Page 167 of The Consequences of Love and Vengeance

The way he’s looking at me ignites all of my senses and without thinking, I lean forward, inhaling him through his shirt. His smell, clean and manly with a hint of salt water sends a bolt of electricity to my core. It’s calming in all the places I’m plagued with the anxiety I’m not used to. It’s shocking in all of the places I’ve been lonely for what seems like forever, even though it’s only been a little over two weeks since we’ve touched. It’s like breathing in air when you’re on the brink of suffocating.

“D,” I breathe out, mumbling his name through the soft material.

His left hand squeezes my hip, but it’s a pain I welcome. With his other hand, he slides up, running his thumb under my chin, forcing me to look up at him once again.

My eyes close briefly when his fingers slide through strands of my hair, but I don’t want to miss a second of this moment, so I slowly open my lids to look back into those eyes I love so much. He’s staring at my mouth again, and before I know it, he’s sinking down to my level.

Suddenly, he stops his descent. Drago’s eyes jerk up, looking over my head just before someone’s hand wraps around my waist, pulling me until I’m flush against another rock-solid chest. The gesture is firm, but not rough. Possessive or protective maybe.

“Excuse us, will you?” Justin doesn’t give D a chance to respond. By the fury in Drago’s eyes, I’m not certain he’s capable of getting words out right now. “I’m going to take my date back now. Perhaps, you should get back to your owndatebefore she comes looking for you.”

Justin pulls me away as he takes a step backward. The sudden loss of contact with D brings a whine out of my lips. I needed him, and he let Justin take me without a fight.

Staring at Drago, I beg with my eyes, needing and wanting him, yet not able to call out to him. I watch Drago’s dark eyes intensify the farther away I get. Then my eyes drop, seeing his hands clenched together in fists at his sides. It’s not much, but for a split second, it gives me a little pleasure to know he’s affected by seeing another man touch me the same way I was when Rebecca had her hands all over him in the restaurant.

“Let’s go, Bri,” Justin whispers into my ear.

Grabbing my hand, he squeezes tight, making sure I can’t readily escape his hold and drags me behind him until we’re outside of the hotel, heading toward the parking lot.

“We didn’t pay,” I yell, while at the same time yanking to get my hand free from his.

“I took care of it,” he barks but doesn’t stop.

“Justin, let go,” I demand.

Finally, when we’re yards from the main entrance, he stops, turning around to face me, but he doesn’t let me go. It’s becoming awkward and strange, him holding my hand. I’m not sure if I feel like a kid right now or what. Either way, he shouldn’t be touching me.

“Let go!”

He releases me, the reluctance showing clearly in his green eyes.

“What the hell was that?” He shrugs like it wasn’t a big deal. Oh, it’s a big deal to me. “That back there”—I throw my fist up, stabbing my thumb behind me—“was some territorial shit. So, I’m going to ask again, Summers. What was that?”

I take a step forward, crowding his personal space and place my hands on my hips, waiting for an answer.

Justin’s chest expands, filling with air as he looks down at me. His green eyes bore into mine, but I don’t cower. It’s not in me to do so. When his lungs fill to capacity, he releases them, fanning my face as he exhales. Surprisingly his breath doesn’t smell like the meal he just ate. It’s minty like he popped a mint or chewed some gum.

“I’m good at getting under people’s skin. It’s why I close more IA cases faster than any other Internal Affairs detective. I have a hard time turning that skill off.”

I shake my head. “What does that even mean? Are you saying you just wanted to get under Drago’s skin?”

“I felt he deserved exactly what you felt when you watched him and the woman sitting next to him, right before you escaped to the bathroom, Bri.” He blows out another frustrated huff of air. “And I wanted to see if his feelings for you are as real as yours are for him.”

“And what did you see?” The sizzle coursing through me dies.

Why do I even want to know? Is it because I want reassurance that I’m not making Drago’s feelings for me more than what they actually are?

“Doesn’t matter, Andrews. You cannot have a relationship with him. What the fuck is going through your head? Do you want your boss to contest my findings? Do you want to lose your job?”

“No!” I cross my arms, hating where he’s taking this conversation.

“So, then it’s my turn to ask you. What the hell was that back there?”

I can’t answer him because I don’t know myself. I know D was going to kiss me and right now I’m pissed at Justin for stopping it.

Does he have a valid point? Sure.

But I can’t control my heart. I want my career, and I want the man back there that I love. Is that really so much to ask?

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