Hart pursed his lips in censure and Cane folded like a cheap deck of cards. “Fine. You win.”
From Hart’s smile, Liam had a feeling he always did.
Cane made a gesture and a couple of people Liam recognized as being part of Cane’s empire came forward to do his bidding, grabbing O’Malley’s wheezing form and escorting him and his men away.
“C’mon, sweetheart, with me,” Cane said, grasping Hart’s hand. “Every time you go out of my sight you get into some sort of trouble.”
“Me!?” Hart scoffed. “I’m trouble?”
Cane scanned him up and down in a way that made even Liam blush. “The best kind.”
“We have company,” Hart said, but from his body language, he was obviously into whatever this dance between them was.
“Easily solved.”
Cane began to pull him away without another word.
Which broke Liam out of his staring.
He was about to lose his chance.
“WAIT!”
Hart glanced back, pulling to a halt. Cane sighed at his side.
“Oh, I’m sorry, that was incredibly rude. We didn’t even check if you were okay,” Hart said, sounding truly sincere.
“Oh, uh, yes, I’m fine.”
“Great. See ya,” Cane said, moving to drag Hart away again.
“I mean…No!” Liam blurted out. “I’m terrible. The worst. Horrible.”
He knew more synonyms than this.
Cane narrowed his eyes, clearly not buying his bullshit, but Hart only looked at him with concern.
“Come up to the office and we’ll get you all sorted out.”
“Excuse me?” Cane said.
Hart gave him a look. “I invited him up.”
“Did you now,” he drawled. “I didn’t hear.”
“Cane.”
“Sweetheart.”
They held eye contact for too long to be normal. A whole conversation was being held between them in the silence, arcs of tension illuminating the place better than the strobe lighting.
Cane reached out and grasped Hart’s chin between his rough fingers. “I’m going to collect later, sweetheart,” he promised, voice low.
Liam caught Hart’s shiver and flush before he turned to Liam. “Follow us.”
He did, keeping enough distance to be polite, but not enough that he could fall out of Cane’s menacing orbit that repelled people like a reverse pole magnet.
They made it up the stairs and through the doors before Liam paused on the threshold.
