Page 9 of Battle Lines

As soon as he was gone, she pivoted to face me. “What’s going on?”

“Excuse me?” The power of all that intelligence, cunning, and beauty was intoxicating, especially when she focused it on me.

“I haven’t seen or heard from you in weeks and tonight, you’re just here. You’re trying to keep me away from this auction and sabotage my interactions. So—what’s going on?”

Direct, artless, and far too vulnerable for our world. I shook my head. “Nothing, you just don’t belong here.”

Her indelicate snort irked me. “Fine, keep your secrets. Genevieve looks willing to forgive, though I doubt there’s much you can do, considering who you are, to turn her off... Class and taste are fairly far apart these days.”

The remark amused me, but then I frowned. “Who?”

“Genevieve Whitten? The blonde you were plastered to when we came in.” Lainey raised her brows at me, daring me to deny it.

“Didn’t know her name,” I muttered before I took another drink. Our alone time was already coming to an end as Hardigan made his way over. I wasn’t remotely drunk enough for this. But as it was… “Besides, the only mouth I want to fuck here tonight is yours. Are you sure I can’t convince you to leave?”

ChapterFour

LAINEY

“…the only mouth I want to fuck here tonight is yours.” The heat in Ezra’s eyes seemed to support his comment. Surprise speared me as he leaned closer. The combination of his cologne and champagne not remotely as unattractive as it should be. “Are you sure I can’t convince you to leave?”

The distance between us closed as he wrapped a hand around my bicep. Instead of squeezing though, he just stroked the skin on the inside of my arm. The caress sent shivers radiating throughout my whole system.

“Ezra,” I said, keeping my voice low. “This isn’t the time…”

“Sure it is,” he taunted, the corners of his mouth curving into that devil-may-care smirk. Charming provocateur and insufferable jackass. “It’s always the time. You. Me. A beach. We could be at the airport in an hour. The plane has a bed…we could fuck our way to the island and then spend the next few weeks naked…”

Every silky syllable whispered goosebumps into life. The last thing I needed was to be tantalized when my mind had to be on business. Even my nipples tightened and I was glad the shaped cups in the dress hid the evidence, even if my thighs were squeezing together as if of their own volition.

The auction hadn’t started, but it would be soon. Not to mention, we were hardly alone as a crowd of influential individuals filtered into the room. I recognized more than a few of the faces—including the older woman Pretty Boy had taken dancing. The high-top tables were filling. I rather suspected the space had most likely been apportioned by how many would be here.

When everyone arrived, they would begin…

“It’s not polite to ignore me,” Ezra scolded, continuing to stroke his fingers down my arm. The slight chill they’d picked up from holding the glass only left me flushed with more heat. He dipped his head closer to mine, the whisper of his breath a tease. “You remember what happened the last time, don’t you, Kotyonok?”

My throat and mouth went dry as I cut my gaze to meet his. The fire in his eyes dared me to deny it. Deny him. His lashes lowered as though he glanced at my mouth. As much as I wanted to resist the temptation, I flicked a look at his lips. This close, they seemed to glisten. Worse, he ran his tongue over his lower lip as if savoring the taste of something he’d had earlier.

Damn you, Ezra. He wasn’t even drunk. I’d seen him kill an entire bottle of whiskey and maintain an air of sobriety. A few glasses of bubbly, no matter how expensive, were unlikely to even make him tipsy.

“That wasthen,” I told him, keeping my tone flat even if the heat racing through my system threatened to make me sweat. Then with care, I pulled my arm away and turned to give him my back.

Thankfully, Pretty Boy was on a direct course for me with a pair of glasses in hand. Relief chased the heat as I found his eyes fixed on me. He flicked one look toward Ezra even as his jaw tightened. Yeah, Pretty Boy wasn’t happy either.

“You think turning away is all it takes?” Dark amusement licked each word as he pressed right up against my back. His behavior was creating a scene and more than one person glanced in our direction. I kept my spine straight and my shoulders back. The appearance of weakness only lured more predators to the field.

“Thank you,” I said as Pretty Boy rejoined us. He passed me the Waterford crystal glass. I welcomed the cold. The hint of bubbles in the water had me raising my brows. “They only had sparkling,” he explained before he transferred his attention to Ezra. “All sorted?”

“If you’re taking drink orders,” Ezra said, holding out his empty champagne glass. “I could use a refill.”

Milo didn’t even indulge him with a response as he stared at him briefly before glancing at me.

“I’m fine,” I assured him, and I was. Ezra’s nearness was uncomfortable, but I accepted Milo’s hand when he held it out and he tugged me away easily. “I’m hoping we will—”

Before I could even complete the thought, the lights flashed three times before dimming to indicate we should all take our places. Grateful, I moved toward the table with Milo, and smothered a sigh when Ezra took the spot on my other side. Of course, he wouldn’t just see himself out.

“I think your girlfriend is back there,” Pretty Boy said and I pursed my lips before I forced myself to take a drink of water.

“She’s free,” Ezra drawled. “Help yourself. I’ll take care of Lainey.”

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