m on my way. This is because we changed the plan in a rush. If we’d taken the time to adjust properly, this never would have happened. Weneverget pinched.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“Cute. No, you get to stay here. With the entire alarm and defense system activated.”

“No, I’m not staying locked up again.”

“Locked up? You’re lucky I’m not tying you to my bed until I return.” Fuck. We need to put a pin in that idea for another time.

She tried to turn back to face me, but I held her firmly in place.

“Danny, I’m coming with you. I refuse to stay here. If the boys are in trouble, then you can use the extra help.”

“And what help would that be? Are you just going to whine and stamp your feet until they put down their weapons?”

Dorothy audibly growled in frustration.

“Not taking me with you was what got us in this mess in the first place.”

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